The Whispers (Underworld 6) VK

11: Less Hostile, More Human

They sat in silence for a moment, an unusual occurrence for the two of them. Seungkwan continued to sip his water, and Hansol leaned back, gazing up at the sky as the sun dipped lower on the horizon.

"Hey," Hansol suddenly said, breaking the silence, "I heard you've been practicing more for that cheerleading team. How's that going?"

Seungkwan shot him a sideways glance, surprised Hansol even knew. "It's fine, I guess. I made the team, if that's what you're asking."

Hansol nodded, a hint of approval in his voice. "That's cool. You're good at what you do."

Seungkwan blinked, caught off guard by the rare compliment. "Are you... being nice to me?"

Hansol shrugged, but there was a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Don't get used to it."

Seungkwan huffed, shaking his head. "Figures."

For a few more minutes, they sat together in the fading sunlight. Hansol was calm, at ease in the moment, while Seungkwan occasionally stole glances at him, still trying to figure out how they had gone from constant fighting to sitting quietly on a bench together.

"Anyway," Hansol finally said, standing up and stretching his arms, "I should probably get going. Don't melt out here."

Seungkwan snorted. "Thanks for the concern, Vernon."

Hansol grinned at the way Seungkwan emphasized his English name, clearly meant to tease. "Don't mention it. See you around, Seungkwan."

As Hansol walked off toward the parking lot, Seungkwan watched him go, still trying to process the strange turn of events. There was something about that encounter that felt... different. Less hostile. More human.

But, of course, he wasn't going to admit that.

"Don't think this makes us friends!" Seungkwan called after him, though the words lacked their usual bite.

Hansol turned and gave him a mock salute before disappearing behind the line of parked cars.

Seungkwan sighed, shaking his head with a small smile. "That guy..."

Hansol slid into the driver's seat of his car, the door closing with a soft thud that left a strange silence around him. The familiar comfort of his car didn't help calm his thoughts like it usually did. As he started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot, his mind wandered to Seungkwan.

It was odd. Why couldn't he shake this feeling off? All it took was one simple interaction on a random Friday afternoon, and now Seungkwan seemed to be occupying more space in his head than he was comfortable with. He gripped the steering wheel a little tighter, trying to focus on the road ahead, but every streetlight, every flash of color, seemed to pull him back to the bench they'd sat on.

What was it about Seungkwan that was so... different? Hansol's brows furrowed as the memories of their conversation replayed in his mind. The sass, the biting comments, the fact that Seungkwan wasn't afraid to give it right back to him, unlike most people. It was refreshing, but at the same time, infuriating. And now that Hansol thought about it, he had to admit—just a little—that Seungkwan's company wasn't as annoying as he had made it out to be.

That wasn't the worst part, though. What really bothered Hansol was how easily Seungkwan had crept into his thoughts after just a few casual words, a few shared minutes in the shade.

He replayed Seungkwan's reactions in his head—the surprise in his eyes when Hansol offered him water, the playful insult about Hansol being a "stalker," and the way Seungkwan had called him "Vernon" in that teasing tone that only he could pull off. The way Seungkwan squinted up at him when Hansol blocked the sun... It was kind of... endearing.