Hearts Don't Lie | Hyunsung

Ch.05: Where Chaos Ensues

When morning broke, Jisung was reluctant to face the day. If anyone were in his shoes, they'd probably feel the same. As the hazy memories of last night came flooding back, he couldn't help but wince at his own actions. Losing his cool in front of Minho, shouting at Hyunjin, and then spilling his sad, undying love for Minho to Hyunjin after their argument—what a disaster. Jisung was just thankful that Hyunjin, in a rare display of tact, decided to keep his usual sarcasm in check and spared him any teasing.

However, that simply made Jisung want to dive back under the covers and hide from the world, even as the sunlight sliced through the sheer curtains and burned straight into his eyelids. He never thought he'd say this, but he wished Hyunjin had just laughed it off, got all the HAs out of his system, so they could quickly pretend it never happened. Although from the way Hyunjin stared at him, bewildered and silent, it was clear that this was a moment that would stick with both of them far longer than Jisung wanted.

It had always been like this. Jisung had no idea why, but he always got embarrassed when someone found out he had feelings for someone. Romance had always felt like a secret that should stay buried, even though he knew it was natural. It was something taboo.

Still, he knew he couldn't hide from Hyunjin forever. So, when the door creaked open and the mattress dipped under the weight of someone climbing onto the bed, Jisung forced his eyes to snap open, facing the inevitable. He found himself face to face with Hyunjin, who looked like a kid caught sneaking cookies before dinner. Jisung's eyes drifted down to the damp towel clutched in Hyunjin's hand, a telltale sign of some mischief. "What are you up to now?" Jisung mumbled, still half-asleep but certain Hyunjin was up to trouble.

"Nothing," Hyunjin said, a little too fast, as he pretended to wipe his face with the towel, schooling his expression.

The last of Jisung's anxiety faded. If Jisung thought for a second that Hyunjin might show him some sort of pity play because Hyunjin felt sorry for him, he was way off target. This was Hyunjin we're talking about, not a saint.

"Waking me up with a wet towel? Really, Hyunjin? That's your brilliant idea?" Hyunjin hadn't been so creative this time. The memory of 11th grader Hyunjin slapping a wet towel on his face during one morning at a camp was heavily engraved in his mind.

"You'd rather I wake you up with a bucket of water instead?" Hyunjin asked, throwing the towel on Jisung's face just as the younger one had predicted.

Jisung snatched the towel off his face and glared at Hyunjin, but it was hard to stay mad when it was still too early in the morning. "Actually, I'd rather not have you wake me up at all. You're lucky I don't have the energy to deal with you right now," Jisung said, rubbing his eyes as he pushed his body to sit up. Looking around the room, he noticed it was only the two of them there. Changbin and Felix had probably gone downstairs. "Is everyone downstairs?" he asked, following his observation and tossing the towel back at Hyunjin.

"Felix's parents just arrived at the airport. Changbin hyung is driving Felix there to pick them up. Minho hyung is cooking something. He asked me to wake you up. Seungmin had to go back early. Chan hyung and Jeongin should be in the living room," Hyunjin explained, catching the towel mid-air with practiced ease. His voice had that casual, breezy tone he always used when he was trying to downplay something, but it didn't fool Jisung. His mind was already racing ahead, wondering how he was supposed to face Minho after everything that happened last night.

Jisung nodded, trying to piece together a plan for the day. The idea of joining the others downstairs felt both inevitable and daunting. He'd have to act normal, pretend that his heart wasn't a chaotic mess, and try to get through the day without making a fool of himself again. He was lucky nobody had brought up anything about the way he acted yesterday or how he had fought with Hyunjin outside the house. If they had talked to Hyunjin, he wouldn't know. He didn't want to know either, as the thought of Hyunjin's replies alone gave him a headache.