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The party is too loud, Han Yujin decides. He hadn’t wanted to come out that night, but Kim Gyuvin would not stop blowing up his phone, and if Yujin didn’t respond, he knew Gyuvin would stroll up to his house. It’s one of the things he hates most about living in a college town while still being a high schooler. He feels caught between two worlds. At school, he’s a loner; outside, only friends with people older than him. And here he is, crushed between the warmth and sweat of bodies older than his and a growing sense of frustration at Gyuvin. He doesn’t even know where Gyuvin is. As soon as they set foot in the worn-down frat house, Gyuvin had sprinted off when some blonde had caught his attention. Ricky, Yujin thinks, is the name he caught when Gyuvin apologized before abandoning him.
Yujin maneuvered his way through the crowded living room, finally finding salvation in a surprisingly empty hallway, save for a few college students taking shots on the floor. Yujin let his back hit the wall as he slowly slid to the floor, closing his eyes to focus on his breathing. His head was pounding, and all he wanted to do was go home, but he figured he’d at least let Gyuvin know first (even though he doubts Gyuvin will remember any of this night). He takes a few moments to clear his head on the ground, needing a second.
“Yo,” a voice calls out to him as Yujin looks up to see a tall man with broad shoulders looking down at him with a grin. Yujin scrunches his nose as the smell of booze rakes over his nostrils, the closer the other man gets to him. “Can I help you?” Is all he says as he shifts his legs for the taller man to sit down on the floor with him. He raises an eyebrow, and his grin melts into something a bit softer. Yujin hates this development. “I don’t know, maybe,” He grins.
Yujin rolls his eyes as he pulls out his phone, deciding he would just try to call Gyuvin to let him know he was leaving. He did not want to stick around for whatever this schmuck was attempting to do. Much to Yujin’s surprise, the other man just watches as Yujin begins calling Gyuvin. Yujin rolls his eyes again and looks to his left, out into the crowd of people in the living room. One ring, two rings, three rings, and then a click. Straight to voicemail. Yujin sighs as he pockets the phone. Hopefully, Gyuvin was finally getting laid, he thinks.
“I haven’t seen you before.” The man sitting in front of him finally speaks again, and Yujin just nods.
“I don’t really come out often,” Yujin answers honestly, picking at his nails, and he finds himself wondering why he’s even entertaining this conversation. He should be going home.
“You go here?” The other man is suddenly a lot closer than Yujin remembered him being, and he shifts slightly to the right to avoid feeling boxed in by the bigger man. He seemingly hasn’t noticed how close he had gotten, so Yujin just chalks it up to him being drunk. Yujin shakes his head after realizing he hasn’t said anything to the boy in front of him.
“Damn, it’s always the baddies who never actually go here.” This elicits a shocked laugh out of Yujin, much to the other boy’s joy as he smiles. He had finally cracked through Yujin’s stoic persona.
“Hm, really?” Is all Yujin can muster up to say, as he begins tugging at the back of his neck. He really was awkward when it came to anything to do with flirting. Is this even flirting? Is a college boy flirting with him? Yujin looks back up at the other boy. He is objectively attractive. Round face but still a defined jawline, and a smile that made Yujin have to force his neutral expression back with effort. The other boy nods at Yujin’s response. “Of course, you get that all the time, I bet.”
Yujin continued picking at his nails. He hasn’t heard things like this, especially not proclaimed so boldly and without shame. Yujin never really found himself super attractive. He didn’t think he was ugly by any means, but “baddie” level attractive? Never would he think that about himself. He snorts at the thought, then immediately presses a hand to his mouth, feeling his cheeks flare up. The other boy just smiled.
“Ah, not really. Thank you, though.” Yujin mumbled softly. “I think I’m gonna head out though.” He says, which seems to sober the other boy up just a bit.
“I didn’t even get your name.” He pouts slightly, a sight that Yujin has to make himself not laugh at.
“I didn’t get yours either,” He points out, before giving in, “I’m Yujin.”
“Yujin.” The other boy tests it out, seemingly pleased as a bright smile lights up his face, and this time, Yujin allows himself to smile back. “I like that name. I’m Gunwook.”
“Okay, Gunwook.” Yujin nods as he begins to slowly stand, “I’ll see you around.” Gunwook just smiles at him and allows Yujin to walk away.
On the walk home, there’s too much running through Yujin’s mind. The fact that Gyuvin ditched him in less than a minute (although he doesn’t really care that much anymore), and then his chance encounter with Gunwook. The way he had proclaimed his instant attraction to Yujin made something weird bloom in the young boy’s chest. Gunwook could have just been trying to woo him into bed; it’s not something Yujin rules out; however, there was a softness to Gunwook’s words. A sense of authenticity that Yujin wasn’t sure how he felt about.
It’s only when he’s lying in bed later that night that he realizes he never got Gunwook’s number. Maybe the next time Gyuvin drags him along, he won’t be so resistant.