** WARNING!!!!
Mention of death - Mention of drugs - Mention of suicide
Please read with caution!!!
"Before I forget! Your interview will be tomorrow, so be ready"
"I'm ready!"
"I mean mentally buddy, the man who'll interview you is a lunatic" Aera stared at Han Beom's shocked face with a rising brow, "before you say anything else, I knew him since university years so-"
"You finished your university studies?!?!" Han Beom gaped, shocked by another info about his hyung. He knew the man for a week but the surprising stuff he keeps learning about him leave him speechless, "will I ever be able to act normal toward anything I learn about you?" Han wondered. Aera smiled sweetly assuring him that day will come sooner or later.
"Will you be ok?" Asked Aera standing behind the door watching Han Beom wearing his shoes "Pah lease~ I'm going back home so why are you worried? Stop acting like mother!" He said rolling his eyes finding the idea of being treated like a child by Aera a funny one, but he still kinda likes it.
Aera tried to hide his worries and fears, but it was still clear when he decided to speak out his mind, "oh dear~ what would you expect from me~ my baby brother is leaving my side and I'm not allowed to be worried~?" Han Beom shuddered at what he just heard, he glared at Aera who rose his hands in surrender, "I don't recall having a big brother?"
"Yea but you're the one who kept calling me hyung~ you're the one who mislead me" he grinned after seeing a pale faced Han.
It's probably because he got comfortable enough around Aera in this short period of time that he ended up calling him "hyung" without realizing it. He wants to blame Aera for that but he can't bring himself to do so because he just can't. Yes he did call him hyung but it was because of the comfort he felt when he's around him.
It's strange to be attached to strangers, let alone in a short duration like this but Aera had some abilities to gain anybody's trust, Han noticed that yet he didn't fight back and even embraced it with open arms, he even welcomed the warmth following.
He's willing to be an open book for Aera but time's still early for this, he still need to work hard to overcome his trust issues toward him at least.
He walked down the road to the station, once he reached home his mother asked him to change his clothes and come sit with them in the living room, pointing out they have some important matters they need to discuss together.
After he changed his clothes and washed up, he walked to the kitchen and took a seat in front of his father who was watching the news from his seat. "Things don't seem to be going well those days, it's getting worse every now and then" he mumbled while staring at the screen with serious expression.
Han's mother peeked at what he's watching and sighed shaking her head, "I don't know what got into kids those days, drugs isn't a toy to play with like that"
The first thing Han saw when he turned his head to the screen was a number of dead bodies differ in colors, though bodies were hidden under white sheets, hands and legs were out exposing the state of the body's owner.
He remembered the first time he saw such scene, the body wasn't in a recognizable state and blood was spilled everywhere, he felt disgust and dizziness that day and ended up collapsed. When that case was on the news, they found out he's a man in his mid forty's and was under work pressure that day so he couldn't handle it and committed a suicide by jumping from the roof of the building he's working in. His wife mentioned how exhausted her husband would look when he returns home after being absent for two and rarely three days, the poor woman suddenly cried saying their first born was close to come and that the baby will never get the chance to, at least, see his/her father.
"n? Han? HAN?!" Yelled his mother holding onto him with trembling hands and his father preparing to stand from his seat, "is everything ok dear?" her voice trembling while asking.
Han Beom nodded his head, giving his mother a small smile, "I hope so" his father mumbled before he took a seat, his mother brought him a small bowl of rice with some seasoned chicken with a spicy sauce.
"Now! Let's start talking?" Han's mother stared at her husband in disbelief "your son wasn't ok a second ago and he needs to eat and you want to discuss those???"
"What do you two mean by 'those'???" he asked emphasizing the word those like his mother did. He was already feeling tired after that memory came back after he hid it far away from the light but it had to come back today of all days.
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
PTOO!!!
gasp!
Han Beom jumped from his seat after he spit the food that was supposed to stay in his mouth on his father's face, his father suddenly regretted opening his mouth and asking that question, and for his mother... She was holding into her stomach, trembling, trying her very best to not laugh at her husband. She knew that was gonna happen so she warned him, but her little cat didn't obey her and had to deal with the consequences of touching the filled bowl and drowning in its cold water.
After the mess ended and Han's mother laughed at her husband and made fun of him, they sat in the living room ready to discuss the question asked earlier.
"What made you think I have a girlfriend?" he asked terrified what things his parents will come up with, "will..." his father started but his mother ended making her son choke with his saliva "you haven't been home the whole day yesterday and you even came home late today, so we thought you were spending time with your 'her'"
She patted his back, waiting him to recover so he can answer them but before he fully recovered from his second shock for today she striked with a third, "you've been smiling like a fool this whole week so we had our hopes high, it's ok if she's not your girlfriend yet but please do bring her home next time~"
What will happen to them if they knew who he was with the whole day yesterday, and smiling like a fool for for a week?
They'll probably get the wrong idea... Or they are going to...