𝐈 𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐞

Despite an unfortunate first meeting on the brunette's part, Seungmin finds himself genuinely liking Jisung.

It's hot outside, and the city's in full bloom —air thick with ocean breeze, streets sticky with heat, tourists meandering through boardwalk shops and ice cream stands. Everything smells like sea salt and fried food. Even at night, the air doesn't really cool down—it just softens into something warm and hazy.

And somehow, Jisung fits right into it.

Seungmin's a natural in the coastal rhythm of things, like he's always belonged in a place with sunburnt sidewalks and crashing waves in the background.

Jisung's a total sweetheart. Playful and goofy, cartoonish in the most disarming way, and considerate. He always brings an extra beach bottle. He doesn't laugh when Seungmin insists on chasing the sun down to the very last drop of orange. And to Seungmin's secret delight, Jisung also loves being on the beach during sunrises and sunsets.

That alone makes Seungmin feel connected to him—like they're tuned to the same wavelength. There's something unspoken about sharing that quiet with someone else. And now, the three of them—Seungmin, Jisung, and Minho—spend most evenings walking the shoreline barefoot, toes skimming the surf, talking about nothing and everything while the sky glows above them.

But something is off. Why?Minho used to complain. Loudly.

Something about "why are we chasing the sun like it owes us money" or "it rises every single day, you sappy puppy." He'd drag his feet, yawn obnoxiously, and then side-eye Seungmin just to watch him bristle. It was always in good fun, just Minho being Minho, poking at him for no reason other than to see him squirm.

But that was before.

Before Jisung started coming with them.

Now? Minho doesn't say anything. No sarcastic remarks, no mock-groaning. He just goes—pulls on his loose tops, slides into his flip-flops, and heads out the door the second Jisung texts.

And it's not the same.

Seungmin still tries to be casual. He tells himself it's fine. That it's just the beach. That he doesn't care who joins or who shows up first or who Minho smiles at more these days. But the shift is hard to ignore.

Because it used to be a joke, the whole sunset thing. A private rhythm between just the two of them. Seungmin would roll his eyes, Minho would bump into him on purpose, and somehow, it always felt like theirs.

But now, when Minho doesn't hesitate—when he doesn't even pretend to put up a fight—it's different.

It's not just a running joke anymore.

It's something else.

And Seungmin feels it, deep in his chest, like an ache that hums just under the surface.

Because they live on the ocean, a summer city, they live an endless kind of summer that should feel endless and golden and easy. But now, when Minho rushes out the second his phone buzzes, when Jisung takes the spot next to him in the sand without a second thought... it feels like something's slipping through Seungmin's fingers.

And he doesn't know how to ask for it back.

Their cafe dates, where Seungmin could pretend they were on an actual date in the comfort of his mind, their theater trips, their swim days, Jisung is always there. He loves having jisung around, he loves seeing Jisung. He loves being with Jisung, but so does Minho. And not in the way he enjoys being with Seungmin.

It's so scary, watching the hours tick by, every moment demonstrating how quickly someone you care for can drift away, and at some point, Seungmin begins to notice the lack of things he has to do outside of work.

His job at the library pays enough for him to fund his beach hopping and board walking, as well as his hobbies and the extra luxuries like the touch ups on his tattoo and updates to his gaming setup every so often, but most of all, ordering new books and novels from other areas of the world. He is a manager of the whole building after all.

As the cities only source of public computers, old knowledge, and storage for received books from other cities, he's paid gratefully, because who better to run the sacred place than a bookworm?

Originally, it had been the study turned apartment that was for sale when his parents first came to the island, then, after the former librarian had passed, the building was to be demolished and replaced by some sort of entertainment. But by that time, both his mom and dad had been there long enough to buy it.

Now, they were the owners. When Seungmin was old enough, the building was given to him, and even though they own the place, it is still the public library on public property, so he's still paid by the city for tending to it and keeping it up and running.

His younger twin sisters have just turned 20, they will be taking the place off of Seungmin's hands in a few months time, which is why Seungmin had began apartment searching a while back. The best part about apartment searching? Minho had agreed that they would get a place together, and be roommates.

The older man claimed he was 'tired of living in his tiny one bedroom' and wanted to 'expand his living experiences anyways' so he said why not. Seungmin knows he was agreeing only 1, because Seungmin asked, and 2, because Seungmin asked. Platonic or not, Minho was a weak weak man against the youngers 'annoying doll eyes' as he'd called them.

Of course, with such a sheltered job and a nature-tuned lifestyle –outside of his love for books– he notices when he's been inside for an unfathomable amount of time.

He checks his phone, perplexed at his own inactivity. It's peculiar for him to have not been to a restaurant or outing for so many days in a row. Usually Minho would have texted him and told him to get dressed or meet him someplace. A lot of the time, he'll text Minho. There's been less of both of those these days, most of their communications happening in the group chat they have with Jisung.

Once again, Seungmin likes having Jisung around. But it's harder for him to be okay with being unable to ask Minho for a chance when Jisung is always there, making Seungmin's ability to pretend he and the older man are dating less realistic and more like an inaccessible area. Especially with Minho meeting all Jisung's friends, and his schedule being much more packed than usual in turn.

The date on Seungmin's phone says Wednesday, the last time stamp he has with Minho in their private messages is Sunday, of last week. The brunettes stomach drops into his ass at the revelation. It's a disappointment. But he doesn't have to be with Minho or Jisung every single day.. right?

He misses the other men, clearly. But knowing Minho and Jisung are just going to flirt the whole time they're together makes his urge to contact less joyful. It makes the thought of spending time with them less appealing, so he decides that if they want to see him, they'll text the group chat.

He can do something for himself today on his own, right?

Wrong.

Seungmin immediately calls Jeongin, asking him if he wants to go get a new piercing or tattoo together. Jeongin, the fashionista, agrees, only after chewing the slightly older male out for not calling him for some weeks. It's not serious though. Jeongin likes his personal space, so he's low maintenance. He's just used to dealing with the Seungmin liking his personal space too. So it's become a norm for the brunette to call him every day, yapping about nothing, or show up at his apartment, sitting on his lap or biting his biceps.

"Remind me why we had to come all the way across town instead of going to our usual place?" Jeongin complains as they approach the entrance doors to a shop they are not familiar with. Seungmin isn't too keen on new artists either, especially when he's used to making appointments for his piercings and tattoos. But they had no choice today.

"Shop Ateez was completely booked and busy today, so they weren't taking walk-ins. We'll have to make do."

"If one of these guys fuck me up today I'm tattooing a dick on your forehead while your sleep."

Seungmin laughs loudly, genuinely, at that. He'd forgotten how much of a joy hanging out with other friends was, so caught up in trying to dwell in a relationship he doesn't have with Minho. It's tiring to be so sucked up in emotions and be unable to appreciate the simple things that you do have.

"I could do it too! You sleep like a spiny lobster. You wouldn't even feel it."

Seungmin only giggles at the others words as they enter the shop, which is thankfully much less busy than the other two. Upon entering, their handed a book of designs and asked to describe what their looking for.

While Jeongin is telling the women what type of new body art he's wanting to look into, Seungmin surveys the shop. It's about the same size as Ateez's shop a few miles from here, but something about the style of drawing on a couple of the pieces displayed in the wall looks extremely familiar.

He tires his brain out trying to put his finger on it, before he gives up at some point, opting to instead just ask the man at the front desk who drew it.

"Pardon, who did these two pieces?" Seungmin asks politely, pointing to the photographs on the wall. The stranger is more than excited to educate them. "Oh! Those are by our worker Han Jisung, his work is pretty popular. He's booked up today, but he works at chair 6, you can ask him for his socials for more of his pieces and make an appointment with him for later if your not interested in the rest of our artists!" The man says.

Seungmin's heart beat speeds up a few bpm. He'd texted both Jisung and Minho before leaving his place today, asking what they were up to, it'd been over an hour and a half since then.

"Why do you look like your about to break into tears?" Jeongin pinches his eyebrows, judging. Seungmin looks at him, pouting. "Jisung works here." He says simply, Jeongin shakes his head like he doesn't understand the issue. "The tatted cutie you and Minho met at the beach? So what?"

"So, I texted him before leaving home. Do you think he is ignoring me?" Seungmin is fiddling with his hands now, averting his gaze to the floor.

"Why would he do that, loser? If he's here that means he's working. So he's probably busy. Go say hi and go about your business." Jeongin provides, Seungmin huffs at his own anxiety. Why hadn't he thought of that? Of course. Jisung is his friend, he wouldn't just ditch him. He's got a job and a life too. How cheeky of him to think everything just had to have something to do with him.

"Yeah" he chuckles, giving a shy little merping smile. :]

"You said chair 6, sir? Can I greet him?" Seungmin asks the man, he nods, gesturing for him to walk around the threshold separating the waiting area and work stations. "If your familiar I'm sure you know he has no self control and can talk for hours, so I'd keep it short. But go ahead back." He does so, Jeongin close behind him.

Normally Seungmin would brace himself for Jisung throwing his heavy muscles at him, wrapping around him like a charger cord. But when he walks in, the other is giggling across the studio while he works on someone's tattoo, focusing on where he's drawing while still holding conversation with the person. That's not what gets Seungmin's attention though, what really makes his tummy hurt is who's in the chair and what they're doing.

In front of Jisung, shirtless and smiling, laughing in an overjoyed and uncharacteristic non tsundere way, is Minho. Minho who is on his phone, doing god knows what. But it's definitely not replying to his messages. Fucking asshat.

Second best, Seungmin's brain supplies.

Seungmin stops in his tracks, watching the pair from across the shop, his posture defeated and stiff. Jeongin's speaks next to him, and Seungmin barely hears it. "Ah shit. Please tell me I misheard you and you never really said that you texted.. both of them." He comments when he spots them as well.

Little does the younger know, Seungmin is wishing the exact same thing. Praying he's just seeing things wrong, or that he never really sent those messages and that he wasn't being ignored by the two people closest to him so they could spend time together.

Seungmin doesn't know exactly what carries him across the studio, maybe it's irritation, betrayal, curiosity. The unwavering need to prove himself wrong. But he approaches nonetheless, sound from his aggressively stomping feet alarming them of his nearing long before he's standing directly in front of them.

He doesn't yell, he doesn't thrash, he doesn't make a scene, cause that's not Seungmin. But you can hear the irritation in his voice when he speaks to them with an overly pissed off expression and tight jaw.

"Hi. So neither of you know how to answer your messages."Seungmin takes into account how the piece Jisung is doing on Minho's opposite arm is barely started. They haven't been at it for long. So that means they had the entire near hour following the delivery of Seungmin's message to answer, they just didn't want to. Ouch.

It summons something bitter in Seungmin's gut, he can't rid himself of the pungent taste in his mouth, especially considering the look on their faces that screams in big bold letters: 'BUSTED.'

"Hey, Minnie. Sorry. I hadn't really been paying attention to my phone. I just got into the shop." comes Jisung's excuse, it doesn't make him feel any better. But he directs his gaze to Minho anyway, waiting for the older man's justification as well.

"I was gonna answer, I just hadn't gotten around to it. I was out." He says. It only makes Seungmin's inner turmoil worse, because usually, when Minho is doing stuff whether it's something simple like grocery shopping or running aarons, he invites Seungmin. But this time he hadn't, and he hasn't in a while. Once, a mistake. Twice, a girl group. 3 times, a pattern.

"Fucking bullshit." Seungmin spits. "I didn't get a response when I texted you two only to find out you were together. You have polaroids of the three of us in your phone cases, you don't just forget about me."

The older man shifts uncomfortably in his chair, Jisung has stopped tattooing, simply sitting behind the red head looking like a kicked puppy. This is pitiful. It's depressing. It's humiliating. He can't stay here.

The looks of guilt on the pair's faces only proves to Seungmin he's breaking his own heart by calling them out. He can't do this, won't. Why would he be here listening to his closest friends lie to his face when he could be anywhere else. He wasn't gonna sit here and take this. If they want to be in the company of each other without him bothering them, they've got it.

"Forget it, Minnie. Their assholes. Let's go to another shop." Comes Jeongins voice from behind him, the younger tugging on his wrist securely. It's grounding, and he's right. Whatever the reason is for ignoring Seungmin, they don't have to worry about him interrupting at all, through messages or otherwise.

He shouldn't take it personal, it's painfully obvious that the two are falling for each other. But Seungmin was there first, he was Minho's first. Minho was his first, and in a way, Jisung was his first as well. It's just hard to accept that as a constant in both the men's lives, he's being replaced in both positions, with each of the other two.

'Walk away Kim Seungmin, it's not worth it. They aren't caught up on it. You shouldn't be either.' He tells himself. 'Second best' it repeats moments later, when the first thought wasn't enough.

The brunette takes a deep breath, calming himself. He can't let this get to him, or he's only going to be constantly disappointed. He has no place here anymore, at least.. Not between the two.

Maybe, if he's lucky, he'll have one next to the pair later. But Seungmin doesn't really know if that's something he can take.'Just walk away.' He tells himself, because inevitably, when Minho and Jisung tell them they've finally gotten together, his heart is gonna break, all because he didn't accept it sooner. It's now or later.

"Whatever. Sorry to interrupt." he concedes, turning and strutting out of the shop in tandem with Jeongin's huge hands holding his. On the way out, he squeezes the younger man's hand, trying not to let the interaction get to him. Innie squeezes it back, Seungmin gives him a grateful smile.

"We can go home if you want." Jeongin suggests. "Watch a movie or something." Seungmin shakes his head, dismissing the idea. "If I need anything right now, it's the pain of a tattoo needle. Let's just.. Go somewhere else." he answers. Jeongin nods, and they do just that. Seungmin isn't wanted here, but that doesn't mean he can't be appreciated elsewhere.

FYI: Seungmin ask's the employee at the next shop what her most painful body art is, she says her back dermals and Jeongin holds his hand again while he cries and gets them done. It is not Seungmin's proudest moment.