"My mother and older brother died in a car accident last month. They have been replaced."
Those fateful words keep replaying in my head.
I've just tucked Sanghyuk into bed and I'm having trouble sleeping on my own.
The fact that... Sanghyuk is unable to even see his family again. It pains me. It makes me feel guilty. I, Lee Hongbin, whose parents are divorced but still alive and healthy, has been kicking this fuss and whining like a brat. While Sanghyuk, who just lost his loved ones 60 days ago, is greeting life with a smile upon his face, never uttering a word of complaint.
How does he do that?
Why didn't he tell me sooner?
Also, I've been making his life a hell of a ride. First the loss of his family, then some jerky stepbrother that yells at him 24/7.... What does that make me?
I hug my knees to my chest and lay my head on my pillow.
I've made up my mind.
I hope it goes well.
______________________________________
I wake up to a sunny Saturday morning and immediately run to Sanghyuk's room.
He's swaddled in blankets, eyes still closed, making him look like a baby.
I mentally coo at him before waking him up gently .
"Sanghyuk-ah.. wake up." I say
I position myself ,kneeling down, so my chin is on my arms which are resting on the bed, my face directly in front of his .
His eyes slowly flutter open and Im about to say something when I'm interrupted by a piercing scream.
From SangHyuk.
"WHAT THE FCK ARE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM!"
He shouted before jumping a meter into the air, landing at an awkward position which causes him to tumble off his bed.
I can't help but stifle a laugh. He's cute.
Clumsy, but in a cute way.
Suddenly, he looks as if he's seen a ghost and crawls to me.
"Mianhe hyung. I didnt mean to shout at you. Please grant me your forgiveness." He says on his knees, face barely inches off the ground.
Wait, where did that fearless Sanghyuk go?
The one that stood me up yesterday?
Did he forget everything?
I say something I never told him before. " Its...... Its okay."
The words sound foriegn in my mouth.
Did I just forgive him? I think I did.
"So.." I continue, "Do you remember anything yesterday?"
He looks at me with this blank look on his face. "Uhm. No.."
I cock an eyebrow. "Oh really? You totally forgot that we skipped a day at school?"
His eyes shoot open. "Wait.. its Saturday?"
He jumps up immediately. " WHOO SUNGJAE IS COMING TODAY!" He screams.
"Sungjae?" I stand up as I try to recall anyone by that name. I end up with no results. "Who's Sungjae?"
He stops his little parade and looks at me. He immediately straightens himself and clears his throat.
Am I that awkward to be around?
"He's a Childhood friend of Mine who's transferring to our school next Monday. He's coming to Visit me today." He says monotonously, but I can see that his eyes are dancing In delight...
"Okay..." I say, turning around. I can't ignore the bitter feeling I have in me. Eh.. must be because he didn't remember what I did for him. At least thats what I hope it must be.
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"DING DONG" The doorbell rings. An hour has passed since I last saw Sanghyuk ( who ran into his room once he told me who Sungjae was.) I'm a little hesitant, but I decide to open the door. When I do, I'm greeted by a tall boy, pointy eyes, jet-black hair, and a smile.
" Annyeonghaseyo! You must be Hongbin-ssi! I'm Sungjae." He extends his hand towards me, but I don't take it."
" How do you know who I am?"
He retracts his hand to rub the back of his neck, and I remembered that that was exactly what Sanghyuk did when I first met him. Yah.. I feel so guilty now.
He continues" Sanghyuk told me about you."
Me? He told him about me? I start to get curious. " What exactly did he say about--"
"SUNGJAE!" Sanghyuk screams behind me. He brushes past me to hug him. Wow, Sanghyuk is dressed up. Even his hair is styled ( and I must admit, he looks very good)
Is Sungjae really that important to him that he would dress up just for this occasion?
Suddenly Sanghyuk turns around and looks at me. I think he doesn't know that I noticed, but his smile immediately turns into a small frown and he looks down before saying. " Sungjae, I'll Bring you in." He grabs Sungjae's hand and pulls him into the house.
I'm left alone, still holding the door open.
I don't know what I'm feeling right now....but I know I'm definitely the third wheel.