Dark to Baby: A Changjin Story

Chapter 17

The rest of the day was a blur. Hyunjin went in and out of his thoughts, not paying attention to much around him.

In one way this was good. He was able to completely ignore Minho and Jisung at lunch while they reunited, which could have been scary.

But it didn't help that he still had no idea what was happening in math and now he had a few random bruises where he failed to notice the basketball coming in his direction.

Felix had shown his concern throughout the day with a generous amount of hugs and thigh pats.

Hyunjin wasn't that surprised. Felix was sensitive, but Hyunjin would hope that anyone would act that way if their friend burst into tears out of nowhere.

As he stood by his front door, he wished Felix was there. For a couple of minutes he stared at the dark brown door. On it hung a heart-shaped sign, painted with light blue birds and the word 'welcome.'

Hyunjin didn't feel very welcome.

Eventually his desire for something comforting and soft pushed him to open the door.

The creak of the door brought on a series of barks. Hyunjin kneeled down as Kkami came barreling towards him. He petted the wiggly mess as Kkami ran in circles around him, smacking him with his tail.

"Hey, Bud. What's up?" He giggled quietly at the dog and eased his backpack off, placing it by the wall before sitting criss cross on the floor.

He placed his hands on either side of Kkami's face and rubbed the fluffy cheeks in random circles.

"You are so cute, did you know that?" Hyunjin leaned over and kissed the dog's head, "so cute."

Kkami backed away from Hyunjin, seeming done with all the affection. The dog wriggled out of Hyunjin's grip and ran out of the room, Hyunjin following close behind. The two ran into the living room as Kkami dashed into a corner and behind a side table. Hyunjin flattened himself on the ground and army crawled over to the table. He stared at Kkami's eyes in the shadows.

"Kkami! Come out!" He sing-songed, stretching and turning over onto his back.

The two had a staring contest for about thirty seconds before the dog came bounding out of his hiding spot and bounced on Hyunjin's stomach.

"Oof!" Hyunjin curled in on himself, then sat up and watched Kkami run into the kitchen. He threw his hands down.

"But Kkami! I love you!"

It was easy to hear Hyunjin's pout, but the evil smile that came soon after was silent. Hyunjin sneakily stood up and tiptoed back to the foyer.

"Oh, Kkami!" He sang out, "wanna go for a walk?"

He picked up the leash from the small table where his mother kept her car keys and shook it for Kkami to hear. The dog came around the corner, wagging his tail gleefully. Hyunjin smirked in victory and sat down to attach the leash.

"Baby?" His mom came into view. "Oh! I didn't know you were home."

Hyunjin looked up from wrestling Kkami, his legs splayed, the dog in between them.

"I have a couple of things to tell you, can this wait?"

Hyunjin nodded and just kept his gaze on her. However, instead of talking, she turned and moved into the living room. Hyunjin let Kkami go and followed her, taking a seat beside her on the couch and resting his head on her shoulder.

"Hey, Baby," she said affectionately and pulled him closer, "I just wanted to let you know that I'm having dinner with Taehyuk tonight to talk about the marriage."