19 | minsung

27

the game had just concluded, and hyunjin found himself in the locker room, exchanging his sweaty clothes for more comfortable ones. he meticulously peeled off the damp attire, folding it neatly before stowing it in his bag. a dry towel was used to wipe away the lingering sweat from his skin, and he subsequently changed into his spare clothes. after this, he brushed his slightly long hair back, causing water droplets to flick off.

once he finished, he slung his bag over his shoulder and exited the locker room. waiting just outside was felix, who offered a friendly smile as he greeted hyunjin.

"hey," felix greeted, stepping in front of hyunjin. he had also changed into fresh clothes and had his duffel bag in tow.

hyunjin responded with a hum of acknowledgment and began walking ahead, with felix quickly catching up to him.

while keeping pace with hyunjin, felix shot occasional glances at his roommate, his lips slightly pursed. he knew the reason for hyunjin's recent unusual behavior.

felix redirected his gaze forward and let out a deep sigh before he finally spoke, his voice tinged with hurt and sadness. "hyunjin, you know the reason."

hyunjin's eyes softened as he replied, "i do, lix, but, you know what?....just forget it." he trailed off, shaking his head as if to dismiss the topic.

"but what, hyunjin?" felix asked, coming to a halt, causing hyunjin to do the same.

hyunjin hesitated before saying, "i'm just being selfish, lix. let's not talk about it right now." he started walking again, and felix watched him take the lead.

felix stood still for a moment, his lips downturned, and his eyes misty with mixed emotions. finally, he decided to catch up to hyunjin while maintaining a little distance between them.

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"minho, are you sure you'll be fine on your own?" chan called out, poking his head into the locker room.

"yeah, hyung. your dorm is on the other side, and besides, my dorm is near," minho replied from his seat on the locker room bench. he sat shirtless, head bowed, allowing the sweat to drip from his hair, down his forehead, and onto the floor.

"alright then... take care, min!" chan concluded, waving before closing the door and heading toward his dorm.

now, minho was alone. he was initially planning to leave with hyunjin and felix, but felix had requested some time to talk with hyunjin, so minho decided to stay behind.

after a while, minho decided it was time to leave. he wiped away the sweat with a dry towel and put on a clean, loose shirt from his bag. fully dressed, he exited the locker room and the gym, making his way back to his dorm.

the moon had replaced the sun, casting the world into darkness. the soft glow of the moon and the twinkling stars became minho's guiding constellations on his journey back to his dorm. the evening was also accompanied by a cool breeze, different from the usual, but minho paid it little mind.

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after a short walk, minho stood in front of his dorm. he fished out his keycard and swiped it, causing the door to swing open. however, as the door opened, he felt his soul momentarily leave his body.

inside the dorm, he was greeted by his roommate wearing a clown mask, and jisung startled minho by shouting, "boo!"

"jesus, ji! are you trying to give me a heart attack?" minho exclaimed, clutching his chest as his heart raced.

jisung let out a muffled chuckle from behind the mask and then removed it, revealing his soft and gentle features.

"maybe i am. maybe i'm planning to kill you off so i can steal all your riches," jisung jokingly said, prompting minho to roll his eyes and snatch the clown mask from him.

"where did you even find this?" minho asked, eyeing the familiar clown mask.

jisung shrugged and replied, "i saw it in your room the other day and decided to sneakily borrow it," he said with a cheeky smile.

realization dawned on minho. 'so that's why it looked familiar,' he thought, recalling that he had indeed brought the clown mask with him.

jisung then stepped aside from the doorway, allowing minho to enter the dorm. as he stepped inside, he felt his hand being seized, causing him to drop the clown mask.

"ji—" minho didn't get to finish his sentence when jisung appeared very close in front of him. his other hand was held firmly by jisung, but the touch was gentle, ensuring it didn't hurt.

"you're leaving me tomorrow," jisung said, his lips forming a small pout, and his voice tinged with sadness.

jisung gently placed his calloused hands on minho's cheeks, his fingers tracing the scar left by the string.

minho could feel the slightly rough texture of jisung's hand and the cold silver rings on his fingers against his skin, causing his heart to flutter and his stomach to do somersaults.

"you're still so pretty," jisung murmured, seemingly getting lost in the sight before him as he continued to trace his finger along minho's scarred cheek.

at that moment, minho felt his hand, which was being held by jisung, being intertwined with the other's, their fingers fitting together like a perfect puzzle. jisung rubbed the top of minho's hand in a circular motion, his gaze locking with minho's.

jisung then shifted his attention to minho's other hand, placing it on his own cheeks and nuzzling against it. "you're warm," jisung mumbled, his eyes filled with innocence and admiration for the person before him.

minho had grown accustomed to jisung's boldness, yet it never failed to make his stomach flutter. so, he decided to match jisung's boldness. he brought their intertwined hands close to his lips and placed several tender kisses on the back of jisung's hand. as he did, he could feel jisung's hand, cold and soft, against his lips. minho loved the way jisung slightly flinched before regaining his composure.

minho then pulled away from jisung's hand, mumbling, "i'll be back on sunday," with a small smile. he rubbed jisung's cheek with the hand that was nestled there.

jisung returned minho's smile warmly and remained in that moment for a while. after a few moments, jisung removed his cheek from minho's hand and released their intertwined hands, causing minho to pout slightly.

"good night, pretty," jisung whispered.

minho was about to reply when he saw jisung leaning closer. instinctively, minho closed his eyes in anticipation of a kiss, but it never came.

instead, he felt jisung place a soft kiss on his forehead before the younger ruffled his hair affectionately. "go sleep," jisung said with a chuckle.

minho was left dumbfounded by this action. while jisung would kiss his hands, this was the first time jisung had kissed something other than his hand.

finally, minho found his voice and replied, "g-good night," stammering slightly. jisung gave him one last smile before retreating to his room, leaving minho in a state of bewilderment.

that night, minho lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, pondering, 'what are we...?' he was referring to his relationship with jisung.

he wanted to understand where their relationship stood due to the affectionate gestures they had been sharing. at the same time, he was filled with uncertainty. he didn't know how to handle these feelings and engage in a serious relationship, but he wondered if he was willing to risk everything for han jisung.

the answer was a resounding 'yes.' minho realized that he was more than willing to take that risk for the chance to be with jisung.

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ji's notes!
boring chapter bc i'm so fucking exhausted. anw, clown mask jisung >>>>