Never bend your head.

Always hold it high.

Look the world right in the eye.

- Helen Keller -

 

 

 

Chapter 01

THE REVEALED TRUTH

 

 

“Okay, anybody knows how to finish this math question?” The female teacher, Kim Seohyun, asked the entire students in class A. The class was actually the class with the greatest grades among the classes in the same level. However, no one seemed wanting to stand up voluntarily for the question on the board.

Seohyun walked around in the class, observing one of one her students. She wanted to find someone who had finished working on the question in their note or at least someone who seemed thinking about the question. But the result was none.

After five minutes passed, she gave up. “What do you learn since the beginning of the semester, kid?”

Seohyun stared at her favorite male students who sat in the middle class, surrounded by his group of friends. “Yang Yoseob…,”

The male student shook his head politely. “I couldn’t finish that, Teacher Kim.”

“Fine. Like usual, you finish that and I’ll give you a chocolate.” She said lazily, but confidently.

She rolled her eyes at once seeing the boy stood up and walked to the board. He smiled widely as he took a whiteboard marker and immediately wrote the answer with the way of resolving.

Most of the students giggled looking at their friend’s behavior. No one could blame him though. He was just too cute and sweet to be blamed. Besides, it wasn’t his fault if he had such a brilliant brain.

“Have you finished that, Yoseob-sshi?” Seohyun asked as Yoseob put back the whiteboard marker on its place.

Yoseob turned his head to the teacher and nodded happily. The teacher grabbed a chocolate from his pocket and gave it to the male student who stood in front of her. She couldn’t help but chuckled. She really never regretted being a teacher in this high school.

“Thank you.” Yoseob put the chocolate in his pocket and smiled cutely. Just after he turned his body, the teacher grabbed his wrist, making him face her again. This time was with a frown in his face and a questioning look.

“Are you fine, Yoseob-sshi? You look a bit pale,” The teacher who was also the only responsible teacher for handling this class asked in a low voice, so that the other students couldn’t hear her.

“Yes, I’m perfectly fine, Teacher.” Yoseob assured her with his best smile. As he expected, the female teacher let him go back to his seat.

“What do you learn since the beginning of the semester? It’s just a simple question and no one from you could answer it…” Seohyun kept nagging to all of the students, except Yoseob, in the next five minutes.

Suddenly Yoseob felt his vision blurring. He blinked his eyes few times to get a clear view, but it still didn’t help at all.

“Hyung, are you okay?” A whispered came from his left side.

He just wanted to answer when suddenly he felt the pain in his left chest. He held his left chest with his right hand and unconsciously clenched his left hand on the table. He felt his breath was taken away in his every try breathing. His head was spinning crazily and felt like was hit by a hammer. Everything wasn’t as clear as it was when he out. The last thing he heard was some voices screaming his name as he felt someone shook his body.

 

******

 

“Do you want me to tell your friends?” The doctor asked after writing something in his paper. He stared at Yoseob who was lying helpless on the bed.

Yoseob smiled bitterly and said softly. “Let me tell them, Doctor Kyuhyun.”

“Okay, then.” Kyuhyun said as he nodded in understanding. Then he checked his paper for once and looked back to the boy. “Please remember clearly to not getting tired and drink the medicine on time, okay?”

Yoseob nodded obediently. It was completely his foolishness today. He forgot to drink his medicine on time and he was tired of school. It was a perfect time for his illness to be back.

“I guess I have to leave now, then.” Kyuhyun put his pen in his pocket and gave the paper to the nurse. Then he smiled evilly to Yoseob. “No game for today ‘cause you have to rest.”

Yoseob pouted cutely. Kyuhyun chuckled looking at his cute patient. He had been the boy’s personal doctor since forever. And it was getting harder for him to separate his feelings as a doctor and as a friend.

“Do you want me to call them now?” Kyuhyun asked.

“Doctor Kyuhyun, can you tell them that I’m resting now?” Yoseob replied hesitantly.

Kyuhyun patted Yoseob’s head and smiled genuinely. “Yes, of course, baby boy.”

As soon as he was outside, five male students complete with their school uniform approached Kyuhyun at once. Kyuhyun smiled to them friendly. He knew very well about the boys, because he had met them many times before.

“Doctor Kyuhyun, how is he?” Gikwang asked him worriedly.

“He’s fine now. He was just exhausted.” Kyuhyun assured them. “Just always remind him to drink his medicine on time. Because it will end up like this, if he didn’t.”

The boys nodded.

Kyuhyun looked at each one of them and suddenly his glance stopped at the woman who was with the boys. He had never seen her before. She looked beautiful and young. She seemed younger than him though. He knew that Yoseob was collapsed in the school, so was she one of the teachers? Damn, he never had a teacher as attractive as her in his old days.

“Where are his parents?” Kyuhyun asked to the boys.

“They are still on the way.” The woman answered at once. Kyuhyun stared at her in a questioning look.

 “I’m their teacher, Kim Seohyun.” The woman smiled shyly and Kyuhyun swore he could die now seeing that. At least he will die in happiness after seeing her wonderful smile.

Seohyun offered her right hand and Kyuhyun gladly took her hands, shaking it gently. “I’m Cho Kyuhyun, Yoseob’s personal doctor.”

“Can we visit him?” A boy who had the most beautiful faces, Hyunseung, asked, breaking the eye contact between the handsome doctor and the beautiful teacher. Such a great time, wasn’t it?

“Yes, you can, but later… Let him alone for now. He still needs rest.” Kyuhyun lied as he was told. Honestly, he didn’t like lying. But looking at the circumstances right now, he could have an exception. Yoseob might need time alone after he told him about his last condition.

“Boys, if his parents has come, tell them to meet me in my room, okay? I have to go now,” Kyuhyun said, earning a nod from Doojoon and the others.

“Does his condition worsened?” Suddenly a voice was heard coming out of one of the boys. It was Junhyung. It was their first time asking straight to the doctor. Usually they would know it from Yoseob’s parents.

Kyuhyun startled. He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry I can’t tell you all. You better ask him.”

 

******

 

Teeettt!!! Teeettt!!! The school bell rang loudly. The students in class A smiled in victory. They had enough math lessons in the last two hours. After the teacher left, they packed their things hurriedly, wanting to feel the freedom.

“Guys, I’m going to visit Yoseob today. Want to join?” Hyunseung ask Gikwang, Doojoon, Dongwoon, and Junhyung. All five of them now were walking out of the school building.

“I and Junhyung have basketball practice after school today. Maybe we will visit him after that.” Doojoon said in matter-of-factly.

Hyunseung turned his head to Dongwoon.

“I can’t go now. I’ve to take Hyejung to the bookstore. I’ll visit Yoseob hyung after that.” Dongwoon said. Hyejung was Dongwoon’s girlfriend for the last half years. Today he had promised her to accompany her going to the bookstore.

“I’ll come with you, hyung. I don’t have anything to do after school.” Gikwang offered.

This time Hyunseung was the one who frowned. Not just him actually, but also the other three.

“Don’t you have swimming practice after school every Monday and Wednesday, hyung?” Dongwoon asked curiously. Today was Wednesday though.

Gikwang gulped down nervously. He shouldn’t have said that he was free. StupidGikwang. “Err… I… skip it?”

“Why?” This time, Doojoon was the one who asked.

“I’ve never seen you missing your swimming practice, Gikwang-ah.” Hyunseung said suspiciously.

Gikwang took a deep breath. He knew sooner or later, their friends would know. Actually it wasn’t his first time skipping. He already did it for the last four practices secretly.

“Err…. I’m… just bored.” Gikwang stuttered.

 “Don’t worry; it’s a common thing among athletes. We got bored some times.” Gikwang flinched at his own words. He didn’t even believe that. He didn’t sure that it was gonna be for a while or… forever.

Just after Gikwang said his brilliant excuse, a student approached them. It was Lee Joon. He was also a swimmer as famous as Gikwang. Nevertheless, Gikwang did better from him.

“Gikwang-ah, can we talk for a sec?”

 

 

 

 

“What do you want to talk, Joon hyung?” Gikwang asked bluntly just a moment after they stopped walking. Both of them were in a silent hallway, far enough from Gikwang’s friends. However, Gikwang really hoped that it wasn’t about swimming.

“Why didn’t you come to practice? We’ll have a championship next month. You know that, don’t you?” Lee Joon stared at his junior. He knew something must have gone wrong. Never he imagined Lee Gikwang would skip the practice. Everybody knew how much Lee Gikwang love swimming. Swimming is his dream. That was what Gikwang said to him.

 “I never have seen you like this, Gikwang. You can tell me everything.” Lee Joon said as he sat down on the chair. Gikwang looked down to the floor. He felt guilty not telling Lee Joon the truth behind his absent. Lee Joon was his closest friend in swimming after all.

Gikwang sighed and sat down. “I get bored, hyung. That’s all.”

Lee Joon raised an eyebrow. “Really? Why? Isn’t this is your own dream?”

Gikwang silenced for a moment. Gloomy was written all over his face. He lifted his head up and stared at the older one. Lee Joon could see through his eyes that everything the younger just said was the only truth.

“Don’t you feel bored, hyung? Everything that we saw every morning is water, water, and water. We’ve practiced every day. But it seemed like useless since we just got one trophy in this year. I… I just get bored, hyung. I felt like… like… I’ve chosen a wrong one. Like I shouldn’t be a swimmer…,” Gikwang scratched his head in desperate.

Lee Joon kept silent. He was too shock to hear all of this from Gikwang’s mouth. All the time, he thought Gikwang was a true swimmer. Of all the swimmer he had met, Gikwang was the truly one who swim with all his heart.

“Have you felt something like that, hyung? Like I said before,” Gikwang looked away to the window. He could see the students played basketball in the school field.

Lee Joon smiled softly. “Yeah, I’ve had it long time ago. But fortunately I didn’t quit and kept trying. And now as you can see, I didn’t regret my decision.”

Both of them were silent again. Gikwang felt calm after hearing those words. At least, he wasn’t the only one who has had or was having that feeling.

“You don’t think to quit everything that you’ve started since childhood, right?” Lee Joon asked hopefully. He stared at the younger.

Gikwang just smiled bitterly. “I don’t know yet, hyung…”

Lee Joon stood up. He patted Gikwang’s shoulder slightly. “Think about your decision, Gikwang-ah. I tell you, once we stop doing something, it would be very hard to get back. Trust me…”

Gikwang gave his best smile to Lee Joon. He never regretted of having Joon as a friend.

After Joon had gone, Gikwang still sat down there. He was thinking of something. He was really busy with his thoughts until he didn’t realize that he was being watched by some pairs of eyes. They were just separated by a wall. The owners of those pair of eyes were close enough to hear everything.

“Why?”

A sudden voice was heard by Gikwang. He widened his eyes as he turned his head. He froze and looked away. He was too speechless to say anything. That was Hyunseung.

“Why did you never tell us about this, Gikwang-ah?” Dooojoon asked clearly.

Gikwang sighed heavily and stood up. “I… I’m sorry… It’s just… I don’t know, hyung,”

Dongwoon walked closer to his hyung and put his left hand on Gikwang’s shoulder. Gikwang turned his head to Dongwoon.

“You know if you could tell us everything, right, hyung?” Gikwang Everybody startled with Dongwoon’s action just now. It was something that even his best friends for years never imagined.

“We’re your friends… We’ll always ready to hear anything from you.” Hyunseung added.

Gikwang smiled bitterly. He couldn’t think of anything right now. There was just too much for him. He knew he should tell them about his problem, but they had enough things to think. Yoseob was the more important than he was. He couldn’t make the others more worried.

“I know… It’s just… just… I don’t want you to get worry because of me…”

 

******

 

 

It's just an introduction chapter...

The plot will be getting interesting in each chapter...

Honestly, I planned just about five chapter^^

 

I hope you can enjoy the story ^_^

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I really appreciate it ...

 

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