Quiet | Seungjin

45

A grin spread across Seungmin's face as he spotted Hyunjin from across the room. The elder was happily talking with his parents but every few seconds he would turn and glance over the crowd.

If he was the best son in the world, Seungmin would've gone to find his own parents first, but he was far from the best. Instead, he snaked his way through the crowd until he made it to Hyunjin.

He threw his arms around the elders neck, almost hitting him in the head with the cap he was still wearing.

"Seungmin," Hyunjin spoke softly when he turned to look at the boy latched onto him. He reached out and pulled Seungmin's cap from his head so he could connect their lips in a gentle kiss.

Seungmin felt as if his cheeks were on fire as the elder pulled away, but still, he continued to smile. The couple never made their relationship public to their peers at school; however, Seungmin thought that if they couldn't already tell...they would never be able to.

"Congratulations, Seungmin," Hyunjin's mother spoke up, a sweet smile resting on her lips at the moment of affection.

"Thank you," he responded quietly.

"We just graduated high school..." Hyunjin muttered at his side, "it's weird to think about."

Nodding absentmindedly at his words, Seungmin reached out to hold the elder's hand, scared he was going to get lost in the sea of people.

When Hyunjin noticed the boy's eyes darting back and forth, he asked, "do you see your parents?"

Seungmin leaned towards him and whispered, "outside."

After telling his parents to follow them outside, the group found their way through the crowd and out one of the exits. There were still a lot of people outside...but it felt as if there was actually room to breathe now.

"Seungmin!" Mr Kim yelled from somewhere in the distance.

Seungmin smiled at the sight of his parents, letting them engulf him in a hug as they finally found each other.

"We're so proud of you honey," his mother said softly.

When they finally let the boy go, the woman turned to Hyunjin and said, "we're also proud of you too, Hyunjin."

"It's nice to see you again, Binna," Hyunjin's mother spoke up, excited to see the woman after so long.

The women introduced each other to their husbands, making sure to introduce the men to each other as well. It almost felt strange the two younger boys that their parents got along so well.

They stayed outside of the building for some time, the group split into duos as they chatted. The moms catching up on anything they missed, the dads busy taking about work, and Seungmin and Hyunjin deciding where they wanted to go when they were finally able to leave.

"Can me and Seungmin go out tonight?" Hyunjin spoke up at last. He didn't necessarily ask anybody in particular, but when four sets of eyes turned to stare at him, it felt just a tad intimidating.

"Go out where?"

Seungmin sent his mom a convincing smile, knowing that she was always the most skeptical about him being away from home. "Just hang out," he muttered simply.

"We just graduated..." the elder pleaded more to his own parents, "just don't worry about us for one night."

"You two can go out tonight," Hyunjin's father decided for the group of parents.

✨✨✨

"I got a job," Seungmin mumbled into the quiet that had been slowly consuming Hyunjin's car.

The elder turned to look at his boyfriend, an excited smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "You didn't tell me you applied anywhere," he stated.

Nodding, a smile of his own formed on Seungmin's face as he shifted around in the passenger seat so he could his body was facing Hyunjin. "I didn't...tell anybody. Just in case."

"Just in case you didn't get it?"

He nodded.

Hyunjin reached out to grab one of Seungmin's hand, holding it between both of his own. "I would've been proud either way. It's exciting that you tried—getting a job is a big step."

Seungmin looked out at the sun setting off in the distance. Instead of going out to dinner or any of the after parties their classmates were throwing, the two drove to a park nearly an hour away to watch as the sun went down. Seungmin was happy with their choice. It was just then that he realized...maybe he hadn't spent enough time admiring the beauty of the sun.

"Where is it?" Asked Hyunjin.

"It's...a flower shop."

The elder's smile only widened, "that's cute..." he paused for a moment before his face suddenly got serious, "did you tell them that you can't just talk whenever? I don't want you to be overwhelmed with anything."

Seungmin let out a quiet mhm.

"They're okay with it?"

He nodded again, touched by how much the elder seemed to care about his treatment at work.

"Ok, now I'm excited for you again," Hyunjin beamed, "when do you start?"

"Next week."

"It'll be good to get some money saved before college too..." he pondered, thinking of his own bills that would be coming soon, "that's what I'm going to focus on before we go to school in the fall. You and work."

"Parents...friends...internships..." Seungmin listed off.

"Yeah...I guess I have those things to think about too."

A soft laugh slipped out of the younger boy. He turned his head to look at his boyfriend to see his eyes were already fixed on him.

"That's probably Felix and Jisung," Hyunjin grumbled when they heard is phone buzzing against the center council between them. As Seungmin reached out to grab the device, Hyunjin scooped it into his own hands first. "I'll answer them later—I want to be with you right now."

"You're always with me," Seungmin grumbled.

"That is true...but that doesn't mean I don't want to be with just you right now."

Ignoring his words, Seungmin reached out for the elders hand and brought it up to rest on the side of his face. "Prove it," he whispered.

A soft smile tugged at the corners of Hyunjin's lips as he stared into Seungmin's eyes. "Really?" He asked, "you want me to?"

Seungmin only nodded, letting his eyes shut as Hyunjin quickly moved to close the gap between them.

———
I originally intended for this chapter be the final chapter of this book...but I decided to add a couple more just to wrap things up. I think there's about 4 more parts before the actual ending.

Thanks for reading :)