Work Text:
"I think i just experienced love at first sight."
"And who is that unlucky person?"
"Who?"
"The one you got attracted to."
Seungcheol went silent for a while.
It made Joshua who was busy with his phone, put down his phone to look at Seungcheol who was still staring soundlessly to the boring wall of their living room. He was still silent for at least the next few minutes. And Joshua started to get worried there's something wrong with his roommate.
"That's the problem, I don't know him."
Joshua furrowed his eyebrows with the words Seungcheol just said. Not believing at how stupid how it sounded.
"So...how can you call that as love?"
"It's just that...I can't help but keep looking at him..."
"Creep!"
"No! I wasn't blatantly looking at him! I only took a few glances toward him, and I keep seeing him for like four—ugh maybe almost five times in the last two weeks? I don't think it's coincidence, I think it's fate."
Seungcheol explained everything while flailing his hands around. Eyes went wide and sparkly with hope and longing inside them. He really looked like he is falling in love, sadly, with some stranger he didn't know about.
"Yeah, and as if fate was real." Joshua made a disgusted face at Seungcheol jokingly. "The more you explain the more it sounds creepier!"
"But I didn't do anything!"
"And you should've done something, dumbass!"
Joshua took a short glance at his phone before looking at Seungcheol's still miserable pair of eyes.
"Anyway, cut it off, we're having pizza for dinner."
"Joshua Hong."
"What."
"So what should I do?"
"Ask him his name the next time you see him? His whereabouts? Ask about his day? Anything! you can ask him about anything! Go make some conversation like a real human being!"
"What if he finds me creepy?"
"As if you looking at him intensely wasn't creepy."
And before Joshua got the time to reply, the door bell rang, their pizza just arrived right on time. Seungcheol sat down at the couch lazily while shrugging his shoulders. His eyes closed while groaning loudly to the old pillow couch on his hands.
The door bell rang once again and none moved from their place to take the pizza.
"Sssh! Answers later now go take the pizza!"
Joshua muttered undered his breath about how rude Seungcheol was and some more ugly names before Seungcheol loudly screamed.
"Don't forget the cola!"
Joshua went back to the couch with their pizza and cola. He clearly looked annoyed while Seungcheol happily opened the pizza box that was still warm. He munched on his first pizza slice happily without even caring about Joshua that was still annoyed by Seungcheol.
"Why am I doing everything!" Joshua hissed at Seungcheol and slapped his right arm.
He almost choked but then replied with his mouth half full. "Because I am older than you!"
"Just you wait for it, Choi Seungcheol!"
The next time Seungcheol and Joshua happened to be in the cafe was the same time, to quote Seungcheol, the love of his life was also there. He sat in one of the chairs alone with his eyes glued to the book on his hand. Today he wore lavender knitted sweater with his fluffy brown hair covering his forehead.
"Oh my God, Joshua, that's the guy!" he muttered to Joshua in a hushed whisper once they took a seat not far from the guy.
"You see uhm–wait, DONT TURN YOUR HEAD but he wears lavender knitted sweater."
"And how am I supposed to know this person IF I didn't look at him??"
"Stop making a fuss! Okay just turn slightly and you will see him—brown haired guy with pretty eyes."
"Brown hair and pretty eyes. Yeah."
"Yeah he is pretty?"
"Yeah I can't see which one you are talking about. "
"Okay, maybe later." Seungcheol said again while sipping on his iced latte. "He's currently reading his book intensely. Maybe he's cramming for his exams. "
"Or maybe he's trying to avoid your creepy gaze, who knows."
"Stop calling me creepy!"
"Then go to him! Ask his name, go make an advance, anything!"
"Maybe next time."
Joshua took a little glance at the guy Seungcheol mentioned for the last few weeks and finally it wasn't some messy description about the guy anymore. Brown haired guy with lavender knitted sweater. Okay, he had seen enough.
He turned his sight back to Seungcheol who was still looking at the guy hopelessly.
"Make some advance before you regret it for real."
And the next time he finally got his courage, Joshua wasn't around and it's been two weeks since their last conversation. Also the last two weeks since Seungcheol saw the guy inside the cafe. The place isn't so packed today. At least, if he ended up embarassing himself there wouldn't be a lot of people seeing that.
Today the guy wore his cute rounded glasses. With his soft fluffy brown hair framing his face. He was wearing a light yellow cardigan with white shirt inside. He looked very graceful as usual, Seungcheol thought.
"Hi?"
Seungcheol really hoped he didn't sound weird with his first greeting.
"Hi? Can I help you?" the guy replied Seungcheol cheerily.
Maybe there was a chance.
"Is this seat free?"
"Yes," the cute guy nodded his head while still smiling but then he looked up with a straight face afterward. "But I'm not looking for someone to talk to in the moment. Sorry."
"Um, oh, okay, have a nice day!"
And he went immediately to the farthest seat from the guy to put his belongings and saving himself from the embarrassment. He really shouldn't have followed Joshua's advice on the first place. Now he's regretting everything already.
Maybe he should start looking for another place to cram for hours that wouldn't include the love of his life in there.
"So I tried talking with him today."
"And?"
"It didn't end well..."
"How so? What did you do?"
"I asked whether the seat in front of him is free or not,"
"Aaand?"
"And he deadass rejected me before I say anything further."
Joshua laughed his ass off till he almost fell down from the couch. Seungcheol sat down beside him angrily but didn't do anything to stop Joshua's laugh. He knew he deserved the laugh. He was being such an embarrassment today.
"I told you it was a bad idea! I should have just admired him from afar! Now he will think I'm a creep if he catch me staring at him in the future!"
"But you really are a creep!"
And Seungcheol got nothing to reply after that—because afterall, Joshua was right.
He was a creep.
Weeks later and Seungcheol still taking glances everytime he saw the love of his life at the same cafe with him. Or anywhere else.
(Yes he didn't look for other places to do his works, to hell with being embarrassed, he still found this place the most comfortable to sit for hours.)
But lately he toned it down a little bit. Maybe his roommate was right, he was being a creep for it. And he should stop one day.
Maybe today should be the start of doing so.
So now he tried to move on, and maybe finish his works even though the deadlines were still for next week. Do things to get his mind off the pretty guy who wore another light brown knitted sweater today and currently walking toward him.
Wait, what?
"Sorry, is this seat free?"
And there he was.
The love of his life, standing right beside the table with a laptop and some heavy looking books in both of his hands, looking at Seungcheol with his wide eyes and waiting for his answer.
"Yes! Yes, go ahead and sit if you want."
"Sorry if I disturb you, but I really need to get some work done and this place somehow got really packed today."
"It's okay, I was just here alone anyway."
There were no more talks between them as Seungcheol tried hard to focus on his laptop but he couldn't. How could he when his dream guy literally sat across him gracefully like that? But the guy was still reading his book while typing on his laptop sometimes.
He couldn't help but secretly taking glances at the guy in front of him. Until the guy lifted his head and their eyes finally met.
And he smiled.
"Sorry for being an ass weeks ago." the guy finally started a conversation with Seungcheol.
Seungcheol was caught off guard with the statement. "Pardon?"
"I know you still remember it, the time I rejected you when you haven't said anything at all."
"Oh yeah, haha, no, I didn't mind at all...I probably look like a creep anyway, so, let's just forget about it?" Seungcheol replied hurriedly because he didn't want to remember that embarrassing moment again in his head.
"But I don't want to."
"What?"
"How about we introduce ourselves first, I am Yoon Jeonghan, a sophomore, and you?"
"C-Choi Seungcheol, a sophomore too..."
"Please, why do you look so scared?"
"I'm not! I just...didn't expect this to happen?"
"Us talking? You not being a creep anymore?"
"Yes I'm not being a creep anymore...wait what?"
"Sorry, but Joshua told me to prolong it a little longer than I wanted to."
Seungcheol eyes went wide immediately. "Joshua? That Joshua? The Joshua Hong??"
"Yes, he's my seat mate in a few of my classes."
"But he didn't, he never said anything about you??"
"Why would he? To quote him, it was fun to see Seungcheol looks so desperate wanting to get to know me."
"God. I must've looked so miserable to you."
"Not at all! Actually you've caught my eyes a few times before I knew you are Joshua's roommate."
"So, I am not a creep?"
Jeonghan laughs out loud with both his eyes closed and it looks like there were sparkles around him that makes Seungcheol so stunned. He waited until Jeonghan stopped laughing patiently but he didn't mind hearing him laughing all day. Even if the cause of his laugh was him and his embarrassing ass.
"And that's what you've been worried about?"
"Of course! I don't want to be seen as a creep by someone I...might have interest with."
"But Joshua said you told him I was the love of your life?"
"Just...how much Joshua has told you about me..."
"Not much, maybe him telling me that you called me wide pretty eyed guy, fluffy brown hair you want to pat kind of guy and cute rounded glasses guy?"
"God, he's so getting it."
"Getting a what?"
"Revenge."
"Please don't. He was the one telling me to finally see you today. And thank God this place is so full I have no seat around besides to sit with you."
"But what if I reject you just like the other day you did?"
Jeonghan shook his head while Seungcheol looked at him confusedly.
"You won't. I know you are a gentleman and will help people in need like me. Especially it's me, the love of your life." Jeonghan teased him one more time before laughing again quietly.
"Please stop saying that, I've had enough embarrassment today."
"So, Seungcheol, to apologize for rejecting you the other day—courtesy of Joshua of course—let me treat you to some coffee?"
"I still have some of mine?"
"But you will need it if you want us to have a talk all day long here." said Jeonghan with a little wink that made Seungcheol's cheeks flushed.
Jeonghan left the table to get drinks for both of them after Seungcheol told him what is his order. And boy, Seungcheol was still in awe. Especially knowing that Jeonghan already knew about him through Joshua even before he introduced himself. He put both of his hands around his cheeks, pinching it a little to see whether he's dreaming or not.
It hurts.
Of course, it hurts because he wasn't dreaming. Yoon Jeonghan, the guy he's been secretly taking glances at just offered to buy him drink as an apology. (For something he shouldn't even be sorry for, Joshua, that little shit!)
So maybe, maybe, Seungcheol wasn't a creep at all.
And Joshua would get his revenge very, very soon.