tutor ↬ chensung

13

the two were curled up, as they always were, together on their mattress. it was almost time for graduation, and jisung was nervous he wouldn't have enough money to pay for tuition.

"we'll be fine!" chenle kept insisting, but he wasn't so sure.

"but what if-

"stop complaining!" hyuck yelled. "we'll all be okay!"

"fine."

✎ ...

"park jisung, come to the office. i repeat, park jisung come to the office." a voice over the speakers calls.

"what now?" he wonders, and looks at chenle.

"don't worry," his eyes say. "you'll be fine."

finally there, he's scared of what the person on the other end of the door will say. he knows he hasn't done anything wrong, but he's still scared.

walking in, his eyes immediately focus on the lady leaning on the desk, watching him with a spark in her eyes. his mom.

"i'm leaving." he says immediately, already turning to leave.

"wait! this is important." the principal calls out abruptly.

"what." he says flatly, obviously not caring about her authority over him.

"you got a scholarship." she says softly.

"don't fuck with me like that."

"language, young man!" his mom snaps.

"what do you care, this is what you wanted, isn't it? to not have to pay?" he snapped back.

"hey!" the principal cuts in. "i'm not ... messing ... with you. you really did get it."

"oh."

✎ ...

leaving, he runs right into an excited chenle.
"i got a scholarship!" he exclaimed.

forgetting his mom, jisung's frown widened into a smile and he hugged the smaller one, whispering how he got one too into his ear. "we did it." he continued. "we got our scholarships. we're gonna be okay."

✎ ...

"hey losers." hyuck calls out while he hangs upside down from a pipe.

"you're gonna fall!" renjun yells from his spot in between jeno and jaemin.

"if i end up in the hospital food will be free." hyuck snaps back.

"anyway," chenle cuts in. "we have something to tell you!"

"you're getting married?" jaemin says excitedly.

"no, fool. we got scholarships!" jisung exclaims.

"really???" mark yells, coming in with groceries. "get down hyuck, you're not a monkey."

"yup." chenle answers with a big smile on his face. "and we've also decided that with the money we both saved up and a few extra jobs we can buy an actual apartment!"

"aww why. i like it here." renjun whines.

"fine." jisung sighs. "we can renovate this place, at least."

"deal!"