𝐉𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐠 - 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ✓

21 ʜᴏʟᴅɪɴɢ ʜᴀɴᴅꜱ

••••

The silence was so loud. Jongho's finger scratched restlessly over the rough table surface. The penetrating looks from his parents, who were sitting opposite him, were almost unbearable.

Jongho swallowed. He hadn't intended to have this conversation with them. Especially not today. "Do you want to tell us something?" Jongho's mother asked after clearing her throat several times. Her voice didn't sound threatening, but there was still something intrusive about it, which only added to Jongho's pressure.

His fingertips were already hurting so much, pressing against the hard wood. "Not really," he mumbled as innocently as possible and hoped fervently that his parents would just leave it at that. He would never forgive Lia for what she had said. He had just been really happy in Yeosang's presence for the first time. There was no way he could explain this to his parents. Especially when everything was so new and unexplained.

"Lia said..." Jongho's mother began, but Jongho's sigh interrupted her, "I'm really tired and I have to get up early tomorrow, can we talk another time?" Jongho's mother opened her mouth slightly as if to object, but her husband put a hand on her shoulder. "Let him go. Lia often talks nonsense. Let's go to sleep."

Jongho's father smiled and Jongho knew that smile would disappear as soon as he told them the truth. As soon as he introduced Yeosang to them. And he wanted that more than anything. But not now. Not today.

Luckily for Jongho, his mother listened and he was able to escape from the kitchen. He had never disappeared so quickly in his room. His things landed next to his bed and as he slowly sat down, there was a hint of loneliness in the air.

He didn't think twice and reached for his phone. He texted Yeosang that he had arrived and when Yeosang replied a few seconds later with a heart emoji, his world seemed a little better. He was too tired to think about the next few days and the future. But he knew one thing. He didn't want to lose Yeosang at any cost.

~

A terrible stench woke Mingi up. With his eyes squeezed shut, he pushed himself out of the mattress he was lying on. He rubbed his eyes tiredly until he was able to open them again and recognized the outline of Wooyoung's chaotic room. He remembered yesterday afternoon and that he must have fallen asleep here at some point.

Some unidentifiable noises could be heard from the kitchen and a little later Wooyoung came around the corner. Mingi grimaced in disgust as the stench got even worse. "I made you scrambled eggs," Wooyoung grinned. His hair looked at least as bad as Mingi's and he resembled a devil more than a human being.

A plate landed on the small table in front of Mingi. There was something small and yellow on the plate. On closer inspection, you could actually see that it was scrambled eggs. The edges were completely black and the yolk was oozing out the sides in the middle. Disgusted, Mingi pushed the plate away from him. "Are you trying to kill me?" he asked offended.

Wooyoung shrugged his shoulders indifferently and dropped down next to Mingi. "I did my best," he lied and Mingi once again felt the urge to strangle him. "When do you have class today?" he asked instead and Wooyoung looked at him with disinterest. "I don't know, I'm going to skip." Mingi no longer understood his best friend. Wooyoung was usually the first to stand in front of the university and attend his music classes with passion.

Mingi took a deep breath, then straightened up. "That's enough," he said. Wooyoung, who was engrossed in his phone again, raised his eyebrows, not knowing what Mingi was talking about. "We're not going to ruin our lives because of some guys," he said, crossing his arms. Wooyoung lowered his phone. "No?" Mingi shook his head reluctantly. "No. We'll forget about them. Cut them out of our lives and start over again."