HYUN [ JJK ]

29

Jeongguk would be lying if he said he didn't suffer being a 'single father'. Waking up to clean Hyun and made his food, cleaning the kitchen only to have Hyun playing with the food and spilling it onto the floor on the next second. Jeongguk was tired physically and emotionally—tired of managing everything on his own and tired of Jaehwa and her tantrums. He could call her and apologise but no, he chose not to do that. After all, it was her who took things too seriously so why should he apologise when he literally did nothing wrong?

Everything was getting on his nerves at this point that Jeongguk couldn't help but yelling at Hyun at some point which of course, causing the boy to wail since he understood almost everything now. That's another level of stress—which Jeongguk had to comfort him after yelling at him to vent his anger out. At this rate, he didn't understand how guys his age decided to get married and have a family, especially those who had more than a kid when Jeongguk was on the verge of throwing himself off a cliff.

His one and only lifeline was Jung Hoseok, glad that the friend never hesitated to come over. Jeongguk had told Hoseok what happened, and what the orange haired guy said in return had never crossed Jeongguk's mind. Hoseok suggested Jeongguk to be honest to his family and that meant telling his parents and his nosy sister that he was keeping a baby and he needed help. Of course, the pros outnumbered the cons—Jeongguk had spent nights thinking about them. If his parents knew about Hyun, Jeongguk could simply leave Hyun at his parents' house and he could save up since he didn't have to pay for the daycare. Jeongguk didn't have to worry about coming home late since there's always someone to look after Hyun. To sum it up, he could live his normal life again if he left Hyun to his family.

But again, that would cause the biggest disaster. Before anything else, he had to tell them what actually happened and that would be a long explanation which before he could get their approval, Jeongguk probably would be disowned by his parents.

A nauseous feeling would wash away Jeongguk's entire being every time he saw the calendar. There's only few days left before university starts and he's currently trying his best to prepare what needed to be prepared. But him being struggling with Hyun now, everything was three times harder and more complicated. Thank God Hoseok was always there to help. He bought Jeongguk anything he needed without any hesitation, he dropped by to look after Hyun whenever Jeongguk was asked to come to his parents' house for a dinner. He did everything and Jeongguk couldn't thank him more for that.

"What do you think? Do you want to tell your parents about Hyun?" Hoseok asked when they were devouring their ramens. The silence of the night made Jeongguk feel so uncomfortable, couldn't help but feeling restless upon the mere thought of telling his parents the truth.

At last, he shook his head lightly.

Hoseok sighed, putting down his chopsticks. "Are you sure you can survive another 10 days without Jaehwa? Because judging from current circumstance, it seems like you can't." Hoseok deadpanned, which Jeongguk couldn't deny that he himself was indeed struggling to live a day now. Everything was hell to him. It was as if the time had turned back and this, everything happening at the moment, reminded him so much of the first day Hyun came into his life. "I can't help you every time, Jeongguk. You and Jaehwa promised-"

"You're telling me to apologise again, aren't you?" Jeongguk said in monotone, chopsticks stirring the ramen. "You know what I hate the most about girls and she's literally doing it. She shouldn't take it too seriously!"

"Maybe it's because she likes you?" Hoseok guessed. His ramen was remained untouched. "You told me she cried after you said she doesn't have to act as a wife. Well... frankly speaking, I can't understand her either but maaaaaybe she was hurt to know that you see her not more than just a friend?"

Jeongguk buried his face in his palm before sweeping his hair backward. God, understanding Jaehwa was harder than creating a whole film for his finals. "If she falls for me then it's her problem. I did nothing, alright? Did I ever say anything to her? No. Did I mention that I'm interested in her? No. So it's her fault. Not mine."

Hoseok chuckled before shoving his ramen into his mouth, wiping the corner of his lips with the back of his hand hastily afterwards. "You- you sure? You two were always together. I bet there's times where you guys would talk about... things which were not Hyun-related?"

Jeongguk shook his head.

"Holding hands?"

Upon that, Jeongguk's eyes suddenly widened, as if something just registered on his mind. "We- we kinda hugged once. Remember the night I asked you to come to the casino? Jaehwa wanted to tag along so I brought her."

Hoseok scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. "Why did you hug her though?"

"The effect of alcohol." Jeongguk shrugged as he leaned his back against the chair. "I drank a bit. Maybe around a sip? Didn't know After Shock was that powerful."

Hoseok facepalmed himself, didn't know whether to curse or laugh at his friend for being so stupid. "It's fucking After Shock, Jeongguk. It smashes you, sets you on fire real quick." Hoseok threw the latter a death glare, saw how Jeongguk only rolled his eyes. "Scratch that. I don't care if you were not sober enough that night. The most important thing here is, did she hug you back?"

"She didn't but she didn't push me away, which is a good thing or else that would be so embarrassing." Jeongguk smirked, folding his legs to change his position on the chair. "Whatever. It's just a hug."

"But you don't hug girls." Hoseok clicked his tongue, obviously teasing Jeongguk this time. "They say a drunk mind speaks a sober heart. Well, Jeongguk. I won't blame you if you're having a crisis with your own emotions since this is like the first time you're this close with a woman. Yes you guys are friends but remember, there's Hyun that bonded you guys together." Hoseok tilted his head before propping it on his hand. "Women, they are complicated, you know? They can be cold as ice but in the right hands, they melt."

"I am not that right hands-"

"You will never know, Jeongguk. We will never know. We'll never know if anything you did somehow pulled her heartstrings in some kind of way. Jaehwa loves babies, so there's a probability she loves guys who play well with babies as well, and you, own that criteria now. Maybe you're too ignorant to notice if she acts differently around you now. You might not noticed when she blushed, when she tried or accidentally showed that she wanted to be around you more. It's all about feelings, Jeongguk."

"Hmm." Was all Jeongguk replied as he continued eating the ramen. "And you watched too many dramas. I had enough of women. From my sister to Jaehwa, they're just annoying as fuck." Swallowing the food, Jeongguk continued. "I'll just focus on university now. Plus, she won't like me because apparently, I was a fuck boy and she hated that."

Upon hearing that, a grin crept onto Hoseok's face. "Wanna bet?" Before Jeongguk could ask, Hoseok was quick to fish for his wallet, taking out few notes and slid them towards the centre of the dining table. "100,000 won." Taking Jeongguk's silence as a cue, Hoseok licked his lips, his eyes became hooded before he spat words that made Jeongguk choke on his ramen. "She will confess to you."

Hands fumbling for the cola, Jeongguk chugged down the whole can before he could breathe properly again. It was absurd but knowing he had a high chance to win, he couldn't held but scoffing at Hoseok's dumb idea.

"Let's get it."