Chapter Text
Yang Jungwon. A twenty-year-old boy who’s college ‘break’ transformed into something more similar to a hiatus. He was only meant to take a gap year, give himself time to figure out what he really wanted, what his passion was. But unfortunately, it never came to him.
During his second year of college hiatus, he took residence in a small one bedroom apartment that his parents insisted they rent out for him, much to Jungwon’s distaste. It was not like Jungwon enjoyed leeching off his parent’s money. In fact, the boy didn’t need support since he had income.
Well… he used to.
Through the months of having nothing to do but work, he had picked up several (or more) different jobs, all in different categories and environments, with different people. Except, none of the jobs seemed to work out for him, meaning that they only lasted a few months or so if he was lucky.
He wasn’t a terrible employee, but his managers had told him that he lacked drive and purpose. Whatever that meant. One of his employers went as far as to say that he worked like a beautiful zombie. Jungwon had quit the job the next day.
Since he was never fixed in a certain job, he didn’t make any friends in the workplace. It wasn’t like he was trying to avoid any social interactions, no not at all. But more often than not, people found him extremely intimidating. This flaw that he had only left him with a few choice friends outside of the workplace, but eventually, he gave them a reason to repel him too.
That was his life at the moment. Peacefully lonesome, mundane, but lacking objective.
Jungwon convinced himself that he was content like that; sauntering about his life like a loner with no aim. It was similar to what he was doing in his current state, walking alone down a street filled with new job opportunities, asking everyone and anyone if they were hiring, then handing them a copy of his resume if the answer was ‘yes’.
“Yang… Jungwon?” The manager, an old woman probably in her mid 60s, croaked and pushed her glasses up. Jungwon had strode into a small convenience store with a big red ‘HIRING’ sign displayed at the front door. He hated when they read his resume out loud, but nonetheless, he placed a strained smile on his lips. “You’ve worked quite a lot in the past year. Why have you been to so many places?”
“Uhh…” the bluntness of the question had caught him off guard. He struggled to find the correct words to say before he replied with, “I’m not sure. They didn’t work out for me, I guess.”
“And what happens if we hire you, but we don’t work out for you?” She eyed him warily. “We need people that will stay here, Mr. Yang. Not people who job hop.”
In that second, Jungwon knew that he was not getting the job. He had no hard feelings as he could see where she was coming from. She gave him a few more closing statements before she handed back his resume, waving her hand as if to say ‘We’re done here’. Jungwon took her signal and gave her a polite bow before he pivoted on his heel. He was ready to leave the store as quickly as possible, knowing very well that his comfy apartment of warmth was waiting for his return.
When he spun around he immediately recognized two familiar faces entering the convenience store. Heeseung came in first with his signature cap hiding his eyes that, in the past, always filled Jungwon’s chest with tender happiness. His sweaty oversized hoodie and baggy sweatpants suggested that he had been to the gym or at a dance studio.
The next person who rolled in was Sunghoon, clad in a black puffer jacket and a duffle bag was slung on his shoulder. His hair was a bit messy and came up in odd ruffles at the ends. It looked as if he had just came from his skating practice. Jungwon observed that he appeared to be in a good mood, a genuine smile grazing his usually icy features
That is, until he spotted the younger boy. Without a second to waste, the smile was quickly wiped off of his face and replaced with feigned casualness. For some reason, Jungwon felt more offended by this than if Sunghoon had just scowled at him. Everyone in their half-disbanded friend group knew that Sunghoon wasn’t one for forged kindness.
“Ah… Jungwon,” Heeseung said slowly, but it was friendly.
“Heeseung,” Jungwon shoved his resume in his back pocket before they could spot it. “Sunghoon.” The skater didn’t mumble a word and remained inert at Heeseung’s side. Honestly, Jungwon couldn’t blame him for the lack of words. They hadn’t left off on the best note anyways.
A harsh memory of the relentless statements that he had exchanged with the two seeped into Jungwon’s consciousness and he rapidly attempted to swat it away. He wasn’t ready to unravel anything that had happened between them, and by the looks of it, the other two weren’t ready either regardless of the fact that it had already happened a year ago.
Time wasn’t allowing them to heal. Not yet.
Before Jungwon could come up with any niceties to ask them, Sunghoon’s fragile mask cracked and a flash of resentment flickered through his eyes. He cleared his throat, rushing away from the other two and into a random aisle. That was the Sunghoon that Jungwon was more familiar with; brutally honest with his feelings, and had the habit of running away when he didn’t know what to do with them.
“I think I’m going to go,” a forced chuckle escaped Jungwon for the sake of making the atmosphere a tad bit lighter. “Bye, Heeseung.”
Heeseung held a pitiful gaze on Jungwon, a faint but sad smile appearing on his lips. Whether Heeseung had pity on him specifically, or of how their friendship had abruptly ended, Jungwon wasn’t sure.
He kept his head low as he hastily walked out of the store. The cold evening air bit at his cheeks while he traced his steps back to where he had parked his car earlier that day. He had definitely overexerted himself, and the run-in with Sunghoon and Heeseung didn’t help.
A pounding headache threatened to make its existence known while Jungwon settled into the driver’s seat, starting his car. He wished himself a quick trip home before pulling out onto the main road.
—
FRIDAY, 9:12 PM
No one was willingly lonely. Even if the most bitter people insisted that that was what they wanted, that they hated everything that breathed or moved, it was all a facade; a mask to keep themselves safe from feeling. Or in Jungwon’s case, to keep his friends away from his self destruction.
He had forcefully pushed them all away for what he thought was better for their sake, and he found himself utterly alone. Today, the epiphany of that fact dawned on him harder than it did on other days.
Maybe it had been the sight of his former friends that triggered the sensation.
Now here he sat on his bed, criss-crossed with his laptop folded out in front of him. He was on skeptical websites that had ad postings of individuals who were looking for roommates.
Jungwon had decided that he no longer wanted to wake up to the same walls that he had been lonesomely living under. He longed for someone else to wake up alongside him, and these ad postings seemed like his best bet. It was easier than trying to mend what was left of his friends.
He examined the postings carefully. The last thing that he needed was a crazed person to room with.
LUCKSON, ANDREW
I’m looking for a roommate! I live in a very fancy condo I promise I will spoil you with riches if you wanna room with me!! Btw I like to have parties so it might be loud haha. Email me for deets ;)
No.
HEMLAW, DAVID
Roommate needed. Two bedroom apartment, one washroom. I’m barely home, I just need someone to help me with the bills. Call me for details.
Nope.
PARK, JAY
Hello, my name is Park Jay. 22 years old. I’m seeking out a roommate to share my space with. It’s a pretty cozy apartment with 2 bedrooms, 2 washrooms. There is a huge window in the living room that allows sunlight to get in. Super nice if you ask me! I’d love to make a friend in this experience. Please text me if you are interested or would like further details!
Jungwon was just about to scroll past the third posting, yet a gut feeling had compelled him to pause. He reread the posting a few times, digesting the information before he searched for the boy’s number.
JW: I’m interested in potentially becoming your roommate. How does this work?
That was the one action that propelled Jungwon into a renewed fate. He typically wasn’t one to dwell on beliefs such as destiny, however, there was no other way to describe the events that were soon to take place in his undirected existence.
Jungwon was left oblivious to the fact that this one boy would trample his way into his life like a tsunami, breaking down Jungwon’s walls wave after wave, as if they were flimsy sandcastles.
JAY: Hello! I’ll just need your name and age, and a date.
JW: Date?
JAY: Yeah! A date on which you are free? I mean you want a tour of the place before deciding for sure, right?
Oh. That kind of date.
JW: Right. I’m free all day tomorrow if that works. I’m Jungwon, 20 years old.
JAY: Perfect! The address is on the posting so I’ll see you at… 1 PM?
JW: Okay. Sounds good.
—
12:30 AM
Jungwon was in a dark room. Not his dark room, but a room that was engulfed in nothing but pitch black. He made an attempt to move but he felt a sharp pang of pain as his wrists that were now behind his back scraped against the metal cuffs.
He was here again, in the same nightmare that he had on particular nights. He knew he was dreaming and he also knew that no matter how hard he tried, he wouldn’t be able to do anything.
A strained cry managed to escape his lips as he twisted and turned in the chair that he was sitting in, the legs of the chair screeching against the dark unknown material of the floor. The walls of the emptiness echoed his cry of help back to him and he gulped. His eyes darted around the room while his breathing began to pick up its speed.
Jungwon found it amusing at just how well the nightmare was a parallel to his life. While the real world had light, he was being kept in the dark corners of the universe. He was tied up by his mistakes and he couldn’t do anything about it. Or he didn’t want to, because he was a coward.
He blinked a few times to adjust to the murky surroundings, but to no avail. It might have been his imagination, but he could’ve sworn that he heard someone else inside of the room. The soft whisper of a boy barely reached his ears. Jungwon instantly panicked and swayed himself to one side. The chair lost its balance with his movement and he began tipping over.
‘I’ll help you. I promise.’ Were the words that he heard.
Just before he was able to hit the cold floor underneath him, he woke up. His hair was matted to his sweat covered forehead and his shirt was drenched. He had never heard a voice in his recurring nightmare before. It was a new addition to the already irritating vision.
A wave of frustration crashed its way into Jungwon’s chest. He picked up a pillow, buried his face inside it, and released a petrifying scream.
—
SATURDAY, 12:50 PM
A warm breeze hung in the air as Jungwon got out of his car. The apartment building of the boy from the ad posting loomed over him like a tower. He was familiar with the area since he drove past it often, but he never really got a good look at it.
Now that he was standing right below it, he felt extremely intimidated. It wasn’t old or run down like the other buildings in the area were. The apartment complex had a blinding white structure with an assortment of balconies sticking out from all sides, a rotating door served as the entrance. ‘SEVNON. BUILDING 1’ was displayed in big bold letters in the front lawn, a variety of green plants surrounding it to give it a natural taste. It had a modern and sleek appearance.
This place was without a doubt, an upgrade from where Jungwon was currently staying. He still had his clingy parents with him, so he knew he could afford anything while it lasted. Again, he didn’t like taking their money, but they had kept pushing it. As much as he disliked the money hand-downs, he wasn’t stupid either and took it as his temporary life boat.
“I should probably call him, right?” Jungwon dug his phone out of his back pocket.
He easily found Jay’s contact since he didn’t have many contacts anyways. Without another second to waste, he dialed. He bit his lower lip in anticipation as the phone rang.
Someone’s ringtone rang out at the same time. Jungwon swung around and saw nothing at first, but just then, a blonde boy rounded the corner. He had an undercut and his hair was side parted. The boy had a skip to his step as he approached the building, his sage green sweater bounced around with every step he took. He was also wearing a pair of jeans that were in a vivid shade of blue, too blue for Jungwon’s liking.
The said boy glanced down at the phone in his hand, smiled, then held it up to his ear. “Jungwon!”
Jungwon sighed and didn’t answer, but hung up instead. The blonde who Jungwon confirmed was called ‘Jay’ dragged the phone away from his ear and raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“Jay,” Jungwon called out to him.
Jay’s eyes found him and lingered on him with what Jungwon thought was an inkling of recognition. It was short lived though, quickly being replaced with a gleamy grin and a friendly wave. This took Jungwon by surprise because he had expected a cold shoulder or that look of skepticism that usually came from a person when a stranger said their name.
“Hey! Do we know each other?” Jay strode up to Jungwon with an iced coffee in hand.
“Uh…” Jungwon started. He wasn’t so used to this overly social person, aside from Sunoo. But he no longer had Sunoo, and therefore he was no longer adapted to such people. “I’m Jungwon, the one who inquired about being your roommate.”
It took Jay all but seconds to down this information before his once bright smile grew even brighter. “Ah! Jungwon! Yes I remember.” He put his arm around Jungwon’s shoulders and began to lead him towards the rotating doors of the apartment building. “Let me give you a five star tour.”
Throughout the whole tour, Jay was tossing him an assortment of smirks, smiles, and giggles. Jungwon was completely distracted by how lightly the boy was able to move and speak, as if the world were a dove’s feather resting on his shoulder. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t jealous of how Jay could do it so easily, while he on the other hand, struggled to keep up a friendly conversation.
“So we would split the rent in half. Oh and,” Jay grabbed Jungwon’s hand and dragged him into the living room. He quickly ran up and threw the curtains back with a whoosh.
The view from the massive window was beautiful. They were on the sixteenth floor which was one floor away from the roof, so they were warranted a sky high scene of the city. Jungwon gaped as he looked around, the sun pouring into his eyes. There were some buildings that dared to touch the sky, competing with others to see which one was taller. Other buildings were cute and compact, dotting the peaceful streets of the areas below. The rest of the view was filled in with spots of green parks and rivers that were accompanied by bridges. It was magnificent.
“Whoa…” Jungwon muttered under his breath, unable to conceal his awe.
“I know right. It’s awesome here!” Jay took the last sip of his iced coffee that was now gone. “What do you think?”
Cars and people bustled in the street that was right below them, and Jungwon watched them as he contemplated his decision. He liked the apartment and the amazing view that it held, he couldn’t deny that.
But did he like the person?
When Jungwon made sure that Jay was just as distracted with the view as he was, he stole a glance at the blonde. His face had sharp edges to it, edges that could cut. Yet the beaming expression on his face contrasted whatever edginess that he had, replacing it with something akin to tenderness, maybe compassion.
There was something about how Jay carried himself with pride; his words were spoken with meaning and direction. Something that Jungwon was deeply lacking.
I like him, Jungwon had concluded.
“I’d be happy to become your roommate,” he held his hand out to the other boy.
Jay’s perfectly white set of teeth made themselves known with his next smile. He grandly took Jungwon’s hand, shook it, and chuckled. “Glad to meet you, roommate.”