the view | minsung

24

jisung stayed at the viewing deck after minho left, too scared and hurt to follow after him. he simply stood there, tears streaming down his cheeks, mingling with the rain that had just started pouring.

it wasn't long before the group found him there, alone. they hurried over, worry evident on their faces, bombarding jisung with questions such as:

"jisung, are you okay?"

"where's minho?"

"why are you alone? didn't captain lee say he'd be with you? did he make you cry?"

at those questions, jisung's mind raced back to the earlier events, causing him to tightly embrace one of the flight attendants, sobbing heavily on their shoulder.

ryujin, the flight attendant jisung turned to for comfort, was taken aback by the sudden action but nonetheless placed her hand on jisung's back, gently rubbing it in an up-and-down motion to soothe him.

the group formed a circle around jisung, doing their best to calm him. they whispered comforting words and fanned him gently in an attempt to provide solace.

"guys, i'll go look for minho," hyunjin announced before excusing himself, heading off to search for minho.

"jisung, do you... wanna talk about it?" jihyo asked carefully, fanning air towards jisung's direction as he struggled to catch his breath.

jisung shook his head in response, pulling away from ryujin and bowing his head in apology. "s-sorry for suddenly crying and hugging y-you," he managed to say through his sobs.

ryujin waved her hands, dismissing jisung's apology. "you don't need to apologize, jisung. if you ever want to hug me for comfort, then i'll be more than happy to comply," she reassured him.

jisung's heart fluttered at the flight attendant's supportive words, appreciating her willingness to offer him comfort.

once jisung had calmed down, the group made the decision to leave the skytree. the crew guided jisung on the way down due to his fear of heights.

as they stepped outside the skytree, their attention was immediately drawn to hyunjin, who appeared visibly distressed as he scanned the surroundings, searching for someone.

"hyunjin! did you find captain lee?" yuna, one of the flight attendants, asked with urgency lacing her voice.

hyunjin shook his head, his breath coming in short gasps. beads of sweat trickled down his forehead as he responded, "i looked everywhere inside the skytree, but he was nowhere to be found. i thought maybe he's already outside, but clearly, he isn't here."

worry etched their faces as they absorbed this information. hyunjin then approached jisung cautiously, knowing he might be treading on sensitive ground. jisung averted his gaze, sensing the question that was about to be asked.

"jisung, what happened between you and minho?" hyunjin's voice was gentle and careful, reflecting his understanding that something serious must have transpired considering jisung's earlier emotional state and minho's absence.

jihyo shook her head at hyunjin, signaling that jisung didn't want to talk about it. hyunjin immediately grasped the situation and respected jisung's wishes by dropping the topic.

"maybe he's already at the hotel. it's already late at night, and we can't keep searching for him," sana suggested, voicing the practicality of the situation.

"did any of you try calling him?" ryujin inquired, her gaze shifting around the group.

"i did, but he didn't pick up. i also tried mentioning him a lot in our group chat, but he didn't read the messages. i sent him a private message as well," hyunjin responded, his hands on his hips as he caught his breath, his brow furrowing in concern.

"let's just inform him in the group chat that we're going back. the captain is familiar with tokyo, so he won't get lost," jihyo suggested, already heading toward where their rented van was parked.

having previously alerted the driver about their departure time, they didn't have to wait long for the van.

the group settled into the van, with jisung opting for the window seat once again. however, this time, instead of minho, hyunjin occupied the seat next to him.

jisung closed his eyes, attempting to push the earlier events to the back of his mind and find solace in the quiet comfort of the moving vehicle.

-----

after the long drive, they finally arrived back at the hotel. jisung had dozed off during the entire ride, exhausted from the events that had unfolded that night.

it was nearly midnight when they returned. upon entering the hotel lobby, the group began scanning the area, hoping to catch a glimpse of minho. as expected, there was no sign of him in the lobby.

feeling increasingly concerned, they decided to accompany jisung to his shared hotel room with minho, their worry growing with each passing moment.

standing in front of the shared room's door, jisung hesitated. he grappled with conflicting emotions – on one hand, he was afraid of what he might find inside, replaying minho's earlier expression in his mind. on the other hand, his concern for minho's well-being urged him to open the door and confirm he was okay.

as if sensing his turmoil, an arm gently tapped jisung's shoulder. he turned to find the crew behind him, wearing comforting smiles and eyes that conveyed solidarity. their expressions silently saying, "we're here for you."

gathering his resolve, jisung took a deep breath and turned the doorknob, opening the door. but upon entering, they found no trace of minho.

anxiety began to creep in among the crew. they pulled out their phones, frantically sending messages to minho and attempting to call him, only to receive no response.

jisung felt tears welling up in his eyes, consumed by guilt and worry. hyunjin noticed his distress and offered, "why don't you stay at my room for tonight? i'm sure minho hyung will be back by tomorrow morning," he suggested, trying to comfort jisung who was blaming himself for minho's disappearance.

the rest of the crew agreed with hyunjin's proposal, urging jisung to stay with him for the night since his emotional state was clearly in turmoil.

reluctantly, jisung agreed, entering his shared hotel room to retrieve his sleepwear. as he picked out his sleepwear from his luggage, he caught sight of the cat plushie sitting on his bed. his gaze lingered on it briefly before he looked away, heading back to the door with hyunjin waiting outside. he closed the door behind him, locking it before walking alongside hyunjin in the direction of his hotel room.

-----

"you can change in the bathroom, ji," hyunjin offered, pointing towards the direction of the bathroom.

jisung nodded, making his way to the bathroom to change into his sleepwear. as he removed each piece of clothing, he suddenly froze, realizing that the coat he had been wearing earlier was minho's.

the memories of earlier events flooded his mind – from minho comforting him as they ascended tokyo skytree, to the regret in minho's eyes and the heart-wrenching apology he had uttered after the kiss.

a stray tear slipped down jisung's cheek as he lightly touched his own lips, the memory of minho's soft kiss lingering in his mind. but the weight of minho's regret was undeniable.

jisung shook his head, wiping away the stray tears before completing the process of changing his clothes. he murmured to himself, "i'm sorry...minho hyung."

-----
ji's notes!
the tokyo skytree arc has ended!!!! wohooo and now, the angst will finally begin MWAHAHAHAHA anw, about my note from the previous chapter, i'll give them a happy ending...in the afterlife AHDBHSHA I'M KIDDING DON'T HURT ME BUT YES, AS A READER TOO, I KNOW HOW ALL OF YOU DESIRE A HAPPY ENDING SO ;]]]