It came out of nowhere that Friday morning.

MyungSoo arrived at school when suddenly DongWoo who appeared out of thin air, dragged the younger with him. MyungSoo was too shocked to ask what was going on.
He only got the chance when they went inside an abandoned classroom but even then DongWoo spoke before him.

“My mother had SungYeol’s mom invited over!” DongWoo exclaimed the minute the door closed behind him.

This made MyungSoo gape as he didn’t see this coming at all, he stared with big eyes to the other who continued rambling:“Friends...convince...searching...called...live...coming over.” These were all words that came out of DongWoo’s mouth but MyungSoo couldn’t make any sense of it.

MyungSoo needed to interrupt the older if he wanted to know what the whole story was about and this he did by grabbing DongWoo’s shoulders to make the other stop talking.  “Calm down, DongWoo-hyung!” he ordered before he went on talking. “Tell me slowly what you were saying... slowly.” he made sure he emphasized the last word.

DongWoo nodded in response, took a deep breath before he started to speak. It was still said in a fast pace but this time Myungsoo understood everything.  

“My mother had SungYeol’s mom over, I didn’t know they were friends so I asked my mother about this and my mom said they aren’t friends but my mom went to SungYeol’s mom to convince her to stop searching for SungYeol and she finally succeeded, that’s why no policemen are looking for him anymore, it’s because she called it off. I think she’ll let him live alone now. The only thing I’m afraid off is...that my mother told her the address of where SungYeol is living and that SungYeol’s mother is coming over.”

“SungYeol’s mother is coming over”

That sentence made him terrified, suddenly he couldn’t feel his own legs anymore, luckily DongWoo catched him and helped him sitting down, looking worriedly at him. “MyungSoo, are you alright?” He asked concerned.

MyungSoo didn’t respond and instead grabbed his head in his hands, thinking about what he just heard, trying to digest all the information before he took a deep breath and looked up at DongWoo who was staring concerned at him.

“D...Does she know that...I’m living there too?” MyungSoo asked in a small voice.

DongWoo stared at him for a couple of seconds, catching up on why MyungSoo was troubled before shaking his head. “I’m not sure my mother told her…” he hesitantly said and smiled sympathetically.

MyungSoo made a decision in a matter of seconds and jumped up, startling DongWoo who fell on his behind.

“I’m going to stay with you for a couple of days, hyung. If she sees I’m living there... they’ll have a fight and I don’t want that to happen.” MyungSoo announced quickly and without waiting for an answer from the older because he knew DongWoo would let him sleep over, he ran out of school to the bus and then to their home...

When he ran inside the apartment he startled SungYeol who was cleaning. “MyungSoo? What are you doing here?”

MyungSoo stared in awe before remembering what he needed to tell. With slow steps he walked closer, SungYeol continued staring surprised at him.

...

“My mom knows I live here?” SungYeol asked surprised after the younger was done talking and MyungSoo nodded with a sigh. They were sitting next to each other on the couch.

“Yes...So, I’ll stay with DongWoo-hyung a couple of days until she comes by, okay?” MyungSoo informed the other, already making a move to get up to leave for the bedroom to grab some of his clothes when SungYeol’s hand on his wrist stopped him.

“Stay...I need you by my side when she comes.” SungYeol whispered, he didn’t look at MyungSoo but looked at the ground instead.

MyungSoo couldn’t help but gawk stupefied. “I’m the reason why this all happened in the first place, SungYeol, don’t you think it’s better for me to stay away when your mother comes?” He asked in a high-pitched voice.

SungYeol shook rapidly his head, disagreeing with that thought. “Exactly,” he said softly before he slowly looked up, locking eyes with the younger. “You are the reason...that’s why I need you to stay.” MyungSoo stared confused back, at a loss of words until the sound of the doorbell made them turn their attention at the same time to the hall.

“I think she’s here,” SungYeol said with a shiver and let go of MyungSoo’s wrist to stare afraid to the hall. “Can you open the door, MyungSoo?” He then asked in a small voice, his eyes not leaving the entryway.

MyungSoo wanted to open his mouth to argue that this wasn’t the best solution. If it was indeed SungYeol’s mother who was behind that door, she  would get angry seeing that MyungSoo was here yet when he saw how SungYeol seemed drained of energy, he couldn’t say no thus with a sigh he walked slowly to the door.

SungYeol was clearly afraid but MyungSoo didn’t fare too well on his own. Walking to the door a thought appeared in his head how strange it was that if it was SungYeol’s mother how she was already here at the door and not ringing the buzzer downstairs like how it should be, waiting to be let in. He couldn’t dwell on that thought for too long because there was now knocking and it didn’t stop. Whoever was behind that door, the person wasn’t planning to go away.

MyungSoo took a deep breath in front of the door, his hand slowly reaching out to the handle, heart pounding rapidly, scared to face the storm that was without a doubt coming. With one last gulp he opened the door…

“MyungSoo, my dear!”

MyungSoo got almost a heart attack when followed by these words was a tight hug. “M...om... J..ang?” he stuttered surprised while said person continued hugging him like her life depended on it.  

“I’m sorry,” she finally let him go and took his head in her hands to stare at him intensively. “I missed you! I miss you at home,” she explained. MyungSoo saw tears in her eyes but before he could respond that he missed her too, another voice spoke up:  “Then where does he live now, if not with your family?”

MyungSoo’s eyes immediately went to the person who said this; SungYeol’s mother. She appeared next to DongWoo’s mother and stared at him, there was no kindness in her eyes. His blood ran cold,  seeing the hateful gaze that was directed towards him.

“I understood this is where my son lives,” she said coldly, looking around the hallway, trying to find a trace of SungYeol which she didn’t find because SungYeol cleaned the whole place today. “but I find you here...why is that?”  She stared accusingly at MyungSoo and the younger felt himself shrinking under her gaze not knowing what exactly he had to answer.   

“He lives here!”

Without any warning SungYeol came out of the living-room and walked  towards his mother whose eyes were big in surprise, open in shock. “He lives here,” SungYeol confirmed again and watched the face of his mother fall.

MyungSoo’s heart sped up while he stared wide-eyed at SungYeol, amazed that the other had said this. SungYeol seemed so different suddenly; full of confidence. The scared person from before that had grabbed his wrist, almost begging him to stay, had disappeared completely.

SungYeol caught him staring and turned to look at him, giving him a soft smile and a small nod to reassure he was fine.

“He...what?” SungYeol’s mother yelled, interrupting their moment and stared angrily at her son. “What do you mean he lives here? Why is he living here?” She fired even more question at SungYeol who now focussed his gaze on his mother. “MyungSoo lives here because he wanted to help me out. He and DongWoo,” he send DongWoo’s mother a thankful gaze who smiled hearing her son’s name. “They saw how hard it was for me to manage it all alone  and MyungSoo decided to help and...take care of me.” SungYeol blushed when he said these last words. He glanced at the younger who opened his mouth to reply but SungYeol’s mother spoke before he could.

“Show me around!” She demanded, marching uninvited inside the apartment, SungYeol quickly following her.  

MyungSoo wanted to follow them but DongWoo’s mother held him back. “MyungSoo.” she said and the younger looked at her. “I’m sorry that I told her about this place, but it was the only way for her to stop searching for him and to let the police back off,” she explained sadly.

He shook his head, fully comprehending the situation they now were in and smiled reassuringly at her. “DongWoo told me this morning. It was a shock, I can’t deny, but it’s okay, this has to happen. I only didn’t want to be here but,” he sighed, staring at the hallway where the two disappeared to, hearing Mrs. Lee loud voice yelling at her son. “SungYeol wanted me to stay.” he finished.  

“He likes you.”

MyungSoo turned his head, a small blush appearing on his cheeks with the implying of these words or what he hoped was true. Mom Jang smiled at him and patted his shoulder. “Let’s go and support SungYeol.” MyungSoo nodded and then followed her to the living-room where SungYeol’s mother was, inspecting thoroughly the whole apartment.

The whole tour around the apartment went by in a decent manner if you didn’t count her annoyed face when she found something that didn’t belong to SungYeol... until they reached the bedroom.  “And this is...the bedroom.” SungYeol concluded, he turned around, wanting to walk out of the room when his mother’s voice stopped him. “Only one bedroom?” She asked surprised.

SungYeol halted in his steps and turned around confused, not catching on what she meant with that. “Yes, why?”

She glared at the two pillows that were on the bed, clearly they both had been slept on. SungYeol’s mother glared then at MyungSoo who didn’t look at her as he did get the picture but even when he didn’t look up he felt her eyes boring a hole in his skull.

“Where does he sleep?” She pointed her finger at MyungSoo and glared now at her son.

“MyungSoo?” SungYeol asked confused. “He sleeps -”

“I sleep on the couch!” MyungSoo yelled before SungYeol could say something else. MyungSoo didn’t know if the older wanted to tell her that they slept in the same bed but when looking at SungYeol...his feeling told him that’s what the other wanted to do.

“The couch?” SungYeol’s mother repeated slowly, her eyes only on her son. “Is this true, SungYeol?” She questioned him who on his turn looked at the younger, trying to figure out why MyungSoo wanted to lie about this. They didn’t do anything wrong with sleeping together in the same bed, right? However when SungYeol saw the look the younger gave him, he caved in and nodded slowly, focussing his attention back on his mother. “Yeah... he sleeps on the couch.”

“As it should be.” She replied, proceeding to walk out the bedroom.

After she wasn’t in hear-distance, SungYeol wanted to ask MyungSoo why he just had to lie when...his mother’s voice was heard from inside the living-room: “SungYeol come here! I’m not done talking to you!”  The taller closed his mouth, shook his head and sighed, heading fast into the living-room. He just wanted to get this over with and that she would leave.

MyungSoo stared at the ajar door where the taller disappeared into. He was hesitating to follow the taller to hear what else Mrs. Lee had to say and possible insult him some more or just stay here and wait until she was gone. He yearned to go for the last option but he also knew that SungYeol needed him...knowing that he was needed he sped fast out the bedroom to stand close to the taller.

Mrs. Lee was sitting on the couch and next to her sat DongWoo’s mother who smiled when she saw MyungSoo appearing. It seemed that Mom Jang didn’t want to get involved into anything yet was present.

“What is it, mom?” SungYeol asked tiredly.

“You need to come back home. I don’t want you to live here,” She announced with a hard stare. ‘With him’ Words that were left unsaid but MyungSoo knew that’s what she meant exactly.

SungYeol shook his  head resolutely. “I don’t want to go back.”

“You have nothing to say about this! You are still a minor and you need to listen to me. I am your mother! Now go pack your stuff! We are leaving!” She said furiously.  

“No!” SungYeol exclaimed and stared angrily at his mother. “There’s a reason why I ran away from home! If you force me to go back, I’ll just run away again!”

fell open with the outburst of her son,  and she stared dumbfounded at him. “W-What?”

SungYeol took a deep breath before responding: “You said you never wanted to see me again, so I ran away from home.”

“This is because you emptied your whole savings account for that guy,” again, she pointed an accusing finger at MyungSoo who was staring sadly at the ground. Seeing this, SungYeol had enough of this theater. “Don’t point your finger at him,” he shouted. “He’s my best friend!”

“He’s a bad influence! she retorted in an even angrier voice. “You need to get away from him!”

SungYeol couldn’t believe his ears. “Bad influence?” He laughed. “MyungSoo is one of the nicest people I know!” After saying these words he glanced flustered at the younger.

MyungSoo didn’t hear the last part of the heated conversation that was going on.
His heart was still aching, hearing all the hate.

“He’s a good guy?” Mrs. Lee barked. “You’ve been nothing but disobedient since you met him! You slept over at his place without telling me anything! You went to a strange club because of him and you skipped school! She summed up. “What is happening between you two?! You are just like your f-”

“Kwon Hee Ji!” DongWoo’s mother shouted, putting a hand on said person’s thigh to protect her from talking any further.

SungYeol’s mother stood fast up as if she got burned. She clearly had said too much.
“I need to go,” she muttered and then stormed away, a moment later they all heard the door being slammed shut.

A/N : I'm my worst critic...Never 100% satisfied, re-reads and adds more or changes but  I hope you like the chapter! 

See you soon again! 

Thank you for reading, thank you for staying with me~ ♥ 

DISCLAIMER: Kwon Hee ji is a completely fictional name.