The Whispers (Underworld 6) VK

21: Silent Treatment

For the next few days, the atmosphere between Seungkwan and Hansol shifted in a way that felt almost eerie. Usually, their bickering was a constant in their group dynamic—a regular part of the background noise at university. But now, it was like a switch had been flipped. They weren't throwing sarcastic remarks at each other or engaging in their usual playful jabs. Instead, they seemed to be deliberately avoiding one another, creating an awkward tension that didn't go unnoticed by their friends.

Moonbin and Chan exchanged several confused glances over the next few days, trying to figure out what had happened.

"I don't get it," Moonbin whispered one day as they were sitting in the cafeteria, his eyes darting between Seungkwan, who was sitting with his cheerleading squad, and Hansol, who was brooding at the other end of the room with his basketball teammates. "What happened to them? Did they... finally kill each other?"

Chan, munching on a bag of chips, shook his head. "Nah, they're both still alive. But this is weird, right? Like... super weird. They haven't argued in days. I haven't even heard Seungkwan call Hansol 'airhead' once."

"Exactly!" Moonbin leaned in, lowering his voice. "Usually, by now, they've had at least three fights and one dramatic silent treatment session." He squinted, watching Seungkwan's unusually quiet demeanor. "Do you think something happened? Like... something big?"

Chan raised an eyebrow. "You mean like... they actually caught feelings for each other?"

Moonbin snorted. "Nah, that's impossible. Seungkwan hates Hansol. And Hansol... well, Hansol acts like he hates Seungkwan. There's no way."

But despite his words, Moonbin couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed. There was a strange tension in the air that felt new, like something had shifted between them. He'd caught Hansol glancing at Seungkwan more than once, his expression tight, like he was holding back something he didn't want anyone else to see. And Seungkwan, usually so outspoken and quick with a retort, seemed distant, distracted, like his mind was somewhere far away.

Even during their usual group study sessions, the atmosphere was off. Seungkwan sat at one end of the table, eyes glued to his notes, while Hansol quietly worked on his own assignments, barely acknowledging Seungkwan's presence.

Moonbin finally cracked after a few days of this awkwardness. "Okay, seriously, what's going on with you two?" he blurted out one evening when the four of them were hanging out at the campus café.

Chan, ever the instigator, nodded eagerly, stuffing a handful of fries into his mouth. "Yeah, spill the tea. You two are acting super weird. It's freaking us out."

Seungkwan and Hansol both glanced up at the same time, their eyes meeting briefly before they looked away just as quickly. Seungkwan cleared his throat awkwardly, playing with the straw in his drink. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Hansol, on the other hand, just grunted, his eyes fixed on his phone as he scrolled through social media. "Yeah, we're fine."

Moonbin raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "Fine? You two are avoiding each other like the plague. Normally, you'd be at each other's throats by now."

Chan leaned in conspiratorially. "Are you two secretly dating or something? Is that why you've been so quiet? Because if that's the case, you don't need to hide it from us. We're very supportive friends."

Seungkwan choked on his drink, his face turning bright red. "W-What? No! Absolutely not! Why would I ever—" He shot a glance at Hansol, who was staring at him with a raised eyebrow. "I mean, we're not... No!"

Hansol, looking slightly less flustered but still uncomfortable, shrugged. "Yeah. Definitely not dating."

Moonbin and Chan exchanged skeptical looks, clearly not buying it. Moonbin narrowed his eyes. "Okay, but seriously, did something happen? You guys haven't even insulted each other in days, and it's kind of throwing off the whole balance of the universe."