The Colors of Love - Minsung

twenty two

"I hurt him..."

Seungmin tilted his head, clearly confused. "You hurt him? How?"

Hyunjin opened his mouth to respond, but before he could get the words out, the door to the studio burst open.

A group of students stumbled in, laughing and chatting loudly, clearly oblivious to the tension in the room.

"Ah, sorry!" one of them said, noticing Hyunjin and Seungmin. "We booked the studio for practice—didn't realize anyone was still in here."

Hyunjin quickly grabbed his water bottle and towel, grateful for the interruption. "It's fine. We were just leaving."

Seungmin shot him a sharp look, clearly dissatisfied, but he didn't push. Not here.

As they walked out of the studio, the air between them was thick with unspoken words. "Hyunjin—"

"I'll catch you later," Hyunjin cut him off. "I need to clear my head."

Seungmin hesitated, his expression torn, but he didn't argue. "Fine. But this isn't over."

Hyunjin nodded and turned away, disappearing down the hallway.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

The shrill ring of the final school bell echoed through the hallways, signaling the end of another day. Students streamed out of classrooms, their laughter and chatter filling the air.

Jisung slung his bag over his shoulder, blending into the crowd as he made his way out of the school gates. 

"J-Jisung!"

He paused, turning just in time to see Minho jogging toward him, slightly out of breath.

"Minho?" Jisung blinked, caught off guard. "What are you doing here?"

"Walking home," Minho replied quickly, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "Same as you."

Jisung frowned. "Oh! Do you live around here?"

Minho hesitated, then shrugged a little too casually. "Well, uh, no, but I thought I'd, you know, take the long way today. Nice weather and all."

Jisung glanced up at the sky, where the fading sunlight was streaked with faint wisps of clouds. "Right. Sure."

The two proceeded to walk together, the silence between them stretching as they headed down the street.

"So," Minho began, stuffing his hands into his pockets, "how's the, uh, school treating you?"

Jisung raised an eyebrow at him. "Same as always, I guess? Why?"

"No reason—" Minho stumbled over his words, mentally kicking himself. "Just, you know, making conversation."

"Oh. It's fine, I guess."

Minho nodded, his eyes darting to Jisung's face and then back to the pavement. "Cool. That's cool."

The silence returned, thicker this time. Minho bit his lip, wracking his brain for something else to say.

"Oh! Did you see the poster for the festival next week?" he blurted out, a little louder than intended.

Jisung blinked at him. "Uh, yeah. Why?"

"I was just thinking," Minho said, scratching the back of his neck, "maybe they'll have some kind of, you know, art thing there. Could be interesting for you. Or... not. I don't know."

Jisung stared at him for a beat, then let out a soft laugh. "You're weird."

"Thanks," Minho muttered, his ears burning.

They reached the intersection where their paths diverged. Minho hesitated, scuffing his shoe against the ground. "Well, uh... I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Sure," Jisung replied, giving him a small wave before turning to walk down his street.

Minho watched him go, his shoulders slumping as soon as Jisung was out of sight.

"Idiot," he mumbled to himself, shaking his head.

✎ To be continued...