Overshadowed || Han Jisung

13

  We found ourselves walking along a mostly vacant park. The trees shaded us well, keeping the sun from overheating us. The birds singing, the trees blowing in the wind... It was so peaceful.

  "beautiful.." he expressed in a sigh. I nodded along and agreed with him. "Yeah, it's perfect out today."

  He stopped in his spot, causing my brows to crash together. He chuckled. "I was talking about you."

  I looked away, racking my brain for a normal response. "You've been quite forward and flirty with me today. Is this your usual self and you just suppressed it all this time or...?"

  He took a step closer, scratching the nape of his neck. "Yeah, pretty much. I didn't want you to push me away for being flirty and.. you were going through a rough patch so I thought it just wasn't the right time. I've been interested in you since the first few times we talked. However, if you decide after tonight that you don't see me that way, theres no hard feelings and nothing will change with us."

  His smile is so.. comforting.

  I took a deep breath. Should I tell him that I'm still figuring it out? Should I test to see if I do? What do I do in this situation?

  Yuriko has had a few secret partners in the past, so she wasn't a stranger to dating or having a boyfriend. Not once have I had the urge to go after someone, spending my whole life pushing people away.

  "I've never dated anyone. I don't know how long it will take to figure it out." I admitted. He nodded, slowly reaching for my hand. "That's why today is like a trial. I'll treat it as a date, should you choose to consider it one or not is up to you."

  He held my hand in his, caressing the back of it with his thumb. "Since I've got the time, I'll mention this as well." He lowered his face a bit, leaving about six inches between our faces. "I am very proud of how far you've come in two weeks. You've done so good."

  Goosebumps covered my whole body as that fluttery feeling returned. His smile grew as he pat my head with his free hand. "You found something you enjoy and are embracing it. You started eating and sleeping more regularly again, which isn't easy. I know you still have a long way to go, but I'm here for all of it."

  I was frozen in a shy, awkward, autistic silence as his face grew pink. I didn't know what words to use, I was stuck. The only way I thought of to express my response was to walk forward, letting my head hit his chest.

  He chuckled and softly wrapped his arms around me. He continued to lightly pat my head, making me melt into his arms. I felt so safe and warm, I couldn't get enough.

I wanted to cry, but I wasn't so sure it was from sadness.

"You've got a lot of mental baggage, your sister and I both know it. I don't expect you to spill everything to me, but I'm here to be a shoulder to cry on, or even if you need a simple distraction from your thoughts."

I held his shirt in fists, hiding my fight to keep tears away. When I pulled away, he quickly went for a cheek kiss, leaving me even more red. "Y-yah."

"Come on, that bench is open now. Let's sit."

-- 8:30 pm --

We weren't that far from the bar, but we still drove so no drunk idiots are walking around aimlessly for a car. Jisung informed me pretty quickly that he wasn't going to drink, saying he had to get everyone home safely, including Hyunjin.

That also gave me a breath of relief as I've never really had alcohol in a public setting before. Yuriko used to sneak us some of our parents wine, but that was about it.

  After parking the car, Jisung carefully placed a hand on my arm to gain my eyes. "Let me know if you want to leave at any point."

  I fought a smile from crawling onto my lips. He lightly patted my head, getting out to open my door for me.

The bar was decently packed, not giving much wiggle room. The boy motioned for me to grab his arm, pulling me to the front of the line to get inside.

  He showed his ID, the two bodyguards nodding and letting us both through.

  "What the hell- how-"

  "Don't question it, I'll explain it all later." He shamelessly winked. I think my body malfunctioned as I shrunk, shoving my face against his arm as we made our way through the crowd.

  He stopped in front of a round booth, moving the barricade in front of it. "Have a seat."

  "But it was blocked-"

  "Look at the card on the table." He smirked. I let out a huff, reading the word 'reserved; Han'.

  "Oh... Okay.."

  He held back a laugh. I shot him a glare, taking my seat. "Isn't getting a booth in a bar like- really expensive?" I frowned, hoping he wasn't spending a fortune on this 'date'.

  He just shrugged his shoulders, pointing somewhere. "We were five minutes late, look at these goofs walking in here almost twenty minutes late."

  "It's only been fifteen, relax." Hyunjin argued as I took a good look at my sister. Her hair was out of the half ponytail I last saw it in, and a few of her jewelries were missing. Almost brushing it off, I noticed a small mark on her neck somewhat behind her ear.

  Our eyes met as I squinted mine, giving her the idea I caught on. She shook her head, begging me to keep quiet.

  "You guys okay?" Jisung frowned. Yuriko jumped to respond first, squeezing my arm. I had to rip her hand off of me, trying to ignore and hide the fact that I was in pain.

  "Yeah! All good. How was your guys day?"

  You win this time, we'll talk later

  Once we all got settled, Hyunjin ordered the three of us two rounds of shots, as Jisung ordered a soda.

  It seemed my unease reached both Jisung and Yuriko as the girl nudged my shoulder. "You don't have to drink if you don't want. This stuff is stronger than momma's wine." She warned.

  Jisung moved a bit closer to me. Just as I became shy and awkward from the lack of distance, he spoke. "She's right, don't feel pressured."

  I raised the glass to Yurikos and then Jisungs, waiting for the others to cheers before I took the shot. I cringed at the strong, burning sensation going down my throat. All three laughed at my reaction, Jisung offering a sip of his soda. I took the offer, not able to shake the gross aftertaste.

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