Chapter Text
Every night, Jisung goes to the rooftop and gazes at the moon, to wish.
It has become a habit at this point. Since the day Jisung went to live with his father, it has been like this since. It was tranquil. Calm. You would feel how the moon gazes at you, judging your every step. Jisung likes it. Crickets hummed, and cars drove by. It was all another ordinary night in Jisung’s household.
“You know what?” Jisung continues to gaze. “In weeks from now, I may be seeing you at a different angle”
Jisung sighs at the thought. A new beginning arises for him in weeks’ time. He sometimes wonders why he even signed up for medical school when it means leaving his neighborhood. His house. Home. He’s not yet ready.
“Jisung! Dinner’s ready!” His father.
“Coming!”
Jisung goes down. He memorized the route down at this point, down to the attic, then the retractable staircase to his bedroom, at down the hall to the kitchen. He will miss it too. It takes time adjusting to a new house after all, especially if you’ve lived in the other since birth.
“Help me set the table Jisung, while I prepare this.”
“Sure dad.”
Plates clink, and utensils clank. Even the plates know where to go at this point. Both at opposite ends, and the food at the center. He will miss it for sure.
“How are you?” His dad asks.
“All of a sudden?”
“You we’re at the rooftop longer than expected. Is something bothering you Jisung?’
“No.” Was something really bothering him? Even he doesn’t know. “But thanks for worrying.”
“Thanks for worrying” His dad says in a mocking tone.
They finished dinner sooner than expected. Paragraphs didn’t arrive from his dad’s mouth, and Jisung savored the silence. Despite it being a closed room, crickets still chirped loud. An unproductive day also means an unproductive night, Jisung thought.
“Oh, before you wash the dishes Jisung, when are you going to pack your boxes?” Just as he thought quiet would engulf him.
“I don’t know.”
“Well you should start to know, it’s gonna be a week from now.”
“A week from now?!” Jisung exclaims. “But med school doesn’t start ‘till like a month!”
“Your apartment’s contract states you should have moved completely there next week.” Jisung still in denial. “And besides, you probably need much adjusting.”
“I do need it.” Jisung looks down.
“Hey, don’t worry. If you need help, I’m just a metro away. Or you could ask Hyunjin and Seungmin for help, they live in Seoul, right?”
“Yeah they do. But they’re pre-occupied to… each other.”
“Really? Lucky them didn’t knew they would become a couple.”
“Dad, they literally swooned each other when you invited them here once.”
“I’m joking Jisung, they’re too obvious.” His dad stands up. “Well discuss this tomorrow, I still have work to do. Wash the plates!”
Jisung now stares at an empty chair with a finished plate. He wonders how time flies so fast. A quote he remembers, “Time doesn’t stop for anybody.”. It’s true. Time really doesn’t stop for anybody; you have to make the most of what you have. And for Jisung, that means a new setting to wake up on. A call later with Hyunjin doesn’t hurt right? He hopes so.
Again, clink-clank goes the kitchen ware, now together with the sound of rushing water. The sink. He will also miss. How pathetic. Even a sink he misses? He thought continuing on with the task at hand. With plates washed, table wiped, and water closed, he shuts the lights in the kitchen, going to his room.
His room. For sure the biggest thing he will miss, even though he knows almost all the things here will be moved there. But small things, like the positions of his bed and table. All he remembers. But one thing he’ll never miss is his phone. Of course, the thing’s always in his pocket. He opens it and scrolls his Twitter feed.
“Huh.” Out of instinct he says. He saw a picture of Hyunjin, Seungmin, and some other guy that looked younger that Hyunjin posted. What’s up with them? He thought. Now’s probably the time to call.
His phone rings. What a coincidence.
“Hey, I was just gonn- “
“Guess what Ji! You know that cute kid from Uni I keep uwu-ing on?” Jisung gets cut off.
“Yeah?”
“He’s our roommate here at the dorm! Seungmin and I have been helping him moved in and everything about him just speaks cute! You should visit here too, I’m sure you’ll feel the same way for him too!”
“Hyunjin, I’m moving in a week.”
“What?” Even his phone’s receiver was in shock. “Do you need help? We can go there to help you pack y’know. Your apartment’s not far from our dormitory. Well, of course, we study in the same uni.”
“Thanks, but no thanks Hyunjin. You might be busy with uni stuff.”
“Engineering can wait Jisung. And besides, it’s the friends you make that matters!” Jisung cringes.
“You sound like a kids’ show.”
“Of course I do Ji!” He could just see Hyunjin’s smirk. “Anyways, his name’s Yang Jeongin, you should probably check his follow him on twitter.”
“You just said his name, how can I even find that.”
“I’ll text you his un later. Anyways gotta go! Seungmin’s been waiting for me downstairs for about 15 minutes know and I just said it’ll be quick.”
“You kept Seungmin waiting?”
“Yeah bye Ji!”
Was Hyunjin on drugs? He was just probably his hyper self. How he managed to cram a lot of words in a one-minute call is staggering. Scary even. Another beep from his phone. A message from “Hyunjinnie”.
“Oh, and his un’s @yang_in” Jisung could just about hear Hyunjin’s voice from the message.
He searches it on Twitter, follows, and stalks him for a bit. He doesn’t have anything to do tonight anyways. He could just pack tomorrow.
Just as expected, Jisung wasn’t getting anything out of it. Random rants, retweets, and replies to close friends, what a typical twitter user would do.
“Huh, an image.” Jisung could feel the boredom sinking in.
It was Jeongin with a person awfully familiar. Captionned “good luck with your final year hyung!”. Already graduating? He could only hope being a graduate too. Still, Jisung for sure knows this person. But at this point he’s too shuttered with boredom to care.
10:00PM. And nothing significant has happened since. Random Youtube videos came and went. Now, Jisung really doesn’t know what to do. He could about hear the sounds of his father’s TV. “Working” as he calls it. He gives him the benefit of the doubt; after all, he probably needed rest after working so hard.
Jisung decided to go up again. He treated his rooftop as an escape from the outside world. He wonders how that would change once he’ll move.
Jisung reflects. Almost 21 years of living and yet he’s starting medical school. At least back in his pre-medical years he could just ride a metro to his home in Gimpo every day. But now, he needs to be there almost 24/7. He’s thankful for being capable of studying medicine, but at what cost. He’ll miss this house, all the memories he has associated with it. His dad, Chan, who despite being a single parent did the best for Jisung. His life in Gimpo would finally end in a week.
He calls Seungmin this time. At this point he knows Hyunjin’s already being cranky.
“Hey Seungmin.”
“Jisung! We just came back from dinner what’s the matter?”
“I’m feeling kinda down lately.”
“Is it the whole moving situation?”
“Yeah, wait, how do you know?”
“Hyunjin mentioned it while we we’re eating. Knowing you I knew you’ll miss home.” Jisung’s stomach fills with butterflies. How can bratty, hyper Hyunjin have a sweet Seungmin always by his side?
“Hm. That’s sorta why I called. I just, need company y’know.”
“Jisung, when I first moved in to my dorm here, I also missed home in Busan. But slowly I learned to cope and adjust. You will too; I know you will! Just when you’re feeling down there contact us. Besides your apartment’s not far from our dorm.”
“Thanks Seungmin, I needed that.”
“No problem! Well, I need to go Ji, Hyunjin’s getting clingy.” The receiver picked up distinct loud groans in the background.”
“Wait, was Hyunjin asleep the whole time?” Jisung asks.
“Passed out. On my bed too. And now he’s hugging me tightly.”
“You guys are so cute I’m gonna puke. I’m probably ruining your moment so Imma end call.”
“No, no, it’s ok. Stay safe there alright? Just contact us if you need help tomorrow.
And the call ended. And Jisung satisfied, went back to his room. Another unproductive day, he thought.
10:30PM. It’s still too early, but he has nothing to do. He spends the rest of the night lying down of his bed, scrolling social media. Maybe there, he could find excitement from the face of boredom. And after hours, his eyes shut.
And Jisung slept.