Jiseok Short Story Collection

A vividly colored kiss

Sunlight poured in long between the huge windows of the campus art studio, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air and casting warm golden rectangles across the wooden floor. From a small speaker tucked in the corner, upbeat, rhythmic retro synth music played softly, filling the room with bright, pleasant energy.

Jiseok sat on a low stool in front of the empty canvas, a wooden palette resting on his lap. He was wearing an oversized beige sweater with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and he somehow looked unbelievably fluffy and gentle. At first he said nothing, his shoulders slightly tense as he carefully mixed acrylic paints in various shades. Every time I stepped closer to check his color choices, he quickly dropped his gaze to the palette. His long eyelashes cast shadows over his cheeks, and a tiny, cute blush slowly crept up the back of his neck.

"You’re being way too quiet today, Jiseok." I said teasingly as I perched on the edge of his table and swung my legs. "You’re secretly judging my art skills, aren’t you?"

Jiseok finally looked up with a low, helpless laugh. The shy tension that had lingered at first had vanished completely from his eyes, replaced by a gentle, mischievous spark. He dabbed a bright yellow streak of paint onto the back of his hand and broke into a broad smile.

"I’m not judging you." he said, laughing, his voice full of warmth and affection. "I’m just trying to focus because you keep stealing my attention."

"How am I stealing your attention?" I laughed as I scooted even closer.

Instead of answering with words, Jiseok’s playful instincts kicked in. A mischievous glint flashed in his dark eyes, and he pressed his fingertip into a vivid blob of cerulean blue paint. Before I could even blink, he reached out and tapped the tip of my nose, leaving behind one perfectly round blue dot.

"Hey!" I yelped, half-laughing, and reached for the paper towel.

"There. Done." Leaning back in the chair and shaking with genuine amusement, Jiseok giggled. Beside me, he looked utterly relaxed and cozy. "Now you match the canvas. Much better."

I glanced at the bright blue dot on the tip of my nose reflected in the glass window and let out a stunned breath. "Wow, Kim Jiseok, you’re dead!"

Bursting out laughing, I snatched up a brush, loaded it with bright pink paint, and lunged forward. Jiseok’s eyes widened at once with shock and playful fear. He backed away from the chair in a hurry, dodging my first attack with the quick agility of someone born with natural athletic reflexes.

"Wait! No! Not the sweater!" Jiseok shouted, shoulders shaking with wild laughter as he hurriedly hid behind the heavy wooden easel.

"You brought this on yourself!" I shouted back, jumping fully down from the table and chasing after him.

We raced all over the sunlit studio in a frantic, breathless scramble, and our laughter echoed loudly up to the high ceiling.

I cornered him near the storage shelves in the back and finally lifted my hand to leave a pink mark on his cheek. But just as Jiseok lunged forward to grab my wrist, my sneaker slipped on a drop of paint splattered across the floorboards.

With a scream, my balance completely gave out. As I toppled backward with a crash, Jiseok also lost his footing in his desperate attempt to catch me, and we both went sprawling to the floor with a clatter.

We fell with a dull thud onto the huge canvas cloth spread across the floor. As the spinning world finally stopped, the room sank instantly into heavy silence.

I was lying flat on the floor, and Jiseok was looking down at me while bracing both hands on the floor beside my shoulders so his weight wouldn’t crush me. We were both breathing hard, our chests rising and falling in perfect sync.

Seen up close, his face was flushed a bright rosy pink, and his black hair was deliciously tousled. His widened eyes stared straight into mine, caught in the wave of breathless romantic tension that had suddenly washed over us. The playful chaos had completely melted away, and we were trapped in a deeply intimate, awkward position on the floor, wrapped in the afternoon sunlight.

Creeeak.

The heavy studio door swung wide open with a sharp, loud scrape. "Wow, our maknae’s making pretty fast progress, huh?" a sharp, teasing voice rang out like a bolt of lightning through the air.

We both flinched and jerked our heads toward the door. Hyunjin stood heavily leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest, a dangerous, mischievous smile stretched across his handsome face. Right behind him, Chanyeon walked into the room carrying three iced Americanos. He stopped dead as he looked down at us tangled on the floor, and then a low, rumbling laugh immediately burst out from his chest.

"Jiseok, I told you to be a good little brother to noona—since when did I tell you to tackle her to the floor?" Chanyeon said slyly, lifting one eyebrow and curling the corners of his eyes into a perfect crescent of mockery as he teased us.

Jiseok’s brain completely short-circuited. The confident, gentle man from just one second ago was gone without a trace, and his entire face, neck, and even his ears turned a furious crimson red, as if engulfed in flames. He stumbled back off me so quickly he nearly tripped over his own feet, then fumbled frantically to smooth down his beige sweater.

"Ah, hyung! It’s really not like that! We just fell over, seriously!" Jiseok stammered desperately, his voice cracking slightly with innocent, untainted embarrassment. He squirmed awkwardly and reached down to help me up.

Hyunjin clicked his tongue as he walked over and handed me a wet paper towel to wipe the blue paint off my nose. "Excuses, huh. Don’t get cute with me. And you, I clearly told you—if our maknae keeps bothering you, just come to me, remember? That offer’s still open."

"Hey, Park Hyunjin. Don’t joke around." Chanyeon giggled as he handed me an iced Americano. Then, with a grin, he lightly tapped the back of Jiseok’s head. "Alright, before our shy little maknae’s heart explodes, let’s all go eat. My treat."

I burst out laughing, and while we all gathered our things, my face grew just as red as Jiseok’s. Surrounded by teasing hyungs and my adorable, flustered Jiseok, trapped in the bright, colorful chaos of the studio... this heart-stopping romance had finally come to a full stop. Our brilliant, laughter-filled future was officially beginning.