As the evening cast its shadows, Sunghoon finally returned home to the embrace of his worried mother. The door creaked open, and his mother's anxious eyes met his.
"Sunghoon, where have you been? It was getting dark, and I was about to call you," she expressed, her concern etched across her face.
Sunghoon, wearing a stoic expression, mumbled a quiet "Sorry," but provided no insight into his whereabouts. His mother, still worried, searched for answers in his eyes.
Despite the concern, Sunghoon proceeded to his room without uttering a word. The weight of unspoken thoughts lingered in the air, leaving his mother with a mix of confusion and concern.
The door closed behind Sunghoon, enclosing him in the silence of his room.
Mrs. Park sighed before heading to the dining table and sitting on a chair. She had one wish in her mind, she wishes that her son would love her again like he would years ago.
★
In the quiet bedroom, Sunghoon lay on his bed, the echoes of the evening playing in his mind like a silent film. His thoughts became consumed by Sunoo, the infectious smile, the contagious laughter, and the warmth that Sunghoon had never experienced before Sunoo entered his life.
As he stared at the ceiling, a myriad of emotions washed over Sunghoon. The complexities of their relationship, the moments of tension, and the unexpected joy Sunoo brought to his life all mingled in his contemplative thoughts. Sunghoon acknowledged that he had never encountered such happiness, a sentiment that felt both unfamiliar and strangely comforting.
Sunghoon smiled softly before closing his eyes to sleep.
★
Amidst the clamor of a noisy classroom, Sunghoon found solace within the pages of a book titled "Melancholia." The world within the book offered a temporary escape from the chaos surrounding him.
In the midst of his reading, Sunoo approached with a curious smile. "Hey, Sunghoon, what are you reading?" Sunoo asked.
Sunghoon, momentarily distracted from the pages, replied, "Melancholia, it's an interesting book."
As Sunoo reached out to inspect the book, Sunghoon's eyes caught a glimpse of a purple bruise on Sunoo's arm. Concern flickered across Sunghoon's face as he asked, "Why is there a bruise on your arm?"
Sunoo's smile faltered, and he quickly hid the bruise with his hand. Sunghoon's genuine worry lingered in the air, but Sunoo, masking his vulnerability, chose to divert attention.
Sunoo then walked away, leaving the classroom abruptly, the noise of the surroundings muffling the echoes of unanswered questions.
Sunghoon slowly gave his focus back to the book but he couldn't stop worrying about Sunoo, he cant focus.
★
As Sunghoon walked through the bustling hallway, he unexpectedly found himself face-to-face with Jihoon. The tension in Jihoon's expression was palpable, and he wasted no time voicing his frustrations.
"You ruin everything," Jihoon spat out, his frustration evident in his tone. Sunghoon, maintaining his silence, became the recipient of Jihoon's pent-up anger.
Frustrated by Sunghoon's lack of response, Jihoon's irritation escalated. He began hurling hurtful words, attempting to provoke a reaction from the usually composed Sunghoon.
"You're so weird and such a loser. I'm glad you don't have any friends, you freak."
"Notice how you pulled my ear yesterday? That was so childish of you, punch me in the face next time."
The situation took a more aggressive turn as Jihoon, fueled by anger, resorted to physical actions. He pushed Sunghoon's head forcefully, a crude expression of his mounting frustration. Sunghoon, remaining silent and composed, watched Jihoon's departure.
★
"Sunghoon-a," Mrs. Park called, softly.
"Are you happy?"
That question made Sunghoon to stop eating his lunch. Sunghoon thinks for a while, before answering, "I don't know."
Mrs. Park sighed. "How can I make you happy, Sunghoon? What should I do?"
Sunghoon continued eating, ignoring his mother's question. But then when Mrs. Park saw the bandage on Sunghoon's ear she was angered again, so she slapped Sunghoon.
"Ow! Mom!"
"Tell me who injured you right now."
"Tch, Mom this was yesterday."
"Tell me."
Before Sunghoon stood up, he slammed the table as hard as he could to express his anger towards his mother. "I hate you," said Sunghoon before running out of his house, leaving his shocked mother alone inside the house.
Mrs. Park froze, trying to process what just happened. Her own son told her that he hated her?
Mrs. Park lets out a shakey sigh before letting her sadness out next to the kitchen counter.
★
Distressed and overwhelmed, Sunghoon ran until he reached the solace of the river. There, under the orange sky and beside the flowing water, he let his emotions out. Tears streamed down his face as he kicked the rocks into the river.
Amidst the echoes of his solitude, Sunoo's voice shattered the stillness. "Sunghoon!" Sunoo called out, and Sunghoon turned, startled but silent, facing an unfazed Sunoo.
"Are you angry?" Sunoo asked, his voice gentle. Sunghoon remained mute, his eyes avoiding Sunoo's probing gaze.
Sunoo is holding two pieces of honey sandwiches. "Want to eat?" he offered. Sunghoon, still facing away, approached and accepted the sandwich.
Sharing a quiet gaze, Sunghoon and Sunoo found a moment of connection before Sunoo took Sunghoon's hand. Leading him away from the river, they ventured into a place where the world transformed, a forest with a canopy of trees.
The rustling leaves created a serene atmosphere. Hand in hand, Sunoo guided Sunghoon through the winding paths of the forest, as if navigating the complexities of their shared journey.
"What is this? Where are we?"
Sunoo stopped walking and turned around, still holding Sunghoon's hand. "In my comfort place, far away from home, but I always know the way back."
Sunoo then continued walking, dragging Sunghoon with him. Sunghoon looked around and there were lanterns on the trees, he asked, "Do people live here?"
"No, nobody lives here, nobody comes here, if you're wondering about the lanterns, I put them on the trees so I could see where I was going. I've been here since I was 13, been a while."
"13? Aren't you afraid?"
Sunoo chuckled softly. "Why should I be? I was afraid of my dad, only my dad, I wasn't afraid of anything except my dad."
Sunghoon, curious on why Sunoo's afraid of his own Father, asked, "Why?"
"You don't need to know, anywho, let's sit over there! By that big tree."
Sunghoon nodded and followed Sunoo to the big tree. They sat down next to each other and started to eat their sandwich.
"This is good, you made this?"
Sunoo nodded. "I didn't have food at home, only bread and honey, so I made this."
Sunghoon and Sunoo sat in quiet contemplation after finishing their sandwiches. The stillness lingered, heavy with unspoken emotions that seemed to stretch between them.
Suddenly, Sunoo broke the silence with a soft question, "Sunghoon, why don't you hate me?" The words hung in the air.
Sunghoon's gaze shifted from the dappled sunlight to Sunoo's eyes. It was a moment charged with unspoken understanding. Slowly, he looked away before responding with a gentle, "I don't know."
After a reflective pause, Sunoo admitted, "I feel like I don't deserve a friend like you." His words carried vulnerability, exposing his inner doubts.
Sunghoon, still facing away, absorbed Sunoo's confession. The silence held unspoken emotions.
As the sun dipped lower, casting a warm glow, the quiet persisted. The understanding between Sunghoon and Sunoo deepened in the fading light.
"Shouldn't you go home, Sunghoon?"
Sunghoon sighed. Sunoo stood up before looking at Sunghoon who was still seated on the ground.
"Your mom is probably worried."
"I know. But I'm afraid to go home."
Sunoo tilted his head. "Why?"
Sunghoon lets out a shakey sigh before responding weakly, "I told my mother that I hated her, I'm a terrible, ungrateful, and stupid little brat. She doesn't deserve a son like me. Why was I born...?"
Sunoo smiled, crouching down and lifting Sunghoon's chin. "Don't think that way, you're so precious, Sunghoon."
"Shut up! You know nothing about me, don't try to make me feel better," Sunghoon denied Sunoo's affections.
Sunoo stood up once again, and ran away from Sunghoon. Sunghoon was shocked by Sunoo's sudden run away.
Sunghoon stood up quickly and ran after Sunoo, chasing him. Unlike at the road, where they playfully chased, this chase was serious, Sunghoon tried to call Sunoo to stop but Sunoo didn't respond and kept running. He ran and ran until both of them was at the river location again.
Both Sunghoon and Sunoo was panting, the chase was so tiring.
"I'm sorry... I'm selfish, I'm sorry..."
Sunoo turned around and wiped his sweat, he approached Sunghoon and touched Sunghoon's bandage on his ear. Sunghoon winced a little bit but didn't push Sunoo's arm off.
"You're not selfish, you're just lost. I'm also lost, I don't know how I feel, so I just smile no matter what happens."
"I wanna be happier. I wanna be happy with you, Sunoo."
Sunoo smiled. "I do too."
"Can we be happy?"
Sunoo nodded softly. "Yeah. It's possible, we just need to wait, you need to wait, I need to wait."
Sunghoon smiled before approaching the river and dipped his feet to the water. Sunghoon took off his shoes and puts them infront of a bush before going in the river with a bright smile.
Sunoo surprised by Sunghoon, laughed before joining him inside the river.
With bright smiles and happy laughters, the both of them played together in the river, splashing water on each other. Their laughter echoed on the air.
True happiness.
★
Sunghoon entered his home with a weak and tired face, his mother standing up from a chair with a relieved expression, glad that her son was okay after all.
Mrs. Park was wondering where Sunghoon went, she wanted to call him, but his cellphone was home. Mrs. Park kept calm and thought that her son would come home after hours, and she was right.
Mrs. Park immediately hugged Sunghoon as tight as she could, saying how much she loves him and how sorry she is for bothering and annoying him. Sunghoon didn't expect this at all, he felt... loved?
Eyyy!!! Chapter 02 is here~
How do you feel? Did you like this chapter?
I wrote this after I published chapter 01 so please know that i'm working very hard on this story!🫶
Chapter release dates are really random so idk hahxhshxjzhx
But anyways, see you in chapter 03, muah‼️💗💗