Almost blind | Haobin

26| parent issues |26

Hanbin was already in his room. The night had settled in, draping the house in an eerie silence. It was strange. Too quiet. Even Gyuvin, who was always laughing and talking, wasn’t making a sound. Something felt… off.

He tried to shake off the unsettling feeling, focusing instead on the dull pain lingering on his swollen lips as he folded his clothes for school. His mind was scattered, his thoughts running in circles, but before he could lose himself completely, a soft knock echoed through the stillness of his room.

Hanbin barely had time to react before the door creaked open. His body tensed. He hadn’t expected anyone, and when he looked up, his breath hitched slightly. Ricky stood in the doorway, his expression unreadable.

"I want to talk to you," Ricky said, his voice firm, more of a command than a request.

Hanbin suppressed a groan, exhaling through his nose. He didn’t have the patience for this—not now, not with him.

"About what?" he asked, forcing a cheeky tone into his voice as he dropped onto the edge of his bed. Ricky, unimpressed, pulled out the chair across from him and sat down. His posture was stiff, his sharp gaze unwavering.

Hanbin could tell immediately—this conversation wasn’t going to be a pleasant one.

"I know we don't exactly get along," Ricky started, resting his hands on his lap. "But I need to know what happened today at the cable car." His voice was calm, but his eyes were piercing, studying Hanbin like he was trying to peel away his layers.

He didn’t flinch. He met Ricky’s gaze head-on, feigning indifference.

"You ran off, and Hao was right behind you, leaving Yujin alone. When we found him, he looked like he’d seen a ghost. Neither of you told me or Gyuvin what the hell happened," Ricky continued, his voice edged with frustration. Then, his eyes flickered down to Hanbin’s lips. Swollen. Bruised. "Did you two fight?"

Hanbin scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Yeah," he admitted without hesitation, his voice flat. Then, just to push Ricky’s buttons, he added with a smirk, "We did."

Ricky straightened in his seat. His fingers tapped against his knee, a sign of barely restrained irritation. "And why is that?"

Hanbin leaned back slightly, watching him with amusement. "I heard from your father that you don’t like Yujin," Ricky continued, his tone shifting into something more probing. "I want to know why."

Tilting his head, Hanbin's smirk deepening. "Oh? That’s funny. I noticed you don’t like him either," he shot back, dodging the question entirely.

Ricky’s expression darkened. "Then you don’t need to glare at me like you’re trying to choke me with your eyes," he said suddenly, his tone sharp. "This hostility between us? It won’t change anything. I get it—you hate me because of everything that happened. But that doesn’t change the facts."

Hanbin’s smirk faltered, but only for a fraction of a second.

Ricky exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "My son is dating Yujin," he said, his voice quieter now, almost thoughtful. "And I think there’s something… off about that boy."

Hanbin felt something twist in his gut. Yeah, Ricky looked truly desperate at this point. At first, Hanbin thought he was asking about this just to get the details and maybe tell Gyuvin later. But now, it felt different. He sounded less like someone gathering information and more like a protective father who had noticed something off about his son’s boyfriend.

He hesitated for a moment before he casually ran a hand through his own hair and said, "Yujin hit me."

Ricky’s head snapped up.