BLOSSOMED | SEOKSOO FF

PART 55

The karaoke room was a whirlwind of neon lights, laughter, and chaos. Soonyoung was halfway through his fifth song of the night, belting out a dramatic rendition of “Bohemian Rhapsody” while holding an imaginary mic stand. Seungcheol was busy trying to pry the extra spicy tteokbokki out of Jeonghan’s hands.

“Jeonghan, that’s your fourth plate! Your stomach is going to riot,” Seungcheol pleaded.

Jeonghan smirked, popping another piece into his mouth. “Better my stomach than my soul, Cheolie. Let me live.”

Meanwhile, Seokmin sat in the corner, clutching the songbook like it held the secrets to the universe. His heart pounded as he glanced at Jisoo, who was leaning back on the couch, laughing at Jeonghan and Seungcheol’s antics.

This is it, Seokmin thought. Karaoke, it’s the perfect place to propose. He had planned everything down to the last note: a heartfelt serenade of Jisoo’s favorite ballad to lead into the proposal.

“Alright, who’s up next?” Mingyu asked, scrolling through the playlist.

Seokmin shot up, nearly knocking over his drink. “Me! I’m next!”

The room quieted, everyone turning to him expectantly. Jisoo’s smile widened, his head tilting slightly. “I didn’t know you wanted to sing tonight.”

“I—uh, yeah,” Seokmin stammered, gripping the mic like it was a lifeline. He quickly punched in the number for the song he’d memorized for this moment.

But as the opening notes of the ballad began, Seokmin’s nerves got the best of him. His palms were sweaty, his throat felt dry, and all he could think about was the ring box burning a hole in his pocket.

Panicking, he mashed the buttons on the machine, switching the song at the last second.

The room erupted into confusion as the intro to “Barbie Girl” blasted through the speakers.

“What the—?” Jeonghan started, but before he could finish, Seokmin threw himself into the performance, wildly gesturing and singing in an exaggerated falsetto.

“I’m a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world—”

The room dissolved into chaos. Soonyoung fell off the couch, clutching his sides as he howled with laughter. Mingyu was doubled over, tears streaming down his face. Even Jisoo, despite himself, was laughing so hard he had to wipe at his eyes.

By the time Seokmin finished, the room was a mess of cheers and laughter. He dropped the mic with a sheepish grin, his face redder than a tomato.

“That was… something,” Jisoo managed between giggles.

But as Seokmin sank back onto the couch, mortified, Soonyoung leaned over to Jisoo and whispered loudly enough for the whole room to hear, “You know he was supposed to propose tonight, right?”

The laughter died instantly, replaced by stunned silence.

Jisoo turned to Seokmin with wide eyes. “Wait. What?”

Seokmin flailed. “I—it wasn’t the right time!” he sputtered.

Jisoo groaned dramatically, throwing his head back. “I swear, if you don’t do it soon, I’ll propose to you.”

The room exploded into laughter again, Mingyu pounding the couch as Jeonghan raised a mock toast.

“Here’s to Jisoo finally taking matters into his own hands!” Jeonghan declared.

Seokmin buried his face in his hands, half-laughing, half-crying. As the group teased him mercilessly, Jisoo leaned over and whispered with a small smile, “I’m not kidding, you know. You’d better hurry up, Lee Seokmin.”

Seokmin could only nod, his heart racing. Next week, he told himself. Next week, for sure.