cafe la fleur | skz

[34]

"hyunjin!" changbin let out a loud, dramatic gasp, "what the hell happened to you? you look more ugly than usual."

hyunjin's face was deathly pale, new eye bags hung underneath his eyes, the charm and life that he usually had on his face was gone, replaced with weary and misery.

he dropped down into his seat next to changbin, with minho opposite them, as usual.

"my father," hyunjin mumbles, rubbing his eyes tiredly, "he wants to introduce me to his businessmen friends. there's this huge dinner party, and everyone important is gonna be there. i don't wanna do it."

the two other boys stared at each other with hopeless glances as hyunjin withered at the side, slamming his head onto the table, earning a few questionable stares from the people around them.

"i need a drink."

-

chan stares at the three boys before him, all shooting him pleading puppy eyes, begging him to come along on their road trip.

"it'll be a great student-teacher-bonding thing!" jisung said earnestly, "wouldn't it?"

"i-i don't know guys," chan scratched his head, awkwardly looking to the side, "i don't really know anyone that will be going, do i?"

"you have me!" jeongin pleaded, "and you can take someone with you too! anyone!"

at this, felix and jisung snapped their heads to jeongin incredulously.

"wait what? that was never part of the plan!"

"shush! we have two extra seats anyways!"

"sure," chan interrupts their little dispute, a soft warm smile takes place on his face seeing the three students cheer happily. 

"this is great! thank you professor channie!" jeongin squealed, diving in for a hug, squeezing chan's middle so tightly his face turned white.

"this is going to be the best trip ever!"

-

"oh god," seungmin takes a sharp breath in, seeing the current state hyunjin was in.

after receiving a text from hyunjin, which read 'comth ovwre i n33d: yu', seungmin had immediately left his dorm and hailed a cab for his place, afraid that something had happened to hyunjin.

which led him to where he was now, standing in hyunjin's living room, eyeing hyunjin, stunned. at two o'clock in the morning. 

the older boy was sprawled across his sofa, a can of beer in his hand. a concerning amount of empty beer cans were strewn across the floor near the sofa, and two more cartons of unopened ones were sitting on the coffee table, just in hyunjin's reach.

seungmin carefully made his way to the other, stepping over the littered cans on the floor. he sat down next to him and gently pulled hyunjin up from the sofa, cupping his cheek gingerly.

hyunjin looked dazed, a light blush dusted across his cheeks, and his usual neat raven hair all messed up, drenched in sweat and falling all over his face.

"why'd you drink so much jinnie?" seungmin asked, voice warm as he ran his thumb along hyunjin's jaw, to which the taller nuzzled into his touch.

"to take my mind off things," hyunjin murmurs, his half-opened eyes holding a distant gaze.

"what kind of things jinnie?" seungmin asked tentatively, removing his hand so he could use both to hold hyunjin's ones.

"my father," hyunjin's eyes narrowed dangerously, and seungmin could have sworn he saw fire dancing beneath those irises for a split second.

"does he think i'm fucking ready to take his position?" hyunjin spat, glaring angrily at the empty can of beer in his hand, as if it was his mortal enemy, "why can't i have a normal life? why must my father make me ceo of his company? why must i listen to him?"

"why must..." hyunjin took a deep breath in, his voice suddenly softening, "why must i be so afraid of him?"

seungmin didn't know what to say, or do. he had never seen hyunjin, or anyone in that matter, like this before.

so instead he kept silent, letting the other rant about his troubles, while seungmin listened, squeezing his hand whenever hyunjin raised his voice, or cursed out loud.

"my life was shit," hyunjin slurs, crushing the can of beer in his hand, tossing it onto the floor like it was a piece of paper, "my father pressured me into taking his place when he would step down, he told me i had to-"

hyunjin swallowed, the topic obviously hard for him to talk about, it was pretty clear from the pain laced in his voice, and the hurt on his face.

but he kept talking.

"he told me i had to do it, or else he'd disown me. he wouldn't consider me as his child. i was nine then," hyunjin let out a spiteful laugh, "imagine saying that to a nine year old. needless to say, i hated my childhood."

"do you know what it consisted of? everyday, i woke up, to be homeschooled, then i'd have lunch, then dinner, and the cycle repeats."

"i didn't see my dad much after i turned ten. not that i cared," hyunjin said bluntly, running his fingers through his messy hair, "and then i got sent to a public school, and let me tell you, i got the most attention i had in one day at school than ten years of my life."

"i guess i got addicted to all the attention and love i got from the others, and then suddenly i've earned the title 'playboy'. which leads me to where i am now."

he suddenly leaned in, wrapping his hand around seungmin's nape, and pressed their lips together. seungmin was momentarily stunned, but melted into the kiss soon enough.

"distract me from my misery minnie," hyunjin whispered against his lips, and seungmin could feel his drunken tears pressed against his cheeks.

suddenly, a euphoric feeling crashes over seungmin. maybe it was from the alcohol from hyunjin's mouth; or maybe it was the pure feeling of hyunjin's lips on his. but either way, seungmin treasured this sensation, this feeling of their lips moving together in perfect symphony.

hyunjin then pulls away, sleep taking over him, eyes drowsy and they flutter shut, before lying down on seungmin's lap, to the other's surprise. but he doesn't object, threading his fingers in hyunjin's hair, massaging his scalp gently.

"i try. i really do," hyunjin breathes after a while of complete silence, "but i don't know how much i can take now. i'm exhausted."

seungmin smiles sympathetically, planting a kiss onto hyunjin's forehead.

"you've done well jinnie."