the view | minsung

10

the three of them then exited the hotel, and as minho had forewarned, it was raining heavily.

the hotel staff had provided them with a transparent umbrella, which they opened as they set out on their little adventure.

"by the way, jinnie, what were you doing in the lobby with the other flight attendants?" jisung started.

"oh, jihyo noona came to my hotel room to ask if i wanted to have coffee in the lobby. i accepted since they said it was good," hyunjin replied.

"but why didn't jihyo noona inform me and captain?"

minho remained silent throughout the walk, attentively listening to their conversation.

"none of the flight attendants wanted to disturb captain lee over here," hyunjin said with a playful disapproving look, throwing a glare at minho.

jisung's mouth formed an 'o,' realizing that it made sense for them to be hesitant about disturbing the stern captain.

"at least they respect my privacy, hyunjin," minho responded flatly.

-----

the rest of the walk was filled with silence, with both hyunjin and jisung having no idea where minho was leading them; they simply followed him.

"hyung, where are we even going?" hyunjin asked, his voice tinged with tiredness.

"you'll see when we get there," minho responded.

"but i'm tired alreadyyy," hyunjin continued to whine, walking lazily.

"it's you who wanted to come," minho reminded him, shooting a glare at the dramatic hyunjin.

jisung giggled at their playful exchange. "come on, jinnie. i bet where we're going is a nice place."

hyunjin huffed but resumed walking properly.

after a few more minutes of walking, they arrived in front of a building.

"a ramen shop?" hyunjin asked, studying the shop with uncertainty.

"they serve the best ramen here," minho stated confidently, leading the way into the establishment.

jisung followed with excitement, while hyunjin hesitated.

minho scanned the interior for an available spot to sit. he soon found a table in the corner.

due to the rain, the shop wasn't too crowded. minho headed to the table with jisung and hyunjin trailing behind.

"i thought you were going to take us somewhere amazing, hyung. i didn't expect a ramen shop. i've been eating ramen even when i was in korea," hyunjin complained, taking a seat across from minho.

"i think this place is really nice. it feels homey, and the smell of ramen is comforting, especially on a rainy day," jisung added, looking around the cozy environment and taking the seat next to minho.

"stop complaining, hyunjin. you were the one who wanted to come with us," minho said sternly, causing hyunjin to purse his lips.

a staff member then approached them, handing out menus. the three of them began studying the options.

"captain, i want this," jisung said, pointing at the menu item.

minho nodded in acknowledgement, and hyunjin also made his choice, saying, "hyung, this is mine."

after everyone had decided on their orders, minho started conversing with the staff in fluent japanese.

jisung was taken aback; he didn't realize that minho was so skilled in japanese. he continued to watch in awe as minho effortlessly communicated.

hyunjin, on the other hand, wasn't surprised. he was well aware of minho's language skills.

jisung got lost in observing minho's perfect japanese, so much so that he didn't even notice he was openly and shamelessly staring at the older.

"jisung, are you okay?"

startled, jisung snapped back to reality, his hand rubbing the back of his neck as he stammered, "y-yeah, i was just surprised that you know japanese."

"yeah, i told you i've been to japan a lot," minho responded casually.

hyunjin then made fake coughing sounds in front of them. "hello, i'm still here," he said, playfully waving his hands at both of them.

jisung shifted his focus, feeling his cheeks warm slightly.

"i feel like i'm third-wheeling..." hyunjin trailed off, earning a swift smack on the arm from jisung.

"don't say stuff like that!" jisung scolded.

"i was just stating the truth," hyunjin retorted, rubbing the spot where jisung had smacked him.

minho remained silent, observing the exchange between the two. there was an unfamiliar feeling stirring within him, though he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

-----

their orders arrived, and jisung admired the appearance and aroma of the ramen he had ordered.

"wow, this looks good!" he exclaimed before eagerly starting to eat.

minho's attention was on jisung, his nerves tingling with anticipation for the younger's reaction to the ramen.

"mhm, this is good!" jisung continued, his cheeks puffing as he savored each bite.

minho couldn't help but smile secretly at the sight, before also digging into his meal.

"yeah, hyung, you were right about this place having the best ramen," hyunjin chimed in, happily savoring his own dish.

as minho ate, he felt a gentle tap on his arm.

"yours looks delicious, captain. can i take a bite?" jisung asked with a cheeky smile.

minho nodded in approval, and jisung took a taste of his portion.

"yours is really good too, captain!" jisung exclaimed, giving a thumbs-up in minho's direction. minho responded with a slight smile.

"jinnie, i want to taste yours as well," jisung directed at hyunjin.

"only if i get to taste yours," hyunjin replied with a playful grin.

jisung then pushed his bowl in front of hyunjin, and hyunjin did the same. they each took a bite of the other's portion, exchanging compliments.

"this is really good, sung!"

"yours is amazing too!"

minho continued to watch the two, his own ramen now starting to taste a bit sour.

'do they even know that i'm here too?' he wondered.

his attention shifted to jisung's smiling face, his cheeks puffed up and his eyes radiating genuine happiness.

jisung sensed someone's gaze on him, so he turned and found minho staring at him while slurping his noodles.

"captain?" he asked, trying to bring minho back to reality.

minho blinked, realizing that he had been caught staring.

'oh, fuck' he thought.

"are you okay, captain?" jisung asked again, his expression now displaying concern.

"yeah, just lost in thought," minho replied, diverting his gaze from jisung and focusing on his ramen.

"lost in thought? about what? my handsome face?" jisung playfully teased.

minho then choked on his ramen, prompting jisung to feel guilty for making the joke. he rubbed the older's back to offer comfort.

"i'm just kidding, captain. geez, no need to be so disgusted," jisung reassured, while hyunjin burst into laughter.

minho shot a glare at hyunjin, who quickly stopped laughing upon seeing the look.

jisung handed minho a glass of water, and he took it, soothing his throat.

'it's exactly because of your stupid handsome face,' minho thought.