Seungwoo
Once Was BeforeThe teenagers now sat across one another in what was a very spacious room belonging to that of the teenage boy whom Baekho still had no clue who he was. He sat on the bed while the boy sat on the chair, studying Baekho.
"So you know Minhyun?"
"Yes."
"What's your relation with him?"
Baekho felt like he was being interrogated but he knew if he wanted information, he would have to give it as well. Give and take.
"I'm his boyfriend," he replied nervously and the boy widened his eyes.
"Woah. You're saying Hwang Minhyun has a boyfriend?"
"Yes. Why do you sound like you don't believe me? I am his boyfriend," Baekho repeated and the teen chuckled when Baekho started pouting.
"I do, I do. I'm just making sure. If you're really his boyfriend, then I'm really glad..."
"Glad?"
"Yeah. My name is Seungwoo. I used to be... Friends with Minhyun before things happened."
Baekho gasped. One of Minhyun's old friends. But which one? He knew Minhyun had a couple and then there was the one who almost got thrown off a bridge but they all betrayed him in the end so Baekho wasn't sure if he should be feeling any disdain towards the teenager in front of him.
"Um... What happened?"
"Well... I... He.. Yoon happened. That guy has always been trying to get Minhyun to join him and his gang of no gooders. Minhyun was crazy to reject his offer and he wouldn't stop disturbing him even after. Paying people to disturb him and coming after us too."
"Who exactly is Yoon? Why are all of you so afraid of him?"
"He's the principal's son," Seungwoo said while squeezing his hands nervously. "We could get suspended or thrown out from school if we ever go against him."
"What? That's dumb!" Baekho hissed and Seungwoo shrugged. "But Minhyun didn't get thrown out... He shifted schools."
"He can get away with anything he does. Even the case where he... Threw the kid off the bridge. Minhyun was a special case. Our school really values high ranking students and despite him being a gangster, Minhyun always scored first place so Yoon wasn't capable of getting him thrown out. That's why he kept disturbing Minhyun. He despises Minhyun..."
Baekho felt his hair stand and his body shiver. This was the friend. The only one who kept in touch with Minhyun until that accident.
"You were there, weren't you? The friend he had to pick between," Baekho whispered and Seungwoo hesitantly nodded. He could see the North High student gradually hug his arms tightly. "Why did you quit being his friend?"
Seungwoo bit his lip. He could still remember pulling Minhyun out from the cold running river as his tall friend dragged the child back to safety. The child was choking on water and so was Minhyun but then and there, Seungwoo had yelled at him.
"Why didn't you save him?!"
Minhyun looked at him with bewildered eyed, body drenched and soaked to the bone with cold water. "How... How could you expect me to choose?"
"I told you to save the kid. What if he died?! How are either of us going to live with that!" Seungwoo carried the child who was shivering and crying.
"I..."
"I can't be your friend anymore, Minhyun."
"Seungwoo..."
"I'm sorry."
He could still hear the sound of Minhyun's soft cries as he carried the child away to a clinic. He could also hear his own as he walked away from his friend. Baekho watched the teenager hold back his tears, rubbing them away furiously with his palm.
"I didn't mean to... I was just really furious that he had let the child fall that I blurted it out at the spur of the moment. Before I could apologise, he transferred and I lost all form of contact with him."
Baekho nodded and wondered if Seungwoo hadn't said those words that day, would Minhyun still be the same person as he was today?
"Tell me what kind of trouble he's gotten into."
"It's Yoon again."
"It's always Yoon. Whatever that happens in the North will always be that ."
Seungwoo gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. Baekho nodded and continued talking, "He's got Minhyun and this time, he's making me choose between him and... An old friend of mine."
Seungwoo visibly became distraught. "Between your boyfriend and friend?"
Baekho nodded and took in deep breaths. "I know this sounds terrible and exactly the same as what he's doing but I need to know if Yoon has any weakness that I can exploit against him."
"He doesn't have any."
"That's what Minhyun said too," Baekho chuckled bitterly. He rubbed his temples. "But I need to find something. Anything. Or else he might really kill one of them."
"I'm sorry I can't be of much help..."
"No, it's okay." Baekho didn't wa
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