"Where are your keys?"
"In my pocket…" Han mumbled.
Chaewon searched, found them, and unlocked the door. They stepped inside.
Just to see posters of NEXON on the front wall.
He carried him to the bedroom, Han opened the door of his room by entering the code, gently laying him on the bed. He removed his shoes, slipped off his coat, and loosened the button of his pants so he could rest more comfortably.
Chaewon then sat on the sofa beside the bed. But suddenly Han started to cry.
Chaewon went to the bed to take a look only to see him crying in his sleep and choking himself.
Chaewon sat beside him, holding his hand and patting his head.
"Han, it's fine. I'm here with you. Everything is fine. I'm here, don't cry."
Slowly Han felt relieved and slept.
Wait… what am I doing here? Oh no. Hyung told me to stay away from him.
He quickly took out his phone and started a group call with his members.
"Hyung… I'm in Han's room."
Hanbin's voice came sharply "Why are you there? Didn't we tell you to stay far from him?"
"Yeah, but he was drunk. If I left him there, he could've gotten sick."
Mark laughed"Chaewon, you have a chance. Kiss him."
Jiwoong snapped"Are you crazy, Mark?"
Hanbin's voice cut through "Is he sleeping?"
"Yes…" Chaewon answered quietly.
"Then leave his damn house. Go back to your room."
"But Hyung… what if he needs me?"
"He's sleeping, idiot. Go home."
Chaewon sighed. How can I leave him alone? He was crying just now.
Then he stayed for at least 2 hours and made sure he was fine. After that, he got up quickly and left.
Before he left, there was a diary on the side table. On the cover page, written in Han's handwriting
We are human so it's fine to show emotions. If you feel happy, be happy. If you are angry, just get angry. If you are sad, just cry. Why hide your feelings to suffer and confuse other people.
He felt like it was written for him.
Back in his apartment, he collapsed on his sofa. Memories of Han's face came flooding back his beauty, the softness of his eyes. And then he remembered him crying. Tears welled up and slipped down Chaewon's cheeks. Why am I crying? he asked himself. He cried and cried…
It was the first time since becoming an idol that he cried. Even when things were out of control, he didn't cry. Even when the company blamed him and put him in a fake scandal. Even when he lost his 200k followers in just one day.
But this time, he cried harder as if a huge stone was being lifted off his chest. He felt relieved. He had been scared to go to university and face people, but after this, he felt like a new person.
Something he realized was that sometimes, all we need is a little cry to let it go.
And there was something else he didn't realize how hard he was falling for Han.
In the morning
"Ahhh… my head. It hurts."
Slowly getting out of bed, Han glanced at the mirror. His eyes were swollen, his face pale and puffed.
I look ugly… he muttered.
Then the reflection of the clock behind him caught his eye. 8:45 a.m.
His heart dropped. Oh no. Class starts at 9!
Panic hit him. Why did I drink last night? No, no, no. Miss Kim will kill me. My attendance is already low 5 lectures, and I only attended 1. Why can't I just wake up on time for once?!
There was no time for anything except throwing on some clothes and brushing his teeth.
When he ran downstairs, another realization struck. Wait… my car. Seungmin took it.
He sat heavily on the stairs, head buried in his knees, one hand clutching his hair.
"I'm doomed…" he whispered. Then hugged himself tightly, murmuring, "It's fine, Han. It's fine. Let's just call a cab."
He unlocked his phone and quickly tried to book a ride. Nothing. No drivers.
At that moment, the roar of an engine pulled up in front of him. Chaewon arrived on a heavy bike, stopping right before him.
"Do you need a ride?" Chaewon asked casually.
Han's eyes widened. "Why are you here? Don't you have classes? Wait… are you stalking me?"
Chaewon tilted his head. "Aren't you getting late?"
Han bit his lip. He didn't want to go with him, but he was already terribly late.
Chaewon removed his helmet and handed it to Han.
Han blinked. "Then what about you?"
Chaewon replied, acting cool "I'll be fine."
Han frowned, putting the helmet back on Chaewon's head. "Don't be stupid."
Chaewon froze. For a moment, the world stopped. He could hardly breathe, staring at Han's face, his heart racing.
But Han quickly went inside, came back with another helmet, and sat behind him on the bike.
On the Way
Chaewon shouted over the wind: "Han, if you're scared, you can hold me!"
Han yelled back: "I don't want to!"
"What if you fall?" Chaewon insisted.
"Then I fall!" Han shot back.
Chaewon laughed under his breath.
It only took them seven minutes to reach the university.
Han quickly got off the bike, still wearing the helmet.
"Have a nice day," Chaewon said.
"You too," Han replied quickly before running off.
Did he just say that to you too? Chaewon smiled to himself, hitting the bike lightly as he got shy.
In the Classroom
Han rushed inside, panting. To his surprise, Miss Kim wasn't there.
It was his sister.
"Noona?" he blurted out, shocked.
Jiwoo raised an eyebrow. "Are you always this late to class?"
Confused, Han stammered: "N-No… not all the time."
"Go sit on your seat."
Then she turned to the class. "Students, let me introduce myself. I'm a professor at the University of Bristol. I'm here as a visiting faculty, and I'll be teaching you Entrepreneurship this semester. That's all you need to know."
One student raised his hand. "What's your name, ma'am?"
"My name is Joon Jiwoo. Any other questions?"
Two more students raised their hands, but she glanced at them and ignored them completely.
"So, no more questions. Let's begin the lecture. But before that…" Her sharp eyes landed on Han.
"Mr. Joon Jihan, would you like to remove that helmet from your head? It's annoying to watch."
The whole class burst into laughter.
Students at the back whispered:
"She's mean."
"No, she's dope."
"Did you see how she ignored those students?"
"Maybe she didn't see them."
"No, she definitely did."
"She's beautiful though."
Han leaned on his friend. "Where's Miss Kim?"
His friend replied "This is a replacement lecture. Didn't you check the class group?"
Han chuckled softly. "Nope."
His friend whispered "Then how does she know your name?"
Han laughed a bit and shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe Miss Kim told her I'm always late."