19 | minsung

15

once again, the morning sun extended its warm, gentle embrace to the slumbering figure, casting a soft, golden glow through the room's window. minho let out a low groan and stared at the ceiling for a few minutes, as if trying to kill time for no particular reason, before violently kicking his sheets off his body. it was clear that minho didn't wake up looking aesthetically pleasing.

he dragged his feet to the bathroom, still half-asleep, his favorite mint green towel hanging over his shoulder. as he washed his hair with his lavender-scented shampoo, his thoughts drifted to his roommate, han jisung.

he couldn't help but think about how long it had been since he'd seen jisung. their last encounter was when they went grocery shopping together. now, minho was anxious about stepping out of his room and not seeing jisung's figure standing by the kitchen counter, bathed in the early morning sun, absorbed in his book.

after emerging from the bathroom, minho glanced into the kitchen on his way back to his room. however, jisung was nowhere to be seen, so he clung to the hope that jisung might still be asleep.

minho dressed in casual clothes: black trousers that hugged his thighs, a pristine white shirt paired with a matching cardigan, and a silver necklace hanging around his neck. he checked himself in the mirror one last time before gathering his belongings for the day's classes and stepped out of his room once more, anticipating to see his roommate's charming presence.

however, a frown formed on minho's face as he was met with the same empty and cold dorm room. there was no "good morning," no aroma of freshly brewed coffee, no smile as radiant as the sun, and no han jisung.

at this point, the frown on minho's face contorted into a scowl. his forehead creased, his eyebrows furrowed, his teeth gritted, and his hand clenched into a fist. as if driven by an unknown force, minho marched to stand in front of his roommate's door and began knocking harshly.

"hey! are you going to keep avoiding me?!" he exclaimed with each pounding knock.

after a while, he decided to stop, waiting for some sort of response from the person on the other side, but regrettably, there was none.

minho's irritation grew as he contemplated his roommate's actions. he knew there must be a reason why jisung had suddenly started avoiding him, but how could he uncover the truth when he didn't even see his roommate anymore?

minho scoffed audibly before making his way into the kitchen. he opened the fridge with a tad bit of force, retrieved a chocolate milk, and shoved it into his bag, deciding to forgo breakfast as he had lost his appetite.

once everything was set, he shot one last glance at his roommate's door. he then opened their dorm room, ensuring to shut it forcefully behind him, just in case jisung was inside his room, ignoring him.

-----

in class, minho was completely distracted. he kept drifting into a daze, his thoughts consumed by various concerns – from what his new friends might be hiding from him to why jisung was avoiding him.

he was like a cloud absentmindedly floating in the sky, to the extent that his professors would scold him for not paying attention during lectures.

minho let out a sigh as he tried to prevent himself from falling into yet another daze. since he already knew the lecture his professor was delivering, he decided to redirect his focus to his notebook, letting his eyes roam over the rough texture of the paper as he contemplated what to draw.

suddenly, his hand started moving of its own accord, sketching lines and curves. he continued this activity throughout the class, mindlessly creating what was on his mind.

his eyes widened as he recognized the figure he was sketching: doe-like eyes that held a tender, innocent gaze, framed by soft, cherubic round cheeks and finely sculpted, plump lips, with soft curly locks that cascaded around his face like a halo.

minho abruptly dropped his pencil, warmth creeping up his cheeks. he couldn't believe that jisung had occupied his thoughts so intensely that he had unconsciously sketched him.

the sketch he had drawn was nearly complete, and the features were detailed enough to unmistakably resemble jisung. however, minho decided not to finish it. he hastily packed his belongings into his backpack, his heart racing, and his cheeks flushed with a rosy hue.

-----

minho found himself wandering through an empty hall, with no one around. unfortunately, he couldn't pass the time in their usual hangout spot due to the rain. instead, he decided to explore the building, checking out classrooms and such.

as he roamed the hall, he let his hand gently graze the lockers as he passed by. it was then that he heard the echo of a soft strumming of guitars, which immediately caught his attention.

his instinct led him to follow the sound. after a while of using his hearing to track the soft melody, he found himself in front of a classroom with its door slightly ajar.

he positioned himself near the door, taking extra care not to draw attention to himself as he peeked through the gap.

inside the room, he saw a young male softly strumming an ebony-colored guitar, the instrument releasing a melodious sound accompanied by the soft humming of lyrics.

suddenly, minho's eyes widened, and he instinctively covered his mouth, stepping back. but in his focus on the musician, he lost his balance and had to grab the door for support, accidentally swinging it open.

the person inside the room immediately stopped strumming when he noticed the additional presence. he looked at the door, seeing minho holding onto it for dear life, his mouth hanging open in realization that he had been caught.

the male stood up, gently placing the ebony guitar on top of an empty desk in the otherwise vacant classroom. he then slowly approached minho, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, and his eyes filled with curiosity and confusion.

"who are you, and what are you doing here?" the person asked, sizing minho up with a hint of suspicion in his eyes.

minho grinned sheepishly, struggling to steady himself on his feet, realizing that the person in front of him was taller.

"i was just passing by, and i heard you playing the guitar. i got curious, so here i am," he replied, attempting not to come across as suspicious.

"oh, well then, i hope you liked it," the other person said, offering minho a shy smile.

"i'm sorry for disturbing you, by the way," minho added, keeping his gaze fixed on the person in front of him, confirming his suspicions.

the reason minho had been caught, aside from his clumsiness, was due to his shock.

'i couldn't be wrong... it is him,' he thought.

with his statuesque stature, eyes that sparkled with a sly, fox-like cunning, and dimples that revealed themselves like hidden treasures, surfacing whenever he graced others with his broad, amiable smile, minho was convinced.

'he's the other person in the photograph from chan's wallet!' minho realized, smiling back at the person standing before him.

suddenly, an idea popped into minho's mind. he extended his hand towards the other male, wearing his warmest, friendliest smile.

"i'm lee minho. and you?" he began.

the other person accepted minho's hand, a bit perplexed but still returned his smile, revealing his charming dimples.

"yang jeongin," the young male replied.

-----
ji's notes!
so i have this series planned with the plot being multiverse and it's gonna be around 4 books. the start of it will be titled district 9 so lmk if you guys want to hear more about this. (i have so many pending stories to write 😭😭)