Chapter Text
sunday
There are several things Donghyuk regrets in life:
- Letting his best friend copy off his spelling test in the third grade.
- Telling his mother that one of the neighborhood kids broke the attic window.
- Refusing to start an assignment until the night before even though it was assigned a month ago.
- And most recently, this: waking up in a stranger’s dorm room.
Granted, it’s not the worst thing. He could’ve woken up naked, lying in a ditch somewhere. However, he’s not sure how much of a step up “waking up naked in a stranger’s dorm” really is. It also doesn’t help that he can’t seem to remember where he put his shirt.
He trifles through a sea of discarded clothes on this stranger’s dorm floor, searching desperately for favorite graphic tee when he finds it carelessly tossed in a corner. He punches his fist through the air in triumph before silently slipping the garment on. Donghyuk turns back to glance at the stranger’s bleach blonde bed head, tucked into the crevice of navy blue sheets before quietly slipping out the dorm.
Donghyuk breathes a sigh of relief before grimacing when he realizes he now has to do the infamous Walk of Shame™. With his head hung low, he trudges through the dorm halls to find his way back to his own dorm room (thankfully he doesn’t bump into anyone he recognizes).
He’s halfway up the stairs into the Yi Sun-Shin dorms when his cell phone rings loudly. Donghyuk grabs his head, the ringing pounding against his skull before he finally answers.
“Hello?” His voice is hoarse and dry.
“Donghyuk! Thank god you’re alive.”
“Barely.”
There’s guffaw on the other line as he leans against the stairwell wall for support. “Is there a reason you’re calling me so early, Jungkook?”
“Early? It’s 10:30 in the morning.”
“Not everyone gets up at 6 to run 5K.”
“Well, just making sure you’re alive. I couldn’t find you at the party.”
He sinks down to sit on the steps, rubbing his temples for brief relief, “Yeah, that’s because I left the party.”
His best friend coos, “Sounds like someone got lucky.”
Donghyuk is silent.
“Wait. No way, seriously? You seriously went home with someone?”
“Can I really call it going home with someone if it wasn’t my home?”
Jungkook laughs again, voice echoing in the phone.
“I regret letting you copy off my spelling test.”
“No, you don’t. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have become best friends and you’d have to face your crazy roommate all by yourself.”
He sighs silently but doesn’t comment. “I have to go. I need a shower and a long nap.”
The other line cackles so he takes that as his cue to leave, promptly hanging up mid-laugh.
Slipping his key through the door, he quietly shuffles into the shared dorm, looking around to see his roommate still fast asleep in his bed. He breathes a sigh of relief, walking to his side of the dorm to grab some clean clothes before heading to the dorm’s bathroom to wash up.
-----
Ruffling his hair with a thick, white towel, he walks out of the bathroom, vision blurred by the fluffy fabric when he walks into a broad figure. Losing his balance for a second, he braces himself for the hard impact of the dorm floor when he feels a warm arm around his waist. He peeks through the towel to see sharp features marred with a look of surprise when the dorm room unlocks. Both of them look up, a perfect recreation of the DVD cover of Gone With The Wind , when his roommate, Jinhwan, walks in. His eyes dart between them, raising an eyebrow before furrowing to glare at Donghyuk and the intruder.
Like a shock, the intruder breaks out of his trance, arms slipping away to let him fall on top of mountains of unfolded laundry and hard wooden dorm floors. Donghyuk lets out a (manly) yelp before groaning as pain shoots up his spine; (he wonders why).
“This is my roommate, Donghyuk.” Jinhwan’s voice is indifferent while he stares up at the ceiling, wondering what he did to deserve this.
With a struggle, he stands up, dusting off his sweatpants and actively ignoring the glare his roommate sends him.
“This is my boyfriend, Junhwe.”
Donghyuk turns to greet his momentary savior, hand outstretched for a handshake before he freezes; bleach blonde hair. His heart is racing because his roommate (who not so secretly hates him) has a boyfriend with bleach blonde hair. Very similar to the stranger he woke up next to. But what are the chances? And, this guy’s in a relationship with Jinhwan so he wouldn’t possibly cheat, right? Plus, tons of guys dye their hair. Yeah, it’s fine. He’s fine.
But Jinhwan’s Boyfriend™ is staring at him in shock and recognition and this is bad.
He doesn’t realize they haven’t said anything in two full minutes and that the three of them are hanging in awkward silence.
“Hey, dude, what’s up?” His voice has never been this low as he puts on his stereotypical frat guy/jock voice.
“H-hey. Nice to meet you, man.” Junhwe (Junhoe?) replies somewhat steadily.
“So weird…” Donghyuk hears Jinhwan whisper under his breath before reaching out to tug at Junhwe’s sweater, “Let’s get breakfast, I’m starving.”
“Y-yeah! Sure. Sure.”
They awkwardly wave before the couple finally ducks out; he lets out a breath he doesn’t know he was holding before collapsing on his mattress.
He’s royally fucked if that was really who he thinks it is.
- Possibly drunkenly hooked up with a guy who’s dating his roommate who hates him.
------
monday
“Wait, you’re telling me you hooked up with your crazy roommate’s boyfriend?”
He presses his cheek against the cool surface of the dining hall table, “Possibly. We don’t know for sure.”
“Well, how many guys on campus have bleach blonde hair?”
“It’s a big school I’m sure there’s more than one.”
Jungkook shrugs, shoveling toast in his mouth before suddenly choking; he looks up with a raised eyebrow, harshly patting his friend’s back before he finally gulps air. “You said you woke up in the Sejong dorms?”
“Yeah, so?”
“I only know of two people in the Sejong dorms with bleach blonde hair.”
Donghyuk blinks once, then twice. “Who?”
“One is composition major, Nam Taehyun.”
“Was he the one who performed at your showcase?”
“Yeah! He sang ‘Baby Baby.’”
“That was a good song. I liked his performance.”
His best friend flaps his hand to brush over the random tangent in conversation, “The other guy is the school’s basketball player, Koo Junhwe.”
He almost spits out his coffee. Almost.
----
There’s no way. There’s no way. There’s no way. It was probably Taehyun. He probably slept with that Taehyun guy. Yeah. No big deal. Just Taehyun.
It’s all he mutters on his way to history, darting around on campus as he struggles to ignore the gnawing feeling that tells him otherwise. Seriously, what are the chances that he slept with his roommate’s boyfriend? Slim. Impossible. Yeah, so it was probably Taehyun. He was cute. He was good-looking. He seems like someone he would hook up with.
He slides through the classroom door, choosing a seat near the middle of the lecture hall as he sets his books and pencils down. Donghyuk rummages through his backpack to grab his notebook, shuffling through pages of endless doodles before finally finding a blank page to write down notes in. He jots down the date, seeing a figure take a seat to his right in the corner of his eye. Not acknowledging the new stranger, he continues to ready his notes for the professor before an obvious cough interrupts his train of thoughts.
Looking up, Donghyuk freezes ( again ) when he locks eyes with a certain blonde.
He looks like a fish out of water as he stares, unmoving before Junhwe coughs awkwardly into his fist, breaking him out of his trance. Shaking his head to clear his mind, he looks back to see the other sheepishly smile before reaching into his bag and grabbing an item. Without breaking eye contact, Junhwe awkwardly extends his arm; he looks down, staring at the appendage before his fist unfurls to reveal his student ID.
He turns red, cheeks flushed and hot before clumsily grabbing the offending item in hand; he quickly tucks it into the front pocket of his backpack, keeping his eyes on the desk.
“You left it. On my desk. When you left that morning.” A husky voice breaks his train of thought.
Shyly nodding, Donghyuk looks up through his fringe of hair, “Uh, thanks.”
Yeah, he royally fucked up.
-
PossiblyDefinitely drunkenly hooked up with a guy who’s dating his roommate who hates him.
They sit in silence for a good five minutes.
“Did you--”
“Please don’t--”
They stop mid-sentence, staring at each other.
“You go.” Donghyuk nods, running his hand through his hair out of nervous habit.
“I was just… I was just going to ask if you mentioned anything to Jinhwan?”
He breathes out, shaking his head, “No. He already hates me; I don’t need to give him a legitimate reason to.”
Junhwe nods, toying with the hem of his leather jacket, “Uh, thanks.”
They awkwardly nod, saved when the lecturer finally walks through the door, stalking up to the chalkboard with purpose as he scribbles on the surface.
-----
tuesday
“So, was it him?”
“Was what him?”
“Donghyuk slept with his crazy roommate’s boyfriend.”
“What! Donghyuk! I expected better from you.”
“Thanks mom .” He rolls his eyes, grabbing a strawberry off of Jinwoo’s plate and chucking it at Jungkook. “For the record, I did not know of their relationship. And also, I would appreciate it if we stopped talking about it out loud since most people don’t know.”
Jinwoo shakes his head, eyes wide with disappointment, “I told you not to go out.”
“Yeah, yeah, mom.” Jungkook mocks, not really paying any mind to their senior.
“I’m not your mom. Jin’s your mom and I’ll tell him that you’ve been eating nothing but junk food for the past three days.”
The other male pales, fork raised in mid-air, piled with the remnants of pork katsu and macaroni and cheese. He drops his utensils, “No! Last time, he came over to the dorm and made a month’s worth of food and wouldn’t leave for three days!”
Donghyuk and Jinwoo chuckle as Jungkook continues to whine, latching onto the oldest male’s arms in a plea for mercy.
“So, I’m assuming Jinhwan has no idea?”
“Yeah, and it’s going to stay that way.” He glowers at his best friend.
Jungkook waves him away, not even mildly threatened by his glare. (“ It’s like being glared at by a kitten. It’s not scary.” “I hate you, Jeon Jungkook.” ).
“Well, just remember, one more semester and you’re done with your freshman year of college and you won’t have to room with him anymore!”
God bless Jinwoo and his endless positivity.
-----
wednesday
“We’re not in third grade anymore, Jungkook! I’m not letting you copy off my chemistry assignment.”
“Please.” Whiny voice echoing in the dorm halls. “The student aide in the class is super hot and I want him to think I’m smart.”
He stubbornly refuses, unlocking his dorm room door and ushering the two of them inside. “I don’t even know why you decided to take chemistry, you’re a business major with a minor in music composition-- Oh, hello.” They both stop short when they catch his roommate and his boyfriend on his bed watching a film on his laptop.
“Hey.” Junhwe easily acknowledges him, tightening his grip around Jinhwan’s shoulders.
“Sorry, didn’t know you guys were going to be here… Me and Jungkook were just stopping by to grab some things.”
“What? No, we weren’t--”
Donghyuk smacks a hand over his best friend’s mouth. “We’re going to study at the library. So, don’t mind us! Just grabbing my, uh-- Sweater! Just here to grab this and go study at the library.” He forcefully pushes Jungkook out of the dorm (an impressive feat considering the other has about 7 more centimeters of built height on him). “Well, bye!”
Jinhwan doesn’t even acknowledge him while Junhwe does that awkward sports nod as he slams the door shut.
Leaning against the surface, Donghyuk breaths in relief, “That could’ve been awkward.”
“Could’ve been? Dude, it was awkward.” The taller male claps a hand on his shoulder, hanging his head in mock shame before yelping when he stomps on his foot.
“I’m getting new friends.”
“Don’t you mean friend? I’m like your only friend. Jinwoo hyung’s only friends out of obligation.” He blocks himself from a punch to the rib.
-----
“So are you going to tell me why we had to run out of there like that? I mean, I get that it’s awkward since you slept with the guy--”
Donghyuk slaps a hand over Jungkook’s mouth, slipping away in disgust when the other licks his palm. He rubs furiously against his jeans, faces morphed in disgust before glaring at his self-satisfied best friend. “Will you please stop saying that? What if someone hears you?” He darts his head around to make sure no one is eavesdropping on them. “It’s awkward because I,” pausing, he looks around warily before leaning in close to whisper, “ slept with the guy . And we have history together.” He pulls away with a long sigh.
Jungkook stares at him for a long second before doubling over in laughter. “S-Seriously? You- You guys have class together!” He struggles to talk between his laughing.
Reaching over, Donghyuk pinches his side to stop his laughing, earning an indignant glare before he turns back to their textbook.
“Man, what are the odds that you drunkenly hook up with your crazy roommate’s boyfriend and he’s in your class?”
“Fate has a cruel sense of humor.” He comments stoically, not looking up from his notebook.
-----
thursday
“Please, please, please.” Jungkook extends the last syllable in a drawn out whine, “Taehyung invited me to this party his best friend’s boyfriend is having and I don’t want him to think I’m a loser with no friends if I show up alone.”
He pinches the bridge of his nose, sighing into the receiver of the phone, “No. I am not going to any more of your stupid parties just so you can impress some student aide in a class you’re probably failing.”
“But you’re my best friend.”
“Tough. Find a new best friend.”
“Donghyuk.” His name is turned into a desperate plea. “I won’t ask for anything ever again! I just need to show Taehyung that I’m fun. I’m cool. I’m turnt.”
“I believe the term now is lit.”
“Just a couple of hours and if it’s going well, you can leave since I won’t need my wingman.”
He can feel a migraine coming on, dropping his highlighter in the spine of his textbook as he leans back against the headboard of his bed. “One hour.”
“Two.”
“You’re not in a position to be bargaining.”
“Come on, two hours! Live a little.”
“Fine, two hours and I leave whether it’s going well or not.”
“Yes! Thank you!”
Donghyuk mentally adds number six on his list of regrets, “Becoming best friends with Jeon Jungkook.”
“Going to a party?”
He startles at the interrupting voice, looking up to see Jinhwan calmly perched on his bed with a thick textbook in his lap. It’s rare that his roommate initiates conversation so he stares for a long moment before snapping out of it. “Uh, yeah. Jungkook wants me to go out tomorrow.”
“Oh, have fun.”
“D-do you want to come?”
“No.” Why even ask? What did he expect at this point in their relationship? “Junhwe has a game tomorrow.”
“Oh.” He can practically hear the crickets. “Well, have fun.”
“You too.”
That was one of the most civil conversations he’s ever had with Jinhwan.
-----
He nods his head along to the music blaring through his headphones as he carries this week’s laundry through the halls. Donghyuk whistles quietly, nodding at his neighbors before rounding the corner. Raising an eyebrow at the pained look on Jaebum’s face, he yanks the headphones to ask what’s wrong when he hears it.
“You’re so immature! All you ever want to do is hang out with your little basketball players!”
“I don’t think you’re in a position to call anyone little.”
The two voices behind his dorm room are loud and he can see the rest of their hall peek out of curiosity. Donghyuk winces when he hears another yell and the sound of something (most likely, a lamp) breaking.
“You walk out that door and we are never getting back together!”
“Fine by me!”
The door slams open; Junhwe stomps out of the room, running a hand through his blonde hair in frustration as he brushes past him. Eyes wide, he peers through the open door to see Jinhwan fuming, glaring at the remnants of their desk lamp on the floor.
With an awkward shuffle, he slowly closes the door, “I’m just gonna… I’ll sleep over at Jungkook’s tonight.” He stands in the hallway, glancing at their neighbors before grabbing his laundry and heading up two floors to Jungkook’s dorm.
-----
friday
“This is stupid! I can’t hear anything!” He yells over the thumping rhythm of the speakers, glaring at his best friend.
Jungkook ignores him, handing him a standard red Solo cup with some sort of mixed concoction, “Come on! We’re here to have fun!”
Donghyuk doesn’t really hear him all that much but he assumes that’s what he said based on lip-reading. He does his best to follow his best friend through the crowd of college bodies as they make their way to the apartment’s kitchen.
“There’s Taehyung!”
Looking up, he sees a relatively tall male leaning against the counter with a beer in hand, discussing something with a shorter male; he’s smiling widely when he notices the two of them coming over.
“Kookie!” He pulls Jungkook into a hug and he can see his best friend turn red at the contact, “You came!”
“Uh, yeah.” He does that weird cough whenever he’s nervous or in an awkward situation, “This is Donghyuk, my, uh, best friend.”
Leaning over, he whispers mischievously, “Real smooth, Casanova.”
He snickers when Jungkook elbows him in the rib but casually shakes Taehyung’s hand.
“This is my best friend, Jiminnie!” The older male wraps his arms around the male from his earlier conversation. “This is his boyfriend’s party.”
“This is not my party!” A voice echoes from somewhere in the crowd but he can’t pinpoint where.
“Ignore him, he’s just tired from the game.” Jiminnie (?) smiles, eyes turned crescents, “I’m Jimin, Park Jimin.”
“Kim Donghyuk.” He grins at Jimin, shaking the offered hand. “Game?” He tilts his head slightly, watching his best friend sputter and trip over his words from the corner of his eye.
“The basketball game. Yoongi hyung is captain this year!”
“Which means parties at the captain’s house!” Taehyung whoops loudly, throwing his fists in the air.
“I did not agree to this!” A random figure pops up into the kitchen, black hair ruffled as he wraps his arms around Jimin from behind, pressing a kiss against his cheek. “Hey, baby.”
Jimin giggles, “Hi, hyung. This is Donghyuk and Jungkook.” He gestures to the two freshmen but the basketball team captain barely spares them a glance. “This is Yoongi hyung!”
Donghyuk smiles warmly, bowing slightly out of respect as the older student nods coolly.
“This isn’t my party. This is Taehyung’s party that he threw at my place because he’s a brat.”
Taehyung seems unfazed by the insult, too busy chugging down his beer, “Come on, Kookie, I want to introduce you to some other people.”
The freshman lets himself get dragged into the sea of bodies, shooting an inconspicuous thumbs up at him; he shakes his head fondly before glancing at the couple. They’re sweet and Jimin is obviously trying to contain his laughter as Yoongi grins widely, whispering in his ear.
Donghyuk feels like he’s intruding, stepping back as he looks around the rest of the apartment, swiftly avoiding drunk bodies. He moves to one of the long tables stacked against the living room wall, refilling his drink as he watches drunk and horny college students grind on each other.
-----
He’s got a nice buzz going on as he sways slightly to The Weeknd’s “Party Monster,” mouthing along to the lyrics. He shoots two thumbs up when he spots his best friend in the crowd, dancing with Taehyung; he reaches for another refill, the excitement bubbling under his skin as he chugs another cup of some mixed formula made up of Kool-Aid, vodka, tequila, and Sprite.
“Fancy meeting you here.”
Looking up, he’s greeted by a flurry of blonde hair and a wickedly charming grin; Donghyuk smiles awkwardly, “Hey.”
“Uh, sorry about last night. I heard you got kicked out of your room.” Junhwe nurses a Solo cup of his own, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.
“It’s fine.” Cue crickets even in this loud party. “I wasn’t kicked out. I, uh, just volunteered. He looked like he wanted to be alone so…”
The taller male nods, staring down into the plastic cup, seemingly intrigued by the beverage it holds.
More crickets.
“Well, I’m still sorry you had to see that. Or, at least, hear it.”
He tries to shrug it off, making an awkward movement with his shoulders, “It’s alright. I get it. Relationships are hard.” Donghyuk doesn’t admit that the only relationship he’s ever had was an imaginary one he fantasized about having with Gong Yoo ( “They broke up because he couldn’t deal with the age difference.” “Shut up, Jeon Jungkook.” ).
“But does it have to be this hard?”
His gaze softens as Junhwe toys with the rim of the plastic cup, “Sometimes but not always.” He gently pats the other’s shoulder, the two of them awkwardly tucked into a corner of the party. “But I’m sure you’ll work it all out.” His life has reached all new levels of weird; he’s consoling his drunken hook-up about his relationship problems. Yeah, this is weird.
Junhwe slumps against the wall, exhaling harshly as he glared at the rowdy crowd, “What if I don’t want it to work out? What if I don’t want to get back together?”
He looks around in panic; he’s terrible at comforting people. He tries to be nonchalant, “Well, then you don’t. No one’s going to make you.”
“Yeah, sure.” His tone is bitter and sarcastic but Donghyuk doesn’t push it. Junhwe looks at him with a curious look in his eye, “Wanna get out of here?”
He checks his phone; it has been two hours.
-----
saturday
- Drunkenly hooking up with a guy who’s dating his roommate who hates him again.
It’s a cruel sense of deja vu waking up naked in a familiar dorm with blonde hair beside him; it’s also cruel that he knew ( knows ) this is his roommate’s (ex) boyfriend and he still slept with him. He’s going to hell for this.
Donghyuk sits up with a soft groan, stretching his limbs as he feels a familiar soreness radiating at the base of his spine. He glances to the side at the bedside table, big red numbers jumping at him, telling him it’s 10:29am; he looks away from the alarm clock, eyes catching on the ripped foil of a condom wrapper and then the framed photo of a younger Junhwe hugging a younger Jinhwan. They’re smiling widely at the camera as they hold what looks like a basketball trophy in arm. They look happy.
Oh, yeah. That’s why he’s going to hell. He flops back on the mattress, regretting every decision that had left him here. Looking to his right, he sees Junhwe snuggled into the navy blue comforter, blonde hair sticking out in tufts.
God, what kind of person sleeps with their roommate’s (ex) boyfriend?
A terrible person.
Buzz! Buzz!
He startles, looking back at the nightstand to see Junhwe’s phone buzzing wildly; Donghyuk looks over to see him snuggle further into the sheets and pillows, ignoring the noise. Sitting back up, he chances a look at the phone, freezing when he sees Jinhwan’s name flash on the screen.
He needs to get out of here; he needs to get out of here and avoid this. Avoid this Drunken Mistake™ because he doesn’t want to give Jinhwan an actual, legitimate reason to hate him.
Like that first morning, he shuffles through piles of clothes, searching for that dumb white T-shirt Jungkook got him for his birthday last year and the cozy flannel shirt he insisted went with everything, all the while tugging on a pair of distressed skinny jeans..
He makes sure to grab his student ID this time.
-----
sunday
“You’re my best friend but I don’t need all the details of your love life. Tell that to Yugyeom.”
“Hey!”
Donghyuk shrugs, unapologetic, as he whips the can of heavy whipped cream on top of the hot chocolate. “Order for Joshua!” He flashes a smile at the customer, thanking him when the man drops some loose change into the tip jar.
“Where did you even run off to, anyway?”
He wipes the counter down, looking over at Jungkook and Yugyeom crowded around the register.
“I went home.” Both of his friends look unimpressed but he turns back to focus on cleaning the espresso machine. “Sort of.”
“Oh!” They wear twin shit-eating grins™, looking at him predatorily, “We know Jungkook went home with Taehyung so who did you go home with?”
“I have better things to do than gossip.”
“Come on, tell us! We’re your best friends!”
“Yeah, and I’m seriously beginning to reconsider that.”
“Donghyuk!” God, they even whine together.
“No! I’m not telling you guys!”
“Ahem.”
The three of them turn to see Junhwe, backpack hanging, as he coughs awkwardly.
“H-hey! What can I get you? Ignore these two.” He’s tempted to knock their heads together when Jungkook not-so-inconspicuously leans over to whisper, “That’s the crazy roommate’s boyfriend. The one he slept with.” into Yugyeom’s ear.
“Small americano.”
“One small americano, coming right up! That’ll be 3,850 won.” He rings up the register, already reaching for the small paper cup. He’s bouncing on his feet, trying to ignore the weird tension between them as he pretends that this just another customer, not his roommate’s (ex) boyfriend that he’s slept with, twice.
Their hands brush when he reaches over to hand him the change but he ignores the jolt that runs through his body.
He silently finishes the drink, subconsciously aware that Junhwe is watching him as he prepares his coffee. Watching as the last drop of black liquid spills into the cup, he grabs the lid, securely pressing it before wrapping the hot cup in a sleeve. Donghyuk awkwardly smiles as Junhwe coolly grabs the cup, nodding nonchalantly before he walks out of the tiny library cafe.
There’s a moment of silence before he remembers his friends loitering around the counter; he turns to tell them no, he won’t tell them who he went home with. But they wave him off.
“You don’t need to tell us. We already know.”
He’s going to get new friends this semester.
-----
Wiping down the counter, Donghyuk stares blankly as random students scurry in and out of the library; he likes working the cafe on Sundays. It’s usually quiet as most students sleep off their hangover from Friday and Saturday night partying. It’s never busy and he can work both the register and machine without worrying about bumping into a co-worker with scalding hot coffee (he’s been burned twice since he started working here).
But as the Sunday library buzz begins to die down, students trudging out into the January snow back to their dorms, he reflects back on the first two weeks of second semester coming to an end. He buries his head in his hands, pressing the heel of his palms against his eyes to try and ease the pressure.
He can’t believe he’s made the same mistake twice .
“Ahem.”
Donghyuk lazily lifts his head to see Junhwe standing at the counter. “O-oh, sorry. Didn’t see you there.”
“No worries.”
“What can I get for you?”
Junhwe’s cheeks turn pink as he stares down at the counter, “Uh, pumpkin spice latte.”
He raises an eyebrow, clearing his throat, “That’s a seasonal flavor. We only serve that during the fall. We have other flavors though. Like peppermint and gingerbread. Or our traditional flavors.”
“Well, what do you recommend?”
“Uh, I…” Donghyuk stares at Junhwe in surprise, “Well, if you want something like pumpkin spice, the gingerbread’s a good substitute. But personally, I like the peppermint mocha.”
The taller male nods, “I’ll get that. One medium peppermint mocha.”
“Alright, that’ll be 4,350 won.”
Junhwe hands over a crisp 5,000 won bill, dropping the change into the tip jar.
With an appreciative nod, Donghyuk sways behind the counter, pumping two shots of peppermint flavor into the paper cup as the coffee begins to drip in the espresso machine.
They’re the only two people in the small enclosure, standing quietly as the radio hums softly in the background.
“Did you finish the history essay?”
Glancing up, he sees Junhwe staring at him; he carefully pours the hot liquid into the cup, shaking his head softly, “Not yet. I still have to finish my conclusion.”
The basketball player nods, staring at the different cookies lined against the front counter.
Donghyuk hands over the paper cup, the awkwardness seeping into the silence. He mirrors the sports nod the other flashes him, watching as he turns to walk out the library’s double doors.
“See you tomorrow.”
He startles at the good-bye but waves, “Y-yeah. See you tomorrow.”
What the hell is his life?
-----
monday
This time he sits in the back corner of the lecture hall, careful to avoid any contact with blondes as he focuses on the lecture at hand. He jots furiously as the professor drones on about the rise of the Silla empire. However, in the corner of his eye, he can see blonde hair peeking in the opposite of the room.
“That is all for today.” Professor Son claps his hand free of chalk, facing the class once more, “Now, before you all run out of my class, I wanted to talk about the final mid-term presentations. Obviously, these presentations aren’t for another month and a half but it’s best you begin soon. These presentations represent 25% of your final grade so it’s not good to half-ass them. Furthermore, they are partner presentations.” The class groans in unison. “Yes, yes. I know we all hate group projects but it’s good practice for real life. Sometimes, you have to work with people you don’t like.”
A perky sorority girl in the front raises her hand, “Do we get to choose our own partners?” Her sorority sister looks just as hopeful as her.
“No. Partners will be assigned. The class list will be posted outside on the bulletin in the hall and online in the class forum.” Professor Son looks around the class, “Any more questions?” Beat of silence. “Well, then, if you have any more questions, feel free to stop by office hours or email me, otherwise, you are all dismissed.”
Donghyuk gathers his notebooks, stuffing them in his backpack before scurrying out of the classroom to the history department’s bulletin. Students are gathered around the cork board, chattering incessantly; he maneuvers through the crowd, scanning the single sheet of paper.
HISTORY 112 PRESENTATIONS:
Choi Youngjae - Yook Sungjae
Choi Hansol - Lee Chan
Choi Junhong - Seo Youngjoo
Jung Jinhyung - Kim Jisoo
Jeon Wonwoo - Kim Mingyu
Kim Donghyuk - Koo Junhwe
He doesn’t bother reading the rest of the list, turning around in a mix of shock, surprise, and maybe, frustration. He walks right into a firm chest, bouncing back on his heels before looking up to see blonde hair (he hates blonde hair now).
-----
“So, what’s wrong?”
Donghyuk bangs his head against the cafeteria table.
“He has to work with Junhwe.”
“Who’s Junhwe?”
“The roommate’s boyfriend that he’s slept with. Twice.”
“Oh, Hyukkie.”
He feels a warm hand run soothingly run through his hair. He looks up with a frown, “How? How could this happen to me?”
Jinwoo looks at him sympathetically while Jungkook reaches over to steal his pudding; he glares, throwing a grape at his best friend.
“It’s not that bad.” Yugyeom tries to reassure him, stealing the pudding back and handing it to him.
He nods in thanks, spooning out a heavy bite of chocolate pudding. “If this is God punishing me for letting Jungkook cheat off my third grade spelling test--”
“Oh, my god! Let that go!”
“Never!” He hisses at Jungkook before burying himself into Yugyeom’s bear hug.
“It’ll be fine, Dong. Just, maybe, don’t sleep with him a third time.”
He pulls away to shoot an unjustified glare at the smile tugging on Jinwoo’s lips. Donghyuk slumps to lament about his life again when he feels a pat on his shoulder; looking up, he turns around to see- speak of the devil- Junhwe standing sheepishly behind him.
“We need to talk about our project.”
He dumbly nods, waving bye to his worried friends as they exit the campus cafeteria.
-----
They find an isolated table in the back of the library, shoving their textbooks on top. They sit on opposite sides, marinating in the awkward silence.
“I think we should do the project on the Japanese Invasion--”
“What we did last week was wrong and--”
They both pause, staring at each other in confusion.
Junhwe breaks first, “What?”
He takes a deep breath, “I just… I feel like we need to address the elephant in the room. The elephant being the fact that we’ve,” he leans in to whisper, “slept together. Twice!”
The basketball player doesn’t look fazed, “So? It’s not like it meant anything.”
“Well, yeah. But you’re dating my roommate.”
“Not right now. We’re currently broken up. So it’s technically not cheating.”
Now he’s staring out of shock (and a little bit of disgust). “That’s it? Since it’s technically not cheating, you’re fine.”
Junhwe rolls his eyes, “Look, it’s great that you have some sort of moral compass, right now , but you weren’t exactly saying no on Friday.”
“I was drunk!”
“So was I but you don’t hear me bragging about it.” Junhwe pinches the bridge of his nose, “Listen, what we did wasn’t illegal and technically, it wasn’t wrong.”
“What about the first time?”
“What?”
“The first time we, you know.” He flails his hands in a failed attempt to sign some sort of gesture. “You guys were together, then, right?”
The other male seems to be thinking before he pauses with realization, “Oh, oh, that. No. We had broken up a week before that. We got back together the morning after. He texted me when you left my dorm asking to get back together.”
His gapes at how nonchalant Junhwe is about all of this. “That’s… That’s still not okay!”
“Why not? We didn’t commit a crime. Me and Jinhwan weren’t together so it’s all good so you’re off the hook. Don’t worry about it.”
“I think you should feel a little guilty about this. I’m your boyfriend’s roommate.”
“So? It’s whatever. Now, about this project--”
8. Sleeping with Koo Junhwe twice.