before we begin: - this story does not include korean honorifics - heeseung has black hair and jake has blonde! - cursing is involved!!
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͙⁺˚*･༓☾
lee heeseung was tired and hungry.
everyday felt the same. wake up early, get ready, head to classes, go to work, come home, pass out. who knew being a sophomore in college could be so exhausting?
heeseung's older cousin, kim namjoon, made it all look so easy. the two practically grew up like brothers and heeseung looked up to the older so much. the way he handled things with such ease and confidence made him flawless in the younger's eyes.
now, heeseung realizes how blinded he was because having to go to classes five days a week and then to a five hour shift at the shoe store near campus was anything but a walk in the park. was having one day of relaxation too much to ask? gosh, he missed living on campus dorms and not having to worry about paying rent.
lazily, heeseung fumbled with the keys that unlocked his apartment door. it clicked open with reluctance, heeseung having to shove it with all his body weight. he closed the door with a kick, using the bottom of his foot as he tossed the keys onto the kitchen counter. he threw his bag to the floor, flicking his shoes off as he did so. finally, he trudged over to the couch and plopped onto it with an oomph.
his roommate and best friend, jay park, wouldn't be home for a couple more hours. at last, heeseung had some quiet down time.
wait.
why is it quiet?
there's no way. heeseung thought it too good to be true...
...and he was right.
almost moments later, obnoxious justin bieber music started blasting through the walls. the black-haired boy groaned in irritation, squishing one of his couch pillows over his head to muffle the sound.
he knew where it was coming from: his next door neighbor, jake sim.
jake sim is a year younger then him, and his actions sure account to that fact; what 19 year old guy recklessly plays music in an apartment building with notoriously thin walls? actually, lots probably do. heeseung just wished it wasn't him who had to suffer through it. shouldn't the kid be living on campus, anyways?
it was practically routine by now for heeseung to stomp out of his complex and bang on the door across from him. it had been since the beginning of the school terms when the two became neighbors. it was now january, winter term having just began, and nothing had seemed to change. almost instantly, a shorter blonde-haired boy opened the door, wearing a smirk. "lee heeseung! to what do i owe the pleasure?" he teased knowingly. justin bieber's singing echoed through his bluetooth speaker in the background.
heeseung pressed his lips together in annoyance, his lanky, taller stature slouching slightly from the physical exhaustion that washed over him. "don't play dumb with me, sim. turn the music down."
jake crossed his arms in amusement, snickering at the taller male. "don't you get tired of having to ask me the same question every day, heeseungie?" he asked, adding in a nickname he had given the boy, knowing it would irk him.
heeseung balled his hands into fists. with gritted teeth, he responded, "i wouldn't have to if you could just listen and turn the damn music off."
dramatically, jake threw his head back with a sigh. "you're no fun, heeseungie! hey, i take song requests, you know," he then exclaimed, wiggling his eyebrows.
heeseung wasn't phased. "some of us come home exhausted and starving after a long day and the last thing we want to hear is ear-piercing white boy music blasting through the walls."
"really?" jake asked, peering out the door and looking both ways. he tucked his head back in and shrugged, "'cause you're the only one who seems to ever have a problem."
is this guy for real right now? "oh my god, just stick in some earbuds or something, you prick! it's not that hard," heeseung exasperated, throwing his arms up for effect.
jake pouted. "that's not a very nice way to talk to your friend and neighbor, heeseungie."
the older scowled, tilting his head slightly downward to meet the younger's eye level. "just because we've been neighbors for four months now does not mean we're close enough for me to refer to you as my friend. nice try."
and with that, heeseung stormed back off into his apartment. jake simply shook his head with a fond smile. "awe, he's been keeping count of how long we've been neighbors," he cooed to himself before closing his door.
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"yoooooo!!! hee, you here?"
the ringing of jay park's voice sounded through heeseung's slightly cracked-open bedroom door. "i'm here," he deadpanned.
jay entered his best friends room, leaning up against the wall with crossed arms. "someone sounds like they've had an amazing day," he snorted sarcastically.
rolling his eyes, heeseung groaned as he flipped onto his bed. "tell me about it. the fuckin' neighbor was at it with that 'i gOt mY pEaChEs oUt iN gEoRgiA' bullshit again," he explained, mockingly singing the song.
jay belly-laughed at his roommates impression before speaking again. "i'm gonna make dinner. oh, by the way, i'll be back pretty late tomorrow. i got a date after work," he stated proudly.
"really?" heeseung perked up, raising his eyebrows. "did you finally get that waitress to give you her number?"
jay shook his head. "nope, better. i got the waiter to give me his!"
truly, heeseung doesn't know how jay does it. he carries himself with such confidence and swagger that attracts many people, as far as heeseung has witnessed. sometimes, it reminded him of the way his older cousin is; heeseung supposed he just had a knack for finding those types of people.
the one time jay actually tried to chase a girl, it was that waitress next door to the gym jay works at, but she clearly hasn't bat an eye at him. heeseung wasn't too surprised to hear that jay had moved on pretty quickly. he isn't a player, but he definitely isn't known for having long-lasting relationships. plus, jay isn't the type of guy to wait around for things to happen and he isn't into wasting his time. for his friends sake, heeseung hoped this date could lead somewhere more serious. it's what someone as great a person as jay deserves. "well, congrats, man. treat him well."
a grin spread from ear-to-ear on the latter's face. "i will. he's so fine. his name's park sunghoon. park! we already have the same surnames, it's practically meant to be."
both boys laughed and chatted some more, migrating over to the kitchen so jay could cook them an easy meal. even after a hard day, it was the moments like this that reminded heeseung it was all worth it.
plus, he always found himself in a brighter mood when he didn't hear any stupid loud music from next door.
