Home With You ⸺ y.jw

OO9.⠀Late-Night Confessions

It was late, and the quiet buzz of the apartment had settled into stillness. Yoorin sat on the living room floor, textbooks spread out around her as she tried to finish her last-minute studying. Finals were creeping up, and the pressure was starting to get to her.

The only sound was the faint hum of the refrigerator and the occasional scratch of her pen on paper. She was determined to stay focused, but her mind kept wandering. She couldn't stop thinking about the way things had shifted between her and Jungwon over the past few weeks. Despite his teasing and constant interruptions, there was something about his presence that made her feel... comfortable.

She had gotten used to him, to the way he made their apartment feel less lonely. Even though she had originally hated the idea of sharing the space, now it was hard to imagine what it would be like without him there.

Just as she was about to refocus on her notes, the door to Jungwon's room creaked open. He walked out, rubbing his eyes sleepily, his hair messily tousled from sleep.

"Why are you still awake?" he asked, his voice low and raspy from just waking up.

"I could ask you the same thing," Yoorin said, glancing up at him.

Jungwon yawned and plopped down beside her on the floor. "I woke up because I heard you moving around. Couldn't sleep."

Yoorin sighed. "Sorry, I was trying to be quiet."

He waved it off. "Nah, it's fine. What are you studying for?"

"Just going over stuff for finals. I feel like I'm never going to finish," she admitted, rubbing her temples in frustration.

Jungwon glanced at her scattered papers and smiled softly. "You're working too hard. You should take a break."

"I can't," Yoorin muttered. "There's too much to do."

Jungwon shook his head. "If you keep going like this, you're going to burn out. Come on, just relax for a bit."

Yoorin gave him a skeptical look. "How do you suggest I 'relax' when I'm drowning in schoolwork?"

Jungwon grinned, that playful spark back in his eyes. "We could watch a movie. Or just... talk?"

Yoorin blinked in surprise. "Talk? About what?"

Jungwon shrugged, leaning back against the couch. "Anything. Life. School. How I'm the best roommate ever."

Yoorin rolled her eyes but smiled despite herself. "You wish."

For a moment, there was a comfortable silence between them. Yoorin glanced at him from the corner of her eye, noticing how peaceful he looked. The usual mischief in his expression was gone, replaced by something softer, more genuine. It made her heart skip a beat.

"Do you ever feel like college isn't what you expected?" Jungwon asked suddenly, his voice quieter than before.

Yoorin tilted her head, caught off guard by the question. "Sometimes. I guess I thought it would be... different. More exciting."

"Same," Jungwon said, his gaze distant. "I don't know. I guess I just thought I'd have everything figured out by now."

Yoorin nodded. "Yeah, me too. But it's not that easy, huh?"

Jungwon chuckled softly. "Nope. But... I'm glad I met you. I mean, I didn't plan on having a roommate either, but it's been kind of nice."

Yoorin's heart fluttered at his words, and she wasn't sure why. It was just a casual statement, but coming from Jungwon, it felt like something more.

"I'm glad I met you too," she said quietly, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Even though you're annoying sometimes."

Jungwon laughed, the sound soft and warm. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Yoorin smiled, her mind swirling with thoughts she couldn't quite put into words. She had always seen Jungwon as the annoying, overly responsible guy who seemed to have everything together. But lately, she was starting to see a different side of him—a side that was just as uncertain and lost as she was.

Without thinking, Yoorin spoke again. "Do you ever wonder what things would've been like if we hadn't ended up as roommates?"

Jungwon looked at her, his eyes searching hers for a moment before he replied. "I think we would've still crossed paths somehow."

Yoorin raised an eyebrow. "You think so?"

Jungwon nodded. "Yeah. You're not someone I could easily ignore, Yoorin."

Her heart skipped a beat, and for a split second, everything felt different. The usual teasing, the banter—it all seemed to fade away, leaving just the two of them sitting there in the dimly lit room, sharing something more real than either of them had expected.

Before Yoorin could figure out how to respond, Jungwon stood up, stretching his arms above his head. "I'm heading back to bed. You should get some rest too. You've been working too hard."

Yoorin nodded, still feeling the weight of his words hanging in the air. "Yeah... maybe I will."

As Jungwon disappeared back into his room, Yoorin sat there for a moment, her thoughts racing. She didn't know what had just happened, but something told her that things between them were changing—slowly, but surely.

And for the first time, she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about it.