"The Rain"

It has been raining a lot lately. Though the rainy season should have been long gone, the rain continued to fall.

Sanghyuk sat at his desk and playing computer games alone since all of the members were busy on their own individual schedules. He couldn’t help but feel a little lonely as he guarded the house by himself. Usually, he would call his friend to hang out or watch a movie but because of the rain, he couldn’t go anywhere except stay home alone.

He let out a huge sigh as he realized he had lost the match on his game. He laid back on his chair and stared up at the ceiling.

So quiet, he thought.

He finally got up after a few minutes and walked towards the balcony to stare down at the streets covered by heavy rain. He could see people running around with their umbrellas frantically trying to make it home before they become soaking wet. Sanghyuk couldn’t help but feel sorry for them.

Bzz. Bzz.

He received a text message from Hongbin.

[Will be home at 9. Do you need anything?] Hongbin asked.

[Nope.] Sanghyuk replied.

Bzz. Bzz.

Another message.

[Is my yogurt still in the fridge?] Jaehwan sent.

[Nope. Can’t see it.] Sanghyuk said after he checked the fridge for Jaehwan’s favorite yogurt.

[I bet Taekwoon-hyung stole it again!]

[Probably.]

The food culprit was usually one of the two main vocalist and if Jaehwan’s food ever went missing, it would usually be because of Taekwoon.

Even Hakyeon’s favorite strawberry ice cream have gone missing and still, no one came out to admit that they’ve eaten it.

Sanghyuk could only assume it was either one of the vocalist since Wonshik would never touch anything too high of calories and both the younger ones knew better than to steal the leader’s food.

Wish Taekwoon-hyung would just come out and admit it. Everyone knows it’s him, Sanghyuk sighed.

He checked the freezer to see if Hakyeon’s ice cream were on the top and at the far back of the freezer. Luckily, it was still there and Sanghyuk tried to make sure they would stay there. Since no one is home nowadays aside from Sanghyuk, if the ice cream ever goes missing, Hakyeon would think it’s the youngest.

But he probably won’t get angry even if I ate it, Sanghyuk chuckled just thinking about taking one to see Hakyeon’s reactions. Of course, he didn’t in the end just in case.

He went into the living room after grabbing a drink from the fridge and plopped himself cozily onto the sofa. He could still hear the rain hitting the windows harshly. It was almost scary so, he decided to turn on the TV to get rid of the sound. Just as he did, he saw a preview of Hakyeon’s latest drama on.

“Hyung is still filming, isn’t he?” Sanghyuk wonders as he remembers that Hakyeon have been gone every day to finish filming for the drama ‘Knowing Wife’.

Sanghyuk hates to admit it but he misses Hakyeon.

When’s he going to come home tonight? Yesterday it wasn’t until past midnight… I didn’t even notice he came back …  the younger was a little disappointed.

There was nothing going on on the TV, so Sanghyuk decided to turn it off and stare at the window, absorbing all the sounds of the rain. Suddenly, he remembered something.

When I first met Hakyeon-hyung… it was raining that day too, wasn’t it?

The rain has always been associated with Hakyeon and it eventually became an inside joke that wherever Hakyeon went, he would always bring the rain with him. But, for Sanghyuk, who was still in high school back then, remembered the rain as his first encounter with Hakyeon.

Hakyeon was taller than Sanghyuk back then and the older really gave off a gentle older brother vibe. Sanghyuk who was still new to the company was nervous about approaching any of the other trainees because he felt like he didn’t belong. He didn’t want to take the place of those who had been working much longer then him.

“Hyogi~” Hakyeon said to the young Sanghyuk.

“H-Hyogi?” Sanghyuk was surprised by the nickname.

“It’s cute. It suits you,” the older said as he chuckled happily and clung onto Sanghyuk.

Sanghyuk didn’t know how to respond to the sudden nickname even though he wasn’t exactly found of a ‘cute’ nickname. He wanted to be seen as manly and reliable, not the cute youngest member amongst the trainees. But since he was still new and Hakyeon was much older than him, he decided not to say a word. However, it could have been because of the adorable nickname that eventually the other trainees started calling Sanghyuk by ‘Hyogi’ as well. And because of that, Sanghyuk didn’t feel outcasted anymore or wanting to hide from the others. When he eventually became a part of VIXX, even the fans started calling him by his nickname.

“Hyung, can you stop calling me Hyogi?” Sanghyuk eventually said to Hakyeon one day as he got older.

“Hmm? Why not, Hyogi?” Hakyeon asked.

“I’m not a kid anymore, I don’t really like the nickname…”

“Really? It’s cute though?”

“But I don’t want to be cute!” Sanghyuk lashed out at Hakyeon suddenly which took the leader by surprise.

Sanghyuk was going through a strange phrase of his life where not only did he have to work as an idol but also finish school at the same time. He was stressed and he wanted people to see him as someone more than just the youngest of the popular group named ‘VIXX’. He also outgrew Hakyeon and became taller than the older, which made him not like the nickname even more. If anything, Hakyeon should have been the one with a cuter nickname since the leader became the shortest member of the group instead.

But despite the dissatisfaction with his nickname or his role in the group initially, Sanghyuk became more mature over time. He started to work harder than anyone else, dancing, playing instruments, composing and getting vocal lessons. He wanted to prove himself that he could do it as long as he tried. That’s also when Hakyeon started to take on more jobs as the leader alone.

Sanghyuk realized that as busy as Hakyeon got, the lesser the time they got to see each other in the dorms. Sanghyuk hated that a lot even though he refused to say anything to Hakyeon about how he really felt.

Sanghyuk let out a sigh as he reminisced about the past. As he watched the rain fall towards the ground, he kept thinking about the times he has spent as a part of VIXX and how much Hakyeon have always been there for him when he needed the support the most.

When’s he coming back? Sanghyuk asked himself again as he checked his phone to see if there were any other messages, hoping that the leader would send him something. Just as he sighed and was about to give up thinking, someone opened the front door.

“Uwah~ so wet!” it was Hakyeon’s voice.

Sanghyuk jumped out from his spot and went to the entrance to meet Hakyeon at the doors. He was glad to hear the leader’s familiar voice and couldn’t wait to see Hakyeon.

“Welcome b-” Sanghyuk was about to say. “You’re completely drenched, hyung!”

Hakyeon’s clothes were wet from top to bottom, water dripped down from Hakyeon’s hair and the leader was completely soaked.

“Didn’t you bring an umbrella with you? Wait, didn’t manager-hyung drive you back? How are you so wet?” Sanghyuk didn’t understand.

“I kind of ran back here from down the street, haha,” Hakyeon let out a nervous laughter.

“What? Are you crazy? It’s pouring rain and cold outside,” Sanghyuk began to lecture.

“Well, I thought I would make it without getting soaked. I guess wrong. I’m only back to get changed and grab something from my room so I told manager-hyung to come back. He said he had to talk to Sejun-hyung about something and I didn’t want him to drive me back and forth. It’s annoying especially since there’s a construction downstairs on the road,” Hakyeon was only trying to be considerate.

Sanghyuk looked at Hakyeon and let out a sigh.

“Achoo!” Hakyeon sneezed,

“Here,” Sanghyuk grabbed a towel  immediately from his room and covered Hakyeon with it. “Dry your hair and change into dry clothes. You don’t want to get sick.”

“Thanks, Hyogi,” Hakyeon smiled. “What have you been doing on day today? Did you go out?”

“In this rain? Of course not.”

“I see, heh. That’s good. We don’t want you to get sick,” Hakyeon said.

“Say that to yourself. Gosh, dry your hair properly would you?” Sanghyuk noticed the clumsy leader trying to figure out whether to dry his hair first or get changed first instead.

Sanghyuk the heater a little so that the leader would stay warm and he watched Hakyeon dry his hair on the side. Hakyeon sniffled a little from the cold, making Sanghyuk worried but the younger tried not to show it and just watched quietly while he secretly adjusted the heater’s temperature.

Hyung got skinnier again… Sanghyuk finally noticed for the first time in weeks since he seldom got to see Hakyeon at home or so close up in person lately due to the leader’s busy schedule. Is he eating properly? I bet he’s losing a lot of sleep since his schedule is all over the place…

Sanghyuk found himself unable to look away from Hakyeon due to his worry.

“Is there something on my face?” Hakyeon noticed the younger’s glances.

“No,” Sanghyuk immediately said and tried to look away.

“Oh.”

Sanghyuk let out a sigh and finally gave in,” here, I’ll dry your hair for you. You’re too slow!”

Sanghyuk took Hakyeon’s towel covered the older’s shoulders, making sure he was warm while he grabbed the blow dryer from the bathroom and blowdried the leader’s hair instead.

“So warm~” Hakyeon let out a happy tune as he spoke. “I feel so spoiled, hehe.”

“Stop moving hyung,” Sanghyuk said as he ruffled through the leader’s hair.

It’s so soft… Sanghyuk couldn’t help but noticed.

“Hyung, have you been growing your hair lately?” the younger asked.

“It’s not like I can cut it. I had to keep it long so that they could curl it for the drama,” Hakyeon said.

“I see,” Sanghyuk simply replied as he noticed his own hair to be very short after he got it cut for his birthday.

“But this hyung is very happy you noticed me,” Hakyeon joked as he chuckled happily away. He never thought that he would get pampered by Sanghyuk of all people after all.

Sanghyuk watched Hakyeon smile happily and without realizing it, even he ended up smiling. Hakyeon have always had this effect on Sanghyuk since the beginning. If Hakyeon laughs, Sanghyuk would laugh as well even if he tries to hide it but when the leader cries, Sanghyuk would as well. Everything the leader felt, be it sorrow or happiness, Sanghyuk would feel the same as well. Is this because they spent too much time together?

After Hakyeon’s hair got dried and his finally changed his clothes, Hakyeon got up and was ready to get back to work.

“Thanks Hyogi! I’ll be back,” Hakyeon said but just before he could even step out the living room, the younger suddenly grabbed his wrists. “What’s wrong?”

“W-when are you coming back tonight?” Sanghyuk decided to ask.

“I don’t know. Probably not too late since the drama is finishing up,” Hakyeon could only guess.

I hate this… Sanghyuk wanted to say aloud. Stop leaving all the time. Why can’t you stay home like before? I hate this.

“Hyuk-ah?” Hakyeon noticed Sanghyuk’s solemn expression and became worried. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing… I’ll wait for you,” Sanghyuk said.

“Huh? It’ll be late when I come back, I think,” Hakyeon looked as if he was confused as to why the younger would bother waiting for him in the middle of the night.

“I’ll wait,” Sanghyuk insisted strangely.

“O-okay?”

Hakyeon didn’t know what was going on inside of the younger’s mind but he decided to give the younger a hug.

“My Hyogi, don’t worry. I’ll be back before you know it. So you don’t have to worry about me,” Hakyeon told him. “Did you miss me?”

I did, Sanghyuk admitted in his heart without saying the words aloud.

Sanghyuk shook his head as a small lie but Hakyeon could see right through it. Yet, the leader didn’t tease the younger and just quietly held the bigger child back gently.

“Don’t wait for me too late. Eat dinner, brush your teeth and go to bed like a good child. Maybe, you’ll end up dreaming about me if you do,” Hakyeon jokes.

“Pfft,” Sanghyuk finally cracked up a little and let loose. “It’s not that I mind.”

Even without the older joking about it, Hakyeon’s voice have been the one that Sanghyuk kept hearing the past few nights since Hakyeon started the drama filming. It was just a sign of how much the younger really missed having the leader around. Everything that was around Sanghyuk, whether it be the rain or the silence at home, all reminded him of Hakyeon. Before Sanghyuk realized it, his mind was overflowing with thoughts of Hakyeon.

I can’t wait until all of this is over, than you can return home and by my side again. I miss hyung’s voice and calling my name all the time…

Though Sanghyuk would never openly admit it, those were his honest feelings.

A/N:

This one-shot is based on the lyrics to Hyuk's newly written/composed song 'The Rain' in their latest Japanese album. I loved the lyrics so much to be honest and it's my favorite song thus far in their Japanese albums. When I heard the lyrics, I immediately thought of ChaSang to be honest... so, I had to write this. Hope you guys like it :)