When Minho Was There • Minsung

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They had finally arrived. Jisung was more than ready to exit the car, his body in dire need of a good stretch, a warm bath, and a nap. He had to admit the drive to the house had been a little bumpy, but nothing too bad. Kiyomasa was just as bad at parking as he was driving, stomping on the brake pedal without warning; it almost gave Jisung a heart attack.

The two of them just laughed it off, poking fun at Jisung, who had his hand clasped over his heart. Any more surprises, and he may as well die of a stroke. He unlocked his car door, planting both feet on the gravel below him. It sounded crunchy, and Jisung found the noise pleasing to his ears, so he walked around some more.

He had to admit the scenery was breathtaking—no pun intended, of course. There were endless fields of tall grass, dandelions, and hibiscus sprinkled all throughout the area. It was stunning—something straight out of a painting. A painting Jisung wanted to recreate. There were some other unusual plants, but Jisung wasn't a plant expert, so he ruled them out as weeds.

What caught him by surprise was a small bundle of orange fur poking out from underneath one of the tires. At first, he was panicked, afraid that Kiyomasa had run over an animal. Thankfully, that idea was put to rest once it started moving. A small kitten, frail and timid, was sniffing the mud that coated the car tires.

Jisung cooed, dropping to his knees almost immediately as he petted the baby cat. So cute. Jisung had always wanted a cat, but Auntie didn't think it was a good idea to adopt one—something about the shedding and dirt particles. He didn't care about the logistics of it; he just wanted a little friend.

All of Jisung's senses were pleased. He could hear the sound of the waves washing over the shore and the chirping of birds holding meetings in the looming trees above. The air smelled of rain and wildflowers, and the faint taste of his honey lip balm tingled his mouth.

No one would have expected to find such a large piece of property out in the middle of nowhere. Jisung wondered how much it had cost them to move out here. Surely it had to be a lot.

The engine was still running as Jisung walked the perimeter of the van, the small kitten purring in his arms. Its claws dug into the skin of his arm. Yes, it hurt, but if the animal was happy, then so was he.

"Here, mind taking this in?" Kiyomasa was lifting boxes out of the trunk. It was like a Mary Poppins bag; more and more items were being brought out.

Geez, are these people hoarders?

Jisung nodded anyway, setting the kitten down. It scampered away immediately, probably to find its mother or siblings. None of which Jisung had. It was a little sad seeing the kitten so eager to leave, but that was life; nobody stayed for very long.

Jisung tucked the small pink package Kiyomasa had given him under his arm, continuing to scan the many boxes and buckets that sat on the gravel.

Setsu was surprisingly strong, possibly even stronger than Jisung. She was carrying boxes in and out of the house at ease, not even stopping once to catch her breath. Jisung spotted another pink package identical to his. And another. And another.

"What is this?" Jisung lifted up five more of them. Curiosity got the best of him, and so he opened up one of them. Inside was a tray full of buttered cookies, all of them different shapes. What could one possibly do with that many cookies?

"Why would you accept this?"

Setsu shook her head, pointing directly at Kiyomasa as if to say, "It's his fault." So Kiyomasa is the mastermind behind the hoarding? That meant the majority of things inside that car belonged to him. Including the stack of pornographic magazines Jisung had flipped through—unintentionally, not on purpose.