Chapter Text
A crack of sunlight shone inside Dongju's bedroom, waking him up earlier than he intended to be. He checked the time. 6:07. Too early. But he felt better than the previous night.
He turned towards the wall, where Doongdoong was, muttered a silent good morning and hugged the plushie tight before getting up lazily. He wore his slippers and slowly made his way outside his room.
The whole room was quiet, Geonhak is probably still inside his room. Back at home, whenever he wakes up, Dongmyeong would be there to greet him with his wide smile. He smiled at the memory. He really does miss his brother.
He went to wash his face and brush his teeth first thing. He took Doongdoong out to the couch and hanged out with the plushie while he scrolled on his phone. He'd constantly check on Geonhak's door to see if the guy would come out or listen intently to the sounds around him if he'd hear footsteps, but there was none. It's almost like he's alone that morning.
Maybe he just wakes up late.
Dongju thought of arranging his things, but felt too lazy to do so. He stared at Doongdoong, thinking of how he should spend his morning. It felt like the plushie was speaking to him.
You should stretch.
"Doongdoong you're a genius." He squished the plushie's head and quickly ran to his room to get his earbuds and back to the common room to stretch. He could've stretched in his room but living room was much larger and had an easy access to drinking water.
And so he stretched in the living room with his eyes closed and did random stretching poses he could think of while music played in his earbuds.
Geonhak woke up at 4:30 to do his morning gym session with Seoho, a friend from the arts and sciences department that he met through Youngjo. The gym inside a bigger establishment that's almost like a mall but way less shops. It was the only gym near the university.
Seoho was on a treadmill warming up, greeting Geonhak as he went on the treadmill next to his."Good morning Hakkie, what's new?"
"I have a new roommate. First year, theater." Geonhak kept the descriptions brief. Seoho stayed silent for a while, expecting Geonhak to say more.
"That's all you're sharing? Tell me more." Geonhak glared at Seoho but he did anyway.
"You know how my window is adjacent to the window of the room beside mine, right?" Seoho hummed in response. "I think I heard him crying. I still haven't seen him after dinner last night. He was bubbly when I met him though."
Seoho furrowed his eyebrows, thinking into it. "Ah. He must be homesick. You're now responsible to make him feel home-y." As expected from his quick mind, he pinpointed the 'problem' just with the short story.
"Should I ask about it?" Geonhak turned his treadmill faster. Seoho was silent for a moment, thinking.
"Nah, I think it will be awkward. Just help him, I guess. In your own ways." Seoho suggested. He was thankful for Seoho's insights. They often bicker but they both rely on each other at times.
The two stayed in the gym for almost two hours.
"Are you going to go shower?" Seoho asked Geonhak, "Because I'll go jog back to my dorm and shower there. I'm going to go grab breakfast along the way."
"I'll just stay for a bit. You can go if you want." Geonhak chugged to the last drop of his orange-infused water. Seoho bid goodbye with a wave and smile.
There wasn't really anything he'd do, he just wanted to be alone when he bought breakfast for himself and Dongju. He went and bought microwavables from the convenience store outside the gym, hoping that Dongju likes it too. The travel time back to the dorms wasn't long and the sun was up already. He thought if Dongju was already awake, he kind of hoped he wasn't up yet.
When he reached the dorms, he remembered to contact Youngjo and Hwanwoong for lunch, and told himself he'll do it after breakfast.
He opened the door of the shared room and he saw Dongju stretching near the couch, his back facing Geonhak.
Dongju didn't notice Geonhak and just continued what he was doing, and for some reason, he thought it was a good idea to suddenly swing his left arm around, which made him hit his hand on the hard part of the couch.
"AH, SHIT FUCK!" Dongju exclaimed, clutching his hand and dropping on the floor.
Geonhak's adrenaline spiked and he ran to Dongju. "Are you alright? Is it broken? Can you move it?" He took Dongju's hand to check it.
"Oh, you're up already. I didn't notice." Dongju forgot about the pain momentarily and felt embarrassed that his roommate saw him make a fool out of himself.
"I'm okay, it's just pulsing so much now." Dongju clasped and unclasped his hand repeatedly.
"You should be careful doing that. Do you need ice? Your knuckles look like it will swell. Wait here." Geonhak went to get an ice pack from the fridge, while Dongju just pressed on his hand. It's only his first day and he already did something stupid infront of his roommate. He felt the judgemental look from Doongdoong. He glared at the innocent plushie. This is your fault.
"Here. Keep it on until the swelling stops" Geonhak tossed the ice pack bag towards Dongju and he catched it with his free hand. He sat on the couch and kept the bag on.
"You're up early." Dongju made himself comfortable on the couch. Geonhak placed the microwavables on the table.
"I went to the gym. I hope you eat these."
Dongju's eyes were on the food on the table. He and Dongmyeong used to eat those all the time when their parents weren't around.
"I'll pop these in and take a quick shower. Feel free to eat without me." Geonhak took the food and placed them in the microwave. Dongju watched him disappear to the bathroom. He smiled at the thought that Geonhak didn't need to buy him breakfast but he did.
How did I end up here, Doongdoong?
Dongju checked his hand and the swelling had stopped and it didn't really hurt anymore. He took out the food when it was done and waited for Geonhak to be done. He also made tea while waiting. He transferred the food to a plate to make it more presentable.
He noticed how the dining area had almost a complete set of utensils and kitchenware. Probably because he'd been here for years.
He was getting a little impatient so he did the dishes from last night, too. As he was placing the plates to dry, Geonhak had come out of the bathroom, droplets dropping out of his hair, torso still damp, and towel around his hips, and went straight to his room. Dongju forced his eyes to look away. He didn't mean to stare. He hoped Geonhak didn't see him staring.
Once informed about Dongju agreeing to lunch, the boyfriends set up the time and place. It was still 11 am at a family restaurant not too far from the dorms and when they arrived, it was full of people but had a fun ambiance. Hwanwoong was seated across Dongju, with Youngjo beside him, and Geonhak was seated beside Dongju. The pair had a cute height difference, Dongju noted in his mind.
Dongju felt awkward meeting new people but they were nice to ask him questions he could easily answer and ask back at them. He had told them about Dongmyeong and the reason why he chose to study at RBU. Hwanwoong had asked him about his student card and suggested to accompany him in getting one, to which he agreed for the day. Youngjo asked him his schedule and when he answered, Hwanwoong suggested changing his so it's in line with Dongju's. He had said it isn't necessary but Hwanwoong insisted, so the university registrar is one of their destinations tomorrow. He wanted to ask about how the two got together but saved it for when they're closer. Geonhak had stayed silent, just listening to their conversations as they waited for the food the pair chose because Dongju was too shy to choose for himself.
"Geonhak-hyung, why aren't you speaking? Don't you want to get to know Dongju?" Hwanwoong asked. Dongju didn't look at the man beside him but he saw him shift from his peripheral vision.
"It's not that. You just asked everything." Geonhak's first words this lunch. Youngjo grinned and shook his head. By living with Geonhak, he managed to read him easily. Geonhak was shy and he was thankful for this lunch with the four of them together. It's less awkward this way.
"Food's coming this way." Geonhak segued.
Hwanwoong had noticed how Dongju's eyes shuffled between him and his boyfriend."Dongju, do you want to ask something? I hope Youngjo and I aren't making you uncomfortable."
Dongju lowered his head, ears red. He didn't mean to come off that way. "I just think you two are cute together. If you don't mind me asking, how did you two meet?"
The food was laid in front of them as they continued the conversation. The two met at a laundry shop when Hwanwoong asked Youngjo for help. It wasn't much but somehow they kept bumping into each other, at the university, at the donut shop, at the dorms even, and they just became friends and after six months , Youngjo confessed to Hwanwoong that he was attracted to him and Hwanwoong suggested they try dating and it just worked out for them. And after a few months, Youngjo moved rooms to 'ditch his roommate', Geonhak's words.
Dongju was smiling the whole time while he gobbled up his food. He enjoyed how Hwanwoong would look back at Youngjo at some points of the story to confirm he was saying the right details and Youngjo would nod briefly.
"Are you doing anything after this?" Hwanwoong eyed the two people in front of him. Geonhak had been awfully quiet all these time. Dongju looked at Geonhak, expecting him to answer first.
"I have work." Geonhak said.
Hwanwoong rolled his eyes at Geonhak's answer. "Boring. How about you Dongju?"
"I don't have anything to do. I was planning on getting my card today."
"Oh, perfect. We can go today so we don't have to tomorrow. I don't have anything to do, either. Youngjo has work too."
After eating, they went back to the dorm. Geonhak was getting ready for work and Hwanwoong fetched Dongju from their room. The university was large but spaced enough. There are a lot of students, some are late enrollees and some are here for summer school.
Hwanwoong showed Dongju around the campus, told him the buildings they'll have classes in, the halls where practicals happen, and also where Youngjo and Geonhak's buildings were.
The two of them got snacks from the cafeteria and sat on a study area under a cherry blossom tree.
"You know, when you see all these benches scattered around, you'll think that it's always crowded here, but it's not. Even on regular days, this area almost always looks like this. I think the people here liked staying inside the buildings more than staying out." Hwanwoong extended his arms around to show Dongju.
Dongju looked around. There is indeed not a crowd. Everyone was constantly moving in and out of the rooms. He liked this atmosphere.
"I love it here already." Dongju commented.
"Wait until you have to perform. Show nights here are amazing. It's like a festival." Hwanwoong took a sip of his lemon juice. The spot they're in right now had a view of the back of the business building, which was adjacent to the art majors' building. It's where he and Youngjo meet up when their breaks match up.
The two got to know each other more with their stay under the shade. Dongju was informed that Youngjo was the son of the donut shop's owners. They shared interests in hopes of finding reasons to hang out rather than just being in the same department. He doesn't know how Hwanwoong did it but he got Dongju to open up a little about him. He hinted about disliking being alone, in which Hwanwoong suggested they hang out when Geonhak and Youngjo wasn't around, which Dongju was thankful for. He felt lucky to have met Hwanwoong the more he knew about him. The two of them seemed to click immediately.
When Hwanwoong invited Dongju to go to 808, the letter declined and said he'll have to arrange his things. They exchanged numbers before bidding goodbye to each other.
Dongju took the long way back to the dorms, which was around the back of the university, along the soccer field. There were some people playing and Dongju just went on his merry way, until he felt a sudden push on his back, making him fall forwards. He caught himself with his other foot before falling down completely.
"THE FUCK?!" Dongju looked behind, barely gaining his centre of gravity, saw a soccer ball rolling away and a man running towards him.
"I am so sorry. I closed my eyes and kicked the ball. I didn't know it would hit a person. Are you okay?" the man explained. Dongju was annoyed. Why would he even do that? That's not part of soccer.
"Forget it. Don't be stupid next time." The man was slightly bigger than Dongju and could kick his ass if Dongju offended him, but Dongju didn't care, it was his fault.
"Hey hey hey, I said I'm sorry. Are you new around here?" the man was disgustingly smiley for Dongju's taste. He reminds him of how much Dongmyeong smiles with his eyes.
"Yes I am. Can I go now?" Dongju felt so jinxed. First, he hit his hand and now a stranger hit him with a ball.
"I'm Seoho, by the way. I'm sorry again." Seoho stretched out his hand. Dongju accepted it just to get it over with.
"I'm Dongju. Bye." Dongju started to walk away but his arm was yanked by Seoho.
"Wait! Dongju? Geonhak's roommate Dongju?" Seoho let go of him immediately.
"Uh, yes?" Dongju was confused. How did Seoho know they were roommates? Unless Geonhak told him? Maybe.
"Oh. Then let me introduce myself again. I'm Lee Seoho, Geonhak's boy friend. Nice to meet you." Seoho is smart. He really is. But sometimes what he meant isn't what comes out of his mouth.
Dongju was taken aback, thinking if he heard that right. Geonhak had a boyfriend and he's right in front of him.
"Oh. Cool. Nice to meet you too." Dongju nodded slowly, examining Seoho. His most prominent point Dongju would say is his smile. Seoho's smile was contagious but Dongju didn't seem to be affected by it.
They bowed at each other and Dongju walked away as Seoho waved him goodbye.
So, Geonhak-hyung has a boyfriend.