Breathless (Chensung)

10

Over the next couple weeks, Jisung increasingly convinced himself he was doing the right thing in asking Yeri out.

After all, Yeri and him had worked on choreography together, performed together, and on top of that she was very pretty and had a kind personality too.

It was strange -- maybe most parents would be worried about their son failing classes, or hanging out with the wrong crowd. Jisung had no trouble in school, but that didn't make them satisfied.

Jisung just felt tired from hearing about the same thing from his family -- and underneath he was afraid. Afraid being thought of as an outcast. Afraid of disappointing them. Afraid of not being able to be the cause of their pride and happiness.

Of course, Jisung's brain didn't get to tell him that obviously.

Jisung's hands shook as he opened his phone to text Yeri.

Make it simple, Jisung.

Me: Yeri do you have time to talk

Jisung stared at it. He didn't know it, but he kept on convincing himself it was the right thing to do.

Yeri: yeah what's up

Jisung took a deep breath.

Me: do you want to go out with me

Deep breath again.

Yeri: um are you asking me over text lol

Me: I'm sorry it's fine to say no

Yeri: I'm kidding

Yeri: sure

Me: really?

Yeri: uh yeah

Me: great I'll talk to you more later

Yeri: okay

Jisung really didn't know how he pulled that off. It might've been the most awkward thing he typed over text ever.

Jisung sighed. He never had a girlfriend before, much less had the guts to ask someone else.

Heading out of his room, feeling a little bit accomplished, he saw his mom working at the table.

"Mom," Jisung said, sitting down next to her.

"Yeah, what's up, Jisung?" his mother said, taking her hands off the keyboard of the computer.

"I have a girlfriend. I thought I would let you know first," he said quietly.

"Oh," his mom said, obviously surprised. "I'm really proud of you Jisung."

Proud.

Jisung didn't know how to feel. Wasn't he supposed to feel happy about this?

"Who is it?" she asked.

"My dance teammate," Jisung said. "She performed with me before."

"That's a big step out of your comfort zone, Jisung. Treat her well."

Jisung nodded as his mother turned back to doing her work.

The sun was coming in blindingly from the window.

Jisung didn't realize it, but perhaps even the sun knew that Jisung was being blinded.

And dumb.

---

Jisung traced patterns into the ground with his foot as he waited for Yeri. He promised he would take her out once before they went back to school, and partly to show his parents that he wasn't leaving her in the dust.

"Hey, Jisung," came Yeri's voice from the side.

Jisung smiled at her. "Hey, Yeri, where do you want to go today? My treat."

"Hm, maybe we could go get ice cream! This hot weather is the spawn of Satan."

Jisung laughed and agreed.

They walked to the ice cream shop nearby and Jisung politely let her enter first by holding open the door for her.

As they got their ice cream and got seated, Yeri leaned forward and said, "You know, I was a bit surprised that you even asked me out. I didn't have the notion that you liked me like that."

Jisung felt his ears turning red. "Sorry," was all he managed.

"Don't be nervous around me," Yeri said. "You can still be my boyfriend but we can still talk like friends. I'm a really simple person."

"Thanks," Jisung said, unintentionally avoiding her gaze.

"Well, you do know," Yeri started, "that I really thought that you and Chenle were together."

Jisung flushed. "No, that's not true. We are just close, that's all."

Yeri shrugged. "It's all good, people like me always wish we had someone close to talk to."

Jisung gave a nod in agreement.

Their date (or that's what Jisung thought it was) went smoothly, for the most part. He liked talking to Yeri -- she was very bubbly and talkative and also laughed at all his jokes (which Chenle never did).

Jisung shook his head. He had to stop thinking of Chenle.

Jisung sighed. Yeri was long gone and the sun was starting to slip under the horizon.

Somehow, Jisung was having doubts. He didn't know how he should react to having a girlfriend, but wasn't it supposed to be different than having a friend?

Yeri seemed like just a friend to Jisung. She didn't push them to hold hands like most people did and they certainly did not even touch each other throughout the entire thing.

Jisung couldn't help but wonder if she was disappointed because of that.

Whatever, Jisung chided himself. Mom and dad are proud of me. They're happy I'm like this.

Jisung decided that night that he had to continue on that road.

---

well, jisung's dating yeri now :) tbh when I was writing yeri I just tried to pick someone as close to jisung's age as I could from SM loll but dw i'm not writing yeri as a bad person bc she isn't one irl!! plus she's also my red velvet bias so I couldn't do that to her lol