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Living in a complex mostly rented by college students, Kyungsoo knows it's bound to happen. That doesn't mean it makes it any less awkward, though—especially when the source is highly unlikely.
Kyungsoo is busy brewing a pot of tea when he hears a suspicious banging sound. He tugs off one of his earphones and frowns, looking around for the source. The apartment is empty, and everything is in place. Baekhyun is in class, and so is the engineering major living in Unit 303 (she asked Kyungsoo for some salt the other day, and now they are acquaintances). Huh.
With a shrug, he puts back his earphones on and continues humming along to some cutesy girl group Baekhyun had forced him to listen to as he reaches for the loaf of bread on the counter. He barely finishes buttering a slice when the banging sound comes back.
And this time, Kyungsoo's sure it's coming from next door.
He tugs off both of his earphones this time and waits for the sound to come back. Thud, thud, thud. Like something heavy slamming against the wall. Perhaps a shelf, or a chair.
Or a bed.
He blanches as the thudding continues, repetitively hitting the wall in staccato beats. Maybe...Junmyeon's wrestling with fitted sheets? Or hanging up picture frames? Kyungsoo shakes his head and and goes back to working on his toast, firmly ignoring the thudding noises. He soon finds out it's a bit hard to do, especially when a frustrated voice joins in the fun. "God, Yifan—!"
It's Junmyeon's voice.
Kyungsoo lets out a squeak and scrambles to put his earphones back on, blasting bubblegum pop in full volume to drown the sounds from next door—whatever they're doing.
"You look glum, sunshine," Baekhyun notes, nudging him with a socked foot. They're at his apartment, eating instant ramyun and prepackaged sandwiches from the convenience store a block away for lunch because he can't really cook. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Kyungsoo replies moodily, picking at his sandwich. Memories of yesterday still haunt him, the banging and the groan and—ugh. "I'm fine, Baek."
"You don't look and sound fine. Rough day?" The latter says around a mouthful of noodles. "Did someone fight my precious little Soo?"
"No, Baekhyun, I just—" He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "I just heard Junmyeon hyung having sex last night and it's—it's kind of bothering me, that's all."
Baekhyun promptly chokes on his noodles, spraying soup and bits of curly yellow ramyun all over his coffee table. Kyungsoo would've laughed so hard if he wasn't so down.
"He was what?" He all but screeches, chopsticks clattering noisily as it hits the rim of the bowl.
"Doing the nasty, yeah. His bed frame kept hitting the wall, and he said a name once," Kyungsoo nods morosely. "And you said he was single. You liar."
"I was a hundred percent sure he was single? And smitten with you?" Baekhyun splutters disbelievingly. "What the hell. Who was he with?"
"I'm not sure, but I think I heard Yifan?" He says. "Sounds like garble."
"No no, that's probably his best friend, Wu Yifan," The latter shakes his head, still reeling at the news. "What. Damn. I didn't know they were banging."
"Well, now you know," Kyungsoo sighs again, going back to picking at his really dry sandwich. "So much for that welcome basket, huh?"
"Maybe they're just casually banging?" Baekhyun tries. "Soo, he gave you a teddy bear. We can't argue with—"
"For god's sake, Baekhyun, Junmyeon does not like me! Stop making it happen!" He snaps, a bit more sharply than he intended. He looks up to see Baekhyun wincing, and he rubs his eyes tiredly. "God, I'm sorry. I'm just—I'm just tired. Let's just watch TV. Please?"
"Yeah. Yeah, sure," The music major smiles sadly at him, turning his attention back to the television set. Kyungsoo opens his mouth to apologize, but Baekhyun leans his head on his shoulder and rests a hand on his arm, and he knows he's forgiven. With another sigh—he finds himself doing that a lot these days—he leans back and tries not to think about last night.
Truth be told, Kyungsoo is perfectly fine with Junmyeon hooking up with someone. He is quite attractive, after all—it'll be surprising if no one actually wants him. Besides, it's Junmyeon's life, and whatever—or whoever—he (noisily) does in his apartment is not Kyungsoo's business.
It's just that Junmyeon...did kind of brought his hopes up. It started with the welcome basket and the bear, which still rests on his futon. Then Junmyeon took him out to that Greek place they were talking about when he gave the said basket because Kyungsoo helped him bring up a large bunch of flowers, and paid for both of their dinners. And then there's the matter of never failing to greet him with a beautiful smile and a cheerful wave whenever they see each other in the hallway, and always offering to help him whenever he's lugging something to his apartment. Okay, so screw him for assuming things. Maybe Junmyeon was just really damn nice. Maybe he just read Junmyeon's actions a little too much. Maybe he latched onto Baekhyun's statement of Junmyeon's singleness and let this crush blow up to unacceptable heights. But there was something—or so he thought.
Kyungsoo sighs as he finally reaches the third floor of the apartment complex after a seemingly forever journey of trudging up the stairs. Oh, well. Time to find someone else.
"Hi, Kyungsoo!"
Or wallow in self-pity and unrequited love. That could work, too.
"Hey, hyung," Kyungsoo manages a small smile as Junmyeon waves from a few steps down. He's on his way up as well, lugging a heavy-looking plastic bag. "Need help?"
"Nah, I'm good," Junmyeon beams as he jogs to catch up with him, even though he's not really moving. However, his smile immediately falls when he sees Kyungsoo's expression, and is replaced by a concerned frown. "Hey, are you okay? What's wrong?"
Too damn nice. "It's nothing. I'm fine," He says. "Just...tired. Busy. Midterms week, you know?"
"Yeah, I feel you," The elder's frown deepens, as they slow to a stop in front of their own doors. "Well, don't forget to rest, alright? Grades are important, but your health is a bigger priority."
"I'll keep that in mind," Kyungsoo nods as he fishes out his keys from his pocket. "I'll uh, go ahead. I might take a nap first before working."
"You go do that," Junmyeon says, though he still looks disturbed by Kyungsoo's lack of enthusiasm. He doesn't pry, though, as he takes out his own keys and unlocks his door. "See you around."
"Bye, hyung," He manages a small wave, and, in a true fit of martyrdom, waits for the elder and his bulky bag of God knows what to disappear behind the heavy door. Only when he hears the lock click did he step into his own flat, sighing and collapsing face first on his bed.
He needs to make better choices.
(Later that night, when Kyungsoo was making dinner—if reheating frozen pizza counts—someone knocks on Junmyeon's door. He hears laughter, a low voice, and shuffling before the banging sounds come back. With another sigh, he reaches for his headphones, the one he uses when he records covers sometimes, and fits them snugly on his ears. Good thing he finally downloaded Justin Bieber's latest album yesterday.)
The universe sometimes has a cruel sense of humor. Kyungsoo learns this the hard, awkward, and relatively painful way.
"I promise I'll drop by after my jog," He says as he pulls on a sweatshirt that oddly smells like tteokbokki even though he hasn't eaten them in weeks. "And yes, I'll shower after."
"You better," Baekhyun sniffs, the intended cutesy vibe mitigated by the static that bursts from his line. "Ah, sorry, I was trying to watch something. You know, to keep me company while I wait for my best friend to come back and taste my culinary prowess."
"I'm sure it'll be fantastic," Kyungsoo hums noncommittally as he puts on his running shoes. Truth be told, he has little faith in Baekhyun's cooking skills. Still, he is a good friend more than he is a chef, and so he indulges the music major anyway. "You know, the faster I get off the phone, the faster I get to finish my jog."
"Yeah, yeah. Don't overexert yourself," Baekhyun says. "And watch out of cute passersby while you're at it."
"Yeah, no. See you in a bit, Baek," He chuckles, pocketing his keys and stepping out of his apartment, his phone automatically switching back to his music player once the call ends.
He's busy locking up his flat when he hears a door open, and Kyungsoo looks up to see someone tall, fair, and foreign-looking step out of Unit 301. Bleached blond hair, sharp features, a natural smolder... This guy looks like he stepped out of a magazine. Or at least in theory—the guy looks disheveled and slightly out of breath, face and neck shining with sweat. The sleeves of his white polo are pushed carelessly up his elbows, and his collar is open wide, more to provide comfort than to attract.
And despite all this, he still looks better than Kyungsoo. The world is truly, truly unfair.
"Oh, hey," The tall guy says, and of course he has an accent. Kyungsoo couldn't really tell what it is, but it's there, and it makes this guy twice as dreamy as before. "You must be Kyungsoo."
He blinks. "Uh—" How did this guy know his name?
"Junmyeon tells me a lot about you. You're his neighbor with the round eyes," The tall guy continues, sticking out a hand. Kyungsoo notices a Band-aid wrapped around his thumb as he shakes it briefly, the stranger's hand enveloping his. "I'm Yifan."
"Um. Kyungsoo," He replies out of habit, and quickly recoils. "Oh, wait, you knew that already."
"Yeah, I did, but thanks for the confirmation," Yifan chuckles. "Are you off to class?"
Kyungsoo feels him judging his outfit and quickly shakes his head. "No, uh, I'm off to a jog," He says. "Um. Great afternoon."
"Looks like it, but I wouldn't know," Yifan shrugs, gesturing to Junmyeon's slightly ajar door with his injured thumb. "Been in there the entire time."
Oh, right, he was talking to Junmyeon's boyfriend. Kyungsoo takes in Yifan's disheveled state once more and things suddenly make much more sense.
"Ah, you must be bothered by the noise," Yifan continues, frowning. "Sorry about that. I told Junmyeon—"
"Oh no no, it's fine," Kyungsoo quickly cuts him off, because he does not want to hear about their sex life. "It's cool, I um. Yeah. It's fine. Don't worry. I'm fine with it."
"Still, it must be a bother," Yifan forges ahead, and wow, this guy is really testing his patience. "Really, I—"
"Yifan, I thought you were leav—oh! Hi, Kyungsoo!" Junmyeon peeks from behind his door, brightening up (as usual) when he sees his neighbor. Like Yifan, he's sweaty and his hair is a mess, neck and cheeks blotched with patches of pink, but unlike the taller man, he's wearing a black tank and gym shorts. He looks so damn attractive, even like this—especially like this—and Kyungsoo feels bad for ogling at him in front of his boyfriend. "Off to a jog?"
"Yeah, um, I jog every Thursday," Kyungsoo says, shifting from foot to foot nervously. "And uh, Baekhyun made dinner, so I really should—"
"Oh! Right, go ahead on your way. Don't let Yifan here keep you," Junmyeon says, his voice its usual gentle cadence but his eyes shifting to glare at the taller man.
"I said I was sorry," Yifan complains. "I made it up to you, didn't I?" He runs a hand on his hair, making it more disheveled, and Kyungsoo blanches at the thought of how he made up for it—or how he distracted Junmyeon in the first place.
"Anyway," Junmyeon rolls his eyes, the gesture dismissive but somehow fond. "Say hi to Baekhyun for me, alright?"
"A-alright," Kyungsoo manages to stammer before bolting down the stairs, desperate to escape the lovely couple and their banter. He makes it down one floor before Junmyeon's laughter catches up to him, Yifan's low chuckle mingling with the happy sound.
He hates his life.
"So a little bird told me something today," Baekhyun trills as he sets the still steaming baking dish on the table. "You're in for a surprise."
"Like I am for this casserole?" Kyungsoo quips, eyeing the slightly burnt layer of breadcrumbs on top warily. "Is this even a casserole?"
"My take on shepherd's pie. Close enough?" Baekhyun shrugs, undeterred as he sits down across him. "Anyway. A friend told me that Yifan is in a relationship—"
"Believe me, I know," He mutters darkly, still staring at the dish. He'll probably just eat what he just sweat out earlier. So much for that extra lap around the university oval.
"—and it's not with Junmyeon," Baekhyun finishes smugly, handing him a fork. "It's with that Chinese exchange student... Qin? Qian?"
"Excuse me?" Kyungsoo finally looks up from judging the casserole in front of him to raise his eyebrows disbelievingly at his friend. "With whom?"
"I forgot the name of the girl, but it's definitely not Junmyeon," The music major hums, forking a large portion of casserole onto his plate. Kyungsoo tries not to wince at the globs of butter in the mash and the sheen of oil in the beef that he can see from across the table. "For one, she's definitely Chinese. And more importantly, she's a she."
"But Baek, I just saw them together earlier today," Kyungsoo argues, mind going back to that afternoon's encounter with the tall man. "He said he was in Junmyeon's apartment the entire afternoon, and they both look disheveled. Like in the just-got-laid-and-couldn't-be-bothered disheveled."
"Well, maybe you're just assuming they are actually banging," Baekhyun points out. "I can spend an entire day in your apartment too, you know. Maybe his AC's broken or something. Maybe they're playing Wii. Maybe they're doing yoga. Bro stuff."
"Then explain the banging sounds?" He shoots back, finally helping himself to dinner. His diet could take the backseat for tonight.
"Maybe he's redecorating. Explains the sweat and the extra hand, too," Baekhyun answers around a mouthful of potatoes. "Maybe he bought one of those new collapsible futons I saw on sale at the mall last week."
"Maybe you're still just assuming I have a chance," Kyungsoo says tiredly, rubbing his eyes. "To which, I say: I don't."
"And maybe you're just giving up too damn early," Baekhyun exclaims, pounding a fist against the table. "Kyungsoo, as long as he's not taken, you have a chance! The fight's not over yet!"
"You're too overzealous about this," He sighs, forking a mouthful of potatoes into his mouth. They're surprisingly good, not overly buttery at all and the yellow globs that he saw earlier turned out to be cheese. "Wow, this is really good."
"Ye of little faith," The music major rolls his eyes. "Both at the casserole and at the Junmyeon thing."
"I have enough reasons to lack faith," Kyungsoo replies coolly, taking a bite of the meat filling. It manages to be even better than the potatoes—the beef tender and flavorful, and the sauce with just the right amount of herbs and tomatoes. Will wonders never cease. "What the hell, Baekhyun, this is so good. I thought you couldn't cook?"
"I try, sometimes," Baekhyun says smugly. "As should you. Have a little faith, Soo."
"I'll try," He hums, going back to eating his dinner. Even if he didn't say it quite eloquently, Baekhyun is right. Life is full of surprises, and he just has to have the courage to face them—like the mysterious banging from Junmyeon's apartment, and Baekhyun's sketchy-looking casserole.
He hears more than sees Junmyeon enter the apartment complex, muttered cursing and the crinkling of plastic bags echoing in the empty stairwell. He turns to watch his neighbor struggle with his baggage and climb up the stairs at the same time and quietly chuckles before deciding to help.
"Hi, hyung," Kyungsoo calls, leaning against the banister. "Need help?"
"Oh, hi Kyungsoo! Sure, I'd appreciate it," Junmyeon beams, handing him one of the plastic bags the moment he stepped on the landing. Upon inspection, they contain groceries—fresh fruit and vegetables, a carton of milk, and some canned sauces. "You're done with class for the day?"
"Yup. Our TA played hooky, and my professor had to cancel class because he had our assigned readings for the day," He explains as they make their way up together. "And you, hyung?"
"Same. My professor for my last class is away on a vacation, so I have time to run errands," Junmyeon says, gesturing to the bags. "I'm running low on non-processed food and nails."
"Nails?" Kyungsoo repeats confusedly as they reach the second floor. God, why are these stairs such a bother to climb up?
"Oh, I ran out of nails. Yifan accidentally bought the small pack instead of the big one," The elder explains. "And I also needed glue gun sticks and new pliers, because he also broke mine."
"Uh huh," He says bemusedly, still not following the conversation. "Are you, uh, redecorating?"
"Nah. I'm building a bookshelf. Don't you hear it from your apartment?" Junmyeon asks, tilting his head. "We try to keep it down, but it's still pretty noisy."
Kyungsoo freezes mid-step, jaw dropping. "You were what?"
"Making a bookshelf," Junmyeon repeats, brow furrowing at his weird reaction. "I needed a new one. My dad bought me a set from IKEA, and I'm almost done building it."
"A bookshelf." That's what's making the banging noises. Not a bed frame.
"Yeah. It's pretty small, but it's eating up a lot of my time," Junmyeon complains. "Who knew those things could take eons to build?"
Kyungsoo feels faint. "...And Yifan?"
"Ah," The latter's ears turn pink, and oh no. Please don't say you two are— "I couldn't really understand the manual, since the few words in it are in German and English, so I needed his help. I mean, he's not that big of a help, but an extra hand is still nice. Even if Yifan's really clumsy."
Oh.
"You look...odd," Junmyeon notes, chuckling as they finally reach the third floor. "You alright?"
"So the noises that I hear," He echoes, still reeling from the news as he places the bag of groceries down on the floor, "Were you two making a bookshelf?"
"Yeah. The walls here are pretty thick, but sometimes they muffle noises weirdly," The elder shrugs as he pulls out his keys out of his jeans pocket. "Why? What did you think I was doing in there?"
"I thought you two were banging," Kyungsoo blurts out without thinking, and quickly covers his mouth with his free hand, horrified.
Junmyeon drops his keys in surprise, looking up at him. When he sees Kyungsoo's expression, he bursts out laughing, eyes crinkling into mere curves.
"Oh my god, no," He says in between laughs. "God, Kyungsoo, no. Yifan's my best friend, but damn. No. Ew."
"...Ew?" He repeats, voice tiny and muffled behind his hand.
"Yeah. Ew. When you've been friends with someone for so long, you know all of their habits and weird obsessions," Junmyeon chortles, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes. "I know all of Yifan's, and trust me, if Qian—that's his girlfriend, by the way—knew even just half of them, it's over."
"Oh." It was all that he could manage. They were making a bookshelf. They're not banging. They're not dating.
"Besides, he's not really my type," The elder continues as he picks up his keys and goes to open his door. "I mean, he looks great and all, but I personally like shorter partners, cute but still packs a punch, nice eyes, nice voice, soft features—"
Something clicks with the latter's words, and it's Kyungsoo's turn to look up disbelievingly as Junmyeon stops mid-rant, looking equally as horrified as him earlier. What?
"Um." Junmyeon stutters, scrambling to pick up his bags. His cheeks and neck turn a brilliant shade of red as he struggles with all of the baggage. "I should, um. Yeah. You were—uh. Um. Thanks for the help, I—look, I uh—you—um. I'll go ahead."
"A-alright," He says dazedly, watching the normally composed elder flee inside his apartment. He carefully takes out his own keys, unlocks his flat, and goes to sit on his futon, right beside the white teddy bear that he didn't really want to see before.
Short. Cute but still packs a punch. Nice eyes. Nice voice. Soft features.
Could it be...?
Kyungsoo takes the plush into his hands, smoothing down the white faux fur with trembling hands. No, Kyungsoo, do not read into his words too much. He's just nice! And helpful and kind and gentle and attractive, but still. No reading in between the lines. Nope. Nope. Nope.
But maybe, just maybe...
No. Bad Kyungsoo. No reading too much into people's actions. No.
He jumps up from his futon and makes a beeline for the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea. Maybe the strong aroma can distract him from thinking about Junmyeon's words.
Or Junmyeon, in general.