Deskmates//Woonmyungz

six

Jaehyun's pov (1st person) :

The school was quieter than I'd ever seen it, save for the faint buzz of the fluorescent hallway lights and the occasional creak of the old wooden floorboards. It was almost surreal, being here at night, with no teachers or students bustling about. And yet, I wasn't alone.

"Are we about to uncover some ancient school secret or something? This feels like something straight out of a movie," Woonhak said, his voice echoing in the empty corridor. He grinned, eyes alight with excitement. I couldn't tell if he was being serious or just trying to entertain himself, but his enthusiasm was contagious.

I chuckled lightly. "Sorry to disappoint, but no treasure maps or hidden passageways here. Not exactly Hogwarts, but it's got its charm."

Woonhak glanced around, his eyes scanning the dimly lit corridor. "You call this charm? Looks more like a set from a horror movie. Should I be worried about ghosts?"

I shook my head, amused. "No ghosts. It's harmless."

He tilted his head, pretending to scrutinize me. "You sure? You don't seem like the kind of guy who'd admit it if you were scared."

I crossed my arms, leaning back against the wall slightly. "And you don't seem like the kind of guy who'd believe me even if I told you there's nothing to worry about."

"Fair point," he nodded, laughing. Then, gesturing down the hall, he added, "Alright, fearless captain. Show me the best this campus has to offer."

I shook my head, biting back a smile. Woonhak was, in a good sense, a lot. Friendly, talkative, and somehow effortlessly charming. The complete opposite of me. But I didn't mind. It was kind of refreshing.

"Follow me," I instructed, already heading toward the nearest spot to show him.

"Aye aye, captain!" he responded, making me smile.

"Alright," I said, stopping in front of the library. "This is where you'll probably spend a lot of time if you want to ace your classes. It's got everything — reference books, study guides, even plenty good novels."

He peeked inside, his nose almost pressed against the glass door. "Looks fancy. But do they have comics?"

"Comics?" I blinked. That was not the kind of question I expected, but given what little I know about him, it didn't really surprise me either. "I think they might have a few in the leisure section."

"Nice," he said, grinning. "Guess I'll survive after all."

I couldn't help but laugh at that. "You're really not worried about grades, are you?"

"Not really," he admitted, shrugging. "I mean, I'll do my best, but I'm not about to stress myself out. Life's too short, you know?"

That was such a stark contrast to my own approach — always striving for perfection, worrying about every little detail. Maybe I could learn something from him.

We moved on to the next spot, the music room. I unlocked the door, flipping on the light. The room was spacious, filled with pianos, guitars, and other instruments.

"Cool," Woonhak said, his eyes wide. "Do you play anything?"

"Piano," I replied, feeling a bit shy about admitting it. "I've been learning since I was a kid."

"That's awesome!" he said, walking over to the nearest piano and plunking a random note. "You gotta play something."

"Now?" I hesitated. "We're in the middle of a tour."

"Exactly. What better way to showcase the school than to show off its talent?" He grinned, leaning against the piano. "C'mon, don't be shy. I won't even laugh if it turns out terrible."

I sighed, knowing he wouldn't let it go. Sitting down, I placed my fingers on the keys and started playing a simple melody. It wasn't much, but it was enough to fill the room with a soft, calming tune.

When I finished, Woonhak clapped enthusiastically. "That was fantastic! Man, you're like the total package, aren't you? Handsome, smart, talented..."

I felt my cheeks heat up. "I'm not—"

"Don't even try to deny it," he interrupted, smirking. "I'm your deskmate, remember? I noticed today how everyone looks at you. You're like the star of the school."

I didn't know what to say to that. Compliments always made me tad uneasy, especially when they were so direct.

"Let's move on," I said, standing up quickly. "There's still more to see."

"Fine, fine," he agreed, following me out. "But for the record, you're way too humble. Own it."

We continued the tour, stopping by the gym, the cafeteria, and the art room. Every place seemed to spark some new comment or joke from Woonhak. He had a way of making everything entertaining, even something as mundane as a school tour.

Eventually, we ended up on the rooftop. The cool night air was refreshing after being inside for so long. The city lights stretched out in the distance, twinkling like stars.

"Wow," Woonhak said, leaning against the railing. "This is... amazing."

"It's my favourite spot," I admitted. "I come up here when I need to think."

"I can see why," he said, his tone unusually softer. "It's peaceful."

We stood there in silence for a moment, just taking it all in. It was strange how comfortable I felt around him, despite barely knowing him.

"Hey," he called out suddenly, breaking the silence. "Thanks for doing this. I really appreciate your efforts and company."

"You don't have to thank me," I replied, smiling slightly. "Plus, you're the one who made it all... interesting."

"Interesting, huh?" He grinned back. "I'll take that as a compliment."

We stayed up there for a while, talking about everything and nothing, all general stuff. By the time we headed back down, it felt like we'd known each other for much longer than just one day, considering the amount of interests we shared, including our love for music.

As we walked back to the dorms, I realised, that for the first time in a long while, I didn't feel the weight of expectations or pressure to be perfect around someone new. With Woonhak, I could just be me. And that was a feeling I didn't want to let go of.