Chapter Text
you found yourself frustrating over where you were going to stay now that you're being forced to move out.
living in the city wasn't an easy thing for a single girl trying to make it out there.
you groan as your phone takes forever to load places to rent. you've resorted for anything still in the city that's close to your budget.
the place you had been living at was affordable for being in the city but now they want to tear it down to make a new building, which meant everyone is being kicked out. it was a small place, with only 50 residents or so, but it was all you needed. now that it is being taken away from you, you couldn't help but curse at the people that let this happen.
"this is stupid" you throw your phone on the couch, giving up on searching and focusing on packing the last of your stuff.
after finishing, your phone was finally working better and you were surprised to see an open spot in a decent-looking apartment building close to your workplace.
you wasted no time in signing up and finally closing your eyes to rest.
•
it was now time to meet the person from the website where you had already payed your deposit. all you had to do was move your stuff and you could get back to work quickly.
it finally seemed like your life was looking up after so many downs you've had in the last few days.
satisfactorily trudging your way to the apartment, you couldn't help but wow at the size of the complex. it was bigger than you thought.
as you entered the elevator to the designated floor, you messaged the owner to let them know you were there already.
reaching the right door, you ring the bell to the side of it.
it opens in no time to reveal a tall, lean man with blonde silver-ish wavy hair and a friendly smile.
you didn't think to question as to why the man was already inside the apartment, let alone his casual attire.
"hey, you must be y/n?" he greets you, sticking his hand out for a handshake. "i'm johnny, the guy from the website" he introduces himself.
you shake his hand after being in a trance from his looks.
he's handsome, you think to yourself as you examine his features further.
"hi, is this the apartment?" you ask him, wanting to know where you'll be staying at.
"yeah, you can come in and check it out if you want" he moves aside for you to enter and you do.
you look at your surroundings but the place seems like it's already owned.
"is it furnished already?" you ask him.
he frowns slightly.
"i mean, yeah" he doesn't quite know what to say.
"johnny, can you return my shaving-" someone sticks their head out from one of the bedroom in the hallway.
"oh, sorry" they apologize. "i'll go get it" the guy with long blonde hair says and leaves to go into another room
"uh..." you let out in confusion.
"he has no manners sometimes, sorry about that" johnny apologizes, shaking his head at the guy's behavior.
"who is that?" you ask, still confused about what's happening.
"his name is yuta" he says and takes a look at your perplexed look. "...is something the matter?" he asks.
"do you own this apartment?" you question him.
"yeah, i'm in charge of turning in our payments" he says.
"what do you mean by 'our' payments?" you ask, now frowning.
"the guys' and my payments to the office..." he says slowly, not understanding why you're sounding harsher the more you talk.
"guys?" you ask incredulously. "wait-"
"i posted on the website that we needed a roommate. you did see that... right?" he asks slowly this time as well, he doesn't wanna deal with an angry woman on a saturday afternoon.
"what!?" you let out, holding your hair in frustration.
no no no, it must be a mistake! you repeat over and over in your head.
you quickly take your phone out and go to the website where this apartment was posted. the description indeed said that they were in need of a roommate...
"ha..." you exhaled in disbelief.
how could i be so dumb? why did i not check the damn-
your thoughts were cut off.
"sorry if it wasn't what you expected. if you want, we can talk about returning your deposit and-" johnny starts apologizing but you cut him off.
"don't worry, i'll deal with it myself. can i get back to you tomorrow?" you ask, feeling bad for lashing out with him there.
"yeah, that's absolutely fine" he says and you bid each other goodbye.
•
"mom, please. just for a week? i really don't have anywhere to go-"
"figure it out on your own! you decided you were grown enough to go live out in the city so now you figure that out. don't come here begging us when you barely even call us" your mom claims before she hung up on you.
is she serious right now? you look at the ended call on your phone as you scoff.
just your luck that your parents don't support you and that your friends don't live anywhere near the city.
i could probably stay with those guys in the meantime while i try to find something better... i have to be out by wednesday, you remind yourself.
you close your eyes as you sit on a bench by the river. you've been so stressed over everything lately, you feel like you barely have time for yourself.
after some minutes, you decide to go find something to eat before sleeping for the rest of the day.
•
the next day, you tried calling that johnny guy again.
he picks up after the third ring.
"hello?" his voice comes through.
"hey, so the room is still open right?" you ask in hopes that it was still available.
"yes, it is! have you decided already?" he asks.
"yeah... i should be staying there until i can find a new place" you explain to him.
"that's fine! take as long as you need. do you need help moving some stuff?" he asks nicely.
"uh- if it's not too much trouble" you say embarrassingly.
"it's really no problem. the guys and i can help if you're in a rush" he tells you.
you thank him profusely and text him your current address.
you made sure all of the boxes were closed properly and that you weren't missing anything in any room.
taking one last look at yourself in the mirror of the bathroom, you decided you looked decent enough to go out and meet your new roommates.
should i be nervous? i'm going to be living with a bunch of guys...
as you think about your current situation, you hear a ring at the door.
it must be them.
"coming!" you shout from the bathroom and quickly get out and make your way to the door.
you open the door and are met with three faces, two of them being new.
"hi" you smile at them politely.
"hi" johnny smiles back. "this is jaehyun" he points to his left to which the guy waves. "and this is taeyong" he points to the guy on his right, who also waves.
you wave back at them and couldn't help but look at them in awe.
why are they all so handsome?
"hello, it's nice to meet you. please, come in" you say to them as you move away from the door.
the three of them come in and instantly look around the place.
"dang, how come you're downgrading to our apartment complex?" johnny says honestly after taking a good look.
"they're tearing this building down and it was last minute so" you sigh, not wanting to remember when she got the news.
"oh, that makes sense" he replies.
"are these all the boxes?" the taeyong guy asks.
"yep! i didn't have much to start with so i shouldn't be cramping up the apartment right?" you ask innocently.
"nope, thankfully these guys didn't have much either" johnny says as he carries two boxes.
"oh yeah! there's one more roommate, you saw him- he's yuta, he's uh... a little grumpy that you're coming to live with us. i guess he isn't that comfortable with girls living in the same place but i'm sure he'll get used to it" johnny waves it off.
"are you sure?" you asked in concern.
you don't wanna start off on the wrong foot with one of your roommates.
"yeah, he's always iffy when it comes to new people around him" the jaehyun guy adds.
"well, i'll trust you guys on this one then" you chuckle nervously as you head to the elevator with the guys.
"is this your last time here?" taeyong asks you.
"yeah, once we get to the main floor, i have to turn in my key" you hold up the key you have in your hand.
"should we go eat after this? i skipped breakfast this morning" johnny starts.
"yeah, i'm kinda hungry" jaehyun agrees with him.
"mhm, why not?" you shrug your shoulders, agreeing as well.
"i have to go to work soon so i have to skip for now" taeyong pouts a little.
"i can make us a nice dinner tonight, if you guys don't mind?" you propose, feeling bad that you won't get to eat with taeyong.
"that'd be perfect, all of us will be home" johnny says while the other guys nod their heads.
you'll finally be able to show them what you have to offer.
•
"thanks for the air fryer. i think it's gonna become very useful in here" johnny tells you as you finish putting up the last of your stuff.
"no problem. i'm glad it's going to be used now" you give him a friendly smile.
"what's going to be for dinner?" jaehyun asks as he takes a seat at the kitchen island.
"not sure yet... do you guys have any favorites?" you ask as you take a look inside the well packed fridge.
"we're not that picky to be honest... but i do love me some good kimchi fried rice" johnny suggests and you take a look back at jaehyun to see him nodding his head in agreement.
"i'll try my best then" you give them a satisfied smile and get to cooking.
as you were finishing the last of the side dishes, taeyong comes through the door as he had just gotten back from work.
"it smells good in here. is dinner ready?" he asks curiously as he takes off his shoes by the entrance as it's beside the kitchen entrance as well.
you nod while you wash your hands before grabbing the last of the utensils to set up the table.
"will yuta be eating with us?" you ask just in case.
"probably not, but i'll ask" johnny replies and leaves you with just jaehyun sat nearby.
"i'll get the drinks, what would you like?" he gets up to go to the fridge and looks back at you while standing with the door open.
"is there any soda?" you ask.
"yeah, is coke fine?" he asks for reassurance.
"yes" you nod.
"he isn't eating with us. he's such a brat" johnny comes back in. "taeyong's coming in a sec" he informs you.
"that's alright, i understand" you give in, not wanting to pressure yuta into eating along with you if he's uncomfortable.
"this looks delicious. you made all this?" taeyong comes towards the table with his hair freshly damp from taking a quick shower.
wow, his beauty is a little blinding, you couldn't help but think.
"mhm, i'm actually a pretty decent cook. i hope you guys like it" you give them your best smile before sitting down with all of them.
everything that was at the table was eaten and everyone was satisfied, you being the happiest at the sight.
"that was so good, you should make dinner every day" johnny jokes around.
"it was really good" jaehyun chimes in as he gives you a look that shows he's not lying.
"i'd say you're more than decent" taeyong compliments you.
"thank you guys" you thank them appreciatively. "my family always complained about my cooking" you smile sadly, opening up to them sooner than expected.
"why?" jaehyun frowns.
"they were very picky so they always pointed out every single thing they didn't like" i shrug thinking back about the memories.
"well, i hope you'll be comfortable here. we like your cooking" taeyong offers you a warm welcoming smile, trying to lift up the mood.
"thank you for letting me be your roommate" i say back.
"you're welcome anytime, y/n" johnny says sincerely.
after talking some more, the guys helped you put the dishes in the sink. then, you convinced them of cleaning up the table since they had helped you move all of your stuff earlier.
when that was done, you told taeyong to go ahead and rest since he had come from work late. and then jaehyun said he had to wake up early the next morning, so he excused himself politely to which you didn't fuss about.
johnny stayed regardless, he said he would feel like a bad first day host if he didn't help out with at least washing the dishes.
so now you stand in front of the sink, passing the clean dishes to johnny so he could dry them.
"what's your family like?" you ask to keep the conversation going.
"well, there's my parents and my younger brother. that's about it" he shrugs, not having much to say.
"younger brother? how much younger is he?" you ask curiously.
"4 years younger" he responds. "do you have siblings?" he asks back.
"older brother and younger sister. they're little devils either way" you joke around as you remember when you were all little and would do troublesome things.
"didn't take you for the middle child" johnny jokes and you roll your eyes.
"is that an insult?" you ask a little offended.
"no, it's just that you seem so put together. i would've never guessed it" he replies honestly.
"i did move away from home sooner than i thought i would so maybe that's why" you tell him.
"i hope-"
he gets cut off by the ringing of a phone.
you quickly dry your hands to go over to your phone that was on the table.
"i gotta answer this real quick, i'll be right back" you tell johnny in a rush to which he nods understandingly.
getting inside your room, you close the door softly and answer the call.
"hello?" you ask worriedly.
"y/n? sorry for calling so late, how are you doing?" your boss says.
"it's okay! i'm fine, i was just busy moving places" you reveal to him.
"moving places? aren't you stressed enough already?" your boss asks quite shocked.
"well... i had no choice, my previous building is no longer going to be an apartment complex" you explain.
"oh y/n... you sound so tired. are you fine with working? you're so ahead already. you know what? i think you need a break" your boss tells you.
"what? a break? i don't get payed for my days off, i couldn't possibly do that" you refute, now frowning.
"lately, your late works haven't been looking too good. i know you're the best here and you've been out of it for a good while. i need you at your best, y/n. please, take my recommendation" your boss states a little more seriously now.
have i seriously been slacking off without realizing it?
"i'm giving you two months, i'll be waiting for your return with a healthy mindset and your determination to always outdo yourself. see you then!" your boss concludes and hangs up, leaving you at a loss for words.
you place your phone on top of your nightstand and sit on the edge of your bed in frustration. head in your hands as your elbows were propped on your knees.
i thought my life was looking up, why is this happening now?
you wanted to cry. your job meant everything to you. you knew your boss didn't have ill intentions. if he was telling you that you needed a break then your most recent work must've been real off putting.
you sigh.
there were two knocks at your door.
"hey, is everything okay?" johnny's voice is heard through the other side.
you get up and open the door, revealing his tall figure right behind it.
"hey, sorry about that. it was a little urgent" you say a little awkwardly.
"did something happen?" he asks in concern.
"i've been put on break from my job..." you start off.
"is that a bad thing?" he asks in confusion.
"i don't get paid for taking days off, especially a whole two months" you rub your face with your hands, still processing the information.
"what? then why are you given a break?" he asks in shock.
"because i haven't been doing well recently. this is so lame..." you groan as you think about it.
"i can help you look for a job as soon as tomorrow. i work from home most days so" johnny tries to comfort you.
you look up at him and give him a grateful smile.
"thank you so much johnny, you don't know how much you're helping me. really" you tell him honestly.
"i think you really deserve it, you shouldn't have to go through this alone" he reaffirms you.
•
you woke up the next morning wanting nothing more than to keep sleeping but you knew you couldn't leave that impression on the guys.
getting up to go to the bathroom, you stumble upon taeyong in the hallway who was returning to his room. he gave you a warm smile as he passed by which you didn't hesitate to return.
after washing up, you decided to have something to drink to wake up.
"morning" johnny greets you in the kitchen.
"morning, jaehyun left already?" you greet him and get a glass to have some water.
"yeah, taeyong leaves in a couple hours and so does yuta" he explains. "i asked of them to be on the lookout for an open spot somewhere nearby by the way, i hope you're okay with that" he tells you in concern.
"that's totally fine" you shake your head in reassurance. "i'm grateful for the help, i'm honestly such a mess. i guess i should've thought about this before deciding to move out by myself" you close your eyes in deep thought.
"i'm sure you'll get back on track soon, don't worry about it" johnny gives you a sincere look.
"thanks" you tell him, giving him a smile despite everything going on.
"morning" someone grumbles as they come into the kitchen.
you see a mess of blonde hair as you look up while drinking from your glass.
it's yuta.
"morning" johnny and you say simultaneously which makes yuta look up and squint through his puffy eyes to look at the girl.
acknowledging her presence and nothing more to which he makes himself a tea and retreats back to his room.
"he'll come around soon, i promise" johnny gives you an apologetic look.
•
"hey, i was wondering if you wanted to go out for a little bit with my friend and i before you leave with johnny?" taeyong comes into the living room dressed to go out, with his fading red hair styled.
"sure, why not?" you tell him before getting back to your room to get changed.
after much debating, you opted for a long skirt and a cropped top to match it. not forgetting to grab your purse with essentials and heading back to the living room where taeyong was waiting for you.
once you popped up, he turned to look at you and ended up staring at you.
"is something wrong?" you glance back at your outfit since he didn't take his eyes off of you.
"a-ah, no. i like your outfit" he compliments you, getting flustered for staring.
"oh, thank you. your style is really nice by the way" you point out to which he says thank you.
"are we going somewhere in specific?" you ask him as you walk to the elevator together.
"we always go to this cafe near the park, it has the best pastries and lattes around" he informs you.
"really? i can't wait to try it out then" you smile to yourself at the fact that you get to explore around for a little bit.
after walking for some time and talking about anything that came up, you met up with a guy sitting at one of the small tables inside the cafe.
"this is doyoung, my long time friend" taeyong introdues him to you.
you two shake hands and give each other polite smiles.
"this is y/n, the new roommate i told you about" taeyong tells doyoung who nods in understanding.
after getting past introductions, it turned out that you guys were pretty similar so conversations went smoothly and you could say that he felt like more than just a random acquaintance.
"i thought being a manager would pay off but it's been like 3 years? and i'm still under a lot of stress" doyoung adds unto his complaints about work.
"i get that" you nod in agreement. "in the beginning everything felt refreshing and then it was just progressively getting chaotic" you say about your work.
"exactly! and then everybody makes fun of me because i look crazy stressing over everything they don't get to stress about" he shakes his head at the thought of his lazy coworkers.
taeyong just laughs along and asks about certain things that he finds odd about you guys' jobs.
"i never thought teamwork could be a problem since it's more than one person working on something" taeyong says in disbelief.
"it's just like back in school, always some slackers on the group while others have to stress more" doyoung says to give an easy comparison to his friend.
"honestly, i'd do anything to just have the work to myself instead of having people who don't do anything take the credit for others' hard work" i voice my opinion.
"i guess if i were in you guys' situation, i would too. i hope it gets better" he chuckles but still meaning what he said.
the hour went by faster than you expected, with both taeyong and doyoung having to go to work soon. you all departed, doyoung having said that he hopes to see you again and you agreed.
you wished them good luck and decided to do a little grocery shopping for the apartment before you head back.
once you were back at the apartment, you were greeted by johnny who was talking to yuta in the kitchen. yuta seemingly dressed for work and johnny in a causal outfit for when you two go out job hunting.
"i'm going to work now, see you later" yuta bids goodbye to johnny and only glanced at you before going through the door.
you see johnny sighing and shaking his head.
"it's alright. you said it'll take some time, right?" you tried to lift up the mood.
"yeah, but like- not even a greeting or anything? he really is something else... anyway, you ready?" he looks up at you and you stand up from the couch in the living room.
"yeah" you say as you turn off the tv and head towards the door.
•
it turned out that there weren't many job offers on sight, you and johnny were already getting tired from walking around so much.
"that was the workout of the day!" johnny says as he exhaled loudly and wipes his forehead.
"i know, right? i think i'll just call some people to see if they know or look online for something close" you conclude as you both get to a convenience store.
"yeah, i'll ask around too" he says as he holds the door open for you.
"want some ice cream?" you head towards an specific section.
"sure, i'll go get us some drinks" he replies before walking off towards the refrigerators.
picking out the best ice creams they have to offer, you happily walk over to the cashier and pay for them. not long after, johnny comes after you and buys the drinks.
"thanks" he says after you hand him his ice cream.
"no problem" you say as you open your ice cream to eat right away.
•
the next day, jaehyun offered to help you take a break and show you what he does for a living.
you could say he was the most chill out of everyone, just being laidback about everything while still being nice. you thought that was considerate of him.
"my friend is a bit older than us, but he's really cool. he's actually kind of my boss but doesn't treat me like his subordinate. we've been here for years" he explains as you both get into his office building.
it was a big building, most likely some type of corporate building where they need different specialized teams.
"this is a big building" you comment as you walk through the lobby to get to the elevators.
"yeah, it comes with a lot of benefits too" he includes.
"what's your friend's name?" you ask him.
"his name is taeil. i'm sure he doesn't mind if i show you around for a bit" he shrugs nonchalantly.
"have you met the other guys' friends too?" you ask referring to your other roommates.
"yeah, sometimes we hang around together on some weekends. it's actually fun, we should meet up again with you this time" he proposes and you nod excitedly.
you both get to the designated floor and people immediately start greeting jaehyun as you pass by.
"i see you're kinda popular" you tease him lightly.
"i am praised by my work from time to time" he smirks proudly and knowingly.
you can't lie, he looked very attractive in that moment. with his dirty blonde hair styled and his semi formal attire.
"we're here" he points out.
a room with small desks huddled together and one at the very end which probably belongs to the manager of the group.
"morning jaehyun" someone who came in after us greets him and continues to look at you, giving a questioning look to jaehyun.
"morning. this is y/n, my new roommate. i wanted to show her where i work at for the experience. y/n, this is taeil who i was talking to you about" jaehyun introduces you.
"hello, it's nice to meet you" you smile at the taeil guy politely and he does the same as he extends a hand out for a handshake.
"same here, i'll let jaehyun take you around. if there's anything you guys need, let me know. i'll be here" he says before heading to his desk and getting ready to work.
"thanks, i'll see you soon" jaehyun thanks him and you do too before leaving the office room.
"he does seem pretty chill" you comment to jaehyun.
"yeah, i'm glad he's my supervisor. he makes our work easier" he glances at you before taking you around the big place.
break time suddenly came when jaehyun and you were at the rooftop that was nicely decorated.
"we should eat breakfast since we didn't get to before we left the apartment" you tell him to which he checks the time on his watch.
"we can get something here" he agrees with you and you both took the elevator down to the designated floor.
"oh, taeil is here too. is it okay if we eat with him?" jaehyun asks you to make sure.
"yeah, that's fine" you give him a reassuring smile before he led you to the food section.
after picking out a sandwich and a juice bottle, you followed jaehyun to the small table where taeil was sat at.
taeil looks up from his phone and give you guys a smile.
"having late breakfast?" he asks you two.
"we left earlier than usual this morning so yeah" jaehyun replies.
"me too, i had to rush out since i had to send a few emails before 10" taeil tells you.
"what time do you guys get out?" you ask curiously.
"i always stay until later to make sure everything is set for the next days" taeil replies and you hum in understanding.
"i usually leave by 5" jaehyun replies curtly.
"sometimes you even leave before then" taeils teases him which makes you chuckle.
"some of the people make it difficult to stay until 5" jaehyun groans lightly.
"do you work?" taeil directs the question to you, wanting to converse for a little while longer.
"my boss has given me a break. i make designs for certain clothes and sometimes for one line of clothes a year, though it seems i've been lacking for some time which is how i'm here now" you avert your eyes as you twirl the juice bottle in your hand.
"that sounds interesting. you're still getting paid, right? since the break was given to you" taeil questions.
"i'm actually not" you chuckle humorlessly.
"what?" he asks shocked.
"how come? you didn't even ask for it, he can't just do that" jaehyun frowns a little.
"my boss and i, we've known each other ever since i started working there about 3 years ago. i understand why he did that and i'm honestly not that mad about it. i think i need a little break before going back" you reveal.
"i mean, if you can afford it then i guess it's plausible" taeil says.
"that's the thing... i actually can't so i'm looking for a job right now" you smile awkwardly at all the information you're giving, though you don't feel much discomfort sharing it with them.
"we're all helping out finding a job that's suitable for her" jaehyun includes to which you give him a thankful smile.
"i can look around too and if i see some, i'll be sure to let jaehyun know" taeil nods reassuringly to which you thank him.
"i've heard that all you guys meet up with some of their friends too" you start off.
"yeah, it's usually yuta and his friends that always want to go out for drinks and eat barbecue together" jaehyun chuckles at the thought and taeil adds onto how they all somehow get along together and why they still meet up from time to time.
everything felt nice, meeting new people who are willing to help your situation.
in only some minutes, your conversation was cut short since they had to go back to work and you decided to finally take your leave. leaving jaehyun to actually work, you thanked him and taeil for accompanying you in the morning.
maybe moving into the apartment with four others wasn't as bad as you thought.