On Track | MINSUNG

35

Felix and Chan returned to school on Wednesday, and spent every minute they weren't in lessons glued to each other. And as cute as it was, it was dragging up things Minho would have preferred buried. Very buried and very forgotten about.

Because he couldn't stop thinking about Yoonbum.

There was something about Felix and Chan that reminded Minho of him and Yoonbum. It was Felix's sub drop; more specifically, it was Felix recovering from sub drop.

Because Chan looked after Felix in a way Minho hadn't been able to look after Yoonbum. Maybe Chan and Felix's relationship was just stronger, maybe it was just that Chan and Felix responded to it differently. Responded to it better.

But it all boiled down to one thing: Minho was both wracked with guilt and furious with Yoonbum's friends. He couldn't stop thinking about those last few days with Yoonbum and how it had ended. He replayed the memories on repeat in his brain, convinced he just wasn't looking at it from the right angle.

Minho and Yoonbum had had sex. Then there'd been aftercare, which was always Yoonbum's favourite part. Cuddling and kissing and water and Lotte's kancho--but only the ones that came in the cardboard box--and watching videos of people making food.

Minho had stayed overnight, the way he always did when they fucked. He'd gone home the next day after several hours of cuddling and making out.

And then the sub drop had kicked in, the following night, and Yoonbum had called Minho, crying and desperate, begging him to come over. And Minho had. He'd gotten the bus in the pitch black and gone to Yoonbum, had held him and kissed him and just talked. Minho had gone home late the next day, and returned to school the day after.

Yoonbum hadn't gone back to school for another two days. He hadn't answered Minho's calls or texts, and Minho had been beside himself with worry. Because hadn't Yoonbum been fine?

When Yoonbum went back to school, he'd sought out Minho immediately. He'd been clingy at school that morning, but Yoonbum's friends had pulled him away at break. When Minho had found him sobbing at lunch and tried to go to him, Yoonbum's friends had stopped him, saying Yoonbum was breaking up with him.

Minho hadn't believed it at first. What had happened from break to lunch to make Yoonbum even think something like that? Minho had asked to talk to Yoonbum himself, but Yoonbum's friends had refused. And then Yoonbum hadn't opened any of his messages and avoided Minho at school.

It hadn't really hit until the first Friday night without Yoonbum, when Minho had broken down crying.

Minho hated himself for leaving Yoonbum and going back to school too soon. Yoonbum clearly hadn't recovered from the sub drop, but he'd been so like normal Minho had assumed he was fine. Minho hated himself for letting Yoonbum's friends talk him out of being with Minho at break.

The logical explanation--the only explanation--was that Yoonbum's friends had talked him into blaming the sub drop on Minho, and talking him into agreeing to break up with Minho.

Because Yoonbum had been pressing shy kisses to Minho's neck before school that day. Because Minho had checked on him after every lesson, and Yoonbum had hugged him tightly, flushing when Minho called him his bunny.

Because Yoonbum's friends had been older, and Yoonbum had admitted several times he went along with them because he'd had no other friends. Because Minho knew firsthand how convincing Yoonbum's friends had been, how good they'd been at gaslighting people.

Because Minho knew, without a shadow of doubt, that Yoonbum had never wanted to leave him. Because Minho knew Yoonbum's friends hadn't liked that Minho saw through their bullshit.