Wrote the next chapter because I tried studying, but I couldn't (someone help ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ )
Anyways, let's get started!
༺═───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────═༻
Hyunjin sat in the corner of Seungmin's room in his mom's embrace, still on the floor. Once he had calmed down from his breakdown, their mom carefully helped him up and the both of them sat on Seungmin's bed, beside him. Seungmin stirred under the covers, mumbling inaudibly in his fevered state, and Hyunjin's mom pressed her lips together, visibly worried.
"What happened, Hyunjin?" she finally asked, her voice steady but tense. She knew that this wasn't just a fever, having experienced a similar situation quite a few times before.
Hyunjin inhaled deeply, the weight of the past two days pressing down on him. "It's the same as before, Mom," he began, his voice trembling slightly. "He got bullied again. This time it's worse because... because I thought we'd escaped it by moving schools."
His mom's eyes widened in shock. "Bullied? How?! I thought he was doing okay here!"
Hyunjin looked down, unable to meet her eyes. "They drenched him in water mom, in front of everyone. He couldn't even fight back or say anything... I couldn't stop it in time. And now..." Hyunjin gestured helplessly to Seungmin, who had started to toss and turn again in his feverish state, his face pinched in discomfort. She immediately turned all her attention to Seungmin, placing a cool hand on his forehead.
"Poor child," she whispered, brushing his damp hair away from his face. Her heart ached seeing her youngest like this. Seungmin stirred more violently now, mumbling incoherently as his hands weakly pressed against his chest, signing apologies and pleas even in his restless state. Tears welled up in their mom's eyes as she gently rubbed Seungmin's arm, whispering soft reassurances he couldn't hear.
Hyunjin swallowed the lump in his throat and stood up, pacing the room. "Mom, I don't know what to do anymore. He's been like this since yesterday. I've tried everything, but nothing's working," he cried.
His mom turned to him, her expression softening. "You've done more than enough, Hyunjin. Let me take care of him for now. You need to rest too." Hyunjin hesitated, reluctant to leave Seungmin's side, but eventually nodded. As their mom tended to Seungmin, he left the room, feeling utterly defeated.
𝄞⨾𓍢ִ໋
At School—
Jeongin walked through the school hallways, his steps slower than usual. His mind was heavy with thoughts of Seungmin. The two had grown close in a short amount of time, and he already missed his friend's quiet presence.
During classes, he used to occasionally glance at the empty seat beside him, wondering if Seungmin would be doing fine. He hadn't talked to Seungmin at all since that day, but Hyunjin had texted him once informing him that he was okay. Anyways, neither of them showed up to school after that, so Jeongin definitely knew that it was everything but okay.
As he wandered aimlessly during lunch break with these thoughts swirling in his mind, something, rather someone, caught his attention. He stopped in his tracks and his eyes brightened immediately. It wasn't someone he'd seen in a while, but the familiarity was instant.
**Flashback**
It had been Jeongin's first day at this school. Nervous and unsure of his surroundings, he had wandered to the school yard during lunch, seeking a quiet place to settle his nerves.
That's when he'd spotted them—a small group of stray puppies playing near the benches. His heart had melted instantly. He crouched down, and the puppies, sensing his warmth, had bounded toward him, yipping happily.
Jeongin laughed as they climbed onto his lap, their tiny tails wagging furiously. He remembered opening his tiffin and finding leftover meat from breakfast. Without thinking twice, he began feeding it to the eager little pups, who devoured the food as if they hadn't eaten in days.
"You're spoiling them, you know." The soft voice startled him, and Jeongin whipped around, nearly falling backward.
His wide eyes landed on a boy standing a few feet away, his face lit up with amusement. Jeongin stammered, trying to form words, but his brain seemed to short-circuit.
The boy chuckled softly, kneeling down beside him. "I come here to feed them too. Mind if I join?"
"S-Sure," Jeongin finally managed, his voice barely above a whisper. The boy reached into his own bag and pulled out a small container of food. As he began feeding the puppies, Jeongin couldn't help but stare at him—his gentle smile, the way his hair fell perfectly over his forehead, the kindness in his eyes.
"That was your lunch, wasn't it?" the boy asked, eyeing the tiffin Jeongin held out for the puppies. Jeongin nodded.
"What are you going to eat now, hm?"
Jeongin just continued to stare at him with a confused and innocent look.
"You're cute," the boy said suddenly, reaching out to pinch Jeongin's cheek lightly. Jeongin froze, his heart pounding in his chest. The boy's laugh was soft, almost musical, and Jeongin felt his face heat up. He quickly averted his gaze, focusing instead on the puppies.
The boy reached into his bag and pulled out his own lunch box, offering it to Jeongin. "Here, have this."
He set his lunch in front of the both of them to share, but when the boy had finally coaxed the puppies off Jeongin's lap, Jeongin had bolted, too embarrassed to say anything else. He had rushed back to his classroom, his cheeks still burning.
What he didn't know was that it was the first and last time he had seen him.
**End of Flashback**
Now, as Jeongin walked down the hallway, he froze in his tracks. His heart skipped a beat as his eyes landed on that same boy—his soft features and effortless charm unmistakable even from a distance.
Someone called out, breaking Jeongin's trance. "Hey, Chan! You're back?!" The boy turned toward the voice, offering a small wave before disappearing down the hallway to greet whoever had called him.
"Chan," Jeongin whispered, the name feeling foreign yet familiar on his tongue. A smile crept onto his face, slow and uncontainable. He stood there for a moment, grinning like a fool, before shaking his head and heading back to class.
༺═───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────═༻
To those who have already read the Introductions part, I have changed Channie's part a bit because I realised that Innie and Chan would have never met if he had left after his 2nd year lol. You can check that out if you want to
Also, please wish me luck for my exams they're starting from tomorrow😭
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...
