Idols | LisRene (Revised Version)

5

Lisa stared at me, disbelief clear in her eyes. The way she looked at me made my stomach twist—I bit my lip, suddenly nervous.

"You stole my first kiss and just gave yours away like it was nothing."

"Does it look like it was nothing to me?" I shot back.

She exhaled sharply, scanning my face. "Well... you don't look as messed up as I feel. You look blooming, pretty, gorgeous. Like you've been sleeping eight hours a night, even with all the promotions. Did I mention you already look gorgeous? You look so damn pretty—damn it, Joohyun, what have you done to me?"

"Lisa, look at me." I cupped her face, forcing her to meet my gaze. And when she did, I saw it—the same lost expression I felt inside myself.

We were lost in each other.

Lisa's voice dropped to a whisper. "Please don't kiss me. You'll literally kill me this time."

"Okay..." I whispered back. "Honestly, I feel the same way, Lisa. The kiss has been haunting me for days."

Silence settled between us.

Lisa's posture softened, as if she was surrendering to the moment. But I could tell how hard it was for her to think clearly when we were this close. So I let my hand fall to my side, stepping back to put some space between us.

"What should we do about this?" she finally asked, her voice quiet now.

"I don't know, Lisa. And... I'm sorry."

"I-it's not... entirely your fault," she stammered. "It's not your fault that I feel this way."

"And how exactly do you feel?"

"I... I don't know. I don't understand myself."

She was being honest. And the truth was—neither did I.

Because funny enough, we were both in the same boat.

I didn't understand why she was still on my mind. Why the softness of her lips lingered in my thoughts. Why my heart pounded every time I remembered that kiss.

"I don't understand."

"I feel the same, Lisa."

I wasn't sure if it was the cold night air or just the way she was looking at me, but Lisa's face was flushed, her ears burning red.

"No..." She shook her head. "You don't know how I truly feel about you, so don't say that. We're not the same."

What she truly felt?

"And don't ask about it," she added before I could say anything. "I can't give you an answer, Joohyun."

"Okay..." I smiled faintly. At the very least, I knew I wasn't the only one feeling something.

"Would you like some coffee?" I asked out of nowhere.

Lisa blinked, clearly thrown off by the sudden change in topic. And honestly, I couldn't blame her—we had just been having an intense conversation, and here I was, casually offering coffee.

But instead of questioning it, she sighed, looking like she had finally had enough.

"Sure. There's convenience store just a few meters away."

We didn't stay in the store for long, just grabbed our coffees and walked with no destination in mind. Somehow, this felt better—just wandering, letting the cold morning air clear our thoughts.

Lisa and I had been out for hours, and now it was almost 5 AM. With hot chocolate coffee in hand, we walked side by side, waiting for the sun to rise. We didn't talk about what our members would think if they noticed we were gone. Right now, none of that mattered. Seeing each other mattered more. Just being here with her erased my worries, and I hoped she felt the same.