Chapter Three: Daehyun and Himchan

Himchan was holding two bags of food from the nearest restaurant to the hospital. Earlier, Himchan could hear Youngjae’s stomach growling endlessly due to the fact that he hadn’t eaten all day. So, Himchan quickly snuck out of the hospital room while Youngjae was napping to buy some side dishes. He made sure to buy plenty, just in case Daehyun arrived.

While he was entering the hospital, he took his cell phone out to call his mother so she wouldn’t worry about him getting home. She answered on the fourth ring, sounding half-asleep. “Sorry if I woke you up, Eomma. But I won’t be coming home tonight.”

This woke his mother up quickly. “What do you mean, Channie? Are you with a girl? Are you being safe?”

His mother’s questions made his face heat up and turn red in embarrassment. He knew his mother thought that he took out many girls because of his friends – who were not shy in their pursuit of women – but, in reality, he had barely ever taken girls out. And he never spent the night with one.

“Eomma,” he whined quietly, so he wouldn’t attract the attention of the others in the hospital. “You know I’m not like that. I’m at the hospital with a friend. He needs someone to stay here with him.”

His mother clicked her tongue in disapproval. The guys had been over to Himchan’s house many times over the past few years, and his mother had grown to care for them all as her own children. Youngjae had spent weeks with Himchan at one point in time, so she was attached to him more than the others.

She even knew about his situation with his parents. “It’s Youngjae, isn’t it?” She sighed heavily, as if it were Himchan in the hospital instead of Youngjae. “Take care of him. And you take care of yourself too. Make sure you eat something. Arasseo?”

“Arasseo, Eomma,” Himchan answered lovingly. “Get some sleep, and I’ll see you tomorrow.” After saying goodbye, he hung up the phone with a sigh. He’d have to bring Youngjae over soon so his mother could see him.

He was about to walk to the elevator, but he heard someone’s sound of surprise close behind him. He turned to see the women that he talked to earlier, the one that had been with Yongguk. What’s her name again, Himchan thought. Seo Minyu, he remembered.

“Oh! You don’t seem like the type to be a mama’s boy,” She told him, walking past him and toward the elevator.

Himchan frowned in confusion and followed the woman, repositioning the bags in his hands. “You were listening to a stranger’s phone conversation?”

The cute blush that he had witnessed before returned to her face, and she brushed her hair from her face. Clearing , she replied, “I wasn’t trying to listen. You were just so loud that I had no other choice. Did you ever find Yongguk Oppa?” She asked, seemingly curious.

For some reason, this made Himchan frown even more. “Yeah, I got in touch with him later.”

Suddenly, Seo Minyu’s eyes got bigger and grabbed onto Himchan’s arm. “He isn’t the one you’re visiting, right?”

His face went hot, but he didn’t let her see. He walked into the nearest available elevator and pressed the floor that Youngjae was staying on. The woman had followed him and pressed a different floor. She turned to him as the elevator doors closed, waiting for an answer.

He shook his head. “Our friend, not Yongguk,” Himchan finally responded.

Minyu sighed in relief. “That’s good.” She smiled up at Himchan, then realized what she just said. “Wait! It’s…I mean…I’m sorry for the friend that is here. But it’s good that it isn’t Yongguk Oppa. I just meant –“

Himchan couldn’t help but chuckle at her obvious regret for what she’d said. He shook his head at her and told her that he understood what she meant. “My name is Himchan, by the way. Kim Himchan.”

Seo Minyu looked back over at him in confusion. “Kim Himchan?” She looked him over and smiled politely, bowing slightly. “It’s nice to meet you.”

He wanted to ask her who she was visiting, but the elevator stopped on the floor she was getting off on. She waved to him and left, not even turning back to see him again before the doors closed.

Himchan couldn’t shake the empty feeling that it left him with. He’d been expecting something more out of Seo Minyu, but he didn’t know what that something was or why he was even expecting it from a woman he barely knew.

Himchan walked to Youngjae’s room after the elevator arrived at the right floor. He opened the door to see a concerned Daehyun holding a sleeping Youngjae’s hand.

It was odd. Daehyun was usually so tense, and he rarely ever let his real emotions out; he only let his anger out. However, when it came to his friends, Daehyun shows his kindness.

Daehyun turned to Himchan when he heard the room’s door open and close. Himchan set the food down on the table next to the door before pulling up a chair beside Daehyun.

“Where have you been? We’ve been calling you all day. You had Youngjae here worrying like crazy about you.”

Daehyun glanced back to his best friend and grinned a little. When he turned back to me, there were tears in his eyes. Himchan had seen Daehyun cry before, but it had always been angry tears. Never had he seen Daehyun cry in sadness.

He reached out and took Daehyun into his arms. “What’s wrong, Daehyun-ah? It’s okay! The doctors say that Youngjae is fine! He just needs to stay here and rest for a while. After this, he’ll come stay with me or Yongguk.” Himchan patted Daehyun’s head gently, hoping to reassure the younger man.

Daehyun shook his head, clinging onto his hyung’s shirt. “Himchan Hyung…I left my home.”

Himchan pulled away from Daehyun and stared at him. All of the guys knew that Daehyun’s parents were scared of him, but they also knew that Daehyun had been trying hard to stop being so angry ever since he left the anger management camp.

“You left? What do you mean? Where are you going? What about your parents?” Himchan asked, not realizing the amount of questions he asked.

Daehyun’s shoulders hunched forward in defeat, and his head hung in shame. “I heard my mother and father talking. She said that she was too scared of me, and he said that they should convince me to leave. So…I just packed my things and got into my car.”

Himchan took Daehyun’s hand, looking at his younger friend with concern. “You can come stay with me, okay?”

Daehyun shook his head to this. He nodded to Youngjae with a small smile. “Let Youngjae stay with you, Hyung. Your mom likes him more. I called Yongguk Hyung, and he said I can stay with him.”

A few minutes of silence went by as Himchan and Daehyun held hands and watched Youngjae sleep. The silence was broken when Daehyun stood up from his seat and began walking to the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Hyung.”

“Wait! Don’t you want to stay and watch over Youngjae?” Himchan asked, confused about why Daehyun suddenly decided to go.

Daehyun nodded, hanging his head again. He sighed and picked up one of the bags of food that Himchan bought. “I will come back early in the morning so you can go to work. You should get some rest too, Hyung.” He walked to the door, then paused. “I was really trying not to be angry this whole time, Hyung,” he whispered.

Before Himchan could reply, the younger man walked out of the room. Himchan nodded to himself and whispered back, “We know you were, Daehyun-ah.” Remembering the bag that Daehyun took with him, Himchan chuckled to himself. “You could have just asked for a bag of food instead of sneaking it out, babo.”

A/N: Thank you so much to Sharky and KittieKwonie for subscribing! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and the next one will be up soon. ^^