tiny mushrooms

don't let me chicken out.

[ TWELVE. ]
jisung's perspective

"jisung, that was not the plan!"

for context, there was a lot of things i left out from the playground incident.

though we all fell off since that day, hanyu and lia would tease us during group assignments by asking why it took seven hours for us to discuss something that probably should've taken three hours at most. the truth is that minjung and i connected dots and tried to make up a plan.

it started after i told her about my crush on lia, and she said that she "shipped" us. she also asked if i was going to ask her out, and even offered to double-agent for me.

after i agreed to her "double-agent" offer, we began talking about lia more. however, that did not happen without her wanting to know more mushroom.

___

flashback

"lowkey, i think she might like you back," minjung suddenly goes back to the conversation we had minutes ago.

"you're only saying that because we're your otp or whatever..."

"fine," she shrugged, "don't believe me then."

i laughed, and she picked up on speaking a moment later.

"but does she blush around you? or does she share her poetry with you? maybe she even gives you nicknames without noticing..."

everything minjung said, i considered. lia did blush a lot, especially when we all ate ice cream together. i was also the only one to touch her poetry book at the cafe. she even began calling me "ji" as a nickname, and i don't even know where it began.

"yes to all of those things," i raised my eyebrows, "does she do that around her crush or something?"

"precisely."

i propped my leg on the playground ladder behind me and thought about every possible sign that lia could like me back, but at the end it was all wistful thinking.

the shorter girl in front of me tiptoed to somewhat match her height to mine. "so, what's the ship name?"

"ship name? i haven't even asked her out yet!" i piped.

"lia...sung?"

"sounds like liaison... kinda like how you're a liaison between me and her."

"i have no idea what that is, but i'll assume it means you don't like the name."

"no no, it's a good name. i was just clowning."

we made our way to the twin slides and sat at the bottom of it. i took it a step further and rested my back on the slide, to which minjung followed suit.

"how are you going to ask her out?"

"i'll think about it," i said, "is it still in style to write notes and slip them in someone's locker?"

"lia would swoon over that; she's a hopeless romantic."

my head was now faced towards the sky, leaving me to think about today's new revelations—one being that i have my first crush, and two being that my childhood friend might be closer to me than i think.