since our eyes first met - Minsung

챕터are you okay?

Finally back to Jisungs POV:

I laughed with Yeona about some silly things back in high school as I looked at Minho and saw how he gave Jieun her phone back, like he had just given her his number, and she gave him his phone back like she had done the same.

I don't know why, but I felt a wave of some feeling I couldn't quite name.

I tried to shake it off and looked back at Yeona, who gave me a questioning look but didn't ask about it.

After Yeona, Jieun, Minho, and I went our own ways, I started asking Minho questions about Jieun to find out what they had talked about or what they had done on their phones.

But Minho wouldn't answer in full sentences, only in single words like, yes, no, maybe, yeah, a bit...

As we got back to the apartment building, I unlocked the door with my key, and we walked into the dorm. It was already dark outside.

The first thing I heard was Changbin counting loudly and the screams of Jeongin and Felix, and Chan teasing Seungmin, who screamed things like, »Back off, old man!« or »Hyung, I thought you were older than me!« all coming from the living room.

I was about to make a joke about them being chaotic again, although I knew that we ourselves were no better, but Minho had already stormed off past the entrance to the living room, into our room, and slammed the door shut. The loud noises fell silent.

Was he mad?

I walked to the entrance of the living room and felt everyone staring at me.

As I looked into the room, I saw Hyunjin trying to do some push-ups, and Changbin kneeling next to him, counting how many he had done, but quieter than before. He was already at 21. Seungmin was sitting on the couch with Bangchan clinging to him, and Jeongin and Felix were sitting on the carpet in front of the TV. On the TV was a K-drama, and they had paused it at the kissing scene. That was probably the reason why there was screaming.

I stood there for a moment, trying to process what had just happened. Minho had stormed off without saying a word, and now the usual chaos of our dorm seemed strangely muted. The atmosphere felt a little too quiet for a place that was normally filled with loud laughter and teasing.

As the tension in the room started to sink in, I noticed that everyone was glancing at me, as if they were waiting for me to do something. Hyunjin, still on the floor, was trying to push out another set of push-ups but kept pausing to glance at me between breaths. Changbin, who had been counting for him, seemed a little distracted, looking from me to the hallway where Minho had disappeared.

»Everything okay with Minho?« Seungmin finally asked, his voice casual but with a hint of concern behind it.

I didn't know how to answer. Part of me wanted to say yes, everything was fine, that it was just a small mood swing or something minor. But the way Minho had acted earlier today, the way he was giving such short answers to my questions—it didn't feel like something simple.

»Yeah... I think so,« I said, but even I wasn't convinced by my own words. »He just... seemed kind of off. I don't know why. Maybe he's just tired.«

Felix, who had been sitting cross-legged on the floor, picked up his phone again, and I noticed that he was still glancing at me, his expression unreadable. »You sure?« he asked softly. »Minho's been a little distant lately, hasn't he?«

Jeongin, who was next to Felix, chimed in, his voice surprisingly serious for someone who usually had a playful tone. »He doesn't usually shut himself off like that unless something's really bothering him. You guys haven't been spending any time together lately, haven't you?«