22. Happy Birthday

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When Riki's younger sister's, Sola, birthday rolled around, Jungwon's increasing tension had slowly settled. He had made his bed and now he had to sleep in it.

"Jungwon, what's taking so long?" His mother hums and she tussles her hair around the frame of her face. He quickly yells back a meek response and gives himself a false sense of reassurance when he smiles at himself through the mirror.

Unlocking the door, Jungwon initially opens the door with a slight crack until his mother yanks it open for him. "Thanks..." he whispers passive-aggressively and he's almost sure his mother hasn't heard it until she pulls his face to look at him.

"Are you going to bring that girlfriend of yours?"

He was bracing himself for some sort of yell or comment, but that probably startled and scared him more than both.

"I-um... she doesn't really know Riki and she's kind of busy at the moment—"

"Well then this was the perfect opportunity for them to get to know each other," She hums, brushing out Jungwon's supposedly tangled dark hair. She's smiling so whimsically that it's almost amusing to him if it wasn't for the fact that this girl wasn't just some fake story but was real ... kind of.

If only his mother knew that this girl wasn't a girl but instead a boy and that he did know everyone in his life very well.

Some too well.

"Oh gosh, I can treat this girl better than you." His mum pulls on his hair with a warm giggle that makes his stomach churn. He supposes she feels the same ticklish feeling in his stomach when he thinks of a couple like Sunoo and Sunghoon being affectionate.

It's sweet because seeing two people who truly care for each other kiss or hold hands can somehow cause a bigger reaction in himself than seeing two strangers make out against the subway seats.

"If you can, bring her and if not, you better bring her for dinner sometime next week," His mother now sets the brush down and opts for combing her fingers through his hair instead. "I can't believe you had the courage to ask someone—I'm so proud of you Jungwon."

'You aren't. You wouldn't if you really knew who I asked.'

"Now, how much time have I wasted just blabbing on about you and your girlfriend?" She hums, ruffling his hair quickly which takes him by surprise. Annoyed, Jungwon moved away and adjusts his hair with his own hands. "What is your girlfriend's name? You haven't mentioned it to me—"

"Can you stop for just one second, please?" Jungwon snaps, gripping tightly at his hair, his fingers which were running through the strands now too tired and irate to be gentle. "Can you, for just a second, please leave me alone? You don't even know if we're still together you barely ask me about anything in my life and now what I'm supposed to make you the third person in our relationship?"

His mother opens her mouth to speak.

"Listen to me, please. I just everything is a lot right now and I would appreciate I if you gave me some time to think before you expect me to be vulnerable with you," He lets go of his hair and bites his tongue. He doesn't want to cry – tears will only ruin his statement – make it seem like he did something wrong. "Let me figure out myself before I tell you something that might end my life."

And with that Jungwon left the house, heading straight for Riki's.




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