Chapter Four

I waited sitting on the sofa. Then I began to feel creepy myself. I think I heard voices, the same voices I used to hear when I was child. Pictures of the woman began to flash in my mind. I closed my eyes and…

“AAAAAHHH”

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I couldn’t help but to scream. Scream over my imagination. I didn’t felt dumb at all that time because I was afraid. Indeed afraid.

“Hyuk!” Someone barged in and I still closed my eyes. “Hyuk!” The voice called again, I bet there were worries in that voice.

“Hyuk!” The voice called even louder and I knew it’s Hae. I open my eyes, feel relieved, I hugged him tightly. I couldn’t understand or even think about what I do next, because I’m crying. I’m crying on Hae’s shoulder.

“Hyuk, what’s wrong?” Donghae said as he rubbed my back, try to calm me.

“I saw… I heard that again Hae” I replied and continued sobbed. I bet Hae knew what I meant, he is one of the few peoples know about this fear of mine.

“Don’t worry Hyuk, I’m here.” He continued hugging me, not bothered of let go.

“Hyuk, do you still want to find the new clothes?” He asked after I finally calmed a bit. Sill hugging me.

I let go of his arm and face him. I nodded. I didn’t understand what he did next but he was laughing, at me.

“What’s… hahaha… What’s wrong with your eyes Hyuk?” He said and continued laughing.

I just realized about the thing hyung put on my eyes earlier. I ran to the big mirror beside the door. And what I saw is: My face, with tears flow, and it were black. The thing hyung put is not waterproof. It was all ruined with my tears.

“Aish” I couldn’t help but to regret it. I quickly washed my face and made sure that it was already clean as usual. Then I returned to Hae.

He was still chuckling on the sofa. I didn’t know what made him thinks that it was so funny.

“Let’s go Hae. Or hyung will be mad at me.” I dragged him outside the house, entered the car, sat at the passenger seat of his car. I was sitting there, still feel annoyed. Is it that funny?

“Okay, hyuk.” Stopped by his chuckle. “Let’s go.”

It was silent in the way to the mall, but then I remembered something.

“Hae, don’t you have to have dance practice today?” I wanted to know.

“Actually yes.” He said, I felt guilty of course, Hae never been absent in every of his dance practices. “But who can disobeyed Heechul hyung’s request?” He continued, grinning at me. I relieved, he is not mad at me.

We finally arrived at the mall. Hae parked his car on the basement and we made our way inside the mall.

The ‘usual store’ Heechul hyung said is the store hyung always buys clothes at. Sometimes I call the store ‘Heechul style store’ because it always provides what hyung wears. But I think it’s better than have any other of hyung’s makeup on my face.

I went to that store and welcomed by a tiny man, whose name I known as Ryeowook He and his brother Siwon, owned this store.

“Hyukjae hyung.” He greeted me with a smile.

“Hey Wook.” I replied. Showed off my gummy smile to him.

“Heechul hyung had called. I prepared clothes that maybe will suit you as he requested.” He said. He pointed to the cashier counter that piled up with MANY clothes. Or can I say it as a much? Shirts, jeans, and even scarf? Aish.

“What else that Heechul hyung said?” I asked and bitted my lower lip. I knew hyung had said something else worse.

“He said you have to try all of them and let me choose the ones that fit you.” Ryeowook said, looked a bit nervous.

“What else?” I asked. I expected there were more that hyung said but Ryeowook seemed didn’t want to tell it.

“Mmm.” He hesitated. “Heechul hyung asked me too… To choose the clothes that make hyung looks y.” He finally said it.

I widened my eyes and so Donghae who was followed behind me from the beginning.

“Hey Hyuk. What’s it’s all for?” Donghae suddenly asked. I just remembered that I’ve said nothing to him about this plan of mine and Heechul hyung’s.

“Later Hae I will tell you. Now please help me on trying that bunch of clothes.” I said. And Hae, with a still confused face, nodded.

“Wook, what should I try first?” I asked him. He took a shirt and a jeans from that piles and give it to me.

“Try this hyung.” He said.

I tried the clothes in the tiny fitting room the store has. I figured out it was a really tight shirt and jeans. Is it all what hyung means? It really tortured me.

I got out from that room with an irritated look.

“I don’t want these clothes.” I said and realized that I was dumb myself, saying that I don’t like them but still wear them now.

“But it looks really good on you, hyung. Heechul hyung will agree with me.” Ryeowook denied. “You must take this one.” He continued and noted something on a paper.

Is that how this store makes money from? Forcing peoples to buy their clothes? That’s why Heechul hyung has so many clothes in his jumbo wardrobe.

I turned my head on where Donghae has been sat at. He stared at me expressionlessly.

“Ugly, right?” I confirmed it to him. Just to make me happy and satisfied that he don’t like it as I do.

“I have no sense of fashion.” He said, looked down at his lap. “At all.” He continued grinning at me. That’s mean he doesn’t want to help me.

“Aish. Hae please.” I pleaded.

“What can I help? Call your hyung telling that you don’t want to buy the clothes? Sure.” He said fishing something from his jeans pocket, that I knew it’s obviously his phone.

“Stop right there.” I warned him.

“Hyung. Don’t you want to try the clothes? You have to try them all, and it will take a long time if you don’t want to hurry.” Ryeowook urged. I really wanted to say “I DON’T” to him, but this night, after hyung come back from his date with Hangeng hyung, it will be the end of me.

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So I tried them all. ALL of them. The whole of those piles. And you know what? I bought them all. ALL of them. The whole of those piles (A/N: Do you expect me just copy-pasted what I’ve wrote earlier? xD)

Donghae helped me brought the bags, I felt embarrassed myself, brought those bags and accepted the fact that we are boys, high school students, who are shopping at the crowded mall carrying big bags that written with ‘BOY’S CORNER’ (Which is I doubt of  the choice of the name) all over them.

“Hae, I’m tired. Can we just stop at that café?” I pointed the coffee shop across from the place we stood.

“Okay.” He said. Wait, was he panting? I looked at him. He looked uncomfortable with the bags at his hands. But he won’t be tired with just those bags. In fact that he bore practicing dance until about 15 hours non-stop.

“Hae, what’s wrong?” I began to worry. Have I heard him saying that he suffered sophaphobia? Um… Well, that’s ridiculous. 

“Nothing, let’s just sit there, I’m thirsty.” He said so we entered the coffee shop and ordered.

We sit in the corner of the café, the one which is facing the window where we can look outside.

“Leeteuk hyung…”

Wait, what did I just hear?

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Phobia- noun

A strong reasonable fear of something