The sun peeked over the horizon, casting a warm glow across the school grounds as Seungmin walked through the entrance, mentally preparing himself to face another day. After yesterday's mess, Seungmin couldn't get his mind off the scene with Minho and the broken trophy. Throughout the night, he kept replaying the moment in his head, wondering if he could have done something differently. Maybe he should have spoken up for Minho right away. But then again, who in school hadn't been unfairly scolded before? Getting yelled at by teachers and coaches was practically a rite of passage. And anyway, he would just find Minho today and apologize. Everything would be fine, he convinced himself, even if the gnawing guilt in his stomach suggested otherwise.
His thoughts shifted completely when, in the middle of the morning, a friendly, bubbly voice broke through his trance. "Hi! Are you new here?"
Seungmin turned to see a bright-eyed boy grinning at him, his expression warm and inviting. The boy introduced himself as Jeongin, and almost immediately, Seungmin felt his worries start to fade. Jeongin's energy was contagious, and they quickly fell into easy conversation, though it was almost one-sided. But Jeongin didn't seem to mind. Seungmin found himself relaxing as they talked, grateful for a distraction from the previous day's events.
As they got to know each other, Jeongin shared how he'd recently lost his friends—two siblings who had transferred to another school. "It's been a bit lonely," Jeongin admitted, smiling shyly. "But I'm really glad I met you, Seungmin."
Seungmin just smiled back. The morning passed by in a blur of laughter and easy conversation. Seungmin barely thought about Minho or the incident with the trophy, feeling lighter than he had in days.
When the lunch bell rang, Seungmin decided to introduce Jeongin to his brother and friend. The two of them walked toward the cafeteria, their footsteps echoing in the crowded halls. He scanned the room, spotting Hyunjin already seated at their usual table, laughing with Felix and another boy whom he didn't recognize.
Seungmin waved to them as they approached, and Hyunjin signed to him, out of habit, introducing the boy he was sitting next to. "Seungmin, meet my new friend!"Han glanced at Seungmin and Hyunjin's signing, then gasped. "Are you deaf?" he blurted, a look of shock on his face. His tone wasn't malicious—just clueless.
Before Seungmin could react, Felix shot Han a surprised glare and smacked him harshly on the shoulder. "Jisung, just shut up for once," he mumbled in an angry, exasperated tone.
Hyunjin looked slightly offended, but he quickly composed himself before answering. "He's not deaf Jisung" he replied, "And he's my brother, Seungmin."
Han's face turned red with embarrassment. "Oh... I didn't mean it like that. Sorry, Seungmin," he said sheepishly. "I just say stupid stuff sometimes. Ignore me." His eyes widened as he suddenly realized that he hadn't even greeted him. "Also, hi, nice to meet you," he continued, extending his arm for a handshake.
Seungmin quickly accepted the handshake, even smiling softly as he looked at Jisung's antics. He knew that Jisung didn't mean in it in a rude way, and he was anyways used to all this at this point.
A few seconds later, Felix broke the awkward silence with a laugh. "You know, Han, you really do ask stupid questions," he teased. "If he were actually deaf, how would he hear your question?" The table erupted in laughter, the tension from Han's blunder quickly dissolving.
Grinning, Seungmin took the opportunity to introduce Jeongin, signing his name and then looking at his Hyunjin to explain. "This is my new friend. He's joining us for lunch."
Hyunjin was more than happy to see that his brother had made a friend.
Hyunjin introduced Jeongin to everyone on Seungmin's behalf and everyone greeted him warmly. Soon, the group was deep in conversation. They shared stories about the recent dance competition, with Hyunjin animatedly recounting how exciting the final performance had been. Seungmin found himself smiling along, grateful for the sense of camaraderie.
As lunch neared its end, Seungmin suddenly remembered his plan to apologize to Minho. The guilt he had momentarily forgotten started to creep back in. He tapped Hyunjin's shoulder and signed that he needed to find someone. Hyunjin offered to go with him, but before Seungmin could respond, Jeongin volunteered, saying he had the same next class.
Seungmin felt reassured by Jeongin's presence and nodded. "We'll directly go to class after this, don't wait for me," he signed to Hyunjin, who smiled, giving him a small wave of encouragement.
The two boys wandered through the halls together, asking a few students if they had seen Minho. But no one seemed to know where he was, and the school felt like an endless maze as Seungmin searched room after room. Each minute that passed without finding him made Seungmin's stomach churn with a mix of nerves and impatience.
Jeongin glanced at Seungmin with a sympathetic smile. "You'll find him eventually. I'll help you look after class, too, if you want."
Seungmin nodded, managing a faint smile. He was grateful for the support but couldn't shake the sinking feeling that he might never get the chance to apologize.
𝄞⨾𓍢ִ໋
Meanwhile, at Minho's House-
Minho sat on the edge of his bed, his face somber as he touched the fresh bandage on his cheek. Around him, his 'friends' were gathered, their expressions a mix of concern and anger.
"You can't just let him get away with this, Minho. He watched the whole thing happen and didn't say a word."
"He ruined everything for you. You got blamed for something you didn't even do."
"And look, he's not even sorry."
"You must do something Minho"
.
.
.
"I will take revenge Kim Seungmin," he muttered, a dark determination hardening his resolve. "I will have you prove me innocent."
A chill settled over the room as Minho's friends exchanged looks, slightly smirking. They knew Minho wasn't the type to sit back and let an injustice slide, that too when someone blamed him for destroying things. And this time, he wouldn't rest until he cleared his name.
༺═───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────═༻
The lines written in bold are in sign language.
Also, if there are any Swifties out there....did you notice the chapter titles :D?
YOU ARE READING
𝕄𝕒𝕜𝕖 𝕞𝕖 𝕗𝕖𝕖𝕝 𝔸𝕝𝕚𝕧𝕖 || 𝟚𝕞𝕚𝕟
Fanfiction...I want to feel happy... ...I want to feel loved... "Can you make me feel alive?" 𝄞⨾𓍢ִ໋ In which Kim Seungmin and Lee Minho, though appearing to be fine on the outside, are dying from within. Both have closed themselves off in different ways, an...
