Chapter 33

'Deep breath,' his subconscious bruits more to himself than to him while clutching his pink chunky comforter tightly around his shivering little body.

Jin clears his throat at the discomforting ambiance as the silence rapidly spreads, hurling and trapping him in. He can almost hear the crickets awkwardly chirping by the distance in bright daylight.

"I brought company. I hope you don't mind."

He hopes Hiro could still keep an open mind about this.

He stood still, the tip of his shoes clinking against each other and his head drops down to his anxious fingers rubbing them against each other out of bad habit.

He admits he's on the verge of having a breakdown.

His subconscious presently gave up and sunk on his own little feet, singing itself to sleep by the corner and his incorrigible friend, Jihyuk, who's frozen as ice beside him wasn't a big help either.

They were standing in front of the well-presented man himself, who has his stern brow arching at the sight of them both, seeing he turned in a bit late and not alone.

Hiro internally grimaces, "You took your time," his lips thinned.

The young fellow gulps. How can he make such simple words so intimidating?

What a dire child he grew.

The thought exactly matches the few stories his father had shared about his little-but-too-obvious young mischiefs at yesterday's fine and exclusive dining.

Just imagining an innocent small boy with slate black hair and whose curious eyes were opened rather too early to the hideous truth and ugly discrimination of this world, he couldn't blame him for what he had become growing up in a different environment.

A life with class and expectations.

That must have pressured him, even in his adolescence.

Surely it does after witnessing his juvenile side—His illogical, but fragile and sensitive emotions. Predictably, he had missed developing and honing his adolescence on cue.

"Uhm . . ." Jin clears his throat, waving his thoughts out. He really needs to know where to stop overthinking things at the wrong momentum.

Because it's getting out of hand.

Well, now that he's in a more awkward and prone to a botched situation, thriving about anyone's past will be unnecessary.

At least he gets to celebrate from successfully dealing with the tiring excess from his friends' nosiness . . . but this is what that leads him to.

Though he has successfully driven them away without giving anything much regarding what sort of relation he has with this unrealistic man, he's left with one thought.

The truth is, even he, himself, is bothered what to call them—what they were.

'Well, it looks like being in the hot seat didn't pressure you enough,' an arched brow and a disapproving frown taunt him from his ever so helpless subconscious who only knows how to whine.

Being centered to all of this and dealing with it alone is not a very recommendable and clearly, traumatizing experience.

Remind him to reward himself for his capacity to stay on the grounds despite the pressure and headache lifting him up.

He's even surprised he survived this long.

Assuming that Hiro and Jihyuk already knew each other and as much as he likes to buy some time, he'd rather skip introductions and avoid looking like a fool in front of these two.

Okay.

Let's get our head in the game.

If he wants this to quickly end before he's even aware of it. He just needs to avoid unnecessary arguments, head home, show Hiro his phone that he hid on one of his drawers, take mochi to the vet and then have a peaceful dinner with Jihyuk and his mother.

'Bear that in mind,' his subconscious says, finally leaving with a luggage in his hand.

Of course.

He gulps.

It's easier said than done.

Jin clasps his hands together, breaking the heavy atmosphere that's slowly suffocating them—even the entities around them.

"We are good to go," He breathes in the odd mixture of sweet and masculine scent in the air, both trying to overpower the other.

Even their pheromones dislike each other.

Jin squirms in discomfort seeing the visible wrinkle on Hiro's brows.

Now what?

Unbeknownst, the word 'we' had left a bitter taste on the man's tongue.

Jihyuk suddenly placed his open palm on Jin's shoulder, causing Jin to flinch, surprised when his friend pulled him close.

The small bell attached to his keychain chimes from his unexpected charge.

"I live with him," Jihyuk mutters, "So, I'm tagging along to whatever business you had with him, Sir," he adds.

His gaze fixed towards the gentleman before them, unbothered by his murderous eyes as his sweet and torturous smile etches his lips.

What is he doing? Jin secretly pokes him by his waist, but even after doing so, the troublemaker ignored him. Aish.

Well, look on the bright side.

Suppose explaining everything by himself why there's suddenly a plus one upon his arrival will bring him a long list of intrusive questions from an intrusive man like him.

In a split second, the emptiness in his eyes was back before he looks away. Jin frowns in dismay.

"If that's the case . . ." Hiro nods at someone.

Minutes later, all the cars that were lined up from the entrance gate starts their engines and another unfamiliar man in black came marching towards his side.

"This is Hugo, he'll escort you." Hiro tightens his navy blue tie.

His eyes unreadable.

Jin forced his parted lips to close, a little lost with the disappointment lingering within himself. He reaches for his other hand and secretly pinches himself, his nails scraping against his pale skin.

It's not a dream.

This day has been full of mysteries for him too.

Well, at the very least, he's relieved that Hiro isn't mad.

It looks like it. He gasps.

No.

Did he expect him to?

Oh, no, no, no. That can't be right.

He gulps, but he just did.

Jihyuk grits his teeth, "We appreciate your kindness, but we would have to reject your offer."

Hugo abruptly coughs from behind his gloriness that brought Jin back to the now. His head snaps up.

We?

When he looks apologetically over Hiro, the man was already staring at him expectantly with his patient, but antsy eyes.

He's agitated.

He smelled another argument would pop out at any minute.

'What happened to avoiding arguments?' His subconscious came back, zipping his luggage open, and stuffing in his pink blankie that he left behind. His round and wide eyes stared back at him, frightened.

"Hyuk, he meant about giving you a free ride." He tries to divert his friend's attention away from the man and it looks like it works, for now.

Jihyuk finally confronts him in the eyes, "You're not thinking straight." He's not thinking about leaving with this person, is he?

Jin snarls. Oh boy, he's crossing the line.

His brows furrow back at him, but still restrain his temper, "I told you there's something I had to deal with him."

He brushes himself out from his grasp, stepping an arm's length away, "It's not nice to reject someone's offer in my stead."

If he doesn't want to receive a little help, then he's far better off reflecting on his arrogance.

"I'll see you at home."

Can't he see how Hiro was keeping an open mind, despite it's reasonable that he shouldn't, but here he was, making the situation more complicated.

When will he ever stop meddling himself with his business? He can't act like this and step in the boundaries he drew. He told him he wouldn't tolerate it further if he does.

"What do you expect me to do seeing you leaving with a stranger?" Jihyuk argues, his voice low, hoping to discuss this matter somewhere more private.

Why wouldn't he understand how far-fetched this is?

Jin opens his mouth but closes them afterward, his last statement rung repeatedly inside his head.

Strangers. . .

That clears everything up.