AFTER SCHOOL [yeonbin fanfic]

Chapter-3

It's been a week since I 'hung out' with Soobin and his friend Beomgyu. It's been a week of me trying to control my anger around Soobin. I genuinely want to help that guy but he was not even willing to co-operate. I had to help him pass his science mid-term or I would lose my position. Ugh, this is frustrating.

"Tae you know I can't come tonight. I have work"

"Hyung it's just for 2 hours! Pleaseeee"
Taehyun pleaded with puppy eyes.

"It's been ages since we 3 hung out. Can't you ditch today?" Kai chimed in.

I really wanted to hang out with my friends. They were the only people I associated with.
"Fine but I'll leave after 8"

"You are the best Yeonjun hyung" Kai and Taehyun high-fived each other, grinning from ear to ear.

.
Our little trio goes way back.
Taehyun and I lived in the same neighborhood since I was in middle school. 5 years ago, I ran into his mom in the vegetable market, who was struggling to carry 3 bags full of veggies and fruits. Like the gentleman I am, I willingly helped her carry her stuff to her apartment building. I saw a kid, slim figure but a pretty face, poking his head out his apartment's door. He was a cute baby who grew up to be the handsome boy I know today. She asked a few things about me and after finding out that I lived alone with a few irregular visits from my parents, she decided to take care of me and started inviting me over for meals.

Since we lived in the same neighborhood, just a few blocks in between, it became a daily thing to go to school together every day. At that time Taehyun was in elementary and I gladly dropped him off at school on my way in the morning. Time passed and we became close friends. I would celebrate all festivals with his mom. His dad, sadly, had passed away when Taehyun was 3 years old. Taehyun called me his hyung and I made a self promise to always be there for this kid no matter what. He was my little brother who I wanted to protect.

My first impression of Kai isn't really that impressive. When I first met him, I thought he was bullying Taehyun and would have gotten a beating out of me if it wasn't for Taehyun who held me back in time. Heuning Kai, that's his full name, introduced me as a classmate of Taehyun. He was new to the school and was just asking Taehyun about some homework he didn't understand. I, on the other hand, was still skeptical about this extremely tall guy but as time passed by, we three became really good friends.

Heuning kai and Taehyun entered the same high school as me and we three decided that it would be best to stick together.
Although there was an age gap, I loved them with all of my heart. They were my best friends, people who cared about me more than my parents ever would. And I was thankful that I had such caring friends in my life.

.
Taehyun and Kai dragged me to an internet cafe right after school. The last time I came here was a year ago and if I'm being honest, I missed this place so much.

"C'mon, both of you. What are you waiting for?" Kai said, pushing Taehyun and me towards the chairs. "I'm buying us passes so go grab some snacks."

"I'm glad to have you as my sugar daddy hyuka"

"Anything for my best friends."

You see, Heuning Kai's family is rich. Like really rich. He was born in Hawaii and lived there for 12 years before his family had to move back to Korea for his dad's job.
He knew the situation Taehyun and I were in and usually paid for all our hangouts. As the oldest, I felt really bad but Kai said that he was 'making an investment'  and expected me to take care of him in the future, which I would have without anyone asking me. I love my best friends so much.

(I have no idea how video games work so please ignore if this convo sounded vague )

"COVER ME TAEHYUN WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"I AM TRYING MY BEST HYUNG"

"KAI DON'T STOP SHOOTING"

"SOMEONE SEND HELP I AM ABOUT TO DIE"

"SHIT TAEHYUN REVIVE ME"

"HYUNG I AM COMING"

"SOMEONE SHOT ME DOWN"

"NOO TAEHYUN WHAT ARE YOU DOING"

"HYUNG I HAVE 0 STAMINA"

"SH*T"

The screen flashed a neon red GAME OVER

(Help :( this part sounded so weird lol)

"We could have won if only you didn't run away"

"I ran away? What the hell Tae? Do you even know how to fire a gun?"

"Better than you Kai"

"Not a chance"

"Guys calm down. It's just a game." I said, trying to avoid an argument.

Tae and Kai stared at me wide-eyed.
"Come again hyung"

"Just a game? You said it's just a game?"

"Guys chill and yes it was just a game. We had fun right?"

"Hyung you used to beat the crap out of us when we made you lose!"

"You even threw my favorite plushie out of the window!"

"Guys calm down! Today was meant to be fun and we did have fun and that's all that matters"

Taehyun and Kai kept bickering about how I would not let them eat the snacks whenever we lost back in the days. I sat back in my recliner, smiling. It's been soo long and we were still the same.

"How 'bout a rematch?"

"Am in"

"Sorry guys I can't. My shift starts in 20 minutes"

Tae mumbled something about me being no fun and Kai asked me to ditch work for the 100th time today.

"You know I can't skip. Don't worry we will hang out again next week."

"Promise?"

"Promise"

I interlocked my pinky fingers with theirs and patted their heads.
"Leave before 10 okay?"

"Yes, Yeonjun hyung" they both said in unison and turned their attention towards their screens.

.
During the night, I worked at a nearby convenience store. My shift was just 4 hours long and the money was pretty decent. The only con about working at night was the weird customers who were either drunk or had zero manners. I was used to dealing with crappy people by now and they didn't really upset my mood these days.

Today was a pretty slow day and I was about to thank the gods when a certain someone walked in. Someone who could ruin my mood simply by existing.

He raised his eyebrows when our eyes met. Without saying a word, he went to the back of the store and emerged 3 minutes later, holding a bottle of water and a pack of bandages with some ointment. Soobin handed me the stuff to check out and that's when I noticed his disheveled appearance. He was dripping with sweat, hair wet, and seemed to be out of breath as if he came running all the way here. I scanned the items and wanted to ask if he was hurt anywhere when his phone started ringing.

"Hey beom? Just give me 5 more minutes, I'm on my way."

He quickly paid me, stuffing the bandages in his pockets, and rushed out before I could give him back his change. I decided that I would return his money tomorrow because ₩1000 was definitely not for me.

.
I was having late-night snacks, basically leftover food, when my thoughts wandered back to Soobin and his rushed phone call with Beom who I was 100% sure was Beomgyu. He looked panicked and his expression wasn't his usual cold and heartless. He looked anxious and most definitely worried. Did something happen to Beomgyu?

I made a mental note to check up on him tomorrow before drifting off to sleep.

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Thanks for reading<3