SAD BOY [HHJ] ✔️

[ 11 ]

E L E V E N
THIRD PERSON'S POINT OF VIEW

"GIVE ME A SIGN to help him. How can I help him?"

Who is she talking about? He thought to himself.

"How can I help Hyunjin from getting hurt by his parents?"

Hyunjin froze. His blood ran cold as he stared at Kiyomi who had her eyes closed. She knows. She knows the truth. He took a hesitant step back, stepping on a food wrapper a student left behind. Kiyomi fluttered her eyes open, meeting his widened ones. "H-Hyunjin." She stuttered, immediately getting up from the floor. The male stood their for a moment, staring at her with his mouth slightly agape. He shook his head with little effort, quickly returning back to his class.

Kiyomi followed after him, her feet clacking against the stairs. She was about to go after him just as he went into another hallway, but a hand grabbed her wrist. The grip was tight and harsh enough to make her look up in discomfort. It was Eunbin. "Let's talk, shall we?" Her eyes were on the boy who was walking in the hallway with a dark aura looming over him. A feeling within her heart told her that there was no way this was going to be good, especially when it clearly had to do with Hyunjin.

• • •

"What did you want to talk about?"

Eunbin had taken her to a more secluded area which made the Australian girl more nervous. The taller female flicked back her brown hair, folding her arms as she released a sigh. Kiyomi looked down at her feet, averting her eyes to the red marks on her wrist. She knew that her skin bruised easily, so she didn't look forward to the future purple circles in her tan skin. "What's your relationship with Hyunjin?" That question quickly threw her off. "R-Relationship? I don't we can qualify as friends. Maybe school friends?" She scratched her neck, wearing an awkward smile.

Eunbin cocked a brow at her, her tongue poking the inside of her cheek. "Yah! Don't lie to me. You're friends with the whole group. There something going on between you two, right? He just came from the rooftop before you did." Once again, her hand was around Kiyomi's sore wrist. As if it couldn't get more painful. Kiyomi gently placed her hand on Eunbin's wrist, removing her fitting grip as she moved her eyes on her. "Felix and Chan are my best friends. I barely know Hyunjin, Eunbin-ah." Her voice was quiet and soft.

And that was the truth. She didn't know much about Hyunjin. What he liked to do, his favorite food or song... none of it. Despite that, she knew his deepest secret. One that he didn't want anyone to know. And now he knew... that she knew.

• • •

It was lunch now and call him childish, but Hyunjin refused to even look Kiyomi's way. He couldn't even believe the fact that she knew what his parents did to him. A part of him always wanted someone to know. But now that someone did, it scared him. What did she think of him? Did she pity him like most would've? She must've of. Because she wanted to help.

He took a spoonful of rice when he heard Changbin's voice pierce through the air. "What happened to your wrist, Kiyomi?" Discreetly, Hyunjin's moved his eyes to her wrist. Internally, he was surprised when he saw the reddish purple marks. They look familiar to the ones he received when he was breaking up with Eunbin. She held onto him so tightly, making sure he wouldn't leave as she bawled into tears.

A feeling of worry surged through him as he looked back at his food. Kiyomi shook her head lightly, dismissing Changbin's question. "Nothing. I just burnt myself will cooking ramen. Having no parents at your house is hard." She pouted. Her heart raced while she lied. The unconvinced looks of her two best friends made it worst, especially when she looked at the blank look Hyunjin sported. "Is it fun having no parents around sometimes? I would like totally blast music throughout the whole house." Jisung asked her, smiling at what he wanted to do if he was alone. Minho nodded along with him, "Hours of dancing... alone too! Like what a dream." He sighed almost deliriously.

Kiyomi rested her chin in her hand, thinking to herself. "I don't know... weirdly enough, it gets boring being alone. I spend more time at Felix's house than my own. Or is it the other way around?..." She trailed off in confusion, making Woojin laugh softly at her expression. He turned around to Chan, his voice curios as he spoke: "Have you ever heard her sing?" The girl gasped when she heard that question, making the two Australians chuckle like they were revisiting their childhood. Chan nodded slowly, "I have. I can't say anything though. I promised ten-year-old Kiyomi."

"Yah!" She whined when they erupted into their several talks of their childhood stories. The girl looked away from them and at Hyunjin. For the tiniest second, she made eye contact with him. She wondered if he could see how apologetic she was through her eyes. But he continued to look at his food soon switching to his phone.

• • •

"Jeongin, on a scale of one to ten, how good are you at heart to heart conversations?"

The younger male blankly looked at before resorting to a happy expression. "Ten?" Kiyomi saw his doubtful expression and sighed before nodding to herself. "First and foremost, this story is not about me. It's about my friend." Jeongin nodded sarcastically, his eyes turning into crescents. She narrowed her eyes before continuing.

"My friend is kind of new to her school... in Australia. She met her old friends there and made some new ones. Accidentally, she finds out this guy's secret. But it's not a good secret. It's really bad and harmful. Now he knows that she knows. He's ignoring her now and she really wants to help him but feels bad for knowing something she shouldn't. What she she do?"

"Noona (older sister), who was it? Chan hyung or Changbin hyung? Both of them have of scary secrets." Kiyomi looked at him dumbfounded, facepalming her head into her bed. "I said it wasn't about me!" She flailed her hands in the air. Jeongin giggled at her frustration, opening his mouth to speak: "Okay... even if it wasn't you... if the secret is so bad that she can't tell anyone, the guy is ignoring her and she wants to help, your 'friend' should help on the sidelines. You can't help people entirely. But even the smallest bit attempt could help them."

Jeongin's right. Kiyomi thought as she became silent. She didn't even try to hide the fact that this story was about her anymore. She could try. That's maybe all she could do know.