the kids aren't alright. / golden child

10 ✕ opened eyes

the number of demerit points the school had deducted from the boys was uncountable. yet, there they were, playing truant and getting another five off.

but it was for a good cause: they went to visit jaehyun and bomin at the hospital.

it was rather quiet, much less chaotic and crowded. the boys entered the ward that held the two, a larger room with about five people in it.

they stepped in, silently as possible, for most of the patients were asleep, including jaehyun and bomin. except they didn't know if they were asleep, or had never woken up in the first place.

jibeom and donghyun walked forward, to jaehyun, shook him gently. they watched the oxygen mask fog up, disappear. fog up, disappear.

he was breathing, at least. he was alive.

joochan went to bomin instead, patted his hair, damp from sweat. he grabbed a chair, sat next to his bed and was just about to speak when a woman went up beside him.

"what are you doing to my son?" she asked, eyes so wide it could had fell out of its sockets. "who are you?"

joochan stood up, hands awkward at his sides. "i'm — "

"i don't care what your name is," she snapped. "i'm asking why are you here. with my son." she looked him in the eye. "here."

he swallowed, unable to meet her glare. "i'm his friend."

she scoffed, crossed her arms. "so you're one of his...friends." her tone was filled with disgust, as though bomin having friends was the last thing she wanted. "you did this to him."

"excuse me?" joochan almost laughed.

"you're one of them, right? one of those seniors who... who saved him?"

"i was the only one, actually," he muttered under his breath, before looking up at her, giving her a smile. "you could say that."

jibeom and donghyun watched with raised eyebrows, in disbelief. her son was unconscious, yet all she cared about —

"are they his friends too?" she pointed in their direction. joochan nodded, she scoffed again. "amazing."

she sat down on the chair joochan sat on, patted bomin's head too. she watched his steady breathing, a sigh escaping her lips.

"why do you never listen," she started. "look at you now. all injured and everything that could've been prevented if you just listened — "

bomin's eyes opened. he was awake all along.