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Seungcheol counted at least sixty bazillion couples making googly eyes at each other on the way to class and wondered why whatever was in the water at college hadn’t seemed to affect him. It must be the sunny weather rising people’s spirits. He wished that something was in the cards for him too, because all he felt like he did at the moment was eat, study and sleep. (Not so much the latter. He blamed deadlines.)
After a long day of classes, all he wanted to do was drink some soda, stretch out on the sofa with his roommate and zone out while watching a stupid film on Netflix. Jihoon was off around the same time as Seungcheol and they liked to do something fun together on Wednesday to power them through the rest of the week.
He entered the dorm, went to his room to change into his pajamas, and then turned on the TV in the common room before plopping on the sofa with some soda and chips. Turning the volume higher than unusual would signal to Jihoon that he was home and playfully bug him as an added bonus. Sure enough, it only took a couple minutes of super loud talking from the TV to draw Jihoon out of his cavern and sit on the sofa next to him. He was distracted, though, and constantly wrote on his phone. (Probably to his boyfriend.) Seungcheol was too tired to be annoyed and drifted off into a much-needed nap.
Seungcheol stumbled into consciousness when Jihoon shook his arm and tugged him off the sofa. His eyes closed for another moment as he tried to hold onto the image of shirtless men in a soda-filled swimming pool. Peace didn’t last too long - Jihoon continued to move him.
”Wait, what are you doing?” Seungcheol asked as Jihoon bodily hauled him towards the door.
“He’s coming over in ten minutes and I gotta clean!”
Seungcheol frowned. “You only clean when you put out. This won’t take too long, right?”
Jihoon looked sheepish. “Few hours? Sorry!” He shut the door before Seungcheol could say anything else. Seungcheol didn't appreciate this, being pushed out of the dorm without money or something for the inconvenience. His T-shirt and thin pajama pants already failed to prevent the draft in the hallway and going anywhere else might prove to be disastrous. Damn friend, didn’t even let him get his phone or wallet. A moment later, he heard a door slam on his right and there was a dude standing in his pajamas. They made eye contact and Seungcheol gave him a sympathetic smile. (Seriously, though, what was his luck? The guy was like a hot elf in real life and standing six feet away from Seungcheol!)
“I know the feeling,” said Seungcheol.
“Bastard roommate,” the guy said. A flash of irritation crossed his face and made him look like a badass gang member determined to get revenge. The effect was only lost a little because the dude was in sweatpants.
“Tell me about it. I don’t have anything with me.” Seungcheol shook his head.
“I’m Jeonghan.” The guy gave a slight smile. Seungcheol forced himself to stay calm in the presence of the Juxtaposition of Coolness and Hotness. “Wanna bitch about roommates over ramen?”
“Seungcheol. And yes, please.”
Nothing said pathetic like going to a convenience store in his sleepwear. What was his life? The worst part of it all was that this wasn’t this first time. At least when he was sexiled last time, he had his money with him. Right now, he had about ten thousand won on an app he could use for a store but the convenience store was twenty minutes away. Way to seem like a pathetic penniless fool.
"Do you have any money?" Seungcheol asked. He hunched his shoulders and bit at his lip as he wished he didn’t look like a beggar while freezing his nuts off.
"Enough for a ramen and beer each," said Jeonghan. "So you definitely owe me." Seungcheol breathed a sigh of relief and shot his biggest grin at Jeonghan.
"Definitely. You're my hero. Ramen hero." Seungcheol saw Jeonghan smirk and as they paid for their ramen and poured hot water into their cups, he wondered why Jeonghan seemed vaguely familiar. Had they been in any classes together? Seungcheol was always in the back, so noticing people wasn't always top priority.
Seungcheol glanced at Jeonghan and then again. He tried not to stare, but it was difficult. Soon after, the other man noticed him looking and they made eye contact. Seungcheol averted his gaze and stared at his ramen, sheepish.
“Do I have something on my face?” asked Jeonghan with the tone of someone who knew that wasn’t the reason Seungcheol was staring.
Seungcheol shook his head. “Nah, sorry. You look familiar. I swear we have a class together, but I’m not --”
Jeonghan set his chopsticks in his ramen cup. “Music composition. You usually sit in the back.” Seungcheol snapped his fingers in recognition and felt silly for not realizing this before.
“You noticed?”
“You’re difficult not to notice.”
Seungcheol rubbed at the back of his head as his cheeks warmed. “Well, I’m never going to not notice you again.”
Just then, a few men came closer to them after exiting the convenience store and hovered by Jeonghan.
“What are you doing?” one asked. “You’re at our table.”
“I didn’t know your name was on it,” Jeonghan replied. The man took out a piece of gum he was chewing and stuck it on the table. He crossed his arms.
Seungcheol stood and started to back away to avoid the confrontation (not worth it, in his opinion) and then Jeonghan frowned.
“Disgusting,” he said. “As if I want to contract any more stupidity.” The bullies frowned as Jeonghan left the table and stormed off with Seungcheol, glaring into space. “Those assholes. Why should I have to breathe the same air as them?”
“It’s not worth the fight.”
“This isn’t the first time this has happened.”
Somehow they found themselves on a campus building roof, staring out over the city with a beer can in hand.
“So,” said Seungcheol as he made himself comfortable,”have you ever been on a rooftop?”
“All the time. Hey, look at those people over there! Looks like they’re skateboarding.”
“At night? Just seems foolish to me,” Seungcheol shook his head. “I’m not much of a skateboarder. Basketball’s more my style.”
“Any good?”
Seungcheol smiled. “I can manage.” Then the two of them noticed their music composition teacher walking on the ground floor, meeting a man and leaning towards him for a kiss.
“Guess someone’s not too busy to date,” Jeonghan remarked.
“Tell me about it. The most I can manage is a drunk makeout sesh at a party. And that was a month ago.”
“Was she a good kisser at least?” Jeonghan asked, though the question was a soft one.
Seungcheol hesitated. “No, he kinda sucked.” The tone of his voice was low in case Jeonghan didn’t hear it, didn’t want to, or --
That didn’t happen, because all Jeonghan did was shake his head.
“Why do some guys think that good kissing requires whole tongues inside of your mouth?” Seungcheol chuckled and shrugged. For him, it had to be with the right person, even if it was tough to find someone with good matching physical chemistry.
“Yeah. It’s difficult, getting it right. Have to be on the same page,” Seungcheol said. Jeonghan stretched and they fell into silence. The world was quiet around them and Seungcheol glanced up at the stars. Seungcheol nudged Jeonghan’s arm and pointed at Orion’s belt (his favorite).
They smiled at each other and remained there for a little while before deciding to go home.
Seungcheol knocked on his apartment door before trying the handle and managed to open it. He cringed in expectation of the strewn socks, undergarments or leftover condiments used (wouldn’t be the first time) and opened the door to a disaster-free zone. Jihoon sat on the sofa with a soda in hand.
“Hey,” Jihoon said and Seungcheol nudged his foot with his own.
“Don’t ‘hey’ me, you left me without my phone and no money!” Seungcheol furrowed his brows and Jihoon had the decency to look ashamed.
“Sorry, I didn’t realize. But you’re okay, right? What did you do?”
“Hung out with the guy from the door next door. Decent guy.”
“Really?” Jihoon now had the expression on his face he always got (Devious Matchmaker face) that usually led to disastrous results.
Seungcheol shook a finger at him. “Don’t even think about it. I’m telling you nothing about him. Good night.” Seungcheol thought that if he said it with such finality, that would be the end of it.
He was dead wrong.
===
Matchmaking Jihoon was a frightening beast. The next day, Jihoon sent all sorts of odd looks in Seungcheol’s direction during classes and Seungcheol feared what would happen next. At least he was vague enough that it’d delay Jihoon’s investigation for a little while so Seungcheol could focus on classes. For one day that worked and then the next day, the other shoe dropped.
“I have something for you,” Jihoon said and like the fool he was, Seungcheol figured that it was something innocent.
“What is it?” Seungcheol asked and his friend shoved a gum wrapper in his hand. Seungcheol wondered why he would give him a piece of trash before he turned it over and realized what it was. Phone number. Oh no.
“Jeonghan’s number. You might have forgotten to get it from him the other night.” Jihoon’s eyes glinted as if to imply Seungcheol ‘got something else instead.’
“It’s none of your beeswax! I would have seen him eventually.” Seungcheol’s protest was a feeble one. There had been times when he’d clicked with someone and then either not had the opportunity to talk to them again, or chickened out when asking for their contact details. Did Jihoon get the number from Jeonghan himself or via a friend? Did Seungcheol want to know the answer?
“Sure, but I thought I would save you time from being hesitant.” Jihoon smiled. “He was real easy on the eyes.” Seungcheol needed to disappear into the earth right now.
He lunged for the fridge and grabbed a juice in order to have something to do. “Shut up,” he mumbled.
Jihoon grinned. “I have it on good authority that he’s free tomorrow night.”
Heat rose in Seungcheol’s face. JIhoon continued being the bastard he was. “Come on, text him, slip a note under his door. You know you want it.”
Truth was, Seungcheol did. He’d never live it down. So, later that afternoon, he picked up his phone to write.
‘Hey, this is Seungcheol. Fellow sexiled idiot from next door. Got your number from stupid roommate.’
‘So you’re saying we turn the tables on him?’
‘Yes. Wait, how?’
‘Just leave it to me.’ Hours passed and still no explanation, so Seungcheol just went to classes and thought nothing of it until he returned to the dorm for dinner.
He opened the door to find Jihoon and Jeonghan standing in the kitchen, talking, and they stopped to look at him as he entered. Seungcheol made a sound akin to strangled geese as he saw what Jeonghan was wearing. Black leather pants, tank top with rhinestones and neon yellow color. Seungcheol nodded, flabbergasted, but figured this was his plan.
Jeonghan grinned and grabbed two handfuls of Seungcheol's shirt to pull him closer to kiss. A hand left Seungcheol’s shirt and he heard Jihoon yelp, but couldn’t care to concentrate on anything more than the soft lips on his own. They were so, so good, irresistible, addictive. He took hold of one of Jeonhan and leaned into him (into everything). Jeonghan touched Seungcheol’s shoulder, the back of his head and Seungcheol tilted his head to change the angle, deepening the kiss.
They pulled apart and caught their breaths. Seungcheol muttered a wow before he could help himself. Jeonghan smiled. “Always good to know I can kiss the shit out of someone.” Seungcheol nodded. “How long should we wait before your roommate can come in again? Three hours?” Jeonghan asked and Seungcheol just shrugged. Why did they have to talk when they could be doing other things? Seungcheol realized Jeonghan was still talking and stared.
“Did you hear me?” Jeonghan asked.
“More.” Rather a statement than a request from Seongcheol. Jeonghan grinned and followed Seungcheol over to the sofa. And then there were many makeouts to be had.
Seungcheol texted Jihoon hours later. ‘We’re even. Coast clear.’
‘Clear enough to see the lighthouse?’
‘Fog off.’