Sunrise [Yungi FF]

9. First Snow

I don't seem to be good enough no matter what I do, he thought.

What he actually said was, "My head hurts. I'll probably be back after lunchtime."

There was a long pause before Jongho replied. "Ok. Take care. See you soon."

Yunho hung up, grateful for having a friend who always understood what he needed. And what he needed right now was time.

He wiped his tears away and turned on his phone again. His brain protested the moment he opened the messaging app, but he fought back and listened to his heart one more time, even though it hurt.

Can you please just talk to me?

Despite expecting this to happen, Jongho couldn't help but worry about Yunho when he never showed up at work today.

He wished he could've seen this coming somehow and prepared Yunho for it before Yunho grew too attached. He should've stuck to his instincts after Monday night when he barely blocked Mingi's fist from hitting Yunho, but Mingi seemed to be so special to Yunho that the good friend in him couldn't bear to crush Yunho's hopes.

Yet now, as he walked to the exit, all he could do was take out his phone and debate whether to call Yunho again. He wanted to give Yunho time, but how much time could he give before he became a friend who didn't seem to care?

The exposed skin on his face and hands shrivel and dry up the moment he stepped outside into the cold. Yunho's contact was pulled up on his phone.

He stood and stared at the screen for a while until the cold finally got to him and he was forced to protect his fingers from cracking off. A cloud of vapor escaped his mouth as he sighed heavily, thinking about the things he could do to help his friend.

Having decided to visit Yunho's place with a hot meal, he lifted his head up and began walking.

There was a fountain in front of the company building, and he was about to exit the premises when he saw someone behind the sign with the bank's logo on it.

It was just for a fleeting moment, but somehow he was certain of what he saw.

Taking his hands out of his pockets, he broke into a run towards the sign and reached behind it to grab onto the person's clothes before they had a chance to react.

There was no letting go once he got a firm grip, so Jongho stopped and waited for the man to turn around. He didn't really have to look to know that he was right - the height and stature gave it away.

It was Mingi.

"What are you doing here?" Jongho strained to keep his voice low.

Mingi tried to avoid eye contact as he rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand.

"Why are you here?"Jongho asked again, this time letting some of his anger show.

"Wait." Mingi pulled his arm gently, but Jongho wouldn't let go. "Let me explain-"

Jongho tightened his grip and gave a sharp tug, the pain interrupting Mingi and forcing him to look at Jongho. "Why? Why now?"

The rude treatment hardened Mingi's resolve. He pushed Jongho's arm away and freed himself. "Where's Yunho?"

Jongho scoffed. "Bold of you to ask that."

"I know I was being an asshole. Tell me where he is so I can apologize." There was an underlying sternness under Mingi's polite tone.

A surge of anger tightened Jongho's chest. He suddenly felt hot under the layers of clothes. "Oh, so you're going to apologize now? Do you have any idea what Yunho went through these few days?"