Chapter Text
On nights like this, Jisung would find himself in the library. At a glance, one probably wouldn’t peg him for a library kind of guy, but it was calm...quiet. Jisung doesn’t like to think about when he wouldn’t need a quiet place to go.
There’s a stark difference between the quiet of the Library and the quiet that had a tendency to cloud his mind. The Library was an invited quiet, a sanctuary. A place where he could throw himself into his course work and not think about the harsh realities of the world. His own mind, however, his ears, the whole works. It seemed to fight against him on a good day. On a bad day, it was overwhelming, too much all at once.
So the library had become his escape. His roommate was loud, and usually, Jisung loves that about Felix. He loves when the other yells across their tiny apartment about useless facts or drops a pan at six in the morning while trying his best to fry an egg. All the little things were reminders. A reminder that he hadn’t lost his hearing yet. He still had that bit of normalcy, no matter how fickle.
Sometimes though, he needs an actual quiet place to get his work done. He can’t even drown Felix’s yelling about some video game out with music anymore either. Jisung knows it’s paranoia. The fact of the matter is that it doesn’t matter how loud he cranks the sound in his headphones, it won’t make any difference to the reality of his condition. The cruel, harsh reality, taking away from him the only thing he had ever truly wanted.
Well, perhaps that is a tad dramatic. He was in fact actively living his dreams. He had gotten into the college of his dreams to get a degree in music production. It all seemed so surreal now. Bittersweet to put it lightly. He had considered switching his major more times now than he can even count. Jisung had even found himself outside the counselor's office a handful of times, but he could never get the nerve to actually go in. Despite this, reality haunted him. What good was music production if in a year he wouldn’t even be able to hear it? And in this, he has yet to take a step, in either direction. That would make it all too real. On top of which, he has no idea how he’d explain to Chan and Changbin why he had to change.
He knows he has to tell them, any one of his friends would work, honestly, if only to lighten the load on his psyche. But, as in the past six months he had learned, there really is no good time to say, ‘Hey I’m slowly going deaf and there’s nothing you or anyone can do to stop it.’
So for now he just suffers alone and in silence…. Huh, how ironic.
“Sir?”
Jisung whips around. Startling hard at the voice that seems to have just materialized right over his shoulder.
The other man startles as well, probably less from the noise and more from Jisung’s own reaction, “Ah sorry! I just wanted to let you know that we’re closing for the night, if you need to check out anything I can help…”
The stranger is hot, that much Jisung can tell. He has a fluffy head of brown hair and glasses that, instead of detracting from his sex appeal, add to it greatly. Jisung lets out a quick puff of air. Too bad his social anxiety plus hot librarian equaled the absolute dumpster fire of events that occur next.
“Ah yes…- shit- I mean no- no I don’t have anything to check out,” Jisung finds himself growing warm, haphazardly gathering his laptop into his arms, “I-I’m just gonna go…”
He gestures vaguely in a direction that is away from this beautiful stranger before booking it. Jisung isn’t sure where he’s walking… but it's with purpose. And that purpose is getting out of this situation as fast as possible.
“Hey wait!” Oh god. Now the hot stranger is following him. Shit. Shit. He really doesn’t want to ‘hey wait.’ Actually, he would rather do a multitude of horribly embarrassing things, as long as they avoided this moment, right here, right now.
Jisung turns on his heel. The sudden 180 almost sends the librarian barreling into him, but luckily the other man seems to have some semblance of a handle on this situation, more than Jisung that’s for sure.
“You forgot your bag.” The stranger is looking at him with an unreadable mix of emotions, the most Jisung can gather is amusement.
His ears and neck burn scarlet of their own volition. He takes the backpack into his arms lightly, clutching it to his chest like a child with their safety blanket.
“Ah thanks…” His voice is small, eyes glued to the floor.
The hot stranger just smiles and stares, raking his eyes slowly over Jisung, “I’m Minho.”
He feels a shiver run up his spine under the stranger- Minho’s- gaze. Jisung finds his mind to be completely and unhelpfully blank, “Oh… okay”
If it was socially acceptable, Jisung would have smacked himself right there. He’s confronted by one hot person and suddenly all his social skills have flown out the metaphorical window. Why was he even alive?
Minho didn’t seem to mind though. His smile never falters, “I guess I'll see you around…” his voice trails up at the end. A question. Minho quirks an eyebrow.
Finally, his brain catches up with his mouth, “Jisung-” He blurts out, “I’m Jisung…”
Minho nods, still smiling softly, “I’ll see you around Jisung.”
“Yea…” Jisung manages to breathe out, before turning again to leave, eyes scanning desperately for where the exit was.
“Hey Jisung?” Minho’s voice is light and amused.
Jisung turns again, this time, less forceful, but still too quick to be considered normal, “Yes?”
Minho points over his shoulder, “The door is that way…”
“Right.” Jisung gives him one emphatic nod before booking it to the exit.
As soon as the night air hits his face, he realizes how hot he is. The whole interaction played itself over in his mind at lightning speed. Why did he have to be like that? Jisung buried his face in his hands. He surely hopes he doesn’t run into Minho again. Not after that horrific self embarrassment of a conversation. There goes his quiet place to work… oh well, his apartment wasn’t that bad.