Chapter Text
The library was quiet as expected, but maybe it was because more people decided to procrastinate on their work today. Whatever the case may be, Jaebeom was fortunate that he didn’t have to share a table with someone else and could hoard one all to himself. But sometimes when it gets too quiet, it’s hard for him to concentrate. He reaches into his backpack and pulls out a small white case. The top pops off from the hidden magnet. Jaebeom takes his wireless earbuds out and inserts them into his ears. They sat comfortably for a while until he had to readjust one of them again.
His phone already had Spotify opened, his favorite song just on pause and ready to be played. Jaebeom turned on his bluetooth, and the song started playing automatically. He sat back in the chair and closed his eyes for a short moment. As the song played through his earbuds, it suddenly stopped.
They ran out of batteries. “Are you kidding me.” He whispered to himself, clearly annoyed that he had forgotten to let them charge overnight. It’s one thing to forget your earphones at home, and it’s another when you forget to charge it. Guess he’ll have to focus without the music. Jaebeom puts them back in their case and throws them into his backpack. They’re practically useless to use now.
He leans over the table and rests his head on his hand. It was difficult to concentrate for some reason. Jaebeom sighed, clearly frustrated because he wants to study for his exam. He taps his pencil repeatedly against the rough surface of the desk, mouthing the words from the textbook in front him.
“What does that mean?” He raises his eyebrow questionably. He rereads the text over and over again, and yet he still couldn’t process any of the words he’d just read. He didn’t understand anything. Maybe it’s just one of those days.
So he started packing his books with hopes to get another attempt at studying later tonight. It was rather disappointing that he got lucky today with an empty table only for him not to be able to get anything done. He swung his backpack over his shoulder and slid his chair back in its place. Just as he took a few steps away from the table, a small group of students passed him. They were quite rowdy, whispering past the “don’t be loud” library rule. Jaebeom sure got himself out of that situation of having to share a table with them.
The automatic doors of the library parted for Jaebeom. He stood off to the side, watching the campus carry students from all grades. He sighed. His day wasn’t necessarily going as planned considering he didn’t get any studying done. Jaebeom checks his watch for the time, and it was just a little past two. It was the perfect time for lunch. So the plan for the afternoon was to get lunch, then he can probably grab some small ingredients at his local grocery store for dinner. Having a study session while eating sounds just like the way to get his concentration and focus going.
The quickest way around lunch for a college student was at a convenience store. They have a variety of different snacks and meals for affordable prices. He’s not exactly getting any paychecks from a job right now anyway. Jaebeom makes his way through campus to the other side of the parking lot. The closest convenience store was walking distance, but that meant he’d have to give fifteen minutes of his time walking. Which he didn’t mind at all, walking was more calming for him. There are times when sitting in the passenger’s seat and looking out the window was relaxing, but those are best suited for certain days.
The air conditioner in the store was whirring loudly. It blew cold air into every aisle, there’s probably no need for any of the coolers then. Jaebeom strapped his backpack tighter onto his shoulders and greeted the clerk with a little head bow.
“Don’t even think about stealing anything, kid.” The clerk muttered under his breath. Jaebeom turned his head back around and stared at him questionably. Did he hear that right? Of course not, why would he think about stealing anything. Has there been that many incidents that he has to warn every customer who comes in? Maybe it’s just the students he’s cautious about.
“Never thought about it.” Jaebeom takes a turn into a random aisle. There he spots a few hot bars hanging above the top shelf. He grabbed one or two original sausages, not minding that there were spicy ones next to them. He heads to the back where the self-serve coolers were resting against the walls. He scans the shelves until he finds the tuna samgak kimbap. It was really tempting to grab two, but Jaebeom only took one off the shelf. A drink and some ramen could help tie all these snacks together for a good meal.
He waits in line for the register. He stood tall behind someone else who was already there before him, but he felt the clerk eyeing him. It was rather uncomfortable to say the least, but Jaebeom avoided his gaze until it was time for him to ring up his items. He adds each of his items to the counter, putting down the strawberry milk last.
“See,” Jaebeom whips out his wallet and casually hands over his debit card, “didn’t steal anything.”
The clerk didn’t make a comment. “$12.49.”
Like most convenience stores, there was outside seating with those huge umbrellas to provide shade. There were only two tables, but both of them weren’t occupied. Jaebeom sat at the one furthest from the door. He lets his ramen sit in the hot water for a moment and unwraps the plastic bag to pull out his sides. The hot bars are already warm from the microwave, and the strawberry milk is ready to drink from its straw. Normally he’d eat way more than what he’s got now, but today he’s keeping it small. He doesn’t want to be struck with a food coma after all. If he takes a nap, who knows when he’ll ever wake up again.
By the time he finished eating, it was near four. Jaebeom cleaned up his table, being sure not to leave any trash behind. It was quite filling to say the least, but he should still think about what he should make for dinner. Maybe something small and nothing too grand. As he was about to start walking to the bus stop, Jaebeom thought about how much easier it’d be to buy a pack of spicy rice cakes. You know, the ones that come with the sauce and rice cakes all in one. Just a few minutes to boil, and it’s all ready.
The streets were bustling with cars. Everyone is probably on their way home from work. Jaebeom unzipped his backpack and stuffed a small plastic bag into it. He’s kind of excited to have tteokbokki later tonight now. He rests his backpack on the side of the bench and leans over. His forearms just resting on his knees. He was tired. He’s not sure what he’s tired from exactly, but perhaps it’s just the fact that today was going by so slowly. He hadn’t gotten much done, but suddenly everything felt so draining. It’s okay, he’ll be home soon.
The bus pulls up after Jaebeom’s been waiting for a little over half an hour. The time drags on longer since it takes a while to load the bus and then having to wait for it to drop people off. The doors open for him. The bus driver smiles and watches Jaebeom scan his card through the system.
“Thank you.” Jaebeom holds up his card and goes find a seat. There were a few people already on the bus, but it wasn’t enough to call it packed. He takes a seat in the second to last row away from those riding the bus in pairs or in small groups. It’s the best way to avoid any possible interaction like this.
The sun was setting early today. Jaebeom made it back to his apartment just when there was a bit of light outside. The keypad unlocks after he inputs his four-digit pin. It was kind of dark, but not so bad that he’d turn on the lights. He takes off his shoes by the front door and drops his backpack by his small desk. Jaebeom makes his way to his room to change into more comfortable clothes, his pajamas hanging loosely over his body as compared to his t-shirt tucked tightly in his jeans.
His couch was rather small too, but it was the perfect size for this apartment. He groaned, stretching his arms out wide for a big stretch and then laying himself on the couch. He didn’t want to lay on his bed because he didn’t want to accidentally fall asleep. But despite his intentions of being on the couch instead to prevent that from happening, he still dozed off.
“I’m tired.” Jaebeom justified. “Maybe a short nap is okay.”
It got dark quick. By the time Jaebeom woke up, it was half past nine. He couldn’t brush off the grogginess immediately, but the panic started to set in when he realized he’d lost track of time. It kind of helps that it was the weekend, so he can spend the next two days studying to make up for the time lost from sleeping. But then again, he should've already started studying like three hours ago.
He laid there for a bit, trying to muster up the energy to get off from the couch. He wonders what it’d be like to be asleep for a thousand years, that would be beyond relaxing wouldn’t it? Having no other option, Jaebeom makes his way over to his desk reluctantly. He props himself on his wooden chair and grabs his backpack.
The spicy rice cakes he’d forgotten were still in there. Jaebeom looks over at his kitchen stove. Munching on something like this while studying sounds good. So he’s up again, this time grabbing a small pot to boil some water. He peels open the small pouch of rice cakes and lets them fall to the bottom of the pot. He lets out a small “ah” from seeing the sauce packet splash into the boiling water too. He skipped one important step and that was mixing the sauce into the water. It was a clumsy mistake.
The rice cakes were served hot in a ceramic bowl. Jaebeom let the water-filled pot sit in the sink to soak first before washing it. He brought the plate with him over to his desk, not forgetting to get himself a glass of water too. He can finally sit down to work now.
A lamp sat on his desk. The heat from the light helped him read the words right from his textbook. There was a pile of worn down books in the corner, his pencil pouch wide open, and scattered lined paper with notes covering every other inch of his space. He had made two separate stacks of mini flashcards to help him with his studies. Jaebeom turns the page of his book and continues to read the next following paragraphs. His other hand grabs the metal fork resting in his food bowl and takes a few more bites of the rice cakes. He’s been eating here and there, but there’s still so much left. Jaebeom can feel his stomach telling him to stop eating.
Just as he puts his fork down, his phone starts ringing. He forgot to silence his phone. He whipped his head around to see his phone on the end table by the couch, so instead he lets it go to voicemail. When it was quiet again, he returned to taking notes. But there was a vibration, his phone played its own song again as another call was coming in. Jaebeom groans, getting up from his seat to check who was trying to call him at this hour. He looks at the time displayed on his lockscreen. It was almost eleven.
“Jackson.”
“Jaebeom?” The voice from the other side answers him. “What are you doing right now?”
“Do you need me for something?” Jaebeom’s trying to urge his friend to get to the point. “I’m actually busy, I’m studying right now.”
“Come on, how about you take a break? We’re all having some barbeque right now.”
“No, I really can’t. I have an exam next Tuesday, and I really need to pass it.” Jaebeom makes his way back to his desk. He picks up his pencil again to finish writing the last bullet point for this section of notes.
“Hey, give me the phone.” Another voice was heard talking to Jackson.
“You’re gonna be on speaker, hold on.” Jackson pulls the phone away. “Mark’s saying that you should feel lucky. He’s gonna be—”
“I’m gonna visit my family over the weekend.” Mark interrupts. “I have an exam on Monday, but I won’t be back until Tuesday or Wednesday. I haven’t really thought that far yet, but my professor won’t let me take it after I come back. She’s giving me access to it online instead. I won’t have time to take it, since I’ll be spending time with my family, so I’ll have to take it in the car. Sounds great, huh.”
“Mark spent all day studying today, and he’s here.” Jackson spoke again. “So come meet up with us.”
“That’s great, but I didn’t get to study all day today.” Jaebeom speeds up the conversation with hopes to end it really soon. He really wants to get back to studying. “I couldn’t study earlier today and pretty much wasted most of my time, so I have to go.”
“Jaebeom, come on—”
“You guys have fun without me. Okay, bye!” Jaebeom lets out a sigh. He puts his phone to the side and tries to get back to studying. But it was a bit difficult now, his focus was drawn to something else. He picks up his pencil again, but he turns to stare at his phone. It sat there silently, but knowing them, Jaebeom knew that they might try to call him again.
His phone lights up, and this was now the third time that Jaebeom heard his ringtone. “Yes, Jackson?”
“Please come hang out with us. All of us haven’t hung out in awhile, it’ll be nice.”
Jaebeom looks at this half eaten tteokbokki, which was quite filling. “I ate already, so I’m pretty full.”
“Then have a drink or something. They have a lot of options here, you don’t have to eat.” Jackson is really trying to convince Jaebeom to take a break.
“I hate that you’re so persistent, you know that?” Jaebeom couldn’t help, but smile. “I’ll be there soon.”
Right before Jaebeom hung up, he heard his friends exclaim happily. He sits back in his chair and tilts his head back. He closes his eyes for a brief moment to take in the quiet. You could hear the streets below his apartment sound lively through the amount of cars running and honking their horns.
“Just for a little bit and then you get to go home.” Jaebeom tells himself. The sooner he leaves his place now, then the sooner he gets to come back home. He’s out of his chair and goes to change back into his casual outfit from earlier today. There’s no point in dressing up, plus it’s just easier not having to put so much thought into wondering what to wear.
Jaebeom turns off the lamp on his desk and grabs his baseball cap on the way out. It somewhat adds to his outfit. He makes his way to the restaurant by taking a cab downtown. He always thought the streetlights made the night way prettier. It gives him something to stare at while in the car.
It probably took around twenty minutes to get there with all the traffic. Jaebeom hops out of the cab as he waves to the driver. “Thank you.” The night life was never quiet. There were so many people out with their friends, and Jaebeom could see how much fun every person was having. The loud laughter from different groups wasn't that exciting to him at the moment. At this time, Jaebeom couldn’t really enjoy anything. His mind was wrapped around his exam.
The restaurant was just a few stores down. Jaebeom made his way over, peering through the glass walls to find his friends. They were already waiting for him and started waving enthusiastically for him to come in. Jackson especially, he had already spotted Jaebeom walking back.
“Took you long enough.” Jackson gestures him over to sit across from him.
Jaebeom sat down, fixing his hat lower. His joy wasn’t up to par with his friends right now, but he doesn’t want to ruin the mood. He smiles, “Thanks for inviting me.”
“Aye, you didn’t want to come a second ago.” Yugyeom commented from the side. He pours a shot of soju and gently passes it over to Jaebeom.
“No, I’m good.” He declines the offer. “I’ll just have water.”
“Just one shot, yeah?” Jackson pours himself a shot too. There was no pressure, and Jaebeom obviously didn’t mind. It was just one shot, so there was nothing to worry about. He did take a cab here anyway. He picks up his shot glass and goes into a silent cheer with his friends. Their glasses clinked and every one of them downed their own shot.
Jaebeom emitted an audible sound of relief and then took a sip of water. Not the best cleanser, but it will do. His eyes wander around the room. He watches other tables and finds that they also had open bottles of soju. Some more than others, some with soda instead. He focuses back on his friends with Mark detailing his plans for his family trip over the weekend, and suddenly Jaebeom peers back up again. He stares at this one table in particular intently.
There was someone sitting there that drew his attention. Jaebeom notes how lost he looked in his thoughts. He looked almost sad, but maybe he wasn’t. Perhaps he has something going on, but it also seemed like he didn’t want to be with his friends right now. Alone time? Maybe that’s what he needs. Jaebeom occasionally looked away, but his eyes kept falling back on him.
“Pretty.” He mouths to himself.
“Here, another shot?” Jackson refills the shot glass by Jaebeom, who was clearly spaced out. It wasn’t noticed by any of his friends. He makes some murmuring sound as he doesn’t decline the offer and picks up his shot glass again. The soju leaves a very light burn in his throat. When he looks back at the table from earlier, he unexpectedly makes eye contact with him. Did he notice Jaebeom too? Jaebeom feels his skin burn up, unsure if it was because he was drinking. Hopefully he didn’t notice. Jaebeom fixes his hat by pushing it down further.
“Why does every restaurant have like a family photo on the wall?” Unsure who asked, Jaebeom just peered up and noticed a sizable photo of unfamiliar faces behind him. Then it hit him, maybe he wasn’t really looking at him at all then. That’s fine, but why does he feel kind of sad about it?
“So pretty.” He mumbles to himself. When he slowly gathered the courage to look up again, the person that had caught his eyes was already leaving with his friends.
“Ah,” Jaebeom lets out a sound of disappointment. He wishes to see him again deep down, but those hopes aren’t too high. He needs luck if he wants to see someone like him again.