ELITES || enhypen. [✓]

017

─────── 𝐂 𝐇 𝐀 𝐏 𝐓 𝐄 𝐑    𝟏𝟕 ───────

[21 | 02 | 23 , 00:00]

The 21st of February was going to be a bittersweet day for many years to come.

It signified the birth day of Huang Dana but also the remembrance day for her passing. Her best friend Min Aera bought a cupcake from a nearby convenience store, sticking a candle in the middle, lighting it and then waiting until the clock hit midnight when she finally blew it out.

She took the cupcake in her hands, like it was a delicate hummingbird and placed it on her windowsill in front of an open window.

"Happy birthday," Aera smiled at nothing.

She left it there until the morning when she woke up to find it not there anymore.

[4:14am]

"When are you guys leaving?" Ahyeun asked into her phone that was left on speaker as she was tying up her hair.

"I don't know," Heeseung sighed, irritated at something. "Whenever that son of a bitch decides to calm down."

Ahyeun's hands stopped around her hair for a second. "He's at it again?"

"Like always."

Ahyeun always felt bad for Heeseung because he had a father much the opposite of hers. The two were close, having been friends for years now and she remembers every single occasion when Heeseung would speak to her about what was going on at home, rant endlessly, curse his dad out or even cry into her arms.

It was all the way back in junior year when she first ever found out.

*flashback*

"Heeseung-ah?" Ahyeun called out to the boy huddled to himself by the back gates of the school.

She crouched down next to him, slightly shaking his shoulder. "Heeseung? What's wrong?"

Ahyeun's expression widened when she saw Heeseung's bloodshot eyes that looked up at her when he raised his head.

"Oh-," she gasped. "Heeseung.. W-why are you crying?!"

"I can't say-" he said, his voice breaking down.

"Ahh," Ahyeun looked at the boy in sympathy. She'd never seen him this weak and emotional. "It's ok, you don't have to tell me."

She stayed with him until he calmed down, patted his back, wiped his tears and gave him words of encouragement. So when he finally stopped crying and was ready to speak, he found himself telling her everything.

"Your dad h-hits you mom?"

"Mhmm, sometimes so bad that she has to go to the hospital. But they just tell the doctors she fell from the stairs or bumped into a wall or something."

"Oh no," Ahyeun felt her eyes prick with tears. "That's so cruel. How long has he been doing that?"

"For as long as I can remember."

*end of flashback*

Ahyeun felt herself back in that moment, and her vision blurred. She quickly grabbed a tissue, patting it gently onto her waterline. "What if you try to leave early? We could meet up at the place?"

"I'm not sure yet, I'll see what I feel like."

"Ok, take care," Ahyeun said, nervously picking her nails.