A/N: I'd initially uploaded this chapter (all done) but somehow, I did something that made half of it disappear. So, this is the rewrite. There are no major changes but nonetheless, sorry for the inconvenience, guys.

Thanks for all your support!!

Boy # 2

"Hyung...thought I'd find you here...aren't you going home?"

Daehyun found himself not even flinching when he heard and then saw Junhong. He thought it was weird how the younger's face displayed a mixture of happiness and anxiety and wondered if it was for him. Daehyun nodded when he saw Junhong sit down on the step next to him. 

"I'm waiting."

"For what? Youngjae hyung?"

Daehyun thought that the way Junhong oh-so-casually said his words was kind of annoying and he decided not to answer. Instead, Daehyun resumed his earlier position observing the students at the far end of the parking lot. 

"Oh...is that...Jiho hyung? And I think, tha–"

"Wait, who?"

"Him...right there..see."

Daehyun followed Junhong's long finger pointing at a tall blonde boy. Now that he thought about it, he had seen the blonde and the shorter redhead boy before. Without realizing it, he started to speak his thoughts out loud.

"...I saw them both....at the park...they–"

"Yea...Jiho hyung was probably on a date with Himchan hyung and Kyungie hyung, well, he's Jiho hyung's best friend so...he probably tagged along? I don't know. I'm just guessing here..."

Daehyun looked at Junhong with surprise; his head finally began processing his own memory with the new information received from the younger. 

But they were kissing in the bathroom....Huh, so the redhead wasn't kidding when he said that the blonde was having an affair? What the hell? So, Jiho's cheating on Himchan? Damn, this is so messed up.

The brunette felt a light push and the younger's voice soon followed, "Hyung, stop blanking out on me....Speaking of which, are you... okay? I mean..your eye...looks better..."

As if on cue, Daehyun ran his fingers over his bruised–now somewhat healed–eye. Of course, it didn't hurt as much as people thought it did. All the bruises–past and present–weren't as painful as they were ugly, always managing to leave ugly marks and scars all over his body. He pressed his eye with a little bit more strength than was needed and an automatic wince escaped his lips, which was strange since Daehyun was sure that he didn't feel any pain. He could tell, just from Junhong's tone, that the other felt somewhat guilty and when he turned to boy, he saw him staring back with worried eyes. The older male gave him a reassuring smile.

"I'm fine, Junhong. Really. I–"

Brrng~~ Brrng~~

After much rummaging through his overstuffed bag, Daehyun managed to find his phone and quickly answered before Junhong could see the caller ID. After a short conversation–during which he moved away from Junhong–he gathered his stuff, said goodbye to his younger friend and swiftly made his way away from the school grounds. 

In such a hurry did Daehyun walk through the school gates and past the bus stop that he didn't see Youngjae seated on the bench—the latter's back hunched over something in concentration.

Guest # 2

Youngjae recounted the small bundle of money representative of his month's pay. It was not enough. They never were. He knew that no matter how much he pushed his body, his earnings would never be sufficient and there were only so many places willing to hire a high school student. He sighed as his hands reached inside his other pocket and took out the other bundle. Even though he was disgusted, he couldn't help feel a bit at ease seeing the pile. He hated the way his eyes automatically lit up when he realized how much was actually in the stash he had taken. Even more, he despised the fact that he needed to do such acts in order to make it through the day, in order to return home.

Beep~

It was his phone reminding him to follow Daehyun to the doctor's. Secretly following the latter and making sure that his best friend not only attended but stayed for the entire duration of his appointment was something Youngjae always did, if only to put his own heart at ease. But this time, his sister had asked him to return home as soon as school ended and even though he knew she was probably going to ask him to babysit again and go off clubbing, he had agreed. 

Youngjae didn't complain, mostly because there was no one to complain to. His sister always said that it was his duty to help her and her son; that he needed to put family before Daehyun because blood was thicker than anything. Youngjae suddenly remembered that midmorning clearly when he had chosen blood over friendship, when he had chosen family over love and when he had started to lose Daehyun.

Wiping away the tear and sweat from his face, Youngjae clenched his teeth and shook away all his thoughts. He neatly put each bundle of money in his pockets, separately, and waited for the overcrowded bus to arrive. 

I'm sorry for leaving you there. I'm sorry for everything...please get better soon, Daehyun....before the guilt starts eating me away.