𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 | x1

11

11 — A SENSE OF FAMILIARITY

sometimes i prefer sugarcoated lies over the bitter truth.

—

"hyung, did you forget that i have an enhanced sense of hearing?"

yohan curses under his breath. of course, why didn't i think of this?! he turns to dohyon, hoping that his shocked expression isn't obvious enough for the other boys to notice. he gapes. "how long have you been eavesdropping?"

"i wasn't eavesdropping, i was just simply keeping my ears open wide." he answers dolefully. "and to answer your question, i've been listening since the moment you left the room— in other words, i heard everything."

yohan could only stare at him, words aren't able to express how carelessly stupid the situation is. as someone who's hiding the truth from his nephews, daniel sure isn't doing a great job at it.

dohyon smirks. "seungyoun-hyung might have the ability to know everything, but mine's not far different from his. whatever you say, as long as it's still in a probable distance, i could hear it crystal clear. so don't you ever try to fool me one bit—"

"are you okay?"

dohyon pauses, his eyes widen. ".. what?"

"the situation must've been hard for you to digest. discovering that your closest relatives were the one involved in your mother's death.." yohan mumbles. "dohyon-ah, you must've felt shaken up by now."

"stop trying to change the topic."

"i am not changing the topic, because what truly matters in this whole mess we're on about here is you." he points out. "daniel's coping with the guilt that have already swallowed him whole. hangyul has no idea about this. everything's up to you and you alone. the truth matters, but what matters the most is your mental health, so tell me, dohyon-ah, hiding your grief underneath gruesome anger will never be the best option."

dohyon could only stare at him blankly without answering.

"because daniel-ssi?" yohan breathes heavily, "he's not worth your disappointment. god knows how much secrets an outsider like him has held against us."

a little gasp. dohyon stares at him. ".. w-what?" before yohan could continue on, suddenly they were interrupted by someone who previously wasn't in the conversation.

"hey, the situation seems to be all frozen up right here," wooseok's voice appear softly, shocking them like a gust of wind. "is there anything wrong?"

dohyon raises his head. "mind your own business, frostie."

"hey toddler, careful with your words. i could drown your lungs in your own interstitial fluid without moving an inch."

"and i could levitate the hell out of your organs until there's nothing left."

"jesus christ, this is why kids are absolute devils." wooseok pats yohan's back. "you look.."

yohan tilts his head. "gorgeous?"

"like a piece of shit." wooseok mutters. "what's gotten into you? you look like you got a lot in mind."

"wait, kim wooseok's acting genuinely concerned for me?" yohan laughs. "i think i should be the one asking what's gotten into you."

"yohan-ah, you never just casually talk to me and then call it a day. at least you'd be eager to add a snarky remark to annoy me here and there."

"the day's not over yet."

"and yet i have a feeling that you won't do anything at all." wooseok sighs. "as much as i enjoy not being disturbed by you, the silence feels somehow.. distressing." he looks up to the ceiling. "if you got anything to talk about, don't hesitate to spill it all out to me. i'll be happy to listen. same goes for you, kiddo." he says, referring to dohyon.