19 | minsung

11

minho was at the main entrance of the campus, waiting for jisung. he sat on a waiting bench, the sounds of vehicles and the soft murmurs of passersby serving as his background.

earlier, their sketching moment had come to a stop since jisung had to get ready for his class. minho had been pouty when jisung left, but before he departed, jisung assured him, "don't worry, we'll get your sketch done later. see you later, hyung," with a wave and a warm smile.

now, since minho was alone, he could finally grapple with his thoughts as he waited. he let his gaze roam around and his mind replay everything that had transpired yesterday and this morning.

"scars," he mumbled, remembering the faded scars he had seen on jisung's arm yesterday.

"is he harming himself...?" he continued to muse, his heart sinking at the thought of his roommate hurting himself.

minho pondered his mysterious roommate, wondering, 'does jisung have some sort of problem? is he acting this way because he's hiding something and pretending that everything is fine?' he thought about jisung's breakdown and the razor blades he had discovered.

minho didn't want to assume further, so he let out a deep sigh, mumbling, "whatever it is, i'll stay with him. maybe if we grow closer, i can finally find out."

han jisung, a soft-spoken and mysterious figure in minho's eyes. his voice was calm and quiet, and when he laughed, it wasn't obnoxious; it was soft and melodic. he didn't talk much, and minho was usually the one starting the conversations. jisung was often locked in his room or out of the dorm, and he always wore formal attire. minho wasn't complaining, though; he thought jisung looked good.

he shook his head, snapping out of his thoughts, when suddenly he realized, "fuck, i don't have his number!" he exclaimed, abruptly standing up from his seat. he had forgotten to ask his roommate for his phone number, so they could coordinate their meeting locations.

he quickly made his way to the entrance, frantically scanning the campus for his curly-haired roommate. the campus had multiple gates, and he hadn't informed him which one to meet at.

then, a stream of students began pouring out of one of the buildings, indicating that classes were ending. minho tiptoed to get a better view, scanning the crowd for a familiar figure.

after a while of searching, minho finally spotted someone who stood out in the sea of students, also appearing to be looking for someone. a wide smile crept onto minho's face as he waved his arm and called out, "JISUNG!" he shouted, jumping in place to make himself more visible.

his tactic worked as jisung turned in minho's direction, a mirrored smile on his face as he rushed over.

"hey," jisung greeted as he stood before minho.

minho asked, "how did you know i'd be here?"

jisung shrugged, "since you didn't specify what gate, i took my chances with the main one."

minho nodded, "ready for some shopping?" he asked with a mischievous smirk, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

chuckling, jisung replied, "grocery shopping, yes," he corrected.

minho grinned, "yeah, yeah, whatever, let's go," he eagerly said, taking jisung's hand and leading him to the nearest supermarket. jisung was momentarily surprised but allowed minho to guide him, his lips forming a heart-shaped smile.

-----

in the supermarket, minho was loading various food items into the cart, while jisung accompanied him, patiently watching as minho debated over which brand of milk to choose.

minho held up two cartons of milk simultaneously, saying, "this one is cheaper, but this one looks like higher quality."

"hyung, not everything with fancy packaging is high quality," jisung remarked.

minho paused, pondering his options carefully, "you're right... nah, i'll go with quality," he decided, selecting the milk with the more extravagant packaging.

jisung facepalmed, while minho chuckled at his reaction. "i'm just kidding, ji, no need to stress," he reassured, removing the fancy milk and replacing it with the more affordable option. "i'm on a budget," he added.

"good, i thought i'd have to teach you about practicality when we got back," jisung responded, and with that, they continued their grocery shopping.

-----

in the checkout queue, minho glanced at his filled cart before shifting his attention to jisung. "you didn't pick anything?" he asked.

jisung shook his head. "no need, i'm good with whatever you chose," he replied.

looking around, jisung then declared, "hyung, i'm going to quickly use the restroom," and before minho could respond, jisung had already walked away.

"uh, okay?" minho muttered, utterly perplexed by jisung's sudden departure.

as it reached his turn to pay, jisung hadn't returned. "where is he?" minho mumbled, scanning the store for his roommate.

when the last item was scanned and minho was about to pay, jisung still hadn't come back, leading the older to jokingly think that he might have drowned in the toilet.

just as everything was finished, jisung reappeared, offering minho an apologetic smile. "sorry i took so long, i ran into someone i knew, and we ended up talking for a while," he explained.

minho crossed his arms, planning to tease the younger while pretending to be upset. "and? is that all?" he teased in mock annoyance.

however, jisung seemed to believe minho was genuinely upset, and he lowered his head, replying in a small voice, "y-yeah, let's head back."

minho didn't notice the slight change in jisung's tone, as he often spoke softly. consequently, he didn't dwell on it too much.

------

upon arriving in the dorm, minho headed straight for the kitchen to place the bags, with jisung following behind. after jisung had set the other bags on the counter, he turned to minho and said, "i'm going to my room. i need to study."

without waiting for minho's reply, he started walking in the direction of his room, closed the door, and locked it, leaving minho somewhat surprised.

"oh," was the only word that escaped minho's lips, his mouth forming a small 'o' shape.

he then shrugged, understanding that jisung needed to focus on his studies due to the demanding program he was in. minho proceeded to unpack the groceries and organize them in the cupboards.

-----

inside the dimly lit room, jisung sat on his bed, feeling guilty about leaving minho earlier.

"i'm sorry," he mumbled to himself, even though his apology was directed at his roommate outside the door.

he let out a sigh, his gaze fixed on the locked door. "i hope you understand," he said, his tone tinged with sadness.