by the sidelines • haechan

twenty

"What the hell are you doing here?" I spat out subconsciously as I stared back at the hooded figure, still wishing that he was just an illusion. I barely managed to get that incident out of my mind, and now the sight of him just jocks it back to me.

"This beach doesn't belong to you, you know," Donghyuck replied without a glance, keeping his eyes on the ocean as he took a seat beside me. His action caused me to scoot all the way to the other end of the bench, fitting his whole silhouette into my view. Something about him seems different.

"Well, I took this seat first, so go find another one," I fought back, deliberately trying to get him away from me. He eyed me ridiculously but refused to budge.

"Is your name on it? If not, shut up. You're ruining my peace."

He shushed me and closed his eyes, while I could only grimace and remain beside him silently.

The night passed rather peacefully without another word as both of us admired the glistening waters that reflected the midnight sky above. The rushing waves soon subsided and came to a standstill, leaving the soothing sea breeze as the only audible sound left.

Letting out a sigh, I immersed myself into the calmness of the atmosphere, forgetting the person beside me was even there. My eyes started drooping due to the sudden sleepiness that tranced upon me, letting myself lose conscious momentarily as I fell to the side.

Tock!

I sprung back up as a growing pain throbbed at my temple, rubbing it profusely to subdue it. I glanced at the object I hit, scowling at the embarrassment I just caused myself.

"This is why I told you to move," I muttered, still in pain from my second of unconsciousness.

"So it's my fault now?" He scoffed, rubbing his shoulder in displeasure, "I can't believe you actually fell asleep."

He sniggered as I shot him a glare, but he didn't even spare a glance back. Instead, his smirk quickly disappeared as he fiddled with his fingers in silence. This is not like him.

I cleared my throat and returned to my original position, stealing awkward glances at him as I fought back the uneasiness that was rising in me. I don't know which was worse, arguing with him until my blood vessels burst, or sitting with him in total silence. Both of them were extremely uncomfortable, that's for sure.

"So what bothering thought made you come here?" His sudden question stumped me as I darted my eyes to him, with his still looking forward.

"What makes you think I'm bothered by something?" I questioned back.

"Is there another reason you're here then?" He finally looked at me, but the shadow of his hoodie was covering half of his face so I couldn't make out any particular expression.

"I couldn't sleep so..." I mumbled, a little embarrassed of my lame excuse to sneak out. After a silent response, I turned his question back at him. "What about you?"

He started his reply with a sigh, before continuing, "Nothing much."

I was stumped by his short answer, but then again, it didn't surprise me.

"I should've known you'd reply like that," I clicked my tongue, biting my lip from mortification as I let silence take over. I heard an exhale beside me.

"Something kept bothering me, so I came out to get a breather." He then turned to me with spiteful eyes. "But I met you instead."

Pfft, is he serious right now?

"Do you really hate me that much?" I finally sighed out. It was something I could never get no matter how much I think about it. If it was because of my past, he shouldn't even be bothered, let alone be pressed about it. Also, he was already acting like that the moment I entered, so what's the exact reason?