This Friend | Yeonbin

63

Soobin P.O.V

It’s taken me a few weeks to work everything out. My applications are submitted, and now I’m ready for this change.

There have been a lot of family meetings, none of which I attended. Being done means being done all the way. Taehyun has kept me posted, and the biggest news is that the meeting with the Chois was an actual meeting. Not a massacre.

Dad is slowly coming around to the idea that bloodshed just leads to more bloodshed.

I like to think I have something to do with that.

We may never be friends with the Chois, but that doesn’t mean they need to be enemies.

I look around. My room is so barren now that I’ve taken down all my posters. Dad has said I can keep my room as is, in case I decide to visit, but I know Taehyun already has his eyes on it. I think he wants it to be a home gym.

Taehyun appears in my doorway. Eddie is beside him, his ears pressed down.

I think he can tell something is up, as he’s been sulking all day. I’ve been giving him so much attention and a lot of treats, but he’s too smart to fall for that.

“Is there anything left?” asks Taehyun.

“Nope, I think that’s it.”

He nods.

“This is really happening, huh?” he says.

“Yeah. It’s not like I’m dying, though. You can always come visit.”

He crosses his arms, and leans back a little. “Will you ever come back?”

“I don’t know. Probably not for a while, at least.”

“That’s fair.”

Together, we go down to the living room. Dad’s in the kitchen.

“Ready?” he asks.

“Yeah.”

Eddie seriously looks so sad.

I bend down. “Buddy, stop making that face. This isn’t for good, I’ll come back.”

I’m not even sure if it’s true. I pet him, and he licks my hand. I’ll miss him, but I’m not going to miss how much he slobbers. I scratch the top of his head one last time, then go to wash my hands in the sink.

The drive across the city is uneventful. But still, I notice so much about it. Like how truly pretty it is, even during the day.

I know I’ve made the right decision, though.

We reach the airport and go through the motions. Soon, my bag is checked in, and all I have left to do is go through security.

And you know.

Say goodbye to Dad and Taehyun.

“You still sure about this?” asks Dad.

“I am,” I say.

“As long as you’re sure.”

He offers his hand. I shake it.

It makes me feel so adult.

“Text me when you land,” he says.

“Will do.”

Taehyun grabs me in a big hug. “I’m going to miss you, man.”

“I’ll miss you, too.”

We break apart. So this is it.

I wave at them and then head to security. I unzip my backpack and take off my shoes, and then go through the metal detector. Once I’m through, I turn back and look for Taehyun and Dad.

They’re gone.