day 22 with jaehyung
12:41

thank god, it only took two seconds for wonpil to pull away from the tight hug he gave me.

the sight of the three of them after months felt delightful, yet the feeling of being flustered from earlier is still lingering within me. i couldn't think straight and not to mention, my cheeks feel like they're about to explode.

of course, there should be a reason why they're here. they don't usually drop by even when they're nearby. one of the prime examples being sungjin. "what made you guys come over?" i ask, and dowoon snickers.

"we wanted to devirginize sungjin's car." he says.

appalled by his choice of words, i only gave him an awkward smile as i hear sungjin heave out a sigh. "it was hell. they were flirting with each other the whole ride, and i was bearing it but i felt like crashing the car into a tree." he groaned as the couple gave a chuckle.

again, i'm appalled by sungjin as well. it seems like he had a rough ride as he ran his mouth with so much words. "at least you endured it." i say, in hopes for him to feel better.

"thanks." he deadpans, and i responded with a mocking smile.

"so.. are you just gonna make us stand here?" dowoon addresses, his hands gesturing to their position in which they stood at my door, waiting for me to move aside.

however, they haven't exactly answered my question yet, have they? "yeah, but i still have no idea why you guys are here." i leaned on the door frame to block any passage.

i have nothing to hide, i just wanted to buy myself some time to calm down from earlier.

"we came here to meet jaehyung, actually." wonpil responded, and the other two nodded. i felt surprised since i recalled sungjin didn't really care about jaehyung.

i blink a few times at the aforementioned, "and you tagged along?"

he pursed his lips before he sighs, "dowoon asked me to come and since the kid's leaving soon, it would be sad if i never got to meet him." he said, giving a small smile.

"are you being soft right now?"

"can you at least appreciate that i went over my way to come over?"

wonpil interrupts me before i could respond back, "alright, chill out." he says as he got in between the both of us. "maybe we can do this inside the apartment instead of waking up younghyun's neighbours."

"ironic, you didn't even bother thinking of that in the first place." i retorted as i roll my eyes, and he just shrugs.

"who.. who's there?" i hear jaehyung come out of the room, probably from the ruckus that happened a little earlier.

dowoon snorts, "we still haven't gone inside the apartment and we're seeing him for the first time like this."

jaehyung already made his way towards me, just so he could hide behind my back and lean over to see the three standing at the door. "ah.. hi." he mumbles, his fingers lifting up a little wave.

of course, i expected wonpil to be awestruck the most from them. "oh my gosh, hi." he extends his hands out to shake jaehyung's. "you're taller than i thought, wow."

"you didn't tell us he plays basketball?" sungjin seemed to be amazed by the boy's height as well.

not even sparing a second, he quickly responds with, "i.. i play badminton, i think." he mumbled the last part as he lifted his glasses up to his nose bridge.

they turn their heads towards me, giving me a confused smile. i understand where they're coming from; i didn't really tell them about helping jaehyung regain his speech ability.

"ah, badminton!" dowoon beamed to kill the silence before it gets awkward, "i could see it, you seem fit for it." he pats jaehyung who gave a sheepish smile.

"yeah! you're taller than i thought." wonpil follows.

i notice the aforementioned gave them a few blinks, "than you.. thought? d-do you know ab- about me?" he asks, and i stifle a laugh after realizing that his question is genuine. it also seems like wonpil has his tongue caught.

"oh, i told you about them before they came over." i explained to jaehyung, and he nods.

"wow, i kinda felt cornered there." wonpil sighed in relief as he put his palm on his chest.

the boy chuckles at the sight, "aha." he says, and it only made the latter feel more flustered. "w.. why are you not letting them in?" he turns to me, with a concerned pout on his face.

my heart immediately skips a beat at the sight, what the fuck? why is he doing this right now?? i thought, my cheeks forming pink tinted folds that were reaching to the tips of my ears. "a-ah." i utter out– now, i'm the one who's struggling to speak.

"yo, are you blushing??" sungjin leaned over and i quickly turn away.

with my back still facing them, "u-uh.. just get inside. i'll order dinner." i bury my face into my palms as i walked away to the restroom.

i could hear sungjin shout, "but it's lunch time!?"

–

18:25

"bye!!" jaehyung waved cheerfully as we watch them walk into sungjin's car, and from the distance, wonpil returns the wave with a bright smile before he enters the car.

today was a good day, jaehyung was very energetic and thankfully, the three weren't making fun of him as i expected them to. instead, they made him feel comfortable even with his stutters.

surprisingly, sungjin was the one who talked the most to jaehyung. the couple were quite aloof towards him, but maybe they were just busy doing their thing. other than that, i think both sungjin and jaehyung get along really well.

as the car drives away, i avert my gaze to the boy beside me.

and everything around us halted.

i've never seen him look so.. normal. if that's the word for it. his eyes were sparkling, like when one would feel solemn but contented with their day after seeing their friends home. though it's exactly what happened today, i just never expected this look from him.

could anyone really blame me? after all these days assuming that he forgot how to understand his own emotions, of course i would be so surprised to see him like this. it's the little things that i love.

i pat his shoulder, and he quickly turns to look at me. "hey, cheer up. they won't be gone forever." i reassured him, but his face saddens a little more. "they'll be back soon."

"do you think they will?" his eyes fell to his shoes, as his fingers start to fidget anxiously.

taking a deep breath before i speak, "they will, don't worry about it."

"but.. why do i feel like they won't?" he asks, lifting his head and i could see his glossy eyes.

and at that moment, i was stuck. i couldn't respond. the last thing i wouldn't do felt like the best option now, but lying to the boy would suck in the long term for the both of us. i just froze at the spot.

no, he's gonna leave soon. i can't have him depressed for the remaining days i have with him.

but shit, i just can't imagine how betrayed he would feel if he realizes that i lied.

you should've thought about this too, damn it.

my mind is in chaos now, and it's been seconds since jaehyung spoke. if i say anything now, it would be an outburst of lies, and i don't want that.

god, why must you put me on the spot like this?

just like what he did before, the sound of jaehyung's stomach grumbling clears my cloud of thoughts. "a-ah.. i'm hungry." he mumbles.

"oh."

... "can we– we get something to eat?"

—

IM SO SO SORRY FDKSNDMDMSN I GENUINELY FORGOT TO UPDATE THE BOOK BAHAHAHDBSJS

i mean i heard if u got mental health issues u just kinda forget everything aha not like i have one or anything 😂😂😂