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moonbyeol➸
the blinding sunlight, tried making a desperate escape from the restriction of my curtains. the thin sliver of glow disturbed my state of comfort. worsening the annoyance, was the repeating notes of the song i had saved as my alarm. despite the circumstances, i didn't budge.
instead, i buried myself deeper into the darkness under my blanket. the plans i had made for today were ordering themselves in my mind. i couldn't tuck myself away from the day any longer. i rolled off the bed and stretched my limbs.
after making myself more presentable, i prepared my cereal and ate in silence. i presumed that my mom was still in her room. in a force of habit, i took out my phone and started checking all my messages.
seungminnie
seungminnie 10:03AM
Don't forget our meetup at the mall today.
10:05AM me
ur grammatical obsession with texting scares me
seungminnie 10:06AM
Just because you failed your grammar, doesn't mean I have to stop being smart.
10:06AM me
when did you even start being smart?
seungminnie 10:06AM
I will unbraid your DNA. Anyway, don't be late, 10:30 in front of McDonald's, okay?
10:06AM me
...ok
....
seungmin's texts made me laugh out loud. either way, the chances of him unbraiding my dna were low, but never zero, so i rushed to the mall, and got there before the time he set. unsurprisingly, seungmin was right there, in front of the popular fast food chain restaurant.
"hi!" he waved at me excitedly. i smiled to acknowledge him, and he caught up to my pace. "so why was this meeting so important?" i turned to look at him, while we searched for a comfortable cafe to enter.
"it's about shuhua." that was the reason i was predicting. seungmin looked down and started fiddling with his fingers. "and here i thought that you just wanted to meet your dear cousin." i teased, hoping it would ease the tension he felt with this topic.
i was one of the two people he had confessed about shuhua to. i wasn't sure who the other was though. "please, don't get ahead of yourself." he rolled his eyes jokingly before we walked in and sat down at some cafe that looked aesthetically pleasing.
"ok so what is it?" i tried to get him to open up. "nothing really, i just spoke to her yesterday." he smiled. "and..?" i raised my eyebrows, curious to know about the rest. "well, i told her she looked nice, and she smiled at me." he looked giddy. "that's it?" there was no climax to the story.
"do you have any idea what it's like to see your crush smile because of you? especially when it's as cute as hers!" he stretched his arms, lost, probably thinking of shuhua. i felt happy for him. but with my negative mentality resurfacing, i was worried whether he was getting too attached to someone he barely spoke to.
"so you're gonna talk to her more right?" i was no one to give advice, especially in these kinds of matters, but this was the only logical process i could think of. "i'll try, but i don't wanna make her uncomfortable." he was still organizing his thoughts.
"you really like her." i declared to myself, only wishing the best for him. "i think i do. it just feels good to have something on my mind other than studies you know?" the dreamy look on his face, proved his genuine joy. but the sentence had a less than positive impact on me. it just feels good to have something on my mind other than studies you know?
oh i did know. i knew very well. everything apart from academics was on my mind all the time. it was just about time for the results to showcase their ugly faces to me. but i didn't have enough time to dwell on that. seungmin didn't notice the slight falter on my face.
the rest of our time was spent in baseless debates and tomfoolery. by the time we had parted ways, it was almost one at noon. should i text jisung? or is it too early?
i unlocked my phone and clicked on his contact, my thumb hovered over the text bar, before i switched off my phone again. it could wait. i didn't want to seem like a tryhard.
....
jisung
message jisung
i pretended to not pay heed to him, yet i found myself opening his contact multiple times in 2 minute intervals. it was already four. however, i did not waste my three free hours. i decided to do some research about living costs in the city, and jobs that i was applicable for.
in the end, i applied for english tutoring, for a well-off family. i hurriedly did the math in my head. i think it's actually possible for me to move out.
just then,the notification sound went off. i instantly reached out for the phone, and it was jisung, as i hoped.
jisung
jisung 4:06PM
hi
4:06 me
hii∣
hi∣
hey
it was abnormal for me to come to conflict with myself on how i should reply to someone.
jisung
r u coming or..
me
i dont know where u live
jisung
oh right open google maps
me
ok omw
that was, as a matter of fact, an awkward exchange. we weren't like that when talking in person. maybe i was just overthinking it again. the sun shone brightly, at the peak of a summer afternoon, the colors more vivid, and the smells, sharper. the walk to his house was quite pleasant.
