A Game Of Love & Flames (Minsung)

Chapter 23

CHAN

I walked quietly down the hallway, my bare feet making almost no sound on the floor beneath me. It was late, and the house was dimly lit, but the glow of the kitchen light ahead told me I wasn't the only one awake. My stomach grumbled, reminding me that I hadn't eaten anything since dinner. A snack seemed like a good idea. I'd always forgot to eat properly when concentrated on my work.

As I rounded the corner into the kitchen, I was surprised to find Seungmin sitting at the small table in the corner, illuminated by the soft glow of his laptop screen. He looked focused, his hair messy and glasses slightly askew as he typed away at the keys, probably working on something for Jisung.

"Hey" I greeted, heading toward the fridge.

Seungmin glanced up at me briefly, offering a small smile in acknowledgement before returning to whatever he was doing.

I rummaged around in the fridge, grabbing a few random ingredients to throw together a sandwich. While I worked, I found myself glancing over at Seungmin, a question lingering in the back of my mind, begging to be asked. I'd been thinking about it for a while, but I wasn't sure how to bring it up. Still, if anyone knew about Jeongin, it would be him.

I cleared my throat, trying to sound casual. "So, uh... what's the deal with Jeongin?"

Seungmin paused mid-type, his eyes flicking toward me. "What do you mean?"

I focused on spreading mustard across the bread, hoping it would make me sound less awkward. "You know... Jeongin. The getaway driver of yours. I heard he used to drag race?"

Seungmin raised an eyebrow, the beginnings of a smirk tugging at his lips. "Why the sudden interest in Jeongin?"

Jelous? No... Protective.

I could feel the heat spreading across my cheeks. "No reason. Just curious. I mean, it's kinda cool, right? The drag racing thing. Seems like he's got a... interesting past."

"Interesting past," Seungmin repeated slowly, clearly not buying it. "Right."

Uncertainty.

I sighed, abandoning the pretense. "Okay, fine. Maybe I think he's... you know... cute."

Seungmin blinked, and for a second, I wasn't sure if I'd shocked him or if he was just processing. "Cute?" His voice came out in a higher pitch than usual, and he quickly cleared his throat.

"Yeah." I stared down at the sandwich I was assembling, not daring to look up. "I mean, he's funny, and... I don't know. I just kinda want to get to know him better. Any advice?"

There was a long pause, and I finally glanced up to find Seungmin looking... flustered? His cheeks were faintly pink, and his fingers were tapping the edge of his laptop.

"Well, uh..." Seungmin hesitated, then continued, sounding slightly nervous. "He's... kind of private, but once you get him to open up, he's loyal. And... maybe you could ask him about cars or something. He's really into that."

I nodded, making a mental note of it. "That's good to know. Thanks."

Success!

Seungmin didn't respond right away, instead focusing a little too hard on closing his laptop. He seemed like he was mulling something over, and I waited, sensing he had something on his mind.

"Um..." Seungmin began cautiously, "speaking of... people... I was wondering if, uh... you could tell me anything about Changbin?"

That caught me off guard. "Changbin?"

So that's why he was flustered.

Seungmin nodded, looking slightly awkward. He shifted in his chair, adjusting his glasses. "Yeah. I mean, he's... you know... he's got those... big muscles, and he's always working out, and I just thought... you know... is he... like... into guys? Or... girls? I mean, not that it matters, but... you know."

I raised an eyebrow, unable to suppress a grin. "Are you asking me if Changbin's gay?"

Seungmin flushed a deeper shade of pink, scowling at me. "I'm just... curious, that's all."

Innocent.

I chuckled, taking a bite of my sandwich before replying. "He doesn't really talk about it much. But if you're interested in him, why not just... ask him?"

Seungmin made a face. "Yeah, sure, I'll just walk up to him and be like, 'Hey, Changbin, nice biceps. By the way, are you gay?'"

I snorted, almost choking on my sandwich. "I mean, maybe don't say it like that. But you could hang out with him more. See what he's into. He's pretty chill."

Seungmin slouched back in his chair, looking contemplative. "I don't know. I just... I think he's really cool, you know? Like, he's so confident, and he's always so... strong. It's kind of... intimidating."

I couldn't help but smile. It was sweet to see someone like this, vulnerable and a little unsure. "Hey, don't overthink it. If Changbin's into you, he'll let you know. And if he's not, well, at least you'll know you tried."

Seungmin huffed, his gaze drifting toward the floor. "Easier said than done."

We sat in silence for a moment, each of us lost in our own thoughts. I thought about Jeongin-his sly smile, the way his eyes sparkled when he talked about cars. And I couldn't help but wonder what it would take to get past that cool yet innocent exterior of his.

Meanwhile, Seungmin seemed lost in thought, probably thinking about Changbin and those big muscles he apparently couldn't stop thinking about. It was kind of funny, in a way, seeing everyone so distracted and uncertain, us, who are usually so sure of ourselves, sitting here awkwardly crushing on our new house guests.

"Well" I said, breaking the silence, "if I can figure out how to talk to Jeongin, I'll give you some pointers on how to approach Changbin."

Seungmin laughed. "Deal."

We exchanged small smiles and bid each other goodnight. Now, it was time to work on my plan to win Jeongin over. But first, research on cars and drag racing.