part 9

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"And then he said, oh, we can't be friends. Like, who says that? What does that mean? And he was already gone by the time I woke up this morning. No goodbyes, no nothing." Jisung was speaking with his face pushed into the pillow, but it barely muffled the volume of his words.

Seungmin patted him sympathetically on the shoulder.

"You know what," Jisung said suddenly, flipping over and startling Felix. "I want to go out. If I was this depressed in England right now, I'd go out and get drunk and forget what I was depressed about.'

Felix pulled a face that seemed to be uncertain agreement. "Same, if I were you but in Australia.'

"But we're not old enough to drink here," Seungmin pointed out. Jisung pouted.

"There are international college student parties happening all over Seoul, and I can definitely find someone to flirt with for alcohol. Please? I don't want to be sad anymore." Jisung turned his doe eyes on Seungmin, who just groaned slightly.

"Fine, hyung. But you're taking the lead here. I've never done this before." Seungmin raised his eyebrows as he spoke. "I will be no help in this situation."

'We won't need help! I did this all the time back at home, and I'm sure he did too in England. It's all about acting." Felix's confidence was contagious, and Jisung sat up with a smile.

"Okay, we need to change. Mature clothes, something that makes you look grown up and... sexy. I'll find us somewhere to drink first, somewhere that might serve us. And then we find a party."

Felix had a lightbulb moment. "Oh! Easy. In our room the other night, I heard Hyunjin talking to someone on the phone about a party. He said the address. We'll go there."

Jisung could scream with joy, and he practically forced the boys out his room, ordering them not to come back until they looked at least three years older. He turned his attention to his own outfit. He was desperate to look good, desperate for the confidence boost and the rush that came with knowing you look good.

He didn't have much, but he pulled out a long sleeved black shirt and a pair of straight black pants, fastening them with a gold belt and slipping a thin gold chain around his throat. The same shade of gold was painted on his ears in the form of a thin, delicate ear cuff and a pair of small gold hoops, and he stroked a drop of clear gel through dirty blonde hair. Throwing a black blazer with a mesh panel running down the back and threads of fine gold twisted throughout the stitching over his shoulder, he was ready to go. He looked good.

Fast forward a couple of hours, and Jisung felt even better. They'd found an admittedly seedy bar in downtown Seoul, not too far from the party that Hyunjin had mentioned, and had ordered a bar's worth of alcohol to their table. They were all feeling the rush.

They all had followed the criteria to a T when getting ready; Felix was cool in a white shirt and a pair of white pants with navy stitching, perfectly matching the flush of blue glitter that he'd streaked through his hair. Seungmin looked elegant in a pale blush-pink shirt and black jeans with a matching oversized black coat.

"You know, I think you guys are my best friends," Jisung said, his words only slightly fusing together.

"Oh, hyung...!" Felix cooed.

"This is fun! We're having fun!" Seungmin grinned from his seat next to Jisung. His cheeks were flushed pink and usually glimmering eyes were almost ignited with sparkles.

"So, this party..." Jisung started. Seungmin hopped up from his seat at the sound of the word, glancing at his friends before throwing back the last of the drink in his cup. He looked like an excited puppy.

"Yeah, let's go!" Felix said, standing up too and slinging his coat over his shoulders.

Jisung paused for a moment to finish the rest of the drinks on the table before grabbing his stuff and following the boys out.

It wasn't hard to find the party. It could probably be heard for miles, and Jisung wondered if perhaps even his friends back in England could hear it too. A stupid thought, but a comforting one.

"Woah, this is insane!" Seungmin breathed as he followed his friends through an alley that led to a house that was overflowing with light.

Even through the windows, you could see the rhythmic pulse of bodies moving against each other, people talking and dancing and kissing, liquid courage running through the veins of everyone inside. Jisung took the lead and slipped like a shadow through the crowds, searching for a room where they could find a drink and join the party.

"What... How have I never seen anything like this before? Am I still in Seoul?" Seungmin couldn't believe his eyes.

Felix grinned and replied in English. "This is an international party, baby. This is how we do it."

Seungmin just laughed and latched onto Felix's hand.

"Hey!" Felix shouted as he reached Jisung's side, his friend bent over a table pouring a round of drinks for the three of them. "That's Hyunjin!"

Jisung looked up and followed the direction of Felix's finger. Felix was pointing, but he didn't need to be; Jisung would've noticed Hyunjin anywhere. Felix had said he was beautiful, but God... he was made from a different material than everyone else in the room. Tall, slender, completely effortless but still making the biggest impact. Hyunjin's face was delicate, framed by waves of ash-blonde hair. Jisung could barely take in each intricate detail of his outfit, all ivory lace and satin ribbons and pearlescent accents. Hyunjin was, in short, thrilling to look at.

Prettier than Minho, though? Not quite..., muttered that voice that was becoming all too familiar in Jisung's head.

Jisung jumped when Hyunjin turned his head to look in their direction, his movements almost irritatingly graceful. Hyunjin's eyes locked onto Felix's first and one corner of his lips quirked up in a smile.

"Looking for me?" Hyunjin called over from across the room. His voice was clear and smooth. It begged to be listened to.

The three boys picked up their drinks awkwardly and shuffled to stand in front of Hyunjin, who was leaning casually against the wall. He towered above them all. Jisung noticed another boy stood to the side of Hyunjin. He was just as pretty, his eyes narrowed and observing the party but still bright. His hair fell in a cloud around his head and there was something captivating in the soft, babyish curve of face. He definitely did not look old enough to be there. He didn't seem to be paying attention to them, anyway.

"Hey! Hyunjin, hyung, fancy seeing you here!" Felix said with a grin. Hyunjin smiled back, but it was a smile that didn't feel necessarily real. It felt calculated.

"Imagine. What are you doing here?" Hyunjin asked. He glanced between the three younger boys before him, but his gaze lingered for a second longer on Jisung.

"Hyunjin, this is Han Jisung and Kim Seungmin. Jisung shares a dorm with Lee Minho, remember? You said you know him, right?"

Hyunjin grinned and Jisung saw the other boy beside him bare his teeth in a slow, catty smile too.

"Oh, me and Minho go way back. Jisung, is it? Pretty name. Surely Minho could just eat you up."

Jisung gulped and tried to stutter a response. Hyunjin's friend was laughing properly now, a low laugh that would've been contagious if Jisung wasn't the butt of the joke.

"Don't worry yourself, kid. Minho has bigger fish to fry. You're safe... If you stay in shallow waters." Hyunjin winked as he said it, his words hanging ominously in the air. Jisung didn't know what to say. He wouldn't have had a chance to, anyway.

"Come on, Innie," Hyunjin said kindly to the boy next to him, nudging him. They left together.

The trio stood in silence for a moment before Jisung broke it.

"I'm getting another drink."

Turns out, Jisung would see Hyunjin again. And sooner than he thought. Within a couple of hours, he'd managed to get mindlessly drunk, and he'd lost track of Felix and Seungmin in a dark room somewhere. He was staggering through the crowds, barely able to stand or see, when he bumped into a back that seemed to be made of concrete.

"Hey, watch... Oh? You again?" The concrete turned on light feet to reveal a Hyunjin-shaped statue. Jisung was almost drooling.

"Wow. You know, I'm not... You know? But you're... Woah. Are you real?" Jisung asked feverishly.

Hyunjin just laughed, this time his face splitting into a smile that seemed genuine. He reached out a hand to take Jisung by the crook of his elbow. Gently, slowly, he led Jisung out of the crowd. If Jisung had been at all aware of his surroundings, he would've noticed the other kid - Innie, was it? - following them.

Jisung collapsed against the wall and let his body drop to the ground. Hyunjin kneeled down in front of him.

"I feel like I'm looking at the front page off a magazine... Your friend, too... All the boys here. South Korea, every day is a catwalk." Jisung's voice was almost incoherent but Hyunjin seemed to understand.

Hyunjin turned to cast a delighted look at Jeongin, impressed by the compliment. Jeongin shot him a more serious look and Hyunjin rolled his eyes. He turned back to cup Jisung's face between long, slender fingers.

"Have you taken something, baby? It's okay. You can talk to me," Hyunjin soothed, running a cool hand over Jisung's burning forehead. Jisung just giggled, gazing into Hyunjin's eyes.

"I didn't see him take anything," Jeongin interjected. Hyunjin turned to look up at him.

"Were you watching him?" Hyunjin asked accusingly.

"...I saw him in the crowds a few times," Jeongin replied sheepishly. He avoided eye contact.

Hyunjin turned back to Jisung. "What was your name again... Jisung, sweetie? Are you okay? Did you get something off Minho?"

Jisung almost had to check that his ear cuff hadn't melted in the heat of the night and slipped into his eardrums, because the voice he was hearing right then felt like liquid gold. It soothed him, and he let his head lean back against the wall. Suddenly, the speaker registered in his head. This was Hyunjin. Minho's Hyunjin.

"Who is Lee Minho?" Jisung slurred. Hyunjin tried to hold back a laugh and glanced incredulously at Jeongin.

"Isn't he your roommate?" Hyunjin asked.

"He's your roommate. He's not mine. He's someone else's, I think. Where is he all the time? I'm so sick, you know. So fucking sick. I just want... We can be friends. Where is he? If I see him, shit, I'll fight him..." Jisung words were more of a stream of consciousness than formed sentences at this point.

"Oh, God," Hyunjin giggled. He nudged Jeongin with his elbow. "Innie, you might have to call Minho. I don't know where this kid lives, and I don't think he knows right now either."

Jeongin raised his eyebrows but obliged nonetheless. The phone rang once before there was an answer.

"Jeongin? Are you guys in trouble?"

"You might want to come here, hyung..."

ₓ˚. ୭ ˚○◦˚.

once again i AM han jisung in this chapter... sorry this is a long one i got carried away :-)


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