Chapter Text
1
All Jihoon knows was Jeonghan's a guy at the university.
He's a friend of a friend of a friend. They hung out a couple of time, though it's more like their group hung out while they just happened to be there in the same place at the same time. They did engage in some conversations lasted approximately not more than two minutes, including the awkward silence. So are they friends? Hard to say.
The guy is moderately tall, good-looking, known by a playful personality and a friendly smile. He used to have brown hair which softens his look. Now it is dyed black, deepen the look to some extent but his smile stays soft and pretty.
Jihoon has naturally dark brown hair that contrasts both his milky skins and rosy cheeks. He got that cute-but-intimidating guy aura. He isn't, in fact, intimidating at all. Once you get to know him, he's just an adorable kind kid who gets serious at work.
Both of them passed each other by in the hallway, exchanged the simplest hi and became a familiar face to see.
They wouldn't even care to memorize one another's full name If only it continues that way.
"So the kid moved out?"
Jihoon nods "Just temporarily though. just this summer. He'll be back"
"Isn’t it nice though? It’s like having a private room” Seokmin suddenly sounds excited as if he’s the one who owns the room. Well, that’s his nature. Cheerful. almost too cheerful.
That’s why they’re friends. Lee Seokmin sounds like someone who would laugh at every joke anyone makes. Jihoon needs someone like that around. His I’m incredibly chill-happy-easy-going vibes put everyone around him at ease. No one has to worry about not acting normal enough. Seokmin’s too kind to ever judge anyone.
"There’ll be a new dude moving in, you know, it's usually like that" jihoon sighs when thinking about why he’s staying here and suddenly vents “I register this summer course just so I can have time to fucking breath next semester”
“oh poor you, but you know you will do good”
“Thanks. You’re going home?”
“yeah, for a while, I probably come back a week before the new semester begins”
“Cool”
“Don’t miss me too much”
Jihoon chuckles at that “you tell yourself not to miss me”
They talked all the way to the train station. After saying goodbye to his friend, Jihoon was somewhat tired. He grabbed dinner around the station and decided to just go back to the dorm.
It’s a room for two. Neither too small nor too big. One bunk bed, two big desks, two wardrobes, and a bathroom. Just enough for a living. And he’s even so lucky that he get a room on the first floor.
Lee chan, his younger roommate who sleeps on the upper bed, went back home. Normally if a student moves all the stuff out during summer. Rent will be excluded during that period. Whoever wants to have a place to stay can apply and replace that temporary empty bed.
If no one applies Jihoon will get a room all for himself while paying just the same half amount, which is amazing. He doesn’t really think that’s the case though. For people who decided to stay around university during the summer for whatever reason, the dorm is one of the best options. Not many places nearby let you make a short contract, a few that let you are often full.
With that being said, it doesn't surprise him when he opened the door to another person lifting a box. They almost crash into each other, just close enough for him to smell his fabric softener.
"oh"
"oh"
"Hey"
"Hi"
"We haven't talked much, have we?"
Jihoon’s thinking about how they rarely talk but also how pretty this guy’s eyes are up close. So he responds rather slow.
"yeah"
“Well ah I’m your new roommate I guess”
What he didn’t expect is it’s someone he knows
2
It should be from then that they get to know each other more. Sharing the same room, sleeping in the same place.
Except Jeonghan barely sleeps there. Jihoon doesn't think he's close to him enough to ask so he just keeps wondering. Maybe he likes sleeping over at friends' place. Maybe he’s a night wanderer. Maybe he likes partying at night. Who knows which one.
Jihoon's an afternoon classes lover. So they only met in the morning when jeonghan came to pick up his stuff and some nights when jeonghan decided to sleep in the room. Occasionally Jihoon opened the door to him taking a nap or lying down playing games on his phone too. But even when they get a chance to finally be in the same room in those time, they hardly ever interact. The talk was only brought on on necessary topic, like should they turn the air conditioner on.
Half of the summer passes just like that. Jihoon mostly focuses on studying, finishing the whole manga set and flourishing his own little project of writing songs. Turn out that, despite feeling a bit lonely sometimes, it’s nice that he got a room almost all to himself since he can sing and record anything as much as he wants without feeling like invading his roommate’s space.
The night they managed to have the longest talk was when Jihoon’s up with the fueled idea, writing a new song, trying a melody on a guitar.
It's past midnight already when he heard the knocking, not on the door, but the window.
The room is on the first floor and It’s not that high. It is possible to knock on the window, yes, but why? why exactly?
"jihoon, jihoon? sleep yet? open the window please"
"What the hell"
"Hey open the window? please?"
He thought it was a crazy man, a drunk guy or a ghost. But when he looks at the window he realizes it’s none other than the upper bed’s owner.
It’s jeonghan, whose last name jihoon doesn’t remember.
Still confused, the brown-hair guy got out of bed, took a few steps near the window and opened it.
“hoorayyyyy” the newcomer said as soon as he spotted the other's face. he started climbing in the room. It was then that jihoon notice he brought something with him. A minute later jeonghan confirmed it “I brought pizza”
he sounded a bit unusual. It’s already unusual coming in using a window when the door exists.
“Do you like pineapple on pizza or hate them? too late there’s already a lot of pineapples, look” he pointed at the pizza after telling his roommate to look and continued talking “thank god you haven’t slept I would feel so bad waking you up”
“Are you drunk” is jihoon’s first word that night to jeonghan
“Don’t know. but if um I am, I never cause any damage. promise. I’ll just be a little more talkative”
So it’s obvious now.
For a whole minute, nothing happened after that. Jihoon just sat on his bed. Jeonghan standing by the window, looking lost in his own room. But finally he took one slice of pizza then put the pizza box on jihoon´s lap. Dropped on the floor at the opposite side of jihoon's bed and casually said
“I wish we talk more often“
jihoon just shrugged.
“why don’t you just talk to me then, I mean we’re in the same room?”
he giggled “I’m shy”
“you? shy? You know like 80 percent of people in the hallway”
“ really it’s true! I’m shy.” took a small bite, with pineapple. He carefully chewed and swallowed it before explained “they approach me first. once I’m comfortable, I’m confident. I´m only like that around people I know”
“oh”
“yeah talk to me”
Jihoon thought he might be mad then that his new roommate looked at him with that eyes. Talk to him, he means it. From what can be seen in those two pretty things staring, he even means talk to him, please.
3
Surprisingly it didn’t go that well. It’s about time they get along well. They should get along well. Fact is, They should keep their conversation at two minutes because Jihoon just found out this guy is too much of a, how should he put it? not an asshole but a bit of a shit.
Yes, he’s a nice guy, he’s cool, kind, easy to be around. But one more thing about him everyone knows, his playfulness.
The playful thing, it can be frustrating.
He’s a tease and an observant. The moment he figures jihoon is triggered by being called pretty once. He changed his name to jihoonie and change his voice when calling him that. Just to get on his nerve.
and that’s when jihoon decided it could be beautiful friendship between them but right now it’s definitely not.
But do they need to get along perfectly to live together, or be a friend or go places together? Jeonghan doesn't think so.
“Jihoon, come out”
The taller guy with black hair and black clothes appears at night outside the window. again.
"no" Not so surprised by the window thing anymore, jihoon doesn't make any question and just rejects the invitation right away.
“come on. you’ve just finished the exam right? you’re so stressed-out. come out have some fun”
“nah. rather sleep”
“most of the time I’d agree but haven’t you slept all day already? no fun jihoonie”
“shut up”
“aggressive jihoonie”
“jeonghan shut up”
“please? I’ll take care of you I pinky promise. Please.”
The pleasing makes jihoon turn his head to look at him just to show him an annoyed face but when met with the dark round pair of glittering eyes, he almost changed his mind.
Signed, he tries to make an excuse “why do you even want me to go?”
“it’s no fun doing it alone”
hearing the unknown fun he groans “doing what exactly”
“dance!”
4
It isn’t a nightclub like jihoon had imagined. It’s literally a dance club. no excessive lightning, screaming or alcohol. Just some fresh funky pop songs playing loud and people are dancing like that's the only thing they're allowed to do in this house.
jeonghan goes in excitedly, distances himself a bit and starts --dancing-- if that’s what it is- to the beat.
“what the hell are you even doing” he has to shout to communicate
“it’s called ‘dance’ jihoonie” shouting back, the guy approach with such a big comfortable smile, which since the day jihoonie’s a thing, always make jihoon either want to punch him in the face or grab him by the collar, just to ask what on earth is so amusing. What was all that stupid silly whatsoever smiles for?
And Jihoon does dance. graciously and without a doubt better than what jeonghan’s doing right now. He’s sort of just moving along the music and snap his fingers, like a kid.
Jihoon dances. Professionally. The thing is it’s been a while and he’s not really used to swaying randomly to the beat anymore. He isn’t as carefree. Plus he can be shy sometimes.
“Come on. Just enjoy things. will you?”
“it’s” it took jihoon awhile to word that thing in his head, and thankfully jeonghan just wait in silence “-a bit embarrassing”
“what”
“huh?”
“What was that you’ve just said”
“I said it’s embarrassing”
“pff embarrassment? don’t know what that is.”
Not convinced enough, Jihoon still stays where he is. Jeonghan distances himself again, does a silly little dance around and come closer little by little, still not giving up on encouraging the brown-hair boy
“Nobody’s watching”
Probably because jeonghan’s already embarrassing enough in jihoon’s eyes that he thinks no embarrassment is going to outshine his. He unintentionally giggles and starts to move.
Jihoon dances.
The music’s changing. one minute is a jazz song, another minute it’s a slow song. Jihoon thought the fun reaches its time and about to excuse himself to walk away when his (so-called) dance partner grabs his hand gently.
“Last one?”
“err it’s a ballad can you even..” he was going to ask if jeonghan even know how to dance to that but realize they’re already dancing. Slow and sweet. The way he moves is surprisingly smooth. He knows where to place the hands, which direction to go.
“Oh, you can actually..” dance. that’s his sentence. He doesn't just know how. He can dance. But jeonghan decide to be a bit of shit he is in that exact moment and cut jihoon off.
“I can do a lot of things”
“What” already made a disapproving face, the little guy means it in a mocking way but the other take it as a question. lean in a bit and half whispering half talking, just so jihoon can hear him over the music that starts to build up.
“I can do tons of thing”
it startles him at the same time something in his chest jumps. He attempts to look around, focus on something else, but fails. His eyes land on the person in front of him. The height different annoyingly does it things at the moment.
Jeonghan isn’t a big guy. He’s skinny, to be honest. But he’s got such a chest, such shoulders. Not sure if it's his clothes but it doesn’t matter.
What matter is his head is in the same position as the space on his shoulder and neck. He could just go right in there, lay his head on the crook of his shoulder just to feel comfortable. He must be warm, his hands are warm so why wouldn’t his chest. he smells good too
“Do you want to lean in”
“Ha! you! I-” didn’t even say anything. why does he know? Is reading mind one of ‘tons of stuff’ he can do? that’s what was said in the jihoon head but in real life, he gets stuck at I
“Well, your hands are cold. I wear such thick clothes anyway”
“it’s-”
“I don’t mind. don’t overthink it”
To his own surprise, he does lean in. it does smell nice, just a soft fabric. It does feel warm and a little more than that but he can’t quite describe it. Last thing he knows he probably is going to overthink it at least a day in the weekend.