H A N E U L 하늘 | jjk + kth

五

It was two months after classes had started when Jeongguk finally saw Jimin. 

He was rushing to get dressed so that he wouldn't miss his first class, grumbling at the way his alarm had failed to wake him up.  He knew that the day would continue poorly, especially with his first essay over some foreign classic due at midnight, something he hadn't even paid any thought to until now.

          Jeongguk mentally lectures himself about time management, jogging to the washroom to brush his teeth.  What Jeongguk hadn't considered was the idea that he was, in fact, sharing a small dorm room with an absolute stranger.  A stranger who had taken the liberty to use the rest of Jeongguk's toothpaste, disposing of it in the wastebasket, not being bothered to politely replace the tube.

          This strikes a chord in the boy, the dark haired boy practically screaming to himself as he plucks the object from its resting spot in the garbage, unscrewing the cap and trying his best to squeeze what little paste he could on the bristles before harshly throwing it back into the basket.

          He hadn't met his roommate yet, strategically avoiding him by staying out on late walks or schedule his classes in opposition to the other.  He had even made it a point to adjust his sleep schedule so that he didn't have to speak with him.

He's thankful the boy is polite enough to not attempt greetings while Jeongguk is asleep.

But, there's an end for everything, and Jeongguk's clear avoidance of the stranger must end.  It must end because Jeongguk's noted all of the expensive gadgets and name brands tucked neatly away in his roommate's side of the room, so the kid could have enough decency to at least buy his own toothpaste or replace the one he'd emptied.

After his classes end, Jeongguk doesn't bother going to the library, instead, he makes a direct route to the dorms, his anger still swirling inside of his brain.

It's only a few minutes before he's aggressively unlocking the door and opening it to see a young boy, not much older than Jeongguk, with black hair copying notes from a textbook, his eyes shooting up to focus on the new guest in the room.

Jeongguk will never forget the audacity of the boy as he smiles.

He smiles.

He smiles and Jeongguk hates him.

          The younger tightens his grip on his backpack, "Stop touching my things." He murmurs, ignoring the latter's reaction, "I have to buy them myself, they're not yours."

          Jeongguk wishes it ended there.  He wishes he left, never bothering to return until later that night, but the world has a funny way of controlling things without telling people, so Jeongguk hesitates for a moment, looking up to meet the boy's gaze once more, and he looks sad.

          He looks cornered.  He feels bad and its Jeongguk's fault.

No.

It's his fault.

Jeongguk is just setting the territory for the room.

He's establishing a threshold.

          Jeongguk forces himself to turn away, closing the door rather rudely, and hurrying to his next class. 

          It's not until close to midnight when Jeongguk returns to the room, overwhelmed by feelings of guilt as he replays the image of the boy in his head.  Despite how inconsiderate he was, the boy was good at making others feel bad for him, and Jeongguk didn't know why.  He's dreading facing him, that's why he stayed out later than usual, but when he unlocks the door, he's met with the same kid from earlier leaning against the wall as he sits on the bed, eyes scanning his computer before he's addressing Jeongguk just like before.