071. plays (theatre)
hangeng/ryeowook | friendship/angst | pg
he wished they were scripted. then he’d at least know how they’d end.
challenge masterlist. There was probably some sort of beautiful tragedy to this. They were like a television show, through and through; someone almost losing his life, the unwanted two, the one who left without a word. And all of this left them scarred; left them cracked and jaded, and he hated being this way.
It wasn’t often that Ryeowook felt like this. He liked to think on the bright side of things-but right now, there was nothing bright about anything. It’d been two months since Hangeng disappeared without a word-two months since the piercing chants against Henry and Zhou Mi at their concert. Things were calming down again, but that didn’t mean that the emptiness they felt on the inside wasn’t there.
Not hearing Heechul shouting at Hangeng. Not having the smell of fried rice in every corner of the dorm at least once a week. One less person to use the bathroom.
Ryeowook separated his hyungs into two categories. In one category (and that was where most of them fell) were the ones that he’d take care of. The ones that would ask him to cook for them-like Donghae, who would occasionally wake him up in the middle of the night for food-or to do their laundry for. And then there were the hyungs like Siwon and Jongwoon, who would be the ones taking care of Ryeowook instead.
Hangeng fell into that second category. As tired as he was, he would do things for Ryeowook when asked-it made him feel bad sometimes. And it might’ve been selfish of him to think this at this point in time, but he really missed Hangeng-because despite everything, he gave the others a lot of support.
He was making dinner for the others when he felt his cell phone ring against his thigh. Ryeowook quickly wiped his hands on the nearest towel before fishing it out of his pocket.
His heart stopped at the caller ID.
Ryeowook’s hand was shaking as he picked up the call and pressed the phone to his ear. “Hello?”
“Ryeowook-ah. How are you?”
His bottom lip trembled, and he clutched his phone with both hands, pressing his hard against his ear-almost not believing that it was real. “H-Hyung…”
It was quiet for a moment. “You guys are doing okay, right?”
Ryeowook tried not to, but the tears came too easily. “Hyung…”
From the other end of the line, Hangeng sighed. “Don’t cry, Ryeowook-ah. You’ll make me feel even worse than I already do.”
“Why didn’t you-what happened? Why did you-why didn’t you tell us-” It was Hangeng. Hangeng and his gentle voice and even gentler words-his accented speech and everything that Ryeowook could remember, from his scent to his laughter to the way Chinese fell from those lips so easily. Ryeowook could remember everything and if he had one tear for every memory he had of Hangeng, he would’ve flooded the room by now.
“Sometimes, there are just things that people have to do. You know that. Please don’t blame me for it.”
“I don’t, but”-he hiccupped-“I miss you. We miss you.”
“I miss you guys too. I’m…I’m sorry, but this is all I can do right now. Please tell the others I’m sorry. You’re the only one I thought of who’d do as I ask without making a huge fuss.” Pause. “And the one who I thought might want to hear my voice the most.”
Ryeowook sniffled, not knowing what to say.
“You’ll tell the others for me, right?”
He nodded, even though Hangeng wouldn’t be able to see him. “Yeah. Will you…come back?”
A heartbeat. “I don’t know. I don’t think so.”
He almost didn’t want to hear the answer. “Is this…the end for you?”
“The end for me as a Super Junior member, yes. But not as a friend.” Ryeowook almost heard the smile in his voice, and that made him feel a little better. “I’ll call again, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Apologize to the others for me, okay? And I’m sorry if Heechul yells at you.”
He laughed, although a little shakily. “It’s okay. Anything for you, hyung.”
“Thanks, Ryeowook-ah. I’ll talk to you later.”
He was sure his eyes were still red as he hung up, but his tears had stopped. And he laughed to himself, not believing what had just happened.
Beautiful tragedy or not, maybe they’d have a happy ending.
- trying to get back into writing again :/ two months off have made me very rusty
- that, and i love ryeowook like i have never loved anything before he is not my ultimate bias okay