w/ @hebijeeb
it’s only 8:20. he already wants to go home.
big gatherings like these are never fun when all the same people are always involved. it’s the same greetings, same questions that come from family friends (found any nice girls lately? no, all i want to do is go home and sleep.) they all think he’s funny because he never gets the last word, nor many words at all. it leaves junsu with only a few moments to think of something cheeky to respond with, because nobody here gives two shits about whether or not noh junsu actually showed up.
being the youngest makes him the most talked over, the most pushed aside, easily the most forgotten. a double-edged sword, however, it gives junsu the advantage of being able to slip away as soon as greetings and small talk have been met; the boy could make a living disappearing from cordial conversation if only people would take the time to notice.
he turns his back on the elderly couple his parents had been ringed into a compelling conversation with about the current exorbitant prices of shipping squid to and from the united states to immediately pull at his tie his father had choking him since they’d left the house. it made him look too formal, too dressed up, too out of himself. come to think of it, his shoes were a little too small, hyper-fixating on how the toe caps was pressing down against his toenails despite being custom tailed for him specifically. everybody else around him looked relaxed and in the moment — was there something he was missing here?
junsu hadn’t even noticed how down turned his expression had been until he looks up from his phone after some time of mindlessly scrolling tiktok in an attempt to avoid making small talk with other family friends. it’s kang rieon, of course — who he settles his gaze on, lets his cheeks burn bright red for some time to burn off the nerves and enhanced heart beat he feels beginning to pound through his chest.
it happens every time. god, what are you nervous about? go talk to her, he tells himself. a girl he’s known for years and still gets choked up about — typical. junsu’s feet stay rooted to where he is, hidden just enough behind his father that he can see rieon making her own rounds between guests; he holds his breath as he sees her get closer. not wanting to embarrass himself in front of his parents, he swallows nervously before weaving through the crowd to gently put his hand on her shoulder.
“noona,” he tries to be cool and casual with his greeting, tries his best to look like the world’s best when he smiles and bows to her parents. it’s all a facade, because his heart is nearly beating out of his chest with how beautiful she’s looking and having such little proximity between them. “rieon noona,” he repeats again, his mind reeling and sputtering like an engine that hadn’t been used in years. “i actually just ordered something at the bar. you wanna come get a drink with me?”