LOSE MY BREATH

LMB 9

9: Pole dancing.

So the time didn’t really drag in the Geumgangsan. There were so many new experiences to have, such as the cold spring pools and the meadow full of kittens that no one noticed, that he had no idea would fill his boredom

He caused grey hairs to both Minho and his uncle Jinyoung though, with his shenanigans. He accidentally almost touched the hairpin Minho wore, which apparently was sacred and holy and meant for family and lovers only.

After Minho was done glaring at him about it, he promised to keep his hands to himself when it came to the hairpin. Other than that, Minho would have to apply for a separate promise.

The difficulty towards understanding some things was something they all had in common. For the life of him, Jisung was unable to understand why this place regulated every small action taken by humans. When a kid in the juniors' sparring class did something really awesome, he would get excited only to see ten other disciplines showing up to correct the kid for ‘exulting in excess’.

He would be told to stop laughing without cause when he would find the snarky parts of their lives amusing, even though he would clearly explain why.

He was aware of the majority of the norms and procedures and how they were thought out. Of course, being extremely deliberate in how you turned the act of pouring tea into a ceremony was more polite and probably soothing. However, there were moments when all you wanted was a little fix of hot leaf water—not a thing.

There were numerous obstacles to overcome. And, as the foster child of a wealthy family, he had witnessed how most of those hoops were fictitious and, rather than providing structure, simply put people under pressure.

Then again, whenever he made accidental comparisons between the Geumgangsan and his home, the list of pros and cons was pretty uneven. The other place had flying swords. And Minho.

Other problems appeared whenever Jisung was in public spaces. Such as in the dining hall, where talking to people was frowned upon, or in the courtyard, where conversing with people was, in some way, even worse.

The ‘no talking while eating’ thing at least was clear to him, but why the Lee disciples would still look so nervous conversing with him after all these weeks, he had no idea.

He was adapting! He was only a little weird and too friendly and excitable! He thought some people liked him, but when he put an arm around their shoulders, they would look past Jisung, turn white, mumble something about duties, and flee.

Jisung would complain about this to Minho, who always seemed to be nearby, even after they had agreed that Jisung was free to roam the main courtyard alone as long as he stayed there.

Minho, the useless man, only hm’d and mn’d at his problem.

It was fine, though, because Minho's intense focus eventually met all of his attention needs perfectly. It was like a drug for Jisung who, in addition to being an attention whore, could not get enough of poking and prodding for a reaction. While Minho was excellent at concealing them, he was terrible at letting go.

Often later when they returned to the Geumgangsan for dinner, Minho would mention something he’d said earlier that day, something Jisung had already forgotten, and demanded an explanation. It was a bad habit of Jisung’s; saying stupid things he’d have to later explain, no matter how embarrassing the conversation.

“So.. what I meant by that is uh…” Jisung stuttered, avoiding Minho's gaze by casually thumbing through his notes about talismans. “You know... there’s uh… a profession in the modern world. Where you dance with a pole.”