Chapter Text
The club room always smelled faintly of lemon polish and old wood. Tucked away on the third floor of the student union building, it was a quiet sanctuary away from the crowded lecture halls. the late afternoon sun filtered through the dusty blinds, casting long, golden stripes across the worn-out sofas.
It was peaceful. It was their safe place.
Yu sat on the edge of the nearest desk, his long fingers effortlessly dancing across the frets of a beautifully worn acoustic guitar. He wasn't playing a specific song, just stringing together a slow, happy melody that matched the quiet atmosphere of the room. His eyes were closed, completely lost in the rhythm.
So Geon was stretch out on the sofa opposite him, a half-finished iced americano resting on the floor by his sneakers. He had a notebook balanced on his chest, but he hadn't written anything, not even a single word scratched down in his twenty minutes. Instead, he was just watching Yu closely. There was something incredibly comforting about this routine. They had been doing this since high school. Yu playing away his stress and So Geon providing the quiet company. They fit together like perfectly matched chords.
"Sounds like you're just falling asleep, man." Tomoya shot back, not looking up from his screen.
So Geon chuckled, finally sitting up and tossing his notebook onto the coffee table. "Don't listen to him, Yu. It sounded good tho, really warm."
A faint, almost imperceptible pink touched the tips of Yu's ears, though his expression remained as stoic as ever. He carefully set the guitar on its stand. "Thanks. We still need to figure out our setlist for the acoustic showcase next month, though. We only have three actual members, and half the time you guys just use this room to nap."
"Hey!" Hyui protested, eyes still glued to his game. "We provide moral support."
Yu sighed, walking over to sit on the sofa next to So Geon. the cushions dipped under his weight, and their shoulders brushed. It was a familiar, easy contact. "We need something that brings energy." Yu murmured, leaning in slightly. "Something that shakes things up."
As if the universe had been waiting for the exact cue, the heavy wooden door to the club room violently slammed open, rebounding off the wall with a loud crack.
Everyone jumped. Yuki dropped his console, Seita scattered the sheet music, and Yu instinctively threw an arm out in front of So Geon.
Standing in the doorway, breathing heavily with a bright, entirely unbothered grin on his face, was Haru. He was wearing a slightly oversized varsity jacket, his hair perfectly messy from the afternoon wind. He looked completely out of place in the quiet, dusty room—like a burst of sheer, unfiltered electricity.
"Okay, I found it!" Haru announced loudly, his voice echoing off the walls. He took three confident strides into the room, totally ignoring the bewildered stares of the other five guys.
His eyes immediately locked onto the sofa. More specifically, they locked onto So Geon.
Haru’s grin softened into something much more focused and intense. He walked straight past a glaring Yu, stopping just inches from where So Geon was sitting. He leaned down, bracing his hands on his knees so they were eye-to-eye.
"You dropped your ID card outside the library," Haru said, holding up the small piece of plastic between two fingers. He didn't break eye contact. "I figured I should hand-deliver it. I'm Haru, by the way. First-year sports science."
So Geon blinked, slightly stunned by the proximity and the sheer energy radiating off the guy. "Oh. Thank you. I'm—"
"So Geon. I know." Haru interrupted, a playful tilt to his head. "I read the card."
Yu stood up abruptly, stepping between them. The easygoing, warm atmosphere of the room vanished instantly, replaced by a sudden, sharp tension. Yu’s jaw was tight, his voice dropping an octave into a cold, polite register.
"Thanks for returning it," Yu said, holding his hand out expectantly. "You can go now."
Haru finally looked at Yu, his bright smile faltering for a fraction of a second before returning, sharper this time. He didn't hand the card to Yu. Instead, he reached around him, gently placing the ID directly into So Geon's hand, his fingers lingering just a second longer than necessary.
"I think I'd rather stay," Haru said, his eyes flicking back to So Geon. "You guys play music in here, right? I've been looking for a club to join."
The silence that followed Haru’s declaration was deafening.
For a solid ten seconds, the only sound in the club room was the faint, tinny background music leaking from Hyuo’s discarded game console.
Tomoya was the first to break it. He let out a low, impressed whistle from his beanbag chair. "Well. That’s definitely the energy you were just asking for, Yu."
Yu shot Tomoya a glare so venomous it could have frozen boiling water. He turned his attention back to Haru, refusing to give up the physical space between him and So Geon. He crossed his arms over his chest, his posture rigid and uncompromising.
"This is an acoustic music club," Yu said, his voice clipped and entirely devoid of its usual warmth. "Not a hangout spot. Do you even play an instrument?"
Haru didn't flinch. In fact, his grin seemed to widen, catching the golden afternoon light filtering through the blinds. He leaned back slightly, shoving his hands into the pockets of his varsity jacket in a picture-perfect display of casual confidence.
"I have excellent rhythm," Haru replied smoothly. "And I’ve always wanted to learn the guitar." His dark eyes bypassed Yu entirely, landing right back on the person sitting on the sofa. "Maybe So Geon could teach me."
So Geon blinked, entirely caught off guard by being pulled back into the crossfire. He looked between Yu’s tense shoulders and Haru’s bright, expectant face. The shift in the room's atmosphere was giving him academic whiplash; it felt like he had missed a crucial step in an equation.
"I... I don't really teach," So Geon stammered softly, shifting his weight on the cushions. He instinctively pulled his knees up a little higher, a nervous habit he’d had for years. "Yu is the actual guitarist. I just manage the club's paperwork and... listen, mostly."
"Even better," Haru said without missing a beat. "You can manage me, then."
In the corner, Yuki nudged Seita with his elbow, his eyes wide. Seita just slowly shook his head, looking like a man witnessing a slow-motion car crash.
"We aren't taking new members right now," Yu stated flatly, cutting off any further banter. "The acoustic showcase is next month, and we need to focus on our setlist. We don't have time to teach a beginner from scratch."
It was a blatant lie, and everyone in the room knew it. Just five minutes ago, Yu had been complaining about their lack of members.
Haru finally looked squarely at Yu. The playful, sunny demeanor remained, but there was a sudden, sharp intelligence in his gaze. He recognized a territorial defense when he saw one.
"That's a shame," Haru mused, though he didn't sound defeated in the slightest. He took a single step back toward the door, giving Yu some space, but the air between them was practically humming with static electricity. "But I heard the student union requires clubs to accept any student who submits a formal application. University policy, right?"
Yu’s jaw tightened so hard it looked painful.
Haru gave a casual, two-fingered salute, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he looked past Yu one last time. "Thanks for the chat. I'll swing by tomorrow with my paperwork signed and ready, So Geon. Have a good afternoon."
Without waiting for a response, Haru turned on his heel and walked out, pulling the heavy wooden door shut behind him. It clicked into the frame with a quiet, terrifying finality.
The silence rushed back in, but it felt entirely different now. The warm, nostalgic peace of the afternoon was completely gone, replaced by an uncomfortable, heavy tension.
"Okay," Hyui muttered, slowly picking his game console back up off the floor. "That guy is either completely oblivious, or completely insane."
"Insane," Tomoya confirmed, finally sitting upright. He looked over at Yu, a teasing smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Looks like you’ve got competition, Mr. Rubato."
Yu ignored him. He didn't sit back down on the sofa. Instead, he stood perfectly still, staring at the closed door, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. He could feel So Geon watching him, confused and completely unaware of the silent war that had just been declared in their safe space.
Yu closed his eyes, taking a slow, deep breath, trying to find the rhythm of the slow, happy melody he had been playing just minutes ago.
But for the first time in years, he couldn't find the notes. Everything was entirely out of tune.