the view | minsung

50

the group had gathered in the movie room of jisung's mansion. the movie room resembled a small cinema, except instead of chairs, there were numerous pillows, blankets, and plushies strewn across the floor. the room was dimly lit, with a galaxy projector casting ethereal patterns on the ceiling and the movie projector beaming the film onto the wall.

originally, this space had just been an unused room in their house, but jisung had transformed it into a cozy hangout spot for his friends, now it was known as the movie room.

a horror movie was playing on the projector. felix sat on the side, munching on popcorn, chan watched with intense focus, following the plot, and jeongin was buried in a pile of pillows and blankets, peeking at the screen through a gap.

jisung and minho occupied a spot beside each other, surrounded by pillows and blankets, maintaining some distance from the rest of the group.

"ji, you okay?" minho asked, glancing at the younger who was huddled on his side, a pillow in front of him as a protective shield against the scary scenes.

jisung hummed in response and turned to minho, asking, "mhm, you?"

"i'm good," minho replied with a smile, revealing his signature bunny teeth.

their gazes locked for a lingering moment, the movie already forgotten as they stared into each other's sparkling orbs, filled with genuine admiration for the person before them. it was as though an invisible force had drawn them together, and before they realized it, their lips met in a passionate kiss.

minho's hand found its way to jisung's, gently grasping it and playing with the rings adorning his fingers.

"m-min, the others are here..." jisung mumbled through their kiss.

momentarily disconnecting their lips, minho whispered with a breathy voice, "they won't know," and with that, they reconnected their lips once more.

jisung's mind went blissfully blank at the sensation of the kiss, but despite the whirlwind of emotions, he moved his lips in perfect synchrony with the older.

meanwhile, minho's thoughts were in haywire. the idea of kissing jisung, especially with their friends nearby, sent a rush of excitement through him. there was something strangely arousing about the prospect of getting caught.

for that brief moment, the world ceased to exist around them. everything became a blur, as if time itself had paused, leaving only the two of them locked in a passionate embrace, their lips pressed together in a moment of pure desire and longing.

their intimate moment came to an abrupt halt when they heard rustling sounds from the other side of the room, accompanied by approaching footsteps. a voice called out, "hyunggg, can you come with me to grab more snacks?"

startled, the two immediately pulled away, discreetly wiping their mouths to remove any lingering evidence of their passionate encounter. fortunately, the dim lighting in the room hid their actions, and no one seemed to notice what had transpired on the other side.

jisung stood up from his position, his voice slightly shaky as he replied, "a-ah, yes, innie. let's go?" his cheeks were flushed, his lips were swollen, and his heart raced in his chest, hoping that jeongin hadn't noticed anything unusual.

jeongin nodded, taking jisung's hand and leading him toward the door. "guys, me and jisung hyung will just grab some more snacks," he announced, receiving nods of acknowledgment from the remaining people.

once the two of them left the room, minho moved closer to where chan and felix were seated, his expression marked by a scowl. the other two exchanged glances, with chan taking the initiative to asked, "what's wrong, min?"

"nothing," minho replied succintly, his tone devoid of any amusement, and a trace of irritation lingered in his voice.

chan exchanged a knowing glance with felix, the latter displaying a disapproving expression. chan then refocused on minho, his tone inviting as he said, "whatever you say, min. if something's bothering you, you can always talk to us."

both of them sensed that something might be bothering minho, but considering his current demeanor, they decided not to push any further, mindful of not overstepping boundaries.

minho hummed in acknowledgment at chan's words, his gaze fixed on the movie playing in front of them, even though he wasn't really watching it. lost in his thoughts, he couldn't help but think, 'of course, the kid had to disturb the moment,' with a scoff.

-----

it didn't take jisung and jeongin long to return to the movie room, their arms loaded with snacks that caused felix's eyes to light up. they made their way back to the group, carefully placing the snacks down.

"what should we watch next after this?" jisung asked, his eyes full of enthusiasm.

"barbie," felix responded, causing jisung to perk up, the two of them visibly excited about the idea.

"i'm fine with anything," chan replied with a smile, akin to a father going along with his kids's plans.

jeongin turned his attention to minho, who had been quiet the whole time. "how about you, hyung?" he asked.

as jeongin directed his gaze towards minho, the latter immediately averted his eyes, avoiding any direct contact with the youngest. "anything," minho replied, his tone somewhat flat.

jeongin couldn't help but frown at minho's reserved behavior towards him. he recalled how minho had avoided eye contact, occasionally glared in his direction, and even unconsciously formed a frown when looking at him earlier.

unable to contain his concern, jeongin blurted out, without much thought, "hyung, do you hate me?"

jeongin's question immediately grabbed everyone's attention, and minho visibly tensed under their piercing eyes, his mouth opening and closing in search of a response.

jisung intervened, his eyebrows furrowing as he asked, "why would minho hate you, innie?"

jeongin replied with a frown, his lips forming a slight pout, "it's just that... minho hyung treats you guys the same, but when it comes to me, he's reserved, and it feels like he's avoiding me."

"i noticed it too," felix chimed in, but minho's sharp glare silenced him, causing him to cover his mouth and purse his lips.

hearing this, jisung turned his attention back to minho, his raised eyebrows prompting a response. minho felt an unexpected sense of intimidation emanating from jisung, as if he were a husband being scolded by his wife. minho tried to meet jisung's gaze, took a deep breath, and replied, "it's just that... you guys keep clinging to each other, and i..." he trailed off, unable to maintain eye contact.

"you're jealous?" jisung asked directly, his furrowed eyebrows easing into a look of shock.

minho didn't initially want to admit it, but he didn't want to continue acting petty either. so, he nodded his head, his ears turning red with embarrassment.

in response, everyone burst into laughter, including jeongin, who had been saddened by minho's earlier demeanor.

minho looked at them in confusion and asked, "what's so funny? did i say something wrong?"

"min, innie is my cousin," jisung replied, his laughter gradually subsiding.

minho's eyes widened at this revelation, and internally, he scolded himself, 'damn it, minho, you got jealous of jisung's cousin?!'

jeongin scooted closer to minho, patting his back and offering reassurance, "it's okay, hyung. even if i weren't jisung hyung's cousin, i would never hit on him," he quipped, raising another round of laughter, with jisung playfully protesting.

eventually, the laughter subsided, leaving a comfortable silence in the room. minho found himself smiling at the group, thinking, 'he has such great people around him.' he was genuinely glad that jisung was surrounded by such wonderful people.