Yuanfen [UAU V; The Complete UAU Guide]

[THE LONG GAME] XX / Finale, Part 2

WARNINGS: Strong language; alcohol consumption

-Day 70; Monday, August 7th, 2017-

Kim Jongdae wasn't surprised that he was yet again roomed with Byun Baekhyun. They had roomed together all throughout university; it was practically tradition by now.

There weren't any arguments over who got which side of the room or where to put what, no awkwardness between them. There was just familiarity and routine.

Rooming with Byun Baekhyun was probably the only familiar, routine thing to Jongdae at the time.

Jongdae still had a hard time wrapping his head around how his entire life could've been flipped, turned upside down in the span of just a few short months.

He was still growing accustomed to the absence of Kim Minseok. It wasn't that he had graduated, but the fact that he physically wasn't there. It was strange to Jongdae to communicate to Minseok purely through his phone, only seeing his slightly pixelated face through a screen and hearing his tinny voice through a speaker.

He had resulted to what his friends deemed 'self-destructive behaviour', which was really drinking one to many beers on top of one too many shots and never cleaning up after himself.

So typical Kim Jongdae behaviour.

And the fact that Jongdae had basically replaced all his friends.

With Minseok roughly six thousand kilometres away and Baekhyun running off with Zhang Yixing all the time, it wasn't long until he was out in the dead of night, having done so many shots with Lee Jooeun they had both forgotten how many they had had.

The only time he ever had regular behaviour and was mostly sober were Minseok's 'low days'. These were days he wasn't working as long or as hard as other days. His low days were usually Sundays, Mondays, and Wednesdays.It worked out well, as Jongdae only had classes Tuesdays and Fridays.

He spent the low days up late or getting up early to talk to Minseok at times that worked for him. These were the days it was totally acceptable of him to laze around all day, on video chats.

The video calls would last up to a few minutes to a few hours, ranging from so loud and noisy people complained to him to so quiet you could hear the other breathing.

Jongdae was content with every call, every text, no matter what happened or what it said.

He was content in just being able to hear from and talk to Minseok, and at the time that's all he could've wanted.

-Day 208; Saturday, December 23rd, 2017-

"Guys, I think I have a drinking problem." Kim Jongdae announced, finally emerging from the bed in Do Kyungsoo's dorm. He didn't know why or how he had ended up there, but he was grateful it wasn't half-naked in some back alley. He had spent the better part of the morning nursing a hangover.

"No shit." Byun Baekhyun replied, rolling his eyes. He was sitting on Zhang Yixing's lap, holding a few cards at the table. Do Kyungsoo, Kim Jongin, and Park Jimin sat with them, all holding their own hands of cards.

"I would never have guessed." Kyungsoo said nonchalantly, throwing a card into the middle of the table.

"I've been telling you that for years." a robotic voice crackled. Even through the static and electronic filtering of it, Jongdae immediately recognized the voice.

"Min?" he squeaked, his voice cracking. He had to be going crazy. This was just the hangover messing with him.

Kyungsoo held up a phone- Jongdae's phone. "You apparently called him last night and none of us know how to work your phone."