Hong Joshua was not known for his warmth.
In fact, if you were to ask anyone at the university about him, they'd likely describe him as cold, aloof, and-if they were being brutally honest-rude. As a senior majoring in business, Joshua had little patience for pleasantries. He had a reputation for being direct, harsh, and utterly uninterested in making friends. He kept to himself, focusing on his studies and his part-time job, with no room in his life for distractions.
Which was why, when he learned that he would be getting a new dorm roommate in the middle of the semester, Joshua was less than pleased.
He sighed heavily, sitting at his desk with his back to the door. His room had always been his sanctuary-quiet, organized, a place where he could shut out the noise of the world. And now, some freshman was going to disrupt all of that. He clenched his jaw, refusing to turn around when the door opened.
"Uh, hi?" came a soft voice from behind him.
Joshua didn't respond, staring at the page in his textbook as if the words were suddenly the most fascinating thing in the world. The new roommate-whoever he was-would figure out soon enough that Joshua wasn't one for small talk.
"I'm Lee Seokmin," the voice continued, a little more hesitant this time. "I guess we're roommates now."
Still no response from Joshua.
He heard a quiet shuffling as Seokmin moved further into the room, probably setting his bags down and trying to settle in. Joshua kept his eyes on his book, pretending not to notice. He wasn't here to babysit a freshman. The sooner this kid realized that Joshua wasn't interested in being friends, the better.
Over the next few days, Joshua barely acknowledged Seokmin's presence. The younger boy, to his credit, tried his best to be polite. He greeted Joshua every morning, smiled whenever their paths crossed, and even offered to share snacks. Joshua responded with curt nods, short answers, or sometimes nothing at all. It was clear from the beginning that he didn't want anything to do with Seokmin.
But Seokmin was persistent in his own gentle way. He never pushed, never demanded Joshua's attention, but he also never stopped smiling. There was something almost childlike about the way Seokmin approached life. Joshua noticed it more as the days went by-the way Seokmin would hum to himself while organizing his things, how he seemed to find joy in the smallest, simplest things.
Joshua found it... irritating. Or at least, that's what he told himself.
One evening, after a particularly long day of classes and work, Joshua returned to the dorm exhausted. He opened the door to find Seokmin sitting on the floor, surrounded by colored pencils and a coloring book. Joshua frowned, shutting the door behind him with more force than necessary.
"What... are you doing?" he asked, his voice laced with annoyance.
Seokmin looked up, wide-eyed. "Oh, I'm just coloring," he said with a shy smile, as if that were the most normal thing for a university student to be doing.
Joshua pinched the bridge of his nose. "Aren't you a little old for that?"
Seokmin blinked, his expression faltering for just a moment before his smile returned. "I guess so," he said softly, looking down at his drawing. "But it makes me feel better."
Joshua didn't know how to respond to that, so he just shook his head and walked over to his desk, trying to ignore the colorful chaos on the floor. This wasn't his problem. Seokmin could color all he wanted; Joshua wasn't going to get involved.
It wasn't until a few weeks later that Joshua finally noticed something strange about Seokmin. One afternoon, after returning from class, he found Seokmin curled up on his bed, hugging a stuffed animal close to his chest. The boy's usual bright smile was gone, replaced with a small, anxious expression. He looked even younger than usual, his hands trembling slightly as he held onto the plush toy.
Joshua raised an eyebrow, unsure of what was going on. "Seokmin?"
Seokmin didn't answer at first. He just looked up at Joshua with wide, teary eyes and whispered, "I don't feel good, hyung."
Hyung? Joshua had never heard Seokmin call him that before. The word was so soft, so fragile, that it caught him off guard. He frowned, crossing his arms over his chest.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked, though his voice lacked the usual edge.
Seokmin bite his lip, looking down at his stuffed animal. "Sometimes... I just feel small. I don't like it."
Joshua didn't understand. Was Seokmin sick? He looked fine, physically at least, but there was something off about his behavior. He was acting... different. More like a child than the cheerful freshman Joshua had grown accustomed to ignoring.
"I... I just need someone to tell me it's okay," Seokmin whispered, his voice barely audible. "Please, hyung?"
Joshua stood there, frozen in place. He wasn't used to this-wasn't used to anyone needing him like this. People usually kept their distance, just like he wanted. But now, looking at Seokmin, so small and vulnerable on the bed, something inside Joshua softened. He hated it. Hated the way this kid was making him feel things he didn't want to feel.
Still, Joshua found himself walking over to Seokmin's side. He didn't sit down, but he leaned closer, his voice quieter than before.
"You're fine," he muttered, unsure of what else to say. "It's... okay."
Seokmin looked up at him with those big, innocent eyes, and for the first time, Joshua felt a protective instinct stir within him. It was unsettling. He wasn't supposed to care. He wasn't supposed to feel anything for this kid. But here he was, telling himself that he needed to make sure Seokmin was okay.
Without thinking, Joshua reached out and placed a hand on Seokmin's head, ruffling his hair slightly. Seokmin's eyes lit up, the smallest of smiles tugging at the corners of his lips.
"Thank you, hyung," Seokmin whispered.
Joshua grunted, pulling his hand away as quickly as he had placed it there. "Yeah, whatever. Just... don't do anything weird."
As time went on, Joshua started noticing Seokmin's little space more frequently. Sometimes, Seokmin would revert to that childlike state when he was stressed or overwhelmed by his studies. He'd come back to the dorm, quiet and small, hugging his stuffed animal close to his chest. Joshua had tried to ignore it at first, but it became harder and harder to pretend he didn't care.
One night, after a particularly tough day for Seokmin, Joshua found him sitting on the floor again, this time with tears streaming down his cheeks. Seokmin looked up at him, sniffling.
"Hyung... I had a really bad day."
Joshua sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. He didn't know how to handle this kind of thing. Comfort wasn't his strong suit. But seeing Seokmin like this, so fragile and broken, made something inside him twist.
Joshua sat down next to Seokmin, his usual cold exterior cracking just a little. "What happened?"
Seokmin hesitated for a moment before leaning into Joshua's side, resting his head against his shoulder. Joshua tensed at the sudden contact, but he didn't push Seokmin away.
"I failed my exam," Seokmin mumbled, his voice small. "I tried really hard, but... it wasn't enough."
Joshua sighed again, wrapping an arm around Seokmin's shoulders. "It happens," he said quietly. "You'll do better next time."
Seokmin sniffled again, nodding against Joshua's shoulder. "Do you think so, hyung?"
Joshua nodded, surprised by how natural it felt to comfort the boy. "Yeah, I do."
Seokmin looked up at him with wide, teary eyes, a soft smile playing on his lips despite the sadness. "Thank you, hyung," he whispered again.
Joshua felt his heart tighten. He didn't like feeling this way-didn't like how Seokmin had managed to worm his way into his life, into his heart. But as he held the younger boy close, Joshua realized that maybe-just maybe-there was a part of him that didn't mind.
After all, Seokmin wasn't just a distraction anymore. He was someone worth protecting.
𐙚𓏲⋆ ִֶָ ๋𓂃 ⋆ᡣ𐭩
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Fanfiction𝕵𝖔𝖘𝖍𝖚𝖆 ~ 𝖈𝖆𝖗𝖊𝖌𝖎𝖛𝖊𝖗 𝖘𝖊𝖔𝖐𝖒𝖎𝖓 ~ 𝖑𝖎𝖙𝖙𝖑𝖊 A bunch of kyeomshu little space oneshots. Them as boyfriends.