Invitations | MinSung

26

Hyunjin watched from afar as Jeongin completed work at his desk, while others only brought him more work. He found it difficult to believe that Jeongin was just a rookie, considering how much work they were relying on him to do.

He noticed small details about Jeongin as he watched, like how he scrunched his nose in frustration when something was difficult, or how he slightly bit his bottom lip when he was really focused. Of course, every little thing Hyunjin noticed made him fall more and more for Jeongin. He could never put his finger on it but ever since he had laid eyes on Jeongin in the City Hall restaurant, his eyes wide in innocent fear, tears threatening to fall as his hands shook hovering above the trigger, too afraid to pull it, he felt a strange sense of protection for him. That night, despite being a total stranger, Hyunjin wanted to pull Jeongin into a tight hug and reassure him that everything would be fine. Over time, those feelings only grew stronger until he realised that he was completely in love. A faint smile played on Hyunjin's lips as he watched Jeongin.

"You're being incredibly obvious, you know," Hyunjin felt someone sit beside him as he heard the familiar voice of Jisung, who was smirking and giving Hyunjin a playful nudge.

"Oh, shut up," Hyunjin scoffed, rolling his eyes at Jisung's teasing antics. However, when Hyunjin glanced at his friend, his expression softened and he remembered how much unrequited love he used to hold for him. "I forgot to thank you, by the way," he added, much to Jisung's confusion.

"For what?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"For rejecting me," Hyunjin laughed.

"Are you okay?" Jisung raised a hand to Hyunjin's forehead, checking his temperature to see whether he had come down with something.

"I'm fine," Hyunjin chuckled, swatting Jisung's hand away. "I'm just saying if you had continued leading me on, I would have never found him."

"Him?" Jisung smiled, knowing exactly who Hyunjin was referring to. Hyunjin hummed in response, his gaze fixated on Jeongin, who was looking through a thick file of documents.

"You know, I thought I was never gonna move on after you so brutally turned me down."

"Brutally?" Jisung asked, incredulously. "Hey, I was nice about it! Besides, it didn't take you long to get over it," he grumbled. Hyunjin simply laughed, feeling unnecessarily euphoric in the moment.

"I really care about him," he murmured. "I just don't know how to make him realise."

"He'll notice. Just give him time," Jisung reassured. "By the way, I know you're my friend but if you ever dare to hurt Jeongin, I won't forgive you."

"You don't have to worry about that," Hyunjin said, "because if I ever do hurt him I don't think I'd forgive myself."

"I'll leave you to it then," Jisung appeared taken aback by Hyunjin's seriousness. "I have more work to get done so I'll see you later." Hyunjin simply nodded, his attention more fixated on Jeongin.

Eventually, Jeongin heaved a deep sigh and arose from his desk, hunching over it in a defeated manner. Hyunjin eagerly also stood up, hoping that it was a sign that Jeongin was finally done. However, Jeongin's frustrated expressions said otherwise.

"Everything ok?" Hyunjin asked, his concern evident. Feeling guilty, Jeongin shook his head.

"I'm sorry, there's still too much work left," he explained apologetically. "You should really just go home now."