𝙴𝚚𝚞𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 4 𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎 | HAOBIN AU

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 19

Without hesitating, he picked up the call. "Taerae?"

“Honey, hey," Taerae's familiar voice sounded calm, like he had already guessed what was going on. "I saw your messages. You okay?"

Hao let out a frustrated sigh. “No, I’m not okay. Hanbin transferred here. To this school. For me. And he didn’t even say a word. I don't know what to think.”

There was a pause on the other end, then Taerae replied, “Yeah, I saw that in the group chat. I figured it would hit you hard. But Hao… are you sure you’re mad because he transferred or because of something else?”

Hao frowned, stopping his pacing. “What do you mean? He didn’t talk to me, Tae. He just—he just did it. How am I supposed to feel?

Taerae’s voice was patient, as if he was talking Hao through the storm of emotions. “You’re mad because he made this decision without you, right? But… maybe there’s a reason he didn’t tell you. Maybe he didn’t want to put pressure on you, considering everything going on.”

Hao gripped his phone tighter, the frustration bubbling up again. “I don’t need him to throw away his future because of me. I didn’t ask for any of this.”

“I know you didn’t," Taerae said, his voice gentle. "But maybe Hanbin sees things differently. Maybe he’s not thinking about his future as something separate from you. Maybe, to him, you’re part of it now.”

Hao’s chest tightened at those words. Could that really be it? Was Hanbin thinking of him in ways that went beyond the rivalry they used to have? And more importantly, could Hao let himself believe that?

“But why didn’t he just tell me?” Hao asked, his voice quieter now, the anger giving way to a deeper confusion. “Why didn’t he ask how I felt?”

Taerae was silent for a moment, then said, “Because he’s scared. Just like you are.”

Hao blinked, surprised by Taerae’s words. “Scared? Hanbin?”

“Yeah. Scared that if he talked to you about it, you’d push him away. He’s been trying to get closer to you for a while now, and I think he’s afraid of losing that chance. This might have been his way of staying by your side, even if he wasn’t sure how you’d react.”

Hao sank down onto a bench, his mind swirling with conflicting emotions. Taerae’s words made sense, but it didn’t change the fact that Hanbin had acted without thinking things through—or without considering how it would affect Hao.

“I don’t know if I can handle this,” Hao admitted softly, his voice barely above a whisper. “I’m dealing with… so much already. I didn’t want Hanbin to get involved.”

“I know,” Taerae said, his voice filled with understanding. “But Hao, it sounds like Hanbin already made that choice. And you need to figure out how you feel about it. Do you want him to be part of what you’re going through? Or are you pushing him away because you’re scared too?”

Hao closed his eyes, the weight of the question heavy in his chest. He didn’t want Hanbin to suffer because of him, but at the same time, the idea of pushing him away now felt like losing something precious—something he hadn’t even realized he needed.

“I don’t know,” Hao whispered, his throat tight. “I don’t know what I want.”

“That’s okay,” Taerae said softly. “You don’t have to have all the answers right now. Just… talk to him. Maybe he’s as confused as you are.”

Hao nodded to himself, feeling a little bit calmer after talking to Taerae. But the uncertainty still lingered. Hanbin had made a decision that could change both of their lives, and Hao wasn’t sure how to deal with that.