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“Hyung, I swear if you set me up just to embarrass me—“
“Relax, Youngjae! He’s nice, okay? Maybe slightly not your type, but who doesn’t want a little bit of thrill in their life?”
“I don’t,” Youngjae replies nonchalantly with a small pout. Glancing at his wrist, his eyes scan over his watch and sigh in worry. Every minute leading up to the next, he feels himself sweating even more. Of all the days he would forget to wear insoles on his feet, it would be on one of the most stressful and anxiety-inducing moments of his life.
That is, waiting for a blind date to arrive.
“You will after meeting him!” Youngjae’s good friend, Jackson, hollers over the phone with a loudness Youngjae has gotten used to over the last two years they’ve known each other. Although that is one of the main reasons why Youngjae denied his offer of rooming together for the second time, they both knew that Youngjae wouldn’t enjoy the occasional bringing of groups of people in the apartment for an after party.
Jackson and Youngjae connected with every other aspect in life except for one thing: being outgoing.
“I’ve met some of your other friends before, hyung, in very awkward situations might I add,” Youngjae reminds Jackson, shuddering at certain memories flashing in his mind of house parties and nervous breakdowns and slipping and falling into unidentified solid-to-liquid types of things on the floor.
“They’re good people, Jae,” Jackson defends with a whine. “Individually speaking,” he adds. Youngjae laughs as he agrees that even though Jackson’s friends were not his cup of tea, he knew they weren’t all that bad. They were still good students who just knew how to party.
Youngjae, for one, is not very excellent at the latter.
“He might not like me,” Youngjae finally admits the reoccurring thought in his head the day Jackson told him he had set up a blind date for him and his friend. Youngjae immediately refused to go as 1) he wasn’t interested in playing an active role in his love life at the moment and 2) this friend would probably be way out of his league, and therefore would just end badly before it even started.
But being the best friend that he is, Jackson had pointed out, Youngjae needed to get out there and live his college years with all the experiences he could possibly have; one of which is going on a date with someone you think doesn’t share a single compatible trait with yours—let alone, just the act of dating someone would make Jackson happy for Youngjae.
All the books and the music and the writing had enclosed the younger in a world of his own. Not that he minded, but Jackson had other plans.
“You don’t know that yet, that’s why you’re going on a date!” Jackson reaffirms, a smirk evident in his voice. “Listen, Jae. I’m meeting up with some other friends, so I’ll talk to you later. Good luck and enjoy!”
Before Youngjae can say anything more, the line was cut dead. Dropping his arm with the phone in hand to the side, Youngjae lets out a deep sigh and continues to slump back down on the bench he has been hogging for the past hour he’s been waiting.
Youngjae had thought that if he were to arrive at the date spot earlier than necessary, he’d be able to lessen his nerves and prepare himself for the day. Much to his dismay, his anxiety only worsened and he seriously needed some insoles right now.
-
“I’m heading out.”
“To where? What for?”
“Oh, shut the hell up.”
Jaebum chuckles as he turns to the side to face an annoyed looking roommate. Peering up from his phone, he shoots Jinyoung an expectant look. Jinyoung continues to stand a few inches from him, the door right in front of his reach.
“Well?” Jaebum teases.
“What if I don’t go?” Jinyoung retaliates, crossing his arms firmly. Jaebum shakes his head knowing that his best friend is only bluffing as he is the last person to ever disappoint someone in any circumstance possible.
“You know you’re going.”
Groaning, Jinyoung runs a hand through his hair in frustration. “Because of you.”
Jaebum knows Jinyoung was right as he was the devil behind resurfacing Jinyoung’s online dating account and possibly setting up a date for him. If Jinyoung knew of his scheme earlier on, he could have still gotten away with cancelling, thus Jaebum waited just shy of a half hour before the supposed time for said date to reveal of his crime.
Jinyoung wasn’t necessarily shocked but more so annoyed because he had felt Jaebum encouraging him to find himself a man already prior.
Seeing that committed relationships can only hinder the growing success he is currently establishing in his college career, Jinyoung is more than content to set aside that part of his life for later. Although Jaebum had disagreed to the relationships he can form as serious, Jinyoung was still not the type to fool around and forget about it later.
In addition, Jinyoung had considered that the actual reason why his best friend and roommate had been pushing him in another man’s arms, and possibly bed, more frequently the past week or so is because Jaebum had started dating this girl, and he probably didn’t want Jinyoung to be in their room whenever he brings her home.
So, in an attempt of compromise, considering that Jinyoung did intentionally ruin Jaebum’s after date by annoyingly barging in the room with the two love birds half-way naked just for his own sadistic amusement, he accepts the date.
And not like he can say no anymore. Besides, the guy looked cute. And Jinyoung had standards.
“Don’t go home tonight,” Jaebum calls out once Jinyoung was half way out the door. Contemplating whether to verbally abuse in response, Jinyoung decides to just shut the door with a reverberating bang.
Jinyoung arrives at the meet-up spot five minutes early. It is Sunday but not a lot of people are strolling around downtown as most of the students are probably procrastinating college work. Jinyoung and “Junbae” had agreed on staying at the nearest bench area of their supposed date place for convenient spotting. As Jinyoung walks to the place, he spots a young man, probably in the same year as he is, sitting rather nervously on one of the benches.
He decides to sit across the taken bench, crossing one leg on the other immediately to prevent his anxiety from taking the best of him. Jinyoung might appear to be calm and collected almost all the time to people who know him, but that’s partly thanks to him knowing how to hide his worries.
He sits in silence for a few minutes, occasionally glancing up at the guy who seems to be waiting for someone as well. Jinyoung noticed how rigged his upper body was; with his back hunched and his fingers fiddling with each other excessively. One leg was shaking up and down and Jinyoung felt as if he was just going to explode right in front of him dare he let him continue to get drowned in his personal bubble of tremor.
“Excuse me?” Jinyoung starts, directing his voice towards the trembling boy. He didn’t seem to catch it at first and so Jinyoung coughs a little loudly and repeats himself, “Excuse me? Are you okay?”
Finally, Youngjae snaps out of his trance, an evident look of shock on his face as he stares back at Jinyoung. Cheeks warming up at the awkward encounter, he answers back in a small voice, “Yeah, I’m okay.”
Jinyoung raises an eyebrow, obviously suspicious. “Your body language says otherwise. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“I—“ Youngjae looks down on his leg twitching with nerves and quickly uses his hand to make it stop. He squirms in his place, embarrassed at how embarrassing he’s already making himself out to be—and he’s not even on the date yet. “I’m just waiting for someone…” Youngjae mutters under his breath, praying the guy before him heard so he wouldn’t have to say it twice without breaking apart.
“How long have you waited?”
Blinking in realization, Youngjae glances at his wrist to check as he hasn’t actually looked at the time since he had the call with Jackson. His eyes widen at the numbers calculated as time in front of him. Youngjae feels as if his heart was going to burst out of his chest if he had to inform of this stranger the two and a half hours of waiting he has already been through.
His date should have arrived thirty minutes ago.
“T-too long,” Youngjae admits, breathe shaking. He doesn’t know what to do at this point. Out of all the worst case scenarios his mind had devised for him, being stood up was not one of them. And he suddenly realizes how stupid he had been believing that his date was going to show up in the first place.
Jinyoung notices the ever growing lines of frustration on Youngjae’s forehead and as he sees him stand up, he mimics the action and instinctively grabs his arm. Youngjae flinches at the touch, but doesn’t exactly let Jinyoung’s grasp go.
They simultaneously look at each other, with Youngjae’s teary eyed frown and Jinyoung’s worrisome eyes.
“Um,” Youngjae squeaks, ears burning up at the situation at hand. Jinyoung was too caught up with Youngjae’s soft yet scared expression to realize what he had just done. Quickly letting go, Jinyoung takes a step back, hitting the foot of the bench with his ankle.
Hissing at the pain with one eye closed, Jinyoung stutters, “I—um—sorry, that was—“
Youngjae chuckles softly, waving a dismissive hand. He bows slightly towards Jinyoung, appreciative of the help he offered. But all Youngjae wanted to do now was curl up in a ball hidden beneath mountains of blankets no matter how hot the weather actually was. He just wanted to teleport out of Jinyoung’s sight, and possibly let both of them forget this ever happened.
Turning his back around, Youngjae begins to brisk walk his way to the bus stop. He rarely swears, but right now was the perfect time to release the pent up collection of profanities in his throat.
Jinyoung watches his figure disappearing in the crowd of people and cars, and he feels as if there was something wrong in the pit of his stomach. Pacing back and forth, he checks his phone and contemplates on doing what he believes is the right thing.
He never wanted this date in the first place, and Jaebum wouldn’t be able to tell if he went out with the same guy or not, right? Either way, Jinyoung wanted to see Youngjae’s face again. Oddly enough. Jinyoung wanted to feel the delicate canvas of his skin again.
Opening the online dating app, Jinyoung clicks on his messages with his blind date, only to find the profile deactivated. Furrowing his eyebrows in confusion, he tries searching for the name, and nothing was coming up.
“What the…” An eerie wind ghosts its way through Jinyoung’s skin, and he wonders if everything he has done up to this point had been a dream or a sick prank.
As if on cue, Jinyoung receives a text from none other than Jaebum. Opening the message, Jinyoung’s blood begins to boil as his eyes absorb every word written on the gray bubble.
Sike. I basically cat fished your blind date. There is no Junbae. I made it all up. That’s what you get for ruining what I had going on the other night. I’m bringing her over for the rest of the day. I took your keys earlier without you knowing and have locked the door. Good luck finding a place to stay for the night! ;)
And that was the moment Jinyoung ran for his life.
-
“So, what you’re saying is that we both got stood up so I don’t have to be embarrassed by it anymore, at least, not by myself?” Youngjae asks.
Nodding his head in agreement, Jinyoung guides the both of them at the boba place they were walking towards. He places his hand on the small of Youngjae’s back to direct him to the side of the line forming. It seems as if the younger was still in a haze of shame and shyness, and as much as Youngjae found it bothersome for the two of them, Jinyoung most definitely couldn’t resist finding it cute.
Youngjae’s body automatically follows the warmth emanating from Jinyoung’s hand, pressing his lips together in an attempt of concealing the grin forming on his face.
“If putting it that way makes you feel more comfortable, then yes,” Jinyoung hums. He couldn’t quite decide whether it was fate that he had met Youngjae the same day, and the same time, he was “stood up” by his own blind date, and that he had the guts to chase after this blushing boy and persuade him to follow through their individual dates as an awkward rebound date.
It had been awkward the first five minutes of them walking back to where they started with Youngjae still frazzled and Jinyoung dumbfounded at his sudden act of bravery. But as soon as he had relayed to Youngjae what actually happened to him, the mood suddenly became brighter as Jinyoung hears golden laughter coming out of a cheerful smile.
Instead of holding a grudge like he usually did, Jinyoung decided to let this one slide for now as Jaebum had created an opportunity for Jinyoung to actually enjoy his free time.
Who really got pranked here, Jaebum? Jinyoung thinks to himself, mentally patting his back with pride.
“Okay,” Youngjae cheers with another soft chuckle. Jinyoung can’t help but stare at Youngjae’s expression of emotions whenever he emitted any type of laughter; and so far, he’s shown at least three. The booming laugh, the shy giggle, and right now, the warm and welcoming puffs of breaths.
“Shall we order our drinks now?” Jinyoung asks, trying to remind his mind to slow down and focus on the present. Youngjae nods and starts ordering with Jinyoung following afterwards.
“Your total will be $8.19,” the cashier exclaimed, looking up for whoever was going to give her the payment. Jinyoung snatches his wallet swiftly, taking out a ten dollar bill in the process. He sees Youngjae almost giving out his card, and Jinyoung’s free hand puts it down on the counter.
“Here you go,” Jinyoung tells the cashier who accepted it promptly. His hand never leaves Youngjae’s until Jinyoung receives his change and the receipt. Slowly, he lifts his hand and discreetly glances down to see Youngjae doing the same thing; inch by inch does he remove his hand from Jinyoung’s point of view, card beginning to break in Youngjae’s firm hold.
Youngjae didn’t know whether Jinyoung was intentionally touching exposed skin to get a reaction from him, but he hasn’t melted at his touch yet, so Youngjae was definitely willing to keep playing along.
Once they got their drinks, they picked a spot slightly secluded from the entrance so the ambience was much more quiet and relaxing. After a few sips of their own drinks, they begin to tell each other of general information about their identities, not really sure what exactly is the situation they’re in currently.
“I know Jackson,” Jinyoung addresses after Youngjae’s revelation of the story behind his presence today. “He’s friends with my asshole roommate, Jaebum, and I’ve seen him in a few house parties already.” Youngjae laughs at the description of a certain someone in which Jinyoung only smiles innocently at.
“Funny I have never seen you in any parties with Jackson in there, though. As much as he is outgoing, he usually parties with the same people,” Jinyoung muses, stirring the straw with his drink lazily.
Youngjae scratches the back of his head, unsure of how to attest to his hermit ways. He already feels way too small for Jinyoung who, as he remembers from their current conversations, is one of the leading students in the Political Science major, Vice President of the Theatre Arts Guild, candidate for Dean’s Lister since second semester of first year, and just overall handsome and way out of Youngjae’s league. He couldn’t believe he’s never seen him on campus, either, but he then reminds himself that since he was on the other end of the spectrum in terms of college atmospheres, it was expected they’d never cross paths organically.
“He’s invited me to all of them, but I only went to one and that kinda ruined it for me entirely,” Youngjae admits, biting down the straw of his drink in utter embarrassment. How many times in a day can one be embarrassed and live through it successfully, anyway?
“No, yeah. I get what you mean. Jaebum only drags me to them because he thinks I need to get laid,” Jinyoung mutters with a sigh. Ears perking up, Youngjae gasps audibly at the sound of the last word. He almost chokes on a tapioca pearl, but quickly saves another feat of misfortune by disguising it with a cough.
Jinyoung finds it amusing that Youngjae gets all flustered with such a term that should have been normal to them by now. He contemplates on dismissing the reaction, but his desire to find out how far Youngjae’s cuteness could go surpassed Jinyoung’s resistance.
“I—I see,” Youngjae utters for the sake of replying. A small smirk plays on the side of Jinyoung’s lips as he adds, “I should tell him by the end of the day that I don’t need to go to a party to get laid by now, shouldn’t I?”
Eyes like tennis balls, Youngjae bites hard on his lower lip and tries to bury himself on the table but instead bumps his forehead quite heavily. Unable to resist any longer, Jinyoung’s laugh escapes his lips and he quickly places a hand over them.
Youngjae peers up at him, cheeks red in tint and ears steaming in vexation. He was about to protest a the obvious verbal teasing, but seeing Jinyoung trying to hide his laugh caught his attention more, and the petty anger stuck in his throat disappears as fast as it arrived.
“This is probably why your friend played that prank on you,” was Youngjae’s reply and Jinyoung can’t help but shake his head in amusement as he’s probably right. But Youngjae’s reaction was way better than Jaebum’s, although Jinyoung thinks he can tell him that yet.
They finally stand up, and as Jinyoung collect his used tissues he tries to push it a bit more, “Am I wrong, though?”
There is a slight pause, and Jinyoung thinks Youngjae had already dropped the subject, but it was his turn to blush as Youngjae hints, “You’re going to have to wait and see.”
They proceed to stroll the whole place, deciding that the drink as sufficient enough for food at the moment. They begin to talk about more in depth topics such as their family, friends from high school, and even choice childhood memories which earned teases from Jinyoung and laughs from Youngjae. Once they finished their fifth set of encircling the area, they found themselves back on the benches, which they are not seated next to each other instead.
“I could introduce you to Jaebum sometime. It seems like you’d get along well with your shared interest in composing songs,” Jinyoung offers after conversing about certain hobbies.
“Has he showed you any of his songs?” Youngjae asks.
“No, asshole’s greedy and wants them as perfect as can be,” Jinyoung replies with a huff. Chuckling, Youngjae nods his head mindlessly and says, “I’m the same. I don’t think my songs are good enough to be heard by someone else’s ears.”
“What? Then how would you criticize what you’ve done fairly if you don’t let other people hear it too?” Jinyoung retaliates. Youngjae pauses in thought, silently agreeing with Jinyoung’s defense.
“I guess I’m just shy,” he finally quips. Bringing a hand on Youngjae’s shoulder, Jinyoung squeezes it gently for reassurance. “I’m sure your songs are great. And it’s the process that counts, right? As long as you enjoyed making it, I believe you have produced songs you should be proud of.”
Youngjae smiles at his words of comfort, indulging in the warmth of Jinyoung’s palm digging into the fabric of his shirt. “Thanks, Jinyoung hyung. I’ll let you listen to them sometime.”
Jinyoung’s lips part in pleasant surprise. “Wait, really?”
“Yes, really,” Youngjae nods. “I don’t know how you did it but you have swayed me with your words. Even Jackson hyung couldn’t persuade me, so congratulations.”
“I think I have the right to feel smug right now,” Jinyoung counters with a big grin, eyebrows wiggling. Youngjae slaps his arm playfully while nudging his shoulder with his. “Ahh, I’m not that special, hyung.”
“We always say that about ourselves,” Jinyoung says, shaking his head but his smile neve falters. “Until someone proves it wrong for us,” he finishes, eyes taking in the shy expression popping out of Youngjae’s whole face.
“Now you just earned yourself a place to hang out at for the meantime. You’re really good at this, aren’t you?” Youngjae insists, narrowing his eyes at Jinyoung in playful suspicion. Chuckling at Youngjae’s antics, Jinyoung boasts, “You keep asking me, I’ll only continue seducing you with my words.”
Another slap meets Jinyoung’s shoulder in which he proceeds to rub in retaliation. Feigning hurt, Jinyoung pouts childishly in which Youngjae laughs at—in his boisterous yet fulfilling way.
“Should we head to my apartment now or are you just going to keep seducing me here, hyung?” Youngjae challenges the older, standing up with his hands on either side of his waist.
“I mean, if public display of affection is what you’re into—“
“Jinyoungie hyung!” Youngjae interrupts him with a high pitched whine. Laughing at the violent reaction to one of his teasing, Jinyoung raises both hands in surrender and says, “Fine, fine. I’ll wait until we get to your place.”
Youngjae nods at Jinyoung’s cooperation, and starts leading the way, nervous like how he started this afternoon. But for a whole other reason altogether. Taking a deep breath, he takes faster steps until a hand encloses itself with his. Looking back, Jinyoung stares at him with his lips parted and breaths fanning out. They slow down with their paces, only gazing at each other’s glistening eyes.
“Sorry, was I walking too fast?” Youngjae mumbles sheepishly. Jinyoung hesitates before gripping Youngjae’s hand tighter, but with a soft embrace to it. “No, I just wanted to hold your hand,” he confesses with a suggestive grin.
Jinyoung waits for Youngjae’s ears to blush red, and his cheeks to double in size because of sheer secondhand embarrassment, but all he got was a dazzling smile, and a tug to his hand.
Jinyoung smiles, and silently thanks his asshole roommate for a blessing in disguise.