overpopulated ▪︎ minsung

chapter 5; liar

"Good morning, angel," Minho cooed, leaning over the bed to give Jisung's swollen face a peck. "I have to go to dance, but I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?" Jisung nodded and Minho left.

When he heard the lock click into place, he viciously scrubbed at the marking on his hand until the skin trapping it turned the same vibrant red. His tears had long since run out, but the soundless trembling of his lips was uncontrollable. He hurriedly left the bed and rummaged through his bathroom cabinet. The orange bottle was brighter than a toxic frog but tasted oh-so-good when the fake serotonin trickled into his brain. He realized with a quiet gasp that none of his friends were informed of his color and were probably anxiously waiting to hear from him. He located his phone (it was under the bed) and opened his chat with Hyunjin and Felix. Their last talk was the day before when they were all drooling over his boyfriend. He giggled as he read over the messages and typed a short greeting.

He got replies from both teenagers almost immediately, asking about the outcome of his birthday. He told them about the dot, and they booed. With a shy smile, he elaborated further, telling them about his night with Minho.

hyunjean: imma tease the hell out of him when I see him at dance later

feliz: bro, same, he'll never live it down

Jisung reread the messages and bit his lip.

sungie: what time does dance start today? 

hyunjean: uhhh, 7pm I think?

hyunjean: why? did Minho forget again?

Jisung scoffed, but typed back a simple "yeah, sorry". The conversation dulled and Jisung switched off his phone.

"He's lying to me," Jisung mumbled, flopping onto the couch. "Where the hell is he going?"

The process continued steadily for a week. Minho would wake him up with a soft kiss and a "good morning, angel". Jisung would smile and wave him goodbye, feigning innocence, before gossiping with Felix and Hyunjin, who never had dance when Minho left.

His first assumption was that Minho detested him for his status, hoping that separating himself from Jisung would save himself the heartbreak when his boyfriend died of the same poison that seeped into Woojin's harmless brain.
But by the end of the week, Jisung came to the heartbreaking conclusion that Minho's lies were either a result of cheating or not loving Jisung anymore.

Jisung's antidepressants gradually declined in quantity, along with whatever confidence he harbored from Minho's convincing compliments. He drowned himself in his schoolwork, going so far as to ask the teacher for extra assignments just to occupy his mind with something other than whatever the fuck his supposed boyfriend was doing. Minho never mentioned another partner, he never smelled like anything other than the stupid candles he liked lighting before he left, and the fondness in his eyes never even flickered. But Jisung couldn't help it. His trust in Minho was fading like the lit candle sitting on his kitchen table.

When Minho came home shortly after 9 for the sixth time that week, greeting Jisung with a cute smile, the flame blinked and disappeared, rising into the air as suffocating smoke.

"Hey, Sungie," Minho leaned in for his nightly kiss, but Jisung pushed him away. That was surprising for both of them. Even though they had argued over the years plenty of times, neither laid hands on the other, not even playfully.