Jiseok Short Story Collection

Our own countdown

The very instant I set foot into the living room, a thunderous, simultaneous pop filled the air. Clouds of colorful paper confetti rained down over my head, and I blinked through the glittering streamers to find Chan-yeon, Hyun-jin, and Ji-seok standing proudly in a line in front of the TV.

They were all wearing matching couple T-shirts with my face printed huge on the front, ridiculously funny in the best way. Around the edge of my face, it said:

3

"Happy 100 days!!" Chan-yeon shouted, grinning so wide you could barely see his eyes as he shook a party horn with wild enthusiasm.

"We made cake too," Hyun-jin said with a mischievous smile, stepping aside to reveal the low living-room table. Right in the middle sat a custom-made mini fresh cream cake that was both gorgeous and a total mess, with candles shaped like "100" burning brightly. "I talked Chan-yi hyung out of decorating it, so you can eat it without worrying."

"Hey!" Chan-yeon shouted indignantly, jabbing Hyun-jin in the side with his elbow.

I clapped a hand over my mouth, unable to hold back my laughter as I looked from one to the other. Ji-seok was standing slightly off to the side, looking down at me with a much more relaxed, warm posture. That signature lopsided handsome smile sat on his lips, and his dark eyes were full of pure tenderness as he watched my reaction.

Before I could even say a word, Hyun-jin slipped into my space and proudly handed me a small velvet jewelry box. Inside were four smooth silver friendship rings lined up side by side. Each ring was delicately engraved with the coordinates of our dorm. We all sat together on the carpet, laughing and chatting as we slipped the rings onto our fingers. It was the moment we officially celebrated the fact that our chaotic, precious found family had somehow survived a stormy hundred days together.

Soon, the high-energy noise from the start began to gradually die down. Chan-yeon let out a yawn so big it looked like his jaw might split, then dragged a sleep-deprived Hyun-jin by the hem of his clothes toward the hallway so he could finally crash after a long week of practice.

"Don’t finish all the cake!" Chan-yeon called, winking, and then the bedroom door closed. The living room instantly sank into a deep, suffocating silence.

I leaned back against the sofa, lifting my left hand under the soft amber glow of the lamp. I wanted to admire the new silver ring shining against my skin.

A shadow fell over the carpet. Ji-seok slowly climbed down from the sofa cushion and sank onto the floor beside me. The festive noise that had filled the apartment was completely gone, and in the sudden closeness of his presence, the dim room felt almost unbearably cozy and intimate.

"Noona," Ji-seok said. His low voice cut through the room’s silence.

"Mm?" I looked up from the floor and tilted my head slightly to show that I was fully focused on him.

He looked down at me and smiled gently. His large, warm hand reached out and slowly brushed my stray hairs behind my ear. His fingers grazed my flushed skin with a light, careful touch, and the unexpected intimacy made my breathing catch for a moment.

"Actually, I have one more present for you, noona," he whispered shyly, slipping a hand into his pajama pocket. His ears quickly turned a bright red he couldn’t hide. When he opened the second, much smaller velvet box, inside were two elegant silver couple rings meant only for the two of us. "I want noona to have one. One for you, one for me."

Curious, I carefully picked up the ring under the lamp’s soft amber light. Tilting the metal ring toward the light, I noticed a very small, intricate design engraved on the inside. The moment I leaned closer to read it, I caught my breath. In delicate letters, it said:

3

When I looked up at him again, my face was flooded with beautiful confusion and the belated realization of what this meant.

"I want to start another 100-day countdown," he confessed softly. His usually steady, unshakable confidence had completely melted into adorable shyness, and his gaze dropped to his knees. "A countdown that’s just for us. As lovers."

My heart pounded wildly beneath my ribs in a rhythm of pure joy. "I... I really want that too," I answered, an unhideable, heartfelt smile blooming on my lips.

Ji-seok snapped his head up, and uncontainable brilliance of joy blossomed across his handsome face. As if completely overwhelmed by the heat of the moment, the thread of his reason snapped in an instant. He lunged forward and stole my lips in a breathtakingly sudden kiss. Before I could even react, he quickly pulled back by about a handspan. His widened eyes were full of panic, and he started stumbling over himself, frantically apologizing for being too abrupt.

"It’s okay, dummy," I said with a gentle smile, cutting off his flustered words. Determined to show him exactly how sincere I was, I moved forward and sat facing him on his knees, letting my full weight rest against his body. I wrapped both arms tightly around his neck and pulled him back into a much deeper, cozier, more passionate embrace. Ji-seok let out a low, satisfied sigh against my lips, then gripped my waist firmly with his big hand and pulled me close to his chest, as if trapping me in his arms.

Just as the kiss was becoming tender and deep, a sharp camera shutter sound rang out from the dark hallway, followed immediately by a flurry of hurried, barely suppressed giggles.

Without even needing to look up to check, I knew Chan-yeon and Hyun-jin were now plastered to the doorway, snapping pictures of us with their phones like paparazzi. Ji-seok’s shoulders stiffened for a split second, and a helpless groan caught in his throat, but I just kept smiling against his lips and pulled him even closer.

Our first 100 days as a family were officially over, but the moment his arm tightened possessively around my waist in the quiet living room, I knew our countdown for just the two of us had finally begun.