Hanbyul arrived home to a deserted house. Walking to the kitchen, he spotted a note his mother had left on the table.

                "Byullie, your dad and I will be home late today. There's food in the fridge so heat that up for dinner. Take care of the house! I love you ♡"

                Though very unlike his usual self, Hanbyul was too worn out to eat so he stuffed the note in his pocket and went upstairs. He made his way to his room and flopped onto his bed. There were too many things on his mind. Too many things he hadn't told his best friend about...and too many things he was unsure of.

                I wonder what Australia's like, Hanbyul thought. He hadn't been there since he was 12 so he couldn't remember very much. What am I going to do without Kwangyeon close by? He's like my only good friend. He let his thoughts wander as his eyelids started getting heavy. I wonder if Kwangyeon will miss me...

—

                Hanbyul woke up with a start. He sat up and glanced out the window. It was dark; was it morning or night? He groggily looked down at his watch. 9:47PM. He had been asleep for barely an hour. The TV could be heard playing softly from the living room; his parents must have gotten home while he was asleep. Hanbyul's stomach was audibly growling. He hadn't eaten anything in hours. Reluctantly, he got out of bed.

                He trodded down the stairs and could see his mother and father sitting together on the couch, discussing something in hushed voices. Not wanting to disturb them, he cleared his throat pointedly. His mother glanced at him, startled. "Ah, Byullie! You're awake," she smiled, almost nervously. "Your timing is great actually, your dad and I want to talk to you about something."

                He looked at his parents warily. "What is it?"

                What more could there be, after all they had placed on him?

                Although Hanbyul knew his parents meant well, they did not know when to stop when it came to his life decisions. Ever since he was little, they had planned his entire future and beyond for him. They chose his career path a long time ago; they were dead set on sending him to dentistry school. Hanbyul couldn't do much to go against it. But then again, he was it wasn't as if he had any idea what he wanted to do.

                "Hanbyul," his dad began, "This is about your dentistry studies in Australia."

                He felt himself grow tense. "Yeah?"

                His mom fidgeted and looked at his dad. "Well, you know how we originally planned for you to leave in August? Well...we're going to move it forward a few months."

                "What...?!" Hanbyul gaped at his parents. "How much is ‘a few months?’"

                "Two months," his dad replied. "In June."

                June.... "That's like next month!" Hanbyul almost shouted.

                "Look," his mother began. "We thought it would be better to give you more time to get accustomed to the country before you begin your studies. You can meet new friends, catch up with old ones..." Her voice trailed off.

                "What "old friends?" It's been almost 10 years, how is anyone there supposed to remember me?"

                His father frowned. "We're only—"

                "'—Doing what's best for you,’" Hanbyul finished for him. "I know that. But can't you let me make my own decisions for once? I'm almost 20."

                His father shook his head. "We've been trying to set you down the right path for so many years, could you at least try to be grateful?"

                Hanbyul sighed. It was really no use fighting back.

                "We're sorry we dropped this on you so suddenly," his mom said softly. "But please try to understand where we're coming from."

                Hanbyul stayed silent, his eyes fixed on the floor.

                "You'll be leaving a week after your graduation," his dad added.

                It felt as if he had just gotten punched in the stomach. It took everything in him to not talk back.

His mother placed her hands together in an attempt to change the subject. "Well, you haven't had dinner right? I'll make you something, come on."

—

                At the dinner table, Hanbyul stayed silent as ever. He swallowed what his mother put in front of him dryly. He half-heartedly ate what he could, but everything seemed tasteless. His parents left him alone, to his relief.

                The rest of the night passed in a daze.

✩ミ ✩ミ ✩ミ

Surprise, its an update!! It's mostly focused on Hanbyul huhu enjoy