u + me |Meanie|

Chapter 9 : Side By Side

It's day 9 of orientation . Wonwoo managed to survive there for a long time , which he is also surprised by how long he survived without crying on phone with his brother . Yes , he has a brother . Precisely , he is the fifth out of seven brothers . For some reason , he doesn't have a sister . And yet , his small intimate moment with Mingyu , which happened three days ago still lives rent free in his head . The small kiss Mingyu gave him felt so heavenly , almost like it just happened yesterday . Yes , on the sixth day of orientation , his own roommate kissed him . Anyways , enough mumbling about nonsense and back to the main point .

"Alright freshmen , how do you feel after being in this university for plus minus a week ?" One of the senior asked through the microphone , can be heard clearly . It echoes throughout the whole auditorium , sort of hurting Wonwoo's ears . Mingyu notices and covers Wonwoo's ears , while Wonwoo keeps on listening without hurting his ears .



Most answered "Good" , some answered "Terrible" and some even answered "Wonderful" . But for Wonwoo , all he can think of is , his answer is always "Happy" . Thanks to the presence of his friends , he doesn't feel lonely anymore .

"So after this small speech from the Decan , we'll head straight to the activities we've planned today for you guys . Welcome on stage , Decan Adams ." Said one of the seniors , welcoming the decan of the university on stage .

"Hello freshmen , I'm your decan , Adams Will . I can be called various names in this university , right seniors ?"

"True" said 3 seniors at the same time . The principle giggles a little bit , followed by the seniors .

"Okay let's cut to the chase . First of all , I want to give a very warm welcome to everyone who is new here and I want to say congratulations for making it into this university . Secondly , I hope you guys enjoy it being here . I mean why wouldn't you ? Your orientation events are extremely fun . I remember last year's , which is very fun and very entertaining . Besides , we have 5 different convenience stores , each containing what others don't . About the rules here , we'll give out the rule books on your way out . And I guess that's all from me ? Any of you want to add anything ?" The dekan asks the seniors .

"Yes we do want to say something . In this university , and we're not saying this is not true , dating is allowed in this university . The reason we mentioned this is because we always see boys and girls mix in with each other so e thought we'd give a reminder . Dating is only allowed after class and prep . That's all thank you " Said the senior from earlier .

"Ah yes true thank you Alice about that . This university isn't like any other , where we restrict everything . Of course we have restrictions but it's only on things that are dangerous to health . But other than that , there's only a few simple rules that you need to follow . That's all from me and seniors , and once again I hope you guys will enjoy it today . Thank you " The decan ends his speech , followed by a loud round of applause from the crowd . Once again , Mingyu preemptively covered Wonwoo's ears , one second before Decan Adams ends his speech knowing this would happen . Wonwoo who's clueless about the other students will start to clap , confused about why did Mingyu covered his ears . A second later , he realizes why did Mingyu make such a move . He's happy that Mingyu is taking care of him , since he himself can't even take care of himself without hurting himself , one way or another .

"Okay okay calm down . Starting from the first three row from the back , the first row take the left exit , the second take the middle and and the third take the right exit . Other rows please follow the rows in the same order as instructed . Thank you and please get moving , we don't want to push our schedules"

Everyone starting from the first row starts to walk towards the exits . Wonwoo and Mingyu gets up , walking with their row towards the exit , but Wonwoo tripped because of the people that was pushing him . Mingyu notices it and catches him in time , barely missing Wonwoo . He pulls Wonwoo's hand and puts it on his shoulder , holding Wonwoo's back with his other hand , trying to stabilize Wonwoo . Wonwoo tried to stabilize himself , with the help of Mingyu of course . He managed to get up , but he's extremely embarrassed . Due to his social anxiety , he always forces himself to be perfect around people and generally in public , so mistakes like this always makes him want to cry . Wonwoo pulls Mingyu closer and whispered "thank you" as a sign of gratitude . Mingyu looks at Wonwoo's face and notices his expressions are getting more , miserable . He pulls Wonwoo towards the toilet . All of a sudden , he hugs Wonwoo , as if he knows something is wrong . Wonwoo is a little bit overwhelmed by the sudden hug , but he hugs back and started to cry because he can't hold back his emotions . Then Hyunjin , Lucas and Seungmin came to the toilet and saw them both .

"Wonwoo ?" Hyunjin asked . Mingyu turns back , surprised to see Wonwoo's friends standing at the doorway .

"One sec . He's having a breakdown ." Mingyu said to them .

"Why ? Because he fell earlier ? Why would he cry over a measly thing ?"

"You don't get it , do you ?" Seungmin whispered into Hyunjin's ear , reminding him about Wonwoo's social anxiety . Hyunjin then realized about it .

"Oh , I'm sorry I forgot to consider one thing ."

"Now shut up ."

"Gyu-ah , you can let go now" said Wonwoo after crying for a bit .

"Sure . Are you okay ?"

"I'm fine , don't worry ."

"Okay then , let's get moving . We don't want to be late"

"Sure. Let's go ~" Mingyu smiles while hugging Wonwoo's shoulder , leading him towards the place they're supposed to go since Wonwoo's eyes is blurry after he cries .



The seniors arranged them to work in pairs for every event , and Mingyu is picked to be Wonwoo's partner for the day . They did scavenger hunt , took part in the sport events such as football and archery . They also joined the singing contest the seniors made and won first place . It's almost like they were on a date , enjoying every moment with each other . Wonwoo never left Mingyu's side , afraid he can't find Mingyu again since he has bad coordination about his own self let alone other people . All he know is that he never wants to leave Mingyu's side . Mingyu on the other hand also thinks the same , he never wants to leave Wonwoo's side . He knows Wonwoo's problems . Wonwoo always share his problems with Mingyu , The only one he'd share his problems with . Wonwoo always describes his problems as a world he lives in , a distant dystopia . He's always been dreaming to live in a perfect world , a perfect condition , not in this weak body . But on Mingyu's perspective , Wonwoo is his utopia . He always want to stay side by side with Wonwoo , no matter what it takes .