celestial strings | h.js

three.

Jisung has not shut up once since you two left his house, and strangely, you didn't mind one bit.

His curiosity was endless. Questions after questions left his lips, skipping not one beat of silence as he dumped words out of his mouth at a rapid speed; questions about where you stayed the night for this long, and if you have gotten any help from other people before, and where you work and how many jobs you have.

Most of the questions steamed from him simply wanting to dive headfirst into your life, while some other questions were him hoping to find more clues about your daily life so if you were to ever ghost him again, he would at least have a lead he could see through and attempt to track you down.

"How many jobs do you have exactly?" Jisung asked, his fingers outstretched in a counting manner. "You said you work part-time at a coffee shop, and then there is this boutique store right around the corner, and you help around with this old lady with her antique store during the weekends?"

"All of that, plus I work the night shift at a convenience store during the weekends," you said, almost exasperatedly since no matter how many times you mentioned it, Jisung always seem to leave out the part where you work a night shift. "So I work three part-time jobs and I sometimes help out at the antique store."

"Do you have to work there? It's so dangerous." He frowned.

"You're telling me it's dangerous like I didn't blast you across the room last night even though I was asleep," you said pointedly, rubbing your hands together and wiggling your fingers to remind him that you will always have the magic to spare.

When his worried frown didn't disappear, you relaxed your shoulders in a softening manner and you sighed. "I've never gotten into trouble before. The worst case I've had were a couple of drunkards but I can put them to sleep easily."

"I'm just worried, that's all," Jisung said quietly as he crossed his arms in front of his chest, a gesture that mimics a hug for himself.

"You don't have to, I can handle myself well," you reassured him.

"I can't help it," he exclaimed with a pout, wanting to explain to you the unreasonable intrigue he felt towards you but also did not want to come off weird. He was still so sure it was just a crush, a really strong crush; it would be better not to voice it into existence yet until he's got his feeling settled. "It just makes me feel safer knowing you're home at night."

You looked away from him, a faint smile appearing on your lips. It was a heartwarming smile at first, something that derived from the way you shivered at his caring words. But your eyes quickly flickered their lights and turned your smile into something bitter, uncertainty erasing the flustered feeling in your chest with a snap of time.

He talked as if you've got a home, which to him you probably do, but it couldn't be one if you don't feel comfortable being in it.

And while he and his family have been delightful to be around and they have been one of the nicest people you have ever encountered so far, while you do feel comfortable with Jisung, you couldn't get past the cost, the unfamiliarity of people going out of their way to be so nice to you.

Jisung noticed the way your expression morphed into a somewhat pained, untrusting turn. He bit his lower lip and decided to reach out so he could tug at your sleeve to get your attention. He glanced down at the ground to avoid meeting your eyes when you turned to him, his fingers fiddling with each other nervously.

"I know I told you this already but I want to tell you that it's okay again," he said, the tension in his gaze building up like fire added with fuel when he finally met eyes with you. He has a pout in his voice but he still sounded serious, nonetheless. "You have a home with me, I want you to know that."