It's Just A Picture (BL)
Chapter 136: How could he not love...?

Chapter 136: How could he not love...?

"I’m a coward." He said. "Just like now, I don’t think I can ever be there to comfort you if you cry so bitterly. I... I want to, but I can’t bring myself to face you, and the thought of it crushes me entirely." He clutched his chest. "How can I claim to love you and want to protect you if I cannot even do something so simple as to comfort you?"

"It’s not simple." Seojin said, "Just like you, I found it hard. After walking in, every fiber in my body ached staring at the pain in Hyung’s eyes. But I was already there. He was in front of me. I could not walk away just because I was scared of his pain. I believe I would’ve been in your shoes if you had been the first to walk in." He glanced at Dongwoo. "I guess if you’re so deep in love like that, it hurts like the pain belongs to you. It can’t be helped."

*Badum*

Dongwoo’s heart raced. He didn’t think that hearing those words would touch his heart so much.

His heart, which was riddled with pain and confusion, was suddenly overtaken by the sweet sensation that came from listening to the twins profess their feelings towards him.

It was like a healing dose.

A healing dose that warmed his heart and made him forget his worries.

With this, he felt even more free to express his hurt in words.

"You hear that, Seojun?" He held his hand. "Hurting because the one you love is hurting doesn’t make you a coward. It just shows how deep the root of your feelings dig into your heart." Dongwoo said and smiled. "So, it’s nothing to apologize for. I, on the other hand, need to apologize, for making you two feel that way."

"It’s not your fault, Hyung." They both chorused in one voice and Dongwoo blinked, surprised.

’Ah, if it’s one of them feeling that way, it’s fine but if I’m the one feeling that way, it’s not my fault? These two are weird.’ he thought and then laughed. "Alright." He said, "Then, shall we go to my office? We’ve been here for quite a while and my story isn’t exactly short."

As they walked out of the restroom, Dongwoo noticed Seojins jacket had wet stains from his tears.

"Ah, Seojin, I ruined your jacket." He said and Seojin looked down at it, only to laugh at the end.

"It’s not ruined, Hyung, don’t worry." He said, ruffling his hair. "It’ll dry up and nothing will remain."

"A-alright." Dongwoo said, his eyes flushing a light red.

He was embarrassed and the twins chuckled.

But it was kind of strange how no one had come towards the restroom all the while they were in it.

After crying his heart out, Dongwoo had been a bit anxious that someone might’ve walked in on them, but strangely, there was no one.

And they only got to know why after seeing the little yellow sign that had ’Under repair’ written boldly on it a few walks ahead. So, that was why no one approached that area.

"Did you put that there?" Dongwoo asked them but they shook their heads and said,

"It wasn’t there earlier." Seojun said and it made Do gwoo wonder.

Who could it be? Was it someone who had found them out but decided to remain hidden and keep their secret? Or was it just a coincidence?

He liked to think it was the latter. That way, he wouldn’t worry needlessly that someone knew their secret.

The crew members were working on something in the studio, and so, Dongwoo took the twins straight to his office.

He closed the door and sighed.

Unlike before, when he was a little bit confident, he was feeling a bit restless.

"Hyung, you don’t have to say it if you don’t want to." Seojin said, acting sweet and considerate.

Dongwoo turned and smiled at them.

"No, it’s okay. I already said I would tell you so I will." He went to sit on his chair and the twins sat on the couch, waiting for him to start talking.

It took a while for him to collect his thoughts properly without channeling any painful emotion and the twins gave him all the time he needed.

They patiently waited till he was ready and did not rush him.

That was one of the things Dongwoo found very sweet about them. They were so nice and considerate and did not try to force answers out of him. It made him feel even more comfortable around them.

How could he not love...? He paused.

What was that? Did he just think about love? Did he really... To them?

He shook his head. Another matter needed to be addressed.

"When I was little," Dongwoo started, and the twins paid to keep attention. "Ah, I don’t usually talk about this." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I’ve never told it to anyone."

"It’s alright, Hyung." Seojun said.

"We understand." Seojin added, both smiling sweetly at him and supporting him emotionally.

"Right." Dongwoo blushed. "You see, I was four years old when my grandma found me by the shore." He said and paused, interlocking his fingers and releasing them in a repeated motion. Then, he clenched his fists and continued. "It was the shore of the sea in her hometown. According to her, she wanted to send flowers to her late husband who died at sea. It was his death anniversary and since they could not retrieve his body, she took the sea as his grave and talked to it as if she were talking directly at him." He sniffed.

He looked up at the twins.

"And that day, she found me. No one knew who I was; no one had seen me around there either, so she took me to the hospital with the mindset that she would take me to the police once I recovered to see if there was a missing person report." He sniffed once more and cleaned his eyes.

Some tears were threatening to fall but he was doing his best to keep it in. It was the memory of his grandma that got him riled up at heart this time, nothing else.

"But after I woke up, I couldn’t remember anything. When I asked my name, there was only one name that came to mind, and it was Lee Dongwoo. I called out that name, not knowing if it actually belonged to me or not, and that was what I went by." He pressed his hands together. "And since my parents or anyone related to me could not be found, Grandma took me with her and said, ’From now on, I’ll be your family until your real family comes to find you. So, call me grandma, okay?’."

Dongwoo recalled that incident. It wasn’t very clear in his mind as he was still so young then, but it felt like someone was whispering those words in his heart and making it heavy.

His grandma, he hadn’t thought so deeply about her for a long time because he didn’t want to be reminded that he was alone, but he was doing so at that point, and his eyes grew teary.

Without realizing it, he let the words slip out of his lips,

"I miss her...so much." The tears rolled down his cheeks. "I miss her so much that I could die." He covered his eyes with his palm, rubbing the tears away but they kept falling. "What do I do? What do I do, Grandma? What do I do?"