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Chapter 13

As they sat in the waiting room of the ER, Minwoo slowly fell asleep again. He would wake up occasionally from fits of coughing, and he still had a fever, but at least they were at the hospital now.

Minsoo carefully played with his little brother's hair, and he said to Oseong, "Thanks for driving us."

The blonde haired boy smiled softly, "Don't worry about it. I'm glad I could help you in some way, and getting out of the house is an extra bonus for me."

He glanced at him hesitantly, "Are you sure you're not going to get in more trouble by staying out? You can go if you need to. We can take the bus back."

Oseong let out a heavy sigh, pressing his back against the seat, "It doesn't matter if I get in more trouble or not. Their beliefs are never going to change, so I might as well avoid their fussing for as long as I can, don't you think?" He said it humorously, but Minsoo still seemed worried. He smiled reassuringly, "I'll be okay. I can probably convince them to let me leave the house at some point, so don't worry. I'll be fine."

"Just... try not to get in any more trouble, okay? Your parents are..." he trailed off, sadness clouding his pretty face. Minsoo smiled, but it was very obviously forced, "They're important people, and they're working hard. You never know what could happen to them, and it would be awful to lose them without being able to make up, you know?"

There was definitely a story behind his words, and Oseong would've asked him about it but decided tonight was not the best time to discuss such matters. He would wait until they were closer to ask about his past since it seemed quite personal.

And here was yet another story to be told.

~*~*~*~

It turns out Minwoo just had a very bad cold. Thankfully, it wasn't the flu, but it was still enough to get him out of school, which meant that Minsoo would have to take time off work, too. After hearing about this, Eunbi offered to take care of him, but Minsoo figured it would be better to spend more time with his brother anyway.

It was 4:25 pm, about two and a half hours since Minwoo had last woken up. In a small, tired voice, the six-year-old called out to his brother, "Hyung?"

Minsoo immediately gave him his full attention, a worried look on his face, "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay, but..." he looked like he was on the verge of tears, "you're not okay."

He knelt down beside his bed, confusion clear on his face, "I'm okay, Minwoo. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you can't go to work because of me."

Minsoo's expression softened, "It's okay, Minwoo. Your big brother is strong, so don't worry. I'll take care of everything." He gently brushed away a tear that had fallen from Minwoo's eyes. He smiled as brightly as he could, "Everything's going to be okay."

Minsoo had lost count of how many times he'd told himself these words.

He had long since forgotten when he stopped believing them.

~*~*~*~

Euntaek was walking back to his dorm that evening when he heard a familiar voice call out to him; it was a voice he hadn't heard in a while, and he wished he never had to hear again.

Byungchul stepped in front of him, and if anyone happened to walk by, Euntaek would be completely covered by his broad shoulders, but that had more to do with how small Euntaek was rather than how big Byungchul seemed to be.

"I still haven't beaten you up for that zero," he said casually, shoving him against the wall, "and your pretty little boy toy isn't here to save you, is he?"

Euntaek didn't get beat up often, but it had happened before. Byungchul was definitely not one to mess with especially because he didn't have the best reputation, but he had gone and done it anyway.

I'm such an idiot.

There was a clear, heart-stopping moment when Byungchul's fist met Euntaek's cheek. Even if he hadn't been as sensitive as he was, it still would've left one heck of a bruise.

"I'm tired of seeing your stupid face," Byungchul said in a low growl. "Try pulling something like this again, and you'll get more than just a bruise on your cheek." He narrowed his eyes, "You act so innocent, but I know you're not. I've been watching you. What are you doing hanging out with a guy like Hyojin, anyway? You know what kind of shit he pulled to end up where he is now?"

Euntaek did not know, but he wanted to know, just not from someone like Byungchul. He chose his words carefully, "I don't think it's your place to tell me that story, Byungchul."

He smirked, "And what would you do if I told you? What could you do?"

Euntaek didn't like Byungchul's choice of words because he knew they were true. He'd blurt out some story, and whether it was true or not, it would still affect how he viewed Hyojin. It didn't matter if he tried to block him out. He was going to say it, and he was going to mess everything up.

Being the horrible person he was, Byungchul went ahead and told him, "That loser got kicked out 'cause he told his parents he was gay. He nearly killed himself after that, but now he's just poor and homeless. I don't get why you'd hang out with someone like him, but that was probably 'cause you didn't know about all the shit he's done, living the life of someone he wasn't. He literally deceived everyone for, like, years. I'm surprised he can even walk around with his head up."

Euntaek clenched his jaw, "Okay."

But he wanted to know the real truth. Whether Byungchul was being honest or not, Euntaek still wanted to hear Hyojin's story from his own mouth. He didn't want someone else to twist it. He wanted Hyojin to be the one who told him his story.

But being gay was not a bad thing.

It was definitely not a bad thing.

~*~*~*~

As soon as Fuji saw his face, he was pissed. He stood up from where he'd been sitting and examined his best friend's face, "Are you okay? Who did this to you? Was it Byungchul? I'll beat his ass."

But before he could storm out of the door, Euntaek grabbed ahold of his wrist and stopped him. He took a step closer and wrapped his arms around Fuji's thin waist, resting his cheek against his shoulder, "I'm tired, Fuji... I'm so tired..."

Carefully, the Japanese boy wrapped his arms around his shoulders, but he didn't hold him too tightly because he didn't know where else Byungchul might've hurt him. He gently patted his back, "It'll get better, Taek, but you have to fight back. Don't be afraid. I'll be here to support you whenever you need it, so don't give up. You can do this. I know you can."

But Euntaek didn't think he could do this.

He didn't think he'd last much longer.