What's Broken Can't Be Fixed

16

     To Chris, something about all this felt... wrong in a way. I mean he was kissing his best friend. They had been friends since 2004, it just didn't feel right. Plus... he had never thought that he would like a boy in the first place. He starts to feel sick... like he was doing something that he wasn't supposed to. Chris starts to take his hands away from the boy's body, but Seungmin stops him.

     He grabs Chris' hand, guiding it back to his waist. Seungmin reaches up, touching the side of his neck and running his fingers through his hair. Seconds later, Seungmin opens his eyes and leans back, he stares for a moment, studying the expression on Chris' face. "Don't overthink." He whispers.

     He could feel the boy's thumb caressing the back of his hand. But Seungmin's gaze never left Chris' face. "I'm sorry." He lowers his head down onto Seungmin's shoulder. Chris liked Seungmin... a lot. However now that Seungmin likes him back, he can't get out of his thoughts for long enough to actually be with him. And he hates it. He really does.

     "Don't be." Comes a quiet, yet soothing response.

     When Jisung wakes up, he walks downstairs to see Hannah lying on the couch. No one else was awake, and it was only about 5:00 in the morning. "Hey." He waves at her while grabbing a cup of water. It was early, and usually one would drink coffee.

     Hyunjin always tried to get him to like coffee. Especially Americano's since they were his favorite drink.

     She looks at him for a second and then grabs her phone. "Wanna go for a walk?"

     "Yeah, let's go." Jisung puts on a jacket, and they walk outside. After a while of walking, they end up in the forest. "Hyunjin goes to this forest more than we do... it's nice"

     "Maybe we should come here more often." Hannah suggests, but Jisung sighs.

     "This is his quiet place..." He looks over at her. "I think maybe we should leave it to him." Of course, Hyunjin has a quiet place, everyone should. But his case... was different. Hannah remembers his words from back at the gym.

     "If I had a choice, you wouldn't know either." She remembers his face when he said it. He was hurt. Then Hannah remembers something. After three years, Hyunjin still hadn't told anybody about his parents. She was the only one who knew.

                                                             5 years ago

     Hannah was always good friends with the boy's ever since Chris introduced her to them. But one day, Hannah decided to head over to Hyunjin's house because she wanted to ask him about the project, they were assigned that day.

     They were the kind of friends that could just show up at each other's houses unannounced and just be let in. So, when she gets there, she knocks on the door, but no one answers. But when she tries to knock louder the door creaks open. Her eyebrows furrow, and she walks inside. Going up to Hyunjin's room, she didn't see anyone inside at first. However, she hears a noise coming from the closet.

     Slowly, she walks over, opening the closet doors. And there he was. Hyunjin was huddled up in the corner. His nose was bleeding, black eye, face covered in cuts and bruises as well as his body. He looked like he was being tortured. When he looks up and sees her, his eyes widen. "Why are you here?" He whispers, but Hannah was still too shocked to answer.

     "Hyunjin... what-" But then, Hyunjin hears footsteps coming up the stairs. He grabs her and pushes her into the darkest part of the closet.

     "He won't see you. Stay quiet... please." Suddenly, the doors swing open, and someone grabs Hyunjin by his shirt. She could hear him and a man yelling, and then a loud bang. Then a thud. Through the crack of the door, she saw Hyunjin on the ground.

     Tears well up in her eyes but she covers her mouth with her hand to refrain from making a sound. His body was dragged, and then she heard a door closing. That was the first time she saw Hyunjin being beaten. She jumped out of the window because she didn't want to risk running into his parents. Hyunjin didn't come to school the next day. And the next... and the next.

     The boys were starting to get worried. But Hannah didn't say anything, even though she had a pretty good idea about why he wasn't coming. After maybe 2 weeks, Hyunjin showed up at school. Yet, something was wrong. Felix ran to give him a hug, which was rare because he never gave them hugs.

     However, as soon as Felix touched him, his nose started bleeding. Quickly, he rolls up his sleeve to wipe it, but there was something on his arm. A giant burn mark. "...Hyunjin?"

     "It's fine!" He wipes his nose, giving Felix's hand a reassuring squeeze. "I just burned myself on the stove by accident." Hannah watches as Hyunjin lies and lies to stop the boy's from worrying about him.

     "Well, you should probably go to the nurse." Felix drags him out of the room. But before they leave, Hyunjin looks over his shoulder, his eyes landing on Hannah.

     Because she knew... something they didn't.

                                                                   Now

     Hannah couldn't get out of her thoughts. She crouches down and touches a blade of grass that's beneath her. What if she just told Jisung now? It wouldn't hurt right? As long as she told Jisung not to say anything about it afterwards, then Hyunjin wouldn't know that she had told him at all. But... that would be betraying Hyunjin's trust, and she didn't want to do that.

     Hannah sighs, she hadn't heard Jisung talk in a while. He's probably just watching her and thinking that she's crazy. She stands up, wiping her hands on her pants. But when she turns around, she sees... trees. Trees, grass, dirt, branches... but no Jisung.