Chapter Text
The black ink circles his answer for the last test item. Apart from the scattered heavy sighs, exasperated grumbles, and scribbles of pen against paper, only the sound of the ticking clock can be heard in the exam room. The round face of the clock tells him he has more than enough to review all of his answers once more, but Junhui doesn’t see the point. He taps the nibbled end of his pen on the table — one sharp hit — for finality.
Is he confident about it? Not a hundred percent, but his brain is fried. A single mistake isn’t going to be the end of everything.
The pen and calculator are unceremoniously shoved back inside his backpack. He gathers his exam papers and heads to the front of the room. The squeak of the soles of his rubber shoes echoes. He scans the room only to see most of his peers are still unfinished.
Professor Park looks up from her papers and beams at him. “You take care now, Mr. Wen,” she whispers very softly and with a very soft pat on the back of his hand. He’s become fond of her. He lectures have been nothing but stellar and insightful. Junhui places his paper atop her pile and bows to her in return before exiting the room.
He’s done. It’s official. College is over.
The usually clogged hallway of his department is clear at this hour. Four year he has walked these floors, these corridors. He has lost the number of times he’s taken a wrong turn in his early years. But his mistakes have taught him well. Junhui now calculates the shortest path to his much-awaited reward. He’s been craving for it the whole week.
The walk is an unexpected trip down memory lane. He takes in everything — the notices that hang loosely on the bulletin boards, the stick-ons in some of the lockers. Jun has emptied his before the start of exam week. Soonyoung has made a whole ceremony about clearing out their things, thinking back on the times they slipped notes and snacks on each other’s locker.
It’s mid-afternoon and the cafeteria is mostly empty as well. His pot of gold at the end of a rainbow is tucked away in the corner, near the cashier. He makes a beeline to it. The humming of the chest freezer increases in volume as he gets closer. Jun pries it open and the cold air hits him in the face. The colorful variety of the ice pops is a tempting choice, but he has already decided on a pint of mint choco ice cream.
His next intended destination is the campus courtyard. There are four benches overlooking the entirety of the area. He picks the one of the leftmost where there’s shade from the leaves of the nearby tree.
The first spoonful of ice cream cools him down. The tension on his shoulders dissipates. It’s going to spoil his appetite for dinner with his friends later, but he needs the pick-me-up. Junhui leans back on the bench and stretches his long legs. He tips his head back and squints his eyes. The afternoon sun peeks through the foliage of leaves.
His hand begins to numb from the frozen dessert, but he takes another bite and another until it’s almost half empty. The phone from inside his bag beeps, but he ignore it for now. His best guess is it’s probably Soonyoung, looking for him. He’s done with his exams since yesterday and has been itching to go out and celebrate the end of, as he says, “an era”.
The celebration can wait another hour or two. For now, Jun takes a moment to let everything sink in. It’s now time to be an adult. The idea is daunting, at the very least.
Melted dairy from the wooden spoon drips on his pant leg, but doesn’t fuss about it. To his left, he hears someone take the other bench next to him, but again, Jun pays no mind. A couple minutes pass and he’s already at the bottom of the pint. Jun realizes he forgot to buy a bottle of water to wash down the sugar. All the sugar leaves him parched.
Jun sees Dean Kang coming in from the south gate with some very important looking guests. Ties and suitcases and polished leather shoes. His eyes follow their path until they disappear into the Dean’s building. “Moneybags,” he mutters.
There is no guarantee that those are investors. They could very well be the visiting scholars from the new program that has been posted in one of the notices in the bulletin. But Jun likes to free up the heaviness on his mind by conjuring up scenarios; hence, moneybags.
This happens often — people watching. These benches are the perfect spot for it, especially when it gets busy.
A student crosses the courtyard and his flustered state catches Jun’s attention. The young man seems to be a hurry. His hair sticks out in the back, shirt haphazardly tucked, and his shoelaces are untied, almost tripping in the uneven portion of the grass. Jun worries for him until he sees the bouquet of roses he carries. He scoffs at the sight and makes an exaggerated gesture of shaking his head.
“You don’t like flowers?”
The voice startles Jun more than the question does. He looks to his left, unaware that someone is watching him. He swallows the gasp that dares to escape his lips. A man sits cross-legged on the bench next to his. Even in his current position, Jun can tell he’s tall. He’s tan and muscular but with very kind eyes. Simply put, the man is gorgeous. There’s a very fancy looking camera that sits on his lap.
“You don’t approve of them?” the man asks again.
Jun sits up straight and pulls back his shoulders. “Well, it’s the summer.” It’s a pretty straightforward and obvious answer, he thinks, but the man looks at him earnestly, waiting for Jun to elaborate. He draws a deep breath and proceeds. “He could have chosen a more suitable flower. Something bright like daisies or sunflowers? Roses are too…”
“Predictable?”
“Boring,” Jun supplies, not mincing his words. “If he’s going for roses, he could’ve at least pick a fun color.”
“Yellow?”
Jun hums. “Maybe pinks and purples, too.”
The man smiles, baring his pointy canines. “The girl with the braids, to your right.”
Jun swivels to the direction given to him. He spots her easily. This is the first time he’s seeing the girl in question. She’s leaning against a balustrade, like she’s trying to keep herself upright. She looks absolutely devastated. She’s on the phone, sobbing. A tissue is balled up in her clenched fist. Jun feels crestfallen. “What about her?” He hasn’t taken his eyes off of her.
“Why do you think she’s crying?” When Jun looks back to the man, he’s even more surprised that he’s already moved closer to the edge of the bench, closing their gap. The camera has been slung on his neck as he leans both elbows on his knees. “Do you think her boyfriend is breaking up with her over the phone? He’s a jackass, of course. No balls to break up with her in person.” He tells these without looking at the girl. He gives all his attention to Jun.
Jun returns his attention back to the girl. He finds himself unable to keep eye contact with the man who has elected himself to be his afternoon companion. Her sobs has somehow subsided. Even from far away, he can now see how red and puffy her eyes and nose are. “Exams. She’s worried about the results. Could be that her scholarship is on the line if it doesn’t turn out well. Who knows?”
“You do this a lot, don’t you?”
At this point, Jun has abandoned the last few bites of ice cream he has craved for the whole week. This man has barged into his peaceful afternoon and decided to meddle with his business. “And what’s it to you?” He takes on a defensive stance.
The man pedals back a bit. “Nothing. I swear, I just think it’s intriguing that you do.”
“I’m sorry, do we know each other?”
The man hesitates for a second. “I’m Mingyu.” He says it like it means something to Jun. His smile slips a little when he realizes that isn’t the case. “You don’t remember? We had PE together.” His eyes reflects a little hopefulness.
But Jun just frowns. “I hated PE.” He has erased that time from his memories. He’s long accepted that he’s not the most coordinated person on earth. He doesn’t mind, really, but he rather not engage in embarrassing situations.
Sports being one of those situations. Dancing is more preferable.
“Is that why you ducked when Seungcheol tried to pass the ball to you?”
Jun tilts his head, trying to retrieve some more memories from a time he has locked away. The name he mentions is a pretty popular one. Everyone knows who Choi Seungcheol is. From what Jun recalls, he’s always surrounded by three friends. Two of them stand taller than Seungcheol. Something clicks and he says, “You had a different hair back then. It was longer.” He pauses when another memory comes back to him. “You were good with the free shot.”
“Free throw.”
“Same thing,” Jun shrugs and waves him off.
The smile is back on Mingyu’s face, glad to have finally been remembered. “You’re Jun, right?” He gives a hesitant nod. “I’ve seen you around, you know. In the library or the cafeteria. I’ve always wanted to say hello.”
Jun tilts his head to the side. This is new information to him. All the times that he watches people pass by around him, he fails to think that someone does the same to him. Jun is suddenly very wary and it must have shown in his face because Mingyu is quick to his defense. “Not like that, no! I’m not a stalker,” he rubs his temple, embarrassed. “You are always with friends and… it’s not like that, I swear. I just… I didn’t know how to approach you until, well, now.”
Another student arrives and sits at the rightmost bench and gives Jun a time to delay his response. He looks much younger, probably a freshman. He’s wearing a pair of over-ear headphones. He has a plastic bag on one hand and brings out a drink and a burger. An image of Hansol pops into Jun’s head. The resemblance is uncanny, but his friend probably wouldn’t be caught wearing those shoes. Then, he connects eyes with Mingyu.
“Well, what about me?” Mingyu leans back and crosse his ankles over, finding a more relaxed position now that he’s somewhat established they’ve known each other from before.
“What about you?”
“What’s your story for me?”
Mingyu’s smile is mesmerizing that Jun has to shake his head and focus. “It doesn’t work like that.” He copies Mingyu’s position and picks up his pint of ice cream. It’s completely melted now. “The mystery’s gone now that we’ve already talked. It defeats the purpose.” Mingyu pouts. “That’s your major?” He points to Mingyu’s camera.
“Oh? This?” Mingyu picks it up very carefully. He fiddles with the lens cap a bit. “No, I was just helping out a friend with his portfolio. What do you have there?”
“Mint choco ice cream. I would offer, but I only have one spoon and it’s all liquid now.”
“Interesting flavor,” Mingyu remarks.
“You’re not a fan?” Jun raises an eyebrow at him.
Mingyu coughs, wisely deflecting Jun’s question for him. “What about them?” He discreetly points to the two girls sitting on the steps near the cafeteria entrance. “They look excited.”
The girls are pored over a singular mobile phone, giggling. It looks like a possible date, but it’s also highly possible they snagged a concert ticket or caught a sale on some of the items on their online shopping cart. The girls may have also found a cute cafe to go to and read a juicy gossip from the group chat. Jun smiles. He’s taken up this rather invasive hobby to build up scenarios as a writer.
“Well, what do you think?” He throws it back to Mingyu, interested to know how his brain works.
There’s a playfulness in his eyes. “I think we should discuss it over coffee.”
The laugh escapes from Jun’s lips and the sound rings in the courtyard. It works better than the mint coco ice cream. He’s glad to see that Mingyu joins in with a huge smile. When it dies down, he wipes a stray tear from laughing heartily.
“Too much?” He whips out a tissue from somewhere. It looks clean, so Jun accepts.
“No, no. It was…” Perfect, Jun thinks. “It was good. That was… unexpected” Mingyu looks proud of himself with the compliment.
“So is that a yes?”
Jun thinks for a second. He’s interested. Of course, he is. He wants to ask what kind of flowers he would buy. He wants to ask what he has against mint choco ice cream. He wants to ask what kind of photos he takes. He wants to know why Mingyu remembers him from PE class when it’s nothing but bad memories for Jun.
He wants to, but the timing’s off. “Can I be honest with you?”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“I have dinner with friends in about an hour. We’ve scheduled this weeks ago, so I can’t.”
“That’s not a no.”
Jun smiles at him. “Depends on your answer.” A crease appears on Mingyu’s forehead. “The girls,” Jun nods to them.
Mingyu uncaps his camera and points the lens at them. He makes minute adjustments with the controls and buttons. All those are so foreign and fascinating to Jun. He mostly relies on the simplicity of his camera phone. He hears the sharp sound of the shutter and Mingyu puts the camera away.
“I think they won something. An online raffle or giveaway or something like that.”
Jun nods, accepting his answer. They fall in silence right after. He absentmindedly swirls the spoon in the liquified ice cream and only stops when his hand feels sticky. He uses the tissue from earlier.
“Do you need more?” Mingyu offers.
Jun takes another sheet of tissue from Mingyu, but makes out a sort of smudge on one of its corners. He peers closer and giggles. “What would you have done next if these numbers get ruined?” Mingyu shrugs. “You’re ready, I’ll give you that.” He pockets the tissue in his back pocket for safekeeping and later use.
“What about breakfast tomorrow?”
Jun winces. He has plans to sleep in. “How early will this breakfast be?”
“Let me guess… You’re not a morning person?”
“Usually, I am, but I’m foreseeing heavy drinking and that requires some recovery time.” He has no doubt that drinks will be flowing heavily later. He often turns them down, but a life achievement deserves several shots at least.
He sees Mingyu deflates. All of his attempts have been shut down so far. He doesn’t like the dejected look on Mingyu, so even if Jun isn’t sure it’s wise to see someone when university is about to end for him, he proposes another alternative.
“Lunch?”
“Sounds perfect.”
Jun looks at Mingyu. Really looks at him and sees him. Sees the way he’s dressed. It's trendy but not flashy. Mingyu clearly knows he’s charming, and he’s not afraid to use it. But his eyes are very soft and warm. The kind that are genuine and honest that are meant to draw people in. They draw Jun in, like they offer many stories that he craves for. Funny ones, maybe? Heart-tugging? They’re coupled with that winning smile. His canines graze the bottom of his lips when he grins. It adds a tinge of danger to his clean-cut personality.
“Any places we should avoid? Are you on any diet?” He’s trained to ask these types of questions because of the many quirks of his friends. One is vegan, the other has a lot of dietary restrictions. It gets complicated sometimes, but it's better to be safe than sorry. The last thing Jun wants is an allergy attack during a possible…
What is this? A date?
“I’m on a seafood diet. I see food, I eat it.” It’s a bad pun, but they’re laughing over it. Jun knows it. Mingyu knows it, and he snorts halfway through a belly laugh. He blushes about it. It makes him more adorable.
The sun has started to set, almost kissing the horizon. The orange glow blankets the courtyard and creates crazy shadows from the buildings. For Jun, it’s an indicator to get a move on or else he’ll be late. But he dawdles and dallies, wanting to stay a bit longer. Mingyu ends his self-conflict and says, “I guess you have to go, huh?”
Jun picks up his bag and his trash. He caps the ice cream carton with its lid. MIngyu points to a trash bin about three feet away. “Bet you could shoot that trash from here.”
“I definitely can’t. You were there with me in PE, remember?”
“Come on, give it a shot. I’ll pick it up if you miss.” He takes Jun’s bag from his hand, so it frees up both his hands. Jun gives it a good toss, and it launches in the air. Mingyu follows the arc with those beautiful eyes of his, sitting on the edge of the bench. Jun doesn’t know whether to hold his breath or laugh at the hilarity of his seriousness over a free throw.
It hits the rim and bounces off. It lands pitifully on the pavement.
Without missing a beat, Mingyu stands and picks up the trash to dispose it properly. He turns to Jun, wiping off his hands on the back of his jeans on his way back. “We’ll work on that.”
Jun wants to argue that there will not be any more attempts to turn him into the next Troy Bolton. That is a lost cause. But the words are stuck in his throat. Something tells him that there will be a next time, whether he likes it or not.
Mingyu hands him back his bag. He makes a very obvious move to brush his fingers against Jun. “Where are you guys headed to?”
“There’s a new beer and chicken place two block from here. You know it?” Jun peers up at him, surprised. He knows Mingyu is tall, but he isn’t expecting him to be a couple of inches taller than him.
“Yeah, they opened last week. Big crowd, good food. You’ll like it, I think.”
“What about you?”
Mingyu looks back at the benches. The student is still there. “I think I might go for a burger.” Then, he shifts on his feet. “So… you’ll call or message or whatever, right?” And for the first time, he looks shy.
Jun’s eyes go wide. They haven’t made plans on where to go or what time to meet. “Yes, of course, I will. I’ll see you tomorrow?”
Relief washes over Mingyu’s face. “See you tomorrow, Jun.”
They part ways right outside the south gate. Mingyu turns left and Jun goes to the right. No one looks back, no one runs after the other. but after a minute or two, Mingyu’s phone beeps. He scrambles to open it to see the message from an unknown number. But he knows who it’s from.
hi!
what are your thoughts about ramen for lunch?