Mixed Up | Yeonbin

1. blue

"You sure you don't want any help?" Yeonjun was sitting on his chair, eyeing Soobin who was struggling to open a box.

"Yeah... I didn't think about this—I packed my scissors inside," Soobin scratched the back of his neck, awkwardly grinning at Yeonjun.

Yeonjun chuckled and got up, grabbing a pair of scissors from his desk. "Just let me help, I can't just sit around all day," he said, making quick work of the tape sealing the box.

"Don't you have to unpack as well—" Soobin began, but then his eyes drifted to Yeonjun's side of the room. The bed was made, books neatly stacked, clothes already hanging in the closet.

"Oh."

"I came here at dawn," Yeonjun explained with a small smile. "So, I had the whole morning to unpack."

Soobin began taking out his stationeries and books, setting them on his desk. "Dawn? Do you live far?"

Yeonjun paused for a moment, fiddling with the scissors before setting them down. "Not really, I'm from Seoul," he said casually.

"But I wanted to get out, you know? Be more independent, meet new people... not be under my parents' roof all the time."

Soobin nodded, sensing there might be more to it but not wanting to pry. "Yeah. I get it," he said, focusing on arranging his books. "I'm from Ansan, so it's not too far either, but... I just really needed a change."

"Same," Yeonjun said, leaning against the desk. "Plus, dorm life has its perks. No parents nagging you, freedom to do what you want... It's kind of exciting."

"Yeah, exciting," Soobin echoed, though he couldn't help but feel a little nervous at the thought.

He glanced up at Yeonjun, who was now smiling softly, eyes hiding ever so slightly behind his cotton candy hair.

As Soobin continued unpacking, he kept glancing at Yeonjun's hair, the pink with blue streaks catching the light.

It was bold, different—everything that didn't exist in his small, conservative village.

The people there dressed in muted tones, hair neatly combed and traditional. Nothing like this.

Soobin swallowed, feeling his mouth go dry.

How do you even compliment someone without sounding... weird? He didn't want to come off too strong, like he was overanalyzing it. But Yeonjun's hair was cool, and it deserved some recognition, right?

"So, um," Soobin started, his voice awkwardly wavering, "your hair... it's... uh, nice."

Yeonjun looked up, clearly amused by Soobin's hesitant tone. "Thanks! Decided I needed a change before uni started. Figured why not go all out?"

Soobin nodded, his cheeks flushing slightly. "Yeah, it's really... unique. I like it."

Yeonjun's smile grew wider, radiating warmth that Soobin started to pick up on. "Glad you think so. You could pull off something cool too, you know. Ever thought about it?"

Soobin nearly choked on air at the suggestion. "Me? Oh, uh... no— I don't know... Back home, it's more... traditional. Everyone kind of sticks to the same look."

"I see," Yeonjun said, nodding. "But hey, you're here now. University's a chance to try new things, be whoever you wanna be."

"Yeah, I guess so," Soobin murmured, feeling a strange mix of excitement and anxiety.

But looking at Yeonjun, so at ease with himself, maybe there was something to this idea of breaking out of his shell.

"Don't worry, I'm not saying you need to go full rainbow," Yeonjun added with a wink. "Just... keep an open mind. You might surprise yourself. Maybe try blue? Just streaks like these. I think they'd look good on you." He pointed at the light blue streaks on his hair.

Soobin chuckled, the tension easing a little. "Blue, huh? I'll... think about it."

Blue? Blue would look good on me? I mean... I do like blue.

____________

a.n.

Does he really like blue? Or because Yeonjun mentioned it'll look good on him 🤭