Donghyuck was clutching onto the boba drink as if he could drain the energy from it, and the energy would protect him from this never-ending argument he was having with his parents.
The sight of you continued to float into his head, like a ship that refused to sink in a storm which sole existence derived from the angry sea. After the ship, you were the clouds, the pearly white ones that indicated a sunny day amid the pouring gray ones. After the clouds, you were the calm body of the ocean that was no longer angry because, in thinking of you, he was no longer angry, but that still would not fix the problem at hand.
His parents and their miraculous ability to always get on his nerves.
"My answer is not going to change no matter how many times you ask me. I was busy catching up on the final project I have due soon," Donghyuck repeated the same thing he had been saying since the moment he walked into his home.
Pacing around the living room and trying to look for things to do, he dismissively began to fumble with whatever he could fix his eyes on—fluffing the cushions on the couch, kicking the hallucinated dust under the coffee table, pushing the remote control away from the counter edge, setting down his drink and picking it up again. All in an effort to ignore his father's looming presence over by the corner.
"My group partner did a lot of work already, I didn't want to drag them down," he added to the silence.
"That is all you have done for your entire life–you drag people down, Donghyuck," his father muttered as he rolled his eyes. Putting a hand on his hips, he looked as if he was trying to think logically and appeared to be the more clear-minded person in the room. "You have not once taken your academics seriously in your life! I am supposed to stand here and believe you when you tell me the reason why you didn't come back when we asked you to was that you had a final project due?"
Donghyuck nodded, his eyes holding a factual yet deadpan gaze after he whipped around to stare at his father. "Yeah, dad. That is exactly what you are supposed to do."
He refused to set his eyes on his parents for longer than three seconds, so he was quick to turn away again. Still, his sensitive ears could hear the whispered voice of his mother making small attempts to calm his father down. His mother was trying from the side, as usual. He knew very well how futile her opinions were in front of his father's frustration on what hell of a child he has grown to become.
Not to mention, his mother wasn't trying for his sake. At the end of the day, his parents would never do anything drastic unlike your father. His mother was just trying to cut down the time they would waste arguing with him.
"Ha! Right, yeah. I am so sorry for not doing the fatherly thing of unconditionally trusting you," his father exclaimed. Boasted, even—Donghyuck would argue his tone was that of a man trying to brag about his accomplishment, something out of pure mockery. "Maybe that would have come easier to me if you have a cleaner track record!"
"It's not unconditional if I need to have a clean track record for you to do that," Donghyuck retorted, his smirk hid with exhaustion and a lack of victory in plucking out his father's literature mistake.
"Technicality rarely makes valid points. Have I not taught you that?" His father muttered with a roll of his eyes. "Either way, it does not matter. You don't have a clean record."
"I do have a clean record–whatever the hell that even mean!" Donghyuck mocked with exclamation, making air quotes with his hands and pulling a face at his father. "How do you think I got into university, huh? Not with your money, for sure!"
"Donghyuck, you can't act like this–"
"Mom–mmm!"
Donghyuck pursed his lips into a harsh line and closed his eyes upon realizing it was his mother by his side. The aggression in his arm faded away before it went limp, allowing his mother's gentle hands to lay at the crook of his elbow. Seemingly calming down, courtesy to the drastic tone shift between his mother and his father's voice, he let his shoulders slump and turned to look softly at his mother.
"Do you believe me, mom?" He asked, and his eyes were soft because he was asking for his mother to love him.
"Why are you asking? Obviously she doesn't. She's your mom!" His father interjected loudly, breaking the moment.
"I wasn't asking you!" Donghyuck glared to the side before he returned to his mother. His demeanor somewhat lightened once again, and he shifted his weight as he pulled out his phone from his pockets. "Mom, I was just catching up on school work, I promise. I can even call them if you want me to. My friend can confirm it."
"You're not just going to call Jaemin and have him cover for you?" She meekly asked after she signed in thoughts.
"I'm not! I'm not calling Jaemin. I partnered up with another friend!" He said, his hands shaking at the grip he held on his phone. "We just met each other!"
Donghyuck's father chuckled in disbelief. "Yeah, great. I am sure they are as lovely and considerate as all of your current friends."
Oh, that old man found himself on thin ice and decided he could dance on it. Insulting you was one thing; that was indirect. Donghyuck knew if his parents ever got to meet you, they would be just as impressed with you as he has been. Insulting his long-time friends, though! Both of his parents knew and have met his friends on multiple occasions, meaning that everything his father implied came from his heart. That was irreversible damage; that was an eternal grudge waiting to form.
"They are, actually." Donghyuck hummed with a sarcastic smile. He swiftly turned his body, facing his father. "Now, what is wrong with my friends being lovely and considerate of my feelings?"
"I don't see how persuading you to ignore your parents' calls counts as considerate."
"You guys just call me to meet your business friends."
"There is an attempt to expand your social network and map out your future for you! You are welcome!"
That was all everything could ever be to his parents. The future, money, stability, comfortability—Donghyuck agreed! They were all great things to have, but not at the expense of other equally valuable aspects of life; he was a romantic, he had always loved emotional things more than materialism. Was that a relatively privileged way of thinking? Absolutely, but under the circumstance that he would continue to be wealthy and privileged, as his parents fail to abandon him no matter what, why should he think about general necessity?
There was no reason not to put himself first.
This was never about his academic track record or his supposedly lousy friends. This was about him not wanting to appear at his parents' formal meetings and how his parents were unsatisfied with his emotions.
"I didn't want to show up, dad." That was what Donghyuck wanted to say, but the words always go mute at the tip of his tongue.
Part of him didn't want to express it because he thought his parents, of all people, should know how he felt. They would notice it if they just paid enough attention to his behavior pattern. He did not want to acknowledge how badly his parents must think of him as a human being if all they could attribute to his identity, through him constantly ghosting them, was that he was merely a terrible son.
The remaining part of him has a limit. He had done enough, and he was exhausted. Donghyuck imagined the last straw for his parents would be him blatantly showing his disinterest in their work, and his grievances over being neglected all his life. He could not cross it. All he wanted to be was a son his parents cared about. All he ever wanted was to be looked after and loved.
He realized he wasn't going to get that today.
Licking his lower lip, Donghyuck avoided meeting eyes with his parents at all costs as he sluggishly removed himself from their immediate vicinity. He made no announcement as he dragged his way to the door instead of the stairs, which was where he would usually run to after an incomplete argument with his parents.
"Where are you going?" His father asked from behind, his footsteps quick but quiet as he made his way across the living room.
"I'm leaving," Donghyuck replied. "I can't stand you."
His father huffed out an incredulous laugh. If Donghyuck was trying to hear more into it, he might even deduce pain in his father's voice, but the idea that his father could feel any ounce of emotion was way over his head.
"With the car I bought you? Yeah, I don't think so."
Donghyuck rubbed the bridge of his nose in disbelief, but he was far too exhausted to give a response. He hasn't gotten this card pulled on him in a while. It almost made him feel like a kid again! And he has to admit, it was hilarious that his father still believed that was somewhat a threat when he knew the kind of helpful friends he had.
Reaching into his jean pocket, he fished out his car keys and wallet before dropping them on top of the shoe rack. "Your stuff." He muttered quickly, turned around, opened the door, and left.