West Side • minsung

Chapter 8: Bad habits

Minho finds Jisung in a pouring rain. It was the afternoon of his day-off. Jisung was staring at a puddle in the streets right near the apartment. He was sitting, knees bent and drenched.

He slowly walks over and even so, holds the umbrella above his head. His hair changes colors in the water.

"Sung."

Jisung stared afar and spoke.

"We never have rains down there."

"It's weird. I mean, we were all soaked the whole time that we didn't know were actually just wet. No concept of being drenched down there." Jisung said it like it's a revelation.

"This is the sort that wiped out all lives before. or so we thought."

"It wasn't so bad." Jisung says as he held out his palms to catch the raindrops.

"Says the mermaid."

Jisung chuckles at that.

"How's the air taste?"

"Hmmm..." Jisung thinks for a second.

"Polluted." And he catches the words and answers.

"Seas are pretty much just as trashy. But hey, We do have an air bubble under the water though. It's strange to just breathe air like this, because it's a luxury."

Now it's Minho's turn to laugh. "Hey, kitty. Do you hate the rain?" Jisung asks.

"Not really, I hate waters in general."

"Ironic." Jisung says.

"But you do have to get inside. You're not a merman, right now. I'm afraid you'll get sick." Minho says.

"When I first got here, I was really struggling. I had a lot of things to learn about. Books did help me but I really don't belong here."

"So, why did you stay?"

"Well, I have nowhere else to go. I can't just go back underwater. Either way, I think I found somewhere I'd belong to."

"Oh, is that so?" Minho smirks, kicking at his feet.

"I think so."

"I can't believe, you're actually taking it well." Jisung looks up to him.

"I can take a lot of things well."

"Well, I think I have something else I have yet to say."

"And what is that?"

"A white cat dropped by the other day."

Jisung says as he played with the dirty puddle and the rain poured again over his head. Before he even got the chance to look properly, the red umbrella dropped on the muddy waters and he saw Minho's silhouette walking away towards the building, letting the rain get on his shoulders with hands on his pockets.

And it was like a bomb dropped in hiroshima.

"Minho?"

Jisung stood up and ran to catch up on him, "Minho!" He was walking like he was on a walkathon.

The sound of the pitter-patters and the shoes frisking on the road caught up to the cat-hybrid who doesn't like getting wet.

His face was dark and Jisung couldn't even tell if he was crying because of the rain.  He can tell by the way he looked at him, that all the constant endearment is gone.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know. I thought he was your friend, and that I already let him in before he told me who he was." Jisung meekly explained.

Minho didn't respond and kept walking until they were at the stairs.