crybaby || noren.

𝐭𝐰𝐨.

After Jeno showed Renjun their shared room, he noticed tears welling up in his roommate's eyes. Renjun was trying his best not to cry, afraid his new roommate might be annoyed with him.

"You know, you can cry if you want to. It must be humiliating for you after what happened earlier. I'll pretend nothing happened." Jeno said, beginning to walk to his own room.

Renjun bit his lip and locked his door before the tears could stream down. It was true, the earlier scene had been humiliating for him. Why am I so sensitive about it?

On the other side, Jeno closed his door, sighed, and jumped onto his bed, covering his eyes with his arm. "What a bother," he mumbled. Maybe his first impression of Renjun was bad, but Jeno wasn't a cruel person. He couldn't stand seeing someone get sensitive so easily.

In the evening, the orientation for freshmen started, and Renjun and Haechan were almost late. Haechan had nearly forgotten to set an alarm, but luckily Renjun woke him up in time. Once they entered the hall, they were relieved to find it hadn't started yet.

"It's your fault, Haechan," Renjun mumbled angrily before sitting at the back. Haechan heard him but chose to ignore it, knowing it was indeed his fault.

What if they had actually been late? He didn't want to see his cousin cry over something like this. Renjun was sensitive, especially about timing and being scolded by seniors. That would be the end of Haechan's peace.

After a tiring day, Renjun finally got to rest on his bed, feeling happy that the orientation had gone well. He had talked with a few students and felt good about making some connections. Maybe not friends yet, but at least he had spoken to them.

A moment later, there was a knock on the door. Renjun got up from his bed, reached the door, and was surprised to see Jeno standing there. "Yes?" he asked.

"I bought some noodles for you. They're on the table. Feel free to eat them or throw them away." Jeno said, then left, leaving Renjun clueless. What was that about? A sudden thought crossed his mind. He wondered if Jeno had been at the orientation today. From what he remembered, he never got to ask if Jeno was older than him or the same age.

❀

First class started, and Renjun felt a little nervous about how it would go. He really wanted to do well and secure a scholarship for his degree. Pursuing his degree overseas seemed like an impossible dream, but was it really?

"Good morning, class. I'm Sir Doyoung, and I will be your lecturer for history. Before we start our lesson, I will be calling out your names for attendance," said the history lecturer.

Renjun took out his notebook and pencil case before his name was called. "Huang Renjun?"

"Yes, sir!" he answered.

After an hour of class, Renjun bowed to his lecturer before walking out of the room. His eyes widened when he saw someone he knew walking with two friends. Renjun paused and smiled when their eyes met.

"Oh, Renjun... Hi!" It was Jeno.

"Who's this, Jeno?" one of his friends asked.

"My roommate."

"Your roommate? I thought you would be living alone," the other friend said, looking at Renjun, who stood there uncertainly. He chuckled before introducing himself. "Hi, I'm Minhyung, and this is Jaemin," he grinned.

"Do you have class after this, Renjun?" Jaemin asked, stepping closer.

"N-no..."

"Great! Do you want to join us for breakfast?" Renjun didn't know what to say. He didn't know whether to accept or decline the offer.

"Don't bother, Jaem. I'm sure he has something else to do," Jeno muttered. It wasn't that he disliked the idea of Renjun joining them, but Renjun looked so clueless.

"J-Jeno is right! I need to go see my friend... probably his class has just finished now."

"Ah, really? Okay, nice to meet you, Renjun! It's rare to see Jeno have a roommate. He always declines whenever someone wants to be his roo—ouch!" Jeno quickly pinched Jaemin's arm to make him shut up.

"Just ignore him, Renjun... you don't want to make your friend wait, do you?" Minhyung asked, smiling softly at Renjun before glaring at his two best friends.

Renjun nodded, feeling a mix of relief and curiosity. As he walked away, he couldn't help but wonder about his new roommate and the friends. Maybe, just maybe, this would be the start of something new and exciting.