WEAK HERO - AHN SOOHO X OC

TWENTY TWO: SAFE PLACE

Hyejin was sitting with her back against the wall, Baku next to her as they watched Sieun still passed out, but after a few minutes he stirred sitting up.

"Did you sleep well?" Baku said trying to light up the mood.

"what happened?" Sieun said.

Hyejin sighed leaning forward. "Seongje got caught, but we managed to escape, Baku carried you all the way here" she said.

"anyway..." Baku started. "thank you and i'm sorry, i'll make sure this never happens again" he said and the twins both turned towards him.

"are you going to fight again?" Sieun asked.

Baku froze. "what?"

"if you do..." Hyejin started. "will it change anything? this shit will just keep going" she mumbled.

"in the end someone will get hurt" Sieun continued. "why is Na Baekjin... acting that way towards you?"

Baku smile faded as the twins went on, his expression dark for the first time since they had met him, his eyes lost in the distance for a bit until he managed to look at Sieun. "we're just... childhood friends" he mumbled.

During the following days after what happened the group somehow got closer, more chaotic, Baku keeping them together like glue, Hyuntak trying to teach Juntae how to land a punch atleast, Hyejin and Hayeon just being in their own girls world, Sieun in the middle of it all, his mind racing if this was the right thing to do, letting people in. The group was stuck together, by now everyone around school knew, and also the rumors about the fight with Seongje, Chaeyon and the union kids. The days were too peaceful but soon that peace would be gone.

"sit down, both of you" their mom called out as the twins stepped inside.

"what..." Hyejin started but the woman stopped her.

"do you think i don't notice? the bruises, skipping cram school, going in and out of school, what do you think you two are doing?" she said slightly raising her voice, she pushed and envelop towards them. "get ready to study abroad"

"we didn't do anything" Hyejin scoffed.

their mom looked at them and then sighed leaning her elbows on the table. "I know what happened before made it hard to focus, i thought a lot about this... let's just leave Korea and—"

"we don't want to" Sieun interrupted.

"is it wrong for me to worry about my kids?" the woman yelled standing up immediately. "you will study abroad, that's final"

"you can go back to live your life without caring about us" Sieun said coldly.

"i thought... what happened at your previous school was all my fault..." the woman mumbled, her eyes filling with tears. "because i was a terrible mom... i can't let something happen to you two again, can I?"

"don't act like you care now" Hyejin said with frustration and she walked to her room slamming the door shut.

She avoided her mother like some sort of disease, she closed off even with the group, Hayeon tried to reach out whenever she could, but it seemed like the only thing comforting her was the silence of Suho's hospital room, except for the beeping on the machines and his steady breathing in the oxygen mask.

"Suho-ah..." she started. "what should i do? i feel like i'm lost right now, i don't know what's happening anymore... what would you say if you were here? you... always knew what to say..." she mumbled. "things with my mom, Sieun, the union... everything is messed up and i feel like i'm crumbling... the more i go one the more i think you saved me back then, and now i don't know how to... do it without you..." she let her hand rest over his gently, her eyes scanning him for a bit.

A FEW DAYS LATER

"... plane 9111 about to depart, boarding for Singapore on gate 5..." the static voice of the assistant rounded the airport, the twins sat on a bench in there, Hyejin tightly holding her passport like she wanted it to tear.

"i put ribbons on your suitcases so they will be easier to find" their mother said but none of them answered, the woman sighed. "Sieun-ah, Hyejin-ah... let's think positively... i'll finish up my work and be there too"

Hyejin stood up not wanting to hear any of it and she walked a bit on the side looking out the airport big window, her phone rang in her pocket so she picked it up, Hayeon's name lighting up on the screen.

"hey Hayeon-ah, what is it?" she answered, her voice slightly tired already.

"yah girl you thought you thought you could leave without saying goodbye?" her friend's voice came out slightly loud from the other side of the phone.

"sorry, it wasn't my intention" Hyejin said looking down at her shoes.

Hayeon thought for a bit. "listen i wanted to tell you last time..." she mumbled. "we all know... i mean baku, Hyuntak, Juntae and me... we all know about your... friend in the hospital... and the reason why he ended up there... we all know it's not your fault, neither is Sieun's..." she said and Hyejin froze, the grip on her phone tightening. " i just wanted you to know..."

Hyejin ended the call, her hands trembling slightly as her eyes were glassy, Sieun was immediately on her side when he noticed the shift and their mom came too.

"what's going on..." the woman asked confused.

"i don't want to go..." she said, voice broken. "our friends said... it wasn't our fault" she mumbled turning to Sieun who froze too.