inches : j&d

02

the next few days passed in a blur for joong. he buried himself in his coursework, as he always did, the hours spent poring over blueprints and equations soothing the tension in his chest. still, something lingered in the back of his mind, an itch that he couldn't quite scratch. every time he walked past the student resource room, he couldn't help but think of dunk-the art student with the messy hair and the carefree attitude.

joong found himself remembering their brief encounter more often than he'd like to admit. the way dunk had spoken to him, as if he didn't care at all about the lines joong had drawn between himself and everyone else. it bothered him more than it should.

the morning of their next class, joong sat in the usual spot in the lecture hall, his fingers tapping against his phone as he read through the latest emails. he glanced up when a sudden movement caught his eye.

dunk walked in, looking as unbothered as ever. his paint-streaked hands were shoved into the pockets of his oversized hoodie, and his bright sneakers clashed with the dark, serious atmosphere of the engineering department. he seemed completely out of place, and yet, he moved through the space with an almost cocky confidence.

joong watched him walk to the back of the room, where aou sat, already chatting with him. they exchanged a few words, and dunk laughed at something aou said, his voice loud and unfiltered.

joong's attention snapped back to his notes, his grip tightening around his pen. he couldn't figure out why it bothered him. it shouldn't have. dunk was just a student, and joong didn't even care about art.

but it still gnawed at him.

as the class began, joong couldn't help but notice the way dunk's presence seemed to fill the room. he didn't belong here, not really. but he was impossible to ignore. joong could hear his laugh every now and then, the sound light and carefree, and for some reason, it made his chest tighten.

after class, as students filed out, dunk lingered near the door. he was chatting with boom, laughing about something, when his gaze flicked toward joong.

"hey, perfectionist," dunk called, loud enough for joong to hear, "how's life on the other side of the campus?"

joong stiffened, his eyes narrowing slightly. dunk always knew how to get under his skin.

"life's fine," joong responded, his voice cool. "how's it on your side of the campus? are you causing more chaos today?"

dunk grinned, clearly unfazed by joong's attitude. "no chaos, just art. maybe i'll get a few more paint stains on your precious building. can't have everything looking so pristine, you know?"

joong could feel the irritation bubbling in his chest again. there was something about dunk's easy smile, his lack of concern for anything that wasn't right in front of him, that made joong feel... off. he couldn't put it into words.

"you should get back to your own side," joong said, his voice clipped. "this building isn't a playground for you."

dunk only shrugged, his smile never fading. "whatever you say, mr. serious." he turned to boom, who was waiting by the door, and the two of them headed out together, laughing as they left.

joong watched them go, his jaw tight.

aou, who had been watching the exchange from a few rows ahead, walked up to him. "you two are something else, you know?"

joong didn't look at him, his attention still fixed on the door dunk had walked through. "what do you mean?"

"that. whatever that was. the tension between you two is practically suffocating." aou grinned, though there was something more thoughtful behind his expression.

"it's nothing," joong muttered, though he wasn't sure if he believed it. "i don't have time for that kind of nonsense."

"right," aou said, clearly unconvinced. "well, it's your call. but you should be careful. dunk might be more trouble than you think."

joong didn't answer, his thoughts already elsewhere. he couldn't stop thinking about dunk, about how effortlessly the other man had shaken his calm exterior. for the first time in a long time, joong felt uncertain, unsure of what was happening between them.

it was strange, but joong couldn't seem to shake the feeling that this wasn't the last time he'd find himself tangled up with dunk.