Chapter Text
Gyuvin was in the trenches.
Not really, but it had been rough after spending all of his money on a pair of shoes he couldn’t bear wearing out in the open where there's dirt and shit.
His ego may be at its highest and the photo he posted on Instagram got a lot of likes, but the state of his savings account? Gyuvin would rather suck it up and continue eating dry noodles with reheated rice.
He was a couple of bites into his pseudo-meal when his roommate called him. Gyuvin picked up, “What’s up?”
“Dude, you better come down quick!” he exclaimed.
“Fuck, is there a fire?”
“No! But I think I saw the guy you were talking about,” Gunwook replied.
“What guy?”
“He’s blond–”
That’s the only word Gyuvin had to hear before sprinting out of his dorm room and dashing into the elevator.
“Where are you?”
“Lobby! The dude passed by the street when I was about to come up. I think he went to the convenience store.”
“Okay!”
“Come quicker, he’s gonna leave!”
Gyuvin watched the numbers on the elevator panel change slowly. “Do I look like I can make this fuck ass elevator go faster?” As he said that, the elevator stopped at the 6th floor and two people entered.
Gunwook must have heard the people laughing in their own little bubble next to Gyuvin, “Sorry,” he said.
“Fuck off,” Gyuvin said with a sigh.
“I’m already doing you a favor by tailing him right now. He just bought Coke, strawberry flavored ice cream, toothpaste, and a small blue packet of something. I can’t see but I think it’s lube.”
“Gunwook, you don’t have to–”
“My bad, it was hot chocolate.”
Gyuvin scratched his head in frustration. “Fine, just don’t be obvious.”
“I’m an expert, he won’t even feel me.”
“You’re a big guy, you won’t fool anyone.”
“Are you near? He just left the store!”
“He probably felt threatened by your presence.”
“No way, my boyfriend calls me Pookie.”
More people entered the elevator. Gyuvin wanted to bash his head against the elevator wall. He shouldn’t so he lightly tapped his head against it instead. “You know what? We’re doing all this just to see a guy.”
He received judging looks from the people in the elevator. Fuck. He even left his warm plate of dry noodles and rice for this and he’s starving.
“You’re giving up that easily?”
“I’m catching the next elevator up, this is stupid. Fuck, I don’t even know his name. I don’t care anymore and I’m winning this war.”
“Suit yourself, dude. I did my part.”
“Thanks, I’ll wait for you at the lobby.” Gyuvin dropped the call and stared back at those who were staring at him.
They have probably never met a yearner in real life.
Well, so long to the guy who dropped by the cafe near Gyuvin’s dorm every once in a while. It was nice looking at him from afar- too nice that Gyuvin developed a very stupid crush on him.
Seeing him early in the morning served as Gyuvin's lucky charm when he walked to uni.
If Gyuvin was less of a coward, he would’ve entered the cafe, sat across from him, and asked for his name in a very smooth and heart-fluttering way. He’d let out his inner rizzler or whatever word that would leave future linguists and etymologists in confusion. But he couldn’t. Gyuvin was a smart guy, but he wasn’t bold. All he could do was leave his terrible excuse of a dinner to run after a guy.
There was also a possibility that the blond wasn’t even him. There were plenty of people who dyed their hair.
Gyuvin regretted leaving his rice. Maybe reheating it in the microwave for the second time today would lead to his slow death.
(“That’s false,” Gunwook would say.
“Nerd.”
“I study nutrition dickwad.”)
Anyway, it’s high time Gyuvin gave up. He’ll probably never see him again. Well, he could chance upon him in a cafe but that day wouldn’t be today.
But at best Gyuvin got a few more steps into his fitness tracker.
The elevator door opened and the people rushed out. Gyuvin sluggishly straightened up from leaning on the elevator wall.
“Excuse me,” someone said.
Gyuvin hurriedly made way for the people who were about to enter the elevator.
And there he was, the blond guy. He was wearing a jacket over a black turtleneck. His hair was styled. He smelled good. He was carrying a paper bag with the logo of the convenience store across the street. Gyuvin briefly met his eyes and the guy nodded at him out of courtesy.
Gyuvin raised a hand to wave but the elevator door closed.
Fuck, the guy he was crushing on lived here all along.
And fuck, Gyuvin was wearing a Minecraft shirt and the shortest basketball shorts he owned.
He slowly made his way to the lobby lounge chairs and waited for Gunwook. He didn’t have his phone on him or his key card, so he watched the people come and go. There was a couple loudly arguing about something, so Gyuvin’s nosy ass was entertained.
“Kimgyu!” Gunwook tapped him on the shoulder. “I left a few minutes after he did so he wouldn’t think I was following him.”
“He wouldn’t think that either way.”
“Why?”
“You guys were heading the same way home.”
“What the– You mean he lives here?”
“Yes, he’s one of our neighbors all along.”
What was Gyuvin’s plan? It was too early for that question. For now, he needed to eat. The two of them went inside a free elevator.
“What’s that?” Gyuvin asked, pointing at the paper bags Gunwook was carrying.
“Leftovers from class and snacks I bought to avoid looking suspicious,” he replied. “Have you eaten?”
“I was but you called me down.”
“What were you eating?”
Gyuvin chose not to reply.
“It must be one of your weird food combinations that barely taste decent.”
They got off at their floor and Gyuvin carried Gunwook's things as his roommate tapped his key card.
They entered and Gunwook was welcomed by the sight of Gyuvin's food. “I'm against wasting food but you should throw that out.”
“Aye, aye, captain.”
Once they were settled and Gyuvin was scarfing down a healthy and balanced meal, courtesy of one of Gunwook's major subjects, Gunwook broke the ice.
“I know what you're thinking.”
Gyuvin gestured for him to continue, he would talk but the food was so good.
“You're going to knock on every door in this dorm.”
Gyuvin forcefully swallowed his food. “I haven't thought about it yet!”
“Keyword, ‘yet’. You're admitting that you would.”
“Why not? It's worth a try!”
“That's public disturbance!”
“Shouting is a public disturbance, stop yelling at me!”
“Okay, fine,” Gunwook lowered his voice. “If you're not going to go door to door, you will probably wait in the lobby like a creep.”
“Man, this is hard.”
“Just talk to him.”
“I can't, he’ll remember me as the guy in the booty shorts and the Creeper shirt.”
“Or a creeper.”
“Which one of us followed him to a convenience store again?”
“I did that for you!”
“Thanks, dude, you're a real one.” Gyuvin patted Gunwook's shoulder.
“At least we know where he lives.”
“Yeah.”
“And that he ran out of toothpaste and likes strawberry ice cream.”
“I love me a man who brushes his teeth.”
“So, what's your plan?” Gunwook asked.
“Pray for a chance encounter.”
And pray, he did.
Gyuvin was a weak and desperate mortal clutching to God's holy robes. He prayed to Lady Luck and vowed to lose all the rock-paper-scissors battles he had with Gunwook just to save his luck.
But that chance encounter did not happen until a couple of months later.
Midterms was crazy but Gyuvin's inexplicable confidence got him through it. He kept turning in his papers first so he could leave early. His results may not be the best but he'd rather choose his temporary peace.
It's finally done. Gyuvin couldn't wait to catch up on shows and play games. Perhaps, he could go home to his family. But for now, Gyuvin wanted his bed.
He walked the familiar path out of his department’s building and out of the university gates. Gyuvin felt his knees weakening at every step. Maybe he needed an afternoon pick-me-up like those lifestyle TikTokers said they do.
And there it was, a sign that said ‘coffee’.
Gyuvin entered the cafe and walked in front of the counter.
“One chocolate croissant and an americano, please.”
The cashier nodded and punched in his order. Gyuvin paid and found a table.
It was afternoon, the guy probably wouldn't be here. Oh well, it's not like Gyuvin would approach him either way.
Gyuvin took out his phone and scrolled aimlessly until he was called.
“Order for Gyuvin!”
Gyuvin got up and deliberated if he would stay or just go home and eat there.
Staying won. The vibes were already there. He couldn't miss posting a pic of his drink and treat and captioning it as “midterms kicked my ass, might as well treat myself.”
(‘oppa you arent fooling anyone with that drink,’ his sister replied to his Instagram Story.
‘i’m a grown man’
‘dont spam me later when you cant sleep and swear you hear demons’
‘i thought u miss me and we’ll go bowling?’
‘thursday?’
‘oki love youuuuu’
‘love you too~’)
Gyuvin took two gulps of coffee and man it was gasoline to his car. He was pumped enough to do all kinds of shit, which was terrible, he needed to catch up on sleep. But his regret disappeared once he took a bite of his croissant and saw a blondie enter the cafe.
Wait, what?
Gyuvin almost choked on his well-deserved afternoon pick-me-up.
His prayers were answered straight after exam season. Shit, maybe he used up all his luck for this chance encounter and totally bombed all the questions he guessed the answers to earlier.
That's a problem for another day. Right now, what's important was that the guy was wearing something that looked straight out of a runway and he also ordered something Strawberry flavored.
He must like strawberries, Gyuvin thought. He remembered Gunwook saying that the guy bought strawberry ice cream that one time.
Gyuvin remembered– not in a creepy stalker way, but in a Little Things by One Direction-esque way.
He watched the rest of the scene. Gyuvin couldn't make out what the guy and the cashier were talking about. The guy's voice was soft. Once he was done, the guy sat by the window and waited for his order.
Gyuvin waited too.
The barista placed a drink on a counter. It was a Mango and Strawberry milkshake.
Gyuvin perked up in anticipation.
“Order for Rui!” the barista called out.
Finally, after months of wishing for this moment, Gyuvin finally knew his name.
Roy.
Gyuvin was feeling jittery. From excitement or the rush of caffeine, he didn't know. (He was definitely palpitating).
The guy walked up to the counter and picked up his drink to go. He thanked the barista before leaving.
Gyuvin looked at his half-finished meal. Now that exams are over, he's going to have a new assignment.
He went on Instagram and searched ‘Roy’.
This should be easy. Roy is a rare name to have in South Korea and he's blond. Give him three hours and it's done.
Three hours passed and still not an accurate IG handle in sight.
Gyuvin even employed the help of Gunwook but there was still no sign of him. He also tried using ‘blond’ as a keyword along with the names of nearby universities in forums because surely there must be other people who found Roy hot.
“Maybe he's chronically offline,” Gunwook gave up after a few searches.
“His face screams model, it's impossible not to have SNS!” Gyuvin insisted.
“You really think we could find someone with only three letters?” Gunwook asked.
“We know where he lives we could just start knoc–”
Gunwook interrupted him. “No, let's not do that.”
“Maybe we could ask Matthew - hyung. He looks like he could know a blond guy named Roy.”
“Yeah, but can we really find him just like that? Without a surname?” Gunwook asked. “Is Roy actually his name? Because sometimes when I order stuff, I use a fake name.”
“Why would you fake your identity?”
“What if the person taking my order was a serial killer? Better be safe than sorry!”
“What’s your fake name?” Gyuvin asked.
“Jaewook.”
“Man, I better think of one for myself.”
“Right? Think about it, the guy is out of this world handsome! And I've got a pretty boyfriend myself, which is a big deal,” Gunwook said.
“I don't wanna hear about you pulling before me.”
“You really think someone as gorgeous as him won't think about his safety? After all, there are men like you crawling around,” Gunwook continued.
“Hey, you were the one who followed him!”
“You wanted to knock on every door just to find him!”
Gyuvin sighed. “You know what? I give up.”
“Really? You said that last time.”
“I mean, I'll leave it up to fate. I won't interfere with God's plan anymore.”
From the wise words of semi-flop but not in dear old Seoul City, Bebe Rexha, ‘If it's meant to be, it'll be.’
Anyway, Gyuvin ate his words and still searched for him online. Along with searching for woosan fics, JJK spoilers, and weather updates, ‘Roy’ easily found its way into Gyuvin's top suggested searches.
“Want me to extend my prayers to you?” Gunwook asked one time.
“Yes, please,” Gyuvin wistfully replied.
But are the prayers of two people enough? Yeah, fate happened. It's a chance that stemmed from either Gunwook's very rare bout of forgetfulness (really, he's the most responsible person in Gyuvin's vicinity) or God finally took pity on him and said ‘Here, damn.’
Gyuvin's sociology paper was like getting chained to a ball. He hadn't left the dorm in three days and his step count was in the double digits. Those additional steps were just because of bathroom and snack breaks.
He was locked the fuck in all ways but a loving and committed relationship.
Which was pitiful and unhealthy.
Maybe he should stretch his long ass limbs.
When the words on Gyuvin’s GDoc weren't making any sense anymore, he let out a short scream, closed all of his tabs, and slammed his laptop shut. He’s got a couple of days left with 3000 words to go. Writing 62 words every hour would be great but he was running out of shit to say. Inspiration would probably catch up to him a few hours before the deadline.
Gyuvin got up and heard his bones creak. Oh, he should’ve taken Gunwook’s advice and signed up for Pilates. He chugged down a bottle of water to nourish his mortal body. It’s time for a shower.
Gyuvin was halfway through taking off his shirt when his phone rang.
“What?” he answered the call.
“I’m sorry!” Gunwook shouted from the other side.
“What are you talking about?”
“I forgot to pay our bills!”
“What bills?”
“Electricity! Our power could get cut if we don’t pay ASAP!” Gunwook panted.
Gyuvin wore his shirt again. “Calm down, I can pay.”
“Do you have cash right now? I’ll pay you back tonight.”
“I think so, I didn’t go out for days so my allowance is still intact.” Gyuvin retrieved his wallet to check. “How much?” He asked and Gunwook answered. “Yeah, don’t worry about it dude, just get me dinner.”
“I will, I will, thanks! I gotta go, my orgmate is yelling at me.”
“I’ll make sure that we can still use our microwave later, bye.” He ended the call.
Gyuvin washed his face and put on a sweatshirt to cover up his old shirt that he couldn’t retire. It’ll just take a few minutes so he decided to shower when he returned. He grabbed his key card, uni ID, and wallet and stepped out of his dorm like a man going out of his cave for the first time. He opted for the stairs to get more steps into his fitness tracker.
He arrived at the management’s office and then swiftly paid.
“The receipt may take a while,” the person in charge of finances said.
“Okay,” Gyuvin received his change and his ID.
He leaned on the wall as he fiddled with his phone. If it were up to him, Gyuvin would rather leave the receipt, have a nice cold shower, and take a mean nap. Receipts shouldn't take this long and his brain was going gooey. But Gunwook kept track of their finances, it would be terrible if they weren't organized.
“Excuse me, can I borrow a spare key?”
“What room?”
“808.”
“For what reason?”
“Left my key card in my room and my roommate went out of the country, please I can't get in and I need to submit something.”
“Sir, please calm down.”
“I got fifteen minutes left.”
Gyuvin's ears perked up because of the drama before his eyes registered that Roy the blondie was next to him.
He was a gorgeous worrier. He was flushed from running but even so, he looked fresh. His blond hair was messy– wait was that a tattoo?!
Oh my god, he smelled good.
And fuck, Gyuvin felt sticky and grimy and holy shit he's wearing his bootiest basketball shorts. Of all the days Gyuvin met him, it had to be that one day Gyuvin didn't dress up in hopes of meeting him. It actually got ridiculous to the point of him wearing Kenzo to the grocery store.
But alas, it was today.
Gyuvin's sure he smelled like the lemon-scented diffuser in his dorm. Maybe, not sure– he hoped.
He needed that receipt quickly and go disappear.
“Don't forget your key card next time. Can I get your ID?”
The guy handed his ID and took the key card. He then quickly bolted to the elevator.
“Wait!”
The elevator shut before they could do anything. The staff sighed, with a hand still held up mid-air.
“Uh,” Gyuvin intelligently muttered.
“Right, here's your receipt.”
Gyuvin took it and said thanks. He got ready to leave when he heard the staff wanting to run after the guy but they couldn't leave their work stations.
“He’ll probably come back here once he realizes that his ID is missing,” one of the staff said.
Gyuvin faltered. There wouldn't be a chance like this ever again. He should take it and make Gunwook proud. He smelled his clothes. It was okay, a little lemony. He then pulled his shorts lower to make it seem less short. Finally, he brushed his hair with his fingers and called out to the person in charge.
“I can go after him,” he offered.
“Really?”
“Sure, you guys seem busy.” Gyuvin didn't know where this rush of confidence came from.
“Thank you so much… Kim Gyuvin - ssi?”
“Yes,” Gyuvin confirmed.
“He’s from room 808,” the staff said and then handed the ID over.
Gyuvin was beginning to get doubtful about how easily they could trust him. He could be a serial killer preying on young, pretty, and blond men. He’s not. Gyuvin felt the need to clarify that he’s not a serial killer, can’t a guy be a yearner taking this golden ticket?
“I’ll make sure this gets to him,” Gyuvin said as he stuffed the ID in his pocket.
“Thanks.”
Gyuvin fought back the urge to say ‘you too!’
He stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the eighth floor. After making sure he was alone, Gyuvin let out a loud “holy shit!” He leaned against the wall and giggled to himself, taking out the ID from his pocket.
SHEN QUANRUI
2023XXXXXXX
College of Arts and Design
From those three lines of text, Gyuvin could deduce major information about his crush.
First, his name wasn’t Roy.
Man, that was embarrassing. He never would have found a blond guy named Roy. He misheard, so it was a dead end right from the start.
Shen Quanrui was a Chinese name.
Well obviously. Let’s dive deeper.
Based on his student number, he was a second year student just like Gyuvin. His university was three blocks away from this building. His ID was enclosed in a black leather holder with a couple of business cards and a cat sticker. Which was adorable.
But the real deal would begin once he knocked on his door. Gyuvin hastily stuffed the ID back in his pocket.
If it was a horror movie, it would be time to take out a chainsaw. If it was badly written porn, Gyuvin would pin him against the door. If it was a drama, Gyuvin would say ‘Two years ago, we got drunk and spent a night full of passion together. I think it's finally time for you to meet your daughter.’
Gyuvin decided that this would be a romcom.
The elevator dinged and the door opened. He stepped out into an unfamiliar hallway. Thankfully, there were signs that told him to go left. Gyuvin carefully walked until he was face to face with ‘808’ written on the door.
Gyuvin took a deep breath before knocking. He’s fantasized about how this would play out a lot of times. He should be fine.
The door opened to Shen Quanrui. He looked relaxed, far from his frazzled state earlier. He wasn’t wearing a jacket anymore.
Wow, his arms are so pale.
“Hi,” Gyuvin began. “I think you forgot this,” he said as he handed Shen Quanrui the ID.
“Oh! Yes, I forgot it downstairs,” Shen Quanrui said. He took the ID from Gyuvin.
But what he was holding wasn’t a black leather case. It was a blue plastic one with a Kim Hongjoong photocard at the back.
Gyuvin awkwardly chuckled and Shen Quanrui broke into a smile.
“You don’t look like you study liberal arts,” Shen Quanrui said before handing Gyuvin his ID back.
“Really? Then, what do I look like?” Gyuvin tried to play it like he did it on purpose.
“An actor,” Shen Quanrui answered. “Has anyone ever told you that you look like Song Kang?”
Gyuvin was buzzing from that. “Nah, maybe the rundown, dingy, and troubled Song Kang.” Gyuvin’s hand trembled as he gave Shen Quanrui’s real ID to him. “Here, the management wanted to run after you but you were fast as hell.”
“It’s my fault, I was rushing.” Shen Quanrui’s smile was small, polite, and oh-so adorable. “Thank you, Kim Gyuvin - ssi.”
“Please, call me Gyuvin.”
“Then call me Ricky.”
“Nice to meet you, Ricky,” Gyuvin said.
“You too.”
Gyuvin didn’t want to intrude, so he straightened up and prepared to leave.
“See you around?” Gyuvin said.
“Definitely.”
That night, when Gyuvin was all showered up and fresh from a six-hour nap. He got to work. Now, with all the information that Gyuvin gathered with 100% accuracy, Gyuvin finally found his Instagram account.
@rickyshen
Gyuvin felt so stupid thinking about how he misheard Ricky’s name. But once the embarrassment waved over, he absolutely committed the fuck out of Ricky’s photos to memory.
Ricky’s social media presence told a lot about him. He liked R&B, fashion, and food. His feed was heavily curated. Ricky also had a lot of photos overseas, so he probably moved here for university.
And Gyuvin was right, Matthew did know a blond guy. He was their only mutual follower. He should ask his hyung about Ricky soon.
Gyuvin giggled. Finally, Ricky knew him. He believed he made a good impression. He just needed to keep this momentum up and try to get to know him better.
He deliberated following Ricky, but it might be too fast.
But to Gyuvin’s surprise, he wasn’t the only one who did his homework that night.
@rickyshen followed you.
Gyuvin abruptly got up and hit his head on the bunk bed.
“Dude, are you okay?” Gunwook looked over from his desk.
“His name is not Roy and there’s movement.”
“What?” Gunwook exclaimed. “I thought you slept the whole day! What did I miss?”
Gyuvin told him, maybe he exaggerated a bit but it was nice to brag.
“I wouldn’t want to seem too eager, so I’ll follow him after an hour.”
He didn’t keep his word and couldn’t resist following Ricky back after three minutes.
Gunwook sighed, “You should at least give it three days before you start posting thirst traps.”
“So, gym on Saturday?”
“I got classes.”
“Friday?”
“You won’t back out like last time?”
“I’m a changed man.”
“Already sent Google Calendar.”
Three days later, Gyuvin and Gunwook went to the gym and they ended up meeting Matthew there.
“Oh! Funny meeting you guys here,” Matthew greeted as soon as he saw them. “It’s been a while!”
“You know Shen Ricky?” Gyuvin was not one to waste his time.
“Thanks, Gyuvin, I’m well,” Matthew rolled his eyes then turned to Gunwook instead. “I’m pushing it, if all is well hopefully I’ll graduate.”
“That’s great hyung!” Gunwook exclaimed.
“Hey!” Gyuvin waved his arms. “Do you know him?”
Matthew continued to ignore him. “I’ve heard you’re busy from Rae, Wookie. Do you even have time to sleep?”
“I do, Taerae - hyung just likes to exaggerate when he’s the one keeping me up at night.”
“I don’t wanna hear about your sex life!”
“Hyung, we just play games!”
Gyuvin figured that he would only be ignored by Matthew if he didn’t join in the teasing. “He sometimes spends the night out,” he piped.
That grabbed Matthew’s attention. “Oh my god, you better not be fucking my best friend in cheap motels.”
“We go to PC bangs!”
Matthew huffed in dismay, “Oh, so y’all are nerds.”
“So what?”
“Both of you are so busy, do you guys even bone?”
“You confuse me hyung, if you want details then ask Taerae - hyung,” Gunwook back hugged Matthew, squeezing him. “Enough about me, this one looks like he’s going to shit himself.”
“Oh,” Matthew finally turned to Gyuvin.
This time Gyuvin greeted him properly. “Hello, Mattchu - hyungnim! It’s been three months since I saw you face to face. Have you eaten? Let’s catch up and eat after this?” He said using his customer service voice. “So do you know Ricky?”
Matthew grinned. “I haven’t eaten, so I’ll take your offer as long as you pay.”
Oh, so this is what will get Matthew to budge. Fine. Matthew looked like he knew shit, so this should be worth it.
“Anywhere you want,” Gyuvin conceded.
“Yay,” Gunwook and Matthew swayed side to side.
“So do you know him?”
“He’s a good friend of mine,” Matthew answered.
But that meant nothing. Matthew called everyone his friend.
Gunwook must have thought of the same thing because he asked “Have you even hung out with him?”
“I do hang out with him! Who do you take me for, I even met his mother— Well, through Facetime— but still! We're friends,” Matthew answered. “But why?”
Gunwook answered, “Gyuvin’s got a massive crush on him.”
“Hey!” Gyuvin yelled, loud enough that all the people in the gym turned to look at him.
“Really?” Matthew’s eyes sparkled. “I thought you said that you’d never fall in love with someone from my pretentious and elitist university?”
Yeah, he did say that. But that was his pride talking for not getting accepted to that university. Well, Gyuvin was happy and thankful for where he was right now.
“I said that to mess with you. You know me and my silly mouth,” Gyuvin explained.
“So you’re in love?” Matthew flailed, breaking out of Gunwook’s hug to hound Gyuvin. “How’d you even find him?”
“Gyuvin stalked Ricky.”
“Oh my god, I’ll tell him!” Matthew exclaimed.
“Yeah, get a restraining order,” Gunwook goaded.
“Hey! You followed him first!” Gyuvin pointed at Gunwook.
“Hold on, hold on, let's calm down and get some sets in first. I wanna know the whole story,” Matthew walked to his usual corner at the gym.
“You were the loudest out of all of us. You calm down, hyung.”
They all got to work. It’s been a while since Gyuvin went to the gym so he struggled a bit. When all the heavy shit was done, they got to the treadmills and that’s when Matthew started asking questions.
Of course, Gyuvin answered them all.
“You seriously thought his name was Roy?”
“Yeah!”
“Did you call him that?”
“Thankfully not or that would be so embarrassing.”
“I remembered you called Jiwoong - hyung ‘Jiwoon’ for a full six months.”
“He found it adorable so he never bothered correcting me.”
But this questioning was one-sided. Gyuvin began his attack (begging for answers) by threatening Matthew (reminding him that he was paying for their brunch). It seemed like his bribery worked because once they were done with exercise, taking thirst traps, and getting a couple of bites in their stomachs, Matthew started talking.
“From what I’m hearing, you’re just a simp so I guess you’re safe… for now,” Matthew said. “Please never follow a person like that again.”
“Sorry, hyung,” both Gyuvin and Gunwook apologized.
“He’s single,” Matthew confirmed.
“Nice!”
“Can you at least tone your excitement down?”
“Sorry.”
“As you know, he’s from the same uni as me. I met him in a student development org and one of my friends is his roommate. He’s from Shanghai and he’s–” Matthew made a money sign with his fingers. “Ricky’s a pretty chill guy, but his face could give you the wrong idea,” Matthew said in between bites.
“What idea?”
“That he’s mean or that he likes whoever! He’s got the most intimidating and gorgeous face I know. Once, he talked to a girl and this girl began to spread rumors that she was dating him and that’s crazy! Ricky’s gay!”
“Nice!”
“Dude, chill.” Gunwook patted Gyuvin’s back. “But hyung, is it okay for you to tell us all of this?”
“Yeah, don’t worry, you’re not the only one who asked me for a background check,” Matthew replied.
“What?”
That could only mean one thing.
“And it takes a while before he can muster up his shit and talk to people. For strangers, at most, he could be polite and answer questions, but he’d rather not talk.”
“But the first time I talked to him he told me I looked like an actor!”
“Congratulations, Gyuvin.”
Ricky’s interested too.
“So,” Matthew folded his hands like he was down for business, “want me to set you up? I have a 100% success rate! Right Gunwook?”
“Eh… Not really, Taerae - hyung and I already got together before you even remembered to give me his number.”
“I was gatekeeping!”
“But we both move fast, so I managed to get his number without your help.”
“I’d rather not let you intervene with my thing, hyung,” Gyuvin said. “Just put in a good word for me.”
“Yeah, definitely. I’ll gas you up,” Matthew said as he took a photo of their half-full plates. “Thank you, Gyuvin, for showing me mercy when I had nothing to eat, for jumping in a river to save me from drowning, and for donating hair when I was balding.”
“No worries! Please eat well, hyungnim.”
“Oh, I got your pics on my phone–”
“Wait,” Gunwook interrupted. “I think hyung should post them.”
“Why?”
“Just trust me, if this works out you’ll buy me ice cream.”
“Fine, might as well blow my wallet up.”
Gyuvin and Gunwook both stared at Matthew, prompting him to act.
“Right now?” Matthew asked.
“We’ll bait,” Gunwook explained.
“I got it,” Matthew winked.
Matthew chose a photo of Gyuvin flexing his arms and posing with a peace sign. It was one of the unscripted ones. Gyuvin was wearing a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He posted it on his Instagram story and captioned it with ‘looking good bro🔥🔥💯 @kimgyub30’.
13 minutes later, Ricky liked it.
18 minutes later, Ricky messaged Matthew.
Gyuvin peeked over Matthew’s shoulder before snatching the phone to himself.
@shenricky
WHAT THE FUCK BRO??
do i need to go to the gym with u?
WHAT THE FUCK??????
@SeokIsBack
Do you even lift bro?
With your vampiric noodle arms?? Nahh
What do you think of my friend?
@shenricky
hes ok
tell me if you need a spotter next time
thanks
Gyuvin slumped on his seat.
Gunwook looked at him expectantly. “So, what happened?”
“You’ve secured your ice cream and the title of being my best man for my wedding,” Gyuvin beamed.
“Hey! What about me?” Matthew asked.
“You’ll be the flower boy.”
Ricky interacting with Matthew’s post could mean nothing, but this small interaction was enough to feed Gyuvin’s ego. Rightfully so. His attraction was never one-sided. It was the affirmation that he needed. It was the sign that the astrology accounts were telling Virgos like him to wait patiently for. He wasn’t stupid enough to let this go.
So why not strike while the iron was hot?
Song recommendations to flaunt his impeccable taste. Family pictures to show his audience that he is family-oriented. Pictures of his coursework to let the world know that he takes his studies seriously. A selca here. Gym pic there. A picture of him shirtless while cuddling his dog.
Ricky liked every single post.
And Ricky, too, started posting more often.
Gyuvin ate them up like a starved dog.
He learned a lot of things about Ricky this way.
Ricky lived and breathed art across multiple mediums. Dance, painting, fashion, and music— his whole feed was a gallery of who he is and what he finds beautiful.
In a brief moment of weakness, Gyuvin thought ‘Damn, I wanna be a part of that.’ However, he was brought back to reality by Ricky’s questionable song choices.
Daddy’s home or whatever.
Unironic or not, it's kinda ick–
Still, Ricky’s a heavenly dude. 10/10. No notes. He was a kind soul who would stop to give street cats some food. While being head-to-toe decked in Versace, one would expect him to be a snobby bitch but he’s not. He could literally care less. Gyuvin could vouch for it.
After raiding the pantry of his family’s house, Gyuvin went back to his dorm carrying a huge backpack and two luggages. It was almost comical how he threaded through two streets by waddling. He arrived at the lobby with the elevator doors open.
“Wait!”
The elevator doors abruptly closed before getting forced open by someone jamming his foot in between them.
“Shit,” Ricky yelped.
“Are you okay?” Gyuvin asked as he dragged his stuff in.
“It didn’t hurt, I was just surprised,” Ricky answered.
“Are you sure?” Gyuvin carefully looked at Ricky’s foot, noticing that his shoe was scratched and it looked hella expensive. “Shit, your shoe.”
“Huh?” Ricky looked down, “Don’t worry about it.”
“But–”
“Shoes are worn to protect our feet, not for us to protect them.”
“True.”
After that, Gyuvin wore a pair of shoes that almost drained his savings without checking whether it rained or not.
It rained, but he didn’t feel as bad as he expected.
This moment made Gyuvin realize that his affection for Ricky was something else. A simple crush wouldn’t get you to take your shoe covers off and use shoes worth thousands to brace the rain. It’s like he used a trophy as a sippy cup. It was life-changing.
Gyuvin needs to actually do something.
It's easier to chance upon someone when the two of you are aware of each other’s existence. Now, Gyuvin and Ricky bumped into each other often.
Gyuvin started earning affection points like a game by starting small. He would greet Ricky when they saw each other. If he had snacks at the time, he would offer some to Ricky. Hopefully, Ricky would begin to associate him with snacks. (Classical conditioning, how smooth.)
He also made it a habit to compliment Ricky. It’s not that hard, there were a lot of positive things about him.
One day, Gyuvin decided to get peach and mango tea from the cafe near their dorm. If Ricky would come, Gyuvin was prepared to say ‘Your fit is fire dude.’ Short and simple, he wouldn’t stutter through that phrase.
But all of that went down the drain when he actually saw Ricky.
With red hair.
Gyuvin was frozen in his seat, which was terrible because Ricky was on his way over.
“Hey, you’re here! Can I sit with you?” Ricky said.
Gyuvin managed to answer with a nod before Ricky left to order.
Woah. Holy Shit. He knew Shen Quanrui was hot but this was just on a whole other level. He’s so pretty. Nah, no way this guy was human. What the fuck.
Ricky returned with a drink and sat in front of Gyuvin. He popped a straw into the lid of his drink and then looked straight at Gyuvin. His eyes shifted in worry.
“Are you okay?”
Gyuvin’s brain-to-mouth filter just rolled out of the door. “Fuck you,” he said.
“Excuse me?”
“I mean, h - how could you! I’ve never seen someone look as good in red as you! You look hot– pretty– I mean, you look handsome,” Gyuvin tried salvaging the situation but ended up blabbering. “It’s crazy! And with a face like that? What a lethal combination! Fuck.”
Gyuvin covered his face in embarrassment but peeked through his fingers when he heard Ricky laughing.
“You could have just admitted that the first thing in your head was ‘I wanna fuck you’ it would’ve been fine by me,” Ricky giggled.
“The sun is still out and my mom taught me manners,” Gyuvin tried to brush off his embarrassment because Ricky was right. “Besides,” he lowered his voice, “I’m more of a making love kinda guy.”
Ricky’s jaw dropped for a second before recovering, “You’re fun, Kim Gyuvin.”
Gyuvin laughed before changing the topic. “Why red? Got sick of the blond?”
“I modeled for a friend the other day, she needed me in red.”
“Wow, what kind of modeling?” Gyuvin tried to think of all the questions he could ask so he could divert the attention to another and safer topic.
“Editorial,” he answered. “For a small magazine.”
“Cover?”
“No, a spread down the middle.”
“Is your friend a photographer?”
“She’s a designer, I wore a red suit. She was showcasing one of her pieces for an upcoming collection.”
“You model often?”
“A little,” Ricky sipped his drink, “It’s good money.”
“Really?”
“Would you want to model?”
“Me?” Gyuvin pointed at himself, “I’m not really model material.”
“You dress well sometimes and you’re tall.”
“I’m terribly shy.”
“You have a proportionally great body.”
“Thanks, you too,” Gyuvin averted his gaze. “I see you’ve begun to join Matthew - hyung at the gym.”
“Was a little inspired lately,” Ricky simply said.
“Keep going, you look good.”
“Thank you…” Ricky trailed off.
“You had classes today?” Gyuvin asked.
“No, just met up with some people for a project, what about you?”
“I had classes today, I’ve got a five-hour vacant period before my next class so I went home to freshen up and found myself here.”
“I don’t know if a five-hour vacancy is good or not to you so–” Ricky gestured.
“It sucks, I could’ve taken a nap.”
“Then why are you here?”
Gyuvin pointed at his drink, “Afternoon pick-me-up.”
“I get it,” Ricky raised his cup.
Gyuvin raised his cup too and tapped it against Ricky’s drink. “Cheers,” they said.
They found themselves laughing at their actions. Ricky flushed pink as he giggled. Suddenly, his phone pinged in succession. Ricky fished his phone from his pocket and frowned at it.
“I have to go, my roommate is hungry. He wants me to pick up food.”
Gyuvin looked at his watch, “I need to head out too.”
“See you around?” Ricky tilted his head in a cat-like manner.
“Yeah, see you.”
Gyuvin internally proclaimed that the next time he would see Ricky, he would ask him out.
But that was proven to be difficult when the Finals period was looming over him and his whole 6’2” being.
It was only his second year in university and he couldn’t believe that there were two more years to go. Eat, sleep, study, and write his papers, all on repeat.
His sanity depended on Ricky's posts about his suffering through finals too. Looking at them was like a treat. Ricky’s selfies were miles better than Taerae’s close friends story of him wailing in tears as he ranted about a groupmate who didn't know how to format an academic journal.
Thankfully, Gyuvin wouldn't experience that this time because most of his final outputs were individual work.
Gyuvin was halfway through his paper on multiculturalism when Gunwook tapped on the laptop screen.
“That sentence doesn't make sense.”
“That's why we have the editing stage,” Gyuvin slapped Gunwook's finger away.
“Your typos are crazy.”
“I have Grammarly premium.”
“Dude, it's two in the morning, did you even eat dinner?”
“I did,” Gyuvin replied without taking his eyes off the screen.
“You're lying, I took out the trash at lunch and the trash can is still empty right now. You didn't eat shit.”
“Why did you even ask if you already know the answer?”
Gunwook sighed, “Get out, you need air. Take a walk and grab something to eat.”
“Wait,” Gyuvin kept typing.
“No, I don't have enough money to send you to the hospital! Just eat, Kimgyu.”
“If you yell at me, I'll cry.”
“It’s for your own good.”
With that, Gyuvin went out of his dorm with nothing but his wallet and a jacket he managed to grab before Gunwook kicked him out.
Most of the restaurants within the area were already closed and the fast food chains were far. He contemplated getting delivery but he left his phone charging.
Fine, let's go to the convenience store.
It was chilly and the streets that were usually crowded with people were deserted. Sure, there were students like him who were on food runs but he only passed by three people so far. His bones creaked with each step because of sitting on his desk for so long. Gyuvin’s head hurt and he hated to admit that Gunwook was right.
He pushed a glass door that was meant to be pulled.
Normally he would’ve gone with a box but the store restocks in the morning so the choices for his midnight supper were limited. Gyuvin was stuck choosing between Kimbap and noodles. He should buy some chips and cheese for more crunchiness and flavor. Gyuvin ended up taking both the Kimbap and noodles. He went through the aisles and looked for sausages as well.
Maybe he took too long to decide on which sausage flavor he should take when someone tapped on his shoulder.
“Sorry,” Gyuvin said, moving out of the way.
“Gyuvin, you look like shit.”
“Huh?” Offended, Gyuvin turned around to look at the person who just insulted him.
Wait.
Black hair.
It was Ricky, who was wearing a black pajama set under a black coat. His hair was black.
Holy shit, his hair was black. Gyuvin used to wonder what he would look like with black hair and now, he knew the answer.
Ricky was meant to be worshiped.
Gyuvin looked at the clothes he wore, which consisted of basketball shorts with the numbers fading, slides, and a Jujutsu Kaisen shirt. It was quite fitting for a midnight errand run but not for bumping into the guy you’re obsessed with.
“Yeah,” Gyuvin agreed. “But the jacket is Wooyoungmi,” he tried to redeem himself.
Ricky chuckled at that. “I mean, you look like you'll pass out. Are you sick?”
Gyuvin shook his head and gestured at all the food he held. “This is my dinner,” he said.
“Are you for real?” Ricky asked.
“I know, I know. What about you? Why are you here?” Gyuvin looked at the food and drinks in Ricky’s hands. He held a can of fruit-flavored beer, coffee, Gatorade, and snacks.
“Snack break,” Ricky answered. “I’m in the middle of finishing an acrylic painting.”
“Finals got to you too, huh?”
“Not as bad as you,” Ricky smiled then pointed at one of the sausages on display. “That one is good, it's barbeque flavored.”
“Really?” Gyuvin grabbed a couple of them and added them to his pile of goods. “So, why the beer?”
“I needed more inspiration.”
“From Peach Hoegaarden?”
“Inspiration comes in many forms, like pairing Wooyoungmi with neon orange shorts.” Ricky was definitely flirting with him.
“It’s blokette.”
“I’m surprised you know what that means.”
“You’ll see me in Vogue soon,” Gyuvin joked.
“I can’t wait,” Ricky smiled, his black hair falling over to cover his eyes.
It was something Gyuvin was trying so hard to acknowledge without losing his mind. Ricky was in front of him at midnight and dressed down. His hair was down and unstyled. He looked softer.
Gyuvin had the urge to tackle Ricky into a cuddle and hold on to him like a leech.
“So, your hair,” he began. “It looks nice.”
“I got dress-coded, they told me it was distracting and asked me to dye it back. I was supposed to dye it back to blond but I didn’t have time to bleach it and red is difficult to work with. So, I dyed it black this morning.”
“Your hair is distracting in any color as long as it's attached to your head,” Gyuvin chuckled. “But it suits you.”
“But I have the hot blond image to take care of.”
“You’re hot anyway.”
“Even if you had to look twice earlier if it was really me?”
“You caught that? I looked twice because I thought I made you up in my head.”
“You thought you were hallucinating me?” Ricky laughed. “Gyuvin, were you fantasizing about me?” Ricky asked.
“Let’s pay for our food? I'm getting hungry,” Gyuvin went to the cashier and placed all of the goods on the counter to pay for them.
“Right, you really need to eat.”
Gyuvin initially thought of buying food and eating at the dorm but Ricky was right there. He didn’t want to waste the opportunity of spending more time with him. So after paying, Gyuvin opened the pack of noodles and put boiling water in it. He settled on one of the tables near the window and opened his Kimbap. He looked at Ricky, who was paying for his own food, and waited for his noodles to cook halfway.
Ricky could either go or stay. If he goes back to the dorms, Gyuvin could at least wish him a good night. But if he stays, then maybe it’s time for Gyuvin to make a move.
But first, Gyuvin needed to eat. He devoured the fuck out of his Kimbap.
He devoured the fuck out of it too fast, he began to choke.
“Here,” Gyuvin grabbed the bottle that Ricky offered him and downed the water. “Chew properly.”
“Thanks,” Gyuvin said.
“You’re lucky I had foresight,” Ricky said, sitting next to him.
“You saved my life,” Gyuvin drank more water.
Ricky popped open the can of beer and drank. “I guess you owe me one.”
“Tell me what you want, I’ll buy it for you now,” Gyuvin said.
“No need, I’ll take you up on that next time.” Ricky shook his head. “Actually, I bought this for you,” he placed a Gatorade bottle in front of Gyuvin.
“Huh? Why?”
“I was worried you were sick, I actually called out to you when you entered but you had tunnel vision on the Kimbap.”
“I’m sorry for ignoring you!”
“It’s alright, your noodles are probably ready. You should eat more.”
“Right.”
Gyuvin took off the lid and watched the steam waft off the noodles. He gave it a mix before adding cheese and sausages in. He stirred it some more before blowing and taking a bite.
It was nice.
“Already feeling better aren’t you?”
“You have to try it,” Gyuvin took some noodles and held his chopsticks out to Ricky.
Ricky hesitated before eating. “You’re right, that hits the spot.”
“Do you want more?” Gyuvin offered
“Will you continue to feed me like that?”
Gyuvin refused to answer and ate instead.
Ricky laughed, “You didn’t even realize? Are you shy that we shared an indirect kiss?”
“No,” Gyuvin denied.
“Okay, if you say so.”
Ricky opened a bag of chips and ate as he drank.
It could be a date, Gyuvin thought. But he was hungry, dehydrated, and sleep-deprived at the moment, it’s crazy to even consider it.
Still, Ricky must like him enough to sit and stay with him at 2:34 AM.
And Gyuvin is just obsessed with the dude.
“Hey,” he called out.
“Hm?”
“We need to stop meeting on accident and give me time to prepare for you.”
“Why?” Ricky asked.
“Because, you always see me looking like a loser. I hate it. Let me dress up for you.”
“Are you asking me out?”
“You told me that I owe you, so yeah… If you’re willing to.” Gyuvin took a deep breath. “You probably know how hungry I am for your attention. If you don’t then you’re dense as fuck because I wanted to knock on every door in the whole dorm just to find out where you lived.”
Ricky gasped in surprise. He took a sip of beer before admitting, “I blackmailed Matthew because I wanted to meet you organically.”
“Oh, I wanna confess my sins more but you’ll laugh at me,” Gyuvin scratched the back of his head. “I just– you know? You’re really hot. Not just hot– My thing for you is not just because of your appearance! Really, I think you’re wonderful, your personality is wonderful.”
Ricky laughed.
“So, can I take you out sometime?” Gyuvin asked.
“Yeah.”
“Really?” Gyuvin held onto Ricky’s shoulders.
“But you have to tell me about the knocking doors thing and everything else, I need to know what the fuck you have been doing.”
“Then tell me what you were scheming with Matthew - hyung.”
“Soon.”
“Next week then? After finals?” Gyuvin asked.
“Okay, I'll update you on which days I'm free.”
It was way too late in the night and too early in the morning for a grown man to yell ‘Let's fucking go!’ so Gyuvin settled for saying “Cool” instead.
“Now, go eat more or do you want to recreate the Lady and the Tramp with me?” Ricky teased.
“Please do.”
“You're crazy.”
“I won't even deny that.”