close // minsung

🔅four🔅

"Hey Jisung?"

Jisung hummed as a response, signaling to his members that he was listening. He continued to write down some lyrics as he kept an ear out for a Chan and Changbin's words.

"Why did you not show up the other day?"

Jisung stopped writing for a second before continuing to write. "What are you talking about?"

"At the cafe." Changbin confirmed.

"I told you I felt sick-"

"Yeah we know that's bullshit Jisung-ah." Changbin interrupted him.

Jisung dropped his pen and furrowed his brows at the older. "And how do you know that?" Jisung grew defensive. He crossed his arms in annoyance. His creativity was flowing through his brain and his older friends had interrupted him just to nag him about what had happened.

"You had implied you were already on your way to the café when we called you, and when I called long after you said you stayed home." Changbin put it simply.

Jisung went from semi-calm and collected to extremely embarrassed as his skin temperature creeped up. "Uh, er," Jisung stammered. "H-How do you know you're not just reading too much into this, huh?"

"We know you Jisung. We didn't wanna bother you and ask what really happened since you sounded so anxious. And clearly by your response to our questions, you look very shocked and unsure of what to say." Chan intervened. Jisung frowned, knowing his hyung was right and called him out correctly.

Jisung sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "It's a long story." He mumbled.

"We've got time." Changbin smiled and placed a hand on Jisung's knee.

The youngest of the three pushed his chair away from the desk and slumped in it, his posture depleating. "Well I think you guys know how I like to write about personal experience." Jisung fiddled with his fingers, unsure how to explain the situation he's been placed into.

"Of course we do! That's one of the reasons we love your lyrics." Chan encouraged the boy.

"So you should know a Close is a song about my experiences."

Changbin and Chan nodded for Jisung to go on.

"Um," Jisung scratched his head. "So I wrote it about my old high school crush." Jisung hid his face with the palm of his hand.

"Why are you embarrassed? Everyone has crushes." Changbin tried to reason.

"I ran into him." Jisung mumbled. He couldn't force the words out at a louder tone.

"What?"

"It's because I ran into him!" Jisung hugged his knees as his face did not come to the light.

Chan and Changbin stayed silent, unsure how to start the conversation up again. Changbin looked at his hyung and motioned his head towards Jisung, signaling he needs to talk first.

"At the cafe?"

Jisung nodded his head with his face still stuck between his knees. Chan stood up and walked towards the humiliated boy, and he eventually kneeled in front of him. He placed his hands on top of the boy's shoulders.

"It's okay to feel that way Jisung." Chan reassured. Changbin followed in Chan's steps and settled his hand on Jisung's back, rubbing circles with his thumb. "We're here for you if you want to talk about it."

Jisung lifted his head and put his chin on his knees. A pout rested on his slightly flushed face. He inhaled and sighed before starting. "His name is Lee Minho-"

"Lee Minho?" Chan asked in surprise.

"Yeah...why?" Jisung knit his brows together in confusion.

"He's an old friend of mine. Our moms are best friends, we used to play together as kids."

Jisung groaned. He ran his hands through his hair and his feet finally fell to the floor. "Please Chan hyung don't tell him anything, I don't know what I'd be able to do if he found out! What if he thinks I'm weird-"

"Jisung, hold on, breathe."

Jisung sucked in a deep breath and exhaled before nodding. "Sorry." He muttered.

Chan shook his head. "I don't talk to him much anymore. At this point in my life, you are more my friend than he is. You have my word." Chan held up his pinky in front of Jisung's fearful expression. Jisung hesitated but still locked his pinky with the older's.

"Can Jisung go on now? He was talking before you rudely interrupted him." Changbin spoke with a slightly bitter tone.

"Don't make me ban you from the studio for a week."

Changbin found himself on his knees in a bowing position towards Chan. "Please forgive me hyung, I will be good, I promise." He whined.

"Get up, loser." Jisung giggled. Changbin stood up and dusted the dirt off his knees. "Anyways Jisung, please go on with your story."

"Well that's who I wrote Close about. And it happened a few days later that I ran into him at the café. He's a fan." Jisung chuckled bitterly. Chan furrowed his eyebrows. "He didn't recognize you from school?"

Jisung smiled and shook his head, although the tears in his eyes told another story. "Nope." He popped the P. "He doesn't know Jisung. He knows J. One.

"He told me he was a 3RACHA fan. And get this. He said Close was his favorite song." Jisung looked up at the cracks in the ceiling, trying to avoid the gazes of his older friends. "If only he knew the connection it had to him."

"I did see Minho there. What you're saying makes sense."

"That's why I left guys. I panicked hard." Jisung whined, thinking about the whole event and how poorly he handled it. His brain was screaming at him all sorts of ways to respond to Minho yet his mouth could not reciprocate.

"I'm sure it was just a mere coincidence." Changbin tried to convince the younger.

Jisung took a deep breath and exhaled while nodding his head. Maybe I am overthinking things.

"Yeah, you're probably right hyung." Jisung looked up at Changbin and shot him a smile, doing the same with Chan. "I'm sorry for leaving you guys over something so silly."

"It's not silly Jisung." Chan spoke up. "Your feelings and mental health is important to us over everything else. Hanging out and writing lyrics can wait."

Jisung stood up out of his chair and brought both boys in for a hug. Chan and Changbin were quite surprised at the action but nonetheless hugged their friend back.

"I love you guys." Jisung mumbled, his voice muffled by Chan's t-shirt.

"We love you too dummy."

~~~