Locked Away

•4•

Hongbin doesn't greet me as I enter the kitchen. He stands over the stove, mixing some kind of soup.

"Smells good" I say awkwardly. He briefly flicks his face over me and mutters a 'morning'.

He takes the pot off the stove and pours it into two bowels. "It's pumpkin soup" he tells me before grabbing his bowel and heading into another room.

I don't follow him. I know better. He hasn't talked to me since last night. Me dodging him and Eun Hee must have really hurt him.

I wish I could explain why.

My phone rings, startling me. I don't look at the caller ID before answering it.

"Hello?"

"Hakyeon" Wonshik calls my name. I find myself smiling. "Hey Wonshikkie. What's up?"

"I'm at your front door. Could you let me in?" he asks quietly.

"Ah...I don't think now is a great time. Hongbin isn't really talking to me at the moment" I frown and I hear him sigh.

"I caught two trains and a bus to get here" he sounds frustrated and I can understand why.

"I am the worst friend ever. I'm so sorry" I apologise. "Goodbye Hakyeon. I'll come back another day" he groans before hanging up the phone.

Hongbin walks back into the kitchen with his empty bowel. He walks straight past me and washes the bowel.

"Are you going to help with Sanghyuk today or are you just going to sulk about him at your desk?" He words have a sharp edge to them.

"Hongbin, I'm sorry about last night okay? Please don't be like this" I plead.

He looks at me and smirks. It isn't a good sign. "Don't be like what? I'm perfectly fine. Who am I to care if you talk to my sister and I or not."

With that he leaves the kitchen and I hear his bedroom door slam shut as he goes to get ready.

--

He is no better at work. Sanghyuk came in an hour ago and we are all seated in the same conference room as before.

Hongbin has ignored every single word which I have said. It doesn't help that that arrogant bastard, Sanghyuk, keeps cutting me off.

"How about you do Music Core tomorrow. You can spend your afternoon at rehearsals and you can do whatever you want in the morning" Hongbin suggests.

"Maybe you could do a quick radio program in the morning hours" I try to suggest it but the two guys just shrug me off.

"Only an afternoon schedule. I like the sound of that" Sanghyuk grins and Hongbin hurried to write it down.

"You have been invited to participate in Weekly Idol the following day. That would take up the whole day. If you do that you would miss out on Show Champion pre recordings. Is that okay?" Hongbin informs him.

"You can just practice your performance in your spare time so you can just perfect it once when you have to do it live" I say firmly.

Again I am ignored.

I kick my chair back and stand up tall. Hongbin looks up at me with no expression.

"What are you doing?" he asks me.
"I've had enough of you treating me like this just because I didn't stay to talk with you and your sister" I snap at him.

"Oh you two had a fight?" Sanghyuk muses from across the table.

"I guess we did" I frown and grab the door handle. Just as I go to open it Hongbin interrupts me.