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Something about being compared to Hyunjin ticks him off. You’re a great dancer, but Hyunjin was able to execute this more gracefully. Or, Hyunjin looks so cool! Or how everyone just praises him for his good looks, even if he really did suck with his performance.
Jisung sinks in his seat, his annoyance growing more and more evident as he watched the lanky man practice a certain step he’s finding hard to follow.
There’s something that Jisung is certain he’s way greater than Hyunjin, though. His rap.
The women (and sometimes, even men) would swoon over his talent. And yeah, maybe he’s also just being full of himself, but when his Changbin hyung— his senior who is known as the best rapper in their university, acknowledged his performance and even complimented him, he was over the moon.
A soft tap on the shoulder brings Jisung back to the practice room. He glances up, and his face contorted into annoyance when he saw a smirking Hyunjin looking at him.
Before Jisung could even open his mouth to spit fire on Hyunjin, their dance leader Minho hyung calls for everyone’s attention to start getting into their designated place. He drags his feet, and once the music started, he already got lost into the world of performing already.
The practice ended after 8 hours. He could already feel the soreness on his arms and legs, so he took his time to clean up after himself. After he freshened up, he once again saw Hyunjin, standing at the door of the shower area.
“What are you still doing here?” Jisung asks, and immediately regrets as he saw a teasing smile on Hyunjin’s face.
“Why? You suddenly care about me?”
Jisung crossed his arms and stood face to face with Hyunjin. Their height difference quite evident as he had to tilt his head a bit just to be able to get a good look of Hyunjin.
Hyunjin’s short black hair, along with his defined brows, his eyes that looked intimidating when he’s sporting a poker face, but forms crescents when he’s smiling, to his tall nose. His eyes momentarily stops at Hyunjin’s full lips.
He hitches his breath in awe, all the while trying to muster all his well-being to look as nonchalant as possible.
“You know you’re a terrible actor, right? I can see right through you.” Hyunjin says in a soft voice, which makes Jisung crumble just a little bit.
But it also annoyed him just as much, so he sharply looked at the taller man and scoffed, “What are you talking about?”
Hyunjin took a step forward, making Jisung stumble onto his feet. As cool as he might have wanted to be perceived, he really did look cute and tiny… and very clumsy in Hyunjin’s eyes.
“Nevermind,” Hyunjin says and takes a preventive distance between the two of them. “Can you stop tailing off me?”
“Woah, Mr. Hwang. Slow down there. I go to the same neighborhood as you. It’s not my fault that our parents live next to one another.”
“Still,” Hyunjin insists, “I don’t like having you around, especially on my supposed peaceful walk to home.”
And of course, it made Jisung irritable. “What the fuck are you trying to convey? You’re being pointless. It’s the only way to our home.”
Our home, Jisung clenched his fist.
He honestly didn’t know why and how they started hating each other’s guts. Their first meeting wasn’t too pleasant, but it’s not as horrible as how Hyunjin makes it out to be. He clearly remembers the voice of their dance coach that time who doesn’t even have a single ounce of gentleness to students, even if it meant crushing their egos… and possibly even dreams. The coach kept on shouting to Hyunjin to do better, because the man beside him (who happened to be Jisung) is so great and he has to keep up on it.
That was 5 years ago, and now they’re still here, skills being compared to each other.
It didn’t help that the both of them were so immature at that time. Their friend, Felix, couldn’t even get them to stop arguing in every chance they get. May it be their dance, their rap, or the way the plants grow, the best ice cream flavor, or who’s smarter than the two of them. Looking back, it seemed really silly to be fighting over the pettiest things. Funny how until now, they’re still at that same page.
Except… he’s been thinking of kissing Hyunjin. Like countless of times, sometimes even to the point of losing a wink of sleep. To shut him up, says a part of his brain. Yeah, to shut his annoyingly pretty mouth.
He faces Hyunjin, looking straight to his eyes. Begging for an answer, on why he always has to adjust to Hyunjin’s whims.
And for a moment, he’d like to believe that he saw him waver just a bit. But the silence continued to stretch out, and it’s making Jisung lose his mind.
He was the first to step out of the shower area, still visibly annoyed. As he walked along the place, he spotted a few of his friends, bid their goodbyes, and he started to take the path on the way to his home.
He couldn’t wrap around his head on how stupid Hyunjin’s request is. Just because I interrupt his so called “peaceful” night walk? Jisung thought to himself. He stopped walking, took a short breathing exercise to calm his very short tempered nerve, and continued to walk home.
Days passed by and their distance just grew bigger. To the point that it already affected their practices.
Minho throws his hands up in the air, resigned, when he hears the two fight once again. The reason? Jisung turned up the music a little bit loud for Hyunjin’s taste.
“Enough! You two,” he points at Jisung and Hyunjin. Jisung even had to make sure, so he pointed at himself, earning a glare from Minho. “Yes, Jisung and Hyunjin. If you’re not going to shut the fuck up, just leave this dance group!”
It earned a collective gasp within the practice room. Jisung bites the inside of his cheeks, feeling guilty that he’s acting way too immature. Hyunjin stands beside him, head bowed down due to embarrassment.
Until he heard a snort.
“What’s so funny?” Jisung hisses at Hyunjin. Hyunjin’s eyes turn into big circles, feigning innocence and shock.
“You two, out!” Minho shouts at the both of them, pushing and leading them towards the door.
The both of them stand stupidly outside of the practice room. The loud echo of the music ringing to their ears.
“Happy to finally get to have me alone?” Jisung sarcastically asks. Hyunjin huffs, just to push the younger a bit more to the edge.
The silence stretches out, once again.
Jisung started to roam around, finding a bench he could sit into, when he felt Hyunjin walking behind him. He felt the need to ask him why he’s following, but he’s already feeling so many things all at once. Annoyance, shame, and giddiness— wait, no.
He just feels tired, that’s all.
Once he spots the fire exit, he pushes the door open and sits on a step.
Surprisingly, Hyunjin sits beside him.
Hyunjin was the first one to break the silence, “Why do you hate me so much?” His voice, ever so slightly, quivered.
Jisung takes a whiplash of a glance to the man beside him. He couldn’t quite make up of what Hyunjin’s feeling right now.
“For the record, you were the one who started to avoid me… like a plague.” Jisung reminded him.
“You were being annoying,” Hyunjin replies, “but also the other people around us.”
Jisung’s forehead creased. Hell, no. There’s no way…
“I hate how we’ve always been compared. And fuck, it might have also been unfair to you. I was projecting, alright.” Hyunjin says, pausing to take a shaky breath, “It’s getting tiring to be constantly reminded of what I was lacking of. Jisung’s greater than this, or that, so I took it upon me to just start ignoring you.”
Jisung stared dumbfoundly at the information being dumped on him.
Thankfully, he still managed to find his voice. “That’s impossible, we live next door and we belong in the same dance group.”
“Right,” Hyunjin replies, “So I tried to just push your buttons. Just a tiny bit, just so you could also feel how annoyed I am. It shouldn’t be just me being so upset with how everyone’s comparing me to you.”
The thing is, that is also the reason why he kept on pestering and bickering with Hyunjin. Just to get even, he thinks.
And maybe to also get his attention.
“For the past years, I was never able to get it out of my head and move way past it. It made me feel so small, like I wasn’t capable of doing everything. But fuck, I couldn’t get you out of my head as well.”
“I started to take notice of how you carry yourself in a way that would leave everyone at awe. And it’s so annoying on how it made my heart beat faster whenever I see you. You’re like… this small, goofball who’s clearly loud and fun to be with, but whenever you see me, your mood turns sour fast enough.” Hyunjin sulks, and Jisung didn’t miss the way Hyunjin looked at him.
In a way that makes him feel a bit mushy inside. And in that moment, he realized, that this is Hyunjin’s way of telling that he paid close attention to everything he’s done.
“I feel pathetic for even saying this, but I was trying to push and pull, to get your attention, to make you look at me and see me in a different light and maybe even like—“ Hyunjin was stopped from his monologue when Jisung presses his lips against him.
Jisung pulls away quickly, his ear visibly red. Hyunjin is dumbfounded and frozen on his place.
Jisung still feels a bit weird, with all the knowledge he has to take in, but all he could say is, “Wow, finally got to shut you up, huh.” He thought aloud, and he couldn’t miss how Hyunjin turned into a pinkish mess.
Jisung was never good with words, and yet, “I also feel the same way about you. I think I’ve made myself believe that I resented you. It’s frustrating because people just don’t know when to shut up, and I felt like I had to live up with the fact that we’re being clashed against each other.”
Hyunjin continues to stay silent, his ears willing to listen to whatever Jisung has to say, as what he had always done. “It’s crazy how I was able to take a bit of everything about you. You didn’t like very loud music, especially when you’re tired, so I intentionally turn it up, and now we’re here,” Jisung chuckles at himself, as to how stupid their fight is.
Nonetheless, he’s grateful that he gets the chance to admit this to his… nemesis.
The both of them sit in silence, trying to absorb everything that had just been said. Only this tiny space, is the witness, of how the two men just realized how they’ve just been sharing one brain cell all this time. Feeling the same emotion, having the same thought process, everything.
“How long,” Hyunjin paused, “did you like me?”
“I’m not quite sure. I just know I woke up one day, wanting to annoy the hell out of you.” Jisung answers honestly. He hasn’t even realized it up until this very moment.
Hyunjin grabs Jisung’s nape and closes the gap between them. Showering tiny kisses on his forehead, down to his eyes, his chubby cheek, and finally, Hyunjin tilted the younger’s face a bit upward.
“I like you,” Hyunjin whispers, and kisses Jisung. Again.
They only stopped and pulled away when they heard Seungmin call out their names. They both chuckled at how they look. Hooded eyes, wet lips, and a creeping blush on their cheeks.
They pretended to fight when Seungmin spots them. Still bickering when they got back to the practice room (as told by Minho, relayed by Seungmin), but when their eyes meet, they’re both twinkling, conveying all the feelings that they have for each other.