Chapter 23: persuasion

"I'm going home for a while".

Ha-joon sat on thr floor. He slightly hung his head. His eyes glued on the wood flooring beneath him.

"Hey..What's this all of a sudden?" Eun took her jacket and purse off, hanging them on a hook near the door.

"If it's about this morning I may have been a bit too harsh when -"

"No its not you. I just can't do this." He laughed, holding back some tears.

Eun could see his distress. She knelt in front of him and placed her hands on his cheeks: lifting his head to look her in the eyes.

"Talk to me" She said softly but sternly.

The tears fell. He grabbed onto her and sobbed. All of the stress that had built up from day one was pouring out of him.

All Eun could do was hold him to her chest as she gently rocked him. Stroking his hair: letting him take that much needed cry.

---

They both sat at the the table in the living room. Ha-joon on one side white his aunt the other.

"I see, so that's what's been happening."

Ha-joon told her about Hyun and Su-bin. He left out the embarassing parts of what he and Hyun had done but she got it more or less.

"I wish you would have come to me sooner about this". She sighed.

"I didn't want you to stress over my dumb mistakes." said Ha-joon.

"I just don't know what to do."

"I don't know much about Omegas and Alphas and the way they do things in this world. But I know you. And you know in your heart what needs to be done. If you do decide you want to go home I won't stop you. But just know whatever you decide to do I am there for you."

"In my personal opinion it seems you like this Hyun guy more than you think."

"You think so?"

Eun nodded.

"I think I was the one who messed up. I gotta fix this myself."

"Until then why not rest up. You still have another day off before you return to your classes."

Ha-joon winced.

He had forgotten that Monday was a lab day. Meaning he would have to face Jong. He remembered the harsh things he had said to him and hadn't contacted him since. He groaned.

Ha-joon spent the rest of the weekend in bed. To be sure his heat was absolutly settled he took his suppressants.

Monday came around too fast for him.

Dressed in his white shirt and black pants, Ha-joon wandered to the labs early that morning. No one else had gotten there yet: he was relieved.

He sat in a chair thinking of how and what he was going to say to Jong. He was wrong in judging him, Cho and Hyun as harshly as he had. Another thought crossed his mind. He would have to be cautious to avoid Su-bin as well.

He remembered Su-bin kissing him like that and his collar...

He clutched the device around his neck. He wanted to know his intentions behind taking it off.

"Oh! Ha-joon. You're already here." Someone entered the room

It was Jong. Everything that Ha-joon was planning to say to him were all erased from his mind. Going blank like that he became anxious.

There was an awkward tension in the room. Jong didn't say anythingbelse to him as he started to fiddle around at his desk.

Ha-joon mustered up his courage.

"Jong sunbea. I need to apologize."

Jong froze. He turned to look at Ha-joon. His face was expressionless. To be expected.

"That day we had met and talked out of the convient store. I shouldn't have said those things about you, your husband or Hyun. I wasn't in my right mind and I was confused. A lot of things were happening to me all at once and I'm not very good with dealing with situations I am not used to."

Jong stood quietly and listed.

"And I understand Hyun a lot better now" He smiled softly.

Jong smirked.

Ha-joon looked at him: waiting to hear what he was going to say.

"Don't worry about it. You were under a huge amount of stress. It's my fault anyways, I shouldn't have pushed you the way I did."

He placed his hand on Ha-joon's shoulder.

"I don't hold anything against you, I promise." He gave a huge grin."

"Let's just get through today's work alright?"

"alright."

"And as for Hyun. I think he would be more happier hearing that from you instead of me". He winked.

Ha-joon nodded and smiled. They began their work.

---

Jong closed the heavy textbooks.

"That about does it, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then".

Ha-joon grabbed his bag off the chair and hung up his lab coat in the corner.

"Of course". He smiled. He felt better having gotten all that off his chest. He fished in his pocket for his phone. There were some new messages.

Some were from his aunt: asking for his dinner plans. There was one from Su-bin. Ha-joon clenched his jaw as he read the message.

"Can I talk with you? I want to talk about the other night. Can you please meet me in the homeroom classroom after your labs today?"

Ha-joon's heart thumped against his chest. He had every right to feel nervous. Flashes from that night came back. Su-bin over him: kissing his collarbone and neck. The way he touched Ha-joon's body.

Ha-joon clenched the phone tightly in his hand.

"Everything alright?" Jong had taken notice from across the room.

"Yea everything's fine, I gotta meet up with a friend in the general education classroom real fast before I go home. I'll leave first sunbea." He smiled as he quickly stepped out of the lab.

Jong wasn't convinced.

----

Just like he said: Su-bin was seated in the classroom waiting for him. The hallway was bare and even some of the teachers had left for lunch. Su-bin's eyes were fixed on the table in front of him. He hadn't taken notice of Ha-joon coming in.

"Sunbea?" Ha-joon called from the class doorway.

Su-bin looked up.

"Thanks for meeting with me Ha-joon. can you come over here and sit down?"

Ha-joon walked over and plopped into his seat next to Su-bin.

Upon closer inspection he looked tired. Su-bin didn't seem as lively as he normally did.

"Sunbea you don't look well. are you alright?"

Su-bin looked at Ha-joon.

"I'm just a little....under the weather right now". He smiled.

"I wanted to talk to you about Saturday. I didn't mean to put you in an uncomfortable situation."

He grabbed Ha-joon's hands.

"It was wrong of me to assume you held the same feelings for me. I pushed you into a corner like that and it wasn't my intention to make you feel like that." He looked like he was going to cry.

"Sunbea! calm down! it's alright!" Ha-joon became worried. He looked like he was running a fever.

"Then. can you do me just one favor? please...I won't pester you anymore..." Su-bin looked away. His hands still firmly on Ha-joon's.

"O-of course anything!"

Su-biin gave Ha-joon a serious look.

"Would you let me kiss you?"

Ha-joon blushed.

"When I kissed you after our first date I wasn't entirely sure about my feelings. But I am sure of them now. so would youbplease?"

Ha-joon averted his eyes for a moment as he thought. It felt weird. Su-bin seemed nothing more than a good friend. He was sure of this when he didn't develope any further feelings for him when they went out. All Ha-joon's mind was set on was...Hyun.

Ha-joon nodded his head.

Su-bin slowly moved his hands to the sides of Ha-joon's face. He leaned in closer.

Ha-joon slowly closed his eyes. He anxiously waited to feel Su-bin's lips against his.

"If I do this for Sunbea then everything will be fine. This is all he wants and after that we will go back to being just friends. No more dates. No more hugging."

Suddenly Hyun flashed through his mind.

"Hyun? Why am I thinking about him now? This kiss doesn't mean anything, why would he get mad or jealous? wait...am I getting mad? No its not anger..."

Ha-joon's thoughts ran wild. Hyun's face wouldn't leave the forefront of his mind.

Su-bin's lips touched Ha-joon's.

"alright it's done". Ha-joon told himself.

"wait...."

Su-bin had pressed his tongue inside of Ha-joon's mouth. It tangled with his, his tongue brushing against the roof of his mouth and lips.

Su-bin was holding the back of his head as he gave this deep kiss."

"This feels weird. This doesn't feel right."

Ha-joon scrunched his face with disgust as Su-bin continued to make out with him.

He put his hands on Su-bin's chest and gently pushed back on him.

"Let go! I feel sick!"

Ha-joon yelled in his head.

Suddenly he shoved Su-bin as hard as he could: almost knocking him out of his chair.

"Ha-joon?!"

Ha-joon held his hand over his mouth. Squeezing his eyes shut he was trying not to throw up.

"This is the same feelings I had the first time he kissed me. But I wasn't drinking this time, so why?"

"Are you alright? I didn't know ow you were sick!" Su-bin tried to rub his back.

Ha-joon stood up fromhis chair knocking it to the floor with a clang.

"Don't....don't touch me...please" He held his hand out to keep Su-bin from coming closer.

He opened his eyes and they widened in horror.

Hyun stood in the doorway. He held a horrified expression on his face.