Work Text:
Jisung should have known that the simplicity of his one self-promising task would end up a disaster. He should have known when he searched his school bag for a pencil and came up with nothing. Not even a chewed on pen was lying at the bottom of his bag, usually forgotten about when he shoved everything in at once. He let out a huff at his sudden misfortune, lips poking out into a pout while his eyebrows creased inward. After removing his sight from a blank sheet of lined paper he pulled his bottom lip between his teeth as he searched for a result. He spotted a few other students scattered about in the gigantic library, all of them occupying polished wooden tables. They obviously took their free period as a chance to study, textbooks and other school related items placed in front of them. It wasn't silent like most would anticipate considering some students were whispering to one another for homework help, or were being tutored; but then again it wasn't bustling with noise. Just a subtle peace where no one could outwardly say that they have a complaint. And after debating whether or not he should walk up and gently tap another on the shoulder before asking if he could borrow literally any writing utensil, he found himself deflating in defeat.
He set his lower lip free, the skin turning an irritated red from how he gnawed on it previously. He slouched within his own chair—the hard furniture making him even more uncomfortable than he already was—before crossing his arms over his chest and narrowing his sight on that same taunting paper. Yeah, he most definitely should have known that his plan wasn't going to go one-hundred percent like he wanted if he couldn't even write out what he wanted to say. A confession. And he most definitely wasn't going to verbally say it, out of fear of rejection. Oh how embarrassing that would be. Jisung could already feel his skin crawl and the need to disappear just from thinking about it. If he wrote it and then discreetly found a way to hand it over, then at least he'll have time to run away without a second glance. It'll give him time to regain his composure and know that he'll have to face whatever truth came with him putting his heart out there.
Nope, he can't do it. He sat up getting ready to take the sheet into his hands and crinkle it into a ball. The doubt that easily began to take over his being made him get ready to pack his belongings and leave the library full of others who weren't dealing with an internal crisis. Or at least a crisis that didn't involve stupid feelings and the need to express them or else they'll feel as though they might explode. But just as he slammed his palm down onto the white paper with blue lines running horizontally a person approached. Not only had he felt their presence, but out of the corner of his eye he could see their form stop at the edge of his table. That's when he quit his once aggressive motives to slowly crane his neck in order to look up at who came over. He felt his heart drop when noticing that it was the librarian. She was an older woman, slim body covered by a floral dress. Her dark hair was pulled up today resting lazily in a bun where what looks to be butterfly clips keeping it upright. She looked down at him with a soft smile, clearing her throat before outstretching her hand where a black ball point pen was presented.
"I saw you searching earlier. Thought you would have found one by now. Here," She placed it on the table, only a faint clink being heard as she did so. So he wasn't in trouble for displaying his frustration too loud? Great. "Now get back to whatever homework you're supposed to be doing. I hear finals are approaching."
That was before she turned on her heels, the pointed bottom of her black shoe being a distant sound while walking away as the flooring was all carpet. He watched her attend to another student not too far away, questions about a book being whispered about with head nods and small grins of appreciation. Then he turned his attention back towards the pen. That stupid pen. While he prayed for it only minutes ago, he wished it would just disappear so he wouldn't have to follow through with his plan. Or well, even now as he was provided with everything he needed to write a love-sick letter, he most definitely didn't have to do it. He could literally just prop open his laptop and finish a song his music professor requested that they do for a project and forget about ever writing down his thoughts and feelings. But glancing between the dried ink at the tip of the pen and the now slightly bent paper his hand still rested upon, he felt as though he was being pressured.
The inanimate objects came to life and repeatedly chanted that he just express himself.
So he did. He reached out for the pen and hesitantly began to write what some might say was sappy. He hadn't directly said who the person was, not even once thinking about spelling out their name. He just stuck to pouring out his heart—explaining how he got nervous yet excited whenever they were near, and stating that he's never truly felt this way until they met. And after he finished, hand cramping from the essay of his very own emotions, he signed his name at the bottom. He debated whether or not he wanted to put a heart or not, but in the end chose not to. His vomit of feelings that was scribbled hastily was enough. His crush didn't need to see a poorly drawn shape too.
Then came the hard part.
Jisung needed to get the letter to the person it was meant for. At first he thought he would just approach the person, shove it in their face so they had no choice but to take it and then run in the opposite direction before either party could question what the attack was for. But then he realized how awkward and humiliating that would be and decided not to. Then he thought that he could maybe just pass it along to one of their friends, who would then give it to his crush. Rethinking the possible opportunity, Jisung knew that the friend would be intrigued by the letter and want to read it themselves. That's mortifying too. That's when he lit up like a Christmas tree once one last idea came to mind. He would just sneak it into the person's dorm room. And as creepy as it sounds, he knew his crush's schedule like he knew his own. He knew when they would leave their room for lectures and then come back in order to change for dance practice. He could easily sneak the letter under the door where a small crack was and then scurry away before he was ever seen.
And if he does get caught... he'll just lie . Say he lost his contacts or something.
So with the second part of his master plan in full swing, he gathered all of his belongings and (like usual) shoved it all within his bag. He stood to his feet while checking the time on his phone screen. It was going on two o'clock, which means he had about ten minutes before his crush left their final class and would be making their way back to their dorm room. He could do it. He knows he can. That is if he does a sprint all the way back to the dorm building. Because with just his luck, the library and the place where students slept were on opposite sides of the campus. He had absolutely no time to spare, which is why he forgot to push his chair in; struggled to put his bag on his shoulders; and almost dropped the hand-written letter on the ground about three times. He didn't even stop to greet one of his friends that was a year ahead. He gave a quick: "Hi Changbin, bye Changbin" before he was turning the corner at the end of the hallway. To say the older male was a little baffled by Jisung's rushed behavior was an understatement.
Jisung wasn't going to dwell on the other's possible confusion. He was too busy pushing himself to run through the campus even faster upon checking the time once again. It was officially the end of the school day for most and that meant his crush was getting ready to head back to his dorm room for the preparation of dance class. By the time he pushed his way through the front door he was panting from being out of breath. The letter clutched tightly within his hand was starting to crinkle, but that was okay. None of the ink had been smudge, his confession of hidden feelings still written to his standard of perfection. Good, now all he had to do was get up to the person's room. He glanced between the elevator and staircase. He wanted to catch a lift up to the third floor judging by how he was about ready to collapse at any second, but then he heard chatter going on behind him. He cringed when turning around to see who it may have been.
There he was. Lee Minho: older male with features that resembled one of a cat. He was a year above, meaning they didn't have any normal classes together, but considering they both studied a form of musical art it was only natural that they crossed paths a few times. Jisung remembers when they first met actually—it being only a year ago. The blonde boy had started his first year at the university, it being two months in and he's still walking around blindly. Yeah he had his friends Christopher (who preferred to be called Chan) and Changbin, but they already went through the freshman experience and couldn't necessarily relate anymore. All they could do was try and guide him, which at times was frustrating with how stubborn Jisung tended to be. He met Minho at a time when neither Chan or Changbin was around. The blonde was lost in a corridor of the university he's never even seen before, and he realized that he was about to be late to his next class. Panic hadn't wasted a second when it came to engulfing him. His hands shook and the world around him began to spin.
"Hey, are you okay?" That's when Minho came into the picture. His soft voice had managed to sneak through the small gaps of the other's bustling mind and force Jisung to look at him. The blonde boy felt as though he was in awe. Minho was a handsome guy. And he didn't know if it was because of the older's stunning visuals or the fact that his chest was still collapsing in on himself that he had gone speechless. Either way he kept silent, brown eyes shaking as he didn't necessarily know what his next move would be. "Are you lost or something? I can help you back to the main building if you want?" He got closer. "What's your next class?"
Jisung licked at his lips.
"Uh," He racked his brain for an answer. Goodness, he probably looked like a fool right now. "It's uh...it's musical production."
He wants to say that it was because Minho willingly decided that he would just walk with him to his next class—claiming that he was heading that way too, and it wouldn't be too much of a hassle. The older one was just so nice. It contradicted the way his expression was normally placed into something rather cold, giving anyone the impression that he was rude. But from then on, (to Jisung) Minho was like an angel that had been personally given to him. He stood out from any crowd. And that attraction only grew when the brunette dancer would occasionally see him and give the faintest of grins; maybe even wave. They weren't friends but they definitely knew who each other were.
It's why as of now when Jisung needed to find a place to hide, he was too late and Minho was already staring at him. He was conversing with his two friends who also danced. They were twins. Hyunjin and Yeji Hwang. Even though they supported the same year as Jisung, they hung out with Minho as though they were cool and superior. Snobby siblings. It was as if the talking had drowned out when Minho stared at him with a smile that may have temporarily blinded him. He could have melted right there. He gave a crooked grin in return, hand even raising to give the shortest of waves. Only it was the hand that held his love letter and it was soon falling to the floor ever so slowly. Realization for Jisung struck and he was soon snatching the same sheet of paper. He assumed he looked crazy by the way Minho began to chuckle lightly, only turning away when Yeji called for his focus. Jisung went red in the face.
He noticed that the group of three went back to whatever they were discussing before, and it gave the blonde his chance to dash his way up the stairs. With them talking it gave him a few extra minutes to reach the required room and slip the note under the door. So he didn't look back when it came to making his way to the third floor, taking two steps at a time. And when he finally did make it to the top, he was more out of breath than when he had to run. He took a second to lean against the painted white wall, chest rising and falling at a pace he's never seen it do before. Wow, he really needed to work out more. Maybe Chan or Changbin will help? Wiping his shaggy blonde hair out of his face and dismissing his thoughts of actually attending a nearby gym, Jisung proceeded down the hall in a brisk walk.
"3A...3B...3C..." He perked at the sight of another door labeled: 3D. It looked just like any other one: wooden with a golden handle that had the key lock built within it. And as Jisung stood outside the room, the letter still kept firm with his hands, he debated whether or not he should just turn around. Him running and freaking out would have been for no reason. He would even have to later explain to Changbin why he was in such a rush. He anxiously chewed at his thumb nail while listening to the devil and angel that rested on his shoulders. It wasn't until he could hear the elevator go off nearby did his adrenaline spike. Even though he didn't know whether or not that was Minho, he fumbled to bend down and shove the written letter through the crack at the bottom. His heart began to race as everything finally sunk in. He's about to confess to his year-long crush Lee Minho.
Feet and voices could be heard approaching at a steady pace and Jisung took it as his cue to leave. He was running down the remainder of the hallway before he rounded the first corner to the left. He was tempted to just keep going, leave and wait for Minho to approach him with an answer. But he needed to know the older man's reaction now. So he stayed put. With his back to the wall and heart pounding as if ready to break through his rib cage, he peeked his head around the corner to see who was walking in close. It was Hyunjin. No Yeji and no Minho.
Wait what!?
Jisung felt his eyes begin to widen as he watched Hyunjin dig through his pants pocket for what was assumed as the room key. The blonde boy felt as through he was ready to smack himself repeatedly for being so stupid. He had completely forgotten that the lanky male (with black hair that reached his shoulders) was Minho's roommate. There were no strict rules when it came to people being placed together; just that boys and girls shall be separated. It was recommended that freshmen stick together, but it seems as though the dean didn't care enough to make it official. Or at least that's what Jisung believed when Chan announced that he had a freshman as a roommate this year. Said his name was Yang Jeongin. Cute dude.
Jisung watched as Hyunjin took his time with unlocking the door, twisting the knob and pushing lightly once he was able to. And maybe if he would have reacted a little faster, he could have run up and stole the letter before the ravenette even noticed it was there. But nope, his fear kept him in place. He could only stare when watching Hyunjin step on the piece of paper, confusion lacing his features at the unexpected sound of crinkles. He pushed hair behind his ear as he looked down, not too long after reaching for what he inevitably crushed. Jisung began to bite down on his lip, holding back a scream due to the sight of Hyunjin unfolding the note. And he felt like dying on the spot when witnessing the taller turn a shade of pink as he read each word. His pink lips had quirked into a smile, it only faltered a little once he reached the end. He quickly folded the paper back into its original form, head then lifting to look right and then left. Jisung squeaked as he managed to catch eyes with Hyunjin for a split second. And then he was running again. He didn't care for the fact that Hyunjin was calling out for him to stop, he didn't care that feet padding against the ground was trailing after him. He just needed to get away and pray that the other understood that the note wasn't meant for him.
He truly believed he made a fast get away when taking the other set of stairs and skipping down them at a rapid pace. He even looked behind him to make sure that Hyunjin wasn't still hot on his trail. Thankfully he wasn't, which allowed a triumph smile to stretch across the blonde's features. Maybe the taller one gave up and went back to his room? Jisung wanted to believe so. It's why he internally cheered knowing that he was safe for now. Or that was until he was accidentally running into a stranger. Wait no, not a stranger. Lee Minho. The brunette had caught the blonde from stumbling, forcing the two to be face to face in the middle of the first floor lobby. Jisung felt as though he was frozen from shock, sparkling brown eyes never leaving the other's. Minho speaking is what shoved the blonde back to reality.
"Hey, are you okay?" He removed his hold from Jisung, lips stretching into a smile. There he goes with being nice again. "You look a little dazed."
The blonde hadn't gotten a chance to respond as the loud elevator doors opening had rudely interrupted him. He briefly glanced in the direction of who may be exiting, to only deflate at the sight. It was dumb Hwang Hyunjin; and he still held the stupid love letter within his hand. Note to self, next time just verbally confess. Therefore there'll be no miscommunication.
Hyunjin caught sight of Jisung beside Minho, too frustrated to understand the sweet tension between the two. The quick blurting of needing to go was spoken on Jisung's part, not wasting another second to side step the brunette and hoping to run out the front doors. Only before he could get too far, his school bag was being grabbed onto. He was yanked back with a pitched yelp, roughly colliding with the firm chest belonging to who he could only guess was Hyunjin. Him craning his neck back and looking up answered his suspicions. The ravenette was already staring down at him with a raised brow and mock smile. Minho glanced between the two with confusion.
"You two know each other?" His head was tilted lightly and his eyes seemed to have narrowed in on the duo. From his perspective the two were practically latched onto one another like leeches. If only he knew that Hyunjin was holding Jisung against his will. Wait... the blonde slowly shrugged his bag off his shoulders trying to be as discreet as possible. He barely had time to turn around before his wrist was being snatched.
Damn it.
"We uh, we met today." Hyunjin grits out as a reply to Minho. He even wrapped an arm around Jisung's shoulders, securing the shorter in the crevice of his side. Jisung wanted to roll his eyes and shove him away, yet couldn't because of how tight the ravenette kept him trapped. "Why? You know blondie here?"
Minho removed his sight from his friend and onto Jisung. He smiled lightly.
"Sort of. We've had a few run-ins."
"Okay great, now that we all know each other," Jisung ducked from under Hyunjin's arm and began to take steps backward. The situation was getting unbearable. He really just wanted to go find one of his friends and hope they buy him his favorite dessert for his major misfortune. "I really need to get going. See ya later!" And his final attempt at leaving could have been a success if he spared talking and just left. Because then he wouldn't have to worry about an annoying lanky ravenette grabbing at his hand and pulling him back. Jisung felt his face drop and huff out an irritated breath.
"I'll escort you," Hyunjin replies. He plastered on his best toothy smile then leant down to grab for Jisung's school bag. Something the blonde would have just left there and blamed it on the fact that it was a life or death situation. And considering both Minho and Hyunjin now stared at him for a response, it was all leaning more towards death.
"You don't even know where I'm going" He eventually states.
"We also have dance practice Jin" Minho brought his wrist up where a watch was snuggly placed. "-in about fifteen minutes. And you know how our instructor hates it when we're late."
"Lie for me" His blurting had the brunette furrowing his eyebrows. It was unusual for Hyunjin to skip the one class he adored more than most. And for a guy at that—one he admitted to meeting just that day. It seems like the tallest even noticed that his behavior was a little strange, because now he was fumbling over what he should say next, ears shading a flushed red. "Please. I really need to talk with blondie about something. I promise I'll make it up to you."
"I have a name," Jisung mumbles. He could feel Hyunjin tighten his grip on his wrist, to which he clicked his tongue at.
Minho sighed.
"Fine. But I swear-"
"Everything will be fine,'' Hyunjin interrupted him. "Thanks Min, I'll see you later!" And with that he was dragging Jisung away and out the front door belonging to the dorm building. The blonde was again letting out a surprised noise at the sudden tug to his body, barely getting a glimpse of Minho who still stood in the same spot. He was looking back at him, face contorted into a frown until they locked gazes. That's when he smiled, shooting another love arrow right through Jisung's puny heart and wounding him even further. If only Minho was the one who found the letter and not the tall idiot who continued to pull him along.
"Goddamn it Hwang, let me go!" He finally shouts after almost tripping over his own two feet. He couldn't keep up with Hyunjin's much longer legs that felt as though they were walking a mile a minute. Eventually he managed to yank his hand free, then coming to a halt with a very quick disliking that grew for the ravenette for every second he was next to him. "We don't have to go all the way to the North Pole to talk about something that wasn't even meant for you."
Hyunjin wasted no time when it came to showing his confusion. He raised the crinkled paper that was trapped within his hand, staring at it before looking at Jisung.
"What?"
"I didn't write the love letter for you" He dragged his hands down his face. Well here goes nothing. "It was for Minho. You know, your roommate. I was trying to confess but you found it before he could."
"So...you're not in love with me?" He was looking at the paper in his hands again. A piece of him felt rejected. Don't get him wrong, he has absolutely no feelings for Jisung—not even knowing who he was up until now—but goodness does he wish that the note was for him. It would be nice to have someone, literally anyone to basically spew gibberish nonsense to him all because they couldn't contain it anymore. Minho was definitely a lucky guy.
"Gosh no " Jisung stole the letter back. Okay, that hurt a little. "I'm sorry but you're just not my type."
"So what is? Someone obviously like Minho I see" Hyunjin crossed his arms as he now blankly stared at the blonde. It made the other grow shy. Only his two friends knew about his liking towards the brunette dancer, but now another party knows. And that person just so happens to not only be his roommate but one of his closest friends.
"Please don't tell him!"
"Why not? Isn't that what you wanted?"
"Yeah," He lowered his head, beginning to fiddle with the corner of his letter. "But I wanted to do it."
"Clearly that didn't work out too well, now did it?" Hyunjin snickered as he plucked the paper away from Jisung's smaller hands. Then he turned on the balls of his feet and began to walk away. The blonde was immediately following him, trying to figure out what was going to happen next.
"Yah, where are you going!? Give me that back!" He opted to grab hold of the taller's arm, walking a little faster in order to keep pace. To bystanders they probably looked like lunatics with how they fought over some lame piece of paper.
"Why when you're just going to slip it under my door again?" He looked at Jisung through the corner of his eye. "We're going to the dance studio. Then you'll be able to confess face to face."
Jisung got in front of Hyunjin, stopping him from walking any further.
"Woah, woah. We can't do that! I'm not ready!"
"You were ready enough to write some dumb love letter?" It wasn't dumb. It was actually quite beautiful. It was as if Jisung put all of his thoughts and feelings into a song; then, having written it down in chances that Minho would be the only one to listen to it. Sucks that Hyunjin had been the one to do so instead. Now look where he was, desperation lacing his face as he tried to get the ravenette to stop and think about what he has to say.
"It wasn't for you, so you have no right to say that!"
"Okay, so then let's let Minho read it and see what he has to say."
"Wait, Hyunjin please!" He was now the one to grab hold of the other's wrist, pulling at it so he couldn't walk any further. The ravenette smirked at how he acted. He was honestly kind of cute; with the way his cheeks puffed out of frustration and his round eyes not being able to choose between whether they wanted to be angry or sad. "Just give me back the letter."
"Okay" Hyunjin shrugged as went to return the one thing that caused all of this mayhem. Only just before Jisung could actually steal it, the white sheet was being dropped into a fountain. It was a beautiful addition built for the school not too long ago. It was honestly quite big. The main sculpture was of a woman dressed with what looked to be a silk dress. She poured the cold water from a pitcher, to which then landed in the circular bottom. Students would usually sit on the ledge as they chatted with one another. How inconveniently placed it was within this moment. The blonde knew his jaw was dropped as he watched the paper soak up the crystal clear liquid. There was no saving what he wrote, and goodness knows if he'll be able to rewrite everything he so effortlessly did before.
"You asshole!" Jisung went to retrieve his work, shivering once his hands dipped within the icy water. After he pulled it out it began to tear and smoosh into pieces of what it once was. "Why the hell did you do that!?"
Hyunjin shrugged.
"If you love him like you say—excuse me, wrote. Then you can do it again."
"It's not that easy you jackass!" Jisung's mad face was just as cute as his upset face. He didn't look intimidating at all with how he balled his hands and stomped like a child throwing a tantrum. "I'm gonna have to figure out how to say everything all over again."
"Saying how you feel isn't that hard."
"And how would you know?"
The ravenette stepped forward before grabbing hold of Jisung's face, squishing the already punctuated chubby cheeks.
"Because right now I can look you in the eye and say that you annoy me," The short blonde glared at the other, raising his own hand in hopes of removing Hyunjin's firm grip. "But that doesn't stop me from also thinking that you're kinda cute" Jisung was shocked by the words, body going stiff. "So blondie, if you don't tell Minho that you're interested or whatever, I might just steal you for myself."
He let the shorter's face go.
"Never would I like you."
"Then you better get to confessing. Because I promise you Han Jisung, when I set my eyes on something, I get it."