Chapter Text
Hyunjin should’ve seen it coming. He berates himself for thinking he could still get a decent dorm room despite it being the middle of the semester and despite him not listening to his friends and getting a new room before his third year of college starts. Hyunjin’s friends, who are now in a 6-month old relationship, had told him way before that they might plan to move in together and that he might need to find a new apartment.
“Unless you’re comfortable with Yeonjun being here with us.” Soobin continued.
“Yeah, I’m okay with that.” Hyunjin answered without a beat. Obviously he’s not totally onboard with it, but his friend mostly pays the rent on the dorm and well, he’s not exactly well-off. He can’t afford to find a new room, at least not right then when he just turned into a third year college student, still somehow drowning in stress and all that change.
As it turns out he’s really not okay with that because his friends are a couple and they do relationship things and need their privacy. So, after walking in on his friends about to do it, he knows he has to finally suck it up and find himself a new place to live.
He shouldn’t have been overly confident that any building is just out there, arms wide open for him to come and rent a room, though. Or he should’ve waited at least a week more at Soobin’s to wait for better apartments to open up but well, again, no- he’s cockblocked Soobin and Yeonjun far too many times to still want to prolong his stay.
So now here Hwang Hyunjin stands, in the middle of an apartment lobby, begging with the receptionist to please check again if there’s anything that they can give him.
He's tried contacting apartments to see if there is any room available for him but all of them has said no so his last resort is to basically harass the staff in front of him to give him a room.
“You can give me the ugliest apartment,” the receptionist glares at him, as if insulted that he could assume that this building has tacky rooms, “or the rowdiest roommate. I’m cool with that, I can sleep through the loudest parties, you know?” He continues, nervously laughing, "I just need a room."
The receptionist clacks away at their keyboard and they sigh, “I'm sorry but there’s really no-”
A hand slams a key on to the receptionist’s desk and the staff glares at the person. Hyunjin swerves his head around to stare at the same guy.
“I don’t wanna stay in apartment 325 anymore. Sorry for not giving a notice and but I really just can’t stay in that room anymore.”
“What?
“I’m really sorry, I’ll pay for my fees if I have any but-”
“Can’t I take this guy’s old room?” Hyunjin cuts off the person’s sentence before they even finish, “like I said I’m okay with anything and I really just need a room.”
The trio is silent for a moment before the receptionist turns to the tenant.
“325 is Han Jisung, right?”
The guy nods his head, almost gravely and the receptionist gives a look of sympathy. Hyunjin is in a state of confusion.
“Let’s settle some papers then.”
-
Hyunjin and the old roommate of 325, named Younghoon, during the signing of papers, have now become accustomed to each other. They make small talk whilst fixing the needed forms and there, Hyunjin explains his reason for abruptly moving into a new apartment even though classes are ongoing.
“It's best to move out 'cause I do not need to see and hear what goes on, y'know?” Hyunjin laughs, but he immediately regrets it. He should've stopped talking a minute ago because it’s now too much information and he’s only met this person an hour ago. He sees Younghoon frown and it confirms his assumption of him crossing the line.
“You didn’t need to know that, I’m sorry,” he quickly apologizes.
“No! Oh, that’s not why I’m- I was just thinking,” the other smiles, but Hyunjin observes that it looks forced. Apparently, Younghoon sees this and reassures Hyunjin.
“I’m not disgusted, but um, you should know, Jisung’s a very uh,” Younghoon stutters, “he’s a very loud person and he has many, friends, over so I was just kind of thinking if you’re sure about this.”
“I am!” Hyunjin says a bit too loudly. He recollects himself, “I really don’t mind loud people, I can sleep or study through noise, it’s okay.”
Younghoon only nods.
They continue doing whatever is needed for the apartment. Some minutes pass by and then they’re finally done.
“I’ll come by this weekend with my stuff.” Hyunjin tells the manager and thanks the staff. Hyunjin and Younghoon head to the exit together after that.
“Well, good luck with the whole moving in process.” Younghoon tells Hyunjin, “And if you need a friend to help, you can hit me up.” Younghoon smiles and shows his phone to Hyunjin.
Despite meeting only a few hours ago, they get along well and he thinks he might be good friends with this guy in the near future.
He smiles and wordlessly takes Younghoon’s phone to type in his number.
After a few more 'good luck's and clumsy fist bumps, they part ways.
-
The weekend rolls in fast and before Hyunjin knows it, he’s saying goodbye to Soobin and Yeonjun and his old room.
Luggage in one hand and a big backpack hanging from the other, he hails a cab and tells the driver his new address.
-
When Hyunjin got in the building, the receptionist helped him get his luggage to the elevator and up to his floor.
In the quiet of the elevator, he acknowledges his jitters because the last time Hyunjin was here to sign papers for the apartment, he didn't care to look around, mostly because he was already tired from looking for apartments. Younghoon had reassured him that his (old) room looks decent and pest free but it's still something to be nervous about.
But hey, as long as he has a place to live in and his wallet is not too much in pain, he knows he's alright with whatever.
The elevator dings, signaling he has arrived on his floor.
Stepping out, he sees the well lit and cared for hallway of the building and it completely nails down that he has nothing to worry about. He's alright.
He walks towards 325 but before he can fully see it, the door of his room opens up and a girl with disheveled hair and wrinkled clothes emerges.
Hyunjin pauses, thinking this is what the manager and Younghoon was telling him about: a noisy guy with somewhat disorderly behavior will be his roommate. This person does show signs of ‘messy’ but honestly he thought Han Jisung was a boy.
The girl stumbles into him and he smells alcohol wafting from her.
“Oh, sorry.” The girl murmurs then trips over herself all the way to the elevator. What a greeting.
Hyunjin lets himself in and he takes in the layout of the apartment.
The first thing that greets him is the tacky orange living room-kitchen fusion and the barest of minimum furniture: a TV, a coffee table and a couch that divides the area as on the right side, kitchen stuff are present. A look little bit more to his right shows him to the door of probably the bathroom.
Further into the room is 2 doors that he assumes are the bedroom.
Before he can leave the threshold, however, a half naked boy emerges from the left door and he yells.
He turns his back to the boy and asks “Who are you and why are you naked at 10 in the morning?”
Instead of an answer or an apology, the other guy asks, rather harshly, “Who the hell are you?”
“I’m Hyunjin, the new guy that'll be living here.” he answers with a tone to match.
“Oh. Forgot you were coming this morning. I’m Han Jisung I live here obviously.” A hand enters Hyunjin’s line of vision. He turns to look at a now nearer, shirt-wearing Jisung.
“Hwang Hyunjin, ” He extends his own hand to shake hands with Jisung, but keeps his distance because he stinks of liquor. "Who was the girl that was just here?" He asks stupidly, not putting 2 and 2 together.
“Pleasure to meet you, and don't worry 'bout her.” Jisung says vaguely and leaves to confirm Hyunjin's thoughts before as he heads to what Hyunjin earlier assumed is the bathroom.
He rolls his eyes and drags his luggage to the right bedroom door but unlike the living area, the walls are unpainted and on the floor are leftover things of Younghoon.
He giggles and takes out his phone from his pocket. He takes a picture of the room and of himself. He sends them to Younghoon and his other friends to let them know he's finally settled.
He doesn’t bother to wait for their replies and plops down on to the bed. With a sigh, he looks around and absentmindedly takes off his shoes.
First impression about his roommate is not good to say the least and this might not be his homey baby blue room with his own minifridge at Soobin’s but all things considered, this is great.
He'll help Younghoon gather the rest of his things and ask assistance from his friends to Hyunjin-ify his room in the afternoon.
Eyes droopy, he lays down and with the faint sound of the next room’s door falling shut, Hyunjin falls asleep.