Chapter Text
Jisung put on her earrings, wiggling them into her earlobes and scrunching her nose a little when she felt them flush against her ears. She gave herself a half smile through the mirror. The earrings were tiny, dark yellow—almost orange—pendants in the shape of the sun which went well together with her blond hair.
Jisung left her room to go to the living room, not without picking up her jacket first. She found Seungmin and Felix there, the latter was scrutinizing five different shirts—well, two of them were basically the same in distinct tone colour, but Jisung wouldn’t say anything.
“Please, do my make-up.” She pleaded as soon as she wrapped her arms around Felix’s slim waist. Her bottom lip jutted out and her best puppy eyes fixed on Felix, her best friend since they were children.
“But I'm not ready yet! I need to take a shower, choose the perfect shirt, and do my own make-up,” Felix answered. His hands found Jisung’s on his stomach and gave them a gentle squeeze.
Jisung huffed and pulled away, crossing her arms over her chest like a child. “You're such a bad friend,” she said.
“It's time you learn to do your make-up, isn't it?” Seungmin interrupted Jisung's babyish complaints and crocodile cries. Seungmin wasn’t even looking at her, too entertained scrolling down on his phone and eating leftovers from lunch. He was sitting on a stool in the small aisle of Jisung and Felix's kitchen.
“It's time you get yourself a life and shut up, isn't it?” Jisung barked back, eyes squinted and lips pressed into a thin line.
“Chill down, Ji. Don’t make a big fuss over it,” Seungmin giggled at the girl's response. “I'll do it for you,” he proposed, meeting Jisung’s irritated eyes.
“Not in a million years, thank you very much.” She shook her head and stuck out her tongue when Seungmin flipped her off. “I'm sorry, Min. I'd rather go out without make-up than have you doing it.”
“Fuck off.”
“You’re so sweet, guys,” Felix whispered as he headed to the bathroom with his chosen shirt.
“I guess you're going out without make-up, then,” Seungmin said around a mouthful of kimbap, after swallowing he added: “You look cute, though.”
“Yeah, I know that.” Seungmin rolled his eyes and Jisung snorted, shoving him off a little. “But I don't wanna look cute,” she pouted.
She huffed once again and looked at herself in the mirror, pressing her fingers against her chubby cheeks and pinching them softly. She knew she wasn't so bad. Maybe a little too short for her liking, her face a little too round for her liking, and her body a little too slim for her liking. Yet, she wasn't so bad, right?
However… She was aware that she looked a million times better with makeup. It made her appear to be older—or not older, but her actual age (nineteen) and not younger as a lot of people thought—and, that night, she wanted to look pretty enough to catch someone’s attention (or try to).
“You're okay, Ji,” Seungmin told her. Jisung turned over her high-heeled boots to face him. “Stop making weird faces in front of the mirror, you're gonna summon a demon.”
“I hope it takes you,” she said, sticking her tongue out at Seungmin one more time. Jisung sat on a stool, taking the last kimbap. “I really wanna look pretty tonight, y’know?” She muttered, her voice muffled because of the food inside her mouth.
“You're pretty without make-up, though you’ll be prettier if you don't speak when eating. God, close your fucking mouth! It’s disgusting.” Seungmin’s features twisted into disgust.
She put her eyes blank. “Shut up, loser.”
“Are you expecting to take someone home?” Seungmin waggled his eyebrows funnily and wore an exaggerated smirk. “Did you already place your eyes on someone who's going to the party? I’m sure you’re interested in the guy that handed you your scarf when it fell, remember? The one with glasses and curly hair.” His eyebrows danced again.
Jisung laughed loudly at Seungmin's dancing eyebrows and smirk, hitting him on his arm and begging him to stop doing that. “Stay quiet.” She giggled. “I didn't place my eyes on anyone, much less on that guy that’s pretty much in love with his lovely girlfriend, but I'd like to meet someone tonight.” The edges of her lips curl up bashfully. “I don’t think I'll bring anyone home, Felix wouldn’t accept it if he’s sleeping here, and I don’t want it either.”
Jisung had second thoughts about what she really wanted and was expecting about that night out. A man wasn’t the first option popping up in his mind, to be honest. “It’s been a while since I’ve been with someone. I don’t expect to find the love of my life tonight, or a possible partner, but it’d be nice to meet someone who’s interested in me… kind of romantically.” She shrugged.
“Hmm, I see… so you want a friend with benefits, right? Jesus Christ, Jisung, stop hitting me! Why are you so aggressive? That’s exactly what you described!”
“I like when you suffer.”
They stopped their bickering and sighed in unison. The silence was interrupted by the sound of the shower and Jisung drumming her—slightly long—nails impatiently.
“You were right, it's time I learn to do my make-up. Growing up with Felix and having him do it since we were young wasn't the best thing to become autonomous with that.”
“Well, it's nine-thirty. If Felix hurries up, then he can do it,” Seungmin commented after checking his phone.
“Nah.” Jisung dismissed it, shrugging. “I'd go out without it. I’m pretty enough, right?” She batted her eyelashes cheekily and Seungmin wrinkled his nose. “You can’t deny it.”
After what felt like an eternity Felix got out of the bathroom fresh and dolled up, dangerously gorgeous with his outfit, incredible hairstyle, and make-up. “I’m ready!” Felix told them with a big smile.
Jisung gave herself a last look in her full-length mirror before going out to Changbin's—one of her classmates—party. Her blond hair fell graciously on her small shoulders and her bangs were long enough to cover her chocolate eyes. Felix had helped her choose her outfit which consisted of a simple black crop top, her favourite jean jacket and jeans that hung tightly from her hips. The sun earrings decorated her earlobes as well as a choker around her neck, and a captivating piercing on her belly button. Jisung thought she looked pretty, or at least, she looked okay .
“You ready, Ji?” Felix appeared in her doorframe. His black shirt was translucent and Jisung could see his body lines, it was accompanied by tight jeans. “Want me to do your make-up quickly?”
She shook her head. “Nah, I'm sorry for making a big fuss about it,” Jisung replied, approaching Felix and kissing his cheek. “You look good, by the way.”
There was a hint of a smile on her friend's lips. “Thanks!” Jisung chuckled at how Felix's pitch heightened a little, unintentionally showing his love for compliments. “You too.”
Jisung grabbed Felix's small hand as they approached Seungmin, who was waiting for them at the entrance door while typing something on his phone. “Finally! A friend of mine's waiting for us at the entrance, she’s giving us a lift,” he said.
“Huh? Seungminnie's friend is giving us a lift?” Felix said, his tone laced with playfulness as he put on his leather jacket and the three of them headed out to the elevator.
Seungmin pressed the button of the elevator and rolled his eyes. “Yes, Felix, she's giving us a lift. Don’t look at me like that, weirdo.”
Jisung didn't say anything, just snorted at her friends. Once they were out of the building and waving at Seungmin's friend, whose name was Miyeon, Jisung felt the autumn night breeze caressing her rosy cheeks and messing up her hair a little—she didn’t care at all.
Miyeon, who was Seungmin's classmate and—according to Felix—a little too touchy with him, was talkative and smiley as she drove towards Changbin's house. Jisung liked her, both of them were very deep into a conversation about a new film that had been recently released and with some side comments from Felix and Seungmin from time to time.
“Ah, as expected from Seo Changbin,” Miyeon chuckled when she parked in front of his house, or the mansion, that word would fit it the best. From outside could be heard the boisterous noise—Jisung wondered if Changbin’s neighbours didn’t complain about it—of the people and music, together with the fluorescent lights illuminating the place and getting people dizzy.
Jisung knew that Changbin was one of the wealthiest boys in her class, always with brand-new clothes and enough money to pay for everything when their group friend went out, but money didn't blind Changbin and it wasn't his entire personality. He was a good guy, funny, a bit quirky, and extremely fucking talented. Jisung felt a slight pang of jealousy when she first met Changbin, the one who could write incredible and insightful songs, the one who was exceptionally good at rapping and producing, the one who Jisung saw as competition at first.
However, after one night at the beginning of the semester when they chatted with two cans of beer and shared tips about songwriting and producing, she saw a friend in him. Someone she could approach to ask for an opinion about her songwriting and/or work together on a song.
“Okay guys, I’m gonna meet up with my friends. It was nice meeting you,” Miyeon said when they were at the entrance of the loud house, showing them her teeth and sparky eyes, especially towards Jisung who was grinning at her in the same way. They really liked each other, and Jisung would like to keep in touch with her.
“I’m going with you,” Seungmin said, waving his hand as a goodbye to Jisung and Felix, who waggled their eyebrows and made kissy faces. Seungmin offered them his middle finger, muttering a “fuck off” that both of them understood quite well and laughed.
Despite Jisung and Felix being joined to the hip almost every time, they didn’t spend the entire night together. At first, they approached their group of friends in common which consisted of two boys and two girls. Jisung smiled brightly at her friends and accepted the red cup filled with beer that Chaeyoung was handing her.
“Thanks,” she told Chaeyoung and took a sip of the sour liquid, scrunching her nose at the bitter taste.
They were on one of the balconies from the second floor, it was spacious enough to put one table with food and drinks. There were a few people dancing, but most of them were there to talk comfortably without the music bouncing loudly off their eardrums.
“Guys, guys.” Hyunjin, one of their friends, a tall boy with long hair, called for them. Jisung adored him even though at first they disliked each other, she thought Hyunjin was one of the funniest guys on campus and no one could be the best match for her.
“What?” Jeongin pushed, wanting to know quickly what Hyunjin had to say. He elbowed the other boy softly, placing his chin on Hyunjin’s shoulder. “What do you want?”
All of them waited for Hyunjin to speak—anticipation twisting in the pit of their stomachs.
“Do you think I could be Changbin’s type?” Hyunjin finally said, looking down at where Changbin was.
“Oh my God.” Jisung heard Jeongin saying and giggled at him.
“Hmm…” Aisha looked down too, pressing her lips when she saw Changbin kissing a girl on one of the corners of the pool.
“If you wanna be a one-night stand, then go for it,” Jeongin said and Felix hit him on the back of his head, telling him to shut up.
“To be honest, I really think you’re his type,” Jisung said, drinking the last of her beer and grabbing some snacks to eat. “He likes dancers.”
“I noticed,” Hyunjin murmured and Chaeyoung gave him an arched, questioning eyebrow. “She's a dancer, one of my classmates,” he clarified, looking at the girl and Changbin making out.
“Go talk to him tonight.” Felix encouraged him and nudged Hyunjin.
They kept chatting some more, laughing together and cheering Hyunjin when he decided to go to the pool. At some point, Felix also went to the first floor but just to dance with Chaeyoung and Aisha, the three of them were the ones who loved dancing more at every party. Jisung was left with Jeongin, both of them very involved in a conversation about trivial things. In the course of the night, Jisung kissed the younger’s cheek sonorously to annoy him and wave him goodbye, heading to the first floor where all the people were too busy dancing around a warm haze of sticky bodies bouncing to the music.
In no time, a buff man had his hands on Jisung’s hips and was smiling flirtatiously at her. It was weird how she was feeling right there. This was what she wanted—to call someone’s attention, and this guy looked interested in her; pressing his fingers on her hips and closing the space between their bodies. But Jisung felt discomfort bloom on her chest as the guy tried to connect their lips. She wanted to go back to Jeongin’s side.
She dodged the man’s lips and sent him a fake smile. It was weird. A part of her was enjoying the attention on her, yet another part wanted to wave him off. And, even if it was weird, Jisung was aware that it had been happening for a long time—that strange combination of wanting the attention of a man but despising the minimum touch.
“Your piercing looks sexy,” the unknown man said in her ear, trailing his fingers on her stomach to where the piercing was placed.
She didn’t know how to respond, thank him perhaps? Jisung smiled awkwardly, her hand falling down from the guy’s shoulder and putting some space between their bodies.
“I have to go, sorry,” she said, faking an apologetic smile.
“I’ll be waiting for you,” the guy replied, giving Jisung the last squeeze on her hips, which caused a very unpleasant feeling to reside on her chest.
Jisung’s face felt as if it was burning, she could imagine her skin completely flushed and that’s why she headed to the bathroom to sprinkle cold water on her face. She knew Changbin's house pretty well, he had invited her over a few times.
She opened the door and a squeak slipped from her lips when she saw someone inside, right in front of the mirror. “God, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Jisung apologized and was about to close the door, but the girl’s voice paralyzed her.
“No, no. Don’t worry, come in if you want,” she said and Jisung stood there, big eyes looking at the girl who had an eyeliner on one of her hands and giggled seconds later. “Well, don’t come in if you’re gonna pee or something. I’m just fixing my make-up.”
Jisung’s lips twitched and she shrugged, entering the bathroom and closing the door behind her. The girl kept applying the eyeliner carefully and smoothly as Jisung washed her face and fixed her hair. There were strands sticking to her sweaty forehead.
Jisung glanced at the girl and noticed she also had bangs, which suited her perfectly—she wished they fitted her as well as the ginger. She dried her face while her eyes were glued to the girl doing her make-up, she made it look so easy. It frustrated Jisung. Her make-up skills were lousy. It wasn’t that Felix—the one who had been interested in make-up since a young age—didn’t try to teach her, the problem was that Jisung wasn’t the most patient person in the world and couldn’t accept doing something if she wasn’t immediately good. Stupid and childish, yes, but that was her.
“Want to use my cosmetics?” The girl pointed to a small leather bag with her chin, applying lip gloss on her soft-looking lips now. She surely noticed Jisung’s intense stare at her.
“Huh…” Jisung rubbed the back of her neck, grinning shyly. “I don't know how to do it, to be honest.” She chuckled, embarrassed even though it wasn't a big deal.
“Oh?” She arched one of her perfect eyebrows, the curves of her lips lifting softly. “Want me to do it for you, honey?”
Jisung felt heat make its way to her cheeks upon hearing the nickname, widening her eyes comically and nibbling her bottom lip. Honey . It sounded nice, especially coming from the girl's deep but mellow voice.
“Hm? What do you think?”
“Yeah, sure.”
No harm in letting a cute girl do her make-up, right?
“Cool, c'mere.” She drummed her fingers on the bathroom countertop and Jisung frowned, confused. At her confused expression, the girl giggled and said; “Sit here.”
“Oh,” she muttered, round cheeks blushed and fingers fidgeting as she did what the unfamiliar girl told her. Jisung jumped a little and sat on the bathroom countertop as she grabbed all her makeup from the leather bag.
“It'll be quite natural, okay?”
Jisung answered with a nod. Her breath hitched the moment the girl placed herself between her thighs, smiling friendly and in a way that seemed as if she was trying to calm Jisung down. She showed her a brush.
“Stay still, honey.”
“Yes,” Jisung whispered.
She took advantage of the closeness and admired the girl's sharp features, drinking into the details of her expression. Jisung found endearing the way her eyebrows pinched together in concentration, how she bit her lower lip, and the few times she wrinkled her nose adorably. Her make-up was simple, nothing exuberant but good enough to be noticed. It let her freckles be appreciated and fitted her very well, specifically her glossy lips. She was… gorgeous.
“Pretty” Jisung accidentally said, voice barely above a whisper and crimson red sprinkling across her apple cheeks the instant she noticed what she just said. The girl giggled— so fucking adorable.
Jisung pressed her fingers on the cold ceramic beneath her hand.
“What's your name?” She asked, voice low and provoking Jisung's stomach to stir.
“Jisung,” she answered, voice small. “Yours?”
“Minho.”
Minho—Jisung felt a strange desire to let the name roll off her tongue and know how it felt—gave her a little smile which didn’t show her teeth but only the edges of her lips lifted.
“Close your eyes, please. I’m gonna use a pink eyeshadow, it’s really soft.”
She felt the soft brush caressing her eyelids gently. Minho was completely tender with her hands on Jisung, from time to time her raspy voice filled the silent bathroom when she wanted to compliment Jisung’s features—making her blush with that—or just commenting on something banal.
“Open your eyes for a moment, cutie,” Minho said when she finished applying the eyeshadow. Jisung did as the other told her, fluttering her eyes until her sight focused on her, who was nodding satisfactorily. “I’m not saying this because I did it, but you do look pretty with makeup.”
The right corner of Jisung’s lips lifted in a half, bashful smile. “Thanks, I’m sure it’s thanks to your skills, though.” She scrunched her nose and giggled when Minho rolled her eyes.
“Shut up and let me do your eyeliner, close your eyes again.”
She closed her eyes, this time more comfortable and relaxed. Jisung could feel Minho’s face close to hers and the warm breath of the girl mixed with alcohol.
“Won’t someone want to use the bathroom?” Jisung asked suddenly, remembering they had been there for more than fifteen minutes between their first meeting, Minho asking Jisung if she wanted her to do her make-up and the brief moments they stopped to comment something and share a giggle. Someone would probably want to use the bathroom.
“Changbin’s house has four bathrooms, I think they would manage if they want to use it.” Jisung frowned. “Don't frown, Jisung!”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” They chuckled. “How do you know Changbin?”
“I’m his cousin, unfortunately.” Minho sighed.
“Oh? Really?”
She hummed. “How do you know him?” Jisung felt the eyeliner on her left eyelid and opened her eyes when Mina told her to do so.
“We’re classmates,” she said.
“Lip gloss is okay?” Jisung made a sound of confirmation. “Great, c’mere.” Minho placed her fingers on the blonde’s chin and lifted her face, smiling a bit at her. Jisung’s shoulders tensed when her eyes met Minho’s deep, cat-like ones. “So you go to Levanter University, then?” She questioned despite knowing the answer.
Jisung waited until Minho finished applying the lip gloss. She pressed her lips together, liking the taste. “Yes, focusing on songwriting, and producing is my minor. What about you?”
“Dancing,” Minho answered. Jisung glanced at her from head to toe for a second without bad intentions, just staring at her and finding it reasonable that she was a dance major. She looked like one. Minho raised one eyebrow. “Surprised?”
“Not really,” she replied.
“Me neither, you look like a songwriter and producing artist.” Minho smiled at her, showing her pearly teeth, her eyes turning into little crescent moons. Cute , Jisung thought.
“Should I take that as a compliment or what?”
Minho giggled. “I don’t know, you guess,” she shrugged and arched her eyebrows playfully.
Jisung laughed. She jumped once more to get off the bathroom countertop and turned over, looking at herself in the mirror and letting a small sound of surprise fall from her glossy lips. What she thought before going out—that thing about appearing as if she was really nineteen and not less and looking better with make-up—was now a double confirmation. Jisung knew her face wasn’t so bad, but make-up really did magic on her.
“Now I really look pretty,” she joked, laughing a bit.
Minho just rolled her eyes. “You’re pretty with or without make-up, silly.”
Jisung snorted embarrassingly, she wasn’t expecting Minho to say something like that and with such an honest tone. Jisung looked at her through the mirror. “Thanks, for all the compliments and for doing my make-up.”
Minho shrugged. “It’s nothing, I enjoyed doing it. Your company was nice too.”
They stayed silent for a few seconds, their eyes linked through the mirror and a little smile tugging at Minho’s lips. “Wanna go out? I’m sure it’s better if we talk somewhere and not here, it’s a bit nasty.”
Jisung nodded, waiting for Minho to put all her cosmetics back in the bag and both of them headed out to the backyard where the pool was located and most of the people were.
They could hear the laughter of the guests, music booming even when they were out and the slightly cold breeze surrounding them. Minho hugged herself the moment they put their feet out, she was only wearing a shoulderless shirt and a tight skirt which displayed her pretty, muscular legs.
They sat a bit away from the pool and the hustle and bustle, new red cups filled with beer being wrapped around their hands and knees touching. Jisung appreciated Minho’s features when she was fixing up her skirt, the moonlight accentuating her features and making her look ethereal.
Jisung quickly averted her eyes when she lifted her gaze and met hers.
“Did you come here with someone?” Minho asked after finishing with her skirt problem, lips wet from the beer she had just drunk.
“Yeah, with some friends. I don’t know if you know Felix, he’s a dance major too—a blond guy with freckles and a mullet.” Minho thought about it a little, pouting cutely and putting her eyes up but shaking her head. “Well, he’s my roommate and we came together with a friend, Seungmin, a friend of his drove us here. Felix’s always the one who does my make-up, I’ve known him forever and he’s always done it.”
“And what happened tonight?” Minho questioned, propping her elbow on her thigh and supporting her cheek on the palm of her hand; curious and glimmering eyes fixed on Jisung.
“He stayed until late on one of his group dance practices and arrived home late. I was also late to dress up because I kind of procrastinate a lot and my bed was comfy, so he just had time to do his own make-up and well, that’s the thing,” she said while looking down at her boots.
“Well, now you have someone else to do your make-up,” Minho answered right away.
Jisung felt warmth spreading across her round cheeks as she raised her head and found the other’s eyes. Minho’s grin was the brightest Jisung had ever seen. The fuzzy, warm feeling flooded her chest and fluttering heart, all caused by the girl in front of her.
The conversation flowed easily between them. It wasn’t that they were asking the usual awkward questions in order to get to know each other. Their conversation was going from one place to another and laughing was a common thing between their words as they told each other anecdotes and more.
That night, Jisung discovered a few things about Minho. She had three cats and showed Jisung photos of them (Jisung promised to remember their names and recognize them, and Minho promised to invite her over so she could meet them). She was a lesbian and used to live in Gimpo with her family but now she shared a flat with a friend of hers—Chan, a producing major and senior. The two of them worked their asses off to pay rent, feed the cats, and the gym for them both. Minho told her she was currently working as a dance instructor for kids and teenagers, and Chan as a producer in a small company. And, most importantly among all Minho's facts, she was a sucker for cheesecake and Iced Americano, just like Jisung.
Jisung also discovered other things, for example, how it was absurdly easy to talk to her as if they had been friends for years (according to Minho, that was because their personalities matched extremely well, but Jisung thought it could be because of their highly tipsy states). Jisung usually felt a little embarrassed when talking about what she was interested in and thought that it could be annoying to the person listening to her, yet it was totally the opposite with Minho.
She listened attentively to Jisung, never seeming to be tired of her rambling about animals and strange facts about them or the world in general, even asking her things and encouraging her to keep going when she noticed that Jisung was faltering a bit.
It was nice and comfortable, for both of them.
They spent hours chatting without leaving the other’s side except when they wanted more beer or something to eat, but, in the end, they would come again to the other’s side.
That night, Jisung also discovered how soft Minho’s hands were the moment she had to say goodbye—she excused herself saying she had work the next day—and took Jisung’s hands. Minho squeezed them gently and smiled nicely at her. “It was nice meeting you,” Minho said before waving her goodbye, still smiling.
“Minho,” Jisung whispered when the girl was nowhere to be seen. Her name rolling off Jisung’s tongue felt nice, immensely nice.
That night, Jisung told Felix—when he finished his make-out session with a girl and after he complimented her make-up—about Minho and all the things they shared and how gentle she was when doing her make-up. Felix slapped her head softly when he asked if she had asked for her number and Jisung stood there, in front of him with glossy lips slightly parted, a whispered “Fuck” leaving them.
She hadn’t asked for Mina’s number. Jisung slapped herself mentally for that.
But, honestly, something inside her told her that it wouldn’t be the last time meeting Minho.
Jisung wasn't wrong when she thought that she would meet Minho again.
It was just a matter of time, right? They were some connections—she was his classmate’s cousin and she was a dance major, same as some of Jisung’s friends—between them so it wouldn’t be strange if they casually met one more time.
Well, it wasn’t casual. If Jisung took advantage of those connections to meet Minho again, it wasn’t anyone’s business but hers.
On Thursday morning, Jisung was getting ready for her first class of the day while Felix was having breakfast and waiting for her with a mug of warm coffee and pancakes. He smiled at her when she entered the kitchen, already dressed but still with her face puffy and her hair messy.
“Morning,” she greeted Felix, grinning and thanking him for preparing her breakfast.
“Morning, Ji.”
They had breakfast together as almost always, sharing a few words but mostly staying silent. Jisung liked that. Felix understood she wasn’t an early bird and didn’t talk too much in the morning (she couldn’t keep it up with word bombardment as soon as she woke up).
“Aren’t you going to brush your hair?” Felix asked when they had already brushed their teeth, grabbed their bags and put on their jackets and scarves.
Jisung wrinkled her nose and covered her messy blond hair with a beanie, smiling at Felix and giving him a thumbs-up. “I’m ready, let’s go,” she said. Felix chuckled and nodded, both of them heading out of their building and starting the ten-minute walk.
They walked with their arms linked while Felix filled the silence with gossip about how it went Hyunjin’s attempt of hitting on Changbin. The sound of their trainers crushing the autumn leaves was nice and relaxing.
“Hey, want me to walk you to your class?” She asked him once Felix finished speaking. He looked at her with his eyebrows pinched together in bafflement but still nodded. “Good.”
Felix squinted his eyes at his best friend. He had noticed how Jisung wouldn’t say a word, focused on looking around in the hallways of the dance department. Felix knew she was up to something, yet opted to not say anything and let Jisung walk with him.
“This is my class,” Felix said, arching his eyebrow when Jisung looked at him with big eyes and a small “Oh” left her lips the moment she saw they had already gotten to his class. “See you for lunch?”
“Yeah,” she said, still distracted. Jisung glanced at her surrounders, closing his hands into fists and nibbling at her lower lip when she found a face with features similar to Minho's. “See ya,” she smiled at him fleetingly, waving her hand and basically jogging towards the girl.
Jisung felt sweat pooling on the palms of her hands. She saw the girl’s face properly and, fuck, she was Minho. She was wearing sports clothes and her long hair was tied in a ponytail, bangs falling messily before his face.
Minho was talking with a petite girl and both of them were laughing. That’s when Jisung realized she hadn’t planned anything. Yeah, she was the one looking for her in a place she knew she could be, but she didn’t know what to say. Hi, do you remember me? No, she would look like a weirdo if Minho didn’t recognize her. Plus, she was with someone else, she couldn’t just appear and interrupt their conversation.
“Fuck,” Jisung murmured. She really didn’t think this through, she had been blinded by the anxious want of meeting her again. Jisung huffed. She didn’t want to interrupt Mina’s chatter with her friend—or whatever the girl was—and didn’t know what to say exactly.
She decided to pass by her and not talk to her, just pass as she was there by coincidence and didn’t see her right there. Pathetic , Jisung thought about herself as she made her way through the slightly empty hallway and pressed her lips into a thin line. Her stomach twisted and foolishly thought a combination of “Please, notice me,” and “Please, don’t notice me.”
Jisung felt so childish. What was she? A dumb teenager who had a massive crush on someone—who she barely knew—and didn’t know how to behave? (Spoiler: Yes, she was that.)
Crimson red and heat made their way to Jisung’s cheeks and the tips of her ears when she heard her name. She didn’t know if she should be happy or embarrassed, nevertheless, her racy heart was a mix of both.
“Oh? Jisung?” There it was. Minho’s velvet, deep voice calling for her. She loved how her name sounded every time she said it.
She tried to appear as puzzled as possible, even though she somehow knew the blush on her cheeks and red ears will expose her. Jisung turned over and pinched her eyebrows in feigned confusion, her eyes widening and her lips morphing into a smile.
“Minho?” She questioned, approaching the two girls. She wanted to laugh at herself. She was so silly, acting as if she hadn’t been thinking about Minho since Friday night after Changbin’s party.
“Yeah, that’s me!” Minho said when Jisung was in front of them. “She’s my friend, Yuri,” she introduced her friend, Jisung smiled at her awkwardly and the girl did the same. “What are you doing here? This isn’t your department.”
Jisung rubbed the back of her neck. A white lie wouldn’t be so bad, right?
“Felix, my roommate, asked me if I could walk him to his class.” She giggled. “Yeah, that’s it.”
Minho arched an eyebrow. “Do you have a class now?” Jisung nodded. “Want me to walk you there? I’m free now.”
Jisung pressed her lips to keep hidden her smile as she nodded. “If you want to.”
“Yeah, obviously.”
Both Minho and Jisung said goodbye to Yuri and began their small walk to the music department. The atmosphere was light with a tint of awkwardness and Jisung blamed herself for that. She couldn’t stop overthinking her thoughtless actions and repeating again and again that all of this was hasty. Shyness was taking hold of her and thoughts overflowed her mind. She should have waited a bit more. Their meeting would’ve been better and more natural if she wasn't so anxious.
“Stop thinking so much, your head’s gonna explode,” Minho said, her eyes covered in amusement.
Jisung glanced at her. Minho was looking at her with such a playful expression, she was poking fun at her. Jisung didn’t feel insulted or offended, just sheepish.
“Fuck,” Jisung cackled and pressed the palms of her hands against her blushed cheeks. “This is so awkward, isn’t it?”
“Kind of,” Minho shrugged. “Totally different from our first meeting.”
“I’m sorry.” She pouted, looking at her trainers and playing with the hem of her jacket.
“No, no.” Minho placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing softly. “I didn’t mean awkward in a bad way.” She gave Jisung’s shoulder one last squeeze and pulled her hand away. “It’s a you're-cute-when-you’re-shy type of awkward.”
“Oh.” Jisung’s cheeks were burning. “Thanks?” Minho giggled and Jisung shook her head, shyness and embarrassment slowly fading. It was completely gone once they were at the entrance of Jisung’s class. “This is my class.”
Minho looked inside the classroom and put on an expression of horror when her eyes met Jisung’s. “Changbin’s there,” she said.
She glanced inside the room and there it was Changbin, waiting for the professor and looking at her with a raised eyebrow. Jisung grinned at him and waved her hand, Changbin greeted her back but still looked bemused and she could imagine the guy asking what the fuck was his cousin doing in the music department.
Jisung looked at Minho again and felt her heart squeezing when she saw her beaming a warm smile.
“Are you down for coffee and cheesecake later?” Minho asked bravely. Jisung envied her boldness.
Please, believe Jisung, she did her best to contain the smile spreading widely across her face but it was useless. There, on her round, rosy face, was painted a big smile.
“Yeah, I’d love to,” she replied, nodding to add emphasis.
“Would you give me your number? So I can text you and we will arrange it.” Even if she asked, she was already grabbing her phone and handing it to Jisung.
They exchanged numbers, Jisung lifted her eyebrow when she read Minho's name on her contacts. Pretty Minho. Jisung had only named herself with her legal name, nothing more.
“So creative,” Minho said jokingly, her tone laced with sarcasm.
“Excuse me for my lack of creativity, ma'am,” Jisung joked back, giggling together with her.
“You’re a songwriter, you should be more creative,” Minho said in a jest and Jisung rolled his eyes. “Well, I’ll text you later, alright?” She nodded, feeling as if she was about to explode with happiness and nervousness. “See you, honey.”
Honey. Jisung adored how the pet name sounded so good every time it fell out of Minho's lips, every time it was said for her .
“Catch you later,” she murmured, a content sigh leaving her mouth.
Jisung used a few seconds to take a deep breath and search for a culprit for her blush that it wasn’t Minho (not that she was expecting someone to ask why her face and ears were so red, but just in case). She calmed herself down and reached the conclusion that, if someone—cough, Changbin, cough—asked about her redness, she would say it was the early autumn morning breeze.
Jisung set foot in her classroom and approached Changbin, they usually sat next to each other. She plopped down on her seat and felt small under her friend’s scrutinizing gaze.
“Minho?” Changbin said, the corners of his lips curling up in a sly smile.
“Your cousin is cool,” she said, her voice breaking at the end.
“Yeah, and she’s single, too,” Changbin added swiftly, clearly playful.
“And why would I care about that?” Jisung rolled her eyes. Even though she replied that an ounce of hope bloomed in his chest.
“Just saying.” He shrugged. “Did you meet her at my party?”
Jisung nodded. “She did my make-up, she’s… really sweet.”
Changbin puffed and she giggled. “Sweet? I’d say she’s a pain in the ass.”
“She seems to be a bit sarcastic, to be honest.”
“She’s been making fun of me since I was a baby. I got out of my mom’s pussy and was already traumatized the moment I met her.”
Jisung rolled her eyes again. She knew that Changin was probably exaggerating, but it didn’t appear to be too far away from reality. Minho had that mischievous, whimsical aura around her (especially in her features and expressions). They had only met twice, but Jisung could already tell how Minho could pull a serious, poker face, but quickly change it into a joyful one with her frisky eyes and kittenish smile. She seemed to have a charming tongue-in-cheek kind of humour, which matched too well with Jisung.
From Jisung’s point of view, Minho was very much interesting. Captivating, she would say. Someone she would like to be friends with.
“You have my approval, Han,” Changbin said, giving her a thumbs-up. Jisung frowned, quite confused. “I mean, to be with her,” he clarified.
Jisung’s heart squeezed with hope. With reddened cheeks and too flustered, she said: “Just because we both like girls doesn’t mean we’re gonna be together, we just met—plus, I’m pretty sure she’ll beat your ass if she knows you’re saying this.”
“But…” Changbin’s lips were parted, gaze wide-eyed. “You’re right, I’m sorry.”
Jisung didn’t say anything more, her flushed face was most likely saying enough. She knew she was acting too defensive, and what she told Changbin was something true (the part that two girls who are attracted to women don't have to be together), but it wasn’t a justification to react like that. Jisung was just… flustered, and didn’t want to get her hopes up for something that wouldn’t happen.
She wouldn’t say she was in love or something, obviously not. She could be a hopeless romantic and feel comfortable around her in such little time, but she knew it wasn’t love. She had met Minho a few days ago and just talked with her for a couple of hours. She didn’t know much about her except superficial information (well, maybe a little more than superficial information, but she didn’t know enough to feel love or something). It was just interest pricking under her skin.
Yeah, she was interested in Minho. Jisung wanted to befriend her and got to know her. She seemed to be engrossing, quick-witted, simple and tender-hearted. Who wouldn’t want to be close to her? That was the reason Jisung felt that way!
Jisung’s lectures went as usual. It was a little bit tedious yet she loved it, especially when it was more practical and not theoretical.
When it came lunchtime, she headed directly to the cafeteria to meet her friends. Jisung smiled at Aisha, who was the first one to notice her entering the crowded place. She bought herself something to eat and approached her friends.
“Hey, kids.” She grinned brightly at them. They acknowledged her with smiles and sweet greetings.
“Are you okay now?” Felix, who was sitting next to her, asked Jisung with an arched eyebrow.
“What do you mean?”
Felix put his eyes blank. “You were so weird this morning.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, I say the same, oh.”
Jisung didn’t find a reason to lie to her friend. “I saw Minho, the girl I met at Changbin’s party.”
Felix’s lips parted slightly and his eyebrows lifted. “Oh.”
“Yeah, I say the same, oh. ”
“Does she by any chance have something to do with you accompanying me to class?” Jisung knew she wouldn’t trick Felix, it was pointless. She flushed right away. “Yes! It has to do with that! Look at your face, you dumbass. You told me she's a dance major.”
Jisung sighed and covered her face with her hands, nodding shyly. “Okay, you caught me. I did it on purpose, are you happy now? Hmm, I probably also lied about you asking me to accompany you to your class when she asked what I was doing there.” She smiled innocently, batting her eyelashes cutely enough to be forgiven.
“As if I cared.” Felix shrugged, filling his mouth with food. “It was just a white lie, Ji. If you get the pussy you want, then it’s okay,” he calmly said, catching their friends’ attention.
Jisung’s eyes were round as the full moon, cheeks flushed scarlet. “What the fuck are you saying?” She asked horrified at the same instant Hyunjin intervened.
“This loser is getting pussy from whom?” He questioned, wanting nothing more but to gossip. Chaeyoung and Jeongin laughed at Hyunjin’s word choice.
“Is it from the girl I saw you with at Changbin’s party?” Aisha asked.
“You were with someone at Changbin’s party?” Jeongin questioned.
“Yes! She spent the whole night with someone after leaving you, such a soulless friend,” Felix said, feigning to be hurt and wiping crocodile tears.
“Shut the fuck up or I’ll break your knees,” Jisung threatened him and Felix giggled, caressing her chin sweetly. “I’m not getting any pussy, it’s just a friend,” she stated.
“Boring,” Chaeyoung commented and Jisung stuck out her tongue at her.
Their friends kept talking and—fortunately—their conversation was focused now on Hyunjin and Changbin. Jisung’s phone chimed, distracting her from getting something about Hyunjin’s attempt to get Changbin.
Her heart clenched when she saw the name of the person texting her.
Pretty Minho:
are u free at 5?
Jisung smiled and started typing.
Jisung:
yep, where u want 2 meet?
Pretty Minho:
tmt coffee shop? u probably know where it is
Jisung:
yess, they sell the best cheesecake
my friends are annoying now :< cul8rrrr
Pretty Minho:
see you
kiss kiss honey
Jisung’s lips morphed into a foolish smile. She rolled her eyes when she heard Hyunjin giggling and saying: “Look at her, she’s in love.”
She had enough time to go to her flat and take a shower. Jisung took a little more time to decide what she will wear and actually brushed her hair. This was a serious matter. She even asked Felix if he could do a simple eyeliner. (Felix didn’t understand what ‘simple’ meant though, he also added a soft eyeshadow that combined with the lipstick he applied on her lips.)
Jisung felt good about the way she looked. It wasn’t super sporty but also wasn’t too smart, she was comfy and liked it quite a lot. The icy wind made her put on a fluffy coat and a beanie.
“You look good,” Felix complimented.
“Yeah, really good,” Seungmin chimed in.
It was fantastic how Seungmin always ended up in their flat, even when they hadn’t any plans. Not that Felix and Jisung complained, Seungmin was one of the cleanest of their group friends and helped a lot when he was there, and he was good company too.
“Thanks,” she said, grinning and grabbing her things. “I’m gonna head out now, see ya later.” Her friends waved at her and Jisung noticed how Felix’s eyebrows waggled suggestively, she just rolled her eyes at him. It was impossible to make Felix believe that there was nothing between her and Minho.
The coffee shop Minho suggested wasn’t too far away, pretty close to their college so the walk was quite short. Jisung felt the nervousness building up as she approached the place, she spent the majority of the walk telling herself she shouldn’t be so jittery—although it was pointless.
Once she finally got there, Jisung’s eyes lit up when she found Minho already waiting for her. She was sitting on one corner, the chosen table glued to the enormous window which gave them the view of the bustling city. She was there, the edges of her lips tugging softly the moment their eyes met, and looking extremely gorgeous.
Jisung approached her, nibbling at her bottom lip in a weak attempt to fight back the smile spreading across her face. “Hey,” she greeted while taking a seat in front of Minho.
“Hi, Jisung.” Her eyes and smile were warm.
In the beginning, the atmosphere was awkward. They giggled together and Jisung noticed how Minho was fidgeting her fingers under the table, bashful eyes looking at her and silly comments spilling from her mouth due to her shyness.
If you asked Jisung, she would say it was adorable. She could notice Minho’s nervousness and, in a certain way, that helped her to calm herself down and lead the conversation.
Slowly but surely, their chatter evolved naturally and soon they were sharing more than some foolish words. Like the first time they met each other, their dynamic was effortlessly good and uncomplicated. Both of them felt more comfortable once they asked for their orders—which were the same, cheesecake and hot chocolate—and their stomachs were being filled.
“I asked you if you were down for coffee but we ended up ordering hot chocolate.” Minho snorted.
“The weather is begging us to have hot chocolate instead of coffee,” Jisung replied, lips warm thanks to the sips of hot chocolate.
God, Jisung had never felt so restful meeting someone. The easy conversations, the harmless jokes, the funny anecdotes and confessions, the saccharine smiles and the way they attentively listened to each other.
“How did your family react when you told them you’re a lesbian?” Jisung asked, a little hesitant when their conversation turned a little deep.
“Hm, well…” Minho played with the teaspoon in her cup. “They weren’t really happy, especially my dad.” She giggled bitterly and Jisung nodded, cupping her face between the palms of her hands. “He still isn’t happy but he can’t change that, my mom accepted it but it was a work of years. it makes me happy to know that she worked on it. She knew I wasn’t the wrong one, but her for thinking it couldn’t be true or that it was just a phase.” She rolled her eyes.
“And do you hide it when you’re with your dad?”
Minho scrunched her nose. “No, I don’t have anything to hide. If he can’t accept it then it's his problem, not mine. I talk about girls in front of him, even my mom asks me if I’m seeing someone when he’s right there.” She shrugged. “I already worked a lot on myself. It was hard accepting myself and assuming it to hide it now after years of thinking there was something wrong with me.” Jisung smiled widely. “And what about your parents?” She questioned then, dull eyes fixed on her.
“They don’t really mind it at all.” The smile kept hanging from her lips. “To be honest, when I told them I'm bisexual my dad asked me if I wanted to throw a party and that it was too obvious. It was funny, though I had a bit of anxiety before telling them.”
“Good, that's better than disappointed looks,” Minho said, playing with the teaspoon again.
The urge of hugging her tightly flourished on Jisung’s chest. Her gaze was glued to Minho, she wanted to tell her a million things but couldn’t find the right words and didn’t know if it was appropriate to invade so much into her private life.
Minho must have noticed Jisung’s hesitation and inner fight so she changed the subject: “By the way, how old are you? You seem to be younger than me but you’re Changbin’s classmate. He’s one year younger than me, but I don’t think you’re twenty.”
Jisung rolled her eyes. “I’m nineteen, my birthday was a few days ago.”
“Oh, you’re a Virgo?” Jisung nodded. “Nice. Happy birthday, by the way.”
She snorted. “Thanks. What about you?”
“I’m twenty, next month it’s my birthday.” She smiled at her.
Jisung’s eyes were big when she asked, “You’re a Scorpio?”
“Yep, honey.” The edges of her lips curled up with a mischievous glint.
“You give such a Scorpio vibe, that’s incredible. When it’s your birthday? Do you plan on celebrating it?”
“The twenty-fifth, and I don’t think so, I’m not… fond of celebrating my birthday.” She ate a piece of her cake.
“Same here, it’s more fun if it’s someone else's party,” Jisung said and Minho nodded in agreement, drinking the last of her hot chocolate.
Jisung was about to eat more of her cake but gasped and pouted when she noticed she didn’t have more. Minho chuckled and silently gave Jisung the last piece of hers, smiling encouragingly at her when Jisung sent her an uncertain look.
Jisung felt her stomach stir giddily at the gesture.
They stayed there for one more hour, enjoying their company to the point of buying two vanilla cupcakes to eat while they were still there so nobody kicked them out.
Once they decided to finish their meeting, Minho insisted on walking to Jisung’s home since it was late and dark. She truly tried to refuse the proposal and tell her that she would be fine, her way home wasn’t very long and Minho lived far away (plus, her jacket wasn’t very warm for the freezing wind). However, Minho insisted so much that Jisung couldn’t say no to her—and her cute, pouty lips—and that was how they ended up walking shoulder to shoulder towards her home.
There was a moment, when they were halfway there, where Jisung couldn’t bear anymore seeing Minho trembling and promising she was okay when it didn’t look like that. Jisung took her fluffy coat off and handed it to the other, looking at her with—what she hoped were—angry eyes.
“Put on this or I’m gonna scream,” she threatened childishly.
Minho huffed and slid the jacket on her torso, looking warmer once Jisung fixed it.
“Let’s walk faster,” Minho said. Jisung couldn’t care less about her bones freezing when Minho took her hand. “You’re gonna freeze, dumbass.”
“Oh? I’m a dumbass when you’re the one going out with thin jackets with this weather?” Minho glared at Jisung, but she didn’t mind, sticking out her tongue and repressing a shiver running through his spine when a flurry of cold wind crushed them.
Since they walked faster, they arrived rapidly at Jisung's building. She looked at Minho, grinning at her glimmeringly even though the wind was killing her. Jisung’s small hands were warm thanks to Minho's soft ones.
“Keep the coat, alright?” Jisung smiled warmly, patting one of Minho's cheeks annoyingly. “And text me when you get home.”
Minho rolled her eyes, although the curves of her lips were lifting softly. “Yes, mom.”
Jisung’s bottom lip jutted out. “Please, text me or I won't be able to sleep tonight.”
Minho stared at her. They were slightly the same height but Minho was a few centimetres taller, just enough to look down a little.
“I will, honey. I promise.”
Jisung smiled and pulled away, waving her hand at the older.
“Go home, quickly.” She told Minho and the other sighed, waving at her and starting her walk towards the bus stop, but looking back at Jisung from time to time. “Quickly!” Jisung raised her voice and both of them giggled when they heard a dog barking.
Minho did as Jisung told her, stopping one more time to give her one last glance. Jisung lifted her hand in the air and waved again, entering the building with her arms hugging her torso. She was freezing.
Once she was in the comfort of her flat—listening to Felix’s singing voice coming through his room while she took a hot shower—Jisung found it impossible to hold back the big smile spreading across her face. Her cheeks were growing tired from smiling so much and her heart was pounding in his throat.
Minho was certainly a good company, someone who Jisung would like to be close to.
Just as Minho promised, she texted her (exactly when Jisunh had already put on her pyjamas and slipped under the covers of her bed).
Pretty Minho:
i’m home!!
[image attached]
thx 4 lending me ur jacket, i’ll give it back tomorrow
Jisung smiled foolishly at the photo Minho sent her. It was her at, what it looked like, the entrance of her place with a grey cat hiding on her neck. Jisung also took a photo of herself on the bed and sent it, not minding too much how it looked.
Jisung:
great!! what a cutie, is that dori?
it wasn't a big deal, hope you were warm
i’m gonna sleep rn, i’m tired
[image attached]
Minho replied a minute later.
Pretty Minho:
yep, that’s my baby dori
sleep tight
you're cute btw
Jisung buried her face into the pillow, a bright blush spreading on her chubby cheeks.
Jisung:
i still have to meet your cats!!
thx <3
and also thx 4 today, i had fun
This time, Minho took her time to reply and when she did, Jisung was already asleep. Nonetheless, she woke up the next morning and read the message straight away. With her puffy eyes and messy hair, a silly smile tugged at her lips.
Pretty Minho:
i promise u i’ll introduce you to my babies soon
i also had fun
we should hang out again