PROMISE | yungi

chapter 6.

yunho's pov

"do you like me, mingi?"

i could see the horror in mingi's eyes as soon as those words left my lips.

as i flipped through the pages of mingi's sketchbook, so many things stood out to me— well, first of all, he was such a fantastic artist. the pencil strokes blended naturally with each other— creating beautifully detailed portraits of different individuals, it was incredible to me how he could draw people as if they were staring at their own mirror.

but something about his art was different.

each drawing was seeping with emotions— some with love, some with admiration, and others with melancholy and sadness.

the only drawings that held negative emotions were those of himself. my heart ached at the realization, but i figured now was not the time to ask about those.

once i reached the first portrait of myself in the book, i then noticed that those were the only pages that were completed and adequately watermarked; others were left without the finishing touches like specific blends and strokes.

this is odd. mingi's known me for only a few days— some of the unfinished art pieces date back months; why are mine the only finished ones?

"uhm— well," the younger hesitated, "would you be... upset if i were to say i did?" he finally lifted his head so his eyes could meet mine upon ending his question.

i was conflicted about how i would answer his question.

did i really want to answer it at all?

with words, that is.

the way he stared directly into my eyes suddenly became intimidating to me; i was now fighting for my life trying not to direct my sight to his lips.

okay. maybe the crush mingi claimed to have was mutual.

i hadn't really thought deeply about how i felt about mingi— but i knew my behavior towards him and how fast i opened up with the younger meant something; maybe even everything.
i felt at home in mingi's presence much quicker than anyone else i had ever gotten close with.

i think i like him.

i gulped, finally deciding to answer mingi's question after a long moment of silence. "you know what, i don't think i'd mind at all," i paused my words. my eyes faltered, signaling that i lost my battle to maintain eye contact.

"actually, i think i might have feelings for you too, min."

a shocked expression immediately took over mingi's face, but before he could even respond, the bell rang throughout the building.

lunch was over.

"we'll talk after school, alright min? let's get to class."

it was safe to say that the random outburst of confidence i had acquired when speaking to mingi earlier was completely gone by the time my last class was over; i was absolutely dreading the upcoming conversation i had planned to have with the latter.

forcing the thought off of my mind, i waited in front of the school gates as every other student began making their way off of the campus. i shook my leg out of anxiety as i stood, my heart feeling as if it was beating faster and faster with each passing second.

eventually, i see mingi turn the corner of the school gate. i tried my best to compress my nervous feelings in hopes of having a normal conversation with him.

"hi yun! how was the rest of your day?" mingi cheered, sincerity dripping off of his tongue. a light blush crept across my face— i appreciated how caring he was. i'm sure he could see my anxiety just oozing out of my body. no matter how much he obviously anticipated the conversation we scheduled to have, he made sure to put me first— whether it was completely intentional or not.