My Imaginary Friend (WowkwanFF/Eng)

Chapter 4

"Oh, c'mon Seyhoon! Every day you are telling me that it's actually super easy and you've still memorized everything, but you won't help me in the exam? That's not fair! I thought we are friends." Seyhoon rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"We are and that's why I want you to learn it yourself, instead of cheating."

"But it's not really cheating, if you tell me the right answer. You are a part of my imagination after all and therefore the answers must be somewhere in my subconscious, right?" The older felt a sharp pain in his heart.

After Jason had entered Highschool and still seemed to believe in this weird imaginary friend, he swore was real, but nobody except him could see, his parents had decided they needed to do something. So, one afternoon his mother had dragged a crying and screaming Jason to a child therapist, with the hope her son would finally understand that the boy called Seyhoon, he was always talking about, was actually not real. At the beginning Jason had done everything he could, to not have to go to the sessions and later, when they had been cuddling in bed before sleeping, they both laughed about the stuff his therapist had told him. But after some time, his resistance had become less and Sehyoon knew that he had also started to doubt his sanity. And how could he blame him?

These days, Jason still talked to him when they were alone but he was careful to always ignore him while someone else was around. Although Seyhoon understood the reason for it and supported Jason's decision, so he could feel more comfortable, it still hurt him. At least the younger hadn't screamed at him, to leave him alone or something similar, because if Jason told him to go, he would. Even though he had no idea where he should go.

A sulky snort transported him back to reality.

By now Jason was sixteen years old and that meant he was knee-deep into puberty.
It made living with him not easier and Seyhoon felt more like a parent than his friend most of the time. Jason's parents maybe didn't know it, but he supported them in any way he could, in the task of raising a decent young man. Unfortunately, that also meant he had to regularly feel Jason's mood swings.

The problem was just that he had to fight through his own puberty for the second time too and he wished he would have got spared of that. He was dead after all, right? So why had he to live through this whole 'I'm really emotional right now and don't know why' and 'I have no idea why I'm crying' thing again?

"It's late, we should sleep now."

"I would but I have to learn this stuff until tomorrow because my friend doesn't want to help me!" At the sulky reply, Sehyoon let out a deep sigh.

'Don't lose your cool...' he reminded himself 'be patient.'

"It isn't that much and I'm gonna help you learn it until the exam, tomorrow. I'm good at stuff like this, you know. You will be able to do it alone in the exam, promise."

Jason still didn't show any kind of reaction, simply staring at the folder in front of him instead, however obviously without reading it.

The older bit his lower lip.

Okay, so he needed to use the stopgap after all. This one usually worked on the younger, even when he was in a really bad mood.

Sehyoon put on a pout and reached out his hands to him, like a four-year-old to his mother, when it wanted to be picked up. Then he even started to whine,

"Jasoooon...come on! I'm cold and tired and I want to cuddle!"

He hated to act cute, but Jason could never withstand it, so he used it quite often these past couple days. This time again, it did not let him down. With a pout, similar to his own one, and crossed arms Jason came over to him and sat down on the bed.

"So, do you want to cuddle or not?" The younger grumpily asked, after Seyhoon had not done anything else than looking at him for some seconds.

The older grinned in response, before he let himself fall on his back, pulling Jason with him. The latter tried to maintain his defensive, stiff posture but failed miserably as soon as Seyhoon started to stroke his back in a circular motion. Sometimes Jason reminded him of a cat a lot.

For a while they just laid there, without saying anything. Then after some time, Jason sighed contentedly and pressed his body closer to Sehyoon's.

"I don't understand how you can't be real. There is no way my imagination could be this outstanding." He mumbled and Sehyoon stiffened, before he pulled Jason even closer, trying to let his voice sound carefree when he answered,

"What am I supposed to say here? Some years ago, I was hit by a truck and now I'm nearly ten years younger and cuddling with a little brat in his bed. Tell me something about imagination..." Jason froze and looked at the older with keen eyes and it took Seyhoon some secons to notice that it was the first time he had talked about his death or the life he had lived before he had met Jason.

"What was your life like?" The younger asked quietly, staring at him with huge, interested eyes.

"Exhausting...most of the time." Sehyoon laughed but it didn't sound really happy.

"Where did you live? Were you rich?"

"Seoul...and I wouldn't call myself rich, but I earned enough to not worry about money."

"Cool!" Jason said thrilled but Sehyoon wasn't so sure if he would still call his life cool nowadays.

While living with the younger he had learned that there were many more important things in the world than earning money and driving expensive cars and it had made him see his past life with completely different eyes, had made him realize, how lonely he had actually been.

Again, some time passed and Sehyoon got the feeling, Jason wanted to ask something else, but was not sure if he should.

"What is it?" He felt him flinch slightly and grinned. He had been right.

"Did you have a family...Children...and a wife?" Jason asked hesitantly and got the shake of a head as an answer.

"No...I was single. Actually, I wanted to go on a date on this day..."

"Really? With a woman?" Jason suddenly seemed very interested.

"Who else?"

"Did you...like her?" Sehyoon thought about the question for a moment, before he answered,

"I liked her appearance and position. She would have fit the taste of my parents perfectly too, but I didn't know her enough to decide whether I really liked her or not."

"Were you handsome?" This took him by surprise and he looked at the younger in confusion, Jason staring back at him with big, round and innocent eyes, interest written over his whole face.

"I think so...? Many girls in my Highschool and university wanted to date me and even afterwards I had a lot of admirers." He couldn't help it but feel proud about this fact. Jason nodded, seemingly in deep thoughts.

"I can believe that," he said quietly and more to himself than Sehyoon. The latter chuckled.

"Of course! I'm already handsome at this age, again." He ruffled Jason's hair with his right hand, so that it stood out in all directions, with a smirk plastered to his face. As a result, he earned a hit in his side and groaned.

"Narcissistic piece!" Jason mumbled and turned around, declaring their conversation for over.

Even though Seyhoon tried, he was unable sleep that night. He had too many thoughts and questions in his head, he simply couldn't answer.