Chapter Text
Ten
The first day anywhere was always harrowing. First day of high school. First day at a part time job. First day at college.
College in itself was so intimidating, I almost forgot that I was gonna have to live in a building full of strangers for the next four years. We would get a different room every year and while it was spacious, we were supposed to share it. It was two to a room. I was torn about that. I mean it guaranteed at least one friend, right? But what if my roommate was weird? What if he snored at night? What if he stole my things or didn't clean his side of the room? Ugh.
My roommate hadn't arrived yet. His parents' house was a forty minute car ride from the university and he was slowly going to bring in his stuff over the week. Maybe he was too lazy to pack, or perhaps he just wanted to stay home for a few more hours. SNU didn't allow day scholars.
But when I got back to the room after the first day of classes, I found the door already open, around five suitcases and a couple of boxes littering the hall.
"Yeah, Mom. I got all my stuff." I heard a voice from inside the room. It sounded familiar. "You didn't have to send them, though. I said I'd get them."
I stepped around the luggage and knocked at the door before entering. The guy was more or less the same height as me and had dyed his hair a light shade of pink.
"Hey." I cleared my throat when the guy turned around, a huge smile on his face. A smile that was quick to disappear. "I'm Ten-"
I stared at him, too dumbfounded to do anything else.
My roommate was Taeyong. Lee Taeyong. My ex's ex.
Taeyong nodded, trying to act non-chalant but I knew he wasn't expecting to see me either.
"Long time, Ten."
"Yeah." I looked around and cleared my throat again. "So you just got here?"
"A few minutes before you did." He answered. "My father just left. Can you help me move in the boxes?"
I nodded and threw my bag on my bed before moving towards the suitcases that were littered outside the door. Taeyong followed me and we lugged in the biggest one together.
"Ah, just keep it by the door." He muttered. We brought in the rest of the boxes as well and I collapsed on my bed, breathing hard.
"Why do you need so much stuff when your parents live close by?" I asked, blinking the sweat out of my eyes. I felt something cold against my arm and I jerked it away, only to find Taeyong hovering over me, offering me a bottle of water. I sat up, taking the bottle from him as he bent down to open one of his suitcases.
"Yeah, I don't plan on going home a lot, so.."
"Why not?"
"Been living there for eighteen years, man. I'm tired of that place."
I nodded in response. I knew what he meant. If I was in his situation, my Mom would force me to come back every other weekend. But we all needed college to learn to be independent. No point running back home every time.
"So what major are you?" I asked, placing the bottle on my desk. Our room had two beds and two desks squeezed into a narrow space along with two cupboards. Thankfully, there was a window so it made the room seem less suffocating. There was barely enough room to walk. Taeyong's luggage had taken up a major portion of the floor. I had unpacked all of my things yesterday and my bags were stowed beneath my bed.
"Engineering. Computer science. You?"
"Liberal Arts. Music to be more specific." I had been saying that all day today. So many new people. So many introductions.
"Nice." Taeyong said. I thought he would continue the conversation but he didn't. I could too but I had waited too long and it would just seem awkward if I said anything.
I sat there for a while, watching Taeyong unpack his stuff at lightning speed before it occurred to me that I should offer to help.
"Do you-" I was cut off by my phone beeping. I picked it up from my table and saw that it was a text from Jaehyun.
Wanna go look for that place Taeil hyung told us about? The one with the tasty chicken wings?
I texted back a short reply, saying I would meet him in the lobby. His room was two floors above mine. I stood up, reaching for my wallet when I saw Taeyong looking at me. He turned away quickly, though. Should I invite him? He was a native. Maybe he'll know the way around.
"I was er- headed out to this um, place where they- I mean I'm going out with a friend." I managed to stutter. "Do you wanna come with us?"
Taeyong smirked and then shook his head.
"No, I better get this stuff arranged."
I nodded and left the room. What sort of torturous awkwardness had I signed up for?
--
Taeyong
"Momo, where are you?" I asked. She'd gone to Daegu to visit her grandmother last week. I knew she was with family but the least she could do was text me back once in a while. We had barely talked and everytime I asked her what she was doing, she never answered me.
"Taeyong, baby, I'm going out to get some stuff for my grandma." Her end was totally silent. No sounds of doors closing, no footfalls. Nothing. "I'll text you when I get back."
She hung up again. That's pretty much how all our conversations had been for the past week. Normally when she was out vacationing, even to relatives' places, you could see it on her instagram. This time, she hadn't uploaded a single photograph. That's what worried me the most.
What didn't she want me seeing?
I cursed out loud and Johnny hissed. We should have been studying but I was too agitated and he was too.. lazy.
"Don't swear in front of me, Lee." He said flipping through the channels on the TV. "What happened? Trouble in paradise?"
"Momo.. she's being weird." I said.
"Isn't she in Daegu?"
"Yeah, and we haven't had a proper conversation all week!"
"Let her spend her holidays in peace."
"Please. Daegu's boring. What could she be busy with? She's home anyway."
"You don't know." Johnny grinned. "She could be out, clubbing with a guy hotter than you."
"Ha, ha. Her instagram is empty."
"Snapchat?"
"Empty."
"Twitter?"
"She doesn't use twitter."
"What about facebook?"
"I- don't know. I'm not on facebook." I reached for his phone. "Are you?"
"Momo isn't on my friendlist."
"And you can't view someone's profile if you aren't friends?" I asked.
"Depends on the privacy settings." Johnny sat up and snatched his phone from my hand. "You're being clingy, Lee."
"I am just worried!" I groaned. "Can't you check for me? Please."
"You really should give her some space. She'll come back to Seoul, right?" Johnny was giving me his judgy look but it didn't make me feel guilty at all. I needed to see. "But since you're my friend, I'll help you stalk your girlfriend on social media."
"Yes. Thanks."
"Hmm. Let's see." He was tapping away on his phone. "Momo.. Hirai.."
I waited for him to say something when he shrugged.
"Can't see her profile. Sorry, Lee."
"Ugh."
"Yuta is a mutual friend, so- hey, where are you going?"
I hastily grabbed my phone and texted- yes, triple texted Yuta. I was just too desperate.
I didn't even get to actually asking Yuta to let me see Momo's account on facebook. I had multiple people text me the screenshot. On their own.
The first text I got was from Irene noona. She was a senior and had graduated two years ago.
Taeyongie. Isn't this your girlfriend?
At first I thought she had done a neat job photoshopping the picture, just to mess with me, but then Seung Cheol, another friend from a different class sent me the same picture with a "WHEN DID YOU TWO BREAK UP?"
The next day, I was out with a few people from school when Johnny called me.
"Did you see?" He asked.
"Yes, but I don't believe in screenshots."
That's when Yuta spoke up. "No one showed you the actual post?"
I shook my head as he whipped out his phone. I almost wished he hadn't.
Seeing that post by some guy called Ten Chittaphon, who had his arms around Momo, on her tip toes, kissing his cheek, made me want to walk straight to Daegu and punch him hard.
"He could be an ex." I said.
"Momo's hair is blonde in the picture. She hasn't dyed it before." I heard Johnny's voice on the phone.
"Yeah. Yeah, you're right." I was numb for a moment but then my brain started working. "Johnny. I need to see you like right now."
Him, and Ten.