good parts ;; minsung

eighteen

A month passed, and Minho was running late for work again. He hurriedly sat at the apartment's entrance, pulling on his shoes while trying to put his backpack on his back. Jisung trudged behind him, arms crossed in front of him as he resisted the cold by hugging his arms. "Late?"

"Unfortunately," Minho answered quickly. "Hanni's coming over this afternoon to do her homework with a friend she made here. She's already got a change of clothes in the extra room, but message her in case you're streaming."

Jisung pressed a sleepy kiss to Minho's forehead before holding a brown paper bag over his shoulder. "Bought this at the bakery yesterday. Enjoy it, hm?"

"Take care, love," Minho said as he stood up, accepting the brown bag. "Let me know how it goes at therapy today, okay? And tell Hyunjin I say hi."

Jisung nodded, waving his hand as Minho left the apartment. He raised his phone, glancing at the time and chuckling - Minho was even later than usual. Maybe his alarm didn't go off - or he ignored it as it went off. Jisung slept through alarms as well, so maybe they weren't the best match in that aspect.

He had planned to go back to sleep, but the realisation that he had a brunch date with Hyunjin made him pick himself up to take a shower and get ready for the day.

•

"I can't believe you got a boyfriend before me — and we both know I have more charisma between the two of us."

Jisung laughed as he lowered his drink, shaking his head in mild denial. "Minho hyung and I... are very fortunate to have met. I'm very happy to have someone like him in my life."

"To be fair, you were a real loner back in high school, and it's a miracle that someone as attractive as me was your friend," Hyunjin chuckled as he crossed his arms across his chest. "So — did you and Minho do anything like that yet?"

"N-no..."

"Liar, look at your face," Hyunjin laughed, causing the other to look away bashfully. "I know it's a given, but it's so fun to tease you. One thing I've gathered is that you're very fond of keeping this... tough exterior. You're very soft inside, aren't you?"

"I guess I haven't changed much since high school," Jisung smiled softly. "Minho makes me soft. I never thought I could love someone like this. Heck, I didn't know this type of emotion was real. I... I love him."

"I'm glad you found someone that makes you feel this way," Hyunjin hummed. "Someone that you feel you can trust so wholly. It seems that you two really complete one another."

"Apart from both of us ignoring our alarms in the morning, I'll agree."

Jisung and Hyunjin shared a laugh as the topic suddenly diverted to something else. The two spoke and spoke, catching up with one another for the first time in a long time. Jisung was glad to have a friend who listened to him so well. It has been a long time since Jisung's life felt so put together.

For the first time in a while, Jisung felt happy.

"How long has it been, by the way? Since you and Minho got together?" Hyunjin asked as he ate some of his cheesecake. "It couldn't have been that long, right?"

"Two months since we started dating," Jisung answered with a sigh. "I got to know him very well over these past two months. First, he's definitely my soulmate. Second, he leaves his underwear on the bathroom floor. Third, he likes to randomly pretend I'm a mafia boss when I ask him to do something. Fourth, my Twitch chat absolutely loves him, and they already gave him a nickname."

"Seems like you two have completely settled in with one another."

"You could say that," Jisung chuckled. "We fight, of course, but we realise immediately after how silly the disagreement was and talk things through. I'm surprised at how... healthy this relationship is."

"Do you plan on making things official with him?"

"Maybe after a year or two, we could get rings done," Jisung shrugged, earning a nod from the other. "It just depends. Nothing goes further because we're both waiting for indication from the other. Oftentimes, I'm more direct than he is, but... we're both just comfortable right now."

"I'm proud of you, Jisung," Hyunjin smiled as he tilted his head. "Your mind was often very busy with the wrong thoughts — I'm glad you got some positive reinforcement in your life."

Jisung sighed softly as a small smile decorated his lips. "I'm ready to settle down with him forever. We practically raise Hanni together as well — we attend her school meetings, concerts, and talent shows, and we'll hopefully attend her graduation as well."

"... you two have a kid...?"

"What?! No, no, no! Hanni's like a little sister to Minho, and she practically lives with us," Jisung laughed as he shook his head. "I'd like to thank you too, though. Being friends with you is some motivation to get out of bed every morning."

"Well, you promised to set me up with one of your cute gamer buddies, so I'm just hanging around until then," Hyunjin replied with a playful laugh. "You're the bravest person I know, Jisung. You've fearlessly stepped out of your comfort zone to receive help. Do you feel pride in the progress you've made so far?"

"Of course — after all, I've made something of a family for myself," Jisung smiled, glancing down at the wallpaper of his screen. Of course, it was a photo of himself and Hanni. "I love him with all my heart."

Hyunjin wanted to make a joke, but Jisung seemed genuinely happy. Knowing who Jisung was in the past made this change quite monumental. Jisung hardly cared for himself in the past — seeing as he had found someone that cares so well for him made Hyunjin proud.

"So you two have had sex already, right?"

"Hyunjin!"