The Whispers (Underworld 6) VK

37: So High School

Seungkwan blinked, squinting as sunlight crept in through the curtains. His first groggy thought was that he'd woken up in the wrong place. He rubbed his eyes and looked around, noticing the familiar posters on the walls and the faint scent of Hansol's cologne lingering in the air.

That's when it hit him: he'd fallen asleep in Hansol's room.

His face flushed as he realized he was lying wrapped up in Hansol's arms, the other's breathing slow and steady as he slept on, completely oblivious. Last night, they'd had a late-night movie marathon, watching one rom-com after another. He'd planned to head back to his dorm, but somewhere between the popcorn and Hansol's shoulder being just the perfect pillow, Seungkwan had dozed off.

Trying to gently untangle himself, he reached for his phone to check the time. But as soon as he turned it on, his eyes widened. There were hundreds of missed calls from one name that made his stomach drop: Boo Sungmin, his older brother.

"Oh no," he whispered, heart pounding.

Hansol stirred at the sound, blinking awake and looking down at him with a sleepy smile. "Good morning," Hansol mumbled, voice raspy. "Didn't expect you'd still be here."

"Morning," Seungkwan muttered distractedly, glancing between Hansol and his phone screen, mind racing. How could he have missed all these calls? His phone must've been on silent, and Sungmin had to be worried sick. Knowing his brother, he was probably pacing around his apartment in Korea, completely stressed out.

"Everything okay?" Hansol asked, propping himself up as he noticed Seungkwan's panicked expression.

"Uh... not exactly," Seungkwan said, running a hand through his hair. "I... I didn't realize my phone was on silent last night. My brother has been calling me. A lot."

Hansol's eyes widened as he processed this, instantly looking more alert. "Is everything okay back home?"

"I don't know." Seungkwan swallowed, glancing at the hundreds of missed calls. "Sungmin doesn't usually blow up my phone like this unless he's seriously worried."

"Maybe he thought something happened to you," Hansol suggested, a slight frown forming. "I mean, it's not like you to go MIA, right?"

Seungkwan groaned, covering his face with his hands. "He probably thinks I've vanished off the face of the earth. Or worse, he thinks something happened to me on campus."

Hansol placed a comforting hand on Seungkwan's shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. Just call him back, explain what happened. I'm sure he'll understand."

Seungkwan took a deep breath, feeling Hansol's steady hand on his shoulder grounding him. Just as he was about to dial, they heard the door creak open, and in walked Chan, rubbing his eyes with a bedhead that could rival any cartoon character's.

"Morning, lovebirds," Chan muttered, still half-asleep. But his sleepy expression vanished when he saw Seungkwan's pale face. "Whoa, what happened? Did Hansol finally scare you away with his terrible snoring?"

Hansol shot him a look. "I do not snore."

Seungkwan ignored their banter, running a hand through his hair. "I missed, like, a hundred calls from my brother. He's probably freaking out. I'm so dead."

Chan's eyebrows shot up. "Oof, that's rough. Have you tried calling him back yet?"

"About to," Seungkwan said, his hands feeling a bit shaky as he pressed the call button.

The dial tone sounded for what felt like an eternity before it clicked, and Sungmin's voice came through, sharp with worry. "Seungkwan?!"

Seungkwan winced, instinctively holding the phone slightly away from his ear. "Yeah, it's me, hyung. Sorry, I... I missed your calls."