When Minho Was There • Minsung

𝟐𝟐

He didn't know how long he'd been crying. Eventually, his haggard sobs just turned into heavy breathing and soft hiccups, until there was utter silence. Jisung had used up all of his energy, and now he was completely worn out.

Not to mention, he felt bad about crying in front of someone he'd just met. He didn't want the other to feel pressured to comfort him, but he didn't voice his opinion.

The boy spoke first, breaking the static silence.

"But this is Minho's diary."

Jisung hummed in acknowledgment, patting his eyes dry with the hem of his short sleeve. It's impractical, but it'd have to do for now.

"It's as if he really lived here."

That was true. If I truly made Minho up in my head, then how come there is a physical diary on the blanket next to me?

"So you're not Minho?" He asked once more, his head tilted to the side. Jisung pouted, staring at his fingers, which were curled tightly in his lap. "No."

The boy tapped his chin, staring up at the ceiling as he thought about the scenario.

"He's just imaginary?" He repeated what Jisung had said earlier.

Jisung let out a sigh; he didn't feel like talking about this now, but the other seemed so eager, he couldn't say no. "That's right."

So many thoughts and emotions filled his head; every explanation he conjured up seemed to fall short. Nothing made sense; there were too many loose ends.

He's not real.

He isn't real.

Despite the fact the boy next to him had never met Minho, not once, nor did he know what the older boy looked like, he seemed as disappointed as Jisung, though not heartbroken.

"I thought you were Minho," he said softly. "Coming back for his diary."

Jisung decided now would be the best time to introduce himself in order to convince the boy that he was, in fact, not Minho. "I'm Jisung."

"I'm visiting from Sapporo." He wasn't sure if the others really cared, but it was nice to talk about something else besides Minho.

"I'm Seungmin." The boy smiled, extending a hand forward and urging Jisung to shake it. "I'm from Tokyo."

The silence emerged again, and Jisung had run out of ideas on what to say. He often found his conversations to be short-lived, struggling to find common interests with whomever he was talking to.

"But if he was imaginary," Oh great; now we're back to talking about Minho. "Why is his name the same?"

Jisung didn't have an answer to that question. The whole ordeal was too much to process all in one day. It was easier for Seungmin since he harbored no feelings for Minho.

"Minho must be real." Seungmin frowned, standing upwards and tugging Jisung up with him.

"I'm going to investigate."

✧

Jisung had arrived home not long ago, after Seungmin's mom had politely kicked him out. He felt bad about overstaying his welcome, but Seungmin assured him he was always allowed to come over.

He'd given a quick hello to Setsu and Kiyomasa, who were sitting on the floor in the living room, putting together a 4000-piece puzzle of some ladybugs on dewey leaves. Setsu asked Jisung to join them, but he made a quick excuse, claiming he was tired and wanted to go to sleep early.