My President

.22.

Hours Before

Hyunjin, being out of it for the last few hours, decided to go out. He gets everything off his chest and finally shows his true feelings about the situation. He wasn't going to get drunk nor was he going to get high.

He went to see a friend.

Someone that always helped him through his hard times. The person he has known forever but hasn't seen in what felt like years.

"Jisung!" Hyunjin yells causing the people around to stare.

He ran up to the big-cheeked boy and embraces him harshly. They had agreed to meet in a small park where it was quiet. Jisung hugged Hyunjin back with just as much force. It seems that both boys had missed each other more than anything else in the world.

They held each other for a while before releasing the other from their grasp. They smiled at each other dearly as they sat on a nearby bench. The first thing they talked about was how their careers were going.

Jisung was a game designer and seemed to enjoy it. He had talked to some of the biggest game makers in the world. That was the way Jisung geeked out and Hyunjin didn't seem uninterested. But as Jisung was talking about himself and how he was with Minho, Hyunjin prepared himself.

He was preparing for the obvious question that anyone would ask him.

"How's Seungmin doing?" He asked.

Although Hyunjin had prepared himself for the question, he didn't want to answer. He entangled his hands together as he looked up into the sky.

"The sky is beautiful today isn't it?" Hyunjin asked, trying his hardest to change the subject.

Jisung nudged him knowing what he was doing. They both laughed but once the giggles dialed down, there was an uncomfortable silence. At least for Hyunjin.

"That's the reason you called me isn't it?" Jisung questioned, "Did you cheat on him again."

"No." Hyunjin said, surprising Jisung, "It's a long story."

Jisung set his bag down and attempted to get comfortable on the wooden bench. He wanted the send the signal that he had time to here this long story Hyunjin didn't want to tell. Jisung was filled with wonder about what his best friend had been doing for them to have problems.

As Hyunjin went on to tell the full-length story of what's been happening for the past few months, Jisung listened carefully. Letting out the occasional 'oohs' and 'ahhs' during each surprise.

Hyunjin stopped in between to avoid getting super angry and saying things he didn't mean. The last thing he wanted was regrets about telling Jisung something he would misunderstand. Hyunjin went on and on about everything.

"Wait so you slept with that lady?" Jisung asked.

"No!" Hyunjin clarified, "Are you not listening."

"I am," Jisung chuckled, "I just wanted to get you angry."

Hyunjin sighed while holding the bridge of his nose.

The weight of the situation bore heavily upon him, especially when it came to losing the person he loved the most. Jisung listened intently, his heart aching for his friend. He reached out and placed a comforting hand on Hyunjin's trembling shoulder.

Jisung's expression softened, his voice filled with empathy. "Love is a risk, my friend."

"And then Dori just made everything even worse."

"Dori?" Jisung said removing his hand, "Weird Dori?"

Hyunjin looked up at him with questions. What did he mean by 'weird Dori'?

"Do you know him?"

Jisung nodded his head with a disgusted expression painting his face. Hyunjin leaned in closer to show Jisung that he wanted to know more. Jisung started talking about this Dori that he seemed to know. The description he gave Hyunjin seemed to fit the one he was dealing with. It seems like he never changed his appearance over the last few years.

Turns out that Dori did go to high school with them.

"He was obsessed with Seungmin." Jisung started, "We were lab partners for about two years, and when he found out I was friends with Seungmin, he always wanted to talk about him. He wanted me to put in a good word for him so he could get a chance to possibly date him. But since I was your friend and you were so obviously in love with him, there wasn't much I could do."

Hyunjin was surprised to hear about it.

"Once we became sophomores his obsession seemed to grow. He would follow me around just to see Seungmin. It was really weird so I transferred classes to get away from him." Jisung seemed to gag while the moments replayed in his mind, "He constantly called my phone for weeks wondering why he never saw me again. Soon enough, I blocked him because he threatened to 'send people after me'. It was weird."

"He didn't mess with you after that?"

"He did. But my family just filed a restraining order on him to keep me safe. It was so disturbing because he started popping up everywhere. I didn't notice half the time but I always felt like I was being watched. It was worse when I was with Seungmin."

Hyunjin was weirded out by the story and was hoping this wasn't the same thing that was happening to him. Dori seemed to not want anything to do with Hyunjin and only had an interest in Seungmin.

"But how come I don't know him?" Hyunjin curiously asked.

"Because you were competition." Jisung said pulling out his phone, "No one is going to go skipping with someone that is an obstacle."

Jisung started scrolling through pictures on his phone before finding one. It seemed to be a photo of them when they were in high school. Everyone was in it, including Dori.

Hyunjin looked closely and saw that Dori wasn't even looking at the camera but at him. Hyunjin remembered the day. It was a school trip and the first time he had slept in the same bed as Seungmin, a date he chooses to never forget.

It was odd that Dori went to school with them and he had no idea. All the remarks he made, all the sudden pop-ups, and all the stories Seungmin had told him not made sense.

"I think it was all his plan." Jisung said trying to sound like he was one of those friends in a movie that helps the main character realize something huge, "That's just me though."

Hyunjin nodded his head knowing that Jisung was actually on to something. Since Dori didn't have Jisung to put in a word for him the next thing was Hyunjin.

"Once he found out you guys were dating back in high school, he was out of school for what felt like days. I'm pretty sure he was at your party that night you cheated on Seungmin." Jisung laughed.

Hyunjin shot him a glare that soon made Jisung regret he ever spoke.

"If Dori was at that party, how come I didn't see him?"

"Do you think he would want to be seen by the person that took the person he loved away from him?"

Hyunjin realized what he was saying and agreed. He didn't know that things would go this far and didn't know that things were this deep. He had spent most of his life loving Seungmin not knowing there was always someone lurking in the shadows, praying for their downfall.

"Why are we surprised though? We've all had a crush on Seungmin at some point." Jisung said while laughing, "You just the dumbass that continued to pursue after rejection."

Hyunjin put his head in his hands a sighed. He knew something was up with Dori the moment Seungmin told him about meeting him.

There was something wrong with Dori. Hyunjin knew that he had followed Seungmin while he still had a crush on him, but he never harassed anyone to get what he wanted.

Before Hyunjin could think any more Jisung spoke.

"Where is Seungmin anyway?"

Hyunjin lifted his head with wide eyes.

"He's with that bastard!"

With that, Hyunjin rose to his feet and started running to his car.