The 1 Rule - haobin

honest

"So you like a boy? So what?" my mom says, confusion written all over her face

"Mom, don't you get it?" I ask, frustrated after recounting the whole story

"I do. You like the boy and you feel bad for his sister because you know that she always compares herself to him"

"I mean, yeah," I say

"But it's your heart, not hers. You can't help yourself"

"yeah, but dad-"

"Forget your dad. Are you married to the girl?" My mom asks. I look at her in confusion

"No..."

"Does she love you?"

"No.. not anymore"

"Do you have kids?" She asks and I laugh

"No..."

"Then there's nothing to worry about," my mom says, flailing her arms up in frustration. I stay silent for a while, thinking it through 

"But dad-" I start, but my mom interrupts me again

"Hanbin, for god's sake, your dad was married, I loved him, and he had a kid. The situations are very different." She says. As I listen to her, it dawns on me. Yeah... the situations are very different

"You get where I'm going with this?" My mom asks, and I nod hesitantly

"I think so..."

"Hanbin, just think of it in this way. That girl and you aren't dating. She has no right to stop you from liking her brother. It's reasonable for her to be sad about it for a while, but she'll soon get over it," she says, and I continue to think over it "It's good that you are about other people's feelings and all, but sometimes it isn't the right thing. Hanbin?"

"Hm?"

"Can you imagine yourself with that Hao guy?" She asks, catching me off guard. I imagine the feeling of us kissing again every day. That same feeling that I can freely have. A smile plays on my lips as I imagine waking up next to him, making him breakfast, taking late-night walks with him, watching him graduate.

"Yeah. I do"

"Then that's all you need to know," my mom says. I look up at her with a happy face. 

"Thank you... mom"

"Don't worry about it. Now go get your man" My mom says, lightly pushing me off the couch. I laugh before making myself turn serious again

"Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry for not being here. I couldn't stand it. Y'know, with the whole divorce and all," I say quietly. My mom rubs my right shoulder lightly

"I understand. As long as you come over more often" She says. I nod, give her a hug, and run out of the house towards my car.

I make a plan in my head, and I shiver at the thought. It's time to be honest.

---

I watch as Hao opens the door, eyes widening in confusion after seeing me

"Hanbin? Why do you look like you cried-" he starts, but I interrupt him by crashing my lips against his. I see his eyes widen even more, but eventually soften as he reciprocates the kiss. Our lips move in harmony, at a rhythm. It was like a whole new drug, only healthier. A lot healthier. I wouldn't say that there are fireworks, but I would say that there is peace of mind. 

Happiness, joy, love... all of the pretty emotions

A healthy drug. I like the sound of that. I like the sound of getting another dose of this every day. Maybe multiple times a day. I like the idea of having him by my side. I like the idea of me having to take care of him. I like the idea of watching us grow

I hesitantly push back, looking into his deep dark eyes for a reaction. They look so familiar. They warm my heart. 

He gives me a confused but happy look

"Well, what happened there?" He asks me and I laugh

"I like you, Hao. A lot. I mean, I guess you already knew, but yeah" I say. Silence fills the room, and I look directly at him. His eyes express different emotions, up and down. I can't catch any of them, they change so fast

"Hanbin..." he starts, and I brace myself for rejection. Of course, after all, Cho is still his sister

"I like you too, you know I do. But I don't know if you're ready to talk to Cho about it" he says. I smile at him before tucking a piece of hair behind his ear, my other hand lightly touching his waist

"I am. I'm sure she'll understand"

"I don't know, Hanbin. She might hate me for the rest of my life"

"If she's a truly kind person she won't be mad at you for too long" I reply and Hao nods hesitantly

"I think I should talk to her separately though. Maybe after you" he replies and I nod

"Is she here right now?"

"Yeah, upstairs in her room. I'll wait for you down here" he says, and I nod before giving him a smile and rushing up the stairs.

I walk to her room and knock at her door

"Come in!" her voice is cheery, and I smile to myself. She hasn't changed, she's a naturally cheerful person

I walk into the room timidly, and her eyes widen slightly before giving me another warm smile

"Hey! What's up?" she asks, getting up from her bed. I sit on a chair that is next to her desk and look at her dead in the eyes, ready to be honest.

"We need to talk"

♡♡♡

Idk if I told you guys that I'm writing a book atm for a school project but like it's actually so traumatizing for me atp. Like I'll be writing a chapter at 3 a.m. sobbing my eyes out. Like it's actually so sad, and I had no idea I was even able to make a sad scene but this book is just fully next-level sad.

Also, not just that, but I have a whole speech to remember for tmr and it's two pages long. I only memorized one paragraph for now and there are five in total. To make it worse, I memorized the shortest paragraph as well so idk what I'm going to do

(stream 'next level' by aespa)