Window to freedom °•Minsung•°

11)

Jisung had spent the most of the past two days coming to terms with what he had discovered.

And as he did, he felt more and more stupid. All the signs. All of them, pointed to the fact that him and his boss Mr Lee, could never be in a relationship. Not even a fling. Because well, first of all...

Mr Lee did not like him. Not like that. He probably didn't even like men. Jisung didn't know how he had gotten so...so braindead around him.

Was it the way he dressed? The way he acted? What was it that had planted the seed of hope in his heart? Jisung didn't know. It was probably his own utter stupidity.

And even if he did ("yeah, in another reality" would sneer his inner voice) like men, why in the name of God would he choose to like Jisung of all people?? It made no sense! It was the worst decision in existence! Which was exactly why, Han Jisung could never, ever let himself fall for Mr Lee.

He ruminated these thoughts as he got ready for the party.

"No more letting my guard down. He's my boss and I'm his assitant. That's all there is to us. And I better act accordingly."

The professor had a wife. He couldn't allow himself to disrespect another person like that.

Jisung nodded, looking at himself in the mirror then Felix finally rang the bell. It was time to go.

"...just wait 'till you see the collection of neon lights we found! We'll turn the bar into a proper little night club!" was explaining Felix, excited as they walked into the campus.

They were early, obviously, to help set up a few things before the actual crowd would start arriving. This calmed Jisung's nerves a bit because it meant he wouldn't have to see Mr Lee until a few hours later.

"Ji, are you ok?" asked Felix that second, interrupting his stream of thought.

Jisung got rigid.

"Why??" he snapped, instantly regretting it when he saw Felix flinch:

"Jeez..." his best friend muttered:
"You're just a little quiet, is all"

Jisung looked into his worried eyes and felt like an awful person: of course Felix had noticed... he knew him better than anyone.

Ji sighed and placed his hand in Felix's, softly:
"Sorry... it's just that I recently discovered something and it's been bugging me a lot"

"Do you wanna talk about it?" asked Lix, swinging their hands around like he had done since they had met, years prior.

This filled Jisung with some bittersweet affection, some sort of nostalgia that pushed him towards talking:
"I think... I developed...an interest in someone..."

Felix gasped at that but Jisung stopped him from intervening with a small hand squeeze:

"...and then I found out that he has a whole ass wife"

Silence fell for a second along with their united arms.

"Oof." Felix finally said.

And something about the way he had said it... made Jisung laugh. He bent in two, laughs escaping his mouth like water off a sink, bringing Felix down with him.

"<<Oof>>" he repeated, almost crying out of laughter.

"<<OoOoOoFfFf>>!" Felix chanted, almost making him choke on his own saliva.

"What kind of response is that, Felix!?" he accused him when he finally could speak again.

"I don't know, it's just so unlucky that it's almost funny!"

"Oh fuck you" Jisung grinned.

"Where and when?" Felix answered, wiggling his eyebrows.

That got him a shoulder punch.

And as they started working on the lights along with Hyunjin, Jisung felt so much better.

"Now I'm definitely ready to face him"

Jisung was not ready to face Mr Lee.

As soon as he saw him enter, a few hours later, Jisung went complitely rigid. The hurt bloomed once again in his heart, followed by a string of insults directed at himself for even feeling this way.

And of course, since he and Mr Kim were the only people Minho really knew, the professor instantly walked to him.

" 'Evening" his boss greeted politely:
"What chu got there?"

he gestured to the board Jisung had just finished writing onto:

"Oh! Just...music reccomendations"
he answered, eyes planted to the floor.

"How fun" Mr Lee commented genuinely.

His words were a little slurred, a little messy. Finally, Jisung looked up at him and his eyes fell open: Minho was drunk.

"Wh..? But the party hasn't even started yet...?"

He eyed Mr Kim intently, asking for an explaination but he only received a sad look in response.

"Did something happen...?"

Jisung wondered, worried.

Meanwhile Minho had slipped the pen from his fingers and written a title down on the board.

"Talking in your sleep- The Romantics" Jisung read:
"Isn't it a song about a cheater...?"

"So that's the music you like, huh?" he asked, eager to keep an eye on Mr Lee.

The professor shrugged:
"What did you write?" he asked

"Lost by Bring me the horizon"

By the look on the professor's face it was clear he had never heared of them:
"Well, let's say I prefer metal 'n stuff"

"I figured..." hummed Minho looking him up and down.

Jisung felt his stare on his body like a tidal wave and shuddered.
His ears were pure red.

"Shit. Shit, fuck. Jisung get a grip."

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