Innocence // STRAY KIDS' Han Jisung

thirty-two

In which there are some late-night calls and early work-doing.

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'He dies of a heartbreak.'

Those words dwelled in her mind as she went upstairs upon their arrival into the house, leaving her in an uneasy state.

Just as she arrived back into her room, she changed into her sweatpants and big shirt before getting into bed, ready to give Soobin a call. Mirae was glad that her friend was actually a night person, otherwise she would have stayed up all night thinking about what she wanted to discuss.

"Hey, Mirae!" Soobin answered the line excitedly. "I've heard you're in a school trip, right? How is it going?"

"Unnie, I like someone."

She heard nothing for three seconds.

"Whatcha say?"

Mirae took a deep breath and repeated her words, feeling somehow embarrassed knowing Soyeon and Nora were most likely listening to her conversation while pretending to sleep. Or maybe not—she didn't have a way to find out in the dark room.

"And why do you sound like you're worried?" Soobin wondered, in a more serious tone. "Liking someone is really beautiful, unless they're with someone else of course."

"He's not. I guess," she shrugged. "He has never mentioned anything."

"Wait, who is he?"

Her cheeks heated up, "Try to guess."

"Dude, do you realize half of the population is male?! How am I going to guess which one of those is the one you like?"

"Cut the act unnie, I'm sure Woojin-oppa told you already." She said, rolling her eyes.

"I still can't believe you like Jisung!" Soobin exclaimed and Mirae rolled her eyes. "Like, I thought you'd be with someone like Hyunjin or even Chan himself. For a while I shipped you two until he told me to fuck off, you know."

"He's like my brother," she cringed. "It'd be very weird. But speaking of him, how is he? I haven't seen him since the day of their presentation."

"You mean our presentation," the older corrected. "I was there too, remember? But he's doing fine, working on his music with Changbin while Jisung comes back from that school trip you're all into. It feel quite lonely watching them at JYP being only five instead of nine, you know?"

"Yeah, I can imagine. The loudest of them are right here so I guess it must be very calm over there."

"Hey, don't change the topic! We were talking about you liking Jisung."

Mirae sighed and rolled over her side, lazily lifting her left hand and observing it without the cast as she spoke, "Unnie, I'm conflicted. I finally accepted that I like him, but... I don't know..."

"Are you scared of him not feeling the same way?" Soobin finished the statement in a softer voice.

"Yes, like a lot."

She heard Soobin sighing over the line, "Look, Mirae, there's no way I can tell you how he feels because I don't want to wake Woojin up to gossip. Besides, it isn't really my business how that hyperactive kid feels, but yours."

"But that's exactly my problem! I don't know that! I don't know how he feels."

"Come on, Mirae, there's always a way to knwa! Especially with someone as obvious as Han Jisung," Soobin said and she could almost hear her rising her eyebrow.