It’s been three hours since Sungmin’s mom had left the bakery, yet the moment he arrived home, his mom wasn’t there. He was planning to go look for her, but he knows that his mother needs a little time to think by herself.  

Sungmin has never been slapped by his mother. Not once. Not ever… well, not until today. His mother had always smiled through all the pain that she’s been suffering. Pain that both this world, and Sungmin, made her bear.

Sungmin knows well enough not to talk back to his mother. The scene that happened hours ago kept on replaying in his mind. The way his mother’s hand landed on his sensitive rosy cheek, and the way Ryeowook, Henry, and Kyuhyun watched from the sides as he get scolded by his mother for loving someone.

He doesn’t regret anything that happened today. Call him disrespectful, he doesn’t care. As long as he’s with Donghae, he’s happy.

Of course, his mother makes him happy, but not the way Donghae makes his heart flutter every time that they’re together.

Love has completely taken over Sungmin.

Sungmin has tried calling his mom’s cellphone multiple times already, but his mom wouldn’t answer. He’s getting worried. It’s very dark outside already, and their neighborhood doesn’t do much justice either.

“Mom, pick up,” Sungmin grunted as he tries to call his mom one more time before the front door creaked open. “Mom?”

Sungmin almost dropped his phone when he saw his mom’s bloodshot eyes. She’s obviously been crying for the whole three hours that she had disappeared.

“Mommy,” Sungmin said, walking close to his mom to take her by the shoulders, and led her to the couch. He wiped the trail of tears, which were still streaming down his mom’s face.

“I’m sorry,” his mom suddenly said through all the sobbing she’s doing. “I’m sorry, Sungmin. I didn’t mean to slap you.”

Sungmin was on the verge of tearing up. How can his mom possibly say sorry for his mistake? He admits, those slaps shouldn’t have been necessary, but for his mom to say sorry at a situation like this? It’s quite crazy.

“Mommy, I should be the one saying sorry. I shouldn’t have talked back. I’m a bad kid…” Sungmin sniffed.

“Oh no, sweetheart,” Sungmin’s mom replied, “no no no, you’re not a bad kid. I’m just extremely worried.”

“Worried about what, mommy?” Sungmin curiously asked.

“Do you really think that Donghae guy loves you? He’s only going to break your heart. Donghae is like this rich creamy chocolate cake that we can only make twice a month in our bakery, and you’re this plain white bread that we can always make every day. I’m not trying to put you down, but it’s the truth.”

“Mommy, Donghae has liked me since we were in the middle school. I can see his sincerity in dating me when we’re together. Mommy, isn’t it time to repay him for all of those times he has been chasing me?” Sungmin sniffed once again, “think about all of those papers he has wasted by making love letters for me for almost four years. Mommy, I like him too. The only reason I didn’t go out with him before is because I believed I was too young to be dating, and like you said, we’re from two different worlds.”

Sungmin’s mom sighed. She rubbed their hands together in a comforting way, almost as if the fight that happened in the bakery never happened. This is them. Sungmin and his mom. The only people they can lean on are each other. He’s got her back, and she has his. So even with that fight that they had earlier, their bond as mother and son will not fade away.

“I’ll be fine, mom. I won’t let him hurt me. I’ll be fine,” Sungmin confidently said after silence had crept in. In fact, he sounded so confident that his mom couldn’t help but flash him her beautiful smile which Sungmin would die for just to see it at this moment.

“I hope you know what you’re doing. Maybe you can introduce him to me one day?” Sungmin’s mom asked, still with the same smile on her face.

“I will.” Sungmin smiled. “I’m not going to keep him away from you.”

“You do know that he probably won’t tell his parents about this relationship, wouldn’t you?”

Sungmin pouts. “I know. His family is pretty important to him. I mean, being an only child, they probably depend on him to run their businesses one day.”

“You’re not with him because he’s rich, right?” Sungmin’s mom joked.

“Of course not,” Sungmin answered with a laugh. “I really love him. I will never love anyone just because of money.”

“You sound just like your father.”

~

The weekend went by pretty fast.

The moment Sungmin and Henry stepped into the school, Donghae immediately ran up to Sungmin, and hugged the latter.

“I missed you,” Donghae said, placing a kiss on Sungmin’s forehead.

“I missed you more.”

Sungmin heard Hangeng and Heechul giggle at them. They teased Sungmin and Donghae by imitating the way Donghae had ran up to Sungmin, and kissed the latter’s forehead.

“Would you stop it already?” Donghae snapped, but he let out a laugh anyway because of his childish friends.

Sungmin blushed when Donghae suddenly turned to face him with the most gorgeous smile he had ever seen.

“Why are you smiling like that?” Sungmin asked Donghae.

“I love you.”

Sungmin’s eyes widened at the sudden use of those three words. They’ve only been dating for at least five days. How could Donghae suddenly say that? How could Donghae use those words so freely on Sungmin? Love? Does this confession prove that Donghae really loves him? Is this enough proof to tell his mom that they love each other?

In response, Sungmin just smiled, and then hugged Donghae.

Noticing that Henry was gone, Sungmin told Donghae that he’ll be going to his locker to fetch his morning class books. He shook his head when Donghae offered to go with him since he doesn’t want that much attention; not that he wasn’t getting any attention at all considering he’s going to be the active co-captain of the school’s soccer team this coming fall.

Sungmin felt as though he’s the luckiest guy in this world. He has the most loving boyfriend ever. A mom that cares too much for him. A best friend that’ll be there until the end. A leader of a sport he loves. Seriously, what more could he ask for?

There is one. But it’s impossible.

~

Sungmin turned the combination, from left to right then left again, to open his locker.

Oddly enough, his locker wouldn’t open. Last week it was working perfectly fine. He turned the lock once again, putting in the same combination he has been doing since last week, but it still didn’t work.

He lightly jumped back in surprise when someone coughed behind him.

“That’s my locker, idiot.”

Sungmin quickly turned around, and found Kyuhyun with an annoyed expression plastered on his face. He scooted carefully to the locker beside the locker he’s been trying to open. Sure enough, the combination worked.

Sungmin was flabbergasted, but at the same time, he too was annoyed because of the mere presence of Kyuhyun. What exactly is the guy’s purpose to come to the bakery yesterday?

Oh, that’s right, to make his life a living hell. True.

Sungmin proceeded to take his books out of his locker. He also grabbed two pens, and a marker. Just when he was about to close his locker, he heard Kyuhyun clear his throat again. He knows that Kyuhyun’s clearing his throat at him so he started rummaging through his things in his locker; pretending that he’s looking for something.

“Are you okay?” He heard Kyuhyun ask. Sungmin lightly scoffed for Kyuhyun not to hear. “Did you hear me? I asked if your okay?”

Kyuhyun’s voice got a bit louder, and now is the time that Sungmin should close his locker, and walk away.

He did just that.

Just when he thought that he finally lost Kyuhyun, his wrist was immediately pulled into the boy’s restroom.

Too shocked to even speak, Sungmin decided to look down on the ground, and not face his kidnapper.

“I’m talking to you. I’m asking if you’re okay.”

Sungmin kept silent, which he knows he shouldn’t be doing because everyone in this school knows that patience is not Kyuhyun’s friend.

And because of that silence, he squealed when Kyuhyun pinned him against the wall. Kyuhyun’s eyes were raging in anger. It was quite scary for Sungmin, but he kept his cool. He knows that being hit by the guy is the last thing the latter would want to do. Unless Kyuhyun wants to get punched by his best friend, which is his boy friend, then by all means.

But knowing Kyuhyun for years, he’s not a violent person.

“I’m asking you again, are you okay?”

Sungmin sighed. “I’m fine. Now, would you please let me go before someone sees us in this position? I just started dating your best friend. I wouldn’t want rumors to start flying around that I’m cheating on him with his best friend.”

“If you don’t want this to happen again. Do not ing ignore me, idiot.”

Sungmin gaped at the retreating figure of Kyuhyun. How dare he? So, this is Sungmin’s fault now? Why is he concerned anyway?

Sungmin suddenly straightened up when Kyuhyun entered the restroom once again.

“By the way, I’m sorry.” 

(A/N): REUPLOADED

remember when i was a bit drunk when i uploaded this? lol