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Soleum didn't mean to discover that his roommate was, in fact, the biggest crybaby this side of Seoul.
It was an accident, he swore! Soleum was under the impression that everyone else was—that Saheon was a cold-hearted son of a bitch who would gladly cut your stomach open to inspect your organs under the guise of furthering his anatomy education.
The impression Saheon gave off turned out not to be quite right. Soleum ignored the warning signs at first. A fatal mistake, truly.
So what if Saheon got teary-eyed over sad movies? That was a normal thing. Soleum had to clutch his chest at times when it felt like he was being torn in two through the sheer emotions that frizzled through his body, too.
But more things popped up. Too many incidents piled onto each other, and before Soleum knew it, he was left with the conclusion that Saheon was not the icy bastard he pretended to be.
Soleum walked in on Saheon bawling his heart out over a commercial featuring small, fluffy animals, whom he declared were innocent through sobs. That, too, could have been seen as a blip, but the way Saheon then began to donate to the organization monthly could not be dismissed.
Another time, Soleum knocked on Saheon’s bedroom door, only to be presented with the sound of sniffles and sneezes. It turned out that Saheon had drunk a little too much, and couldn’t stop thinking about his childhood. It was awkward pretending to be Saheon’s sister just so Saheon would go to sleep, but Soleum got the job done.
One day, Saheon came home with a sopping wet black cat in his arms, and there was no way to make Saheon stop crying when Soleum declared he wouldn’t put up with a pet. Soleum ended up giving in. The cat was now Soleum’s closest confidant, and he’d lay down his life for it.
If it were just a couple of incidents, Soleum could ignore them. But these things happened all of the time! Soleum had to admit defeat. Saheon was not nearly as dangerous as his facade made him out to be.
It was like a cat. Or a kitten? Saheon didn’t like many people, but those he cared about mattered a lot, and if he cared for something or someone, he was going to go wild trying to protect them.
Also, he was fun to annoy. Soleum spent more afternoons than he should have poking at Saheon, trying to get a response that was better than the last. It was like when a person bopped a cat’s nose or patted their tail in a way to make it swish angrily.
It was amusing, and Soleum didn’t know how he hadn’t seen it before. Saheon was rather cute when he wasn’t trying to plan Soleum’s murder. They might even get along! Soleum, too, had a soft spot for adorable creatures.
That was his excuse for why he continued to stay Saheon’s dorm mate even after Daydream offered him a single room dorm with his promotion.
A while back, Soleum couldn’t stand Saheon. The guy was creepy. He was dangerous. He would surely try to poison Soleum in his sleep. Saheon was just that type of person! He was looking out for himself.
If Soleum had gotten his promotion back then, he would have jumped at the chance of living in a dorm without any roommates. Even still, Saheon made Soleum wary. Saheon was still a lethal entity—Soleum didn’t forget that fact.
But now Soleum was attached. He felt a kinship with Saheon. This person, who was supposed to turn into the deadly Viper who made Soleum use to shiver when reading the actions that he did on the wiki, was so different. Was it because of Soleum’s interference? He didn’t know, but what else could it be?
Saheon was similar to Soleum. They were amazing actors, both of them keeping their masks up at work, never letting it drop unless they were alone. Saheon exuded the aura of a serial killer at work, while Soleum made his expression neutral at all times so that no one could tell when he was afraid for his life.
It felt fitting to remain roommates with a fellow actor. Maybe in another world, they could have auditioned for the same role as actors. In this one, though, Soleum was happy to find the semblance of an ally in a man whom he believed would kill him without a second thought.
Soleum rested well at the dorm now. Braun still helped while in ghost stories, providing a comforting presence whenever Soleum was in a scary situation, but Saheon helped him relax.
Now that he knew that Saheon was a soft-hearted guy and not a psychopath with no love in his heart, Soleum spent more time in the living area. He even began to cook breakfast again instead of surviving on convenience store meals because he didn’t want to bump into Saheon every morning.
His life was going well with his newfound freedom. Without stressing over Saheon, Soleum was able to focus on Darknesses more. He was dismantling ghost stories consistently, bulking up on points. He would earn his Wish Potion soon enough, he just knew it!
Soleum was living on a high. He was happy now, less pale and sickly-looking whenever he went into work. D-squad had noticed enough that they teased him about being in a relationship as if that was the only reason why Soleum would find a spark to his step.
He felt grounded and steady. Soleum wouldn’t let this go anytime soon. He saw Saheon as an ally, if nothing other than an obedient dog who wouldn’t bite him. There was no cause for concern! Soleum could be free to do as he pleased in their shared dorm and not expect retaliation.
Of course, Soleum thought all of this because he had no idea that his roommate, one Baek Saheon, was freaking the fuck out over why the lunatic he lived with was suddenly friendlier than ever.
Was it possible to file a restraining order against the person you lived with? Saheon wasn’t asking for a friend. He needed to know this so that he would make it past this year. His life was on the line, give him a reply quickly!
Saheon was used to feeling afraid. His village was strange, his family was strange, and all of the people he trusted eventually wasted away, nothing but brittle bones and rot.
That did not excuse Saheon's actions, he knew, but this was excessive, wasn't it? What did Saheon do in a past life to be gifted with this one? He was surrounded by freaks in his hometown, and then when he moved to the city, trying to make a new life for himself at Daydream, he ended up with a roommate who had threatened to slaughter Saheon more than once.
Saheon lived his life in fear. Because of that, he didn't care if he cried. His sister used to tease him, calling him a crybaby every time he tripped and fell. It should have been a nickname that Saheon disliked, but he never got angry at his sister. If she called him a crybaby, she must've been right.
He thought he had finally adjusted to Daydream. He mostly worked, not wanting to spend time in the dorm. He was avoiding his roommate like the plague. Soleum was more fierce and terrifying than any Darkness that Saheon had encountered.
Yet, that same man had walked in on Saheon crying his pathetic little heart out more than once. Saheon would have preferred to pretend that those incidents never happened, but he couldn't ignore them. Not when he could still recall his sister's voice teasing him as she pressed a bandaid to his bleeding knee before kissing it better.
It had to be because of those incidents that Soleum stopped treating him as a threat. It was either that, or Soleum had been replaced with someone else. But Saheon didn't think that could be true. Others would have noticed if Soleum was no longer Soleum, so it was only Saheon that Soleum acted differently.
Saheon wanted to think that Soleum was the same as ever. A few teary incidents wouldn't change anything. But then he'd be lying to himself, and Saheon tried not to do that anymore. He had to accept the truth: Soleum figured out he was a weak, sniveling creature and decided he was not a threat.
Part of Saheon was grateful. He didn't want to be deemed a threat by a man who held knives in the dark with a sparkling glint in his gaze. If being weak got him to live, then Saheon would play it up. He could be even more pathetic, just you wait!
The problem was that Soleum now acted friendly. It was more than a little strange. Saheon didn't need to fear for his life, did he? Now that Soleum treated him more like a pet, things should be smooth sailing, yeah?
Saheon vowed to be just as good as the black cat he adopted from the street. Soleum patted the cat on the back and between the ears. Saheon would show that he was good enough to receive the same treatment.
He wouldn't fight back. At the dorm, he was not dangerous. He was nonthreatening. He was a crybaby who would live to see another day.
However, declaring that he would change how he acted did not stop him from being surprised when Soleum did unexpected things.
Saheon walked into the kitchen to find Soleum making breakfast for both of them. Soleum could make eggs in multiple ways, and he would ask Saheon how he wanted his. Saheon had never felt so pressured to sit down at a table and eat.
Many events like that happened. Saheon detested it, mostly because Soleum did these things without a bat of an eye. Was this how he would have acted if Saheon had never seemed violent to begin with? If Saheon had never attacked that person on the train at orientation, could he have been eating Soleum's breakfast for months?
The idea made Saheon faint. He could have lived a more tranquil life if he hadn't acted irrationally—but why was he thinking about that in the first place? Saheon only did what he needed to do to ensure his survival. He'd do it again.
Breakfast was a small change to Saheon's world. Soleum choosing to have weekly movie nights wasn't new, since Soleum consistently stayed up late to watch television, but inviting Saheon to sit down was.
There was no choice in the matter. Saheon had to sit down, and he had to make it through the movie even if he wanted to crawl into a hole and wither away into a husk instead.
At least Soleum provided snacks on movie night. His homemade caramel corn was particularly delightful. If only it weren't made by a freak...
To put it simply: Saheon barely held onto his sanity. Soleum was wearing him down, and at this point, Saheon had no idea if it was on purpose or not.
Soleum could have been doing this to Saheon unknowingly. Psychopaths weren't the best with feelings, right? Soleum might not know that his actions were torturous. Saheon wouldn't put it past Soleum to do this by accident.
So why did he allow it? Saheon could have escaped. He got a promotion that came with a hefty pay raise and a new dorm that only held one bedroom. It was his chance to leave Soleum behind...!
But he remained. Saheon told himself it was because Soleum might get vengeance if he left without saying a word, but that was nothing more than an excuse.
Maybe, Saheon supposed, he liked Soleum's changed behavior. It freaked him out, that wouldn't change anytime soon, but it was nice in its own way.
Saheon was fed well, he had a cat that he treasured, he was faring better in Darknesses without the looming threat of death hanging over him, and he liked the closeness he was provided—with Soleum was at the center of it all.
It didn’t mean anything. It meant nothing, in fact. So what if they suddenly spent a lot of time together? That was a normal roommate thing to do.