Chapter 9: Chapter 7 | 🍒

Friday

Part of Jisung was now really begging it to rain, because the sunshine just didn't fit the mood he was in. Felix was his sunshine, and now the blond was convinced he'd messed everything up.

However Jisung didn't exactly have the time to be worrying about that, since he had to pick up Heijin and Heihyun from a friend's house in less than 2 hours. The blond headed out of the school after packing up his things, setting off for home so he could change and maybe fit in the essay he had to do for his History class.

Jisung was the type of student who had a habit of doing amazing on the subjects he loved, but not so well on the subjects he disliked. Realistically he should put more effort into the ones he doesn't like as he'd therefore do better, but there was something about pretending to like Physics that made the blond dislike it even more.

After running home and getting a quick shower (the heat was so intense that Jisung had started sweating the moment he'd stepped out of the cool sanctuary of the computer room), the blond got changed into his usual comfy yet stylish clothing in order to be ready to pick up the boys from their friend's place. According to Minho the place wasn't too far from the Lee family home, sort of around the park area.

As Jisung got changed into his saffron sunflower sweater, patched up mom jeans and vivid yellow converses, his mind wandered to Minho. To be honest the blond couldn't deny his feelings as just "teenage emotions" any more. He knew that he found the older to be really attractive in both looks and personality, and while he didn't know how to act upon it, there wasn't any harm in feeling that way.

Well, there wouldn't be if Jisung wasn't also facing the dilemma of knowing that Felix was in love with him. The blond felt guilty for liking Minho, a guy much older than him who he'd known less than a week, and not Felix, his friend of over 6 years who he knew like a brother.

But that was the thing. Jisung saw Felix as a brother, a friend, and he just couldn't help feel something towards Minho. Not that the older would have the same kind of thoughts or emotions, since Jisung was just a babysitter for his kids, but it was always nice to imagine.

Jisung did some work in the little time he had, and was thankfully not bothered by his parents. He had yet to tell them he had a job and was saving up for a good university, as he was concerned they'd take it out of context and think he was being ungrateful. He knew he was lucky just to even get the opportunity, but he still really wasn't on board with the idea of going to community college.

Soon it was time for the blond to go pick up Heijin and Heihyun, and after fixing in his headphones Jisung set off down the road to get to their friend's house. While he walked he could still feel that guilt of rejecting Felix in the pit of his stomach, like a stitch that was making it painful to walk. It was so distracting that the blond didn't even realise he had gone the wrong way. Sighing, Jisung backtracked and found his path again, feeling somewhat stupid for dwelling on the issue so much. Felix said he was fine, and maybe he'll be better on Monday. I should just give him space?

When Jisung got to the house he gave the bell a short ring and stepped back. The home was kinda nice, but not nearly as neat and as attractive as Minho's. The door suddenly opened, startling Jisung, and in the doorway stood a tall man with long, blond hair wearing a blue hoodie and jeans. He raised an eyebrow skeptically at Jisung, and the younger felt kind of intimidated by his stare. From behind him there could be joyful cries of children playing heard, so the blond was convinced he was at the right house.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes, hi, um I'm here to

pick up Lee Heijin and Heihyun?"

"You're not Minho."

Jisung blinked at the man's obvious statement. No shit Sherlock. Of course he didn't say this out loud, since there wasn't any reason to be rude. Before the blond could state who he actually was, the man asked "are you his boyfriend or something?"

Jisung's face became heated immediately, as he hadn't been prepared to be asked something like that. While he wanted to say yes, the younger didn't intend the conversation to go in the wrong direction.

"No no, I'm just their, I'm just their babysitter." The man gave Jisung a once over, still with the unconvinced expression set on his face.

"Minho didn't tell me anything about his babysitter picking up his kids." Jisung crashed for a moment, not really knowing how to respond. He could see why the man thought he was maybe trying to take the two boys, but also he was telling the damn truth?!

"Look, I have Minho's

contact in my pho-"

"You could just be lying."

Seriously?! Why does everyone who is older than me hate me except Minho?

Luckily for Jisung, at that moment none other than Heijin appeared beside the tall man, trying to force his way outside. "Sungie!! You're here!" The man tried to prevent Heijin from getting out, obviously panicking that he would run off, but the dark haired boy managed to weave his way through his legs and run up to Jisung.

"Sungie, are you feeding

us dinner tonight?"

"Hey Jinnie, and yes probably."

"Can I have carrots? Pretty pleaseee."

"Aha of course!"

The man seemed startled at the conversation between Jisung and Heijin, and didn't know how to react. It didn't take long for Heihyun to arrive either, closely followed by a small girl with wavy, almond brown hair who Jisung could only assume was the man's daughter.

"Hi Mister Jisung." Heihyun smiled softly and hopped down to where the blond was standing too, instantly holding his hand - a habit he had developed to doing every time he first saw the older.

"Heya Hyun, you had a good time?" Heihyun nodded, and then all three boys turned to look back up at the tall man in the doorway. He looked uncomfortable but unbothered as he picked up the girl, who wrapped her arms round her dad's neck and hid her face shyly.

"I guess you are here to pick them up." The man said stiffly, but then he relaxed by giving Jisung a genuine smile. "Sorry for my attitude. I just know how protective Minho is of them and I feel I should also help protect them too." The younger nodded. He understood where the man was coming from, and he knew Minho well enough to be aware of that.

"Yeah I know, I wanna protect them too." Both guys chuckled, and then Jisung gave Heijin and Heihyun's hands a gentle squeeze. "Are you two ready to go then?"

"Yes yes," Heijin turned back to wave at the girl being held by the man, "bye Yeona, bye Mister Hwang." The little girl uncurled herself from her dad, allowing herself space to give a little wave back.

"Bye JinJin, bye Hiehyunnie." Heihyun bowed low and mumbled a small "bye", still hanging onto Jisung's hand tightly.

"I'll text Minho to let him know you've picked them up." The man, Mr. Hwang, informed Jisung as he moved his daughter from one shoulder to the other. Jisung hummed in acknowledgement, before bending down to lift Heijin up as well, all while making sure he didn't let go of Heihyun's hand.

"Okay then, have a good afternoon."

"You too kid."

I'm not a kid but alright then. Jisung laughed silently to himself before heading back down to the pavement with the two boys. They made their way back to the Lee household, the blond listening to Heijin and Heihyun's stories from this morning and trying not to get caught up worrying about Felix.

~~~

The three spent most of the afternoon working through a Biology textbook that Heijin and Heihyun had recently gotten, focusing on the human body and making creative diagrams of the internal organs. It was a hot afternoon, and at some point Heijin began to get sleepy.

"Sungie.. can I take a nap

until dinner please?"

"Sure Jinnie, I'll come

wake you up when it's ready."

Jisung took the dark haired boy upstairs to his room, and then came back down to sit with Heihyun. "Do you wanna continue with your work, hun?" The brunette thought for a moment, eyes skimming over his notebook and diagrams as he tried to decide if he'd completed a good amount of work.

"No thank you, but.. Mister

Jisung, are you going to be

staying with us till dad gets back?"

"He should be back by

six, so until then."

"But it's six o'clock now."

Jisung jerked his head to look at the clock hung high on the wall. Heihyun was right, it was indeed 6 o'clock. Guess he's running late. "Well then," the blond said, turning back to look at Heihyun with a smile, "I guess I'll just have to stay with you until he gets back."

Heihyun's face broke into a wide grin at Jisung's words. It had to be the first time he'd ever seen the young brunette properly smile, past his usual small, placid one.

"Can I maybe help you with

making dinner then, please?"

"Oh my god of course!

What did you wanna eat?"

"Well I know Heijin was hoping

for carrots, and really I don't think he cares what with. But I really wanted Tteok-bokki."

"Sure I can do that, as long

as you have it in."

Both boys went into the kitchen, and after getting Heihyun to wash his hands Jisung set up all the ingredients to make the dinner. They talked while they worked, and the blond made sure to give Heihyun lots of chances to tell him about himself.

While Jisung enjoyed the company of both boys, it was apparent that Heijin was a lot more open than Heihyun. Not necessarily more sociable, but he chatted with the older often and didn't feel the need to act formal. Heihyun on the other hand was a bit more reserved and quiet, and so the time Jisung spent with the brunette now was honestly something to treasure. The blond couldn't help feel warm at how comfortable Heihyun had become, giggling playfully when he flicked water in his direction, or getting really happy when he was allowed to stir the soup. In a lot of ways Heihyun was very similar to Minho; he knew who he trusted and who he didn't, but would protect those who he did like.

Once the food was done, Jisung sent Heihyun to go wake up his brother while he chopped up a carrot and served the food. Heijin came down still looking half asleep, but when he saw the blond placing the carrots onto his plate he ran over excitedly to his stool. "Thank you Sungie, and thank you Heihyun." Jisung smiled sweetly and sat down too, and the three started eating.

Now that he was able to just sit and relax, Jisung found his mind to focus on Felix once again. It was driving him crazy knowing that his best friend could be heartbroken because of him, or could be totally okay and Jisung was worrying for no good reason. The blond couldn't settle thinking about it, and kept fidgeting in his stool as he forgot about his food. What if Felix had really believed that Jisung would feel the same, and was now confused? What if Felix thought there was something wrong with him? What if-

"Sungie!" Jisung jumped out of his thoughts and quickly spun round to see who had said his name. Heijin and Heihyun were staring at him with looks of concern for the blond, and Jisung felt a little embarrassed to have zoned out.

"Sorry guys, I just, I must've zoned out.."

"Is everything alright, Mister Jisung?"

"Yes yes, I'm all good."

"Are you sure?" Heijin pressed, clearly sensing that something was wrong, "you can talk about it if you want. We are good listeners." Heihyun nodded, looking at Jisung with an encouraging smile. The blond didn't know if he should; it was such a stupid thing, and even though he knew the two boys were very smart, they were still 4 and 5-year-olds. But, maybe if they just wanted to listen, it wouldn't hurt?

"I'm just having trouble with a friend at school. He told me he likes me but.."

"But you don't feel the same about him?" Heihyun finished Jisung's sentence, making the older swallow hard before nodding.

"He is a very nice friend, but I only like him as a friend, not as a boyfriend or anything. But I'm worried I've hurt him by saying no." Heijin pouted, slipped off his stool and trotted round to Jisung to offer a hug. The blond accepted it, pulling the small boy into his lap who wrapped his arms around Jisung's torso.

"Don't worry Sungie, if he is your friend he should be okay with you not feeling the same."

"Exactly," Heihyun commented, "if he was your friend he'll be able to understand that you just can't feel the same. However he also has the right to be upset." Jisung nodded, listening to the words the brunette had to say. "For now you should leave him be, and then maybe talk to him. Let him explain his feelings as well as making sure he listens to yours, and then go from there. Make him understand that you still love him, but only as a friend."

Jisung's was quite surprised at the level of advice Heihyun was able to give, and how much he knew for such a young child. Heijin nodded firmly at his brother's words, swinging his legs back and forth off the edge of the blond's lap. "Heihyun is right, Sungie. Plus you're pretty, so of course people will wanna date you." Jisung burst into laughter at that, and after all that he felt much lighter and less worried. All he needed to do was to let Felix be over the weekend, and then on Monday they could have a heart-to-heart talk. For now he should just try and have a peaceful evening with Heijin and Heihyun and maybe, just maybe, Minho too. If he got back in the next couple of hours.

Just then, there was a loud knock at the door. All three boys' heads whipped round towards the front door beyond the kitchen, wondering who could be knocking. At first he thought it might have Minho, but the older would have no reason to knock on the door of his own house.

"Stay here guys, I'll just go answer it." Heihyun and Heijin both nodded and went back to eating their dinner. Meanwhile Jisung hopped down from his seat and headed to the door, brushing down his sweater and rolling his sleeves up a little higher so he was rid of his sweater paws.

Opening the door, Jisung was met with a slim, willowy woman with shiny black hair that fell just past her hips. She was wearing a short red midi dress and black fur coat, as well as matching red heels that only made her taller. Her piercing eyes were dark chocolate brown and her ruby red lips were pulled into a disapproving sneer as she gave Jisung a once over.

Why does everyone do that to me? Do I look threatening or something? I'm like literally a soft boy.

"Hi, can I help you?"

"So he decided to switch to a guy. Are you a prostitute then, or just a sugar babe?"

"Um e-excuse me?"

Jisung's jaw fell open at the woman's inappropriate comment, but she didn't even seem fazed. The blond didn't even know who this woman was but he felt really offended.

This is why I can never get a partner. Every older person I've met thinks I sell myself out, or insists on insulting me for no apparent reason!

"What, so you're just his boyfriend?"

"I'm sorry, but who are you?"

"My name's Sunhee, I'm Heijin and Heihyun's mum. Jesus I thought Minho would've bitched about me to his new boyfriend."

Now everything was making sense, but not in a good way. From Minho's situation and what little he knew about the brunette's ex, Jisung knew that he should not let this woman in under any circumstances. He didn't like her attitude whatsoever, and he was already feeling very on edge about her being here. Heijin and Heihyun were just in the kitchen, and something told Jisung he shouldn't let them see her or her see them.

"I'm not his boyfriend, I'm just, I'm just his babysitter."

"Oh," Sunhee rolled her eyes, probably doubtful that Jisung was telling the truth, "so Minho isn't home?" The blond shook his head, though he really wished that Minho was home. As unnoticeably as he could Jisung moved so that the door was behind him but not fully shut, just ajar enough for him to be able to get back inside. As much as he tried to be inconspicuous, Sunhee must've noticed as he scoffed and rolled her eyes again.

"Whatever, makes it easier," she muttered, before raising her voice and saying blankly, "I'm here because I want to see my sons." A cold feeling of dread washed over Jisung as Sunhee spoke, and his heart began hammering in his chest. He tightened his grip on the door handle, and while keeping his voice calm and confident, Jisung just spoke on his first instinct.

"I'm afraid I can't let you in."

"Why not? They're my sons."

"Really Miss, I can't do that,

since Minho isn't-"

"You can't refuse me kid." Sunhee put her foot on the doorframe and stepped up right in front of Jisung, but the blond hurriedly moved half his body past the door.

"Miss I have to, Minho told me not to let anyone in when he wasn't at home." Sunhee twisted her foot so it was blocking the door from being shut, and she smirked as Jisung's face got paler.

"Don't be a fucking idiot kid,

they are my children and I should

be allowed to see them."

"Miss there is no need to get aggressi-"

"And there is no fucking need

to get in my god damn way."

"Please Miss I can't let you in."

"Fine then, I'll let myself

in, now fucking move."

Jisung's anxiety was really kicking in. He was terrified about letting this woman anywhere near Heijin and Heihyun, but also was beginning to get a little frightened in general. Jisung hated confirmation of any kind, and he could feel himself getting kind of dizzy and faint. But since Sunhee was now attempting to push him back and force her way into the house, the blond didn't have time to worry about what could happen.

Doing what he should've done before, Jisung shoved himself back into the corridor and slammed the door, ignoring the shriek from Sunhee as she was presumably knocked backwards. He wiped his bangs away from his forehead, sighing shakily as he felt the sweat on his hand.

A sudden bang made Jisung scream and fall forward, and he only just caught himself on the banister when another bang sounded on the door. "Hey! Let me in you fucking bitch!" Sunhee was hammering on the door as well as rattling the door handle, trying to open the door. Jisung quickly grabbed it and yanked it upwards, making sure the door was double locked. But that only seemed to make things worse.

The banging started getting louder, and Jisung could feel it through his back as he pressed himself against it. "Don't cry don't cry don't, don't cry.." Jisung whispered to himself as tears began dripping down his frail, porcelain cheeks. Every time the door shook around him the blond would shake more and more, fueling his panic attack and raising his breathing to gasping.

"Sungie? Are you okay?" Heijin and Heihyun stood a little way ahead, faces confused and just as fearful as Jisung's. Breathing hard, Jisung pulled himself together and got to his feet, flinching as the door took another violent hit. Sunhee was still screaming and cursing at the top of her lungs, and Jisung could see the alarm in the two boys' expressions.

"Mister Jisung, who is it?" Heihyun's tiny hand trembling around Heijin's was enough to tell Jisung that he knew exactly who was trying to break in, but was too scared to accept it.

The blond took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down and not appear weak, even though inside he felt like he was going to pass out from his rising blood pressure. "Heihyun, take your brother upstairs to your bedroom and, and stay there. I'm going to call your dad, okay?"

The brunette nodded and pulled Heijin towards the stairs, both boys scampering up and out of sight. Jisung waited until he heard their door shut, before he lent against the door and pulled out his phone. For a moment he thought that Sunhee had gone away, as there was silence from outside, and so Jisung stopped to listen.

BANG!

Jisung almost dropped his phone as the door gave a vigorous crack, the sound of splintering wood making the boy crawl away to the staircase. With shaking hands Jisung found Minho's contact in his phone, dialling the number while keeping his glossy, watering eyes fixed on the door.

Please pick up, please pick up..

"Hey Jisung, sorry I'm running late."

"Minho, please you have

to come, come home."

"Are you crying?! Is

everything alright?!"

"Your ex, ex wife she turned up and,

and I tried to keep her out but she-"

Jisung's voice broke off as the door cracked again, followed by a barrage of abusive words coming from Sunhee aimed at Jisung and Minho. The blond was hyperventilating to the point where he could barely speak, but his sobbing and pleading made it clear to Minho that it wasn't anything good.

"Hold on Jisung, okay? Just

stay away from the door. I'll be

there as soon as possible."

"Okay, h-hurry."

That was the last thing Jisung could say before the phone slipped from his grasp. The blond huddled himself into a ball against the bottom stair, not even trying to control his breathing or stop himself from bawling. The cursing and banging rang in his ears as he hugged his knees, allowing his tears to spill out.

"Please hurry Minho.. Please."

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Hey hoe it's me.

Told you I was bad at writing angst, so this is as ✨𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐲✨ as you're gonna get from me this book. So enjoy it while it lasts.

I'm sorry Ik it's awful it just hurts too much to write anything more extreme.

Also,, tHANKS FOR 1K READS!

Ik for some it may not seem like a lot but for my first fic on wattpad it means a lot to me, so thanks to you lot for fucking giving my shitty ass whatever-the-fuck-this-is a go. I appreciate it~

Happy 2nd Birthday to us Stays too~