Of Stubbornness and Courtships [12/ 15]
Title: Of Stubbornness and Courtships
Author: shohai_mizuki
Pairing: Junseung (Junhyung/ Hyunseung), Dooseob, Kiwoon, others
Other Groups: Big Bang
Rating: PG-13
Summary: These days, courting seems as easy as counting 1, 2, 3. But not for a certain individual. Because, unfortunately for him, he falls for the secretive and stubborn Jang Hyunseung who has a reputation for being unresponsive to the most romantic of courting. You'd wonder what exactly he has up his sleeve to get this elusive doe-eyed doll.
Author's Notes: Oh hey look. An update after 8 months! Hurrah! If this has turned crappy, feel free to tell me. I kind of lost my writing style for this. Same drill everyone! Comments, criticisms, and suggestions are all welcome!
Previous Chapters: [0] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]
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A little note on the "Mr." and "Mrs." that I used, keep in mind that these are pronounced as how a Korean would. I've tried searching for what you would call your boyfriend's mother and father but came up with nothing so let's all stick to thinking "Mr." and "Mrs." are Korean words. And I'm switching from "umma" to "eomma".
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He stares blearily up at the ceiling. It's a Saturday and a week has passed since the so-called interrogation which really didn't consist much of the torture he was expecting. Are they really his friends or are they just giving him away to Junhyung? He half-heartedly glares at no particular spot. But he wouldn't put it past the five to actually be brewing something up secretly like ninjas or wizards in hiding. Not that they were great at keeping things from him. But this particular one, he'll just have to back out. It would most likely involve Junhyung and in that category, he is not willing to delve in. One, because Junhyung means no harm, or seems to mean no harm so doing anything bad to him would just eat at his conscience. Two, well...he can't think of a two. So there's just Junhyung and his conscience.
He sits up and yawns, stretching his body. Whatever, he still won't participate in any plot his friends may be planning. He gets up and goes to the bathroom to wash himself. He begins to wander what exactly Junhyung means to him, where Junhyung stands in his life. Why he wants to know? So that he can put to rest all the anxiousness he feels. It certainly does not mean that he'll give Junhyung a chance to become his lover. A friend or a best friend, that's as far as the other will go. Probably. Hopefully.
He sighs before going out of the bathroom and getting into clean clothes. Hearing his stomach growl makes him head to the kitchen to eat breakfast. His mother greets him a good morning as usual and hands him a plate full of food with a cheerful reminder that he better eat slowly lest he choke to death. He merely nods with a mouth full of food. She could only shake her head at him while continuing to clean things in the kitchen. Soon the food disappears and he is left with a full belly. He smiles, thanking his mother and then heading off to the living room where he plops on the sofa and turns on the television.
Click. Click. Click.
Somehow, this Saturday is boring. He couldn't find a show he particularly wanted to watch. Nor did he find anything worth passing his time. He gets up to go over their DVD stack beside the television. As the music blares from the channel, he scans over the titles, trying to decide which one he would like to watch for today. Romance movies are a big no. Especially with the Junhyung thing going on right now. He'll enjoy a nice good romantic movie once everything has settled or at least until he gets some sort of control on the situation. Action movies are a maybe. He particularly likes the ones filled with martial arts. Sometimes the actors look like they're dancing. Horror movies are a no. He's not so easily scared but sometimes these kinds of movies get to him and he can't sleep. He'd rather have a nice long sleep tonight. Comedy movies are a maybe. It's nice to have a good laugh with all the stress getting to him. He sighs for the nth time today.
He sits on the floor, staring up at the DVDs. It's rather hard to reach a decision with all the good movies in front of him. He's startled away from his thoughts by a ringing doorbell. Grumbling in his mind, he stands up and walks to the door, opening it slightly. He is surprised and at the same time not surprised by the person standing in front of the door on his porch. His shocked gaze turns into an irritated one. And then, he proceeds to close the door on the person's face, walking away as if the last few seconds had not happened.
But the incessant ringing of the doorbell reaches his ears and he frowns. He definitely does not want this person to be inside his house right now. He debates on whether to pretend that an annoying salesman is trying to get him to buy some shady products or he could let the other enter and the rest of his boring day would turn into an unpredictable one. Here he is again with decisions. It's so hard to choose with two tempting choices. Pondering on that, he is too late when he notices his mother go past him and open the door. Well, damn. The decision has just been made for him.
"Good morning Junhyung!"
"Good morning" comes the polite reply. He rolls his eyes. Maybe he should have chosen the first option the moment he saw Junhyung smiling at him when he opened the door. Once more, a sigh escapes him and he tunes in on the conversation at hand.
"-excuse him. He's not exactly a morning person and he's a little shy." Shy? Did his mother just call him shy? He is about to retort when Junhyung speaks.
"It's no problem. I'm quite used to it already."
"That's coming from a person I've only met a few weeks ago?" He raises an eyebrow and receives a smirk in reply.
"Now, now, my adorably confused child. That's no way to talk to the person courting you. Especially Junhyung." He gaps at his mother. She'd defend Junhyung and not him? This is mutiny! There must be some sort of dirty trick in here. But his mother continues, addressing the outsider within their home. "By the way, how are your parents? I'd like to have dinner with them again sometime. They're a very lovely couple."
"Thank you. They're fine seeing as they keep pushing me everyday to visit your house in their place. Work has been hectic."
"Oh yes. His father's quite busy as well, arriving home late and all. Are you and your brother fine with being left at home until so late?"
"We're fine, honestly. We buy take out or have some food delivered when our parents call saying they won't eat dinner with us."
"Dear, I insist you and your brother have dinner with us. What was the name of your brother again? Where is he by the way?" Not only is he left out of this slowly-getting-extremely-annoying conversation, but his mother just upped and invited two people for dinner for almost every night. He knows it will be almost every night because his father really is getting busy and these kinds of times continue on for weeks with only the occasional reprieve.
"Hyuksoon. He's at a classmate's house today to work on a project. And I'll have to decline, Mrs. Jang. I wouldn't want to impose on you." He stares incredulously at Junhyung. His mind screaming at the two-faced stalker who was being polite to his mother because he knows Junhyung's just trying to get her favor.
"I think they're perfectly capable of handling themselves." He crosses his arms in front of his chest. He will not let Junhyung spend time with him more than necessary. Then again, how much is necessary? And how much is excess?
"Now that's not the way to speak." His mother proceeded to smack his arm with just enough pressure to get the point across. She is never one to smack her children across the head like most parents do. One of the many quirks she has, and one of the many things he is thankful for. Getting smacked on the head isn't really a trip to candy land. "I will talk to your parents later Junhyung. For now, I think you two should enjoy the weekend."
His mother leaves them with a teasing smile that makes him want to run to his room and lock and barricade the door. And this is one of reasons why he is embarrassed with his mother. How can she just leave him like that? And the implications of that smile! She practically and willingly tossed him into Junhyung's arms. But at least he knows where he got his rather random personality from. He almost smacks his head on the wall beside him when Junhyung smirks with that similar teasing air. He can feel the growing warmth of his cheeks and quickly retreats to the living room.
He hears footsteps coming from the hallway, slowly getting nearer to him as he sits down on the sofa. What are they supposed to do? What are they going to do for the rest of the day? He can only imagine all the awkward silences between them before getting tired of it. Will they stay here all day long? Or will they go to his room? Junhyung in his room? Absolutely not! His private sanctuary is his and his alone. The presence of a stalker defiles the very place.
"So I guess I'm not going to your room?" He snaps his head to the side with so much force he is dizzy for a few seconds and the other chuckles at his expense. He glares while a grin is playing on Junhyung's lips. "Not my fault you react so badly to anything I say. Although I quite like it."
"When did you sit beside me? No. Never mind. Don't answer that. What I do want you to answer is how, in the frigging world, you knew what I was thinking."
"Facial expressions. It isn't that obvious but there are a lot of little things to indicate what you're thinking or rather the mood you have. Knowing your mood and the situation, a person can easily follow your train of thought. And I believe we had this conversation before."
"It still creeps me out. And you do know there are barely a handful of people who can seriously say that, right?"
"Definitely." He could hear the hint of pride in Junhyung's voice and that both irritated and embarrassed him.
"Don't get too cocky. And to answer your question, yes. My room is off limits to you." He sends a glare for good measure, challenging the other to just try and test him. Junhyung's hands shoot up in the air.
"If it's off limits, it's off limits."
"Good."
And here comes that awkward silence where he doesn't know what to do or say. Junhyung is leaning back on the sofa, looking as if being there is a normal occurrence. The television is still on so he decides to merely watch with Junhyung. Any more conversation between them would be too strained. Silence. It rather suited them. The worthless words of tiring conversations are agreed to be unlikable and tossed to the trash bin. These awkward silences between them would lessen as they learn more about each other. Although Junhyung has the upper hand with knowing so much about him already. He sneaks a glance at Junhyung who at the same time sneaks a glance at him. He jumps a little and looks away quickly, the red on his face quite evident. In his eyes he couldn't unsee the little smile on Junhyung's lips when their eyes met.
Acting like this, he does like Junhyung to some extent. He begrudgingly admits that the guy just grows on you. A friend? A best friend? A possible lover? Which is it? He needs to organize his thoughts and the images of Junhyung are not helping at all. He frowns in thought and pushes aside all images to the back of his mind, trying his best not to let them surface while he decides which category Junhyung stands. But, of course, since it's Junhyung he is thinking about the images just keep going and he gives up. Maybe they could help. And memory after memory he tries to categorize them.
"Hey. You might self-explode if you're not careful."
He purses his lips and musters the scariest, most hate-filled glare he could, not appreciating being cut from his thoughts and getting a jab at his mental capacity. "You just sealed your fate as a stranger to me. Get as far away from me as possible."
"Oh come on Seung. We both know you don't mean that. And you know I was joking." He could see the pleading gaze and his eye twitches. Damn this guy.
"No."
"Seung-ah."
"Stop calling me that. Don't get so familiar with me, stranger." And with that, Junhyung's hand is on his face, holding it steady. The other's face is only a few inches away from his. He tries to remain calm and looks on passively despite the loud hammering of his heart against his chest.
"Jang Hyunseung, don't tempt me. I could kiss you senseless right now."
His eyes widen and he whispers harshly. "You wouldn't dare! My mother is just in the kitchen, you pervert. And how the heck am I tempting you? As far as I know, I'm trying to push you away!"
"Your eyes. They're quite sexy, you know."
His face, neck, and ears grow warm. He looks away and barely manages to say, "Stop hitting on me. That's not gonna get you anywhere."
"I rather think it does." And he feel lips on the side of his. He pushes Junhyung away and tries to muster a glare but all he does is fluster and frown which looks more like a pout with his lower lip jutting out the way it does. Where was the restraint Junhyung kept to? Maybe ran out of patience with him? If so, he is going to murder the person in front of him before anymore of these sexual advances are made. Because clearly, he wanted someone with a lot of patience. He's not exactly easy to deal with it. Junhyung knows that pretty well with his bruise-covered arms.
It irritates him. He will not give in just because Junhyung is flirting that way. He doesn't like this kind of courting. He hates it. And so, mustering all that feeling of hate, he glares. "You're wrong. I hate how perverted you are. Hate. It."
He abruptly stands up and briskly walks to his room. He wants to maintain some dignity so he doesn't run but he was pretty close to it. His mother peeks out of the kitchen, trying to call out to him to entertain Junhyung while she finishes the dishes but he ignores her. He hears Junhyung tell her it's alright before he shuts the door behind him. The bed looks so inviting right now and to the bed he goes, practically jumping on it. He buries his face onto his pillows and grumbles unending complaints. And slowly, the anger ebbs away. He turns to face the side and grabs his cellphone and earphones at his bedside table. To completely calm himself, he listens to music.
His mind wanders to the growing number of presents in the shoe box under his bed, previously under the bedside table but it was hard to hide so under the bed it went. So many little trinkets given to him, each one as significant as the rest. A pair of fake thick-rimmed glasses, an elaborate bookmark, a pair of customized chopsticks, a bunch of papers with hand-written lines, they were but some of the things within the confinement of the shoe box. He can't say they didn't mean anything to him or he would have just threw them at a corner in his room and left them there without sparing another glance.
Junhyung makes his life difficult. He sighs as the music still blares into his ears. His eyes stare off into space as he thinks about how to rearrange his life the way he wants it again. Surely, he can go back to how he used to live, completely oblivious to the world. But no. Definitely not. Because Junhyung's words would always berate him, the overbearing amount of confidence and smugness in the voice reproaching him would always surface. And yes. He can't live that way anymore. It wasn't a good life. He felt too detached from the world, as if he was merely a spectator. Junhyung has pushed him, is pushing him, to be part of this world, this life.
His closed off manner cannot go back to the way it used to be. Because Junhyung has knocked on his door and has subsequently knocked it down as well. A little bit more open, a little bit happier, a little bit sadder, a little bit of everything more towards his friends. He can't take that back. Not when his friends sense his efforts, his change, and in their little ways show their appreciation and happiness. How can he be so heartless as to take that away? No. He may be a little cold and a little guarded but never a little too apathetic, a little too unfeeling. Junhyung has slowly and secretly begun, and still is, breaking down his walls, his prejudices, his shortcomings turning them into something more wonderful than he could imagine.
His thoughts pause for awhile as he lets the music lull him to sleep. And then what? What is the point of thinking these things? Where does that place Junhyung? What does he do now? Certainly, Junhyung is such a big force in his life. Definitely, Junhyung cannot be simply ignored. But he cannot keep up with this man and all his advances, all his surprises. Just when he thinks he can handle Junhyung, the other goes about destroying that idea before it even fully blossoms. Like he has some sort of weird radar. Backed up to a corner, what can he possibly do? This unfamiliar situation pushes him to be even more stubborn, even more hard to get. If Junhyung is driving him to a corner, he won't go along without a fight. He'll make the other strive hard to get him. And see which one of them can last longer.
"Jang Hyunseung" the music is gone and a stern voice replaces it. He blearily opens his eyes. He briefly wonders at what point in time he closed them but then quickly discards the question. Unimportant. He rolls to his side and sees his mother sitting on the edge of his bed with a serious look. "You get out of your bed and keep Junhyung company. Go."
And to make the point clearer, she smacks his thigh, probably intending to lightly tap it but ended up hitting him hard. He groans as she walks out of his room, leaving the door open. Somehow, he seems to have inherited a lot of his mother's traits. He sits up and blindly fixes himself, his hair and clothes. He feels his eyelids droop and he pinches his cheeks. He must stay awake or his mother would come back up and who knows how harder the next 'tap' is. Getting out of bed proved to be a little challenge with his sleep-indulged body. Step by step, he arrives at the living room only to stare in horror as Junhyung is sitting there looking at something he had wanted to tear to pieces, burn, and scatter to the wind with a maniacal laugh.
An album. An album of him during his childhood. Of him when his mother had control over his clothes. Because, yes, he got the mother with the weirdest quirks, including dressing up her own son in dresses of all kinds, frilly, lacy, you name it. He already decided to forget all about it even if his mother and father continually talk about it from time to time. Yes, his father was in it too, thinking it was funny and cute. Not even considering how this would affect his son. Because deep down, both of his parents are weird to some extent. Doing that to their son? And keeping albums and albums of it? What are they thinking?
Oh God. All those embarrassing pictures of him in girls' clothes right in the hands of Junhyung. His hands begin to twitch and his whole body would soon follow if he doesn't do something. Shakily, he treads to the sofa, hands outstretched toward the accursed album. But a pair of hands hold his and pull him down to the sofa. Too late. He's twitching from pure annoyance. He wants those pictures gone from the face of this earth. A hand holds his chin and faces him to a person. Junhyung. He glares.
"I dare you to say something."
"Cute. Crossdress for me sometime?" An angered punch finds its target. Wincing, Junhyung still has the guts to smirk and say, "Worth it really."
"Get your hands off me right now."
With the hands out of the way, he reaches out for the album but it's taken out of his reach. "You think just because I released you means you get the album? Sorry but I rather enjoy looking at it. Your mother was kind enough to talk about you for hours while you were probably sleeping in your room. I think I deserve seeing this. You're not a hospitable host."
"Whoever said I was? Now give that to me. Those are my pictures. Not yours."
"Oh actually, your mother gave this to me. So they're mine." With a smirk in full bloom, Junhyung's eyes challenge him.
"Liar. Eomma wouldn't give those to you. That's her collection. Her...annoying collection." He says the last two words with a shiver.
"But she did. You can even ask her."
He looks warily at Junhyung before calling out to his mother who was back in the kitchen, most likely cooking lunch. "Eomma! Why did you show Junhyung these pictures? Are you seriously giving them to him?"
A few seconds go by with the sound of clanking metals ringing out before a reply comes. "Oh child. Of course I'll show your pictures to your boyfriend. And even more so, I would definitely give him a copy. No doubt about that."
"He's not my boyfriend!"
"He will be. You know mother knows best." She says those lines in a happy singing voice and it irks him. Junhyung's smirk only fans the flame.
"So when are you going to accept me as your boyfriend? I think practically everyone has accepted it except you."
"Not in a million years. I don't care if everyone accepts you or not. The decision is still mine. And it's still no. Try harder." He pointedly looks to the side to appear smug. His mother has totally betrayed him. And he knows, soon, his father will too. The latter can't stand against the former for a long time. His mother could probably convince his father or has probably even convinced his father already about Junhyung. Life is quite cruel.
"Don't worry. I will try harder. But I won't apologize for earlier. I'm serious about being your lover. I know you might just go ahead and tell me that you just want to be friends but no. I won't settle for that. I want you to take me seriously. To actually consider me as a lover. Think of me as a lover. Accept me as a lover."
Saying that and looking at him straight in the eye isn't fair. It isn't at all. Because he has resolved to make it hard for Junhyung, to fight back. But this is quite underhanded. His heart is beating erratically. He can feel his whole face grow warmer. His eyes, as much as he wants to avert them, are glued to Junhyung's piercing stare. His body is limp, easily led closer to another body. He can see it. He can see Junhyung move closer. He can feel it. He can feel Junhyung's warm breath over his face. He can feel it. He can feel Junhyung's lips against his. And they're still looking at each other, eyes wide open. This feels real. Unlike the last time Junhyung kissed his lips which was a week ago. The other hasn't kissed him on the lips again after that merely settling for his cheeks, saying that they were just so cute. The slight pressure against his lips brings him back from his thoughts and brings a certain tingle across his spine. Junhyung tilts their heads even more, their eyes closing as he did so. The pressure increases.
And then it's gone. The wonderful feeling against his lips are gone. He opens his eyes to meet Junhyung's. Slowly, everything in his mind goes haywire. What was that? What was all of that? What is Junhyung doing to him? What's going on? What? What? What? Junhyung. Tell me please, he thinks. And then the instinct to run away and hide overwhelms him. But Junhyung senses this and holds him down, holds him close. He's panicking, a conflict rising up within him.
Do what Junhyung tells him or continue to think that he may just be a friend, never taking Junhyung seriously. But that's so hard and so unfair, thinking only of Junhyung as a possible lover. Because the stakes are high. Thinking that Junhyung can be his friend even after turning him down is a consolation. Losing Junhyung, he realizes, is losing something important. The one person who understands before he needs to explain himself. The one person who takes care of him as perfectly as possible. The one person who makes his life turn upside down, inside out, with all the right changes. The one person who gets him so worked up because of the small heart racing things. Junhyung means a lot. If he didn't want Junhyung to be his lover, at least he'd want the other to be his friend.
"No. Please don't do this to me." He shakes his head. He looks at Junhyung straight in the eye. "You're being selfish. What if I really can't see you as a lover? Then what? You'll just go? That's unfair. You're unfair. How could I accept that?"
"And why can't you?"
For some reason, his face turns red. Saying Junhyung means a lot to him and thinking it are different things. His voice is stuck in his throat. Embarrassed, that's how he felt. He could see the smug look on Junhyung's face when he says those words. But as much as he doesn't want to let Junhyung have the pleasure of knowing the amount of influence Junhyung has on him, he couldn't possibly risk not having him in his life just because he's embarrassed to say that. He purses his lips, looking displeased, but his face is still warm. "Because you're important to me."
The smug look he's expecting surfaces and it annoys him. He glares at Junhyung, challenging him to say something, anything. But Junhyung merely looks on, his smugness transforming into something tender. There's something about the look in Junhyung's eyes. He's seen it many times. But right now, it struck him a lot harder. And then the small smile Junhyung always shows him appears. A hand reaches out to him and he moves away, still miffed and still embarrassed. The hand still reaches his face though and a thumb caresses his cheek.
"I know. You're the same to me. You're important. And even if you reject me, I'll always be here for you, as a friend, as someone you can run to, as anyone you want me to be."
He thinks his face could not get any redder than it has today. Always saying cheesy lines, when will Junhyung stop it? And what was the other saying? Just awhile back Junhyung was adamant at only being a lover or nothing at all to him. He's so confused. Was Junhyung just kidding around with him? Did Junhyung say those words just to get him to say the other is important to him? His eyes widen because he feels that to be true. He feels that Junhyung planned for him to say it. He feels so utterly manipulated that he pushes Junhyung and glares. But the other just smirks at him.
"I'm guessing you've already caught on with what I did."
"You're sick. I take back everything I've said. You can exit my life and never come back right this very second."
Junhyung looks at him seriously. "If I hadn't done that, would you have said them? Would you have honestly told me that I'm important to you? I don't think so."
"You don't know that." He avoids looking at Junhyung because he can feel the lie drip out of each word that came from his lips. And Junhyung knows it too, that what he had just said is a lie.
"Hyunseung, we both know that's a lie." He shakes his head. His face is once again taken hold of and brought face to face with Junhyung who's smirking. "We also both know you like me. You're just too stubborn to accept it and accept me as your boyfriend."
A familiar atmosphere between them is back. The teasing, embarrassing atmosphere is back. The serious, unfamiliar one put aside for now. Both elicit erratic heartbeats from him for the same and different reasons. Because it's Junhyung. And he feels that Junhyung purposely set the atmosphere light for him. He feels the butterflies in his stomach. And he replies, "That's just you being delusional, we both know that. Now give me that album so I can burn it to hell."
"As if I'll let you do that. It's an album of you so there's not way I'll let it be ruined in any way." The receding redness of his face comes back. His mouth opens to say something but mother beats him to it.
"I told you mother knows best. Now, my little children, lunch is ready. You can continue being lovey-dovey after eating and replenishing your energy."
The doorbell rings before he could retort about being lovey-dovey. He furrows his brows in irritation. Will he always get cut before having a chance to say anything? His mother's surprised gasp and ecstatic squeal chases his thoughts away though. He hears his father's voice and two unfamiliar ones, a man and a woman. Who could they be?
"My parents." Junhyung says as if reading his thoughts. "Your confused face is cute."
Oh God. How many times is he going to blush in one day? He doesn't think his face could handle so much. But gathering his thoughts together, he wonders why his father is early today. Isn't it that season right now? He gets up and goes to the hallway to greet the people who arrived just now.
"Appa, you're back early." He kisses his father's cheek, a habit since he was a child when he would kiss his parents' cheeks when they get home from somewhere.
"There's been an emergency and all the workers were sent home for the rest of the day." His father smiles at him and goes to his mother and Junhyung and they exchange greetings.
He turns to the man and woman with a deep bow, Junhyung's parents. "Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Yong."
"He's quite polite, isn't he?" Junhyung's mother smiles at him. "Good afternoon."
"You can call us Abeoji and Eomeoni." Junhyung's father smiles brightly at him. His eyes widen at the suggestion and he tries to argue out of it but to no avail. It seems everyone except him wants he and Junhyung to be together. Junhyung's father looks at him sternly. "We won't answer to any call except Abeoji and Eomeoni."
"Yes, Abeonim, Eomeonim." He bows his head dejectedly while the two smile.
"Well, we'll settle with that for now. But you will warm up to us." He thinks it's more of a threat and inwardly grimaces. And then his mother interrupts at that point.
"That reminds me! Junhyung should call us that way too!" His mother claps excitedly. And Junhyung smiles and agrees immediately. "Well then let's eat lunch shall we? Good thing I cooked a lot."
"Did you know we'll be eating here?" Junhyung's mother asks as they all enter the kitchen and take their seats. He's not surprised when he ends up sitting next to Junhyung. His father and Junhyung's father sat at the two ends of the table and their mothers sat across them. There was only him and his parents in the house but they decided to have a table for six for when visitors come just like today.
"Oh no. I just had this sudden urge to cook a great amount of food. I'm glad I did!" His mother sets down the food in front of them. He can feel his hunger as his mother's cooking lies before him.
"That's amazing!" And then the two mothers fall into a conversation for two. The fathers, though far apart from each other, converse with each other as everyone is getting food in their plates and eating. So he's left to fend for himself. He takes his food and eats it slowly, tuning everyone out. He knows it's rude but they aren't talking to him. There's no point in listening to conversations you are not a part of. His sense of privacy is different from others.
As the conversation between parents drone on, the silence between him and Junhyung continue, a familiar and welcome silence and understanding between them. He lets his mind wander to the endless questions weaving in and out of his thoughts. Isn't it strange to have the parents of the person courting you to be eating lunch with you and your parents as if it's a daily occurrence when it's not? Isn't it strange to have the parents of the person courting you to have you call them father and mother? Isn't it strange how everyone seems to have decided that he and Junhyung will be or are a couple? Isn't it strange how everything feels normal? Like it's supposed to be this way? Isn't it strange how he welcomes it? Like every other change Junhyung has brought in his life?
Junhyung. This person beside him really is something else. And yes, he'll say it again and again in his mind. And in his mind only because it's still embarrassing to say out loud. This person is important to him. To what extent? We'll find out in the days to come. For now, he'll enjoy this comfort. Junhyung told him they could still be friends no matter what happens. And he likes that reassurance. Isn't it cruel? Isn't he the one being selfish now, disregarding Junhyung's feelings? Because being rejected would be a big blow, wouldn't it? Yet here is Junhyung freely giving his friendship if things don't go the way Junhyung wanted them to. A cold and cool person on the outside is what Junhyung portrays. The truth though is that he is this nice, warm-hearted, and protective person. And this person chose him. This person chose him to be the receiving end of all that kindness and understanding. His heart swells. He looks at Junhyung who, on cue, looks back at him and smiles. Before he could stop himself, he smiles back. He's not even sure if he would have stopped himself from smiling. Because really...
...isn't he just lucky to have Junhyung in whatever way they choose to be?
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Author's Notes: I hate this. I feel like this has somehow lost the lightness it had in the previous chapters. Although maybe it can't be avoided. It's coming to a close and there'll be more serious thinking from Hyunseung which is actually just him beating around the bush. We all know he like Junhyung in that way. 3 chapters left then! I made a promise to see this to the end and I will. I hope this chapter wasn't too bad. Have a nice day everyone! :)
Author: shohai_mizuki
Pairing: Junseung (Junhyung/ Hyunseung), Dooseob, Kiwoon, others
Other Groups: Big Bang
Rating: PG-13
Summary: These days, courting seems as easy as counting 1, 2, 3. But not for a certain individual. Because, unfortunately for him, he falls for the secretive and stubborn Jang Hyunseung who has a reputation for being unresponsive to the most romantic of courting. You'd wonder what exactly he has up his sleeve to get this elusive doe-eyed doll.
Author's Notes: Oh hey look. An update after 8 months! Hurrah! If this has turned crappy, feel free to tell me. I kind of lost my writing style for this. Same drill everyone! Comments, criticisms, and suggestions are all welcome!
Previous Chapters: [0] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]
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A little note on the "Mr." and "Mrs." that I used, keep in mind that these are pronounced as how a Korean would. I've tried searching for what you would call your boyfriend's mother and father but came up with nothing so let's all stick to thinking "Mr." and "Mrs." are Korean words. And I'm switching from "umma" to "eomma".
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He stares blearily up at the ceiling. It's a Saturday and a week has passed since the so-called interrogation which really didn't consist much of the torture he was expecting. Are they really his friends or are they just giving him away to Junhyung? He half-heartedly glares at no particular spot. But he wouldn't put it past the five to actually be brewing something up secretly like ninjas or wizards in hiding. Not that they were great at keeping things from him. But this particular one, he'll just have to back out. It would most likely involve Junhyung and in that category, he is not willing to delve in. One, because Junhyung means no harm, or seems to mean no harm so doing anything bad to him would just eat at his conscience. Two, well...he can't think of a two. So there's just Junhyung and his conscience.
He sits up and yawns, stretching his body. Whatever, he still won't participate in any plot his friends may be planning. He gets up and goes to the bathroom to wash himself. He begins to wander what exactly Junhyung means to him, where Junhyung stands in his life. Why he wants to know? So that he can put to rest all the anxiousness he feels. It certainly does not mean that he'll give Junhyung a chance to become his lover. A friend or a best friend, that's as far as the other will go. Probably. Hopefully.
He sighs before going out of the bathroom and getting into clean clothes. Hearing his stomach growl makes him head to the kitchen to eat breakfast. His mother greets him a good morning as usual and hands him a plate full of food with a cheerful reminder that he better eat slowly lest he choke to death. He merely nods with a mouth full of food. She could only shake her head at him while continuing to clean things in the kitchen. Soon the food disappears and he is left with a full belly. He smiles, thanking his mother and then heading off to the living room where he plops on the sofa and turns on the television.
Click. Click. Click.
Somehow, this Saturday is boring. He couldn't find a show he particularly wanted to watch. Nor did he find anything worth passing his time. He gets up to go over their DVD stack beside the television. As the music blares from the channel, he scans over the titles, trying to decide which one he would like to watch for today. Romance movies are a big no. Especially with the Junhyung thing going on right now. He'll enjoy a nice good romantic movie once everything has settled or at least until he gets some sort of control on the situation. Action movies are a maybe. He particularly likes the ones filled with martial arts. Sometimes the actors look like they're dancing. Horror movies are a no. He's not so easily scared but sometimes these kinds of movies get to him and he can't sleep. He'd rather have a nice long sleep tonight. Comedy movies are a maybe. It's nice to have a good laugh with all the stress getting to him. He sighs for the nth time today.
He sits on the floor, staring up at the DVDs. It's rather hard to reach a decision with all the good movies in front of him. He's startled away from his thoughts by a ringing doorbell. Grumbling in his mind, he stands up and walks to the door, opening it slightly. He is surprised and at the same time not surprised by the person standing in front of the door on his porch. His shocked gaze turns into an irritated one. And then, he proceeds to close the door on the person's face, walking away as if the last few seconds had not happened.
But the incessant ringing of the doorbell reaches his ears and he frowns. He definitely does not want this person to be inside his house right now. He debates on whether to pretend that an annoying salesman is trying to get him to buy some shady products or he could let the other enter and the rest of his boring day would turn into an unpredictable one. Here he is again with decisions. It's so hard to choose with two tempting choices. Pondering on that, he is too late when he notices his mother go past him and open the door. Well, damn. The decision has just been made for him.
"Good morning Junhyung!"
"Good morning" comes the polite reply. He rolls his eyes. Maybe he should have chosen the first option the moment he saw Junhyung smiling at him when he opened the door. Once more, a sigh escapes him and he tunes in on the conversation at hand.
"-excuse him. He's not exactly a morning person and he's a little shy." Shy? Did his mother just call him shy? He is about to retort when Junhyung speaks.
"It's no problem. I'm quite used to it already."
"That's coming from a person I've only met a few weeks ago?" He raises an eyebrow and receives a smirk in reply.
"Now, now, my adorably confused child. That's no way to talk to the person courting you. Especially Junhyung." He gaps at his mother. She'd defend Junhyung and not him? This is mutiny! There must be some sort of dirty trick in here. But his mother continues, addressing the outsider within their home. "By the way, how are your parents? I'd like to have dinner with them again sometime. They're a very lovely couple."
"Thank you. They're fine seeing as they keep pushing me everyday to visit your house in their place. Work has been hectic."
"Oh yes. His father's quite busy as well, arriving home late and all. Are you and your brother fine with being left at home until so late?"
"We're fine, honestly. We buy take out or have some food delivered when our parents call saying they won't eat dinner with us."
"Dear, I insist you and your brother have dinner with us. What was the name of your brother again? Where is he by the way?" Not only is he left out of this slowly-getting-extremely-annoying conversation, but his mother just upped and invited two people for dinner for almost every night. He knows it will be almost every night because his father really is getting busy and these kinds of times continue on for weeks with only the occasional reprieve.
"Hyuksoon. He's at a classmate's house today to work on a project. And I'll have to decline, Mrs. Jang. I wouldn't want to impose on you." He stares incredulously at Junhyung. His mind screaming at the two-faced stalker who was being polite to his mother because he knows Junhyung's just trying to get her favor.
"I think they're perfectly capable of handling themselves." He crosses his arms in front of his chest. He will not let Junhyung spend time with him more than necessary. Then again, how much is necessary? And how much is excess?
"Now that's not the way to speak." His mother proceeded to smack his arm with just enough pressure to get the point across. She is never one to smack her children across the head like most parents do. One of the many quirks she has, and one of the many things he is thankful for. Getting smacked on the head isn't really a trip to candy land. "I will talk to your parents later Junhyung. For now, I think you two should enjoy the weekend."
His mother leaves them with a teasing smile that makes him want to run to his room and lock and barricade the door. And this is one of reasons why he is embarrassed with his mother. How can she just leave him like that? And the implications of that smile! She practically and willingly tossed him into Junhyung's arms. But at least he knows where he got his rather random personality from. He almost smacks his head on the wall beside him when Junhyung smirks with that similar teasing air. He can feel the growing warmth of his cheeks and quickly retreats to the living room.
He hears footsteps coming from the hallway, slowly getting nearer to him as he sits down on the sofa. What are they supposed to do? What are they going to do for the rest of the day? He can only imagine all the awkward silences between them before getting tired of it. Will they stay here all day long? Or will they go to his room? Junhyung in his room? Absolutely not! His private sanctuary is his and his alone. The presence of a stalker defiles the very place.
"So I guess I'm not going to your room?" He snaps his head to the side with so much force he is dizzy for a few seconds and the other chuckles at his expense. He glares while a grin is playing on Junhyung's lips. "Not my fault you react so badly to anything I say. Although I quite like it."
"When did you sit beside me? No. Never mind. Don't answer that. What I do want you to answer is how, in the frigging world, you knew what I was thinking."
"Facial expressions. It isn't that obvious but there are a lot of little things to indicate what you're thinking or rather the mood you have. Knowing your mood and the situation, a person can easily follow your train of thought. And I believe we had this conversation before."
"It still creeps me out. And you do know there are barely a handful of people who can seriously say that, right?"
"Definitely." He could hear the hint of pride in Junhyung's voice and that both irritated and embarrassed him.
"Don't get too cocky. And to answer your question, yes. My room is off limits to you." He sends a glare for good measure, challenging the other to just try and test him. Junhyung's hands shoot up in the air.
"If it's off limits, it's off limits."
"Good."
And here comes that awkward silence where he doesn't know what to do or say. Junhyung is leaning back on the sofa, looking as if being there is a normal occurrence. The television is still on so he decides to merely watch with Junhyung. Any more conversation between them would be too strained. Silence. It rather suited them. The worthless words of tiring conversations are agreed to be unlikable and tossed to the trash bin. These awkward silences between them would lessen as they learn more about each other. Although Junhyung has the upper hand with knowing so much about him already. He sneaks a glance at Junhyung who at the same time sneaks a glance at him. He jumps a little and looks away quickly, the red on his face quite evident. In his eyes he couldn't unsee the little smile on Junhyung's lips when their eyes met.
Acting like this, he does like Junhyung to some extent. He begrudgingly admits that the guy just grows on you. A friend? A best friend? A possible lover? Which is it? He needs to organize his thoughts and the images of Junhyung are not helping at all. He frowns in thought and pushes aside all images to the back of his mind, trying his best not to let them surface while he decides which category Junhyung stands. But, of course, since it's Junhyung he is thinking about the images just keep going and he gives up. Maybe they could help. And memory after memory he tries to categorize them.
"Hey. You might self-explode if you're not careful."
He purses his lips and musters the scariest, most hate-filled glare he could, not appreciating being cut from his thoughts and getting a jab at his mental capacity. "You just sealed your fate as a stranger to me. Get as far away from me as possible."
"Oh come on Seung. We both know you don't mean that. And you know I was joking." He could see the pleading gaze and his eye twitches. Damn this guy.
"No."
"Seung-ah."
"Stop calling me that. Don't get so familiar with me, stranger." And with that, Junhyung's hand is on his face, holding it steady. The other's face is only a few inches away from his. He tries to remain calm and looks on passively despite the loud hammering of his heart against his chest.
"Jang Hyunseung, don't tempt me. I could kiss you senseless right now."
His eyes widen and he whispers harshly. "You wouldn't dare! My mother is just in the kitchen, you pervert. And how the heck am I tempting you? As far as I know, I'm trying to push you away!"
"Your eyes. They're quite sexy, you know."
His face, neck, and ears grow warm. He looks away and barely manages to say, "Stop hitting on me. That's not gonna get you anywhere."
"I rather think it does." And he feel lips on the side of his. He pushes Junhyung away and tries to muster a glare but all he does is fluster and frown which looks more like a pout with his lower lip jutting out the way it does. Where was the restraint Junhyung kept to? Maybe ran out of patience with him? If so, he is going to murder the person in front of him before anymore of these sexual advances are made. Because clearly, he wanted someone with a lot of patience. He's not exactly easy to deal with it. Junhyung knows that pretty well with his bruise-covered arms.
It irritates him. He will not give in just because Junhyung is flirting that way. He doesn't like this kind of courting. He hates it. And so, mustering all that feeling of hate, he glares. "You're wrong. I hate how perverted you are. Hate. It."
He abruptly stands up and briskly walks to his room. He wants to maintain some dignity so he doesn't run but he was pretty close to it. His mother peeks out of the kitchen, trying to call out to him to entertain Junhyung while she finishes the dishes but he ignores her. He hears Junhyung tell her it's alright before he shuts the door behind him. The bed looks so inviting right now and to the bed he goes, practically jumping on it. He buries his face onto his pillows and grumbles unending complaints. And slowly, the anger ebbs away. He turns to face the side and grabs his cellphone and earphones at his bedside table. To completely calm himself, he listens to music.
His mind wanders to the growing number of presents in the shoe box under his bed, previously under the bedside table but it was hard to hide so under the bed it went. So many little trinkets given to him, each one as significant as the rest. A pair of fake thick-rimmed glasses, an elaborate bookmark, a pair of customized chopsticks, a bunch of papers with hand-written lines, they were but some of the things within the confinement of the shoe box. He can't say they didn't mean anything to him or he would have just threw them at a corner in his room and left them there without sparing another glance.
Junhyung makes his life difficult. He sighs as the music still blares into his ears. His eyes stare off into space as he thinks about how to rearrange his life the way he wants it again. Surely, he can go back to how he used to live, completely oblivious to the world. But no. Definitely not. Because Junhyung's words would always berate him, the overbearing amount of confidence and smugness in the voice reproaching him would always surface. And yes. He can't live that way anymore. It wasn't a good life. He felt too detached from the world, as if he was merely a spectator. Junhyung has pushed him, is pushing him, to be part of this world, this life.
His closed off manner cannot go back to the way it used to be. Because Junhyung has knocked on his door and has subsequently knocked it down as well. A little bit more open, a little bit happier, a little bit sadder, a little bit of everything more towards his friends. He can't take that back. Not when his friends sense his efforts, his change, and in their little ways show their appreciation and happiness. How can he be so heartless as to take that away? No. He may be a little cold and a little guarded but never a little too apathetic, a little too unfeeling. Junhyung has slowly and secretly begun, and still is, breaking down his walls, his prejudices, his shortcomings turning them into something more wonderful than he could imagine.
His thoughts pause for awhile as he lets the music lull him to sleep. And then what? What is the point of thinking these things? Where does that place Junhyung? What does he do now? Certainly, Junhyung is such a big force in his life. Definitely, Junhyung cannot be simply ignored. But he cannot keep up with this man and all his advances, all his surprises. Just when he thinks he can handle Junhyung, the other goes about destroying that idea before it even fully blossoms. Like he has some sort of weird radar. Backed up to a corner, what can he possibly do? This unfamiliar situation pushes him to be even more stubborn, even more hard to get. If Junhyung is driving him to a corner, he won't go along without a fight. He'll make the other strive hard to get him. And see which one of them can last longer.
"Jang Hyunseung" the music is gone and a stern voice replaces it. He blearily opens his eyes. He briefly wonders at what point in time he closed them but then quickly discards the question. Unimportant. He rolls to his side and sees his mother sitting on the edge of his bed with a serious look. "You get out of your bed and keep Junhyung company. Go."
And to make the point clearer, she smacks his thigh, probably intending to lightly tap it but ended up hitting him hard. He groans as she walks out of his room, leaving the door open. Somehow, he seems to have inherited a lot of his mother's traits. He sits up and blindly fixes himself, his hair and clothes. He feels his eyelids droop and he pinches his cheeks. He must stay awake or his mother would come back up and who knows how harder the next 'tap' is. Getting out of bed proved to be a little challenge with his sleep-indulged body. Step by step, he arrives at the living room only to stare in horror as Junhyung is sitting there looking at something he had wanted to tear to pieces, burn, and scatter to the wind with a maniacal laugh.
An album. An album of him during his childhood. Of him when his mother had control over his clothes. Because, yes, he got the mother with the weirdest quirks, including dressing up her own son in dresses of all kinds, frilly, lacy, you name it. He already decided to forget all about it even if his mother and father continually talk about it from time to time. Yes, his father was in it too, thinking it was funny and cute. Not even considering how this would affect his son. Because deep down, both of his parents are weird to some extent. Doing that to their son? And keeping albums and albums of it? What are they thinking?
Oh God. All those embarrassing pictures of him in girls' clothes right in the hands of Junhyung. His hands begin to twitch and his whole body would soon follow if he doesn't do something. Shakily, he treads to the sofa, hands outstretched toward the accursed album. But a pair of hands hold his and pull him down to the sofa. Too late. He's twitching from pure annoyance. He wants those pictures gone from the face of this earth. A hand holds his chin and faces him to a person. Junhyung. He glares.
"I dare you to say something."
"Cute. Crossdress for me sometime?" An angered punch finds its target. Wincing, Junhyung still has the guts to smirk and say, "Worth it really."
"Get your hands off me right now."
With the hands out of the way, he reaches out for the album but it's taken out of his reach. "You think just because I released you means you get the album? Sorry but I rather enjoy looking at it. Your mother was kind enough to talk about you for hours while you were probably sleeping in your room. I think I deserve seeing this. You're not a hospitable host."
"Whoever said I was? Now give that to me. Those are my pictures. Not yours."
"Oh actually, your mother gave this to me. So they're mine." With a smirk in full bloom, Junhyung's eyes challenge him.
"Liar. Eomma wouldn't give those to you. That's her collection. Her...annoying collection." He says the last two words with a shiver.
"But she did. You can even ask her."
He looks warily at Junhyung before calling out to his mother who was back in the kitchen, most likely cooking lunch. "Eomma! Why did you show Junhyung these pictures? Are you seriously giving them to him?"
A few seconds go by with the sound of clanking metals ringing out before a reply comes. "Oh child. Of course I'll show your pictures to your boyfriend. And even more so, I would definitely give him a copy. No doubt about that."
"He's not my boyfriend!"
"He will be. You know mother knows best." She says those lines in a happy singing voice and it irks him. Junhyung's smirk only fans the flame.
"So when are you going to accept me as your boyfriend? I think practically everyone has accepted it except you."
"Not in a million years. I don't care if everyone accepts you or not. The decision is still mine. And it's still no. Try harder." He pointedly looks to the side to appear smug. His mother has totally betrayed him. And he knows, soon, his father will too. The latter can't stand against the former for a long time. His mother could probably convince his father or has probably even convinced his father already about Junhyung. Life is quite cruel.
"Don't worry. I will try harder. But I won't apologize for earlier. I'm serious about being your lover. I know you might just go ahead and tell me that you just want to be friends but no. I won't settle for that. I want you to take me seriously. To actually consider me as a lover. Think of me as a lover. Accept me as a lover."
Saying that and looking at him straight in the eye isn't fair. It isn't at all. Because he has resolved to make it hard for Junhyung, to fight back. But this is quite underhanded. His heart is beating erratically. He can feel his whole face grow warmer. His eyes, as much as he wants to avert them, are glued to Junhyung's piercing stare. His body is limp, easily led closer to another body. He can see it. He can see Junhyung move closer. He can feel it. He can feel Junhyung's warm breath over his face. He can feel it. He can feel Junhyung's lips against his. And they're still looking at each other, eyes wide open. This feels real. Unlike the last time Junhyung kissed his lips which was a week ago. The other hasn't kissed him on the lips again after that merely settling for his cheeks, saying that they were just so cute. The slight pressure against his lips brings him back from his thoughts and brings a certain tingle across his spine. Junhyung tilts their heads even more, their eyes closing as he did so. The pressure increases.
And then it's gone. The wonderful feeling against his lips are gone. He opens his eyes to meet Junhyung's. Slowly, everything in his mind goes haywire. What was that? What was all of that? What is Junhyung doing to him? What's going on? What? What? What? Junhyung. Tell me please, he thinks. And then the instinct to run away and hide overwhelms him. But Junhyung senses this and holds him down, holds him close. He's panicking, a conflict rising up within him.
Do what Junhyung tells him or continue to think that he may just be a friend, never taking Junhyung seriously. But that's so hard and so unfair, thinking only of Junhyung as a possible lover. Because the stakes are high. Thinking that Junhyung can be his friend even after turning him down is a consolation. Losing Junhyung, he realizes, is losing something important. The one person who understands before he needs to explain himself. The one person who takes care of him as perfectly as possible. The one person who makes his life turn upside down, inside out, with all the right changes. The one person who gets him so worked up because of the small heart racing things. Junhyung means a lot. If he didn't want Junhyung to be his lover, at least he'd want the other to be his friend.
"No. Please don't do this to me." He shakes his head. He looks at Junhyung straight in the eye. "You're being selfish. What if I really can't see you as a lover? Then what? You'll just go? That's unfair. You're unfair. How could I accept that?"
"And why can't you?"
For some reason, his face turns red. Saying Junhyung means a lot to him and thinking it are different things. His voice is stuck in his throat. Embarrassed, that's how he felt. He could see the smug look on Junhyung's face when he says those words. But as much as he doesn't want to let Junhyung have the pleasure of knowing the amount of influence Junhyung has on him, he couldn't possibly risk not having him in his life just because he's embarrassed to say that. He purses his lips, looking displeased, but his face is still warm. "Because you're important to me."
The smug look he's expecting surfaces and it annoys him. He glares at Junhyung, challenging him to say something, anything. But Junhyung merely looks on, his smugness transforming into something tender. There's something about the look in Junhyung's eyes. He's seen it many times. But right now, it struck him a lot harder. And then the small smile Junhyung always shows him appears. A hand reaches out to him and he moves away, still miffed and still embarrassed. The hand still reaches his face though and a thumb caresses his cheek.
"I know. You're the same to me. You're important. And even if you reject me, I'll always be here for you, as a friend, as someone you can run to, as anyone you want me to be."
He thinks his face could not get any redder than it has today. Always saying cheesy lines, when will Junhyung stop it? And what was the other saying? Just awhile back Junhyung was adamant at only being a lover or nothing at all to him. He's so confused. Was Junhyung just kidding around with him? Did Junhyung say those words just to get him to say the other is important to him? His eyes widen because he feels that to be true. He feels that Junhyung planned for him to say it. He feels so utterly manipulated that he pushes Junhyung and glares. But the other just smirks at him.
"I'm guessing you've already caught on with what I did."
"You're sick. I take back everything I've said. You can exit my life and never come back right this very second."
Junhyung looks at him seriously. "If I hadn't done that, would you have said them? Would you have honestly told me that I'm important to you? I don't think so."
"You don't know that." He avoids looking at Junhyung because he can feel the lie drip out of each word that came from his lips. And Junhyung knows it too, that what he had just said is a lie.
"Hyunseung, we both know that's a lie." He shakes his head. His face is once again taken hold of and brought face to face with Junhyung who's smirking. "We also both know you like me. You're just too stubborn to accept it and accept me as your boyfriend."
A familiar atmosphere between them is back. The teasing, embarrassing atmosphere is back. The serious, unfamiliar one put aside for now. Both elicit erratic heartbeats from him for the same and different reasons. Because it's Junhyung. And he feels that Junhyung purposely set the atmosphere light for him. He feels the butterflies in his stomach. And he replies, "That's just you being delusional, we both know that. Now give me that album so I can burn it to hell."
"As if I'll let you do that. It's an album of you so there's not way I'll let it be ruined in any way." The receding redness of his face comes back. His mouth opens to say something but mother beats him to it.
"I told you mother knows best. Now, my little children, lunch is ready. You can continue being lovey-dovey after eating and replenishing your energy."
The doorbell rings before he could retort about being lovey-dovey. He furrows his brows in irritation. Will he always get cut before having a chance to say anything? His mother's surprised gasp and ecstatic squeal chases his thoughts away though. He hears his father's voice and two unfamiliar ones, a man and a woman. Who could they be?
"My parents." Junhyung says as if reading his thoughts. "Your confused face is cute."
Oh God. How many times is he going to blush in one day? He doesn't think his face could handle so much. But gathering his thoughts together, he wonders why his father is early today. Isn't it that season right now? He gets up and goes to the hallway to greet the people who arrived just now.
"Appa, you're back early." He kisses his father's cheek, a habit since he was a child when he would kiss his parents' cheeks when they get home from somewhere.
"There's been an emergency and all the workers were sent home for the rest of the day." His father smiles at him and goes to his mother and Junhyung and they exchange greetings.
He turns to the man and woman with a deep bow, Junhyung's parents. "Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Yong."
"He's quite polite, isn't he?" Junhyung's mother smiles at him. "Good afternoon."
"You can call us Abeoji and Eomeoni." Junhyung's father smiles brightly at him. His eyes widen at the suggestion and he tries to argue out of it but to no avail. It seems everyone except him wants he and Junhyung to be together. Junhyung's father looks at him sternly. "We won't answer to any call except Abeoji and Eomeoni."
"Yes, Abeonim, Eomeonim." He bows his head dejectedly while the two smile.
"Well, we'll settle with that for now. But you will warm up to us." He thinks it's more of a threat and inwardly grimaces. And then his mother interrupts at that point.
"That reminds me! Junhyung should call us that way too!" His mother claps excitedly. And Junhyung smiles and agrees immediately. "Well then let's eat lunch shall we? Good thing I cooked a lot."
"Did you know we'll be eating here?" Junhyung's mother asks as they all enter the kitchen and take their seats. He's not surprised when he ends up sitting next to Junhyung. His father and Junhyung's father sat at the two ends of the table and their mothers sat across them. There was only him and his parents in the house but they decided to have a table for six for when visitors come just like today.
"Oh no. I just had this sudden urge to cook a great amount of food. I'm glad I did!" His mother sets down the food in front of them. He can feel his hunger as his mother's cooking lies before him.
"That's amazing!" And then the two mothers fall into a conversation for two. The fathers, though far apart from each other, converse with each other as everyone is getting food in their plates and eating. So he's left to fend for himself. He takes his food and eats it slowly, tuning everyone out. He knows it's rude but they aren't talking to him. There's no point in listening to conversations you are not a part of. His sense of privacy is different from others.
As the conversation between parents drone on, the silence between him and Junhyung continue, a familiar and welcome silence and understanding between them. He lets his mind wander to the endless questions weaving in and out of his thoughts. Isn't it strange to have the parents of the person courting you to be eating lunch with you and your parents as if it's a daily occurrence when it's not? Isn't it strange to have the parents of the person courting you to have you call them father and mother? Isn't it strange how everyone seems to have decided that he and Junhyung will be or are a couple? Isn't it strange how everything feels normal? Like it's supposed to be this way? Isn't it strange how he welcomes it? Like every other change Junhyung has brought in his life?
Junhyung. This person beside him really is something else. And yes, he'll say it again and again in his mind. And in his mind only because it's still embarrassing to say out loud. This person is important to him. To what extent? We'll find out in the days to come. For now, he'll enjoy this comfort. Junhyung told him they could still be friends no matter what happens. And he likes that reassurance. Isn't it cruel? Isn't he the one being selfish now, disregarding Junhyung's feelings? Because being rejected would be a big blow, wouldn't it? Yet here is Junhyung freely giving his friendship if things don't go the way Junhyung wanted them to. A cold and cool person on the outside is what Junhyung portrays. The truth though is that he is this nice, warm-hearted, and protective person. And this person chose him. This person chose him to be the receiving end of all that kindness and understanding. His heart swells. He looks at Junhyung who, on cue, looks back at him and smiles. Before he could stop himself, he smiles back. He's not even sure if he would have stopped himself from smiling. Because really...
...isn't he just lucky to have Junhyung in whatever way they choose to be?
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Author's Notes: I hate this. I feel like this has somehow lost the lightness it had in the previous chapters. Although maybe it can't be avoided. It's coming to a close and there'll be more serious thinking from Hyunseung which is actually just him beating around the bush. We all know he like Junhyung in that way. 3 chapters left then! I made a promise to see this to the end and I will. I hope this chapter wasn't too bad. Have a nice day everyone! :)