Hyunjin and I sat in silence, cuddling. It was nice to have someone other than Chan here. Hyunjin was kind and always seemed to think about other people's feelings.
I heard the front door open, but I didn't move from the curled up position in Hyunjin's lap, playing with his shirt.
"Is he okay?" I heard Chan whisper.
Hyunjin placed his hand on my head, causing me to lean more into his chest. "I mean, I think so. I didn't know he went through so much."
"Yeah." Chan took a seat on the couch. "I didn't know at first either. He hides it."
I stayed silent. I didn't really want to talk anymore.
Chan sighed. "Jisung texted me saying he'll be at school tomorrow."
I felt myself crumble farther into Hyunjin's arms at that statement. Please, no. He hates me so much.
"Hey, hey." Hyunjin said softly, placing his nose against the top of my head. "It's okay. We won't let him hurt you. Okay, Seungmin?"
I nodded, taking, deep but shaky breathes.
Hyunjin's phone went off, causing him to look over at it. He picked it up and placed it against his ear.
"Hello?"
". . ."
"Oh, yeah. Sorry, I forgot."
". . ."
"I'll be home in a few, Dad. Bye, love you."
As Hyunjin hung up, I scooted off of his lap.
"I have a doctors appointment and I'm already late. I'll see you guys tomorrow." Hyunjin slipped on his shoes and left before I could muster up the words 'thank you'.
"You opened up to him?" Chan asked, once the door finally closed.
I nodded. "I felt like I could trust him."
"That's good." Chan smiled. "I can't have you relying on me anymore."
"What do you mean?" I ask immediately, afraid of what that sentence meant.
"I mean, I won't be at school with you anymore." Chan said. "If you have someone in your grade like Hyunjin to rely on, next year or the year after that won't be a problem."
He had a point. If I didn't open up to Hyunjin like I did, I would have a hard time next school year. I would be walking around with no one to rely on.
"Hey." Chan put a hand on my shoulder. "You're welcome to stay the night if you wish to. I can take you to school. Just call your mom."
I smiled at his offer. "Okay. Thank you, Hyung."
The next day, I walked to school with Chan like usual. It was just a shorter walk for me.
Hyunjin joined us when we walked through the gate, and as he did so, he waved someone over.
When I got a glance of the face, I hid behind Chan, grabbing his sleeve as a sign of fear. Chan did not hesitate to stand in front of me as Jisung came closer.
"Who is that?" He asked, trying to get a glimpse of me.
"Jisung, Wait." Chan sighed. "When I show you this person, please be nice."
"I'm nice to everyone. Why would this person be any different?" He asked, very confused.
When I saw Chan step to the side, I held tightly onto Chan's sleeve and kept my head down to hide my face.
"Come on." Chan sighed. "He won't hurt you."
"H-He hates me." I stuttered.
"I don't even know who you are. How could I hate you?"
Slowly, I lifted my nearly teary face to look at Jisung. His eyes widened when he saw me.
"S-Seungmin?!" Jisung took a step away. "You expect me to be nice to him?!"
"Jisung, listen-"
"No, you listen." Jisung interrupted. "That thing ruined my self-esteem when I was younger! He treated me like I was some slave! Do you understand that he doesn't even know the definition of empathy?"
All those words hit me like a dart in the heart.
I let go of Chan's sleeve and took off running into the school, trying to avoid running into anyone as I made my way to my locker. I could hear Chan and Hyunjin calling after me, but I ignored them.
Once I made it to my locker, I opened it as carefully as I could. I could feel eyes on me since I had ran in.
I felt the color drain out of me at that moment.
