Roommates | Jeon Wonwoo

8. Sleep

When you woke up again, it was far into the morning. You roll over and see Wonwoo still sound asleep next to you so you just watch him for a little while before moving some stray hairs out of his face. In case you wake him, you decide it'd be best to get up and return to your own bed. Once you were sure he was still asleep, you quietly roll back over and start to get up, but you're stopped by an arm snaking around your waist. "Wonwoo?" you whisper, "Are you awake?"

There was no response but you'd feel bad if you woke him up by moving his arm so you decided to admit defeat and lie back down. This time, you ended up a little closer to him than you were before. You could feel the heat of his body against your back and it was so wonderfully cosy that you couldn't help but smile and fall back asleep in his bed - for the third time.

Not too long after, Wonwoo finally woke up. Without even having opened his eyes yet, he figured out what he'd done while he was sleeping and let out a soft chuckle, careful not to be too loud and wake you. He decided the best thing he could do was just enjoy the moment a little longer so he shuffled closer and rested his chin on top of your head. He felt very calm with you in his arms. Normally, he's quite a big overthinker and has quite high anxiety but around you that all seemed to melt away. He didn't realise how long he'd been stuck in thought until you moved a little, hinting that you'd wake up soon. Instead of removing himself when this happened, he held you a little tighter - in that moment, he made the decision that he wanted to pursue you.

When you eventually woke up again, you felt Wonwoo wrapped around you tighter than before but managed to turn around so you could look at him. When you made eye contact, both of you blushed a little and he whispered, "Good morning, sleep well?"

"Of course I did - very cosy" you replied.

He smiled widely at you and you had the sudden urge to poke one of his teeth so you did just that. "Your teeth are so spiky jeez.."

He responded by biting your finger lightly and laughing at you. "What made you do that, you weirdo?"

"I didn't notice they were like that until now, I guess our faces have never been so close before.." you trailed off when you realised you'd actually said that with him holding you so tightly.

"And how do you feel about the fact that they are?" he said slyly.

You find yourself not being able to look him in the eye so you look around a bit while giving your answer: "I don't mind it,, I haven't slept that well in ages." you mumbled, your face getting more pink by the second.

"That's good to hear." he spoke calmly, "What are your plans for today?"

"Mmmm It's Friday, right?" you question, and he nods. "Okay, so I have one afternoon lecture and as for work- Oh my god." Wonwoo looks at you with concern as you cover your mouth with your hand. "I had a shift last night and I completely forgot. Shit."

You rummage around in the bed to find your phone and Wonwoo helps, eventually finding it hidden under his pillow. You scroll through various useless notifications until you find what you're looking for: four unread messages and one missed call.

MANAGER!!: Remember you have a shift starting at 7, see you then!

MANAGER!!: Your shift starts in 5 minutes. Are you almost here?

MANAGER!!: I'll be covering your shift as it's too late to find any other replacement.

MANAGER!!: Come to the bar at 12pm tomorrow so we can talk about this, thank you.

You show the texts to Wonwoo and put your face in your hands. "I'm probably fired, aren't I? How am I meant to pay for rent now?" you feel yourself tearing up as he pulls you into a hug.

It'll be okay, he hasn't said he's firing you so the best thing to do is go there and see what he says. I can walk there with you if that'd make you feel less on edge? Either way, let's both get ready now. What time is it?"

You sniffle and pick up your phone again. "It's 11:05, it takes like 20 minutes to walk there from here."

"Okay, plenty of time then." he gets up and walks around to your side of the bed, holding his hands out to help you up. "C'mon then!"

The two of you take turns getting changed in the bathroom and you pack your bag so you can go straight to your lecture after talking to your boss. Soon enough, it was time to go. Wonwoo could definitely tell you were anxious - he put his hand on your lower back as you left your room and kept it there for a bit to reassure you. He'd been so considerate this morning and you were so thankful he was there, otherwise you might've fully freaked out.

When you reached the bar, Wonwoo pulled you into another hug and told you he'd be waiting outside when you finished before sending you inside. Your anxiety was through the roof - you felt really guilty above all, though. As you walked through the door, you saw your manager behind the bar and approached him slowly.

"Would you be so kind as to explain what the hell happened yesterday? You've never bailed like that." he questioned.

You looked down at the floor as you carefully chose your words to explain, "I'm so, so sorry. I fell asleep without meaning to and didn't wake up until this morning. I know it's not an excuse and I promise you it won't happen ever again, sir."

He sighs before continuing, "You're right, that isn't an excuse - but you're a good worker so I'll give you a chance to prove yourself. For the next week, you'll work every evening from 6pm until close. If you're late or miss any of those shifts, you're fired. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand."

"Okay then, that's all - see you tonight."

You trudge back outside to see Wonwoo eagerly awaiting you. "How did it go? You're not fired, right?"

You smiled a little over how worried he was. "No, not fired! He will be working me to the bone though so,, not super fun." you explain. "He's making me work 6 til close every day for the next week so I probably won't be getting back to dorms until 3am every night."

Wonwoo frowns and ruffles your hair. "It'll be hard but you can definitely get through it. Of course, if there's anything I can help with, let me know."

"I guess things are back to not going smoothly for me."

"Don't say that! It's only one week, I can even visit you when you're on shift if you'd like and bring you snacks! It'll be okay, Sora."

"Yeah okay, I'll be fine." you say with a faint smile. "I need to go to my lecture now, are you going back to the dorms?"

"My lecture isn't for a little bit so yeah, hope yours goes okay! See you later." he waves you off and you go on your way.

As soon as you leave, Wonwoo turns straight back around and goes into the bar. He approaches your manager and asks, "Are you hiring? I have my CV on my phone if you'd like to read it."

The manager looks him up and down before replying - "Do you have bar experience?"

"Yes sir, 4 months of working at a bar in Hongdae."

"Feel like showing me your skills, kid?"

"Sure, what should I make for you?"

"Hmm.. make it a wet martini."

"Coming right up." He swiftly moves behind the bar and gets to work, adding all of the ingredients to a shaker and presenting the cocktail nicely in a chilled glass. "So when's my first shift?"

The man laughs and sips the drink before replying, "I like your confidence, and you don't seem to need any training... If you send me a copy of your CV now for admin purposes, you can start tonight at 7.

"Perfect, see you then." Wonwoo walks out with a grin on his face and rushes back to dorms to grab his stuff before his lecture.

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I found it really hard to write this chapter at first :') maybe bc I took a break from thinking abt this book but now idrk how to progress? Idk LOL I'll probably figure it out but if there's anything you'd like to see in this book I'd love to hear your ideas! <3