Chapter Text
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Terrace House.
A famous reality show where 6 people were chosen among the candidates to live together in a share house. They are from different background, never met each other before and only have one mutual interest: To find love.
//
//Gangnam – March 27th //
09:03 AM
The white door slides to the left with a small thud, revealing the person outside. He wore a white hoodie with black stripe running along the sleeves, pair with black jeans that hugs his long legs perfectly. His face mask was only pulled over his mouth, letting the air hit his high and straight nose bridge along with soft dark eyes. He lift his suitcase, step through the door and gently pull the door back to its closure. Making his way to the living room, he let out a relieved sigh that he himself did not realize that he was holding in, seeing that there was no one in the house yet.
“So I was the first one here hm?”
09:15 AM
The hoodie boy, now settled on the couch, turn his attention to the entrance as he heard a door opening sound that indicate a new comer. There was a small gasp and an “Oh my” before the person come into sight. He has silver hair poking out from beneath his black Balenciaga cap and a smile slowly blooming on his face as he looks around the new home. His head stopped moving when he caught a pair of curious eyes looking at him.
“Oh, hi! So sorry I was too indulged in the beauty of this place” He throws a hand around “and did not see you there.” His surprised smile turned into an apologetic one.
“It’s ok.” Reply was a kind smile with moon-shaped eyes “Nice to meet you! I’m Lee Jeno, you can call me Jeno.”
“My name is Hwang Renjun! Nice to meet you too!”
“Oh, you are from China?”
“Yes, I’m Chinese, but I have been living in Seoul for years now. You can also call me Renjun or Injun if that’s easier to pronounce.” Renjun replies with enthusiasm “Can I sit here?” He pointed at the seat across from Jeno.
“Yup! There is only me here so you can just choose wherever.” Jeno still speak with his soft tone, but there is a hint of interest in his voice now.
“Thank you! I was supposed to be here by 9 but I miscalculated the walking distance. Gangnam houses are big so a three-block-walk is apparently much further than I have expected.”
“Oh, really, what an adventure!” Jeno lamely reply. He almost slipped out that since he lives in the same area it’s doesn’t feel like that different for him, but then he remembered he’s being filmed constantly and all of these are going to be broadcasted later, so he rather kept his own place in secret.
“Yeah it sure was.” Renjun laugh out loud, trying to remove the awkwardness in the air. “By the way, how old are you?” He casually move on to another topic.
“I’m turning 22 this April. What about you?”
“I just have my 22nd birthday last week!” Renjun’s eyes suddenly brighten up with realization. “Wait, that means we can celebrate your birthday together next month!”
“It’s just a birthday, there is no need to…”
“Erm… Hello?”
Jeno was about to convince the other to not make a fuss around his birthday party when a bright orange head appear from behind the partition. Both Renjun and Jeno were too indulged in the conversation that they did not notice when the entrance door was slide open and close. The new comer is quite eye-catching with his bright-colored hair and his overly fair skin. He wore ripped jeans with a black open shirt with white T-shirt underneath. His face has lots of round curves that makes him look young, quite thick lips and eyes glinting with mischievous. He hurriedly push his red luggage to the side where Renjun and Jeno’s luggages are, then come to the couch.
“Nice to meet you! My name is Zhong Chenle or Chenle for short!” His tone was high, his smile was bright and his accent sounded cute.
“Hey! You are Chinese too? I’m Renjun and he is Jeno!” Renjun seems to be overly excited that there is another Chinese on the show that he just mixed up Chinese and Korean in his reply subconsciously.
“Hi!” Jeno lift his hand in a friendly wave and smile at Chenle.
“Ohhh another Chinese on the show this is rare!” Chenle jumped on some empty space on the couch and exclaimed while laughing. “I thought they never let people from the same background come together in one batch, based on a few last seasons.”
“Maybe that concept got old and they tried to find something to spice up the content now.” Renjun jokes, seemingly happy to have at least someone he could fully converse in his mother tongue.
“So, Chenle, how long have you been in Seoul?” Jeno asks, not wanting to be left out of the conversation.
“Oh I’ve just been here for 6 months for an exchange program! I still have around one more year left here!” Chenle seems to have calmed himself down a bit, maybe it’s the effect of Jeno’s calm voice. “So, what have you guys been talking about before I arrive?”
“Oh, yeah, what was it? I remember rambling about stuffs happened today and we’ve just go over our names and ages…” Renjun looks at Jeno’s eyes for confirmation. Jeno smiles back at him. “I think that was all. I’ve only arrived before you for around 10 minutes or so.”
“Cool, we won’t have to back-track much then.” Chenle beamed. “So about age, I’m 22!”
“I’m 23” Renjun said
“And I’m basically the same age as you until my birthday this year.” Jeno continued, silently hide the April part that could possibly turn into his grand birthday party with these two.
“Then you guys are both my hyung.” Chenle voice always up an octave when he get excited. “I’m glad our ages are close enough, I was kind of worry that there would be some old man around.”
“Well there are only 3 of us now, you still have 50% of the other halves being old.” Renjun laugh out loud, obviously humored by Chenle’s fake scare expression.
“Please don’t jinx it. Say, do you have a type?” Chenle suddenly ask, looking straight at Renjun, eyes sparkle in sheer curiosity.
“Who? Me?” Renjun points at himself to reconfirm, before lifting his hand to stroke his imaginary bread on his chin. “Hm, I don’t think I have any clear image in my mind, and not that I have any ex-lover to do a makeshift criteria. So maybe, no.” He wink at Chenle.
“Oh wow that’s something new. Hope you can find someone to be your standard here though.” Chenle speak softly with an encouraging smile. “What about you Jeno-hyung?”
“I think someone more outgoing than me?” Jeno lightly tug on the mask that was pulled down under his chin. “I’m not really a sociable type so maybe I would need someone to motivate me going out of my room I guess.” He shyly look down after the confession. It’s the first time he openly talk about his type to other people, even though nothing in details.
A small knock on the door broke the on-going talk.
“Come in!” Chenle speak out.
There are two people outside this time. One with impressive height that almost touch the door frame, and the other with a bucket hat that hide most of his face, showing only a sharp chin and tan skin. The taller wears a green hoodie with the hood pulled over his head and a black sling bag on his front. He carries only one Adidas black duffle bag with him, looking more like he’s going on a short weekend trip instead of moving his life to a new home. The latter wears a simple pair of track pants and a long sleeves white shirt. He has a black backpack with a pink bunny hanging on it, swinging from side to side as he walk into the house with his luggage.
“Hello! Nice to meet you! My name is Park Jisung. You can call me Jisung for short.” The taller boy bow then speaks in a rushed tone, seemingly shy in front of strangers.
“Hi! I’m Na Jaemin, you can call me Jaemin.” The pink bunny boy has a deep and soft voice, almost sounds lazy with the way he rolled out the syllables on his tongue.
“Hi, I’m Chenle.”
“Nice to meet you too. I’m Jeno.”
“I’m Renjun! How old are you?”
“Erm, I’ve just turned 21st last month.” Jisung scratch his head, reply in tiny voice.
“I’m turning 23 this year.” Jaemin smile, calmly walking to the couch.
“Oh my, then Jisung the youngest until now!” Renjun clap his hand together, then point at him and Jeno. “We are 23 and he” He points at Chenle “is 22.”
“Yes, I’ve heard from the production team that I’m the youngest in the house.” Jisung smile bashfully.
“Na Jaemin, your name sounds familiar.” Jeno squint his eyes at the table, trying to remember where he heard or read the name before.
“Maybe you caught my name in some magazines, if you read kinds of magazine like National Geographic.” Jaemin casually stop Jeno from abusing his memory. “I’m a photographer.”
“Oh yeah, you were the one who got into the final round of NatGeo’s photo contest last year!” Jeno exclaimed, visibly getting more excited. Jaemin just smile back, silently confirm the statement.
“Wow really? You must show me your photos later on, they must be so good!” Renjun doesn’t bother hiding his interest. “I’m major in art, and every good photo is equal to a feast
to my future art you know.”
“Thank you, they are not that good yet, I still have a lot to learn.” Jaemin smile at Renjun, his doe eyes looking straight at the silver-hair boy with gratitude.
“Now that we talk about occupation, I realized we haven’t know what each other do yet!” Chenle realized. “So Jaemin is a photographer, Renjun is an art student, I’m a 3rd year exchange student majored in business. What about Jeno-hyung and Jisung?”
“I’m in my last year in college, architecture major.”
“I’m also in 3rd year college, dance major.”
“That sounds cool! If you ever have a performance please remember to invite us to see!” Renjun said.
“You gotta teach me some moves Jisung!” Chenle said then broke out in his high-pitch laugh.
“Sure I will. Just ask me whenever.” Jisung seems to have shrugged off some of his nervousness and talk more casual with the other.
“Did you and Jisung know each other beforehand? Since you guys came together.” Jeno ask Jaemin, feeling the urge to hear more of his resonant voice.
“No, I was walking to the house when Jisung stopped me to ask for direction.” Jaemin giggled “Then we realized our destination is the same and walk together here.”
“If not for Jaemin-hyung I’m sure you guys will be waiting for me until midnight.” Jisung also found his inability of reading map funny.
“Or maybe we could have had a bonding time by going out looking for you Jisung.” Renjun jokes and all of them laugh out loud together.
“Am I interrupting?” A foreign voice suddenly turned up among the laughter.
Standing at the entrance is a tan boy with soft brown hair, wearing a blue baseball jacket with white T-shirt inside. His eyes are shiny and his smile is bright. One of his hand seems to be in the mist of waving before all the attention in the room directed to him.
“Hi, nice to meet you all! I’m Haechan. I’m 23 years old and I came from Jeju!” He cheerfully said.
“Hi Haechan, I’m Chenle. This is Renjun, Jeno, Jisung, Jaemin.” Chenle introduces everyone’s name briefly.
“Sorry for being late, the plane was being delayed a bit.” Haechan apologized, grabbing a plastic bag from his backpack. “I brought some tangerine from Jeju, I hope you guys like these.”
“You’ve just come back from Jeju?” Jisung ask with surprise.
“Yep, just got off the plane and go straight froom the airport.” Haechan rambling while peeling the skin of the tangerine. He peels off all the tangerines in no time then offer them to the other five. “Have a taste, this is from one of the most delicious farm in Jeju I’m telling you guys.”
“Thanks, you’re so kind!” Jeno smile with his signature moon eyes at Haechan.
“Haechan, you’re the 4th person of the same lineage here. Welcome to the 23rd group!” Renjun laugh incredulously. “Really, what are the odd of having 4 out of 6 people on the show of the same age?”
“Wow this sounds like a ride already! I expected there would be some old man here, I even prepared my mental beforehand!” Haechan laugh out loud.
“Oh my god you too hyung? I was thinking of the same thing and got so relieved when everyone is of the same generation!” Chenle was undoubtedly happy with the current team of six.
“What a relief! By the way, what do you guys do? I’m a trainee at SM Ent!” Haechan pop a piece of tangerine into his mouth, asking curiously.
“Wow, should I get your autograph first?” Jeno jokes, earning snickers from the others. “I’m an architect senior in college.”
“Why do I have a feeling of dejavu here?” Renjun said, reminded of the same question and expanded answers every time there is a new comer. “I’m an art student.”
“At least this is the last time we do this whole introduce to the house thing!” Jaemin reply to Renjun then turn to Haechan. “I’m a freelance photographer.”
“I study in business exchange program.”
“I’m in dance major.” Jisung speak in tiny voice, since being a trainee at SM Ent. means that Haechan must be very good at singing and dancing, and that made him feel a bit inferior.
“Oh my god you should come to the dance studio with me sometimes I’m so in need of someone to practice with!” Haechan just looking at Jisung with genuine awe and hopefulness.
“Erm, thank you?” Jisung scratch his head a bit, feeling shyer as the talk goes on.
“Ok! Since we are all here already, shall we go see the house and divide rooms?” Renjun suggests, seeing that the conversation has died down quite a bit and he himself still craving for some more sleep time.The other five boys seems to agree with the suggestion, standing up from the couch to have a look around the house.
//
Lee Jeno.
Hwang Renjun.
Zhong Chenle.
Park Jisung.
Na Jaemin.
Lee Haechan.
All of them came from different backgrounds, and would probably leads to different future, yet in this house, they sense a promising relationship that urged themselves to mature more beautiful. This will be the start of their life for at least 3 months after this day, and they hope they would be able to find their happiness by the end of this short journey.
Welcome to Terrace house.