Hope for the Worst || Minsung

Twenty-Eight

Still internally screaming, I walk up to my house and notice the kitchen light on once more. When I open the door, I see my mom sitting at the kitchen table, probably doing bills.

"Hi, mom." I say, waving.

"Hello, sweetie. Do you have any homework?"

"Yes, but really?" I pout. "No 'how'd your day go'?"

My mom laughs. "How'd your day go?"

"Fine thank you, and you?"

"My day was pretty well. Did you wake up on time? I know you refused to set an alarm as always."

With a question like this, my automatic instinct is to just lie, "Yeah. I woke up right on time and got on the bus." I say. She mods, so I can assume she bought the lie.

"Good. Now go do your homework." my mom says, sending me off.

"I love you, mom."

"I love you too."

I hop up the steps and enter my room, closing the door behind myself. When I pull my phone out of my backpack, I see a notification on the screen.

Unknown Number
This is Jisung, right

For a second, I'm startled. I finally remember that I gave Hyunjin my number in science class earlier. I add him to my contacts.

Me
Yea it is. Hyunjin I'd assume?

Hyunjeon
Yup.

We continue to talk for a short while about random subjects. In the middle of one of the topics, Hyunjin says something to me that I'd consider worth noting:

Me
I wouldnt be able to live on my own. Too much work.

Hyunjeon
Thinking more bout it, life must be tricky for Minho

Me
What why?

Hyunjeon
I mean hes living on his own. Idk about you but having a job @ this age would be stressful.

Hyunjeon
How does he manage?

Me
I never knew that..

I stare at the screen for some time, trying my hardest to take in this new information. Minho lives on his own? As in he's supporting himself with no one to lean back on?

I think through all possible outcomes just to find myself back at that one question, "why?"

Hyunjeon
Oops. I don't think i was supposed to share that w/ you.

Me
It's fine

Hyunjeon
I gtg though. See you in school.

Me
Wait, why is minho living alone?

My last message reads as "Delivered" and I can assume that Hyunjin had left before seeing it. Disappointedly, I turn off my phone.

I kind of want to ask Minho the same thing I asked Hyunjin; why he's living alone, but Hyunjin said he wasn't supposed to tell me about that. I wouldn't want to get him in trouble.

I would have asked someone else- Chan or Changbin for example- if they knew why. The problem is that if they didn't know in the first place either, it would be counterproductive for them to also know of it.

In the end, I decide to take a different route. If I were to ask Minho of his living situation, then I might be able to figure out why he's on his own.

While laying in my bed for some more time, I realize just how much I've already went through. It hasn't even been that long since we started the school year, but it feels like it's been a century.

Why does highschool have to be so stressful?