𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙢𝙮 𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘯

[❁] fourty-seven

Squeaky noises rose with every step San took on the damp floor. The company bathroom was recently cleaned, the "Caution! Wet floor!" sign functioning as a door stopper. Who had thought it was a good idea to leave the door to the men's bathroom wide open, San had no idea. At least the urinals were out of sight, albeit not out of the hallway's earshot.

San had his black gym bag flung over his shoulder as he steeled himself to move out of the bathroom. Excitement tingled under his skin. Maybe a small voice warned him about his insecurities. Maybe there was a part of him that cursed himself for wanting to make a grand entrance, to make things unnecessarily special and therefore harder for him, when he could have taken an easier route. But he knew, that was just his irrational nervousness. His anticipation easily pushed those negative feelings into the background. Besides, every big step in life came with a little bit of anxiety. So San welcomed the feeling, a smile creeping to his face, as he imagined for the dozenth time what the next few hours would bring.

Determined, he stepped into the hallway only to double back when he almost crashed into another person. Before he even caught a glimpse of the other person, his head already lowered as he hurriedly bowed multiple times in apology.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." His run-in was a boy, who had talked so fast, the words blurred together. He seemed to have realized it himself, and a melodic giggle rang through the hallway. "Sorry about that. Are you good?"

San straightened his back and nodded with a reassuring smile before he mustered the person opposite of him. The boy was only a few inches shorter than him, with sandy brown hair and a mullet. His features gave him a soft look and, San noticed, Kim Hongjoong looked quite pretty in real life.

"You look familiar." Hongjoong's curious eyes took him in. His eyebrows jumped and realization lightened his face. "Wait, you're Choi San, aren't you?"

San wasn't sure why he was surprised, he knew Hongjoong followed him on Instagram – vice versa. Maybe he just hadn't expected him to actually remember him. A pleasant, even shortly dimpled, smile appeared on his face as he nodded in affirmation.

Hongjoong mirrored his smile as he bowed his head in a greeting. "I'm Kim Hongjoong, Wooyoung's friend. I believe we texted once."

Oh yes, San remembered. He remembered his sweaty hands as he had tried to come up with a way to convince him that he was indeed not a serial killer. Without being able to hold it back, San's grin spread.

"What?" Hongjoong chuckled.

With a wide grin, he reached for his phone. For a split second, his hand stilled. San didn't know why he hesitated, probably because the moment before he retrieved his phone from his pocket to reveal his unusual way of communication was always filled with the nerve-wrecking tension of him not knowing how the other person will react. But he ignored the too familiar tightness in his chest, kept smiling brightly, and fished his phone from his jeans. In a matter of seconds he had opened his notes app. Hongjoong waited patiently while San typed.

I'm just wondering whether you want to search my gym bag to check that I am not a serial killer.

Hongjoong stilled as he read the message. Then his eyes turned into crescents and a giggle escaped his mouth. "I thought it was an axe murderer? Either way, I guess I'm just going to take my chances today."

San couldn't help himself and he broke into silent chuckles, his dimples disappearing behind his right hand. They stood in each other's company until the laughter in their eyes faded into friendly amusement. As their shared smiles slowly calmed, a slightly awkward silence filled the hallway.

Hongjoong sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "You don't happen to be the new addition to our background dance team? Wooyoung said you dance..."