𝕄𝕒𝕜𝕖 𝕞𝕖 𝕗𝕖𝕖𝕝 𝔸𝕝𝕚𝕧𝕖 || 𝟚𝕞𝕚𝕟

12 | This Is Me Trying

The sunlight streamed softly through the curtains, casting warm patterns on the walls. Seungmin sat on his bed, propped up against the headboard, his face still pale but showing signs of recovery. Hyunjin sat beside him, fiddling nervously with the hem of his sleeve.

"I'm sorry," Hyunjin began softly. "I should've been there for you. I should've been more attentive, more careful." His voice wavered slightly, guilt heavy in his words.

Seungmin shook his head and quickly signed "It wasn't your fault. Don't blame yourself."

"But it feels like I let you down. I didn't protect you like I should've."

Seungmin's eyes softened, and he signed again "You've always been there for me. Don't beat yourself up. I...overreacted. It wasn't that big of a deal."

Hyunjin frowned and leaned forward, gently resting a hand on Seungmin's arm. "Don't say that, Minnie. You didn't overreact. What happened to you wasn't okay, and you have every right to feel how you feel. But...you're so strong. I know you'll recover from this, and I'll be here every step of the way."

A small, almost imperceptible smile tugged at Seungmin's lips. "I think I'll continue school from next week."

Hyunjin blinked, surprised. "Are you sure? You don't have to rush yourself."

Seungmin nodded and Hyunjin sighed, but then smiled faintly. "Alright. If you're sure, then I'll trust you."

𝄞⨾𓍢

When Seungmin returned to school the following Monday, whispers trailed him through the hallways. Minho often spotted him from a distance but froze each time, unable to muster the courage to approach him. Not that it would've been easy with Seungmin's "bodyguards" around- Hyunjin, Jeongin, Felix, and even Han took turns shadowing Seungmin, ensuring no one came near him, especially Minho.

Almost a week passed like this. Minho spent each day feeling more anxious and guilt-ridden. During lunch, Chan sat across from him, noticing the troubled expression on Minho's face.

"Have you talked to him yet?" Chan asked, biting into an apple.

Minho shook his head, staring down at his untouched food.

"Why not?" Chan frowned.

"I'm...nervous," Minho admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "And I feel guilty. And ashamed. I don't even know how to face him after what I did."

Chan leaned forward. "That's exactly why you should apologize, Minho. The longer you wait, the worse you'll feel. You'll regret it even more if you never do it."

Minho hesitated, his hands trembling slightly.

"Is there something you're not telling me?" Chan asked, narrowing his eyes.

Minho bit his lip, his head lowering further. Finally, he confessed, "My...friends. Even they told me to befriend Seungmin. To get close to him so they could...hurt him more later. They said he's an easy target."

Chan's jaw dropped. "What?! You refused then right away, didn't you?"

Minho just looked away.

"No way! Did you actually consider doing that??""

"No!" Minho exclaimed, shaking his head vigorously. "Never! I could never do that to him."

"Then why didn't you tell them no?" Chan demanded, his voice rising slightly in frustration.

Minho hesitated, his shoulders slumping. "I...I don't know."

Chan sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Minho, listen to me. Those aren't your friends. Stay away from them."

Minho nodded weakly, though he still looked conflicted. They were his only friends after all, other than Chan, he didn't want to be lonely once again...

𝄞⨾𓍢

Seungmin needed space to breathe, he wanted to be alone, for just some time. He knew that his friends meant well, but their constant hovering was suffocating. He wouldn't usually bunk any classes but during the only free time, that was lunch, Hyunjin would definitely not allow him to go out alone. So he slipped away during one of his lectures, to the small park behind the school. He sat on the fresh grass under a tree, pulling out his notebook to doodle.

The cool air was so refreshing and Seungmin found himself getting lost in nature's beauty and the peaceful silence.

He became so absorbed in his sketches that he didn't notice someone approaching until they were standing right in front of him. Startled, Seungmin's head snapped up to see Minho nervously fiddling with his fingers.

Seungmin straightened up, backing slightly against the tree, fear flickering in his eyes.

Minho immediately raised his hands in defense. "I'm not here to hurt you, I swear," he said quickly. "I...I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry, Seungmin."

Seungmin's body relaxed slightly, though his guard remained up. Minho took a hesitant step closer.

"I shouldn't have done what I did. I was wrong, and I've been feeling so guilty ever since. I..." Minho trailed off, his head hanging low. "I really feel terrible about it."

Seungmin looked down and flipped to the last page of his notebook, scribbling quickly before holding it up: "Let's not talk about it. It's fine. Also, I have already told coach about the trophy, If that was what you wanted me to do."

He shut his notebook with finality and began walking away.

"Seungmin-wait!" Minho called after him, but Seungmin didn't look back.

Minho stood there, guilt tightening like a vice around his heart, and only one question in his mind... Had Seungmin forgiven him?

༺═───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────═༻

Oops, it's been one month since I last updated😬

I'm extremely sorry for the delay in posting this chapter, but I'll try to update this story more frequently from now on <3

See you in the next chapter!

(Also, Hyunjin usually signs as well as speaks while talking to Seungmin, so I won't be marking his dialogues in bold, just assume that.)