Chapter Text
“Wake up.”
A voice came from above like some sort of angel calling for the still snoozing man. Yi Sang opened his eyes, meeting a pair of pale blue. “You did not wake to your alarm. Faust prepared breakfast.” and with that the woman walked out of the room, leaving Yi Sang to rub at his eyes. Dragging himself to the living room of their shared apartment, he sat at the dining table — eyes still closed from the fatigue. “Why is it that you awaken me at this hour, Madam Faust?” he bit into his food, a simple plate of bacon and eggs. They were a bit burnt, Faust wasn’t that well of a cook. Maybe she wanted to do something nice for them. “Have you forgotten? It is our first day of college. I have class in a few minutes, so goodbye.” she stood up and walked to the sink, simply rinsing her plate before moving to the door. “If you require packed lunch, Faust has stored it in the refrigerator.” she waves, closing the door behind her.
Ah, right. He had almost forgotten about it, his first day of college. He always wondered what the classes might offer, being a photography major. Photography… He had thought of taking up classic literature, but there was a sort of fascination in his chest with the world that he wishes to preserve in photos. He stood up and washed his plates — even Faust's to make sure they were completely clean — then went to get himself ready. It was 7:45 and if he remembers correctly, his class was at 8:30, so he had plenty of time on his hands. With his typical cream coloured pants and a black sweater vest over a white collared shirt, he rushed out the door to his class.
He had 30 more minutes until his lecturer came. They had texted the class group chat, saying that they’ll be late after their car had randomly exploded. Which was amusing, but concerning at the same time.
Yi Sang decided to wander around the campus, his camera close to his chest as he snapped every single part — not worrying about the storage space. It was a peaceful morning, the breeze wasn't too cold nor was the sun too hot for a spring day. He walked along the garden, admiring the blooming cherry trees as its leaves flew to the ground alongside the gentle wind. He puts up his camera and snaps a photo of the sight, capturing another person in the picture.
He put down his camera to stare at the person, the glare of the sunlight made it a bit harder for him. He was, maybe, a bit taller than Yi Sang with a darker complexion and deep brown hair. He simply had on a white tank top and black pants, a green puffy jacket rested off his shoulders and on his arms. As he turned his head to the side, Yi Sang looked up to his face. Striking purple eyes and a rather bored expression, he even had a cigarette in his mouth too.
It almost felt like an eternity, standing there in awe with his camera in his hand as if ready to take another photo. His cheeks were hot, giving it a hint of red on his pale face. It felt rude to simply stand there and stare, but he felt so infatuated by this man standing only a few steps away from him. Maybe, it's his face or perhaps his build — something made the otherwise stoic man feel this way. Like a connection to this stranger, was this what a crush felt like?
His thoughts were interrupted when the man turned to his direction, locking eyes if not for a brief moment before Yi Sang looked away.
What to do now?
He must've thought the ravenette was a creep, staring at him without uttering a single word. Hell, he didn't even know his name! He contemplated his ideas:
He could run but that would make him suspicious.
He could strike up a conversation but he didn't know what to say.
He could—
“Oi.”
A voice broke his silent thoughts, it was deep and had an edge, like the end of a blunt sword. He turned back, the man only a few inches away from him. His camera moved up to his face, only revealing his eyes. “You're a photographer, eh?” the man asked, turning his head to the side to puff out some smoke with Yi Sang simply nodding. “Great, 'cause I need a new picture for my socials. Heathcliff, by the way.” he extended a hand, which Yi Sang shook.
“Yi Sang.”
“Studyin' here?”
“Yes, majoring in photography.”
“I can tell.”
An awkward laugh escaped Yi Sang's mouth, clutching the camera in his hands. “Oh, right, the picture.” Heathcliff walked back, his leg crossed with his head looking to the side. Yi Sang was sure to take a photo from every possible angle, even waiting a bit for a cherry blossom leaf to fall to make the scene more like it’s from a romance novel. “Done.” Yi Sang called out, setting the camera down and looking through the photos. “Pretty good, send it to me later aye? Here.” he pulled out a pen and took the ravenette’s hand, writing a series of numbers on his palm.
“Gotta dash, see ya mate.” and he was off running. Yi Sang could only wave as he stared at the number on his palm, feeling the familiar heat coming back to his cheeks. He could sit there, registering the conversation for the next hour but he needed to arrive at his first class. First impressions are important, after all.
“What’s that?” Faust snapped Yi Sang back into reality, staring pointedly towards the palm of his hand. “Oh, someone’s number. He asked me to take some photos of him and told me to send it later.” Faust could only hum in acknowledgement. “We have merely started and you have already woo’d someone, Faust is impressed.” she was joking, Yi Sang could tell, but it managed to fluster him. “It’s… nothing like that, Madam Faust…” he looked away, trying to hide his face with his sleeve.
“Your ears are red, Yi Sang.”
“No, they are not.”
“But, they are.”
“Oh, hush…”
With that, the conversation came to an end as they continued on to enjoy their lunch. “Have you joined any societies, Madam Faust?” Yi Sang looked up at her, who was busy munching away at her almost-burnt lettuce leaves. “No, none seemed to interest Faust.” she responded, taking a sip of her drink. “Would you like to look at some later, or should we just refer to the flyer?” he suggested, the white-haired woman hummed in consideration. “Well, I may be busy with the cafe but I can accompany you. Unless, you would like to go with your new friend?” Yi Sang almost choked on his drink. “M- Madam Faust!”
“Your reactions are entertaining.” a light but quick giggle from her as the man sighed.
“Swim club… Economics club… Film club…” Yi Sang read through the list again as Faust fiddled with the key in her hands. “Faust cannot swim; Not interested; Sounds uninteresting.” she lists down, finally opening the door and locked it behind them as they went inside. “Hm… Hm… Oh, how about this?” Yi Sang pointed towards the list — Literature Club.
“Hum… Well, if you are interested, then I do not mind you joining.” she shrugged, putting the takeout on the dining table. “How about you, Madam Faust? I’m sure you will find some interest in it.” Yi Sang flipped through the flyers again. “It does not strike me as fascinating. But, if you insist.” she shrugs off her jacket, setting aside on the clothes rack. “Now, I will be working on today’s tasks. You can eat without me.” she waved before locking her bedroom door behind her. Yi Sang was unsure what she does behind closed doors but it wasn’t quite his business to bother her. If she needed some privacy, he was going to give it to her.
Oh, he almost forgot.
The man pulled out his phone, typed in the numbers on his phone and opened the chat. He’s not sure why Heathcliff needed a new profile picture, he thought the recent one was decent. It was of him with another person — long orange hair with an annoyed expression on their face — that he assumed was either a past lover or a friend. Maybe that's why he wanted to change it. Yi Sang moved to the couch, transferring the photos from his camera to his phone and began typing.
🪶 : Hello, this is Yi Sang, the photographer from this morning.
🪶 : [ Images attached ]
🪶 : Here are the photos from this morning.
Yi Sang stared at the chat, feeling a familiar heat reach the tip of his ears as he saw that Heathcliff was online. His heart did a little dance as he was replying.
⛈️ : aye, this is heathcliff
⛈️ : looks as good as this morning
⛈️ : thanks again, mate
Yi Sang’s lips couldn’t help but wobble up into a small smile as he stared at the response, occasionally glancing at Heathcliff’s icon to see if he changed it. He couldn't also help but stare at the images that he took of Heathcliff, his heart tugged a bit as he marveled in the photo — in the man's beauty. This is so odd. he thought to himself. Feeling all giddy for a stranger that he spoke only a few words to? Guess there’s a first for everyone.
And that crush was a first for him.
“And, that’s it for today.”
As the class wrapped up, everyone was up and ready to pack their bags. Yi Sang was no exception, he was going to look for the Literature Club with Faust later in hopes of joining. “Oh, and don’t forget to pair up for your presentation.” the lecturer called out again. God, right. He almost forgot about that. He looked around, everyone seemed to have picked out a partner — some were happy while some seemed like they were forced together. Sighing, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around, coming face to face with a man almost twice his size. With a collared shirt, a sweater vest and a knitted jacket on, his expression didn’t help making him any less scary — that unmoving stoic and that glare, it made Yi Sang shiver.
“Apologies, but would you like to pair? You seem to not have one.” the man spoke, his voice was deep but had a sort of politeness to it. “Oh, of course. I do not see anyone else that is free at the moment. I’m Yi Sang.” he extended a hand, which the man simply stared at. “Meursault. Will you be going somewhere after this?” he followed behind Yi Sang as he exited the class. “Huh? Oh, well, me and a friend are going to the Literature Club to sign up.”
“Quite a coincidence, I’m a member. I can show you and your friend the way.” Meursault nodded, turning towards the sound of footsteps. “Yi Sang, there you are. Are you re-” Faust turned to the bigger man behind him before glancing back towards her roommate. “Did you woo another classmate?” his cheeks reddened, “M- Madam Faust! We just met.”
“You just met the other one as well, yet you have his number.”
“Could we please stop talking about that?”
“It’s entertaining.”
Meursault glanced between the two as Yi Sang covered his face, sighing. “Madam Faust, this is Mr. Meursault. We will be pairing up for this class and he’s going to show up where the Literature Club is. He’s a member, apparently.” Faust stared at Meursault, bowing slightly. “It is a pleasure. Please take care of Yi Sang for me.” Meursault simply nodded. “Alright, show us the way then.” she moved to the side, allowing the taller man to walk in front of both of them. “This way, monsieur and madame.”
“And, this is the Literature Club.”
They stopped in front of a door with a simple sign hanging off a lone nail right under the glass window, the view of the inside covered with a red curtain. “Seemed more like a setup for a Drama Club.” Faust commented, moving to knock on the door. “You did not have to do that, madame. Just simply walk in.” and Meursault did just that. Faust was right, it did seem like it would fit a Drama Club more. The back windows had red curtains similar to the ones at the door, and in the middle seemed to be a background prop with the current scene being that of a castle. In front of it were a circle of chairs, each had a surface to write on. The entire room was decked out in a deep red.
“Well, of course. As this was originally the Drama Club from 2 years ago.” Meursault noted, turning his head to a nearby commotion behind the prop. “You seriously stole my lunch?!” a girl’s voice. “As if you weren’t going to just buy from the café! Someone had to eat it!” and a familiar male’s voice. Yi Sang peeked around the corner, sure enough it was Heathcliff and another person. The same person on his previous profile icon.
“Why you—” the girl stopped herself, staring towards the trio. “There’s people. I’ll deal with you later once we’re back at our apartment.” she hissed, clearing her throat as she approached the recently arrived. “Sorry, you had to see that. Ishmael, president of the Literature Club.” she leaned in as if to whisper. “Honestly I wanted to host a new club but they said we’re too full of clubs so they just gave me this.”
“Interesting. I’m Faust and this is Yi Sang. Here.” she pulled out a sheet of paper from within her jacket, handing it to her. “I have filled out an application form.” Ishmael gingerly took them, looking over both pages. “Wow, that was fast. Expected you to experience this place a bit before signing up.” she looked through the papers again, setting them aside inside a nearby folder. “Well, uh, it all looks good so… Guess you’re in.” she sounded unsure with that last word. “You really are shite with this, aren’t you?” Heathcliff snickered, the president snapping her neck back towards him to begin arguing again.
Yi Sang couldn’t help but smile, already a fascinating cast… He wonders if more would join and if he could get even more closer to these people. Especially—
He brought up his camera to his face and snapped a silent photo of Heathcliff.
Despite how angry he seemed, Yi Sang couldn’t help but flushed red.