Come back to me [SOPE]

Chapter 3

The courthouse was nearly empty as Suga left, the heavy silence of the halls matching his own fatigue. It had been a long day, and now, as the evening crept in, he made his way to the campus canteen for a break. He ordered a bitter coffee, settling into a corner table where he could sip quietly and let the day fade away. But just as he began to relax, a familiar figure caught his eye—J-Hope.

J-Hope walked in with a client, and they took a seat by the door. They seemed to be in the middle of a serious conversation, their faces tense, voices low. Suga watched from a distance, the memory of their sharp exchange that morning still fresh in his mind. He felt a twinge of guilt for how things had gone, but deep down, he knew he couldn't have handled it any other way. The past was too complicated, too messy, and reopening old wounds would only lead to more pain.

As he sat there, lost in thought, Suga's mind wandered back to the first time he met J-Hope. He had been just four years old. It was a warm evening in their neighborhood, and Suga had been playing alone in the playground, building a sandcastle. J-Hope, all smiles even back then, had approached him with his infectious energy.

"Do you like candy?" J-Hope had asked, holding out a sweet with his tiny hand.

Suga hadn't responded, too focused on his sandcastle, but that hadn't stopped J-Hope. He had pulled another candy from his pocket, persistent. "You can have this one. I have one for me too."

Still no response.

J-Hope, undeterred, brought out yet another candy. "You can pick your favorite. I like both."

That had finally gotten Suga's attention. He had looked up, sizing up the friendly boy. "How old are you?"

J-Hope had counted his fingers, his brow furrowing with concentration before he proudly announced, "I'm four."

Suga had smirked. "I'm five. I'm Hyung."

J-Hope's face had lit up. "Okay, Hyung. You want green or yellow? I like both."

Suga had been impressed. He usually played alone, but this kid had made an effort to befriend him. He had taken the candy, smiling just a little, and from that moment on, they had played together, building sandcastles as the sun set.

A crack of thunder brought Suga back to the present. He blinked and looked outside. It was pouring heavily. "Great, just what I needed," he muttered, gulping the rest of his coffee in one go. His eyes drifted back to J-Hope, who looked just as concerned about the rain. Suga watched as the client rushed out to catch a cab, leaving J-Hope behind, anxiously scanning the streets for a ride in the downpour.

When Suga went to pay at the counter, he overheard J-Hope on the phone. His voice was tight, upset. "I'll be there in 10 minutes, I promise," J-Hope said, clearly stressed. Suga could see the frustration on his face as he hung up, his eyes darting around as he searched for a cab. But with the rain pouring down, it wasn't going to be easy to find one.

Suga watched him for a moment, feeling a pang of sympathy. Despite everything, he couldn't help but care. With a sigh, he grabbed his umbrella and stepped toward the door, knowing what he had to do.

Suga drove up to the entrance of the canteen where J-Hope was struggling to flag down a cab in the pouring rain. J-Hope was juggling his phone, trying to book a ride through an app while also waving down passing taxis. Suga stopped his car right in front of him and rolled down the window. "Get in, J-Hope!" he shouted over the rain.

J-Hope hesitated for a second before deciding to hop into the car. He was already soaked to the bone, water dripping off him and dampening the entire front seat. Feeling a bit awkward, he said, "Can you just drop me off near the subway?"