“You’re surprising me, dear...” Daehyun smiled sheepishly at her mother and took his place in the backseat of the car. In such a short notice, he was glad that his parents could still pick him up.

His father eyed him from the rearview mirror and smiled teasingly. “Why so sudden? It’s not even the weekend. Do you miss us that much?”

They laughed heartily and Daehyun felt a pang of guilt in his conscience. He hadn’t come back for months, and it took him this—whatever’s this is— to ride the first train to Busan, and not his own parents. He made a note to be particularly good to them from now on. “Of course, appa. Your dutiful son hadn’t been home for long, of course he missed his awesome parents..”

“What? Did Jaehwa teach you how to sweet talk?”

“Nah, uncle Yoo can’t even sweet talk his wife to escape doing laundry....”

“They never changed, do they honey? Misun is always the strongest one...” His parents chuckled, recollecting their bestfriends, exchanging distant memory about the honey-sweet friendship. Daehyun wondered whether it was always sugar and saccharine, or it was also sour and acrid at times. Maybe, it was even as mystifying as his own friendship with Youngjae.

Youngjae...

“Daehyun? Dear?” His mother waved her hand repeatedly in front of his blank face, her face contorted into worry. “Are you that tired, dear?”

“Uh, what? Oh no, I’m just spacing out a bit. So what was it again?”

“We’re asking when will you go back... Maybe we can come along, it’s been long since we met the Yoos.”

Crap. He hadn’t thought about coming back to Seoul. Heck, he hadn’t given any thought about all this going-back-to-Busan act he was pulling. He barely sent Mrs. Yoo a message to inform her about this decision. Flustered, he could only laugh. “This.... weekend? Skipping two days is already more than enough, Mom. Hahahahaha.”

“Are you sure you’re okay? You’re not getting bullied right? No one is being mean to you right?” Her mother protective switch had been tuned on and there’s no getting back. “Is school too hard? Does your teacher discriminated you? Do—“

“MOM!” Daehyun half-shouted, half-whined. “I’m okaaay, don’t worry. I just missed you... can’t you believe me?”

“Don’t get too worked up, dear. Daehyun is a big boy, he can protect himself.” Daehyun cast  his father a grateful look. “Can you see how handsome he is? Girls will make a human shield for him... they will— ”

“DAD!”

His parents cracked up and it warmed Daehyun’s insides. He looked at the beaches of his hometown with an elated heart, already planning to call and hang out with his friends while he stays.

This, he decided, should give him the much-needed distractions he is looking for.

*****

Irritated. Infuriated. Exasperated. Maddened. Upset. Aggravated. Riled. Displeased.

Just took every single alternative word for annoyed in the dictionary, multipled it to each other, then described Youngjae’s feeling, and it would still be a big big understatement.

He was completely, totally, fully, absolutely, downright pissed.

“Stop trying to murder your meat. It’s already burnt enough.” Mr. Yoo’s attempt to joke earned him a jab in the rib from his wife, and a vicious look from his own son. He felt like eating in a minefield. “Hah... I miss Daehyun already. At least he understand my joke.” He wiped his fake tears, looking longingly at the distance. Youngjae looked as if he wanted to jab someone in the eyes with fork at the mention of the name.

“What are you getting grumpy about, you brat!” Mrs. Yoo barked, casting his son an equally murderous look. “It only a little burnt!”

His mother totally took this personally, but Youngjae made no attempt to straightened things out anyway. Annoyance is annoyance. And he is annoyed. He didn’t care who got to taste his random wrath.“Okay I’ll eat! I’ll eat!”

His mother grabbed his cheeks, pinching it. Hard. “How can’t you be like Daehyun? He always took everything gratefully you thankless piece of oddity!”

“Arrghh don’t insult me poetically! It’s weird!”

“Hah! Look at the mirror! Why can’t you at least be normal like Daehyun!”

“Daehyun! Daehyun! Just marry him already if you like him that much!”

“At least I won’t end up alone like you, stupid shut-in of a son!”

By now, they were already standing, the poor dining table trapped between them.

“HAH! As if you won’t be anything different if you hadn’t tricked Dad with your innocent face, Mom!”

“You ungrateful child! Where do you think you’ll be now if it’s not because of your perfect mom here!” She tweaked Youngjae’s ear, resulting in the latter cries of pain.

“Child abuser! Dad, help!”

Mr. Yoo glanced at the pair for a split second, and resumed his meal. “Go ahead, I’m gonna finish this first.”  

A second later, two heavy objects was flying to his head.

Youngjae rubbed his sore ears and cheeks, cursing his mother violent tendency. He wondered what has gotten into his poor dad’s head when he decided to marry her. Youngjae was certain that he would never ever got together with someone as short-tempered.

He let out heavy sigh as he threw himself to his bed, rolling around mindlessly. His mood was all over the place and it was all because of a certain someone.

With a cranky humor he reached out to his phone, tapping the poor device violently. The said person hadn’t answered any of his messages. Youngjae threw his phone in annoyance. Muttering whispered venoms under his breath. “Stupid Daehyun.”

He hadn’t said anything to Youngjae and just went off to Busan, he didn’t even explain it enough to Youngjae’s mom, only telling her that he missed his parents. Pfft. As if! Youngjae knew Daehyun—at least he thinks he knows— and that was totally a blatant lie. Something happened. Was it bad? Did he suddenly got terminally ill? Did his first love got into an accident? Did he need to move to America or Asgard or something? Did—

“Arrghhhhhh!”

Youngjae ruffled his hair, banging his head to his pillow. He wanted to know. He badly wanted to know. Why did he wanted to know?!

With a heavy  heart he took console in watching BAP’s videos, but even that could not get his mind off of Daehyun’s images; him laying on his deathbed, him kissing a long-haired girl in Busan’s beach, him walking away with a pained expression...

*****

“Isn’t the ahjussi cool Daehyunnie?”

Little Daehyun and Youngjae walked hand in hand, Youngjae’s dad watching after them a few steps behind. It was already sunset, and the park was decorated in many beautiful shades of orange. Their long shadows, however, were dark. Similar to Daehyun’s dejected feeling.

“He can play the guitar really good! And he sings really well! Why appa can’t sing like him?” Youngjae’s father laughed at his son’s curious question. He took Youngjae by the arm and raised him up in the air. Daehyun let go of the little fingers and sulked on his own.

It wasn’t like he hate the singing ahjussi, but he thinks the ahjussi was being unfair. He owns that big guitar, and he is older and bigger! Of course he can play that. Of course Youngjae liked him better than Daehyun... but he didn’t want Youngjae to like the ahjussi better than him! Youngjae’s his friend. Youngjae should like him better than anyone else in the whole planet. Well, maybe except his parents and the Red Ranger.

“Appa!” Daehyun gazed as Youngjae exclaimed in joy, running around in circle as his father put him down. “I will marry someone like that ahjussi! I will marry someone who can sing like singing ahjussi!”

His father heartily laughed and Youngjae’s grin got even wider. On the other hand, Daehyun couldn’t even afford to smile.

The sudden burst of emotion woke Daehyun up. The twilight sunrays illuminated his face in a strange orangish color. He was feeling disoriented and confused. Was that a dream? A memory?

He streched his body lazily, feeling the soft surface of his bedcover. He had fallen asleep immediately upon arriving, his uniform all wrinkled and creased. When he was still marveling about the earlier dream, he heard a knock and his mother’s beautiful face appeared from behind the door.

“Wake up and take a bath, we’ll be getting dinner outside.”

Daehyun yawned but nodded his head. He scooted closer to his mother, putting his head on her lap. “Five more minutes, mom...”

She let out an airy laugh at her son’s spoiled act. “Stop acting like a little kid!”

“Umma, how was I as a child?”

“As a child? Why suddenly?”

“Yah... just answer me. Am I cute? Am I naughty?”

His mother pretended to think deeply, lightly tapping his hand into Daehyun’s hair. “You’re a possesive kid.”

“What?” Daehyun abrubtly sat, he hadn’t expected the answer at all.

“Why are you so surprised? You as a kid is reeally possesive. You wouldn’t let people touch your toys, let alone borrow it. You got mad when I hold another baby, or when your dad take your food. You really didn’t like to share.”

Daehyun never remembered this side of him. Not at all.

“Even to Youngjae?”

“Oh, you’re a bit lenient to him. You let him borrow your stuffs. However, in exchange, you become very possessive of him also...”

Daehyun jawdropped. Really?

“Don’t you remember the time you’re sulking just because Youngjae is obsessed with a street musician? That period was really pitifully hilarious, dear!”

As her mother recited the silly story, Daehyun’s mind was elsewhere in a faraway place. Somewhere where he could bury himself and never ever resurface again.

*****

The next morning, Daehyun was woken up by the blaring ringtone of his phone. Still half-asleep, he picked it up to hear Myungsoo’s nagging voice.

“YAH! Where are you?! Are you really in Busan? Are you trying to runaway from the gig!? YAH! Answer me stupid!”

He instictively put the device far away from his ear. He could faintly heard his band members alternately shouting at him. Only when he thought that it was safe enough that he let himself speak. “Mianhe, I was feeling rather down so I need to recharge. I promised I’ll be back in two days! Just hang on untill then, yeah?”

He could hear Myunsoo sighed in defeat. “Alright, but you have to comeback! I don’t care how but you have to come to Sunday’s practice or I’ll drag my girlfriend to nag at you until you won’t recover from the trauma!” Daehyun laughed at the threat— not that he was unaware of the morbid thruth behind the joke— and said yes, apologizing once again for his recklessness. “Oh, and one more thing Daehyun. Whatever it is, get well soon, okay?” His heart melt at the sound of s randomly shouting in the back, screaming an exaggerated support to him. When they hung up, Daehyun felt like he is the luckiest man alive.

He hadn’t realized that he got many messages while not checking his phone all day yesterday. There is one from Himchan, asking him whether he is seriously in Busan. There’s also one from Junhong, asking if he is okay. What surprised him the most, however, was that the six of them were all from Youngjae—and Daehyun suddenly felt his insides doing extreme somersault.

From: Youngjae-ah

Hey, you seriously coming back to Busan? What happened?

If you don’t bring back delicious treat then I won’t let you in! Ha!

From: Youngjae-ah

Do you want me to give the teacher your permission letter?

Answer this in ten seconds or the deal’s off! #evillaugh

From: Youngjae-ah

Seriously, something important happened?

Pftt, so important you couldn’t even respond to my message.

From: Youngjae-ah

YAH! DON’T YOU DARE IGNORING MY MESSAGE!

From: Youngjae-ah

Fine. Ignore my messages.

The last message came with an image attached to it. It was a selfie of Youngjae, complete with his glasses and apple hair. He was holding a paper in his hand. Daehyun thought that the expression in his face was meant to be scary, but with that attire and the pout, he came accross as cute instead.

From: Youngjae-ah

Just to let you know, Eunji gave me your schedule for the gig in our cafe.

AND I WON'T GIVE IT TO YOU UNTIL YOU COME BACK AND BEG TO MY FEET!

Daehyun tried not to, but ended up cracking up a smile.

That’s when he realised he already missed Yoo Youngjae.

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Another update yeay!

I think I got slightly better at this that the previous chapter hahahahahaha

I hope you guys like the development :3

Am I making this too fast? Too slow? *well, i was slow to begin with anyway ahahhahha