𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌𝐒 & 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘 ᶻ 𝘇 𐰁 [ꜱᴇᴏᴋꜱᴏᴏ]

9: 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥

⸻ ᶻ 𝘇 𐰁 ⸻

Joshua walked into the lecture hall, the usual buzz of chatter and the shuffle of students finding their seats filling the room. It was a routine he had grown used to, but today, something felt off. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, and it had everything to do with Seokmin.

He scanned the room, his eyes landing on Jun and Minghao, who were already seated near the back, engaged in quiet conversation. As usual, Jun had that playful smile on his face, while Minghao listened attentively, a small smirk playing on his lips. Joshua made his way over, weaving through the rows of desks until he reached them.

❝Hey,❞ Joshua greeted as he dropped his bag onto the seat next to Minghao. ❝What's up?❞

❝Not much,❞ Jun replied, glancing up with a warm smile. ❝Just going over some notes before class starts.❞

Minghao nodded in agreement, but his attention quickly returned to Jun, the corners of his eyes crinkling with fondness as they shared a private joke. Joshua watched them for a moment, their easy connection stirring a pang of something-jealousy, perhaps-deep in his chest. It reminded him of the time he used to share with Seokmin, before things had started to feel... different.

Speaking of Seokmin, the memory of their awkward conversation at the café earlier that day bubbled back up, unsettling him all over again. Seokmin had seemed off, distant, and it gnawed at Joshua, the uncertainty of it all weighing on his mind.

Joshua turned to Minghao, a frown creasing his brow. ❝Hey, can I ask you something?❞

Minghao raised an eyebrow, his expression turning more serious as he gave Joshua his full attention. ❝Sure. What's on your mind?❞

Joshua hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to phrase what he was feeling. ❝It's about Seokmin. He's been acting really weird lately, and I don't know what's going on with him. I tried asking him earlier, but he just brushed it off.❞

Minghao's expression didn't change, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes-something that made Joshua think he knew more than he was letting on. ❝Weird how?❞ Minghao asked, his tone carefully neutral.

❝I don't know,❞ Joshua admitted, running a hand through his hair in frustration. ❝He just seems... distant, I guess. Like he's avoiding me or something. I can't figure it out, and it's driving me crazy. Do you know what's going on with him?❞

Minghao's eyes narrowed slightly, a contemplative look crossing his face. For a moment, Joshua thought he was going to get an answer, but then Minghao simply shrugged, his expression unreadable. ❝It's not my place to say,❞ he replied coolly.

Joshua felt a pang of disappointment at the non-answer. He opened his mouth to press further, but Minghao cut him off before he could say anything else.

❝If you really cared,❞ Minghao said, his voice carrying an edge of something that sounded suspiciously like judgment, ❝you'd understand by now.❞

Joshua blinked, caught off guard by the unexpected taunt. He opened his mouth to protest, to ask what the hell Minghao meant by that, but the other man had already turned back to Jun, the conversation between them resuming as if nothing had happened.

Stung by the remark, Joshua frowned, leaning back in his chair. Minghao's words echoed in his head, gnawing at him. If you really cared, you'd understand by now. But what was there to understand? Joshua cared about Seokmin more than anything-he thought he knew his best friend inside and out. But this... this felt like something different, something he couldn't quite grasp.

Annoyed and more than a little confused, Joshua let out a quiet sigh. He glanced over at Minghao and Jun, who were now absorbed in some quiet conversation, their heads close together as they whispered and laughed. It was clear Minghao wasn't going to give him any more answers, and prying further would only make things awkward.

With a resigned shrug, Joshua reached into his bag and pulled out his textbooks, flipping them open with a little more force than necessary. He tried to focus on the material, but his mind kept wandering back to Seokmin. He replayed their recent interactions in his head, searching for any clue, any hint as to what could be bothering his friend.

But the more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became. Nothing made sense. Seokmin had been fine just a week ago-hadn't he? They'd hung out like usual, laughed, joked around... So what had changed? Why was Seokmin pulling away now?

⸻ ᶻ 𝘇 𐰁 ⸻

The lecture hall gradually filled up with more students, the noise level rising as people settled in and chatted among themselves. The professor entered the room shortly after, calling for everyone's attention as he began the lesson. Joshua tried to focus, but his thoughts kept drifting back to Seokmin, the worry gnawing at him like a persistent itch.

Minghao's words lingered in the back of his mind, an unsettling reminder that maybe-just maybe-there was something he wasn't seeing. Something important.

But what?

Joshua glanced sideways at Minghao once more, who was diligently taking notes, his face calm and focused. Jun leaned slightly toward him, pointing something out in his textbook, and they exchanged a quick, knowing smile.

The sight only deepened Joshua's confusion, and as the lecture droned on, he found himself growing more and more distracted. Whatever was going on with Seokmin, it was clearly affecting him more than he wanted to admit.

He shook his head, trying to push the thoughts away. There'd be time to figure it out later. For now, he needed to focus on the lecture, on the here and now.

But as much as he tried, Seokmin's distant smile and Minghao's pointed remark refused to leave his mind.

⸻ ᶻ 𝘇 𐰁
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[Unedited]