♡︎|6

chapter six—✧♡︎✧—

"Forget the movie," Jisung said, his tone light and teasing as they walked toward the exit. "That's a bunch of stupid superheroes anyway. You need strawberry smoothies more than you need that crap."

Felix let out a small, relieved laugh, the sound a little shaky, but still real. "I do need a smoothie," he admitted, nodding. "The movie's not worth it. But... I feel kinda bad just leaving like that."

Jisung waved it off, not breaking his stride. "Screw the movie. If you need a break, we'll take one. It's not like we're missing anything good anyway. Just some people acting like they can fly. Who cares about that?" His sarcasm was back, and Felix couldn't help but smile a little more genuinely now.

"Yeah, you're right," Felix agreed, feeling a weight lifting from his shoulders. The movie wasn't worth it. His mind was elsewhere now, on the conversation that had just unfolded between him and Jisung.

They reached the smoothie shop, a cozy little place with a bright, welcoming atmosphere. Felix's favorite spot—he'd been coming here for months now, whenever he needed a pick-me-up. Jisung pushed open the door, and Felix felt the cool breeze and sweet aroma of fruit hit him as soon as they stepped inside. He sighed, a little bit of his usual cheer returning.

"Two strawberry smoothies, please," Jisung said to the woman behind the counter, flashing her a grin. He glanced over at Felix, making sure he was okay. Felix just nodded, still wiping away the last few remnants of his tears.

When the smoothies were ready, Jisung handed one over to Felix and took the other for himself. "Here you go, Lix. The best strawberry smoothie in the world. Can't get better than this. Drink up."

Felix took a sip, feeling the cold sweetness flood his senses. It tasted like comfort—like home, like everything would be okay again. He leaned against the counter, savoring the taste and letting the silence stretch between them for a moment.

Jisung, however, wasn't going to let the silence hang too long. "So..." he began, his voice taking on that familiar teasing edge, "how long have you been into boys, exactly?"

Felix froze, nearly choking on his smoothie. He glanced at Jisung, his eyes wide. "What?"

Jisung smirked, casually sipping his smoothie as if he hadn't just dropped a bombshell. "You heard me, Lix. I mean, I've known for a while. You think I don't notice how awkward you get when we talk about girls? Or when you get all... soft around Hyunjin?" He raised an eyebrow. "How long've you been crushing on him, huh? Is this a recent thing or something that's been going on for a while?"

Felix felt his face heat up instantly. "I—I—uh... What?!" His mind was spiraling, but at the same time, there was a weird sense of relief in hearing Jisung bring it up. Of course, Jisung would notice. He was always the observant one, the one who saw through Felix's distractions, the one who knew him better than he knew himself sometimes.

"You think I'm that blind?" Jisung teased, making finger guns at Felix as he leaned back against the counter. "You've been all starry-eyed every time Hyunjin walks into the room. And don't even get me started on the way you can't stop looking at him when he's close to you. Come on, you're not fooling anyone, babe."

Felix swallowed hard, "I don't know what you're talking about." He quickly took another sip of his smoothie to hide the nervousness in his voice.

Jisung rolled his eyes dramatically. "Okay, okay. I'll stop pretending I don't see the way you glow when Hyunjin's around. But seriously, how long has it been? A few weeks? A few months?" He leaned forward, a playful smirk on his face. "Or have you been into him this whole time and never said anything because you're too busy being cute and awkward about it?"

Felix groaned, sinking a little lower against the counter. "God, you're way too perceptive, Jisung. Fine, I'll expose myself if that makes you happy. I think I've always been into men, like...no girl ever attracted me. And my crush on Hyunjin? It's... it's been a long time. Like, since we were kids, okay? Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Jisung nodded, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Ah, so you've been in love with him forever. I get it now. You're a hopeless romantic." He clinked his smoothie against Felix's. "But hey, I can't judge. You've got good taste. Hyunjin's hot."

Felix looked away, his face burning even more. "Shut up."

But Jisung only chuckled. "Nah, I'm serious. You deserve someone who treats you right, Lix. You're a great guy. You deserve all the love in the world."

Felix glanced back up at Jisung, feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the way his friend was handling this. He wasn't teasing too much—just enough to make Felix feel a little less awkward about it. "You're not mad?"

Jisung scoffed. "Mad? Why would I be mad? I love you, man. It's not like you can control who you like. Besides, I'm not that surprised. I mean, you're adorable. I'd crush on you if I wasn't... you know... not into guys." He winked, his usual sarcasm back in full force.

Felix laughed, feeling the tension leave his body. "You're so annoying."

Jisung grinned. "I know, I know. But seriously, I'm always here for you, Lix. No matter what." He gave Felix a quick nudge, making Felix smile softly.

Felix nodded, the weight in his chest lifting a little more. "Thanks, Sungie. You really are a good friend."

Jisung took another sip of his smoothie, leaning back with a casual shrug. "Hey, I'm the best. You know it."

Felix rolled his eyes, laughing a little harder now. "Okay, bestie. But seriously... thanks."

The cozy shop was filled with the warm hum of casual chatter, but it didn't last long before the door swung open with an exaggerated force. Felix and Jisung turned at the sudden burst of energy, only to see Seungmin storming in, his face scrunched up in that signature pout that everyone in their friend group knew so well. He looked like a storm cloud waiting to burst, and Felix couldn't help but chuckle as Seungmin made a beeline straight for him.

Before Felix could even react, Seungmin had his arms wrapped tightly around him, pulling him into an unexpected but familiar hug. "I swear, you guys are impossible to find! Lixie, I'm so sorry I didn't find you earlier, are you feeling better?" Seungmin spoke so fast it could be considered as a rap, his voice muffled against Felix's shoulder.

Felix laughed softly, rubbing Seungmin's back in a comforting gesture. "I'm fine now."

Seungmin pulled away just enough to take a seat beside them, making a face as he flopped down dramatically onto the chair. "And you two seriously left me alone with Hyunjin and his bitchy girlfriend ?" He crossed his arms over his chest and pouted again, but there was a mischievous glint in his eye, like he was just waiting to spill some gossip.

Felix and Jisung exchanged a curious glance, both raising an eyebrow. "What happened? Why are you acting like that?" Jisung asked, leaning forward a little, a playful smirk tugging at his lips.

Seungmin sighed dramatically, clearly savoring the moment. "You guys left me alone with Hyunjin and Haeri," he groaned, rolling his eyes. "And guess what happened?"

Felix's eyes widened at the mention of Haeri's name. "Wait, what happened?" he asked quickly, his tone a little more urgent than he meant it to be. Haeri could be unpredictable, and Felix wasn't sure if he wanted to hear this. Jisung, however, was equally eager, shifting in his seat to listen closely.

Seungmin leaned back, a smug smile spreading across his face as he prepared to spill the tea. "Well, as soon as you two left the cinema, Haeri completely lost it. Like, exploded," he began, still using his dramatic flair. "She started yelling at Hyunjin for holding hands with Felix. It was honestly so awkward."

Felix and Jisung both blinked in shock. Felix felt his stomach drop, his hand instinctively tightening around his smoothie cup. "Wait, what? She yelled at Hyunjin?"

Seungmin nodded, eyes sparkling with the satisfaction of telling the story. "She started going on and on about how he's supposed to be with her and how he shouldn't be acting like that in public with anyone, let alone Felix." He paused for dramatic effect, letting the words sink in. "I thought I was going to die of secondhand embarrassment. It was like watching a car crash in slow motion."

Felix blinked, feeling an uncomfortable knot in his chest. Of course, Haeri had to make a scene. She is the og drama queen. He felt his face flush slightly as he turned to Jisung, who seemed equally shocked by the sudden drama.

"Is she seriously that crazy?" Jisung asked, almost laughing in disbelief. "I mean, really?"

Seungmin rolled his eyes, clearly tired of the whole situation. "I swear, she flipped out over nothing," he grumbled. "It's like she thinks Hyunjin belongs to her and no one else is allowed to have any kind of relationship with him. I'm just glad she didn't notice I was sitting right there and hearing all of her bullshit, because I would've had to get involved."

Felix shook his head, his heart sinking a little as he thought about how Hyunjin must've felt. He could just imagine his best friend, caught in the middle of it all, trying to handle Haeri's ridiculous outburst while still keeping his composure.

"Hyunjin must've hated that," Felix muttered, frowning. "I don't want him to have to deal with that."

Seungmin, now fully leaning into the drama, took another deep sigh. "Honestly, it was exhausting just watching it. She was throwing a fit, and Hyunjin just kept apologizing like a little puppy, trying to make her feel better. But it was obvious she was doing it all to make him feel guilty for something that wasn't even something wrong." He shook his head, his expression full of annoyance. "I hate seeing him like that. But what can you do? It's not like he'd ever call her out on it."

Felix sighed, his fingers tapping lightly against his smoothie cup. "It's just so messed up. I feel bad for him."

Jisung nodded, his tone serious now. "Yeah, me too. Haeri's gotta chill, but if Hyunjin wants to deal with it, he's got to make a choice."

"So what did Hyunjin do after?" Felix asked, still processing everything Seungmin had said.

Seungmin smirked. "Oh, you're gonna love this. Hyunjin tried to pull the 'it's okay, we can work through this' line, and guess what Haeri did?" He paused dramatically. "She told him he was being too nice to you—to Felix—and that he should be paying more attention to her. And then she stormed off, like a toddler having a tantrum."

Felix couldn't help it. He burst out laughing, despite the awkwardness of the situation. It was so absurd, so Haeri, that it was hard to take it seriously.

"God, she's a mess," Felix muttered, shaking his head. "I can't believe she'd do that."

Seungmin shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah, well, if Hyunjin wants to keep dealing with that, it's up to him. But don't be surprised if she keeps pulling stuff like this. She's got control issues."