ꜱᴋɪɴꜱʜɪᴘ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪᴍ || ʜᴇᴇꜱᴜɴ 𝟏𝟖+||

Trice - Chapter 8

SUNOO'S POV

I woke up early, as always. The clock had barely touched 8:00 a.m. when I slid out of bed, already moving into my morning routine like it was muscle memory. After washing up, I reached for my white hoodie and slipped it on with ease, pairing it with black trousers.

The cool fabric felt comfortable against my skin. After applying just a bit of moisturizer, my fingers gently glided over my cheeks, then I added a subtle touch of lip gloss. I always preferred this light, natural look, nothing too heavy.

Breakfast was quiet. My dad had already left for work so it was just me and Mom sitting at the dining table. The clinking of dishes echoed softly in the background. Halfway through the meal, I casually mentioned that I would be late today.

"Mom, I'll be late tonight. I'm going to look for an apartment and I might grab dinner while I'm out."

She raised an eyebrow at me but smiled. "Oh, really? That's exciting! Make sure you eat something proper, okay? Don't just grab fast food."

I nodded and finished the rest of my breakfast quickly. After gathering my things, I said goodbye and headed out the door.

My bus ride to college was as mundane as ever, the gentle rocking of the vehicle barely distracting me from my thoughts. I couldn't help but think about how soon, hopefully, I'd have a place of my own.

As soon as I arrived on campus, I took out my phone and texted Jungwon-

"I'm already in college. Where are you?"

It didn't take long for him to respond.

"Still on my way, Sunoo. Wait a few minutes, I'll be there soon."

I smiled slightly at his message, texting him back quickly:

"No worries, I'll wait in the university garden."

The small field in campus had always been my go-to place whenever I had time to kill. It was a quiet spot, with benches scattered across a lush, well-maintained lawn. A few students were scattered around, some chatting in small groups while others buried themselves in books.

The sun was mild with a light breeze carrying the scent of freshly mowed grass. I found an empty bench near the center and took a seat glancing around absently as I waited.

The minutes ticked by slowly until my phone vibrated in my lap. A message from an unknown number popped up. I frowned, opening the text.

"Hi, Sunoo."

My eyes narrowed in confusion. Who was this? My fingers hovered over the keyboard for a second before I typed back:

"Who are you?"

Almost immediately, a reply came.

"Oh, it's me, Niki."

I blinked in surprise, a soft chuckle slipping from my lips. Of course. Niki. I hadn't even saved his number yet. Quickly, I texted back:

"Niki? Sorry, I didn't recognize you."

I changed the contact from 'Unknown' to 'Niki' and sent the message off.

Niki replied with a sheepish message.

"No, it's my fault. I didn't introduce myself."

"It's okay, but where are you?"

I typed back, leaning back on the bench stretching out my legs a bit as I waited for his response.

"That's what I was going to ask you. Jungwon said he might be late, so I thought I should look for you."