no space ! MINSUNG

the new friend

Why did he have to cry at the worst moments?

Jisung didn't cry often. But at least five times a year, he found himself bursting into tears at the most inconvenient times—while talking to a friend, in the middle of a test, or while doing homework. Right now, it was while sitting on some stairs.

There was nobody around, so that was good. But it was still in the middle of some stairs.

"Are you okay?" He heard a voice he didn't quite recognize. He quickly tried to hide his face, but it was pretty obvious he was crying.

"I'm fine..." he mumbled, hoping the girl was just asking out of politeness and would move on.

"Hey, you're crying in the middle of some stairs. It looks pretty pathetic, to be honest. So." Her tone was dry, but it was clearly meant to make his crying seem less of a big deal.

Jisung lifted his head to check her expression. First, he saw her slight, reassuring smirk, but his eyes quickly focused on the Slytherin robes, and then on who she was. His eyes widened, but he quickly tried to mask his overreaction.

"Selene," he said, his voice trembling. Of course, he knew her—everyone would recognize a Parkinson . Anyone whose parents had been involved in the war, for that matter.

Especially someone who's mother wasn't precisely on the right side of history.

"Han, right?" She brushed off his reaction and stepped closer. He nodded. "So, what happened to you?" she pressed. Jisung hesitated; he knew better than to trust a Slytherin with his emotional vulnerability.

"Nothing." He let out a pathetic chuckle, wiping his cheeks with his hands. "Just... stressed." Honestly, Jisung didn't even know what to say. Why was he crying? Maybe because he couldn't handle rejection, and Minho not only rejected him constantly, but also made him feel pathetic.

The thought of Minho made him tear up again. He hated that he cared so much, and it made him cry harder. Maybe he was just too sensitive, and Minho triggered something in him.

"Yeah, sounds like nothing," she replied sarcastically. She boldly took a seat next to him, startling Jisung slightly. Should he be on guard? "You sound like you need to get whatever's bothering you off your chest," she said. Jisung realized she was probably right.

He had been sneaking around, lying to Chan and Hyunjin, which he'd never done before. He wasn't made for this. But spilling everything to Minho's housemate didn't seem like the best idea.

Sensing his hesitation, she spoke again. "Come on, just because I'm a green snake doesn't mean I don't have a heart." She teased, nudging him softly. Jisung blushed.

"That's not—" He shook his head. "Sorry, I didn't mean... It's just, I can't even talk to my friends about this. It's driving me insane." He started talking before he could stop himself. He fell for Slytherin manipulations yet again. "It's not about houses," he clarified.

"That's fine," she said, brushing it off. "So, something you can't tell your friends is bothering you? Sounds like you need a neutral listener." She batted her eyelashes at him, almost flirtatiously. Jisung blinked.

He stayed silent for a second, but he was just so vulnerable and the feelings were so raw...

"Are you familiar with Lee Minho?" he finally said, his tone bitter. Selene raised her eyebrows, not expecting that. She knew they didn't get along—everyone did—but to make Jisung cry?

"I'm not the biggest fan." She replied. "He's kind of a bitch."

Jisung chuckled through his tears and nodded. "He is." He was relieved they weren't friends. "How can I even say this? Him and I have... a project... together..." He struggled to explain without giving too much away. She raised her eyebrows, aware that it was a 'secret' but didn't push him to elaborate. "We've been spending time together. Crazy, right?"