Tears for the better

02.

It's been 5 days since Jihoon started to avoid Soonyoung and ignore his texts. Because Seventeen was about to have a comeback, Jihoon thought that it would be easier to avoid the other, since he would be busy. But at least, that was what he thought.

It was just a normal day at school, Jihoon receiving indirect comments and glares from his schoolmates as he walked to his locker. He tried his best not to cry when he heard someone tell him "Go and die, Soonyoung doesn't want you".

He opened his locker door to see the pictures he had put up the other time. It were some pictures of Soonyoung and him in a photobooth. Soonyoung had edited Jihoon to look cuter with filters, while Jihoon edited Soonyoung to look like some old looking person.

Jihoon smiled to himself bitterly. He put his books into his locker before shutting it close again. But when he turned around, he didn't expect Soonyoung to be right in front of him. Soonyoung had Jihoon trapped inbetween the locker and himself. Jihoon glances at the crowd with their phones out and filming them. Jihoon immediately looks down, not wanting to look at the crowd or at Soonyoung.

"Why were you ignoring and avoiding me?" Soonyoung starts first. Jihoon gulps.

"Leave me alone, Soonyoung—"

"Why? What did I do? Can you at least tell me what I did wrong?" Jihoon sighed, before looking at Soonyoung.

"You did nothing wrong. Now if you would excuse me, I have classes to attend..." With that, Jihoon escapes by pushing his way through Soonyoung and the crowd gathered around them. Soonyoung was then left with Jihoon's screaming schoolmates trying to touch him. The school's security guards came just in time to save Soonyoung out of the situation, making the students keep a safe distant from Soonyoung.

Soonyoung speaks to his personal bodyguards, "Please help me find Jihoon with me..." His bodyguards nod before they all left to search for Soonyoung's lover.

•••

Meanwhile, Jihoon had locked himself in a toilet cubicle. He was thinking about his relationship with Soonyoung. It was going well, yes, but his schoolmates kept bothering and threatening him every single day after the news had been announced.

What if Soonyoung gets frustrated at him one day?

What if Soonyoung gets tired of him?

What if Soonyoung stops loving him?

What if... Soonyoung breaks up with him?

Jihoon ends up crying because of these thoughts.

"I'm not the perfect one for Soonyoung... Why am I so insecure? I know myself that he'd leave me one day because he'll get tired of me... But why? Why does he even love me?"

Jihoon sobs into his hands, back against the cubicle door.

Soonyoung had been listening to him the whole time. His bodyguards were currently standing outside the restroom to make sure no one else enters. It just so happened that they heard Jihoon's cry when they walked by.

What did he do to make Jihoon act this way?

Whatever he did, he just needed to apologise and everything would be fine. Or that was what he thought.

Soonyoung leaned onto the cubicle door from the other side, and says softly, "Jihoon? Can you unlock the door please, baby?"

Jihoon instantly kept quiet, trying hard to make any noises or signs that he cried. Seeing how Jihoon didn't reply him, Soonyoung continued, "I don't know what I did to make you upset but... it hurts me to hear you cry like that, baby. I'm sorry for whatever I did... Please forgive me?"