CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Jaehwan groans as the light enters the window, blinding him. He forcefully closes the curtains as he gets out of bed, stretching his body in the process. He glances at the clock. 6AM. He groans again before going out of the room. He sees Hakyeon all dressed up and ready to go to work. “Oh, good morning Jaehwan-ah,” Hakyeon greets him.

Hakyeon was smiling but Jaehwan could see the dark circles forming under his eyes. His sunken cheeks were also becoming more prominent. Hakyeon was tired. Even if he kept his front, Jaehwan knew he was growing more tired as the days passed. But Jaehwan knew he was doing it for Sanghyuk and him. All he could do was smile. And so he did. “Good morning hyung. Are you going to work?”

“Yeah. Breakfast is on the table. Also, I might come home late tonight so don’t wait up for me,” Hakyeon says as he fixes his bag. Jaehwan just nods and smiles back as the older boy waves him goodbye. When the door closes, Jaehwan drops to the ground and punches it. Weak enough to not break the floor but strong enough to make him feel pain.

“I feel so useless,” he says as tears spill from his eyes. He senses Sanghyuk’s presence from one of the rooms but chooses to ignore this as more tears spill from his eyes. “Even now, even though we’re already far away from that place, I still feel useless. Why is it that I can’t do anything right?” he mutters to himself.

Nobody knew because he didn’t mention it but Jaehwan was always envious of the other boys. They all had abilities that set them apart. Other than the presence of their heightened senses and healing ability, they all had something that made them different; that made them special. That was probably the reason why they were always out while Jaehwan spent the most time inside.

Sanghyuk just stands and watches, knowing full well that Jaehwan needed the release. Even he had noticed the change in Hakyeon but decided on not saying anything. He decided to just follow his words; Hakyeon deserved as much. Even if it wasn’t what he wanted. He knows he’ll tell them the truth, when he’s ready and Sanghyuk is willing to wait for that time.

Jaehwan finally calms down and wipes off his tears. He dusts himself off and lets out a long sigh before finally facing Sanghyuk. “Good morning, Sanghyuk-ah,” Jaehwan grins as if the incident earlier never took place. “Come on, let’s eat breakfast,”

The two boys begin eating their breakfast in silence, neither wanting to talk about the incident earlier. Honestly, Sanghyuk knew how Jaehwan felt, although in a different matter. It was during the time when he and Hakyeon divided some of Sanghyuk’s ‘assignments.’ He felt weak and useless just because he was the youngest. Of course, he understood them and didn’t really feel any resentment towards the older boys. He does wonder who Jaehwan resented; himself, the boys or the people who did this to them?

If Sanghyuk were to be honest, he doesn’t resent the administration. True, it is both wrong and illegal to experiment on humans let alone infants, but if they didn’t, the boys wouldn’t have met. Sure, they’ve been under some danger and true, they did illegal things, but the bond that came out of it – it was something Sanghyuk treasures and if he’s asked to do it again, he’ll do it over and over.

“What’s gotten into you, Sanghyuk? You’ve been quiet,” Jaehwan asks as he sips on his juice. Sanghyuk looks at Jaehwan, taking in the older boy’s features. He notices the dark circles that have formed under Jaehwan’s eyes, how sunken his cheeks have become and how tired he simply seemed. Sanghyuk’s heart sinks at the pathetic state his hyungs have fallen into.

“It’s nothing, hyung,”

i finally got around to updating. i apologize for the very long wait. i've just been so busy with school that i wasn't able to go online much - let alone finish up the chapter. unfortunately, i'll be busy again since i have a deadline about a month from now and i need to focus on that if i want to pass my subjects. also, i need to focus more on my studies so i have to cut down my writing time. it won't be forever and i'll still update here and there, i just can't promise they'll be frequent, not that they already are. anyway, i hope you enjoy this chap. i've started writing the next one but i don't know when will it be done.

special note: today (july 26) marks black paradise's first anniversary so HAPPY ANNIVERSARY DEAR READERS! THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUOUS SUPPORT AND STICKING WITH ME EVEN THOUGH I DON'T UPDATE AS REGULARLY AS OTHER WRITERS AND MY CHAPTERS ARE ALSO RELATIVELY SHORTED. THIS STORY WOULD HAVE BEEN DROPPED A LONG TIME AGO (DURING MY SLUMP) IF IT WASN'T FOR ALL OF YOU WHO STAYED AND PATIENTLY WAITED FOR ME TO UPDATE. THANK YOU EVERYBODY! I HOPE YOU CONTINUE SUPPORTING BLACK PARADISE AND VIXX!!