IDENTITY | minsung

35

he wasn't fine.

he was slowly beginning to crack the longer he hadn't been in contact with jisung. he felt as if he was losing the younger, as if the younger would never speak to him again.

he pulled the covers off of himself, picking up his phone and looking through his chat with jisung. he wanted to send the younger a text, or even a call, but he figured that he needed some space and felt that it would've been selfish of himself to make the younger chat with him while he was already struggling.

he plopped back onto his bed, sighing once more. a week. it had been a week. but still nothing from the younger. it didn't seem like a week would take that long to pass, but it did.

and minho already looked like a wreck.

he closed his eyes, the forbidden memories that he had never wanted to remember flooding back into his head.

"mom! can we get ice cream today?" the eight year-old boy grinned, rushing towards his mother and surprising her with a hug.

she turned around, smiling back at her son bitterly. "not today, sweetheart."

minho pouted, looking down onto the ground. "but– why not?" "i'm afraid i'll be a little busy today, maybe you can ask your dad to take you out, alright?" she hugged the boy once more before standing up to reach for her keys on the countertop and leaving the house.

minho sighed, then taking a deep breath and smiling brightly again, entering his parents' bedroom. "dad! can we get ice cream today?"

"i'm not free, go ask your mom," he replied indifferently.

minho wasn't surprised. he was never given much attention as a child and always wanted a sibling to play with, but he didn't have one, so his days mostly felt lonely.

the little boy let out a small 'oh', before turning around to leave the room. "oh yeah, minho? your report card arrived the other day..." his father trailed off, not seeming too pleased by his grades.

"unless you want to be caned again you better study hard for the next exam. you don't want that do you?" minho shook his head, feeling himself grow small as he was afraid.

"good, now get lost."

the little boy blinked his tears away, running off to his room and locking the door.

[the next week]

minho skipped down the stairs, rubbing the sleepiness out of his eyes, scanning the room. "aunt? what are you doing here?"

the lady wished she wouldn't have to say what she said to the boy. "i'm here to get your things min. where are your suitcases?" she asked, not wanting to bring the topic up, but the boy pursued the topic further, wanting to know what was going on.

"where's mommy? a-and dad?" he questioned.

the lady took a deep breath, taking a close look at the little boy, feeling her heart clench as she slowly picked the right words to say. "your parents, they're gone minnie."

the boy was struck with confusion. he scratched his head. "what do you mean they're gone? are they on another business trip? when are they coming back?" he rushed towards his aunt, expecting as many answers as the amount of questions he had to ask.

"they're gone minnie. they can't come back," she barely managed to say without breaking down. anyone could tell she was heartbroken too, but the boy was too shocked to even process anything.