Boyfriends-In-Law | Jayhoon [Ongoing]

3.1: Boyfriends-In-Law?

Sunghoon sat at his desk, scribbling notes in the margins of his textbook while the voice of Shuhua crackled through his earphones. His brow furrowed in concentration as he tried to keep his focus on studying for the upcoming exam, now just four days away.

He had skipped college again today, not ready to face more of the whispers and judgmental stares that seemed to follow him everywhere. His mom, though worried, didn’t pry, opting instead to quietly support him by pretending everything was normal.

"...So, I talked to Soobin about the whole thing," Shuhua was saying. "He’s really worried about you, Sunghoon. We all are."

Sunghoon nodded, even though Shuhua couldn’t see him. "What did he say?"

"We cleaned up all the posters around the college," Shuhua explained. "Soobin even went to the Chancellor about it."

Sunghoon’s pen paused mid-sentence. "The Chancellor? Isn’t that a bit too much? It’s not that serious."

"It is that serious," Shuhua insisted, her tone firm. "This could mess with your entire career, Sunghoon. You can’t just brush it off."

Sunghoon felt a lump form in his throat, the realization weighing down on him. He hadn’t fully grasped just how deep this mess had become. "But... I mean, do we really need to go that far?"

Shuhua sighed on the other end of the line. "We do. There are professors who are already taking Min Ryung’s side, and if we don’t get ahead of this, they’ll help her frame you even worse. It’s going to take everything we’ve got to clear your name."

Sunghoon was silent, absorbing her words. He hated the idea of causing trouble for Soobin, the club head who had always been kind to him. But he also knew Shuhua was right—this wasn’t something he could ignore.

"Okay," he finally murmured. "I’ll do whatever I need to. I just... I didn’t think it would get this bad."

"It’ll be okay," Shuhua reassured him, her voice softer now. "We’re all here for you, Sunghoon. Just hang in there, okay?"

"Yeah, I will. Thanks, Noona."

They wrapped up their conversation, and Sunghoon sighed heavily as he hung up the call. The room felt quieter, heavier. But a gentle knock on his door broke the silence.

His mom peeked in, a small smile on her face. "I brought you some snacks, sweetie. You haven’t been eating much."

Sunghoon gave her a grateful smile, trying to mask the exhaustion in his eyes. "Thanks, Mom. I’ll eat them later."

She hesitated for a moment, clearly wanting to say more, but she eventually nodded and left the room, closing the door softly behind her. Sunghoon sighed again and turned back to his notes, trying to immerse himself in his studies. He read through the same paragraph multiple times, his mind wandering to everything but the words on the page.

After dinner, Sunghoon sat back down to study, though he found himself distracted every few minutes. He kept checking the clock, his mind racing with thoughts of what Shuhua had said. The posters, the rumors, the professors who might be against him—it all seemed too much to handle. He shook his head, trying to push the thoughts away, but they lingered like an annoying itch he couldn’t scratch.

At around 11 PM, he was sitting at his desk, half-heartedly reviewing his notes when his phone buzzed. He glanced over, noticing a message from Jay. Sunghoon’s heart skipped a beat, a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he opened the message, curious about what Jay might have to say this time.

Jay's message was as goofy as ever.

Jay:
Tried to fix my guitar today
Thought I could be all DIY about it, but nah…
Had to send it in for repair.
I’m worried, man. 😫
What if it comes back all weird?
I’d be heartbroken.