47- Tragedy

"Wow, the Earth has just capsized, my lord!"

Han grins widely, dropping his bag on the floor and casually taking out everything he needs.

"Exaggerating..."

"If I had known, I'd have rolled out the red carpet for you, Your Highness!" Daou bows in front of Han.

"Ai sutt!" Han laughs heartily, smacking Daou on the back with a face towel. He then dons his shoes while smirking at Daou.

"What brings you here, Prince Han?" Daou mocks him again. This time, Han ignores the taunt, busy searching for his hand wrap.

"Blowing off some steam. Freshman year isn't fun at all!" Han rolls his eyes. Daou laughs again, handing him a pair of sparring gloves. Han grabs them casually.

"You know what to do. You're not a first-timer anyway," Daou pats his shoulder. Han nods slightly, already getting into position.

"Let's start with light punches. Two sets," Daou quickly jumps to his feet, fixing his posture, and waits for Han to throw his first punch of the day.

"Let's go!"

***

"You're in love..."

Han turns his head, looking at his friend who hands him a water bottle. He sighs, resting his chin on the boxing ring's rope.

"Just as I thought..."

"It's complicated, Daou..."

"What is love without drama? Just look at me and Phi Inn. Daily bickering, weekly fighting, monthly breaking up," Daou sneers and laughs. Han joins in, pitying Daou's horrible but sweet relationship.

"How did you know that Phi Inn was the one?" asks Han.

"Cliché..."

Han glares at Daou. Daou grins as Han tries to hit him with the water bottle, dodging it.

"Come on, genius! I'm expecting a brilliant question from you!" Daou makes a complaint.

"That's the only thing on my mind right now!" Han whines. He sighs, his eyes staring at the blank space in front of him.

"We didn't have a so-called romantic moment, if you ask me. We started as sparring partners, then friends... The rest is history. You never know until you're in it. And then, unknowingly, you'll find yourself gritting your teeth and feeling jealous whenever you see him around others," Daou undoes his hand wraps and rests his chin on the rope as well.

Han lets out a huge grunt. He has been deep in thought since yesterday.

"I haven't even crossed the friend zone. Not even close, I think. He sees me as a troublesome junior who messes with him. Especially after we had a one-night stand," says Han, expressing his frustration.

"One-night stand? Wow... That's not even your style! Guess the freshman year is indeed tough for you?" Daou exclaims.

"You're talking as if I am a virgin, Daou..."

"Well..."

"Don't be pretentious, sir! Stop acting so damn innocent!" Han sneers at Daou. The man laughs faintly, shaking his head in tiny

"But, still... After all these years... This is the first time I heard that word from you. Loyalty is not your thing anymore, eh?" Daou huffs between words.

"Sutt!"

Again, Daou laughs his lungs out.

"Han, are you sure you're truly gay, not bi?"

"I can stare at any woman with no feelings or lust," Han shrugs.

"Should I test the theory?"

"How?"

"Go to the ladies' room now."

"You're a pervert!" Han playfully smacks Daou's head. Daou whines in pain before taking revenge by smacking Han's back.

"Wait. Did your moms know about this?" Daou asks. Han raises his eyebrows.

"They met the guy, but I didn't mention anything about it," Han sighs. "The timing was terrible. I need to organize everything before telling them."

"I thought you had no issue with this. I mean, your mom is bi and your stepmom is a lesbian..."

"I'm not talking about my orientation. I'm talking about the relationship between me and the man. If they knew about the one-night stand, I might get an earful for that!" Han jumps down from the ring. He grabs his towel from the bag and dabs his face carefully.

"How long do you plan on keeping it from them then?" asks Daou.

Han pauses. He smacks the towel into his gym bag, taking his time to calculate.

"Until he's officially mine," he replies with a smile. Daou shakes his head faintly. Han is definitely head over heels for this man.

***

A bag full of snacks swings in rhythm with the man holding it tightly. Han skips happily towards the boarding complex across from his own. Once he arrives at the lounge, he takes out his phone from his bag.

Han dials the number quickly and waits for the caller to answer.

The call ends abruptly.

He frowns and tries to reach the number again.

This time, it goes straight to voicemail.

A feeling of uneasiness starts to linger. Han looks up at the room, contemplating whether he should go upstairs or come back later.

Knowing the nature of the snack recipient, even though he hates Han to his core, he never rejects a call, not even once. Even when he answers with a curse word, he will definitely pick it up.

That's why curiosity kicks in.

Han quickly runs towards the elevator and hops in as soon as the door opens. He hits the button and waits anxiously as the elevator slowly lifts him to his destination.

Once it reaches the floor, Han quickly strolls along the corridor and heads straight to the room. From afar, he can see a body lying at the entrance. The door is wide open. Half of the body is in the corridor, the other half in the room.

"Senior Kim!" Han quickly reaches out, forgetting about the bag of snacks, which gets tossed aside. Kim lies still on his back, conscious but weak. His face is full of bruises, his lip is bleeding at the corner, and his shirt is ripped.

"Senior! Wake up! Senior!" Han hugs Kim and shakes him gently. Kim grunts in pain.

"Han..." Kim speaks in a weak voice.

"Senior, what happened?!" Han asks in panic.

"Punches... and kicks..."

"Who did that?! Tell me who?!"

Kim shakes his head left and right, then passes out. Han panics even more. He gently puts Kim down, runs inside the room, grabs his wallet, and tosses his bag onto the sofa. He then runs into Kim's room, grabs Kim's wallet, car key, and room key.

Han lifts Kim by the shoulder and wraps his arm around the man's body. He slowly drags Kim towards the elevator.

"Hang in there, please!" Han begs. He waits impatiently before hopping into the elevator with Kim, praying silently that they can reach the hospital as fast as possible.