third-year irregular student, lee minho, moves to a university in seoul because of his parents' work. now, he resides in a dorm with a calm and mysterious boy named han jisung as his roommate, who seems to be hiding a deep dark secret.
"yang jeongin," the male named jeongin introduced himself with a warm smile, his eyes squinting and his dimples showing as he did so.
minho allowed his eyes to study jeongin more closely. the boy had soft-looking black hair, the same color as his guitar. he also wore fashionable clothes, striking the perfect balance between elegant and formal attire.
at first, minho had found him intimidating, but the more he looked at him, the more jeongin seemed like he wouldn't even hurt a fly.
"so, jeongin, what was that song you were playing?" minho asked, leaning slightly to peer from behind jeongin to get a closer look at the ebony-colored guitar in the classroom.
jeongin followed minho's gaze, then stepped back into the classroom and gestured for minho to join him.
minho followed the young male, taking a seat on one of the many chairs and positioning it to face jeongin.
jeongin picked up the guitar once again, giving it a few strums before answering minho's question, "just a song i made up. it doesn't really have a title or anything," he said.
minho nodded slowly, his lips pursed as he continued to glance around the classroom. he sensed the awkwardness in the air and wasn't sure how to dispel it.
he let out soft hums while jeongin continued to absentmindedly strum the guitar, waiting for minho to speak again.
finally, minho found his voice. "so, jeongin, what year are you in?" he asked, directing his gaze back to the fox-like boy.
"i'm a freshman, i'm 19. how about you? i believe you're older than me, hyung," jeongin replied, pausing his strumming to look at minho.
"yup, i'm supposed to be in my third year, but now i'm an irregular, so... oh, and i'm 21, turning 22 in a couple of months," minho replied with a chuckle, and jeongin joined in with a laugh.
"what are you doing here, though? no class?" minho continued to ask.
jeongin nodded and said, "it's my free period, i suppose that's the same for you? unless you're cutting classes, which i don't condone, by the way," he playfully raised his eyebrows at minho.
minho raised his hands in protest, "i don't do such a thing, sir!" he defended.
the two continued to chat, with minho finding the boy extremely endearing; he was like everyone's favorite younger brother. jeongin also often responded with a laugh that revealed his charming dimples.
minho even went a step further and offered jeongin the chocolate milk he had in his bag after the younger mentioned he was feeling a bit hungry. for some reason, he felt a strong urge to treat the boy like a little brother of his own.
-----
minho glanced at his phone, noticing the time, and abruptly rose from his seat, declaring, "i have to go now, jeongin. i've got a class coming up. catch you later!" he swiftly made his way toward the door.
jeongin waved goodbye, "see you!" he called out, a soft smile adorning his lips. as soon as minho had departed, jeongin's smile vanished.
his eyes fell on the now empty chocolate milk in his hand, clenching it firmly. he bowed his head slightly, painful memories flooding back. suddenly, tears trickled down his cheeks and onto his lap. instinctively, jeongin raised his hand to his eyes, brushing the tears away. he saw damp streaks on his fingers, continuing to wipe the unconscious tears from his eyes, not even aware he was already crying.
"it's just been so long," he murmured, new tears welling in his eyes and streaming down his cheeks.
-----
it was already minho's lunchtime when he heard a soft 'ding' from his phone. he unlocked it and noticed messages in the group chat that felix had added him to after their hangout.
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minho quickened his pace, eager to reach the cafeteria as soon as possible to secure a pudding.
after a short sprint to the cafeteria, a relieved smile graced his lips as he spotted familiar faces at one of the tables. he made his way to the group, his bag lazily slung over his shoulder.
the group had opted for lunch in the cafeteria due to the heavy downpour outside.
minho took a seat next to chan and asked, "are there any puddings left?" his breathing was slightly ragged from the run.
"nope, but you're lucky we saved one for you," hyunjin replied, tossing a cup of pudding in minho's direction.
minho caught it and eagerly peeled the lid off the cup, a wide grin revealing his bunny teeth. he had really been looking forward to that pudding.
as minho savored his pudding, with his spoon still in his mouth, something in his peripheral vision caught his attention. he turned his head and spotted the familiar head of curly hair.
minho spotted jisung amidst the crowd inside the bustling cafeteria. a wide smile instantly spread across his face, prompting him to rise from his seat and navigate through the sea of people toward his friend.
this sudden action from minho caught the group's attention. they watched as he dashed in a direction, a miniature spoon still clutched between his teeth.
removing the plastic spoon from his mouth, minho called out, "jisung!!!" he struggled to catch up to the figure making his way toward the cafeteria exit.
he observed jisung ascending the stairs, so minho followed suit, attempting to close the gap with his roommate, who appeared oblivious to his calls.
minho continued to trail jisung up the stairs, but eventually lost sight of him. exasperated, he glanced around his current location before calling out, "jisung, where the heck are you?!"
bent over at his knees, seemingly out of breath from the strenuous climb, minho took a moment to recover. he then noticed another set of stairs nearby.
minho slowly proceeded toward the final flight of stairs, quickly realizing that they led to the rooftop. upon reaching the last step, he cautiously pushed open the door, hoping to find his roommate there.
as he pushed the door open, a rush of strong breeze greeted minho on the rooftop, prompting him to squint as he stepped into the open area.
glancing around, he noticed that the heavy downpour had subsided, leaving behind a gentle drizzle. however, the sky retained its dark hue, hinting at another impending wave of rain.
strolling around the rooftop, minho realized jisung wasn't there. he sighed and made his way to the railings, peering down at the view below.
the scent of damp soil and foliage filled his senses as he gazed across the rooftop.
unexpectedly, a gentle voice called out to him, "minho?"
turning towards the voice, minho's heart swelled at the sight of the person before him.
"jisung," he exclaimed, his voice infused with happiness and relief as he finally came face to face with his roommate.
