Chapter Text
Bobby was attracted to Hanbin for a long time even before they officially knew each other. He didn't know what his name was, what year or the department he was in but he knew his routine and habit very well. He didn't mean to stalk the guy. It just all happened so suddenly. Before he knew it, he was already enthralled.
Bobby and Hanbin lived at the same building, an apartment close by their university but they hardly knew each other. He first came to know Hanbin when he ran into the guy while rushing his way to the campus. The latter was on his knee, slouching with his pocket camera ready for action. He was taking a picture of a sleeping cat in the middle of the road. He didn’t even notice if someone was watching. Off in his own little world.
The atmosphere was nice with summer just right around the corner. The weather was perfect that day. It just rained the other night so there were puddles here and there along the road. The air was damp and moist. It wasn't too hot but not too cold. The sun was shining just right. Not too mention, the gentle figure of the person right in front of him. The slander shoulders, fair height, not too chubby but not skinny either. Sleepy eyes, silky black hair, white skin, and plump lips decorated by a soft innocent smile. He couldn’t see the whole face but he could tell that the guy wasn’t bad looking. He looked frail though, and Bobby thought if he was as much as to effortlessly push him, the guy would just fall. Bobby laughed quietly at the thought before he reminded himself that he was late for his morning lecture and ran as fast he could.
Bobby couldn't help but got mesmerized by what he saw. It was beautiful. Was it the view or the guy who he laid his eyes on for the first time? He didn't know which exactly but he honestly thought that he saw an angel. That might be too exaggerated but he couldn't stop thinking about the guy since then. He couldn't stop smiling that day. His friends, classmates and even the professors were looking at him funny but he was too lovestruck to care. That was how he came to know Hanbin but then, he didn’t know the name yet.
It was weird for him too. He never thought he would be this enthralled over another man. His life was and had always been about girls and he dated a lot before. Although he never took his love life seriously, it was love at the first sight for him.
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There was one cafe near their university that Bobby liked to frequent. He would go there after class or when he just wanted to chill alone or with his friends. A few days passed after and Bobby was just hanging like any other day with his best friend in his favorite cafe when his eyes suddenly directed him at someone who just entered. His eyes didn’t even miss a second. That someone was the guy who he saw the other day. He couldn’t help but stare.
The guy was just wearing a casual tee and ripped jeans. He looked sleepy and exhausted with the mask hiding his face and his hair was a mess, but that didn’t bother Bobby at all. He still thought the guy looked perfect. His dumb smile started to show off again and his mind was immediately off to la-la land.
“Bobby! Bobby! Hey, earth to Bobby!” his friend yelled.
His friend was getting sick of the lovestruck grins Bobby had been giving off for a few days then. And when Bobby didn’t respond to him, he hit him in the head hardly enough to bring his friend back to his senses.
“Ow! What the fuck, June,” Bobby yelled in response while he brushed the pain off with his attention finally back to his friend, Junhoe. He could see that his best friend was clearly annoyed.
“Dude, seriously. I can’t take this anymore. What on earth did you see that could possibly make you all bubbly like this? She’s better be outrageously beautiful or I’m not buying it. Even I have never seen you like this. It’s weird,” Junhoe confronted his best friend.
“Why the hell should I tell you though?” Bobby decided to shrug the question off.
“But I thought we were best friends! We’re cousins for crying out loud. I’m your cute younger brother. How can you NOT tell me?” Junhoe raised his voice, complaining. He was loud enough that the whole cafe could hear him. Everyone was staring at them by then, including Bobby’s secret crush who was in the counter, ready to give his order.
“Suuusshh! Shut up! You and your loud mouth. Honestly, I don’t even know you,” Bobby hissed as he lightly hit the head of the younger boy before he stood up and walked out of the cafe in a hurry.
Junhoe started thinking. He was curious of what got into Bobby suddenly. On one second, they were having casual chats and then suddenly, Bobby was already gone. He wasn’t even sure if his hyung heard what he was saying for the whole 8 minutes he talked his mouth off.
“Hmm… Who could it be?” He asked himself. Whoever it was, it got to be someone in the room or Bobby would have not just disappeared suddenly like that. He looked around and then stopped at the direction where Bobby was spacing off to. The counter area.
Could it be the barista? Junhoe thought to himself. He was confused. The barista was pretty but way far out of Bobby’s taste. He knew what Bobby liked. From all the girls his hyung dated, she was just too flashy to be the one who had been driving Bobby weird lately. But there was no other girls in that area, just a guy who was about to take his coffee and leave. When the guy right there was in fact the girl Bobby was falling for, but of course Junhoe didn’t know that yet.
Thinking by himself didn’t definitely get Junhoe anywhere and not long after, he gave up and went home. He lived together with Bobby but his hyung wasn’t found anywhere when he got home. He decided to just shrug it off for the day and go to sleep. Bobby never got home that day though. He wanted to avoid the younger’s questionings until he became more sure of what he really felt. He thought of the possibilities of it just being a phase or something and it would probably pass soon. He crashed at his dongsaeng, Donghyuk’s apartment for the night.
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Weeks passed and summer vacation was finally approaching. It was a week before final exams week. The week Bobby hated the most. He hated studying. He didn’t even know why he took on Social Science studies when he didn’t really like it in the first place. But there were nothing specific that interested him so he just took whatever. He was working part-time as a small model, nothing too big but he liked it. Looking good in front of the camera always came easier to him since it didn’t require him to think so hard.
So today too, Bobby spent his day at the cafe. He had his books with him but he didn’t want to study. Instead, he was enjoying himself, playing games on his phone with his earphones on. He was trying to ignore the tense atmosphere brewing up in the cafe because almost everyone there was either studying or complaining about the exams. He didn’t even bother to look up from his phone for a split second.
When he finally lost his game and looked up from his phone, he was shocked to see his crush, sitting on the table across his. He immediately blushed. He could feel the heat he was feeling on his ears. He knew on what day and time the latter would go to the cafe and got an idea of how his schedule worked. As far as he knew, today was not one of those days. He hated how shy he felt but he loved how he got a nice view of his crush. He didn’t run into him everyday so he considered it as a gift and decided to enjoy it. And today, he wasn’t wearing his mask too. What a day. Bobby would steal a glance every now and then at the guy while distracting himself with his phone.
Bobby had not found out much about this guy he was crushing so hard on, but he noticed how the latter always wore a mask when he walked outside and how he never really tried hard with his outfits. He also noticed that the latter lived in the same building as him, how he didn’t like crowds and that he had two best friends who one of them happened to be one of his classmate, Yunhyeung. He could just ask for Yunhyeung to introduce him to the guy but he got scared. Maybe the idea of a guy asking another guy to introduce them to their guy friend is kind of weird or maybe that was just him.
The latter was drawing something on his sketchbook. He loved the seriousness on the latter’s face. How he scratched his head when it didn’t go too well with his work. Cute, Bobby thought to himself. It didn’t take long before Bobby lost himself and before he knew it, he was already staring hard. Of course, the latter noticed it. How could he not? It was starting to make him uncomfortable.
“Excuse me, can I help you?” the latter looked up from him work to Bobby. He had a suspicious look on his face.
“Y-Yeah, of course. Sorry, I wasn’t staring at you! I was just interested in what you were drawing, that’s all. Don’t worry,” Bobby answered in panic. Lie. He didn’t expect that at all. Not a bit. But he decided to continue the conversation. He didn’t want to lose this one opportunity that probably would never come again. There was a brief awkward silence before Bobby decided to open his mouth again. The latter was still looking at him suspiciously.
“So, um.. Y-You’re in the art department?” Bobby asked. Stuttering with his words a bit. His hands couldn’t stay still either in nervousness.
“No. I’m studying Visual Communication Design,” the latter answered calmly.
“Oh…”
Bobby lost his words. He was never like this before. He was always so full of words and never had a conversation ended this fast with anyone before. He was always the popular and confident guy… But what was wrong with him then? Come on, Bobby! You can’t just surrender like this… Try to say something! Bobby scolded himself.
The latter kind of noticed how Bobby was in an internal dispute with himself so he decided to continue the conversation for him, not knowing why he should. He smiled for the first time toward Bobby. It was an awkward one but definitely the smile that made Bobby fell in love at the first sight.
“You know, if you’re interested you can just move to my table and watch me work. I don’t mind. Just don’t be noisy,” the latter offered. Bobby definitely didn’t expect that one. He was so happy that he wanted to scream but the latter said not to be noisy.
“It’s okay? Thanks! I’ll take on your offer,” Bobby said excitedly then he moved to the empty sit across the latter.
“What department are you in?” the latter asked while continuing with his sketch. Back to his serious mode.
“Social studies. But, wow, what you’re doing is so much cooler. Is this a project for your final exam?”
“Yeah, it is. It looks cool but it’s a pain in the neck. I’m still brainstorming for ideas. And I still have to find an appropriate concept too. So much work…” the latter whined in low voice as he moved his pencil. He seemed pressured.
Maybe I should try to change the subject for now. Bobby thought.
“Oh yeah, where are my manners? My name is Kim Ji Won but my friends call me Bobby. How about you? What’s your name?” Bobby asked as if to lighten up the mood. He raised his hand for a handshake with a friendly smile.
“Uh, Kim Hanbin. Sorry, I don’t have a cool nickname like you do. My friends just call me Hanbin,” Hanbin cracked a little joke as he dropped his pencil and took the hand extended to him with a smile. That smile just got Bobby’s heart skipped a beat.
“Nah, you got a good name. It would be a waste to call you by something else,” Bobby shrugged in return with his bunny smile.
“Thanks, um... Wait, are you older than me? You seem like you are. I’m a sophomore,” Hanbin asked in curiosity. The tension in him had already melted when he took Bobby’s hand and his focus shifted to their conversation rather than his sketches. He was starting to enjoy his conversation with this person he just met.
“Yeah, I guess I am then. I am already a junior, third year. But don’t worry about the formalities. Just call me hyung and drop the honorifics,” Bobby answered casually as he rubbed his nose slightly.
Hanbin had a good impression of Bobby. He seemed cool and fun, so different from him. He liked how easy it was talking to him. But he wondered why Bobby would be interested in him and his work of all things. He didn’t seem to be the artsy type.
“Okay, hyung,” Hanbin nodded with the smile that Bobby loved so much. Bobby could see how sleepy Hanbin was from the bags Hanbin had under his tired eyes. He couldn’t help but feel concern.
“Good. But now, don’t get too worked up on your work. You need to take a breather every now and then. I’ve been watching you. You’re too tense.”
“I don’t know though. This isn’t how I usually am. I guess I’m in a slump. I’m tired. Nothing has been going well,” Hanbin dropped his whole face on to the table as if he was giving up.
“Yeah, but you’re not gonna be here, stressing yourself out all evening. I won’t let you. Close your book and let’s go somewhere else.”
Bobby stood up and helped Hanbin up from his chair and help him put everything in his bag. Then, he dragged the boy along by the wrist even carrying his bag for him. Hanbin wasn’t even given a chance to say no. He didn’t even try. He just followed the older. Usually, no one would be able to stop Hanbin from his work like this. He was technically married to his work. Always glued up to his sketchbooks and he had like 5 of them in case he forgot one of them. But here he was, getting dragged by someone who he just knew 20 minutes ago. It was definitely weird for Kim Hanbin.