C L O S E R || hwang hyunjin

connect

*STILL IN FLASHBACK*

Hyunjin spun around in his chair, trying to put together all the words his father had told him. "There is no way." He muttered to himself. "Why didn't he choose my friends then? I just don't understand why he isolated me completely." He had laid his head on his desk.
He was fifteen at the time. Being fifteen was hard for him. Suddenly he saw that he got a text from Jeongin. 
"How did it go?" He asked. Hyunjin didn't want to tell Jeongin what was going on truly, because he didn't want to scare him away. 
"Ah, he said I can still be friends with you, thankfully," Hyunjin said with a shy, and a slight smile.
"That's a relief!" Jeongin said with a large sigh of relief. "Honestly, you are what is getting me through things right now."
"Same here, I don't have any other friends." Hyunjin started to think. "I do want more friends, but I must just obey what my father says." 
He wondered about the feeling of being noticed, but all the kids in school always bullied him for being a loner, and for being quiet. He always ignored them, but would privately go in the bathroom to let his disappointment out. "What does it feel like for someone to want me? To not care about my time, but really just care about me more." He longed for the feeling.
One day Hyunjin had come home from school, a maid was waiting for him at the door. She bowed. "Mr. Park is waiting for you, sir." 
Hyunjin shrugged and made his way over to his dad's office. He walked into the room, which was filled with graphs, papers, Erlenmeyer flasks, chemicals, microscope, lenses, and many more scientific things he didn't recognize. His father turned around as he noticed he had walked in the room. "Ah, I see you're home." He put down his pencil. 
"Yeah," 
"I have a favor to ask. Since you are following my footsteps, a company wants to use our abilities for their work."
"I mean, you could do it, but what do I have to do?" Hyunjin scratched his head. His father placed his hand on his shoulder. "I know you're still young, but you do super well in grades of course, and you will be a good face for the modeling." His father made a small laugh.
"Ah.." Hyunjin just went along with it. 
"We will meet with the company in a few days so be ready for that." 
Hyunjin had left the room to head back to his. He either is at school or in his room. He focused on the homework he had to do. "Ah, just the same thing." Hyunjin scratched his head. 
He wondered what it was like to break free from the same old routine. He got up from his chair and pulled back the curtain to go onto a balcony in his house. 
He felt the light summer night breeze hit his face. He took a deep breath.

On the day of the meeting the company arrived. Hyunjin and his father dressed in nice suits and went to the large building together. As they carried up the elevator Hyunjin fixed his tie. Hyunjin was a bit nervous, but he knew what his father had asked him to do. His father led him down the hall and into the room they were meeting at. As they walked in, Hyunjin noticed a teen his age sitting at the table with his dad. Hyunjin and his father bowed. "Come in come in."
"Thank you for your time, Mr. Kim." 
"Ah, I shoulder be thanking you." He made a slight smile. They all sat around each other. "This is my son Hyunjin." Hyunjin made a slight bow as his father introduced him.
"This is my son Seungmin, he is one of our main modeling artists here."
"Really, ah. He is so young, he must be so talented." Hyunjin's father smiled.
"Yes." Mr. Kim made a slight cough as they started to get into the meeting. Hyunjin wasn't sure how to feel about it. Even though he always grew up in a fancy, and high household, he never was used to meeting new people and business meetings. He straightened himself out.
"So, if we combine our brains and our artistic skills together I think we could make a good modeling team for animations, education, and construction to work on a big new project." Mr. Kim said. "Yes, we are willing to work with you, of course, we just have to know what we are supposed to do and we will do it." Hyunjin's father was going along. He made a slight cough, and Hyunjin couldn't help but worry about him. "Why is he so desperate for this? He doesn't seem like he really has time for it." Hyunjin thought deep in his mind. He looked across from him and saw Seungmin making a small wave at him. He awkwardly made a small wave back. 
His father looked over at him, and they both nodded at each other. 
They left the meeting and were presented with the work they had to do. "Every day after school you will have to come here to do some work and talk over the project. You will be working with Mr. Kim's son, so be careful around him, okay?" Hyunjin saw his father look sternly in his eyes as they went down the elevator. "I am only so young..but, I was raised like this. I guess I can continue to do it." Hyunjin looked forward and straightened his jacket. 

Hyunjin and his father continued to discuss and work on the plans for the project. Hyunjin ruffled his hands in his hair, he could barely focus on the papers in front of him. He made a small yawn. "Maybe I have been doing too much homework." He closed his eyes for a minute, but it ended up being for more than a minute. He suddenly woke up, with his heart pounding in his chest. He quickly got up and rushed to head out for school. He looked around the empty house, for some reason, he had hoped for someone to be there to tell him goodbye. He scratched his head and slowly left. He was still kind of young, but he was very quiet and mature for his age. As he went to school, he had one goal in mind. To get done classes, get good grades, and to avoid talking to a lot of people. But, he was trying to fight this urge he had in him. As he sat in class he saw Jeongin next to him with a quick smile. "Do you want to hang out today after school?" He asked.
"Sorry, I have a lot to work on." Hyunjin looked away, with a slight sigh. Jeongin made a sigh too. "Ah, I still don't understand why your parents won't let you have friends, but." 
"Yeah," Hyunjin muttered as he started to think about it. "Yes. I don't want to be harmful to anyone..but, if I can confirm that will never happen...can't hang out if I can make sure of that..?"
"actually." Hyunjin changed his mind. "You can come to my house, you just have to make sure my parents don't see you." Hyunjin looked over. 
"Wha- you're going to rebel? Woah..all the time I have known you you never let me come over because you were afraid of disobeying.." Jeongin made a shy smile while scratching his head. The class then started and they focused on taking notes.
After school Hyunjin had stuck home with Jeongin by his side. Hyunjin creaked open the door, looked around to see if anyone was there. Then quickly rushed Jeongin in, up the stairs, and to his room. Then he heard someone right behind him. Hyunjin quickly turned around to see his mom trying to hurry and catch the door before he closed it. "Ah..Hyunjin..?" She lightly called out while making a small knock on his door. 
"What.."Hyunjin started to panic as Jeongin put his hand over his mouth. "Can I talk to you?" She asked.
"Uh.." Hyunjin looked for an excuse. "I- I am getting dressed right now." He made a small cough. 
"Ah, alright then. Your father wanted me to tell you that Mr. Kim's son is coming over to help work on the project with you." They heard as she walked away from the door. They both let out a large sigh. "Mr. Kim's son?" Jeongin whispered as he sat lightly on the bed. "Are we sure we should be doing this...?" Jeongin made a shy nervous smile.
"Yeah, I mean..I can just say we are working on homework." Hyunjin shrugged back as he walked over to his desk. "You used to be so quiet, now you're more casual with me," Jeongin mentioned.
"Right." Hyunjin started to look at the pictures surrounding his desk. 
It was silent in there for a bit. "So, what are we going to do about him coming over?"
"I will just tell him you're my friend, I mean, he doesn't know I am not supposed to have friends.." Hyunjin muttered as he looked down. He had never had a friend over before, so he felt nervous, and he didn't know what much to say or do. 
"Well, we can just talk or play games or whatever." Jeongin laid back.
"Games..?" 
"You don't know what games are?" Jeongin had a small laugh in his voice. He got out his phone. "Come here."
Hyunjin peeked over his shoulder and saw him on an app. It was a fighting game and Jeongin started playing, he was good at it. 
"ahhhh.." Hyunjin was so drawn and amazed by it. Even the thing he was helping to create he knew nothing about. "Why did your family never allow you to play games?" 
Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Hyunjin hurried over and opened it. It was Seungmin, holding onto his art book. He made a quick wave and noticed Jeongin sitting on the bed. "oh, hi. My father didn't mention someone else being here."
"Ah, my friend is over that is all." Hyunjin quickly closed the door. 
Seungmin looked around the plain room. "I wish I could spice up your room a little bit."
He quickly turned around. "Should we work on the project?" They both nodded. Seungmin laid out his notebook on the ground, while Hyunjin got his laptop and pulled up the program. They started looking at the designs and models. 
"ah...I feel kind of out of place here." Jeongin scratched his head. 
"It's okay," Hyunjin muttered. "I will go get us some drinks." he quickly jumped up and left the room so they could chat together. A smile grew on his face as he felt the excitement run through him. He carried himself down the stairs, just as he was getting excited he heard something through the wall. He stopped himself from walking any further.
"When are you going to tell him?" His mother whispered. He heard lots of coughing coming from his father. Hyunjin peaked over without them noticing. He saw how weak his father was, and how he was stumbling. "I have to make sure we get this project done, for his future."
"But what about your future?" 
Hyunjin put the pieces together. "Father is really sick, is it just going to get worse...? Is something going to happen to him?" Hyunjin quickly headed back up the stairs so he wouldn't get caught. He had quietly opened the door to hear Jeongin and Seungmin getting along. But, they noticed how down Hyunjin had looked.
"Is everything okay?" Seungmin asked quietly. 
"Yeah." Hyunjin shrugged and combed his hair back with his fingers. He made a quick smile and they went back to work. Deep inside he knew what was going to happen, and he wasn't prepared for it. 

Time had passed, Seungmin and Hyunjin had worked together more and had gotten a bit closer. But, Hyunjin found himself wanting to close out more and more. One day he and his father went back to the large building to give the representation for the game. 
They all gathered together with a bunch of different people, and Mr. Kim was the leader of the project. He got all of their attention. Hyunjin heard his father coughing, but he could see he was holding back. "Is everything okay?" Hyunjin whispered, even though he knew something was wrong already. "Y-yeah." He said under his cough. Mr. Kim was talking to no one else heard. As the meeting came to an end. Hyunjin followed his father out. As they got to the doorway, Hyunjin suddenly saw his father stumble and fall to the great. "Dad!" He called out while running over to him.
He tried to pick him up, but he noticed he was unconscious. Others gathered around, alarming in gasped. "Someone call an ambulance!" Hyunjin called out. He felt his fear start to accumulate tears in his eyes. He looked down at his father's face. 
"Is this what you have warned me of?" People rushed around and after a bit, an ambulance came and took his father away to the hospital. Hyunjin and his mother waiting in the waiting room. His mom was pacing around, but she didn't look so well herself. Hyunjin sat there while lowering his head. He didn't understand what was going on, and somehow he felt like it was his fault. The doctor came out and let them in the room. They both hurried in and saw that he was hooked up to a machine. The doctor came up to his mother. "It seems like his heart is failing, we are glad we called in when we did..but.." The doctor was whispering to her, but trying to hide his voice from Hyunjin. Hyunjin slowly walked up to the hospital bed where his father laid. "Is this why you were always so strict with me? you have always been so busy with your books and your work..why didn't you spend more time with me sooner?" He shook his head. He had this conflict running around in his heart. He hoped for something more. But, every day he would visit his father, he seemed to be getting worse and worse. 

"The project is finished and...today is my birthday," Hyunjin muttered while looking down at his father, who was coughing. He looked weak and deprived and tired. "That's good, my son." He could barely have the strength to say anything. Hyunjin let out a big sigh. His mother gently grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the room. "You should go home and prepare for your finals." She suggested. "But, I want-"
"I know." She made a gentle smile at him. "But, your father would want you to do your best too." He could tell his mom really cared about him. But, they were both just trying to prepare themselves for what is going to come next. 
Hyunjin was home. He stood over his desk and looked at the game cover that the project had been finished. "My dad didn't even have a role in it...if only I could show him my hard work." Hyunjin was playing with the papers in his notebook. 
He feared what his father was experiencing. He didn't want to make the same mistake again. But, after some time, the day came. He had woken up to the news that his father had passed away due to heart failure. It was hard for Hyunjin to get out for a while. He went to school but completely blocked off everyone from him. He didn't want to make the same mistake. He didn't want to cause someone so much pain. 

One day as he came home from school, with a drained look on his face. He saw his mother, tired, and cleaning up. "Oh, you're home quickly." She said. 
"Mom, it's been the whole day." He sighed, looked down. His mom quickly went up to him. "Oh, you're right...I do not feel the same anymore and now that..I have something to tell you." She didn't want to let him down, but she had to break it to him. "We have to move out of the house since your father isn't here anymore, there is no way we could keep a stable income.. so we are going to settle down in a smaller house with your brothers, okay?" He had a toddler brother, and his mom was indeed pregnant. "You must be so glad it is only given to one child..I guess." Hyunjin looked down at her. "Yeah, but it affects me too..trust me, son, I fear that I may fail." She carried herself weakly over to the couch to sit down. She made a big sigh. "I will be sure to go to high school with one goal in mind. I will block out, and make you proud so I won't fail." He said sternly to her. Even though she didn't want that of him. That was something Hyunjin had chose to do. All he kept was his two friends he knew since he was young. He blended in with the background. He never paid much attention. Until the day a girl in his class was sitting across from him, he saw the gleaming smile on her face. The day he gave her the umbrella and saved her from the rain. The day he laughed for the first time in a while. "There's no way I can allow myself to love, but her smile simply can't get out of my mind." 



ANNIE POV


"So, yeah that's how we met him, after his father passed away he distanced himself from us a bit, but ever since he has met you he has opened back up." Seungmin looked over at me. I felt like I was more understanding of him. I felt a tiny peace. "Did he ever mention why his father told him not to talk to anyone? or have any friends?" I looked down and scratched my head. "He has been through so much, and I couldn't tell or even ask him...how can I say that I care about him?" I yelled to myself in my head. 
"No, it's just because of his father's illness or something like that..he never told me what it was exactly," Jeongin said. 
"Oh, look at the time." Seungmin made a shy smile. "We should get back to work." 
Seungmin and I went back to work but I couldn't help but think of Hyunjin the whole entire time. "I want to let him know I am there for him, I want to let him know..how I feel about him.." 
"Thank you for today." We all told each other and bowed to a good day at work. 
It was dark outside, I held onto my notebook and was walking down the street. The street was pretty silent, there wasn't anyone on the street. I felt kind of alone, but my thoughts were fixated on him. I felt like I was in a daze. I looked around as the cold breeze hit my face. I had noticed a building across the street, the lights were on, and I saw a silhouette of someone, someone dancing ever so calmly, but full of expression. I couldn't see the face, but somewhere deep in my chest, I felt it griping at me. I slowly walked down the street. To hear the light music playing. As I got closer I noticed who it was, and that made my heart skip a beat. I saw Hyunjin dancing, his expression was passionate and his moves were clean. It looked like he was letting out his emotions. "I've never seen him dance..I didn't know." I saw my eyes start to sparkle as I watched him. I was in awe. I could feel my heart pounding. I made a gulp, as he finished the dance. shrugged his arms back without noticing I was standing right outside. He turned off the music and wiped his forehead with a towel as he paced around the room with deep breaths. He then saw a reflection through the glass and noticed I was standing there. I quickly turned away with a shaking of my hands. "He saw me, he saw me," I screamed in my head as the nervousness started to rush over me. I heard the door open, and he walked beside me. I hid my face. I heard a small chuckle from him. "You don't think I can recognize you?" He shrugged back. "I can tell who you are just simply feeling your presence." He made a small laugh. I slowly looked over at him, he was sweating but looked cooled down by the breeze from outside. 
"Ah, I am obvious, ain't I?" I crossed my arms. "But, It's not like I was spying on you or anything! I just happened to be passing by and.." I waved my hands. 
"Ah, I see. You saw me dance, huh?" Hyunjin had a shy smile on his face, he quickly brushed the back of his head. 
"Yeah..you're really beautiful by the way.." I realized what I said. "I mean! Your dancing is really beautiful..yeah." I coughed, trying to get rid of the racing heart that was inside of me. 
"Yeah.." He let out a laugh. "I am kind of embarrassed now." I looked over and saw Hyunjin looked embarrassed and shy. I always saw some different sides to him. But, I didn't mind it. I liked standing there with him. I felt like I was in a whole other world, with just me and him.
"I, I am actually glad you passed by." I heard him say. 
"Oh, why is that?" I looked over at him again, like I could see something sparking inside of him. He looked up at the stars, and let out a breath. "I dance when I think a lot, I was telling myself if I see you tonight then it was a sign."
My heart started to thump louder and louder. "What do you mean by that..?"
"Ah, it's nothing." He made a quick smile and he offered to start walking down the street, side by side. 
"Well.." I wanted to know, but I thought I would let him be. "Today I talked with Seungmin and Jeongin..and well, they told me how they met you." I made a quick smile at him.
"Oh, Seungmin wasn't mad at you or anything right?" Hyunjin looked concerned, he shoved his hands in his pockets. 
"No...why?"
"He got upset that I got closer to you."
"Oh, why is that?" I asked, but he didn't say anything. It looked like he wanted to say something but couldn't. "Whatever it is, I won't let it bug me. I want to get closer to you, no matter what others say, or what the situation is."
Hyunjin seemed to be touched by what I said. I looked quickly at his eyes, which were flickering. "You mean that?" He quickly looked down. 
"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" I noticed that we had arrived at our houses. We quickly ran across the street and stood side by side together. I didn't want to leave his side. I wanted to stay with him. 
As Hyunjin was about to head into his house, I quickly called out: "Hyunjin!" 
He looked back at me, with the most curious of faces. "I am always here...okay?" I felt my heart pounding, but I couldn't hold my breath. "No matter what it is, I want to get to know you. I don't want to be held back anymore." I yelled out. "I am not sure what is wrong, or what's going on..but no matter what it is, I will always be by your side!"
I saw him look down quickly. "Even if you're affected? What about you, your safety?" He muttered. 
"I don't care, Because I know..I know that if I am always with you I can move on, I am in a different place, I can get over those fears." I looked down quickly. He looked back at me with a smile. "Thank you." It seemed like he had a whimpering in his voice. "Was what I said too much?" 
"Really, thank you, Annie." I heard him mutter and head back into his house.
"Maybe this will cause him to open up to me more...I don't want to force it, but I want him to always know that I am here." 
As I turned to go back to my house, I gently held onto my heart. I heard someone in front of me come running down the street, I saw Macy, In a panic towards me. She quickly grabbed onto my arms. "Come quickly, I don't know where he is." She repeated over and over. 
"Where who is?" 
"Felix, I don't know, we were talking and I went to the bathroom and he disappeared, I don't know, he seemed in an upset mood and I am just scared."
"Okay, just take a deep breath, let's go find him." Macy and I panicked quickly hurried down that street.
"Well, I guess I won't be going to sleep anytime soon."