Catharsis

hated

I never know why everyone in the class didn't like me.

No, they hated me.

They hated me so much they tried to pull you away from me too.

One day, that Youngmin boy asked you to meet him after school ended, and you agreed. You bid me a "see you tomorrow!" with your brightest smile and I knew it was just about time that I would lost my only friend ever.

It surprised me that the next day, and the day after that, you were still sitting at your seat beside me and talking to me--as if nothing was wrong, nothing ever happened.

It had me anxious. "Why are you still acting like a friend to me?"

But you were clueless. "Am I not one? You don't want to be my friend? You don't like me anymore?"

I opened my mouth to yell, "don't say bullshit," but I saw the sincerity in your big eyes that made me gulped and hesitantly said, "No, it's not that."

"Okay. Now, with this math problem..."

I felt relieved at the moment, but the next time I knew everyone started to hate on you too. They tripped you on the hall, pushed you, bad-mouthed you, called you names, glared at you with a disgusted look, just the same as they always did to me.

It didn't take me too long to realize what was going on. They hated you, because you kept your friendship with me.

"It's okay, Baek." You smiled when I told you it was okay to stay away from me if you had had enough of this. "I don't care about them anyway."

"But they hurt you because of me."

"It's not your fault. They're the mean one."

"Chanyeol--"

"We don't need those assholes, okay? We're fine with just the two of us."

I shut my mouth and looked into your eyes as if saying, "You're a fucking stubborn."

You just giggled at me and I clearly remember you said in your most cheerful tone, "See? It's better be hated as two than alone. We're in this together, Baekhyun."

So, tell me, what happened to that Chanyeol?