𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐄 || 𝑺𝑬𝑶𝑲𝑺𝑶𝑶

chp3

After the lecture ended, Joshua and Jeonghan walked side by side to the cafeteria, their conversation light and familiar, filled with the kind of humor that only years of close friendship could create. Jeonghan said something particularly sharp, and Joshua laughed—a soft, genuine sound that seemed to linger between them as they stepped into the bustling space, the smell of freshly brewed coffee and the distant sizzle of the kitchen filling the air.

As they approached a table, Soonyoung waved them over, his face alight with curiosity. Seungkwan was already seated, fiddling with his phone, a slight pout on his lips.

"Hyung!" Soonyoung called out as they got closer, his voice rising above the chatter. "Have you talked to Seokmin today?"

Joshua raised an eyebrow, setting his tray down before replying, “Yeah, he texted me earlier. Said he’s feeling under the weather. Why?”

Seungkwan rolled his eyes dramatically, placing his phone on the table. “Because he’s not answering us, and it’s weird. He always texts back. Even if it’s just an emoji or something stupid, Seokmin always replies.”

Joshua blinked, taking a sip of his water as he considered their words. It wasn’t entirely like Seokmin to go radio silent, but Joshua didn’t feel concerned—not yet. He could still hear Seokmin’s text in his head: Skipping lectures, hyung. Feeling under the weather. That was all it had been, and it seemed straightforward enough.

“He’s probably just resting,” Joshua said with a small shrug. “I’ll check on him tomorrow if he’s still not replying.”

“Tomorrow?” Seungkwan repeated, leaning back in his chair with a raised eyebrow. “Seriously? Joshua, you’re his boyfriend. Shouldn’t you, I don’t know, check on him today?”

Joshua chuckled softly, shaking his head. “Seungkwan, I’m not gonna smother him. If he said he’s resting, then he’s resting. I’ll see him tomorrow. Don’t worry about it.”

Seungkwan crossed his arms, a smirk tugging at his lips. “Terrible boyfriend behavior, if you ask me.”

Joshua rolled his eyes, smiling at the playful accusation, though it didn’t bother him. He knew Seungkwan was joking; it was just how Seungkwan was. Beside him, Jeonghan chuckled and leaned back in his chair, watching the interaction unfold with mild amusement.

After a few more minutes of idle chatter, Soonyoung and Seungkwan left to join another group, leaving Joshua and Jeonghan alone again. Jeonghan stretched, standing up with a lazy grin. “I’m going to grab us some coffee. You want your usual?”

Joshua nodded, offering a quiet thanks as Jeonghan walked toward the campus café. Left alone at the table, Joshua reached for his phone, his thoughts wandering back to Seokmin. A soft smile graced his lips as he opened their chat, eager to re-read the text Seokmin had sent earlier. But when he opened the conversation, the message was gone.

Joshua blinked in surprise, his thumb scrolling back and forth as if the text might magically reappear. But it was gone—deleted. His smile faltered, replaced by a slight furrow of his brows. Why would Seokmin delete the message? It wasn’t like him to be so cryptic, was he mad at Joshua?

Curious but not yet worried, Joshua typed out a quick message:

You: Hey, what happened to your text? You okay?
4:03PM

He set the phone down, staring at it for a moment, waiting for the familiar three dots to appear. But the screen stayed still. No reply. Joshua frowned briefly, then shrugged it off, telling himself Seokmin was probably just asleep or not checking his phone.

Tomorrow, he thought. He’d see Seokmin tomorrow because today was already occupied, Joshua's parents had asked to bring Jeonghan home since they missed the blond too and Wants to have dinner.