20

PLEASE HEAR ME OUT

Jinyoung doesn't say a word as they enter the car, and neither does Gongchan. The only sound is that of engine running and the soft music playing on the radio. Gongchan doesn't want to break the silence, so he waits patiently for Jinyoung do say whatever he has to say. But time is ticking, and with each passing second it becomes harder and harder to wait, especially considering how Jinyoung is just resting his head on the window, deep in thought, taking his sweet, sweet time.

The words the older spoke just continue to ring in his mind, non-stop. What did Jinyoung not tell him? What is he hiding? The strange way Shinwoo was acting doesn't help either; it brings shivers to his spine, that fierce gaze in particular was so different yet so familiar. And how did Shinwoo know, and he didn't?

Jinyoung was hiding something, and Gongchan thinks it's the first time it's ever happened. What happened to telling each other everything not keeping secrets? Was that just referring to him alone or both? Because right now it seems more like it just applies to him.

Gongchan looks to his side once again, and sees that Jinyoung hasn't moved even a bit. He could continue to keep quiet, but knowing Jinyoung, that's probably not a good idea. So he finally decides to speak up.

"What did you need to tell me?" he asks, looking at Jinyoung while leaning back in his seat. The other jumps slightly, startled, and runs his fingers through his hair, pushing it back. Gongchan focuses on the other's disheveled hair as the starts to speak.

"Ah, how can I say this?" he starts, and bites his bottom lip, contemplating what to say. He leans his head back on the seat and heaves out a sigh. "It's just that—" and then he turns into a mumbling mess. Gongchan can tell he's frustrated and overthinking  things, a total nervous wreck, and he can't help but to feel slightly guilty, even though it's not his fault.

"We can't talk about this later—" he tries to say, but Jinyoung cuts him off with shout.

"No! And let that bastard tell you instead? I'd rather you hear it from me." Even though he says everything loud and clear, his voice is quivering, and his eyes are avoiding his gaze. Jinyoung stares straight ahead, lost in thought, before finally starting the car.

"Let's go home. I'll tell you there," he says, and they drive off.

—

It's completely dark by the time they arrive to their house, even though it's just 8 o'clock. Gongchan has never felt so nervous coming home, and by the sight of things, neither has Jinyoung. The older stops the car engine, this time completely so there's no music in the background or any noise to drown their breathing. The atmosphere is vulnerable and exposed, and the air seems to be getting heavier by the second.

Once again, it takes a while for Jinyoung to speak up, but this time he does so on his own, and Gongchan doesn't know what to do.

"I don't know how to say this," he starts, and his voice croaks slightly at the end, and he clears his throat. "But I guess I have to start somewhere, right?"

Gongchan just stares at him, completely still, heart pounding against his chest. He wonders if Jinyoung can hear it.

"We met when we were kids," Jinyoung sighs, "on your sixth birthday."

Gongchan stares at him intensely, and almost opens his mouth to say something — that he's wrong, that they didn't meet on his sixth birthday, that they met a few days later — but he closes his mouth again once he remembers his childhood. T