Beautiful (4A/4)
Title: Beautiful (4A/4)
Author:tikibuddy91
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Himchan/Daehyun
Summary: Himchan tries to get ahold of the beautiful stranger he keeps running into, both in middle and high schools. Once he knows the stranger's identity, he begins to find the cracks behind the polished appearance.
A/N: Inspired from SHINee's Areumdaweo
A/N2: There are four installments to the last chapter, as it is the climax and the resolution in one.
Part 1: (here)
Part 2A: (here)
Part 2B: (here)
Part 3: (here)
Yongguk knew better than to deny his instincts that he was right when something was wrong with Daehyun.
He just didn’t know that he would have to face it a few days later after his last tutoring session with Daehyun.
It was a one fine afternoon when school was over as Yongguk left the classroom building and locked the door, whistling a tune. He made his way to the office, letting the secretary know that he was signing off for the day. He then walked out of the entrance gates and headed for his car.
“Let’s go in here!”
To his left, a yell had caught his attention and Yongguk could make out a group of young guys huddling and acting a little too recklessly for their own age. Yongguk began to feel suspicious. He studied them as they entered an alley, with the last few guys standing outside of the alley, scanning the street in a casual manner. It would have looked like there was nothing happening in the alley, and that it was three guys hanging around.
“GET HIM!!”
The shout took Yongguk by surprise, and it was like the alarms went off in his head.
Heads were turning into the alley and the three guys stood closer to each other, looking like they were ready to block someone from coming out.
Yongguk caught a familiar sight of a person with dirty-blond hair, wearing a long-sleeved shirt and jeans.
Was that…Daehyun?
Daehyun struggled to get out as he attempted to break through the line of the three guys. The three guys were too strong for him, and the blond victim looked up.
Yongguk’s worried eyes met with Daehyun’s surprised ones, and Yongguk swore he saw despair on the younger man’s face.
“ ‘ELPP-MMPH!” Muffled shouts made their way to Yongguk’s ears as Daehyun was pulled back into the alley with two guys behind him. The entrance was now clear, and Yongguk had a bad feeling.
He hastily made his way over, only to see that one of the guys came out to check their surroundings. Yongguk was unfazed by the sudden encounter but the younger man was, as he let out an unmanly squeak. It took all of his willpower to resist from grabbing the front of the younger man’s shirt. Instead he confronted the young man, towering over him, but the younger man kept walking backwards to keep his distance.
“I heard some shouts around here… What’s going on?” Yongguk demanded heatedly.
“Uh…uh…n-nothing, sir! Nothing!” The younger man chuckled nervously. He made a mistake of glancing a few times in the general direction of the alley behind him. Yongguk scrutinized at the younger male before looking at the alley.
“We’ll see about that,” Yongguk said scathingly as he sidestepped him, but then the younger man quickly threw his arm out to block the taller male.
“IT’S NOTHING, I SWEAR!”
Yongguk looked down at the arm and glanced at the younger male.
“Nothing, you say?” Yongguk drawled, raising an eyebrow challengingly.
“I-uhm…I mea- we…I…” The underclassman stammered, trying to find words. It did not take long of Yongguk’s intense gaze did the boy confess. “I swear, I didn’t mean to be a part of this. I was just told to look out and keep the dea- ah, the…the…someone in the alley, yeah, someone.”
Yongguk’s eyes narrowed when Yongguk heard the word the younger man was covering up. “Someone deaf?”
The male’s eyes widened as his skin paled. “Y-…N-…”
Yongguk raised an eyebrow.
“Y-yeah…” The guy said lamely in defeat. “Please don’t tell my parents about this. I didn’t want to get in trouble! I didn’t sign up for this!”
Yongguk stared at him in bewilderment. “Young man, you’re already a part of it the moment you agreed to help. And right now, you’re talking to a senior of the same high school you’re attending.”
There was a high squeak.
“S-senior?”
“Senior.” Yongguk barked as he made to lunge, and he saw that the younger man let out a cry of embarrassment. The male slightly shivered on the spot. Yongguk looked alarmed.
…There was a sound of trickling from below.
Neither male looked down, but Yongguk saw the reddening on the other’s face as the latter relaxed a little.
“O-oh my god, that was my new pants. Mom’s gonna kill me.”
Yongguk felt an ounce of sympathy for him and gave him a warning. “If you can walk away and not be in touch with the gang…I won’t mention you and you won’t get in trouble.” The younger male’s eyes widened at the mercy he was given.
“BUT…” Yongguk’s bark startled the poor guy. “I will keep an eye on you after today, don’t think that I will not recognize your face…”
The younger male nodded hastily and before he could dart out of his position, Yongguk stopped him by throwing his hand out, colliding with the male’s chest. The underclassman froze in his spot, not daring to look at Yongguk.
“What’s your name?”
Automatically, the younger male shakily bowed his head before making his introduction. “Ji-Jimin. I mean, L-Lee Jimin. 2nd year.”
Yongguk clicked his teeth at the mention of the year. “You should get out of here, and not a word to anyone nor a word from you to those guys. One move, I will make sure you will get punishment from the school.”
Jimin nodded, whimpering a little. When Yongguk lowered his arm, the boy scampered away.
Letting out a sigh of exasperation, Yongguk turned to face the alley. Daehyun and the guys were nowhere to be seen. He slowly treaded his way deeper into the shaded alley, when he heard murmurs and laughter beyond a group of large dumpster bins.
He was only a few feet away from the bins when Daehyun immediately came out from behind one of the dumpsters, stumbling before he fell to his hands and knees on the pavement. Yongguk saw that there was a faintly red hand imprint on Daehyun’s cheek, and that Daehyun was then clutching at his stomach.
What the hell, Daehyun’s in pain, Yongguk noticed Daehyun was curling up into a ball, tears streaming on his cheeks. Gathering his courage and his extra boost of anger, he stormed over to the garbage bins with no hesitation.
“WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?”
“OH SH-“
“AAHH!!”
It was chaos with panicked screams and shouts everywhere, and Yongguk quickly made his move to stand in front of Daehyun, not letting anyone near him.
“What…the hell…did…I just…see?”
Hushed silence replied back to Yongguk as the taller man stood there, heaving, daring anyone to speak with his glare.
“QUICK, LET’S RUN!” One of the voices shouted and the whole group ran off in another direction out of the alley.
The dark alley was quiet, except for the sounds of Daehyun’s cries. Yongguk looked up to the sky, at a loss to believe that what he had just seen in the middle of the afternoon. He quickly looked around to see Daehyun still lying on the ground, with his eyes closed, the whimpers and moans audibly heard. He didn’t know if the deaf freshman had seen him or not, so he gently stepped closer and placed his hand softly on Daehyun’s back, about to rub on it to show that he meant no harm.
“NO!”
Daehyun was quick to react, letting out a strangled shout and knocking off Yongguk’s arm with his, as he recoiled from the touch. Yongguk felt terrible when he saw the tears copiously falling from his younger friend’s eyes. When Daehyun registered the person in front of him, his eyes widened and he let out an anguished cry.
“I ‘ate you!”
Yongguk was startled at that comment. He had never heard Daehyun use the word at all, at least not to him, after knowing how kind and good-natured the young freshman was.
Daehyun lifted a hand to wipe away the tear before he attempted to stand up, wincing in the process. Yongguk did not know whether he could help him or not, his feet planted to the ground. Daehyun’s eyes were bloodshot, and he was glaring at Yongguk with a pained expression.
[Finish see you there, I shout help! What you do? Help-me none. Understand? None! But you arrive, L-A-T-E.] (I saw you out there, outside of the alley. I shouted for help, and what did you do? Nothing. Did you realize that? NOTHING AT ALL. But you…you arrived here too late.) Daehyun could barely speak, let alone wince in pain after every sentence as well as giving out unintelligible shouts and moans of despair. When he spelled out the last word, the sobs took over his body.
Tears were forming in Yongguk’s eyes as the male stood there, feeling guilty.
[L-a-t-e you…you l-a-t-e.] Daehyun’s throat was too constricted with emotions before Daehyun looked back to where he had just came out stumbling. [You not help-me, not interfere… I…I think I…when beat-up-me… *Daehyun returned his watery gaze to Yongguk* …I die will. *Daehyun shook his head* I not want that, not me here.] (You were just too late… Too late… And you didn’t help me, you didn’t get here in the nick of time. I had thought earlier when they were beating me up…that I was going to die there. I didn’t want that…not in this place.)
Yongguk could not say anything, could not think of anything to comfort his friend at that moment… He decided to take a step closer to Daehyun, but to his surprise, Daehyun took a step backward, shaking his head.
[Not come-to-me, Y-G-senior.] (Don’t come near me, Yongguk-sunbaenim.)
Yongguk felt like lightning had struck at his heart when he saw Daehyun firmly signing the honorific title attached to his name. Daehyun had called him either ‘Guk-hyung’ or ‘Guk-hyungnim’, but to be addressed at ‘sunbaenim’… Yongguk felt like Daehyun had cut off their connection, throwing out the good memories of their tutoring sessions.
“Daehyun-ah…” Yongguk was silenced with the sight of Daehyun shaking his head.
[Not]. (Don’t.)
Yongguk felt pained as he saw the tears continuing to fall from Daehyun’s eyes, and his eyes tracked Daehyun as the deaf freshman was walking around him at a safe distance. Daehyun then became the middle person between Yongguk and the exit of the alley to the street.
“Daehyun-ah, let me take you home. You’re in no condition to walk back home. Daehyun, please.” [D-H, allow me drive, take-you home. ‘look-at-you’, n-g walk cannot. Please.] Yongguk insisted, even when Daehyun was shaking his head, refusing the offer.
“DAMMIT, DAEHYUN!” Yongguk roared, causing the mentioned male to stiffen in his spot. Daehyun did not need ears to know what his tutor had said, because he saw the combination of frustration and pity on Yongguk’s face. Yongguk took a deep breath to calm down.
“You’re hurt. Let me take you home.” [You-being hurt. Understand? I drive you back home.]
Daehyun was searching for something in Yongguk’s eyes, and Yongguk did not know what. A few moments passed in silence before Daehyun raised his hand.
[O-k…] (Okay…)
Yongguk let out a breath he did not know he was holding, and gave a small smile.
[Promise not tell anyone, my family, H-Ch-hyung also.] (Just promise me that you won’t tell anyone about this…not even to my family or Himchan-hyung.)
Yongguk’s eyes bulged. “Wha-?”
[PROMISE… *Daehyun stared at Yongguk with a look of despair* Please.] (Promise me that...Please.)
“…I promise,” Yongguk said weakly, not knowing what else to respond. Daehyun nodded and stepped aside to let Yongguk lead him to his car.
- - - - - - - - -
It had been a few days since the incident, and Yongguk had not seen Daehyun at all. It was not that the deaf freshman had not showed up to school, because Yongguk had seen him around on campus often, but Daehyun had not made the effort to meet with him in their regular tutoring sessions. When their eyes met whenever during school sessions, Daehyun would smile earnestly and Yongguk would be left wondering why his friend would still be like that especially after what had happened to him.
Yongguk had been chatting with Himchan during lunch when Himchan brought up an interesting question.
“Yongguk…have you noticed Daehyun’s behavior…lately?”
Yongguk stopped what he was doing, eating his sandwich, before he looked slowly to his friend.
“…Behavior? How so?”
“Well…I haven’t seen him much lately, and I was wondering if you have...” Himchan received a shake of head. “Oh… I hope he’s alright, because the last time I saw him… I don’t think he was looking well…”
Yongguk was doing his best to restrain himself from telling his friend about what he had seen a few days ago, because he made a promise to Daehyun.
“N-no…as a matter of fact, he hasn’t been attending our tutoring sessions lately. I’m thinking maybe it’s because the exams are over…and he’s just having a break.”
“Ah…that could be it, yeah…” Himchan said distractedly. Yongguk was a little confused at that response, because it only made sense to Yongguk’s observation and not to Himchan’s, but he decided to let it slide.
- - - - - - - - -
May 26
Himchan-hyung,
First, I just wanted to apologize for not being able to meet with you these past few days…or actually, weeks… I know the last time we had seen each other was that time at the courtyard when I ran… It must have left you questions since then, no doubt about it.
Second, there’s something…I want to say. And it’s something quite…big. I don’t know how you will react to it because
Daehyun was crying as he scribbled out the words and crumpled up the paper, throwing it away. It joined several other crumpled up papers scattered around his desk.
He could not hear the intermittent knocks on his bedroom door, his mother on the other side of the door worrying her heart out.
“Daehyun-ah, please… I want you to open the door but you can’t even hear me knocking!” A weak sob erupted in her throat as she heard her son’s weeping. “Son, why are you crying? Are you in pain? I’m getting worried about you, Daehyun-ah… Please, you’ve got to open this door; Don’t lock us out. Son, please…”
His chest still rattling with shaky breaths, Daehyun was staring at a blank letter page on his desk, when at the corner of his eye, he saw something move under his door.
It was a note, just halfway under.
Daehyun wiped his tears and slowly made his way over to the note. He knelt onto the floor and took it gingerly, reading it. On the other side of the door, his mother let out a sigh of relief at the sight of the letter being moved.
My child Daehyun-ah,
Are you okay? I’ve been hearing you cry today and I wanted to find out why. You’ve locked your dad, your siblings, and me out of your room, and my heart is hurting every time I hear you cry. Mom wants to know why you’re crying… Please tell me.
Love,
Mom
Daehyun tried to control his weeping, but bursts of whimpers came out as he tried to settle down and write back his reply.
Mom,
I’m okay. Just…having a breakdown, that’s all. School and exams…I’ll be fine soon. Don’t worry about me too much right now. I’ll be out soon for dinner.
Love,
Daehyun
Daehyun let out a shaky sigh of relief. He could see the tears staining the note, but he paid no mind to the matter. He reciprocated the action of sliding the letter under his bedroom door before getting up to go back to his desk. Looking once again at the blank page, he now finally knew what he would write.
I’ll give this to him tomorrow afternoon.
- - - - - - - - -
Daehyun was lucky to see Yongguk in the morning before school started and so he ran over to him, calling out his name.
“Guk-hyungnim!”
The senior froze in his spot, turning around quickly to the source, and he looked surprised to see Daehyun.
“Daehyun-ah…it’s been a while,” Yongguk gave a small smile as Daehyun slowed to a stop in front of him. Daehyun smiled back with sincerity.
The deaf freshman ducked his head a little with an expression of uncertainty.
[‘Do-you-mind’ favor ask?] (Can I ask you a favor?)
Yongguk frowned a little. “Sure, what is it?” He said with a nod.
The shorter male seemed to hesitate before going ahead with what he wanted to say.
“Dyu mind telling Himj’an-hyung to meet me ‘ere when skoo’ finesh?” [‘Do-you-mind’ tell H-ch-hyung meet me here when school finish?] (Would you mind telling Himchan-hyung to meet me here after school?)
Daehyun saw that Yongguk was looking concerned, and he could not blame him, after what had happened a few days ago.
“Alright, you got it, Dae,” Yongguk said with a warm smile. But then Yongguk glanced around and made an effort to keep his mouth shut and his face passive as he signed the next line.
[This relate recent happen?] (Is this about what happened recently?)
If Daehyun was shocked, he did not show it, taking into account that Yongguk did not reveal anything that non-deaf individuals would pick up and understand. Instead, he smiled and shook his head.
[Different, something else.] (Nope, it’s a different concern.)
Yongguk did not press further and accepted the brief explanation. There was a moment of silence as the two of them stared at each other, and Yongguk was about to ask Daehyun if he had bullying issues since last when Daehyun quickly bade him goodbye and left.
- - - - - - - - -
“Ah! Himchan, hold up!”
Himchan turned around to see Yongguk running over to him. Raising his eyebrows in anticipation, Himchan waited as Yongguk took a moment to catch his breath.
“Himchan, are you free after school?”
Himchan went over the plans he had for today, and he had no intentions of going anywhere immediately after school. He has an upcoming school concert with the orchestra, and there are nightly rehearsals that he has to attend. But other than that, he has nothing else for today.
“No…I mean yeah, I’m free after school…” Himchan saw Yongguk fidgeting a bit as the taller male accepted his answer. He eyed his friend warily. “…Why?”
Yongguk took a moment to look at him. “…Daehyun wants to talk to you.”
The name of the freshman made Himchan’s ears perk up and also made him feel like his heart had skipped a beat.
“I don’t know what, but it sounded important…he didn’t mention it to me, so it must be something that you know.”
Confused, Himchan had no recollection of Daehyun telling him anything important in the past whenever they got together.
“Uhm…okay. I don’t think I know either, but I will go see him after school.”
“Alright, sounds good.” Yongguk gave a small grin before giving his friend a pat on the shoulder and taking his leave. “Oh yeah,” Yongguk turned around suddenly, “he asked you to meet him at the entrance gates.”
Himchan nodded in acknowledgment. “Not a problem, my music class is nearby.”
“Alright, see you around. Hope everything turns out to be okay today.”
“Yeah, same…”
- - - - - - - - -
“Himchan, I expect that this week, our violins will have made much more progress than last week’s rehearsal. We better pick up the slack and get going. You’re fine, but some of the violins are being irresponsible with rehearsals, showing up late. Teach them a lesson, if you will. You may go.”
“Thank you, teacher,” Himchan said stiffly with a bow before he left the office. He picked up his violin case and backpack, making his way to the exit doors.
“Sunbae! Wait!”
Himchan groaned, not wanting to deal with another classmate’s complaint. Today was not a good day for their music practice, what with some string players, especially the good ones, absent due to a field trip.
“Sunbae, I’ve been doing my best, I swear! It’s just I need to practice more with you…Can we practice today?”
“Hyeri, you heard what our teacher said. You need to pick up the slack and learn to practice on your own. And it’s not just you, because there are others too who need to learn how to play for themselves and not having to rely so much on the others. That’s just setting your standards in music really low. I can’t practice with you today because I’ve already made a commitment to a friend to see him after school.”
“Can’t he just wait a little longer?” Himchan laughed bitterly.
“A little longer meaning 30 minutes? An hour? I don’t think so, Hyeri. I can’t keep him waiting too long, it’s already been 15 minutes past. Use a metronome, work with your tutor.” Himchan suggested carefully.
“Sunbaaeee, please?” Hyeri bounced on her feet, showing detestable aegyo that Himchan feels like recoiling and wanting nothing more than to not see it again.
“No, I cannot help you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to see my friend. See you later…and good luck.”
- - - - - - - - -
Daehyun is waiting at the entrance gates, looking around for any sign of his tall, black-haired friend. He shuffled his feet against the pavement as he looked down at the letter he was holding in his hand.
Daehyun let out a breath he was holding. He felt a little nervous, wondering if today was a good day to give the letter to Himchan. It was everything he wanted to say, because if it came to the worst-case scenario that Himchan will not accept him, Daehyun will leave him alone and will only have his dignity.
He failed to see a group of guys walking past him at a distance, and two of them sneaking up behind him.
All of a sudden, before Daehyun could look up to watch a car go by, he saw darkness, and he felt a pair of hands holding his wrists behind him.
Author:tikibuddy91
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Himchan/Daehyun
Summary: Himchan tries to get ahold of the beautiful stranger he keeps running into, both in middle and high schools. Once he knows the stranger's identity, he begins to find the cracks behind the polished appearance.
A/N: Inspired from SHINee's Areumdaweo
A/N2: There are four installments to the last chapter, as it is the climax and the resolution in one.
Part 1: (here)
Part 2A: (here)
Part 2B: (here)
Part 3: (here)
Yongguk knew better than to deny his instincts that he was right when something was wrong with Daehyun.
He just didn’t know that he would have to face it a few days later after his last tutoring session with Daehyun.
It was a one fine afternoon when school was over as Yongguk left the classroom building and locked the door, whistling a tune. He made his way to the office, letting the secretary know that he was signing off for the day. He then walked out of the entrance gates and headed for his car.
“Let’s go in here!”
To his left, a yell had caught his attention and Yongguk could make out a group of young guys huddling and acting a little too recklessly for their own age. Yongguk began to feel suspicious. He studied them as they entered an alley, with the last few guys standing outside of the alley, scanning the street in a casual manner. It would have looked like there was nothing happening in the alley, and that it was three guys hanging around.
“GET HIM!!”
The shout took Yongguk by surprise, and it was like the alarms went off in his head.
Heads were turning into the alley and the three guys stood closer to each other, looking like they were ready to block someone from coming out.
Yongguk caught a familiar sight of a person with dirty-blond hair, wearing a long-sleeved shirt and jeans.
Was that…Daehyun?
Daehyun struggled to get out as he attempted to break through the line of the three guys. The three guys were too strong for him, and the blond victim looked up.
Yongguk’s worried eyes met with Daehyun’s surprised ones, and Yongguk swore he saw despair on the younger man’s face.
“ ‘ELPP-MMPH!” Muffled shouts made their way to Yongguk’s ears as Daehyun was pulled back into the alley with two guys behind him. The entrance was now clear, and Yongguk had a bad feeling.
He hastily made his way over, only to see that one of the guys came out to check their surroundings. Yongguk was unfazed by the sudden encounter but the younger man was, as he let out an unmanly squeak. It took all of his willpower to resist from grabbing the front of the younger man’s shirt. Instead he confronted the young man, towering over him, but the younger man kept walking backwards to keep his distance.
“I heard some shouts around here… What’s going on?” Yongguk demanded heatedly.
“Uh…uh…n-nothing, sir! Nothing!” The younger man chuckled nervously. He made a mistake of glancing a few times in the general direction of the alley behind him. Yongguk scrutinized at the younger male before looking at the alley.
“We’ll see about that,” Yongguk said scathingly as he sidestepped him, but then the younger man quickly threw his arm out to block the taller male.
“IT’S NOTHING, I SWEAR!”
Yongguk looked down at the arm and glanced at the younger male.
“Nothing, you say?” Yongguk drawled, raising an eyebrow challengingly.
“I-uhm…I mea- we…I…” The underclassman stammered, trying to find words. It did not take long of Yongguk’s intense gaze did the boy confess. “I swear, I didn’t mean to be a part of this. I was just told to look out and keep the dea- ah, the…the…someone in the alley, yeah, someone.”
Yongguk’s eyes narrowed when Yongguk heard the word the younger man was covering up. “Someone deaf?”
The male’s eyes widened as his skin paled. “Y-…N-…”
Yongguk raised an eyebrow.
“Y-yeah…” The guy said lamely in defeat. “Please don’t tell my parents about this. I didn’t want to get in trouble! I didn’t sign up for this!”
Yongguk stared at him in bewilderment. “Young man, you’re already a part of it the moment you agreed to help. And right now, you’re talking to a senior of the same high school you’re attending.”
There was a high squeak.
“S-senior?”
“Senior.” Yongguk barked as he made to lunge, and he saw that the younger man let out a cry of embarrassment. The male slightly shivered on the spot. Yongguk looked alarmed.
…There was a sound of trickling from below.
Neither male looked down, but Yongguk saw the reddening on the other’s face as the latter relaxed a little.
“O-oh my god, that was my new pants. Mom’s gonna kill me.”
Yongguk felt an ounce of sympathy for him and gave him a warning. “If you can walk away and not be in touch with the gang…I won’t mention you and you won’t get in trouble.” The younger male’s eyes widened at the mercy he was given.
“BUT…” Yongguk’s bark startled the poor guy. “I will keep an eye on you after today, don’t think that I will not recognize your face…”
The younger male nodded hastily and before he could dart out of his position, Yongguk stopped him by throwing his hand out, colliding with the male’s chest. The underclassman froze in his spot, not daring to look at Yongguk.
“What’s your name?”
Automatically, the younger male shakily bowed his head before making his introduction. “Ji-Jimin. I mean, L-Lee Jimin. 2nd year.”
Yongguk clicked his teeth at the mention of the year. “You should get out of here, and not a word to anyone nor a word from you to those guys. One move, I will make sure you will get punishment from the school.”
Jimin nodded, whimpering a little. When Yongguk lowered his arm, the boy scampered away.
Letting out a sigh of exasperation, Yongguk turned to face the alley. Daehyun and the guys were nowhere to be seen. He slowly treaded his way deeper into the shaded alley, when he heard murmurs and laughter beyond a group of large dumpster bins.
He was only a few feet away from the bins when Daehyun immediately came out from behind one of the dumpsters, stumbling before he fell to his hands and knees on the pavement. Yongguk saw that there was a faintly red hand imprint on Daehyun’s cheek, and that Daehyun was then clutching at his stomach.
What the hell, Daehyun’s in pain, Yongguk noticed Daehyun was curling up into a ball, tears streaming on his cheeks. Gathering his courage and his extra boost of anger, he stormed over to the garbage bins with no hesitation.
“WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?”
“OH SH-“
“AAHH!!”
It was chaos with panicked screams and shouts everywhere, and Yongguk quickly made his move to stand in front of Daehyun, not letting anyone near him.
“What…the hell…did…I just…see?”
Hushed silence replied back to Yongguk as the taller man stood there, heaving, daring anyone to speak with his glare.
“QUICK, LET’S RUN!” One of the voices shouted and the whole group ran off in another direction out of the alley.
The dark alley was quiet, except for the sounds of Daehyun’s cries. Yongguk looked up to the sky, at a loss to believe that what he had just seen in the middle of the afternoon. He quickly looked around to see Daehyun still lying on the ground, with his eyes closed, the whimpers and moans audibly heard. He didn’t know if the deaf freshman had seen him or not, so he gently stepped closer and placed his hand softly on Daehyun’s back, about to rub on it to show that he meant no harm.
“NO!”
Daehyun was quick to react, letting out a strangled shout and knocking off Yongguk’s arm with his, as he recoiled from the touch. Yongguk felt terrible when he saw the tears copiously falling from his younger friend’s eyes. When Daehyun registered the person in front of him, his eyes widened and he let out an anguished cry.
“I ‘ate you!”
Yongguk was startled at that comment. He had never heard Daehyun use the word at all, at least not to him, after knowing how kind and good-natured the young freshman was.
Daehyun lifted a hand to wipe away the tear before he attempted to stand up, wincing in the process. Yongguk did not know whether he could help him or not, his feet planted to the ground. Daehyun’s eyes were bloodshot, and he was glaring at Yongguk with a pained expression.
[Finish see you there, I shout help! What you do? Help-me none. Understand? None! But you arrive, L-A-T-E.] (I saw you out there, outside of the alley. I shouted for help, and what did you do? Nothing. Did you realize that? NOTHING AT ALL. But you…you arrived here too late.) Daehyun could barely speak, let alone wince in pain after every sentence as well as giving out unintelligible shouts and moans of despair. When he spelled out the last word, the sobs took over his body.
Tears were forming in Yongguk’s eyes as the male stood there, feeling guilty.
[L-a-t-e you…you l-a-t-e.] Daehyun’s throat was too constricted with emotions before Daehyun looked back to where he had just came out stumbling. [You not help-me, not interfere… I…I think I…when beat-up-me… *Daehyun returned his watery gaze to Yongguk* …I die will. *Daehyun shook his head* I not want that, not me here.] (You were just too late… Too late… And you didn’t help me, you didn’t get here in the nick of time. I had thought earlier when they were beating me up…that I was going to die there. I didn’t want that…not in this place.)
Yongguk could not say anything, could not think of anything to comfort his friend at that moment… He decided to take a step closer to Daehyun, but to his surprise, Daehyun took a step backward, shaking his head.
[Not come-to-me, Y-G-senior.] (Don’t come near me, Yongguk-sunbaenim.)
Yongguk felt like lightning had struck at his heart when he saw Daehyun firmly signing the honorific title attached to his name. Daehyun had called him either ‘Guk-hyung’ or ‘Guk-hyungnim’, but to be addressed at ‘sunbaenim’… Yongguk felt like Daehyun had cut off their connection, throwing out the good memories of their tutoring sessions.
“Daehyun-ah…” Yongguk was silenced with the sight of Daehyun shaking his head.
[Not]. (Don’t.)
Yongguk felt pained as he saw the tears continuing to fall from Daehyun’s eyes, and his eyes tracked Daehyun as the deaf freshman was walking around him at a safe distance. Daehyun then became the middle person between Yongguk and the exit of the alley to the street.
“Daehyun-ah, let me take you home. You’re in no condition to walk back home. Daehyun, please.” [D-H, allow me drive, take-you home. ‘look-at-you’, n-g walk cannot. Please.] Yongguk insisted, even when Daehyun was shaking his head, refusing the offer.
“DAMMIT, DAEHYUN!” Yongguk roared, causing the mentioned male to stiffen in his spot. Daehyun did not need ears to know what his tutor had said, because he saw the combination of frustration and pity on Yongguk’s face. Yongguk took a deep breath to calm down.
“You’re hurt. Let me take you home.” [You-being hurt. Understand? I drive you back home.]
Daehyun was searching for something in Yongguk’s eyes, and Yongguk did not know what. A few moments passed in silence before Daehyun raised his hand.
[O-k…] (Okay…)
Yongguk let out a breath he did not know he was holding, and gave a small smile.
[Promise not tell anyone, my family, H-Ch-hyung also.] (Just promise me that you won’t tell anyone about this…not even to my family or Himchan-hyung.)
Yongguk’s eyes bulged. “Wha-?”
[PROMISE… *Daehyun stared at Yongguk with a look of despair* Please.] (Promise me that...Please.)
“…I promise,” Yongguk said weakly, not knowing what else to respond. Daehyun nodded and stepped aside to let Yongguk lead him to his car.
- - - - - - - - -
It had been a few days since the incident, and Yongguk had not seen Daehyun at all. It was not that the deaf freshman had not showed up to school, because Yongguk had seen him around on campus often, but Daehyun had not made the effort to meet with him in their regular tutoring sessions. When their eyes met whenever during school sessions, Daehyun would smile earnestly and Yongguk would be left wondering why his friend would still be like that especially after what had happened to him.
Yongguk had been chatting with Himchan during lunch when Himchan brought up an interesting question.
“Yongguk…have you noticed Daehyun’s behavior…lately?”
Yongguk stopped what he was doing, eating his sandwich, before he looked slowly to his friend.
“…Behavior? How so?”
“Well…I haven’t seen him much lately, and I was wondering if you have...” Himchan received a shake of head. “Oh… I hope he’s alright, because the last time I saw him… I don’t think he was looking well…”
Yongguk was doing his best to restrain himself from telling his friend about what he had seen a few days ago, because he made a promise to Daehyun.
“N-no…as a matter of fact, he hasn’t been attending our tutoring sessions lately. I’m thinking maybe it’s because the exams are over…and he’s just having a break.”
“Ah…that could be it, yeah…” Himchan said distractedly. Yongguk was a little confused at that response, because it only made sense to Yongguk’s observation and not to Himchan’s, but he decided to let it slide.
- - - - - - - - -
May 26
Himchan-hyung,
First, I just wanted to apologize for not being able to meet with you these past few days…or actually, weeks… I know the last time we had seen each other was that time at the courtyard when I ran… It must have left you questions since then, no doubt about it.
Second, there’s something…I want to say. And it’s something quite…big. I don’t know how you will react to it because
Daehyun was crying as he scribbled out the words and crumpled up the paper, throwing it away. It joined several other crumpled up papers scattered around his desk.
He could not hear the intermittent knocks on his bedroom door, his mother on the other side of the door worrying her heart out.
“Daehyun-ah, please… I want you to open the door but you can’t even hear me knocking!” A weak sob erupted in her throat as she heard her son’s weeping. “Son, why are you crying? Are you in pain? I’m getting worried about you, Daehyun-ah… Please, you’ve got to open this door; Don’t lock us out. Son, please…”
His chest still rattling with shaky breaths, Daehyun was staring at a blank letter page on his desk, when at the corner of his eye, he saw something move under his door.
It was a note, just halfway under.
Daehyun wiped his tears and slowly made his way over to the note. He knelt onto the floor and took it gingerly, reading it. On the other side of the door, his mother let out a sigh of relief at the sight of the letter being moved.
My child Daehyun-ah,
Are you okay? I’ve been hearing you cry today and I wanted to find out why. You’ve locked your dad, your siblings, and me out of your room, and my heart is hurting every time I hear you cry. Mom wants to know why you’re crying… Please tell me.
Love,
Mom
Daehyun tried to control his weeping, but bursts of whimpers came out as he tried to settle down and write back his reply.
Mom,
I’m okay. Just…having a breakdown, that’s all. School and exams…I’ll be fine soon. Don’t worry about me too much right now. I’ll be out soon for dinner.
Love,
Daehyun
Daehyun let out a shaky sigh of relief. He could see the tears staining the note, but he paid no mind to the matter. He reciprocated the action of sliding the letter under his bedroom door before getting up to go back to his desk. Looking once again at the blank page, he now finally knew what he would write.
I’ll give this to him tomorrow afternoon.
- - - - - - - - -
Daehyun was lucky to see Yongguk in the morning before school started and so he ran over to him, calling out his name.
“Guk-hyungnim!”
The senior froze in his spot, turning around quickly to the source, and he looked surprised to see Daehyun.
“Daehyun-ah…it’s been a while,” Yongguk gave a small smile as Daehyun slowed to a stop in front of him. Daehyun smiled back with sincerity.
The deaf freshman ducked his head a little with an expression of uncertainty.
[‘Do-you-mind’ favor ask?] (Can I ask you a favor?)
Yongguk frowned a little. “Sure, what is it?” He said with a nod.
The shorter male seemed to hesitate before going ahead with what he wanted to say.
“Dyu mind telling Himj’an-hyung to meet me ‘ere when skoo’ finesh?” [‘Do-you-mind’ tell H-ch-hyung meet me here when school finish?] (Would you mind telling Himchan-hyung to meet me here after school?)
Daehyun saw that Yongguk was looking concerned, and he could not blame him, after what had happened a few days ago.
“Alright, you got it, Dae,” Yongguk said with a warm smile. But then Yongguk glanced around and made an effort to keep his mouth shut and his face passive as he signed the next line.
[This relate recent happen?] (Is this about what happened recently?)
If Daehyun was shocked, he did not show it, taking into account that Yongguk did not reveal anything that non-deaf individuals would pick up and understand. Instead, he smiled and shook his head.
[Different, something else.] (Nope, it’s a different concern.)
Yongguk did not press further and accepted the brief explanation. There was a moment of silence as the two of them stared at each other, and Yongguk was about to ask Daehyun if he had bullying issues since last when Daehyun quickly bade him goodbye and left.
- - - - - - - - -
“Ah! Himchan, hold up!”
Himchan turned around to see Yongguk running over to him. Raising his eyebrows in anticipation, Himchan waited as Yongguk took a moment to catch his breath.
“Himchan, are you free after school?”
Himchan went over the plans he had for today, and he had no intentions of going anywhere immediately after school. He has an upcoming school concert with the orchestra, and there are nightly rehearsals that he has to attend. But other than that, he has nothing else for today.
“No…I mean yeah, I’m free after school…” Himchan saw Yongguk fidgeting a bit as the taller male accepted his answer. He eyed his friend warily. “…Why?”
Yongguk took a moment to look at him. “…Daehyun wants to talk to you.”
The name of the freshman made Himchan’s ears perk up and also made him feel like his heart had skipped a beat.
“I don’t know what, but it sounded important…he didn’t mention it to me, so it must be something that you know.”
Confused, Himchan had no recollection of Daehyun telling him anything important in the past whenever they got together.
“Uhm…okay. I don’t think I know either, but I will go see him after school.”
“Alright, sounds good.” Yongguk gave a small grin before giving his friend a pat on the shoulder and taking his leave. “Oh yeah,” Yongguk turned around suddenly, “he asked you to meet him at the entrance gates.”
Himchan nodded in acknowledgment. “Not a problem, my music class is nearby.”
“Alright, see you around. Hope everything turns out to be okay today.”
“Yeah, same…”
- - - - - - - - -
“Himchan, I expect that this week, our violins will have made much more progress than last week’s rehearsal. We better pick up the slack and get going. You’re fine, but some of the violins are being irresponsible with rehearsals, showing up late. Teach them a lesson, if you will. You may go.”
“Thank you, teacher,” Himchan said stiffly with a bow before he left the office. He picked up his violin case and backpack, making his way to the exit doors.
“Sunbae! Wait!”
Himchan groaned, not wanting to deal with another classmate’s complaint. Today was not a good day for their music practice, what with some string players, especially the good ones, absent due to a field trip.
“Sunbae, I’ve been doing my best, I swear! It’s just I need to practice more with you…Can we practice today?”
“Hyeri, you heard what our teacher said. You need to pick up the slack and learn to practice on your own. And it’s not just you, because there are others too who need to learn how to play for themselves and not having to rely so much on the others. That’s just setting your standards in music really low. I can’t practice with you today because I’ve already made a commitment to a friend to see him after school.”
“Can’t he just wait a little longer?” Himchan laughed bitterly.
“A little longer meaning 30 minutes? An hour? I don’t think so, Hyeri. I can’t keep him waiting too long, it’s already been 15 minutes past. Use a metronome, work with your tutor.” Himchan suggested carefully.
“Sunbaaeee, please?” Hyeri bounced on her feet, showing detestable aegyo that Himchan feels like recoiling and wanting nothing more than to not see it again.
“No, I cannot help you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to see my friend. See you later…and good luck.”
- - - - - - - - -
Daehyun is waiting at the entrance gates, looking around for any sign of his tall, black-haired friend. He shuffled his feet against the pavement as he looked down at the letter he was holding in his hand.
Daehyun let out a breath he was holding. He felt a little nervous, wondering if today was a good day to give the letter to Himchan. It was everything he wanted to say, because if it came to the worst-case scenario that Himchan will not accept him, Daehyun will leave him alone and will only have his dignity.
He failed to see a group of guys walking past him at a distance, and two of them sneaking up behind him.
All of a sudden, before Daehyun could look up to watch a car go by, he saw darkness, and he felt a pair of hands holding his wrists behind him.