The Night Mr. Choi Took Seungmin Away from Han house because Mr Joon exposed Han and Chaewon.
Seungmin lay on the floor, blood warm under his body.
He did not move.
Moving always made things worse.
His arm was bent the wrong way. He could see the bone pushing against his skin. The pain was so sharp it felt like fire, but he stayed still. If he moved, his father would notice. If he made a sound, it would start again.
So he breathed slowly.
Even that hurt.
Every breath cut into his chest, deep and heavy, like his lungs were being crushed. He wanted to stop breathing. Not to die — just to stop feeling.
His eyes were half open. The room was shaking. He could see his father throwing things, shouting, drinking, breaking whatever was close. Then he dropped onto the sofa like nothing happened.
Seungmin's body was shaking.
He told himself not to pass out. If he passed out, he wouldn't know when the next hit would come.
But his eyes kept closing.
The last thing he thought was stupid and soft.
Han wouldn't like seeing me like this.
A voice pulled him back.
"Seungmin…
Seungmin…
Choi Seungmin…"
His eyes opened.
Six years earlier
"Seungmin, wake up. Class starts in two minutes. Do you want the teacher to yell at you again?" Jisoo whispered.
Seungmin didn't answer. He just stared at his phone, not really reading anything.
The bell rang.
The teacher walked in with someone.
Seungmin didn't care—until he looked up.
And then everything stopped.
The boy at the front of the class was Han.
Seungmin's heart jumped so hard it hurt. For a second he forgot how to breathe.
The teacher said, "This is Joon Jihan. He came from England. He doesn't speak much Korean, so be kind and help him."
Han bowed.
"Nice to meet you. Please take care of me."
Everyone clapped.
Everyone except Seungmin.
The teacher told Han to sit behind Jisoo.
That seat was next to Seungmin.
Han walked slowly to it. He felt Seungmin staring, and it made him nervous. It felt like being watched by someone dangerous.
When Han sat down, Seungmin quickly looked away and put his head down.
He pretended to sleep.
It was easier than explaining why his chest felt tight.
The teacher said nothing.
Han kept looking at him. Something about Seungmin made him curious and uneasy at the same time.
When the bell rang, Seungmin lifted his head.
Their eyes met.
Han swallowed.
"Hi… how have you been?"
Jisoo turned around.
"You two know each other?"
"No," Seungmin said. His voice was flat. "I don't know him."
Han felt like something hit him in the chest.
"We met at a party six months ago," Han said quietly. "Don't you remember?"
Seungmin didn't look at him.
"I meet too many people. I don't remember all of them."
Then he put his head down again.
Because remembering Han hurt too much.
Jisoo touched Han's shoulder.
"It's okay. He's like that. Don't take it seriously."
But Han already did.
The whole day felt empty. No one talked to him. No one came close. Everyone already had their people.
He was alone in a room full of others.
Six months earlier
That night in the cold.
When Seungmin gave Han his coat, he saw how Han was shaking. How he tried to hide it.
When Han reached into the pocket, he took Han's hands instead and pulled them inside.
Because he didn't want Han to know that he was standing there with him willingly. He wanted him to think that he was standing there because his father told him to.