Chapter Text
If there were a factory that created humans, he would have been spat out of it, but hey, it was better to be average than be whatever the hell was wrong with his roommate.
Kim Soleum was so incredibly average that he was almost pitied for never being anything more than the standard.
He went to work—he never questioned why Chief Lee was into cosplay, he wasn't paid enough to ask that—went to class—he's fairly certain that Kang Yihak was running an MLM through the sophomore class, but again, he wasn't getting paid to ask—and studied enough to guarantee his funds were well spent—he paid tuition through aid, but had to take out loans for living expenses, and oh boy, wasn't that going to be a pain to pay back?
He had a small group of friends that he spent time with while at university, and a small group outside of it that he only messaged occasionally. However, they tried to make him watch a horror movie last time he went over, so they were on his shit list at the moment.
His friends were all his peers from both the past and the present—did that sum up his likeability yet? He couldn't make a friend unless it was a forced bond from the trauma of courses and endless deadlines on the cusp of expiring.
Lee Seonghae was in his criminal justice class, and Go Yeongeun was in his history class, though Go Yeongeun didn't seem happy in the class, and Lee Seonghae tended to disagree with some of the laws that were in place, so that confused him. Why attend a class that you weren't interested in?
Kim Soleum's schedule didn't overlap with theirs much more than that, but he didn't need to because they liked to eat lunch together. Occasionally, he'd be invited out to drinks too, but he kept to a non-existent schedule to give him free time when he needed it most. And Lee Seonghae got scary when she let loose and stopped caring about morality.
Currently, Kim Soleum was in his bedroom, but seeing as it was a one-bedroom apartment, he had no privacy. He and his roommate split the room down the middle, and Soleum regretted signing the lease more than he regretted anything else in his life.
There wasn't a rule that they couldn't bring people over, but it kind of went unneeded. Kim Soleum tried to focus on his textbook, but he couldn't hear himself think as the familiar back and forth of Baek Saheon and Kang Yihak filled his ears.
Kang Yihak was a common face to see, one that usually brought chaos amongst solace. But Kim Soleum would die before ever turning her into the cops, though that might have been because she had some dirt on him he could never allow another soul to know.
He could never allow Lee Seonghae to meet Kang Yihak, that was for certain. Lee Seoonghae might try to get Kang Yihak to confess to her limitless crimes, and Kim Soleum didn't want to be caught in the crossfire.
"I'm telling you, Baek Saheon-ssi, you'll miss out on the deal of your life if you don't take this chance. I can't guarantee your returns if you wait much longer—"
"I am not going to invest in whatever the hell you're running," scoffed Baek Saheon.
As per usual, Kang Yihak was trying to make Baek Saheon invest in something, and Kim Soleum was doing his best to ignore how comfortable the two were in each other's presence.
Kang Yihak had no sense of personal space, or maybe they had finally made things official? Baek Saheon and Kang Yihak had known each other since their second year, and somehow got on well despite most people avoiding Baek Saheon like the plague, and Kang Yihak having a golden name across campus because her victims hadn't realized they were suckers yet.
"Saheon-ssi," Kang Yihak drawled, patting his knees that lay across her lap, "you gotta. You're the mascot."
"Your mascot?" He looked up, giving Kang Yihak the stink-eye. He narrowly closed his laptop, the screen dimming as he demanded, "Have you been using my name again!?"
"No…! Just—" Kang Yihak smiled, but it turned unsteady as she admitted, "—your face."
"My face?"
Baek Saheon's nose scrunched up, like a pitbull's or pug's. It was a gross look on most people, but Baek Saheon had a doggish charm when he wasn't complaining about Kim Soleum's horrid schedule or ability to clean the dishes.
"You're very moe," Kang Yihak said, because of course, that was how you quelled anger.
Kim Soleum suddenly turned, waiting to see the way Baek Saheon reacted. For his changrin, Baek Saheon didn't get upset. He seemed confused, though. His lips knitted together, and a second later, he tried pronouncing it. He must not know what it meant to be called that.
"Mo-hey?"
"Moe," she corrected, not blinking before she completely changed the conversation. "Is it true you didn't have access to the internet until you were in high school?"
"No." Baek Saheon went so far as to roll his eyes and open his laptop again. What a petty bastard, immediately finding something to do once his partner remembered something incorrectly.
"Oh?"
"I got access when I entered university," he said, making his bizarre childhood even more so terrifying.
No wi-fi? No online ordering? No telehealth? Did Baek Saheon even have vaccines? Kim Soleum couldn't imagine a world where he didn't have the flexibility of his phone to help him at all times. He would be forced to carry around a larger bag just so that he could survive his day.
Kang Yihak's gaze turned sad. Kim Soleum's chest went tight too, but he shook himself from his stupor. He couldn't allow himself to feel bad for Baek Saheon, of all people. That man was the devil himself in disguise—or at least some kind of deranged harpy with no sense of direction.
The silence prolonged for a long moment. Baek Saheon scrolled using the pad of his laptop, Kang Yihak stared at him, and Kim Soleum was a mere outsider who was listening intently because, whether he wanted to admit it or not, he was nosy when it came to his roommate.
Kim Soleum was thinking of clearing his throat and asking Kang Yihak when the last day to change classes was just so that they could move past this awkwardness, but Baek Saheon chose to speak up instead.
"You shouldn't use my face," said Baek Saheon, his eyes reflecting the brightness from the laptop's screen. "It could in the way of… that."
Kang Yihak perked up, her hair swishing slightly as she gave Baek Saheon her full attention. Kim Soleum could see the sparkle in her gaze from across the room. She seemed to have been ignited from the inside out just from a few low-spoken words.
"You mean—" Kang Yihak gestured with her fingers, not giving much away.
Kim Soleum turned away so that he didn't gawk at it. Euphemisms? In his apartment? He didn't want to know what they did when he wasn't home. As long as he didn't see any of it, he was content with the unknown.
And to think that this was just a small part of why Kim Soleum didn't like having Baek Saheon as his roommate…
Was it too late to fake his death? He could theoretically take out more loans and then disappear off the face of the Earth… only to get caught because he edited the wiki to the Dark Exploration Records and his life on the run came crashing down.
"Shut it, will you?" Baek Saheon hissed, pushing away Kang Yihak with his hand as he glared over at Kim Soleum.
Baek Saheon sometimes got cocky like this, as if he hadn't learned yet that Kim Soleum would not stand for it. It was Kim Soleum's name on the lease. Baek Saheon wasn't on it, but Baek Saheon also provided—unknowingly—70% of the month's rent, and Kim Soleum wasn't about to complicate that matter unless his life was literally threatened.
"What?" Kim Soleum said, raising an eyebrow and giving Baek Saheon a nonchalant look that he mastered in the bathroom mirror the night after Baek Saheon moved in.
Baek Saheon flinched and turned back to Kang Yihak, pretending that Kim Soleum didn't exist. If only, if only… That would save them all a lot of stress, huh?
Kim Soleum knew he was unwanted. He didn't want Baek Saheon either, so he did as he did every evening when they were both home: he picked up his headphones, clicked the button on, and placed it on his head, securing it in place before pulling out his phone.
There was a single musical artist that Kim Soleum trusted. There was never a miss, no skips. He hadn't expected to accidentally click on a MeTube video and end up finding his soulmate, but he did—but not in a creepy way, kapeesh?
Black Goat's voice was unlike anything Kim Soleum had heard before then. It was so soft but malleable, too. It could get rough and husky, just as much as it could go high, pulling along the notes for a ride, not breathing for many measures as if he were some kind of sea animal with massive lungs.
This artist, who was rising in the ranks slowly but surely, was pinning Kim Soleum in place. He couldn't move when it came to Black Goat's lyrics and vocals, they were just too good. He had been there to witness Black Goat's beginning, and he couldn't be more proud that Black Goat was getting more offers and scheduling venues.
What was terrible was that Kim Soleum had never seen Black Goat in-person. He had tried to, but always failed at the last minute. It was as if fate itself was ensuring that Kim Soleum never saw the elusive face of Black Goat.
He took a calming breath, telling himself that next time, he'd see Black Goat's next live event in-person. He felt a thump, so he peeked open his eyes to see Kang Yihak grappling over Baek Saheon's bed.
Every time Kang Yihak put Baek Saheon in a chokehold—a weird mating ritual of theirs, he assumed—Kim Soleum listened to Black Goat's music because it was the only shining light in the murky fog ahead.
When they first met, things weren't that terrible, as far as first meetings went. It was the actions that happened an hour later that made Kim Soleum reckon with the fact that he had become entangled with a psycho.
Kim Soleum put the notice out on his university's local postboard, trying to find a roommate before the start of the term. He had the money to pay for it all by himself, but if he did that, he would quite literally be working on either coursework or for his job 24/7. His quality of life would have completely plummeted.
He had a few interested parties, but most of them fell through within a few minutes of messagin back and forth. Baek Saheon—Scapegoat02—had been the only one to pass the 'not a scammer and not a creep' vibes.
When Kim Soleum later learned that Go Yeongeun was one of the people who messaged him, he detested his past self for thinking that Go Yeongeun's oddly specific medical knowledge about his fingernails—how he needed to get his heart checked out—was an instant turn down.
Baek Saheon passed, so they decided to meet up a block from the apartment at a coffee shop. Kim Soleum was ordering his drink when the other man walked in, and they got along amicably as they waited in line to order.
Even afterward, when they were seated by a window and talking about their majors and pursuits, Kim Soleum thought that Baek Saheon was a wonderful guy. Baek Saheon was a total chump, too. When Kim Soleum listed off the estimate of what living together would cost—rent plus all utilities—Baek Saheon mentioned that 'wow, the rent is cheaper than I thought it'd be.'
Kim Soleum fell for Baek Saheon there and then. He was going to get this guy to be his new pay pig (he really needed to stop talking to Kang Yihak).
With his approval high, Baek Saheon was naturally invited to take a peek at the apartment to confirm his living there. Kim Soleum knew a one-bedroom apartment wasn't much, but he had heard of worse living situations.
As they walked a block to the apartment, Kim Soleum let down his defenses. He walked smoothly and happily led Baek Saheon down an alley, showing him a shortcut he took nearly every day.
It was then that a mugger appeared. That was already bad, eh? Kim Soleum had never been mugged. When he was being pushed around and told to hand out his wallet, he reached for it in his suit because he wanted to stay alive.
Baek Saheon, though? He had other plans.
Blood dripped down Baek Saheon's hands, his phone covered in visceral gore and gelatinous parts. The mugger screamed, clutching his face. Kim Soleum nearly threw up. He called for help but the assailant ran off while Baek Saheon dropped his phone to the ground and commented that 'this city is full of thieves.'
As Baek Saheon wiped his hands off, Kim Soleum hung up his phone, and desperately tried to appear normal.
No, his heartbeat had not skyrocketed.
No, he wasn't in fear of his life.
No, he was not traumatized from this bump in the road.
He was coping beautifully. Look, he even managed to give a polite smile to Baek Saheon! Could someone recovering from a horrible event do that?
The roommate he just approved of was batshit insane. What could Kim Soleum do? Turn down the guy who just saved him from a mugger? Kim Soleum couldn't do that. What if Baek Saheon tried to scoop out his eyes next?
Kim Soleum was stuck with Baek Saheon for the rest of the year, but he had a beacon calling out for him. His very own lighthouse.
Black Goat's filled his ears. He closed his eyes and listened to the first verse, letting out a long puff of air once more instruments came in. If Kim Soleum survived this year, he could contribute it all to Black Goat.
All the stress he felt melted away. His heartbeat slowed, entering a solid sinus rhythm that made his smartwatch cheer for him, as he breathed in and out. He was set to enter a state of absolute peace so that he could focus on his work.
Staring at Baek Saheon always led him down rabbit holes. Kim Soleum should know better than to invest his time in his roommate. It made him lose focus more often than not.
Everything should have been smooth sailing from there. Kim Soleum coped by listening to Black Goat and ignoring Baek Saheon's existence, while Baek Saheon tried just as hard to piss Kim Soleum off.
Kang Yihak was still in the room, hours later. They both left to eat dinner in the kitchen, but returned less than a half hour later with four beers in hand. Kim Soleum turned down Kang Yihak's offer to have one, and continued to focus on his paper.
It should have been an uneventful night. What happened on Thursdays, other than regular annoyances?
Kim Soleum was prepared to stay up late, until he finished this assignment, and then he would go to work and drink enough cups of coffee that Eun Haje would cut him off. She was a bit of a hypocrite in that way, always looking after others' health instead of her own.
However, as Kim Soleum took a pause to remix his Black Goat playlist, he noticed that Baek Saheon and Kang Yihak were acting peculiar.
They didn't clap with the back of their hands, as Lee Jaheon was known to at times, but it was just as bizarre to see the two chronic gossipers turn quiet with furrowed brows.
Kang Yihak had her phone open, her thumbs sliding down the screen repeatedly as if refreshing a website. Similarly, Baek Saheon was clicking the touchpad of his laptop as if there was something pertinent. Yet, at the same time, Kang Yihak and Baek Saheon were holding hands, as if they were going to hear bad news.
Kim Soleum turned away, and caught the time in the corner of his laptop screen. He realized that it was already about to be 6 P.M. Was something crazy about to happen?
Maybe his roommate and the best scammer of Seoul were awaiting test results from the class they shared. It was practically mid-terms, it wouldn't be a shock if some professors began already.
Yet, just as Kim Soleum had chosen to look away from the two stressed-out weirdos, he got a notification on his phone. His lips parted in surprise as he read it, his hands shaking as he quickly clicked to play the song.
Black Goat had just released a new single. This had just become the best day of his month—maybe even the entire year.
As Kim Soleum shut his laptop and lay back, spending all of his energy on taking in Black Goat's voice and words, he failed to notice that Kang Yihak and Baek Saheon were celebrating.
Kang Yihak opened up her second can of beer and cheered Baek Saheon's with it, grinning from ear to ear. Baek Saheon's cheeks were dusted in pink and Kang Yihak squeezed his hand, both in comfort and pride—as well as in cheer at the possibility of money.
If Kim Soleum was paying attention, he might have noted the oddity of such a thing. Instead, he was captivated by the words of Black Goat, the background vocals always capturing his attention. He desperately tried to soak up every little detail, but then the song was over, and there was another buzz on his phone.
Another notification about Black Goat. How peculiar, two major updates within minutes were unheard of from the somewhat small, anonymous singer.
Kim Soleum frowned as he checked it. In the background, Black Goat's latest single continued to play on loop, but he was disappointed in himself for not focusing all of his attention on it. For a long moment, his mobile browser loaded, and then it updated, drawing a gasp from Kim Soleum.
His fingers shook as he looked down at his screen. This… This was actually happening, then? Kim Soleum read the words over and over again, scanning the poster and ensuring that this came from a confirmed source, and not some spam or fan account that could lie or misconstrue the truth.
Black Goat was performing live at the Fall's End Festival. Kim Soleum checked the date, and felt his adrenaline skyrocket as his heart thudded against his rib cage. He quickly consulted his school calendar, finding the festival took place in the downtime between his two mid-terms.
Kim Soleum was going to finally see a live performance of his favorite singer… as long as he could secure a ticket.