✓ cold boy next door | p.sh

27

“warm comforts”

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after spending some time in the park, yeoji noticed sunghoon’s shivering. the spring snow was beautiful, but it was also chilling. she knew they needed to get somewhere warm.

“sunghoon,” she said gently, pulling back from their embrace. “how about we go to the convenience store and get some hot chocolate? it’s freezing out here.”

sunghoon nodded, his eyes still red from crying. “that sounds nice. thank you, yeoji.”

they walked together to the nearest convenience store, the snowflakes crunching under their feet. the bright lights of the store were a welcome contrast to the cold night outside. they entered, the warmth immediately enveloping them.

yeoji led sunghoon to the hot beverage section. “here we are. hot chocolate always makes everything a little better, right?”

sunghoon managed a small smile. “yeah, it does.”

they each grabbed a cup and filled it with steaming hot chocolate, the sweet aroma filling the air. yeoji picked up a few snacks as well, hoping to lift sunghoon’s spirits a bit more. they paid for their items and found a small table in the corner of the store where they could sit and talk.

“thanks for this, yeoji,” sunghoon said, his hands wrapped around the warm cup. “i really needed to get away.”

“i’m glad i could help,” yeoji replied, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. “you’ve been through a lot. sometimes, it’s good to take a break and just… breathe.”

sunghoon nodded, staring out the window at the falling snow. “it feels like everything’s crashing down. i don’t know how to fix things with my mom.”

“you don’t have to fix everything right away,” yeoji said gently. “it’s okay to take things one step at a time. your mom is grieving, just like you are. it’s going to take time for both of you to heal.”

after a few moments, yeoji watched sunghoon taking a sip of his hot chocolate. she could see the tension slowly easing from his shoulders. “feeling a bit better?”

sunghoon nodded. “a little. thanks for this, rabbit. i don’t know what i would have done without you tonight.”

yeoji smiled softly after hearing sunghoon called her nickname. “that’s what friends are for. you don’t have to go through this alone.”

they sat in companionable silence for a while, sipping their hot chocolate and watching the snow fall outside. the warmth of the drink and the quiet of the store provided a much-needed respite from the emotional storm they had just weathered.

after a few moments, yeoji broke the silence. “sunghoon, do you want to go home?”

sunghoon shook his head. “i can’t face my mom right now. i just... i need some time to think.”

yeoji nodded, understanding. “how about you stay at hyunwoo’s place tonight? i’m sure he won’t mind.”

sunghoon looked relieved. “that would be great, actually. thank you, yeoji.”

yeoji pulled out her phone and dialed hyunwoo’s number. after a few rings, he picked up. “hey, yeoji. what’s up?”

“hyunwoo, it’s kind of a long story, but can sunghoon stay at your place tonight? he’s had a rough day and needs somewhere to crash.”

hyunwoo’s voice was filled with concern. “of course, no problem at all. where are you guys? i’ll come get you.”

“we’re at the convenience store near the park,” yeoji replied.

“i’ll be there in five minutes,” hyunwoo said before hanging up.

true to his word, hyunwoo arrived shortly after. he took one look at sunghoon’s tear-streaked face and immediately tapped his shoulder to comfort him. “hey, man. let’s get you out of here.”

they walked together to hyunwoo’s place, a short distance away. an apartment next to their block to be exact. once inside, hyunwoo led them to the living room, where they could all sit and talk.

yeoji explained the situation briefly to hyunwoo, who listened intently. when she finished, he nodded, understanding the gravity of what sunghoon was going through.

“you can stay here as long as you need, sunghoon,” hyunwoo said. “we’re here for you.”

sunghoon smiled weakly. “thank you. i really appreciate it.”

yeoji stood up, preparing to leave. “i should get going. it’s getting late.”

sunghoon grabbed her hand gently. “thank you, yeoji. for everything.”

yeoji squeezed his hand. “anytime, sunghoon. get some rest, okay?”, she added, making sunghoon shook his head.

after yeoji left, hyunwoo began to spoke up. “so, how are you holding up, sunghoon?”

sunghoon sighed, leaning back on the couch. “it’s been tough. my mom… she blames me for my dad’s death. it’s like she hates me for wanting to skate again.”

hyunwoo frowned. “that’s rough. but you know it’s not your fault, right?”

sunghoon nodded slowly. “yeah, but it’s hard to shake off the guilt. and then there’s yeoji. she’s been so supportive. i don’t know what i’d do without her.”

hyunwoo smiled. “yeoji is really something special. she’s always looking out for others. even though i’ve known her for a short period of time, and she’s always been that way.”

sunghoon chuckled softly. “to be honest, i used to be jealous of how close you two were. i thought there was something more between you.”

hyunwoo laughed. “you’re not the first one to think that. but yeoji and i have always been just good friends."

sunghoon smiled, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders. “i guess i was worried for nothing. she’s really important to me.”

hyunwoo nodded. “i can see that. and i think you’re important to her, too. she wouldn’t go out of her way for just anyone.”

they sat in companionable silence for a while, the warmth of hyunwoo’s apartment providing a safe haven for sunghoon. eventually, they started talking about lighter topics, sharing stories and laughing together.

“you know,” hyunwoo said, grinning, “there was this one time yeoji and i were working on a major story for the student newspaper. we were covering the championship game, and we were both exhausted from running around all day.”

sunghoon raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “what happened?”

hyunwoo chuckled. “we were on a tight deadline, and yeoji was trying to get an interview with the star player. she finally managed to catch him, but just as she started asking questions, her recorder died. instead of panicking, she just kept talking, pretending to take notes. when we got back to the office, she reconstructed the entire interview from memory. it was incredible.”

sunghoon smiled, shaking his head. “that’s impressive. she always seems so put together.”

hyunwoo nodded. “she is, but she’s also great at thinking on her feet. we ended up writing one of our best articles that night.”

as the night wore on, sunghoon felt a sense of relief. he realized that he wasn’t alone, that he had friends who cared about him. the burden of his family’s grief was still heavy, but it felt more manageable with people like his so-called-friends by his side, all the time.

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