▲▼▲ SUNNY - THE SECOND DRAWER

Exams ended at the end of the day, which meant Christmas break started. The night after exams, his friends came over. Sehun was happy to see them, but only a couple of them, the rest, he was still angry at. But Sehun didn’t show his feelings towards his friends. Whatever his friends did to make him mad, he couldn’t stay mad. They were his friends, from young age until now. He hated to lose a friend of his anyway, after what they’ve been through together and stuff, he can’t lose a friend whom he has been with through all his years.

His friends crashed onto the couch, all sighing and groaning. “I hate exams!” Baekhyun whined.
“Exams help you pass through high school,” Suho said, as he sat upright, facing his complaining friend.
“Exams give you stress and no free time at all,” Baekhyun argued back.
“Exams help you go to a good college,” Kyungsoo said.
“I’m a pig. I go to pig school. Not college,” Baekhyun said.
“Then when I graduate from college, I’ll be seeing you working at a hot dog stand, or in someone’s stomach?”
“Shut up. The point is, exams are finally ovaaaah-”
“Until we restart them in five more months,” Suho said, interrupting Baekhyun.
“Way to rain on my parade,” Baekhyun mumbled as he sank back in his seat and closed his eyes.

Sehun sat in silence as he watched his friends bicker about the exam, until Kyungsoo, who was kind enough, and invited him into the conversation. “What did you get on your exam, Sehun?”
Sehun looked up at his hyungs, “They sent out the scores already?” They all nodded. “I didn’t get mine...”
“You probably put your old address in Incheon when you were filling out your information,” Suho said. “Call your uncle and ask-”
“No,” Sehun simply answered.
“C’mon Sehun. If you ask, you will know what grade you got and-” Kyungsoo started, but Sehun cuts him off again.
“No,” he said again. “I’ll just ask the school later about it. But there’s nothing you could do to make me ask my uncle about what I got. I probably failed it anyway. If I failed it, he wouldn’t call me anyway. If I aced it, he still wouldn’t call me too.”
“Then what grade did you think you got?” Chanyeol asked, impatient.
Sehun’s lips pressed into a firm straight line. “I was confident, so... A or B. Either one is good enough...”
“Waah, Sehun is being optimistic,” Suho said with his angelic smile and patted the younger’s back. “Good. If you think optimistically, then you probably did well as you think you did.”

“Didn’t you find it awkward to find that people were staring at you the whole time at school?” Kai asked, changing the subject.
Silence flew through the room and filled up. “Yes. Why were they staring, anyway?”
“Don’t you know?” Baekhyun questioned. Sehun shook his head. “Whomever hangs out with Minyoung will get weird stares everywhere. You know why it has to be with Minyoung?” He shook his head again. “Because no one likes her truthfully.”
“Why?” Sehun asked.
They all shrugged. “I just started to judge her since everyone did too,” Kai said.
“She seems like a nice kid though,” Suho says.
“Yeah, but she’s so weird!” Baekhyun says.
“She’s also easy to pick on, so that’s why she’s always harassed,” Chanyeol explained.
Sehun kept his mouth shut and stared at the ground, as his friends changed the subject towards Christmas Eve.

▲▼▲▼▲

“Stop following me,” Sehun mumbled to Minyoung.
“Why?” she questioned. “It’s Christmas Eve, you should be out getting a present for your grandmother~” Minyoung said.
Sehun stopped in his tracks and sighed, “My grandmother wanted me to stay at home, and to not go to the hospital during Christmas...”
“Yeah, but she meant Christmas Day, not Christmas Eve! Oh Sehun, you have the ability to visit your grandmother tonight!” Minyoung said with a smile. “Don’t you want your grandmother to be happy?” she asked.
Sehun exhaled sadly and looked at the snow covered ground. “Of course,” he mumbled.
“Then let’s go get your grandmother a present!” she said with a wide smile, and grabbed Sehun’s arm, pulling him towards the bus stop.

Once they got on the bus, the bus drove directly towards town. Minyoung continuously asked Sehun what he was going to give his grandmother for Christmas, but he gave her no answers at all. He watched her talk during the whole bus ride, secretly smiling. He never realized how she had never changed since the last time they met during primary school. And to him, it seemed amazing how she got over the fact that she had a huge crush on him and ended up being rejected in the end. That angelic smile remains on her face for years, and always had been. Yet, she’s living a better life than he is. He is very certain that Minyoung is a lucky girl, to have family support always. But then, she’s not fortunate during school, but she still shows a great attitude. Oh, how that amazes Sehun at that moment.

When the bus reached the busy town, Minyoung dragged Sehun off the bus and into stores. “What does your grandmother like?” Minyoung asked.
Sehun shrugged, “Knitting, children, family, planting... Not much.”
“Hmm... How about we get something extremely special for her? Like a necklace, teddy bear, flowers, yarn, something...”
“Sweaters...”
“Sweaters? She’ll like one,” Minyoung said. “You just have to find the perfect one now.”
Sehun nodded and walked into another store with Minyoung following behind.
They spent an hour at one store and ended up going from store to store even though Sehun had gotten his grandmother a present. “Sehun, are you thirsty?” Minyoung asked as Sehun bent down to look through the shelves of the store.
“Uhm, kinda?”
“I’ll go buy us a drink then,” Minyoung said with a smile and skipped out of the store as Sehun watched her and ended up chuckling.

Minyoung hurried into the warm café and quickly ordered two hot chocolates. Once she paid for them, she hurried back to the store Sehun was at, but her attention was caught by a bakery she passed by. Sipping her hot chocolate, she entered the busy bakery. She walked towards the display and saw hundreds of pastries. When the cashier asked her if she wanted anything, Minyoung pointed to a full tray of cookies, “Can I take all?” she asked with a smile. “And a cake!” She quickly paid for the pastries, and grabbed the bag of boxes with the pastries and exited the bakery with a big smile. Headed back towards to the store Sehun was at, she found him standing outside the store with another bag in hand. He kicked his feet against the snow and felt his cheeks starting to warm up as the winter breeze blew against him. Minyoung held out his hot chocolate, making Sehun look up. “Did you wait long?” she asked.
Sehun shook his head, “Just got out.” He glanced down at the boxes of pastries in her other hand, “What’s that for?” he asked as the two started to make their way to the bus stop.

“Mm, since I have no one to spend Christmas with, I kinda feel lonely. It’s always Christmas. My parents ends up going on a trip to anywhere they desire, my two brothers would go on their own little trip as well,” Minyoung explained as they got on the bus and sat in the very back.
“Why don’t you go with them?” Sehun asked.
Minyoung shrugged, “I rather stay at home where I belong. I don’t like traveling much. So whenever I’m alone, I think about the kids who are lonelier than I am. I always end up at the hospital. I don’t know why, but the children there barely get to experience real Christmas at home. Sometimes their families are too busy to visit them, or don’t even care, which tears my heart apart. They’re still young, and still have many hopes and years to go upon. They can’t spend their whole childhood in one small room, with disabilities to eat or whatever. Them being in the hospital is blocking them from being able to experience reality from outside the hospital walls. It saddens me to think about that.”
“What if they can’t eat or eat sweets?” Sehun asked.
“Then I’ll spend my whole night at the hospital playing with the children,” Minyoung said with a shrug, making Sehun give a small smile.

▲▼▲▼▲

“I got cookies!” Minyoung said, holding up the boxes of cookies as the children all glanced at her with happy smiles and hurried towards her. Minyoung gave the box of cookies to the nurse who opened the box and handed out cookies to the children. She handed a box of cake to another nurse, “These are for you and the other docs and nurses,” Minyoung said with a smile, and the nurse smiled and thanked her. Minyoung realized Sehun standing awkwardly at the entrance and ran towards him, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the children. “Don’t be shy, they don’t bite. They’re the most innocent kids in the whole world,” Minyoung said as she smiled. She quickly turned away and her attention was full on a group of children who were watching them from in a room, their noses pressed against the glass window. Minyoung quickly grabbed her bag of toys that she had bought earlier with Sehun, and rushed towards them. “Heeeeey kids,” she said with a wide smile. “Do you want some cookies?” she asked them as she knelt down to their eye level.

“I can’t eat sweets,” a boy said.
“And I just can’t eat...” a girl with two braids said.
“Well, lucky for you, I got presents right here,” Minyoung said and pulled out tons of toys. Their attention was all on the colorful toys that were set out in front of them. “Choose any one that you like. They’re all yours,” she said with a smile before leaving the room.

Sehun felt a tug on his hand and looked down, finding a girl looking up at him. He bent down to her eye level and she whispered into his ear, “That unnie, is she your girlfriend?”
Sehun blinked and hesitated to answer, “Uhm...”
“I think, you both look very cute together,” she whispered to him, and pulled away with a wide smile on her face before running back to her friends, leaving Sehun a blinking machine.
Minyoung ran up to Sehun with a smile, “Ready to go?” she asked. Sehun nodded and turned to leave until he heard Minyoung’s name called.
“Miss Lee Minyoung.” Minyoung turned to see her doctor walked towards her, adjusting his spectacles. “Are you still taking your blue pills?” the doctor asked.
“Uhm...” Minyoung looked down, “I have, but not daily.”
“That’s good. Too much can cause an overdose and bad effects. Don’t stress yourself too much. You still have a long way ahead of you. If you have any problems with the pills, please come back,” the doctor said before walking towards the children.

Sehun stared at Minyoung. *She’s taking pills? What kind of pills?* “Minyoung... What pills are you taking?” he suddenly asked.
Minyoung looked up, finding curious Sehun in front of her, “Oh, uhm. It’s nothing. Just something to keep me awake to study. Nothing at all, truthfully,” she said with a weaker smile. “Uhm... Let’s go see your grandmother!” she said and pushed him towards the elevator.
Once the elevator stopped on the floor that his grandmother stayed at, the two quickly got off the elevator. The two stood at his grandmother’s door and knocked before entering inside. “Sehun...”

▲▼▲▼▲

Sehun sighed as he exited his grandmother’s room, leaning against the door with a heavy sigh. Minyoung looked up at him, finding his eyes red and glossy. Sehun bit his lip from letting out a cry. “You okay?” Minyoung asked.
Sehun exhaled, but avoided her gaze, “Yeah. Fine. I’m fine.”
Minyoung stood in front of him, “If you need to cry, then do so. It doesn’t hurt to cry. In fact, it feels good to cry and let out your emotions.”  Sehun stayed quiet for a while, breathing in and out. “Let’s go home,” Minyoung said, and grabbed his arm, leading him towards the elevator.

Once the two got home, they went their separate ways. Sehun climbed into bed and stared at the textured ceiling above him and sighed. He shuts his eyes and buried his face in his hands. Moments passed since he was in that position and he finally removed his hands, looking back  at the ceiling with red, teary eyes. A teardrop slid down the side of his face, as he remembered what his grandmother told him earlier.

“Sehun...”
Sehun smiled as he entered his grandmother’s hospital room, “How are you, grandma?”
“I told you to not come and rest at home,” she said, sounding a little concerned.
“Minyoung told me to break the rules,” he said and smiled.
His grandmother let out a soft laugh, “So she told you to. She’s kind, really.”
“Grandma, I got you a gift-”
“Sehun, I don’t need your gifts,” his grandmother said.
Sehun looked at his grandmother, “Pardon?”

His grandmother sighed and set her tea on the table in front of her, “I heard about your exams...”
“Oh...” Sehun said.
“I heard you did well as well,” his grandmother said.
Sehun shook his head, “That’s impossible, gran’. I didn’t do well at all.”
“Yes you did. You might haven’t noticed, but you have been working hard for the exam. Yes, I haven’t seen your grades yet, but I know you did well.” His grandmother held Sehun’s hand, “And I don’t need your gift because you’re enough. You’re trying, that’s all I wish for my grandson, and that’s what I want. I don’t have to worry about you anymore.” Sehun stayed silent as his grandmother’s words absorbed into his mind. “You’re older now, Sehun. You’re more mature. You’re not what your uncle tells you that you are. You’re better than that. If your parents were still here, they’d say the same thing.”

Sehun sighed and exited his grandmother’s room, leaning against the wall. *But I’m not good like you say I am, gran’. I’m worse than that...* He sighed when he heard Minyoung ask if he was okay. *Have you not seen me? I suffered through school many times, and I still am. How am I better?*

Sehun sighed. *If my parents were still here, they’d be saying the same thing that my uncle says about me... In everyone’s eyes, I’m worse than them. I’ll be unsuccessful in life because of whom am I and what I am.*

I DUNNO WHAT I JUST WROTE. OTL
sorry for not updating any stories lately. I’ve been busier than I thought I’d be. Maybe next week I’ll be able to update since I’ll be in Canada for July 4th. c: