127 Records (Dropped)

Chapter 11.2: Doyoung-sunbaenim

A young male had stopped in front of Ten's bench and was mustering Ten, curiously. "Ah, I'm sorry. I must have startled you. Jaehyun-ah talked about you and showed me your picture. I'm Jaehyun's friend, Taeyong."

Taeyong wore a mouth mask and black cap but his white-blue hair was still very noticeable.
"Ah, did you understand everything?" Taeyong asked.

Ten nodded. "I'm starting to follow what people say," Ten answered careful to pronounce every word correctly. Taeyong tucked down his mouth mask to talk better.

"You're already so good!" Taeyong praised him and Ten felt kind of proud. Taeyong kind of reminded him of a kindergarten teacher praising a child who could finally pronounce a word right.

"What are you doing now?"
"I'm waiting for a friend so we can get lunch together... Do you want to join us?" Ten asked politely. There was nothing to fear. Taeyong was Jaehyun's friend. He wasn't a mere stranger. And he was also a student at Ten's University.

"Sure, why not," Taeyong agreed after checking his watch. "We just need to wait for Sicheng to get here. He's running late although he probably just got lost," Ten explained.
Taeyong laughed, "Does that happen often?"
"Sometimes but I can't blame him. This place is unfamiliar after all. And it's not like he can read the signs either. I feel the same way."

Sure enough five minutes later Sicheng arrived. "Sicheng. This is my friend Taeyong. Do you mind if he eats with us today?" Ten asked his friend.

Sicheng tilted his head and smiled that nervous smile he smiled when he didn't understand.
"Taeyong is friend. Eat him?" Ten put his sparse knowledge of Mandarin to use but Sicheng understood what he was asking and answered as simple as possible but in Korean, "Yes, let's eat!"

Taeyong laughed at Sicheng's enthusiasm and let him lead the way. They soon found a small café but with a wide variety of food.
"Welcome. What can I get you?" a handsome guy at the counter greeted them. "Oh," Taeyong let out a sound of recognition.

The worker tilted his head, "Taeyong-sunbaenim? Oh, I'm sorry. I just recognized you. You're a theoretical music major, right?"
"Yeah, how did you know? And you don't have to call me that. I'm a first-year. I'm surely not your Sunbae, Doyoung-sunbaenim!"
Doyoung tilted his head again, this time with a confused expression on his face. He blinked two times and put on a smile again. "Anyway, what can I get you guys?"

The three got some sandwiches as well as a muffin, a shortcake and some smoothies which were recommended by Doyoung.
"Is he your friend?" Ten asked Taeyong when they sat down at a table.
"Well, he goes to our University and I've seen him around but I've never actually met him," Taeyong replied while laughing. He took off his mouth mask to eat but left on the cap.

"Then how did you know his name?" "His name tag told me his name," Taeyong laughed.
Ten and Sicheng both blinked confused. "Name tag?" they repeated the unfamiliar word.

"On his chest," Taeyong said but pointed at his own chest to emphasise. Ten and Sicheng both whipped their heads around and realized that Doyoung had been wearing a name tag this whole time.

He noticed their staring and waved at them with an awkward smile before he tended to the next costumer.
"And why does he know your name?" Taeyong scratched his neck in embarrassment, "It feels kind of wrong to say it myself but I guess I'm kind of famous. I used to be an idol. My contract just ended this year so I left the company. That's also why I only just started studying. The company set up many restrictions I don't want to follow anymore. Now I'm glad I can do what I want but I do have a reputation as a former idol group member. It's hard to make friends."

Ten nodded slowly. He got the idea of Taeyong's story.
Sicheng held out his phone to Ten. He had already opened the dictionary and repeated what he had understood slowly to Ten. "Taeyong-hyung is an idol. He is a freshman. Right?"
Ten nodded, "Yes, but he is not an idol now. He was before. He did not like the contract." He took the phone and typed in "contract" and Sicheng finally understood.

"Taeyong-hyung is very handsome," he said the words slowly and clearly and Taeyong melted at the cute younger's effort.
"We can be friends. Sicheng and I can't speak Korean. It's hard to talk to other people."
Taeyong nodded and smiled at Ten's honesty.

He was just taking a bite from his sandwich when he noticed how door opened and the friendly smile Doyoung had worn at the counter the whole time dropped.
"Thank god you're here. I'm dying to eat something but it's an unusually busy day," he exclaimed to the girl who had entered the shop.

Taeyong watched him disappear in the back, come out and buy some food himself when he had taken off his uniform.
"Doyoung-sunbaenim! Would you like to join us?" Taeyong called him over on a whim.

"Do you mind if he joins us?" he asked Ten and Sicheng. They both shook their heads. Doyoung sat down with them. "I'm Lee Taeyong. I just started college and I study theoretical music," Taeyong introduced himself with the same information Doyoung had already known.

Sicheng looked at Ten prompting him to introduce them both. "I'm Ten. I'm a 2nd year dance major. Sicheng and I are both exchange students. Korean is still very hard for us," he said. "Introduce yourself. Just your name and your class. Try it," he encouraged Sicheng.

With a little difficulty Sicheng managed to state, "My name is Dong Sicheng. I dance. I am from Wenzhou. I am Chinese."
"Good job," Ten praised and Sicheng smiled pleased that he had managed to say all that without any help.

Doyoung got the hint and pronounced every word slowly and clearly. "My name is Doyoung. I take culinary classes. I'm a 2nd year." He even held up two fingers and Sicheng nodded in understanding.

"So, why did you call me over?" Doyoung asked. "I'm happy you called me over but I've never met any of you before so I've wondered."
Ten looked at Taeyong expectant to hear the answer as well.

"I wanted to try making friends with you," Taeyong answered with a smile. Doyoung tilted his head.
"With me? I'm not a bad person but it's not like I stand out or anything. So, I don't get why me."
"You do. You did stand out to me. Everyone assumes I'm in the department of Performing Arts because I used to be an idol. You're the only person who knew I was a theoretical music major. So, I decided to take my chance."

"Just because of that?" Doyoung asked unbelieving and Ten agreed with a nod while Sicheng was still trying to figure out the content of the conversation.

"Just because of that," Taeyong smiled.
Doyoung shrugged. "I see. In that case I hope we get along," he smiled at all of them before he started nibbling on his muffin (like a bunny).

"So, you work part-time?" Ten asked Doyoung. Doyoung nodded, "I need to pay my rent somehow. What about you guys?"
"I got a scholarship so we live at the place of the University. Sicheng does too," Ten answered for both of them. Sicheng looked up from his food at the mention of his name. "'We live in dorm' I said," Ten said but didn't know "dorm" in Korean and resorted to English. He typed the word in the dictionary and gave his phone to Sicheng. Sicheng nodded his approval.

"I want to work but I want to work something related to my major. But, it is hard to find a job like that," Ten sighed. He looked at Sicheng.
"Do you want to work?" he asked him. Sicheng nodded, "Sicheng want to dance," he agreed with Ten.

"I'm sure you'll find something. You're scholarship students after all. You must be talented," Taeyong cheered them up and Ten smiled gratefully.
"What about you? Where do you live?" Ten asked.

"I have an apartment in Ichon-il-dong, Yongsan-gu."
"Isn't that like really expensive?" Doyoung's eyes almost fell out.

"Y-yeah, but I earned quite a lot when I was an idol and I still get royalties and my-my roommate is really really rich," Taeyong explained hastily. "And it's not like I own a penthouse or anything. I mean, it's just a simple apartment."

"Sure...," they decided to take Taeyong's answer as is and changed the topic. Surely, there must be a good reason why Taeyong didn't want to talk about his living situation.