Hey, deskmate ; minsung 𖦹

41

Minho strolled over to where Felix, Hyunjin, Seungmin, and Jeongin were gathered, each leaning against the row of lockers, deep in conversation. As soon as they saw him approach, Felix shot him a knowing grin, and Jeongin nudged Hyunjin with his elbow, as if they'd all been waiting for him to share something juicy.

"Here he is," Hyunjin drawled, folding his arms with a dramatic sigh. "The guy who abonded us for Han Jisung. So, are you finally gonna explain what's going on between you and him?"

Minho rolled his eyes, but he couldn't hold back the small smirk tugging at his lips. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Come on," Felix interjected, raising an eyebrow. "You've been hovering around him all week. We're curious, man. You two practically hated each other before. Oh my gosh, do you like him?!"

Minho sighed, leaning against the locker beside Seungmin, who was looking at him with a bemused expression. He figured they'd all jump on him for it sooner or later; after all, it was impossible to hide anything from his friends. Minho looked at each of them in turn, gathering his thoughts before finally deciding to explain.

"Alright, fine," he began. "It's... complicated. We don't actually hate each other, not anymore, at least."

"Oh really?" Jeongin raised an eyebrow, clearly entertained. "What changed? Did you finally confess your liking to him?"

"Very funny, Jeongin," Minho retorted, narrowing his eyes. "It's just that... look, I saw a different side of him recently. We were on that school trip together, and... I don't know, something happened."

Hyunjin leaned forward, intrigued. "What happened?"

Minho sighed again, realizing this was going to take more explaining than he'd thought. "Alright, so we were doing one of those activities on the trip, right? And I noticed he wasn't really... there. Like, mentally, he was somewhere else, and he looked so... off. I don't know what came over me, but I just had to go check on him."

"So, let me get this straight," Seungmin interrupted, his expression unreadable. "The guy who gets under your skin all the time suddenly looks sad, and you drop everything to make sure he's okay?"

Minho hesitated, the weight of his own actions hitting him a bit more as he heard it aloud. "Yeah, I guess so. But... it's different. He's been going through a lot. His grandmother's been sick, and he was stressed about it. He finally opened up to me, and... I don't know."

Felix's face softened. "That makes sense. Sometimes people surprise you when you see their vulnerable side."

"Exactly," Minho said, nodding. "After that, I couldn't stop thinking about him. I wanted to make sure he was alright, but it wasn't just that. I started realizing that I didn't hate him at all. I actually... liked being around him."

Jeongin smirked. "Liked being around him, huh? Sounds like something more than just 'making sure he's alright.'"

Minho felt a slight blush creep up his cheeks. "Maybe," he admitted reluctantly. "But don't make this weird. It's not like I'm confessing or anything. I don't even know exactly what I'm feeling exactly. It's... confusing. I like him, I think, but at the same time it all just feels platonic and I'm just feeling this way because all this shit is new."

Seungmin chuckled, clapping him on the back. "That's called a crush, my friend."

Minho threw his head back, groaning. "Oh my god, not you too."

"But for real," Seungmin said, his voice surprisingly thoughtful. "It sounds like you care about him. Maybe more than you thought you would."

Minho ran a hand through his hair, feeling the weight of his friends' attention. "I don't know. I didn't plan on this happening. One minute, we're snapping at each other, and the next... he's all I can think about. And today, I moved to sit with him on the bus back from the trip, and he didn't push me away. It was... nice."