When Minho Was There • Minsung

𝟓

The boat had made it safely to the dock. Jisung was finally back on the mainland after being on the spooky island for hours. He'd never been rescued before, and he hoped he wouldn't have to be again.

The ride over had been quiet, to say the least.

Although he'd considered it somewhat successful, Jisung learned their names, and wasn't that the first step to becoming friends?

The muscly boy was Changbin, and the blonde was Yongbok. Pretty names for pretty people.

While they were rowing back to shore, Changbin had complimented Jisung's name, and Jisung almost dove overboard. He wasn't good at handling compliments, and for the rest of the ride, he couldn't make eye contact with either of them for fear of embarrassing himself.

Changbin was the first to step off the boat, offering his hand to Yongbok who graciously accepted it. Jisung eyed the two of them. Were they together? If so, they made a cute couple. Yes, he was nosy, but he'd keep his conspiring to himself, just this once.

Once the two of them were out, Jisung stood up from his seat onto his wobbly legs, expecting Changbin to help him out of the boat like he did Yongbok, but no, apparently that courtesy was only available for blonde boys. So Jisung had to help himself out, which was more of a struggle than he had preferred it to be.

Clinging to the dock with both hands, he lifted himself out of the boat, his arms immediately giving out as he lay on the dock, staring up at the stars that painted the sky. Stars weren't visible in the city, but here, at the marsh, they shone brightly.

Changbin let out a scoff, to which Jisung countered with a glare. Yongbok wasn't sure what to do, so he peered down at Jisung, who simply stared back at him. Now that he thought about it, he was beginning to feel a bit woozy. He brushed it off as a sign of dehydration and hunger; he could sort that out later.

"Let's get you home, Yongbok." Changbin spoke gruffly, grabbing Yongbok's wrist without giving Jisung a second glance.

What's up with him? Jerk.

Jisung had been nothing but nice to Changbin, and they got along casually on the ride over, so he didn't understand why the other had become so menacing.

Yongbok let himself be dragged along by his maybe-boyfriend slash friend, sending Jisung off with a small wave. Jisung returned the singal, a small smile on his face. At least Yongbok seemed to like him; he'd just have to get him to persuade Changbin to be nice to him.

Jisung decided it was time to head home as well; he didn't want to worry Setsu and Kiyomasa, especially not on his first day there. So with a heavy heart and an immense fear of the dark, Jisung set off down the road.

✧

Jisung wasn't questioned when he got back to the cabin; instead, he was pushed into the kitchen by Kiyomasa, who claimed he needed a break from helping Setsu.

Jisung was told to wash up and set the table while Setsu cooked and Kiyomasa did whatever he was doing. So he took a quick trip to the bathroom, taking a much-needed piss before washing both his hands and face. He observed his cuts and bruises in the mirror, turning from side to side, before deciding that he'd ask Setsu to clean the wounds later.

Thankfully, they weren't super noticeable; you could only see them if you looked hard enough.

Setsu, of course, wanted to know all about Jisung's time in town. She explained to him that she was worried he'd gotten lost in the forest, since it was easy to forget the way back. This led to Jisung telling her all about his trip to the post office, loitering around a haunted mansion, and the rendezvous with Changbin and Yongbok.