Successors & Heirs (Harukyu)

Part 20

A few moments after Junkyu rang the doorbell to the Japanese residence, a voice spoke through the intercom, "Hey Junkyu, I've opened the gate for you, just come through."

"Okay." Junkyu walked in and was baffled by the size of their house. It wasn't noticeable from the outside due to their high fence, but their house was massive! They had a huge front lawn and garden. Junkyu was certain these boys were rich.

"Sorry I'm late," Junkyu apologised as he got inside the house. The interior was even more impressive! As he entered, there was a huge lounge room with a massive TV. The boys who were playing FIFA, all turned around to greet him.

His eyes met Haruto who gave him a small nod. Junkyu has not seen him or spoken to him since they all went to Bukchon Hanok Village. Even though he has Haruto's number, he was too shy to text him, and Haruto didn't contact him either.

Asahi who opened the door for Junkyu noticed that he was sweating a lot. "Why are you sweating so much?" He asked. "Did you walk all the way here?"

"Uh no, not entirely. I only walked from the bus stop. It's just hot outside." Junkyu explained.

"Now I feel bad. If you won't let me pay for tutoring, at least let us pick you up from your house." Asahi offered. In reality, it would be Haruto picking him up. After all, Haruto was the only one who has an international driving permit out of all of them. Because Haruto often travels to different countries for diplomatic reasons, he got an international permit because he wanted to be able to drive around the countries he visits. 

"No, no it's fine, I don't want to trouble you guys," Junkyu refused.

"Asahi's right, just let us pick you up. I bought a new car yesterday and I'm itching to drive it." Haruto added. It was the truth. Haruto loves driving. It's his stress relief from time to time. Haruto also believes it's the least he can do for Junkyu for helping out his best friend.

"O-Okay," Junkyu gave in.

Asahi mentally celebrated. Truth be told, when he asked Junkyu to come over today, he really wanted Haruto to pick him up. But he didn't want to ask Haruto directly lest he becomes suspicious. Asahi is treading carefully because he knows if Haruto realises that he's treating Junkyu differently, he (Haruto) will be more cautious of his actions. This is also the reason why Asahi secretly told the rest of their friends to keep their mouths shut for the time being. If Haruto notices what Asahi is trying to do, he will either be more cautious around Junkyu, or avoid him completely. This is something that Asahi does not want. He's hoping that Junkyu will break Haruto's walls or at least let him experience life without restraints.

Contrary to Asahi's belief, Haruto is actually aware that he's a lot more lenient towards Junkyu. He realized it during the trip to Bukchon Hanok Village. When Haruto saw himself smiling in the picture that Junkyu took, he realized that he wasn't acting like his usual self.

Haruto wanted to change partners and avoid Junkyu immediately. But he knew that would be quite rude. He also knows that if he suddenly starts ignoring him after getting along with him so well, Junkyu might misunderstand and think that he got mad. Haruto did not want to deal with drama and conflict so he decided to act courteous and gradually reduce interaction with Junkyu.

When they got home that day, Haruto deeply re-evaluated his actions. He pondered why he unconsciously treated Junkyu differently. Eventually, he came to a conclusion that it's because Junkyu is just like a child, pure, innocent and bubbly.

He always had a soft spot for children. No matter what, he was never able to act stern and cold towards children even if he wanted to. With this reasoning, it was easier for Haruto to accept his unusual behavior.