Secrets | Minsung

iii

Jisung bolted awake, cold sweat dripping down his face, his pillow soaked.

Images from his nightmare about the lab playing like a movie in his mind.

Chan ripped his door open, his panic evident. "Ji! Are you okay!?!?"

"Peachy," he sighed, relaxing a bit back into his soggy sheets, removing his damp t-shirt, his dog tags jingling around his neck. Chan coaxed him out of bed, getting started on changing his sheets.

"JISUNG!?"

He heard Changbin yell, seeing him appear in his doorway a moment later.

"How loud was I screaming?" Jisung asked quietly.

"Loud," Changbin said, breathing heavily, holding Ji in a tight hug, feeling a wet patch form on his shirt.

____

Are you gonna go back to the drug store?" Chan asked, passing him the plate of bacon.

"Why?" Jisung questioned.

"To see your cashier boy!" Changbin said, reaching across the table for the orange juice, teasingly raising his eyebrows at him.

"I dont know..."

"You should go! Ask him his number!" Chan said encouragingly.

"But what do I say? How?" Jisung asked, fiddling with the end of his tail. to keep from flicking and potentially knocking something over.

"We'll act it out for you!" Changbin said excitedly.

Chan stood up, moving their breakfast aside.

"Hi! Er-" Chan looked at him, Jisung mouthed 'Minho', "Minho! How are you!"

"Perfect!" Changbin said, holding out a thumbs up to Chan, the whole 'performance' turning silly.

"Wanna go on a date???" Chan said, hardly containing his laughter.

"How could I say no to such a cutie!" Changbin winked for added effect.

"Perfect!" Chan exclaimed, the pair pretending to make out furiously. 

Jisung wanted to laugh but only felt more lost.

___

Jisung wandered aimlessly around the store, Chan had to run a few errands, and Changbin had gone out, there was a 'veto' decision on Chan's part to drop him off at the drug store, and told him to "Call when you're done, okay!" He'd been nervous going into the store, and now that he was unable to find Minho, he only felt wors-

"Can I help you?"

Jisung wiped around, a few feet from him, Jisung readjusted his toque, a nervous tick he'd developed in recent months.

"I-I was looking for you, actually..." His voice trailed off.

"Really?" Minho said.

Jisung tried to look cooler by leaning against the shopping cart Minho had brought with him, he had seen Chan-hyung use this trick a few times when he flirted with girls, so why wouldn't it work here-

The cart started rolling towards a perfume stand, Jisung stood up again, pulling the cart away from causing any more potential damage.

"Yeah, uh I came to uh- ask, uh," Jisung struggled to remember the mini-speech he had planned. "M-may I please have your number?" Jisung eventually asked quietly, brown eyes locked on the floor, feeling mortified.

"Sure! My phone is in the staff room," Minho said brightly, "Come with me to the back, it's time for Jeongin's shift anyways.

Jisung nervously followed Minho to the back of the store, massaging his tail which was wrapped painfully tight around his leg.

"Jeongin," Minho snapped at a taller boy with short brown hair and large circle glasses, stretched out on a squat green couch.

"Yes, hyung?" The kid asked, looking up from his phone, smiling.

awe he's cute Jisung thought.

"Its your shift," Minho said.

"Okay hyung," the kid said, checking his watch, as if not believing the time, smiling at Jisung before leaving

Minho crossed the room, pulling out a small sack from a little locker. He placed his phone on the table, a new contact pulled up.

"Go ahead," Minho smiled.

Jisung gingerly pulled the phone closer to him, adding his contact.

"Do you have Instagram as well?" Minho asked, taking back his phone.

Jisung shook his head, afraid of speaking and embarrassing himself further.

"Do you want to set one up?" Minho asked, checking his watch.

Jisung nodded excitedly.

"You should!" Minho said encouragingly. "I'd help but my break is almost over, and I still have to buy lunch."

Jisung nodded again, thanking Minho for giving him his number.

"Do you have a ride home, Jisung?" Minho asked, following him out the staff room door.

Jisung nodded. "I think I'll tell Channie-hyung that I'm going to walk."

"Are you sure?" Minho asked, his voice so protective and genuine that Jisung could only smile back him.

Jisung assured Minho that he'd be alright and waved goodbye.

As he left the little store the wind hit him, his thin sweat pants a poor barrer from the cold winter air. December. He would be celebrating his one year aniversary with his hyungs next month. And his one year aniversary looking like this...