A Wish Upon a Star | Yeonbin ✓

XLI

The rest of the boys just looked at Soobin hunched up on his desk, not knowing what to say.

"Soobinnie...?" Yeonjun softly called, directly behind Soobin and lightly stroking the younger's hair.

Before Yeonjun could get a reply, the teacher entered the room, telling the students to settle down.

"Okay guys, I'm calling out attendance."

"Bang Yisoo?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Choi Beomgyu?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Soobin knew it was his name that would be called out next, he quietly wiped his tears, deciding to keep a strong front.

"Choi Soobin?"

With a small sniff but firmly, "Y-Yes, ma'am."

Yeonjun peered at the younger's face with concern but he refused to look at the older, only lowering his gaze down to his fumbling hands.

"Choi Yeonjun?"

"Yeah, yes ma'am."

The rest of the class went by with Yeonjun whispering worriedly to Soobin, asking him if he was alright, if there was anything the older could do for him. Soobin acted indifferent to it all, he could hear the older and the concern lacing the older's voice made his heart hurt but Soobin knew that he'd start crying if he even looked at the older.

As soon as the class was over, Soobin dashed out the door before anyone else, leaving his four friends alone with their worries.

"Was hyung crying?" Kai asked hesitantly.

"I don't really know, I-I think." Yeonjun felt sick with worry, he knew he had to do something for the younger but at the same time, knew that showing too much concern during school hours would only just fuel the fire. Yeonjun knew that for the general student body, he was a local celebrity of sorts. He knew they admired him and wanted to be friends with him, going as far as leaving tiny notes in his locker and gifting him cookies and other snacks time and again. Yeonjun also knew that Soobin had always struggled with self-assurance, he knew Soobin thought too little of himself and wanted to help the younger overcome it.

As the rest of the boys packed their stuff and walked to the Yeonjun waiting for them by the door, they saw a year roll down the older's cheek.

"Yeonjun-hyung?" Beomgyu put a hand on the older's shoulder.

"Hmm?" Yeonjun asked with faraway eyes and a lost expression on his face.

"Hyung, are you alright?" Taehyun softly asked.

"I was supposed to help him... now he's going to get bullied all over again and it's all my fault," Yeonjun stated, buried anger evident in his voice.

"Bullied? Wait, what? Hyung, it's not your fault!" Beomgyu exclaimed.

"No, Yoonho, the other students, they've all- they're all..." Yeonjun trailed off.

The other boys patiently waited, knowing they were getting late for their next class but also unwilling to leave the elder alone. Taehyun and Beomgyu watched the elder with great distress, worrying about Soobin as well as Yeonjun but knowing that there wasn't much they could do. Kai watched Yeonjun with a mix of fury, annoyance and sadness but most of all, apprehension. Kai was mad at Yeonjun because it was he who was making life difficult for Soobin, but Kai also knew that his own agitation was unjustified and was also worried about the oldest, sad to see him so upset and weak.

Suddenly, Yeonjun turned to Kai, "Kai..."

"Yes, hyung?"

"Can you..."

"Can I?"

"Can you please go to class and be with Soobin?"

"Yeah, hyung, sure. I'll go then," Kai hurried off, hoping with all his heart that Soobin was alright.

"I think I'm gonna go home for today, guys," Yeonjun said to Beomgyu and Taehyun.

"But hyung... What about Soobinnie-hyung?" Beomgyu slowly asked.

"I'm only causing more trouble for him anyway, he doesn't need me," Yeonjun bitterly said.

"Hyung, you shouldn't run away from your problems," Taehyun said, trying to sound headstrong though he too understood how hard it was for the older.

"Tae, shhh don't say tha-"

"No Tae's right, actually," Yeonjun cut Beomgyu off, "I am indeed running away from my problems." Yeonjun sunk to the floor, crouching down with his hands ruffling his own hair in frustration.

"Soobin-hyung does need you, hyung. But more than that, Soobin-hyung would want you to be there, to fight the feelings of discomfort," Taehyun softly said, crouching down to the older's level and putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Soobinnie would want me there...? What a joke! Not after I've made his life hell all over again!"

"Hyung, we don't know much about him, we don't understand him as well as you do. If you aren't there, who'll help him?" Beomgyu too, joined the other too on the floor.

"Yeah, hyung. Soobinnie-hyung would be better with you around. No one heals hyung like you do," Taehyun encouraged.

"But it's not supposed to be like that..." Yeonjun thought to himself. He knew the younger boys were right, Soobin treated Yeonjun as an important person, irreplaceable too. But Yeonjun wasn't supposed to be that person for Soobin, it wasn't supposed to turn out like that. Yeonjun was supposed to bring happiness to Soobin's life, that was what he had promised but he'd obviously gone too far... with everything.

Yeonjun cursed under his breath, suddenly standing up with a melancholic expression on his face. The oldest was muttering something and the two younger boys stood up to listen.

Yeonjun adjusted his backpack and walked out the class, muttering to himself, "It's alright, it'll all be forgotten," again and again.

Taehyun and Beomgyu exchanges looks, confused and worried about what the older was on about but quickly grabbed their stuff and followed, not wanting to be late to the next class.

Taehyun and Beomgyu caught up to the speed-walking Yeonjun and they entered the next class together, only to witness a dreaded scene where Kai was screaming incoherently at the whole class with tears down his eyes while Soobin quietly sat on one of the far back desks, head buried in his arms while fizzy liquid dripped off of his hair.

"Kai, what happened?" Are you alright?" Yeonjun slowly asked from the doorway.