Ateez Roommates - Seongjoong

"Kim Hongjoong?"

Hongjoong waited anxiously in the coffee shop. He had finally reached out and they had set a time to meet, so he had gotten there half an hour early, as one does when they're incredibly nervous.

He hadn't even ordered any coffee yet since he was already far too jittery without caffeine.

Every time the bell jingled over the door his eyes flew towards the sound. He really needed to take a breath.

Finally when the bell jingled, he remained calm and stared at his hands.

"Kim Hongjoong?"

He looked up immediately and saw her.

As many times as he'd seen her photo, he still couldn't believe she looked so much like Seonghwa. From her slight hooked nose to her soft, angelic eyes.

He stood up and bowed immediately, and even moved to pull her chair out. She laughed and waved him away, taking her seat.

"Hi—um—wow this is—so different meeting you in-person," he laughed and she laughed too.

"Yes, it sure is," she said with a soft smile and they were quiet for a moment.

"Well—can I buy you something to drink?" she asked and Hongjoong quickly shook his head.

"No, no! I should be the one buying something for you! What do you want? I'll go get it!"

"Oh you don't have to—"

"No really, it's on me!"

She smiled and gave in, so he went and grabbed their drinks. He decided that having something to do with his hands would help ease the awkwardness at the table, so he got a black coffee.

He brought back the drinks and sat down, taking a long sip.

"So—I wanted to talk to you first. Before—before you talk to Seonghwa."

"Of course. I understand. I'm still not sure that I should talk to him either."

"Yeah. I'm not sure I should even be talking to you," Hongjoong laughed awkwardly.

"That's one thing I wanted to ask, why did you reach out to me?"

Hongjoong bit his lip, unsure how much he was allowed to reveal. If he said too much before deciding if she was trustworthy, he would cause Seonghwa more harm. He decided he'd follow his script.

"When I said Seonghwa was a friend of mine—I might not have been telling the entire truth."

"You mean—you're not friends?"

"No—I mean—we're more than friends. Seonghwa is my boyfriend."

He waited in anticipation. His biggest concern was whether or not she would be accepting of his sexuality. Something his parents never did for him. If she wasn't, he would never bring her into his life. He knew how much that hurt.

"Oh my God you mean—my baby—he's in a relationship? Is it—if you don't mind me asking—is it serious? Oh my God I'm sorry—he never seemed interested in girls so I always had a theory but it's so exciting to see that he's accepted himself!"