After yesterday had settled down, Myungsoo had gotten close with Sungjong in such a short amount of time, surprising Hoya and Dongwoo. He showed an astounding amount of skinship with Sungjong, but it stayed away from his midsection--Sungjong would react quickly to arms coming around his waist, whining in protest and pushing them away, before Myungsoo would settle on resting them on his shoulders. Everytime is would happen, Myungsoo would apologize quickly.

"Sorry Sungjong-ah. I keep forgetting," he murmured quietly, seemingly drifting off to sleep. Sungjong knew he wasn't sleeping, but he was so immobile that everyone thought he was. And then lunch time or break time would end and all three of the upperclassmen would return to their classrooms--this happened over the remainder of that week on a daily basis, and everyone was shocked at how Sungjong had managed to make friends with someone so quickly--they thought that maybe they could be friends with him, since now that he was really good-looking, he wouldn't be a sore spot amongst their own friends.

That Friday, before class got out, there was break time where everyone had to get read to go by tidying up their work space, since next week was finals and graduation and there wouldn't be much use for their desks aside from the tests.

So while Sungjong was tidying up his desk and surrounding area, Eunji turned around and stood in front of his desk, pulling his attention. "Yes? Eunji-ssi?" he questioned, tossing a wet wipe into the garbage nearby.

"Even though it's the end of the year, and you might say no..." she looked down, flushing a little and confusing Sungjong, "Do you think we could go steady? I really like you, so I wanted to ask." 

He froze, feeling extremely conflicted. She was really pretty, but he was still not that attractive--like Sungyeol said, he could barely pass as a human being now, even after he'd lost weight. She was too pretty for him, and...there was the fact that he didn't see her that way. She deserved better than him--she would get made fun of for having an ugly boyfriend, and he didn't want her to go through that. He didn't deserve her, and she didn't deserve someone as low as him--he'd only bring her down and hurt her if he pursued it, especially since he didn't feel the same way.

He didn't want to hurt her feelings, but he knew that in the long run he wouldn't really feel anything for her, no matter how hard he tried to imagine it. Biting his lip, he shook his head, "I'm sorry Eunji-ssi...I don't feel the same way."

He bowed a little and one of her female friends gasped, "How dare you deny her like that? Don't you know how lucky you are to have Eunji to ask you out?" 

"Mina-yah, it's okay," Eunji told her, trying to calm her down.

"No! You haven't liked anyone since middle school, and you got turned down then too. You're beautiful and kind and perfect--ya, Lee Sungjong."

He flinched at the girl's tone of voice.

"What kind of nerve do you have to say no? After being so ugly and disappearing for most of the semester and then coming back--has your ego grown so much you think you're better than her?" 

Sungjong felt like crying--he was shaking his head constantly, trying to deny her accusations but she wouldn't let him get a single word in edge-wise. 

"Ya, Kwon Mina!" Eunji raised her voice, grabbing her wrist to turn her to face her. "Stop it, he doesn't deserve you yelling in his face! Look at him--does he really look like he has the ego you claim he does?"

They both looked at him and his trembling figure. Even though he was taller than both of them, he felt so small and all he really wanted was to go home.

Mina clicked her tongue, unwilling to accept defeat but she had to admit she had said a few harsher words than necessary. So Eunji apologized in her stead.

Bowing, Eunji spoke, "I'm sorry Sungjong-ssi for my friend's harsh words. I accept your denial of my request humbly, and I hope that we can become friends instead."

Sungjong blinked back tears before nodding and shaking her hand. "I'm okay with that. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, Eunji-ssi." 

Eunji smiled, standing at full height and smacking her friend in the . "You're so mean, you know that?" she scolded her, waving with a smile as they left the classroom.

Collapsing onto the floor, Sungjong felt a brief wave of nausea come over him as he sat. It wasn't nearly as intense as a couple days ago, but it still felt uncomfortable and distressing. Nobody really bothered him, thankfully, and they went about their own business.

Even when the rest of the students left after the bell rang, Sungjong sat there in his small ball, calming himself. Now that he was alone, he felt a lot better and he could breathe better.

"Jong-ah?" Sungjong looked up to see Dongwoo and Hoya at the door, looking around. "Are you still here?"

"Ah, he's over there!" Dongwoo exclaimed, hurrying over and crouching beside him. "Are you okay?"

Sungjong nodded and breathed out, "Yeah, I'm okay." He felt a hand on his head petting his hair and looked up to see Myungsoo leaning over his desk to do so.

Hoya sat parallel to him and smiled with relief, "At least it's Friday, right? Thanks to graduation being next week, we don't have classes on Saturday, so we can just hang out and relax tomorrow."

Dongwoo grinned, "Let's have a sleepover tonight and tomorrow--all of us."

Sungjong pursed his lips before nodding with a smile, looking up at Myungsoo questioningly.

He blinked, eyes showing his confusion, "Me too?" Sungjong smiled and nodded, looking to Hoya and Dongwoo who also agreed with the notion. "Seriously? You want me to sleepover with you guys?"

Sungjong grinned and raised his hand, grasping Myungsoo's hand and stopping the motion with both of his hands. "Yeah--I don't see why not. You're our friend, so let's have a sleepover," he smiled, patting his hand.

Myungsoo smiled then very happily, "Alright--let's stop by my place so I can pick up my clothes and stuff for two nights."

They were all smiling now as they got up, Dongwoo and Hoya helped Sungjong up and left the school building. Myungsoo was hanging onto Sungjong almost constantly, occasionally letting go when Hoya told him it would take forever to get home at the rate they were going.

~

They finally arrived at Myungsoo's house, and he invited them all inside, his mother greeting them at the door when she emerged from the kitchen.

"Oh my! So handsome! Are these your friends you talked about earlier this week?" she questioned him, and he grinned sheepishly.

"Ah, yeah. Hoya-hyung, Dongwoo-hyung, and Sungjong-ah," he introduced them, each bowing in kind. "Is it alright to sleep over at Sungjong's house?" he asked her.

She giggled, "Of course! My son made such handsome friends--and so polite too!"

Sungjong flushed lightly, ducking his head in embarrassment. He knew that she was talking about his hyungs, that was for sure. He wasn't really that handsome, and he knew it. He jumped when she pinched his cheek, suddenly in front of him. Had she managed to get in front of him when he was mentally berating himself?

"Aigoo, Myungsoo~ You have such a pretty friend! He's prettier than your cousins even!" she praised him, looking at Myungsoo, who was smiling warmly at Sungjong from his doorway (must have been, since he was about to enter. 

"I know, Mom," he agreed, and Sungjong flushed deeply, unable to stop his reaction.

'She's just saying it so you won't feel bad for being left out. You're not really all that.' A voice interjected negative thoughts, and he mentally agreed, looking down. It sounded like Lee Sungyeol's voice, but he didn't question it too much.

Biting his lip, he just nodded so as to avoid argument. 

"So shy--he's so charming," she praised him, and he pursed his lips, just nodding, "Thank you..."

Hoya and Dongwoo noticed the change in his attitude and diverted the conversation to something else. "So what does Myungsoo usually talk about at home?"

She pulled away from Sungjong and Dongwoo rubbed his back comfortingly.

"He talks about a lot, actually. He's talked occasionally about Sungjong, I know that, especially this week. Occasionally he'll talk about Lee Sungyeol--do you know him?"

At the mention of Sungyeol, all three tensed up. "Yeah, he's someone who's bullied Sungjong for years," Hoya told her, showing an incredible amount of restraint.

"Oh my! I didn't know that! He doesn't talk a lot about Sungyeol, but I'll tell him to stop hanging around him if he's a bully to Sungjong," she told them, sounding resolved.

Myungsoo emerged from his room, eyes landing on Sungjong nearly automatically. He seemed confused at Sungjong's tension and somber look. "What happened?"

"Kim Myungsoo, don't hang around Lee Sungyeol anymore. I don't want my son hanging out with a bully!" she told him, approaching her son and walking him over to the kitchen. He blinked, a bit confused before his mind put the pieces together.

"Ah, alright," he told her, agreeing extremely easily. He figured that if it meant that Sungjong would feel more comfortable, then by all means he would leave Sungyeol to do his own thing. He hoped this wouldn't impact Sungjong negatively, by triggering a chain of reaction from Sungyeol. He didn't want his new friend to get bullied even more, especially since distress seemed to be the factor that caused him to become so nauseous and react so volatilely.

Seeing Sungjong rush out of the classroom like that scared Myungsoo, honestly. Seeing his body shaking so violently on the floor and then just...breaking down... His gaze softened as it landed on Sungjong. He felt protective of him--he knew that there wasn't a lot he could really do except offer physical comfort and an ear when necessary. Quite honestly, that frustrated him, but he knew that he couldn't react too much--who knew how distressed that could make Sungjong?

Maybe he'd tell him about his thoughts and fears--that was a bit of a stretch, but he could hope that Sungjong would confide in him.

His mom gave him some snacks, which he gratefully took. She lowered her voice so the others couldn't hear, "Make sure that your friend, Sungjong, eats some. He looks really skinny, and it's worrying." She nodded and kissed his cheek, hugging him, "I'll see you on Sunday, sweetie. Have fun." 

Myungsoo nodded and smiled, kissing her cheek, "Alright, bye mom." He left with the others, and as they walked, he offered some snacks.

"What is it?" Sungjong asked, looking at it curiously.

"Some fishcake. Normally there'd be ricecake, but I guess my mom didn't cook any. Do you want some?" Hoya and Dongwoo had already taken some, and Hoya was watching Sungjong from the corner of his eye, silently hoping he would take some.

Sungjong nodded and took a piece, all three mentally cheering as he ate. Myungsoo ruffled his hair gently, smoothing it down and petting it as they walked.

Sungjong ate a few more pieces before refusing any more, walking quietly and becoming withdrawn again as Dongwoo talked animatedly about whatever he wanted. Myungsoo noticed but didn't say anything--he just rubbed his back, feeling nothing soft aside from the fabric on his back, but he didn't say anything.

When they stopped by Dongwoo's and Hoya's houses, Sungjong greeted the families quietly, smiling and speaking politely. Dongwoo's sisters fawned over his smaller frame and how much better he looked, before focusing on Myungsoo's good looks. Myungsoo answered respectfully and pleasantly, but he didn't fail to notice the darkness that seemed to settle of the younger when the females fawned over him and his weight loss.

Myungsoo started piecing the parts together as the afternoon went on and they arrived at Sungjong's house finally.

"Mom, I'm home!" he called, toeing off his shoes at the door, prompting the others to do so.

"Sungjongie?" she responded, popping her head out of the kitchen. "Oh my goodness! Who is this?" she questioned, hugging Sungjong and looking at Myungsoo.

"Kim Myungsoo. It's nice to meet you," he greeted her, shaking her hand with both of his.

She laughed, "It's nice to meet you too, Myungsoo! Nice seeing you two again, Hoya, Dongwoo." They both bowed to her as they stepped further into the house. "Go up to your room--I'll bring some drinks and snacks later, alright?"

Sungjong nodded and led his friends to his room, Hoya and Dongwoo settling in comfortably quickly while Myungsoo stood at the door. Sungjong sat on his bed and gestured for him to join him, which he did after Hoya nudged his calf with his foot. Myungsoo sat on his bed, looking around curiously. Dongwoo handed him an album, which he took with confusion. "What is this?"

"Pictures of when Jong-ah was a baby!" Dongwoo grinned, to which Sungjong whined as Dongwoo and Hoya quickly left while Sungjong chased after them.

Blinking, Myungsoo opened the album while they were out of the room, flipping through the pages carefully and smiling. Sungjong was so cute as a baby, he thought. He definitely looked happier and more carefree than he could remember ever seeing Sungjong even since middle school--part of it was his fault for never stopping Sungyeol when he would join the upperclassmen in terrorizing Sungjong.

Thinking about it, why did they even decide to treat Sungjong like that? He frowned a little as he looked through the pictures. When it got to when he started putting on weight, Sungjong looked less carefree, but his smile was still bright and pure, like it should be. As his eyes went over the details of each photo, Myungsoo resolved to try and work towards bringing back that smile. Since Hoya and Dongwoo were going to be gone next year, it was Myungsoo's job to try and help Sungjong realize what a beautiful person he was.

He looked up when Sungjong entered the room again, collapsing on his bed, out of breath. Myungsoo momentarily panicked when he collapsed but quickly realized he was just tired from chasing his hyungs. "Jong-ah, are you okay?" he questioned, looking down at him.

"Ah...yeah," he panted, moving to sit up and wipe his brow, catching his breath. He smiled at Myungsoo, and seeing the carefree smile there for an instant, it took his breath away. If he could only smile like that more... Myungsoo realized he'd been staring when his smile became more withdrawn and looked away, scooting back on his bed and more or less curling into a ball, knees brought to his chest.

Looking towards the door, he got up before moving to the door to close it and looking back at Sungjong, pursing his lips as he made his way back to the bed, setting the album down on his dresser and sitting so that he was facing Sungjong. Taking a deep breath, he formed his words in his brain.

"Hyung, what's goi--"

"Are you really okay?"

Sungjong froze at the question. There was a different tone to the question--it was much more serious and somber than previously phrased. He nodded shakily, taking a deep breath as he avoided eye contact. "Yeah, I'm really okay," he tried to reassure him, but he didn't sound convincing--his voice was weak and his calmness seemed forced.

"Sungjong."

He looked up to meet Myungsoo's intense gaze, swallowing thickly.

"What's been going on with you?" he questioned softly. His gaze softened, looking more concerned than anything.

"I...I don't know what you're talking about..." he attempted, biting his lip. He knew exactly when he was talking about, though. 

"Sungjong," he repeated softly, causing Sungjong to meet his gaze again, "Please tell me what's going on. I'm really worried about you throwing up when you get distressed--that's not a normal reaction." He reached out for Sungjong's hand, causing him to flinch slightly, but Myungsoo continued, grasping his hand as he scooted closer carefully. "I know that we're not that close, but I want you to trust me enough to believe that I wouldn't do anything to hurt you, Sungjong, and that I want to help you be happy again like you were in your pictures," he ventured gently, rubbing his thumb over the back of Sungjong's hand.

Even though he wanted to lie and say everything was alright, and that he was happy, he felt like lying to Myungsoo would be bad. He didn't want to hurt Myungsoo by lying to him--he hated lying to any of his friends or family even though it had pretty much become second nature at this point. When he'd told Hoya or Dongwoo or his family that he was okay, he was usually lying--he felt exhausted almost constantly, and he felt like he might pass out on many occasions. The only thing that kept him alert was the fact that people would ask questions, and those made him feel almost as distressed as when people talked about his weight or looks or anything concerning his appearance. 

"I..." He bit his lip, feeling himself tearing up and a lump form in his throat. "I'm ugly, aren't I? I'm fat and ugly and unsightly--nobody would look at me like that." He choked out a sob as his fist tightened, "Nobody would ever love me unless they had to."

"I've lost so much weight, but...but what if I gain it all back?" he sobbed, "What if people look at me like that again? Like I'm not even human...?"

Myungsoo pulled him closer, into his arms and rubbed his back, "It hurt everytime someone would talk about me behind my back--or even to my face. Especially to my face!"

"Kim Sunggyu...Nam Woohyun...Lee Sungyeol...and all of their friends except you..." he cried, "Their words hurt so much--so much more than them kicking me or hitting me!"

Myungsoo bit his lip and controlled his temper for Sungjong's sake. He his hair, running his fingers through his hair. This was all happening and he was mostly either oblivious or didn't realize the impact it held for someone like Sungjong--he was so soft-hearted that surely words would get to him.

"I thought that...if I lost weight, it would get better, but it didn't." He hiccupped, gripping Myungsoo's shirt. A long moment passed, and he calmed down, before Sungjong spoke again.

"Sungyeol was right--I barely pass as a human being now, let alone back when I weighed so much," he said quietly, and Myungsoo felt incredibly unsettled by the dark tone to his voice. He then felt Sungjong's body tense, and he braced himself.

Sungjong tore himself from Myungsoo's hold, rushing past Dongwoo and Hoya when they opened the door and to the bathroom, and the slam of a door could be heard.

Shocked silence passed between the three, as none of them were sure what was going on, but Hoya was the first to react, storming over to a stunned Myungsoo and grabbing his collar and holding him up, nearly choking him. Dongwoo was conflicted as to either help Sungjong or stop Hoya from hurting Myungsoo but settled for the former.

"What the happened!?" he growled, feeling ready to unleash his fist on Myungsoo's face when he said nothing.

After another moment of silence passed, Myungsoo spoke, "He told me about everything." His gaze was averted but then it focused on Hoya's eyes, hardening. "He told me everything, Hoya."

Grip tightening, Hoya's jaw set, "What do you mean everything?"

"I didn't get everything, but he told me about how he felt. How losing weight affected him--his brain isn't in a right place, and he's not healthy by any means necessary." He paused and swallowed, his voice wavering, "He believes Sungyeol's words, Hoya. I didn't know how much words could affect him, but if their goal was to break Sungjong, they've done it--they did it a long time ago, and losing weight only made it worse."

Hoya's grip loosened as soon as he realized that Myungsoo was right. He released the younger with a sigh as they both left to check on Sungjong, who was currently being comforted by Dongwoo on the bathroom floor. Myungsoo felt his heart squeeze painfully at seeing him like this. He wasn't crying, but he seemed incredibly shaken and Dongwoo seemed to be successfully settling him down.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

a/n: Hello again! I'm really sorry I didn't manage to finish this chapter, but I'm going to be going back to where my university is tomorrow, so the second half of this chapter will probably come out either tomorrow or the day after--idk yet //shrugs

Anyway, again, until next time~ I love you all, and I'll comment to as many of you as I can~♡