【low battery】MEANIE

deserve

「放我出來。」
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「let me out.」
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"I'm just so full of guilt," Seungcheol grips his hair in frustration. "Like, do you know how terrible of a person I am?"

Jisoo shakes his head. "It was them."

"I shouldn't have done it!"

"Yes, nobody should do anything like that - but they were the ones who pressured you into doing that. Look, you've matured and grown now, a lot. But they haven't."

"But I shouldn't have listened to them." Seungcheol sighs. "Why couldn't I just stop them, stop them from saying those things, ignored their stupid fucking dare? I would be normal and happy with Wonwoo right now, you know."

"You left them afterwards, yes, so now it seems easy. But at the moment, think about this, Cheol - was it easy for you to do he opposite of what they told you to do? Was it easy for you to stand up for what you thought was right? No, it's never easy to be the one swimming against the current. You can't blame yourself a hundred percent.." Jisoo murmurs.

Seungcheol stays silent for a few moments, before wrapping Jisoo in a tight hug.

"I love you so much, I don't know what I'd do without you," He mumbles. "Thanks, I'd be, like... even more of a mess without you."

Jisoo squeezes him tightly. "That's what best friends are for, right?"

"Yes. Love you."

"Okay. Love you too."

"So... Do you think I can apologize to him?" Seungcheol asks. "I don't think he wants to even see my existence, and I don't blame him."

"It'll be difficult," Jisoo ponders. "It's definitely not his fault, obviously. But we have to do this, we gotta apologize to him. You have to let him know the truth."

"Yeah," Seungcheol sighs. "I just need to find out how. And when." He winces as he remembers the look that Wonwoo gives him every time they see each other. His heart still races at the sight of Wonwoo, and he knows that he's still helplessly in love with the guy whose heart he broke.

"You can do it," Jisoo encourages him. "I believe in you."

"I need to stop saying mean things to him, though,"

Jisoo raises an eyebrow. "Yeah. You do."

"To be honest... I kind of... That's the only way he would talk to me, so-"

"What are you?" Jisoo laughs a bit. "Some immature elementary school boy who has a crush and can only talk to him by insulting him?"

"Jisoo..." Seungcheol looks hurt.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that in a rude way," Jisoo shakes his head. "I'm just saying, Try to be nice to him first."

"I'm an idiot."

"Yes, you are, but you're my idiot."

"Are you... Do you like me?"

"What?" Jisoo asks. "Not in that way! Stop being a narcissist - I meant it in a friendly way."

"Sure." Seungcheol teases, and Jisoo whacks him on the head lightly.

"Go and be nice to him, you got it? I'll see you at lunch."

Seungcheol just nods meekly.

"I'll try my best."

"You can do it, man."

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"What's wrong, seriously," Minghao sighs. "I'm here to help you, but if you don't tell me, I won't know how to help."