𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐌𝐄

#.. THREE

the boy in gunil's room looked up, curiosity sparkling in his eyes when he saw the two new people. jooyeon immediately thought of him as cute.

he was a little wobbly on his knees as he walked towards him and seungmin, his smile showing his little bunny teeth. "i'm hyeongjun, hi."

a voice from heaven. jooyeon considered that the boy might be an angel in another universe. not only did he sound like one, but he also looked like one. ethereal, extraordinary, unforgettable.

telling hyeongjun their names, the boy smiled at them again. "oh! lovely names!" he giggled before throwing himself back on gunil's bean bag.

jooyeon felt his guardian instincts rise up. it must be hyeongjun, he never felt this way about gunil.

taking a second look at gunil's friend, jooyeon had to realise that he seemed sick. pale skin, dark eyebags, incredibly skinny.

it must be him. jooyeon wanted to know more about hyeongjun. he wanted to know why he felt the way he did.

gunil has mentioned him a few times before. yet the only thing jooyeon knew about him was that him and hyeongjun had a similar past.

jooyeon knew every single detail about gunil's past, the twenty-one year old trusting the angel blindly.

so while gunil was busy showing seungmin his cd's, jooyeon sat down on the floor, next to hyeongjun.

"so.. you mind telling me more about yourself?" jooyeon asked, offering him a sweet smile.

hyeongjun looked at him with widened eyes, as if he couldn't believe that the angel was talking to him.

"um?" he just asked, sounding more surprised than he wanted to. "god- what is there to tell? i'm nineteen, in film school-"

gunil interrupted hyeongjun with a laugh. "a little fucked up!" he added, to which hyeongjun just rolled his eyes.

"now why did you have the urge to tell him that?" the boy laughed, yet the comment seemed to hurt him. his smile didn't seem as genuine anymore.

but jooyeon didn't mind. "oh, that's fine, don't worry" he reassured him. "i've been told that i can make anyone feel better."

"i doubt that i could ever feel better" hyeongjun answered, sounding distant. as if he accidentally said that out loud.

jooyeon's brows furrowed. now he was confused. but before he could answer, gunil's mom entered the room.

"lunch is ready, boys. you should go and eat."

[...]

at the dining table, gunil's mother prepared many side dishes, such as radish, coleslaw, and sausages. the main dish was tomato egg rice.

seungmin seemed to have fallen in love with the food, devouring it as if he hasn't eaten in a long time. but so did gunil, to which the two immediately started bonding over their love towards food.

jooyeon noticed that hyeongjun just stared at his plate, mindlessly stabbing the food with his fork.

"are you planning on eating?" the angel asked, watching hyeongjun's face get lively again, before he offered his warm and sweet bunny smile again.

"well- yes! dude, i love these sausages!" he started rambling, slicing one of them apart and picking it up with his fork. "you should try one, too!"

before jooyeon could say something, hyeongjun already forced his fork into his mouth, wanting him to try the food. it threw him off-guard, but he had no choice.

"it really is good.." he lisped with the meat still in his mouth, chewing on it with a bright smile.

hyeongjun's face lit up as he nodded. "that's what i'm saying!" he exclaimed happily. "oh man, and the scrambled eggs, too! mrs koo just knows how to cook!"

as jooyeon continued to eat his own food, he kept watching hyeongjun, how he just pushed the food on the plate, as if he was organising it.

when they finished up, hyeongjun excused himself to the bathroom, right before jooyeon asked whether he was full.

there was definitely something wrong with hyeongjun.