Autumn

02

******

" -an! Haech? Haechan! Helloooo," he felt a hard slap to the back of his head which made him look up, caressing the sore spot at the same time.

" The fuck Injunnie? "

Renjun and Jaemin chuckled at that.

" Are you awake now? You've been out of it the whole day, even during the presentation. It's as if you're talking on autopilot earlier according to ' Sungie. You okay? "

" Yeah. Just didn't get enough sleep. "

" Hmm... But good job still, you got a high grade for your research so that's still a win-win. "

" Yeah, I guess. " , He replied dully. Jaemin and Renjun glanced at each other. It's so out of character for their friend. Because the friend they know will definitely brag his high grade to their faces regardless of the circumstances. They've seen it several times now, even that one time Haechan lay pale in the hospital bed after surviving from a car crash, he still had the guts to annoy the shit out of them. So the silence unnerved them both.

" Alright, spill it " , Renjun said facing him completely, lunch tray lay abandoned and untouched.

" Spill what? "

" The beans. What's wrong? What's on your mind? "

" Yeah, c'mon Haech. "

" There's nothing to say. I'm fine. "

" Oh please. We know you. If you're using your few remaining braincells to think , it must be serious" , Jaemin replied. Haechan rolled his eyes and flipped them off. The two smiled at him.

" It's not about that, right? " , Renjun asked concern. Haechan took the hint and replied with a no.

" Go on then. "

" Okay, so what if someone close to you wanted to keep umm.. something but you know it'll disrupt everything. Your future decisions, lifestyle, financial status, etc. But if they do decide to go through it you know you need to be there with them all the way cause you are err.. partly responsible. What will you do? "

" Is Auntie having another kid? "

" Wha- ? No. "

" Another cat or dog perhaps?"

" No! "

" A plant then? "

" How-? It's not about mom, okay! "

" You want a dog?", Jaemin asks.

" No."

Haechan face palmed. What did he even expected from their friends. They continue listing on everything they see is compatible to what Haechan described. Haechan continue shaking his head as a no, face buried in his hands. But what Renjun said made him look up.

" Ummm... A kid I guess? You want a baby?  Really? In this economy? "

" Exactly. That's precisely what I said to him. And he won't hear me out. ", he complained.

"What?!"

"Who?! "

The startled look on both his friend's faces is enough to tell Haechan that there's no way out of the situation now. The cat's out of the bag and he knows that his friends will squeeze out the answer from him either by hook or by crook. Physical and psychological torture included. What's the point in lying anyways? He knew these two since 6th grade. He can never hide anything from them. Besides if Mark really is determined to have this kid 8 hands are better than 4 clumsy ones.