The Only Choice - Boboiboy Halilintar

Chapter 3 - Gempa

Later that night

"I think Hali is hiding something," Gempa stated.

"I know, I've noticed too. He hasn't been very open," Solar replied.

There was a silence, but then Gempa spoke.

"I don't know. I have this feeling that I... I couldn't save him or ask for help when he needed it. I feel like I am the worst younger brother," Gempa stuttered.

Solar hugged him, reassuring him that everything would be alright and to stay positive.

"We need to look after Hali from now on."

"Alright, let's call the others and tell them too."

After a few days, Hali was feeling much better. Ais even gave him his plushie to help him sleep comfortably, though he felt embarrassed when he accepted it.

Typical Halilintar.

"I am your worst nightmare."

Hali suddenly woke up, panting a little. He shrugged it off and went downstairs. Before going down, he checked the time—it was quite early in the morning, and no one would be awake, well, except for one person.

His leg pained a little, but Hali ignored it and went downstairs. To his surprise, Gempa was already in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

"You're awake as usual, I see," Hali said, noticing that Gempa flinched and avoided eye contact. Gempa seemed to be hiding something, but then he said,

"Oh, Hali, you woke up quite early as well. How are you feeling? Don't just stand there; you can sit if you want. I guess your leg isn't completely healed," Gempa said unusually, still avoiding Hali's gaze. Hali felt suspicious.

"I'm fine, Gempa. Is something wrong?"

"E-eh, w-what do you mean? Nothing is w-wrong," Gempa stuttered.

A silence fell over the room, but then a bold voice spoke.

"Gempa," said Hali, "Look at me when I'm speaking to you. I know something is wrong. Just tell me; I am your big brother."

Gempa had no choice but to turn. When he looked up, Hali was shocked to see him crying.

His eyes were filled with tears that kept flowing down his face. Gempa tried to control them, but they wouldn't stop.

Hali rushed to him, wiping his tears and panicking about what to do. He didn't know how to comfort someone but did his best.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong, Gempa? Why are you crying?" Hali asked, panicked.

Before Gempa could respond, he hugged Hali, which shocked him.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Gempa cried, and Hali froze.

He brought Gempa to the couch and hugged him to offer comfort.

"I'm sorry for not protecting you," Gempa said, closing his eyes. Hali was shocked but remained calm, maintaining his usual expression.

"I'm sorry for not protecting you. I'm sorry that I left you and didn't help you when you needed someone to be with you. I'm sorry that I failed as a younger brother. Ever since you were in a coma, I haven't felt right. It's all my fault that you were in a coma. If only I had realized you were having a nightmare and were injured badly, I could have helped you. But instead, I chose to ignore it all. I'm just a burden to you guys. You know what? Just kill me, Hali. I don't deserve to live when I can't even protect you and our brothers."

"Shush right now. Don't talk. Just take deep breaths, alright? Everything is fine," Hali said as he pulled Gempa into a hug.

Gempa took deep breaths. After calming down, he had hiccups, showing how much he had cried. Hali felt very sad and regretful, knowing how much Gempa had suffered because of him. He remembered how Gempa had taken care of him and his brothers when their parents died in a car accident, and they had to live with their grandfather. Hali was shocked that Gempa knew about the nightmares and injuries, but he didn't understand where it all came from and blamed himself.