Burnout ⊗ Jeongchan

①⑥ Idle Existence

The student council meeting went by without too much of a hassle. A quick talk, recapping where their funds were going, revising some paper work with his vice president, a chat of the upcoming school events, and it was over.

It was not worth going to school for.

Jeongin was regretful to admit it but he couldn't help the gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach. They could have easily conducted the meeting had he been gone, and any arising problems could have been ironed out by his vice president. He could have been out in the city; experiencing what the world was like when he stepped away from the call of duty. Now, he would only speculate about the missed opportunity as he shuffled down the sidewalk. That gnawing feeling grew. Next time.

I'll go with him next time.

Jeongin smiled to himself. Like that would ever happen. As much of a drag it was, he couldn't just run out on the student council like that. It was a role trusted to him and no one else, he was voted as the president and was expected to act as one while he remained in "office" for the rest of the year. And... and...

He shook his head clear of the thoughts that plagued his mind as he approached his house. From outside it looked empty, almost every light indoors firmly shut off except for the one lounging in the kitchen he always forgot to shut off. But if the single car parked in the driveway was any indication, his father was waiting for him somewhere inside, and most likely was prepping for a lecture. No sign of his mother yet. He scooted up to the front door, carefully unlocked it with his spare key, and gently pushed it open, taking extra care not to make any unnecessary noises and make his presence known as he shut the door.

The stairwell was right in front of him. But so was the kitchen. It was impossible to sprint by without being seen.

Even so, he dropped his head and bolted for the stairs.

"Jeongin."

The mentioned stopped in his tracks. He inhaled sharply, the grip on his bag strap tightening as he mentally preparing himself to face his parent.

His Dad was waiting patiently at the cheap round table, not the dining table, set up in the corner of the kitchen, a spread out file and a cup of something steaming warm resting in front of him. His father didn't bother to look up from his papers as he held a hand out to the chair adjacent from his seat, and firmly invited, "Do you want to sit with me?"

Jeongin hesitantly agreed, retreating to the safety of his room being nothing more than a whisper floating somewhere idly in the back of his mind. How often was it that his father calmly sat at the table and asked to talk with him? Even if he was about to be reprimanded for acting out of place. He gingerly took his seat and sat straight, perfect posture, shoulders back, he didn't know what his father wanted from him after all. It could very well be a long lecture on his actions. 'Do you know how dangerous?' and other fun escapades that came with the general chewing out.

Well, if his father was the one tasked with talking to him about his behavior, it probably wasn't as large of a problem that Jeongin originally thought it was. Or this might only be the first wave of it all. One thing was for certain.

His mother would be a lot less gentle.

After a while of silence and nothing more then a few exchanges of awkward glances, his father asked, "How is school?"

"It's good," The words didn't seem to flow as easily as Jeongin hoped. He searched for something more to say then that simple sentence but no matter how hard he looked, his mind was as barren as a desert. He went with the natural flow of conversation and shot back with his own inquiry, "How is work?"