ONE HELL OF A SUMMER :: minsung ✔︎

𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧 | 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰'𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐰𝐧

*dies of cringe*

but AYEE only the epilogue is left to go !!

and happy new year (even though it hasn't been very happy yet but eh)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The moment I wake up, I want to go back to sleep. And under any other circumstances, that sort of thing would be normal.

But today is bad. Really bad. Like, the type of bad that makes your gut wrench and your heart beat at random intervals, the type of bad you've known was coming forever and still aren't ready for.

It's the kind of bad that you can only experience on the last day of something.

Silently, I climb down the bunk ladder. I do my best to keep my bare feet soft against the cabin floor. Don't want to wake the bottoms up. I put a light hoodie on and slip into the sunrise.

"Hey, Minho. How're you feeling?" my aunt asks as I slip into the staff cabin. She owns and runs this summer camp, often asking me to help with little things. And that's why I'm here, at dawn, preparing to go on a massive errand and return every single phone to its rightful camper.

Every. Single. Phone.

I make a noncommittal grunt as a response. "Ask me once I'm done with this and we'll see."

My aunt chuckles a little and hands me a box, the first of six. "Good luck, sweetie," she says, looking at the phones uncertainly.

I sigh and head out of her cabin, beginning to make the rounds. Hours later, I'm only sweating a little, but my brain is exhausted to a point of no return. I finally collapse back into my cabin just as Jisung and Hyunjin are waking up, and...

"Wake up, campers, it's Departure Day!" the speaker system booms. I can almost feel my heart stop for a second before frantically continuing.

Jisung smirks up at me and tries to poke my side from his standing point on the floor. I twist and roll away from him. "Ugh..."

"Come on, sleepy head. This is what you get for being nice and giving up your precious sleep." Jisung stands on his tip-toes and keeps poking me, finally forcing me to get off the bed. "I know how much you need beauty sleep. Like, look at yourself without it! A mess."

"A hot mess," I add, to which Jisung shrugs his agreement. I hold back a very random urge to squeal and kiss him all over his adorable face, instead opting to give him one quick peck on the mouth. Jisung looks surprised. "Come on; we have to go." I look pointedly at Hyunjin, a zombified third wheel. "You too, mister."

Hyunjin makes an unenthusiastic facial expression but leads us out of our cabin. I suddenly come up with an idea and begin to implement it right away. I catch Jisung's wrist and quickly whisper, "That cabin was where I met you."

Jisung blinks. "Are you trying to make me emotional?"

"No," I say. "Just pointing it out."

Hyunjin tells something melodramatic about me being a hypocrite, rushing us along. I keep holding onto Jisung's hand. "That's the cafeteria where you suggested kissing me."

"That's not exactly what happened," Jisung argues, but I silence him with an obnoxious shushing noise. "That's the nurse's office where my throat ejected my stomach," Jisung points out as we pass it. I wave hello to Jaehyun and suppress a laugh at Jisung's way of phrasing it.

"I like to think of it as the place I began caring about you," I say. "As more than a fan, I mean."

Jisung wrinkles his nose adorably. "I still think I haven't completely processed that bit of information," he admits. "But it doesn't matter. I care about you, too."

We smile at each other like goofy idiots, and I'm about to kiss him (yet again) when Felix shoves his way in between us. With his hands around our shoulders all of a sudden, he drags us to where Hyunjin is. Felix throws the other boy a wink, go which Hyunjin responds with TheReddeningOfHisFace™️.

As Hyunjin and Felix keep walking to the camp's departure area, Jisung and I hang back again. I fumble around in my backpack until my phone miraculously drops to the grass, then hand it to Jisung.

"Enter," I say, as if that's the most coherent thing in the world. I shake my head quickly. "I mean, like, enter your phone number, please."

Jisung's mouth makes an O shape of understanding. "Unlock it first, please."

My mouth also makes an O shape, and I unlock it. He puts his number in and calls himself to have my number in his own phone.

An hour later, Jisung reunites with his guardians through all the Departure Day mayhem. I grin at Chan and Changbin, introducing myself as Lee Minho, Jisung's boyfriend. I choose not to mention to Changbin that I'm a fan of 3RACHA, and that I've known Chan probably longer than he has.

"Boyfriend?" Chan quizzes, while Changbin joins the O-shaped mouths club.

My eyes go wide. "You didn't know?" I turn to Jisung. "You didn't tell them?"

"I haven't spoken to them in weeks," he protests.

Changbin pats me on the shoulder. "It's alright," he tells me, although I haven't apologized for anything. "You seem pretty cool."

"I am both pretty and cool; thank you."

Chan, Changbin, and Jisung all stare at me.

"Okay—" Chan tries to revive the conversation, or at least bring it to a polite close. "Ji, you and Minho can do whatever for a few more minutes, but then we have to go. And I don't know if your relationship will be allowed," he adds sadly, "so make this count."

I frown and turn to Jisung. "I will understand. Remember what we talked about, okay? I'll still be with you, whether our ship be friend or relation." Jisung nods, his eyes downcast. I crouch a little to be able to see his eyes. "I really like you, Sungie," I say quietly.

He swallows thickly, suddenly emotional. My frown deepens. "I really like you too, Min," he chokes out. I pull him in for a hug, wrapping my arms around his suddenly shaking figure.

"You idiot," I try to tease him. "We can still see each other through our phones. We... we shall thrive," I conclude in a fancy manner. "And live on to see the morrow's dawn."

Jisung hiccup-laugh-cries and pulls away from my hug, quickly attaching his lips to mine. I taste his salty tears and feel some pricking at my own eyes, and when we stop kissing to catch our breaths a few moments later, I feel a single tear slide down my cheek.

"Bye for now, Jisungie," I say to him as Chan and Changbin return from wherever they went. "I'll see you again, soon... I promise."

Jisung's puppy-dog eyes look at me as I turn around and walk away. I almost don't hear him respond: "Hopefully, sooner than we think."

I smile softly to myself. Hopefully indeed.