You Are (Not) a Cursed Boy // 2ho/yunjong

I Wanted You to Be My Friend

There was a café in the hospital, and that was where Jongho and Yunho sat, with untouched cups of iced americano in front of them.

"You can talk first." Yunho played with his fingers that rested on his lap, refusing to meet Jongho's eyes.

Jongho had so many things to say, but he knew what he had to do first. It hung at the tip of his tongue, yet he had to use a lot of force to get them out.

Yunho looked up tentatively, wondering what was Jongho taking so long for, only to be shouted at right in the face. "I'm sorry!"

Jongho had closed his eyes when he said that, but he now opened them slowly to better see Yunho's reaction. Having realized Yunho was staring, he immediately looked away and distracted himself with a big gulp of coffee.

He took a deep breath and continued, this time with a calmer, more reasonable tone. "I'm sorry for shouting at you on the roof. I- I just wanted to make myself believe that not all the responsibility is on me... even though it is."

Here, Yunho opened his mouth, wanting to interrupt and correct Jongho, but upon seeing Jongho's face, full of regret, he decided to hear what he had to say.

"Look... it sounds preposterous, but I... I—" Jongho paused, closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he finally said it - the thing that had bothered him all along, that he wanted to tell everyone but had no courage to. "I am cursed." Once he started, he couldn't stop. "People around me, who are related me in some ways, get hurt. That's why I don't make friends. So when you came along, everything is ruined. I could've lived my life alone, peacefully. That's why I blamed you. But in truth - and I know this - I'm the one who came along and ruined your life, your friends' lives."

Jongho swallowed, caught his breath. "My father and my sisters had to escape to America to live a better life. They never said it, but I know they hate me. Once he left, my father's business improved. My sisters' grades got better. But- but my mom... she never left. And that's the worst. I have to watch her get hurt every day, and that's why I was so scared when the hospital called. I live in fear of the day when she will finally... finally..."

He couldn't go on anymore. He didn't care that he was in public - the tears didn't stop. He sobbed, giving up his pride in front of a classmate he had known for barely half a year.

Yunho had listened. And now he, too, felt his eyes grow hot with tears. He shook his head a lot of times during the speech, wanting to correct Jongho, but he also wanted to listen to his side of the story.

"No." Yunho wiped his tears away and said when he found his voice back. "You got it all wrong."

Jongho bit his lips to stop himself from crying again. His eyes were already red and puffy, and he couldn't stop his hiccups. "W- what?"

"It's not preposterous." Jongho looked confused, so Yunho clarified. "The idea that you're cursed. It's not ridiculous at all, because I'm the opposite of you."

The hiccups were still there, but Jongho's eyes widened. That had grabbed his full attention.

"My family always thought I'm blessed. I helped them win the lottery multiple times. I always get the multiple choice questions correct even if I guessed. Remember what happened in the cafeteria? The beef came out right when it was my turn, because I'm allergic to shrimp. In simple terms, I get whatever I wish for."

"That's..." Jongho started, but Yunho shook his head again.

"That's 'great'? Is that what you wanted to say, like everyone else?" He didn't mean it to come out like an accusation. He sighed. "There's a catch. I'm only telling you because you seem to be thinking that this is all your fault but listen, it is not."

"I don't understand." Jongho's head hurt.

"There's a catch," Yunho repeated, his voice getting softer as he felt his courage diminish. After this, there was no going back. Jongho would hate him. "When my wishes come true, tragedy befalls on someone else." He waited for Jongho to speak, but Jongho waited for him to continue. "They can be totally unrelated to me, just a bystander. But usually, they are people I know... just like how your curse targets people around you."

"And?" Jongho knew there was something else. Something Yunho kept in secret and needed to confess.

"And... everything that happened so far... that you thought was caused by your curse... may or may not have been caused by me instead." Yunho stared at his full coffee cup, next to Jongho's empty one. He couldn't sit still.

"What do you mean...?"

Yunho sighed, again. This was the hardest part. "I don't know if you remember, but I was about to tell you something on the roof, when we left halfway through the movie?"

Jongho showed no signs to signify whether he remembered.

"I was hoping we could talk alone... it was a personal matter, but then Mingi and the others came. And I guess I subconsciously wished for them to leave so we can be alone again. So, that's why- that's why when... when that happened, and we actually ended up being alone, I got so scared. I thought for sure it was because of me..."

Jongho didn't say anything, but his heart was going wild. In his mind, he recalled all the near-accidents with Yunho. In the corridor, Yunho was unhurt but all of his friends ended up being late to class. In the canteen, a student tripped and lost his lunch while Yunho dodged the scalding soup successfully. On the roof... San and Mingi were injured.

"And now, Seonghwa's- Seonghwa's in trouble because I-" Yunho choked up. "I prayed for your mother to wake up, Jongho. I wanted... want you to be happy."

"You what?" Jongho stood up, shocked. "Why? Why am I so important, why did I do—"

But Yunho didn't let him finish. "That was my wish when I was six. In the playground. I wanted you to be my friend, and that childish, simple-minded wish I made as a kid stuck with me until now. That's how you ran into me in the corridor that day."

Jongho was left speechless. He sat back on his chair heavily, ruminating on what Yunho just said. So he remembered all along. Then why—

"Then why did you pretend to not know me?"

"I didn't pretend, I actually didn't know. Not until you told me your name anyway. How was I supposed to recognize you after twelve years?"

Jongho didn't know what to say. Everything was so confusing, and the headache is growing worse by the minute.

"Does... did you you tell Seonghwa about your curse?" Yunho finally asked.

Jongho shook his head. "You?"

"No. But I think he - no, everyone else, too - deserves to know." Yunho looked up, meeting Jongho's gaze.

At that moment, they both knew what their next step was: to find Seonghwa. They were picking up their trash and walking out the café when a familiar voice called out behind them.

"Yunho, Jongho!"

They turned around, and Seonghwa was waving at them.

-

Author's Note:

Sorry that the story is ending in such a boring way 😭 But I wanted this to be a good, unambiguous ending. Hope you will stick with me 'til the last chapter!

- Nerdy Giraffe