touma wishes that isn't the case, especially not right now, when he's supposed to at least act happy and chipper to be out and about on a field trip he would much rather skip. it's nothing against nature of course, touma simply finds it difficult to force any sort of energy out of himself these days, especially when he's supposed to kick himself out of the confines of his own miserable head and participate in the festivities one way or another. instead, here he lies, bound to the bed with no motivation to even get up.
what's the point? there's so much to do but touma is still here, stuck to the bed, refusing to get up despite all the huffing and puffing outside. asakura touma of a year ago would have been up and about, insisting on trekking each hiking route, waking up early to catch the morning outdoor yoga session, stretching his limbs and being an active member of society. now though, that's the last thing on his mind—then again, what is going through his mind these days anyway? nothing, other than a loop of his failures and mistakes.
it has only been a day in this shared room and touma has already made a small mess out of his stay. at least it's a concentrated mess within the confines of his aptly claimed top bunk. he naturally feels kind of bad, his roommates don't deserve a roommate who's constantly down-in-the-dumps. worst of all, the world has decided to give him the middle finger and stick @juunnam into the mix. again.
when the door swings open, touma fully expects it to be his caretaker of a friend. touma can't stress enough how much he wishes junho isn't the one who sees him like this, but apparently the more he wishes for something the less of a chance he'll get it. "why are you here? you're supposed to be out there enjoying the sun!" touma insists, clutching his pillow to his chest and turning the other way. it's not that he wants to ignore junho—but junho should be doing activities that does not include taking care of touma.
his stomach rumbles, as if complaining to touma for his bad decisions. "you should do some yoga, i hear it clears the mind of useless things." like me, touma wants to add. "it's way too early to be a saint..." he mumbles as he closes his eyes, hoping that once he opens them back up junho would have taken his advice and stepped out.
junho truly wonders what mysterious force must be at play here to make touma one of his roommates on this trip. not that he hates the idea of rooming with touma--far from it, honestly--but this mysterious force must think his life is a joke and that it's funny to watch him suffer, just like how he feels right now: walking into their shared room, a bag of food he smuggled from breakfast in his hand, being asked why is he here like he doesn't belong.
"uh, it's my room too?" junho arches a brow at the other, although he can only briefly see touma's face for a moment before he's turning away from him just as quickly. he doesn't think touma intended to sound mean but junho can't help but feel a little hurt by his words anyways. as always though, he pushes it down and smiles patiently. "i forgot something and came back to do it before i head back out," he adds on, partly wondering why he feels the need to justify his presence here when this is indeed his room as well and he has all rights to be here whenever he wants.
any anger he may have felt however (which is to say not much really; he was more hurt and a little offended than anything) leaves his body when he hears touma's stomach rumble. instead, he snorts and shakes his head as he walks over to the bunk bed he and touma are also sharing with the other on the top bunk and himself on the bottom. junho goes up the ladder part way, just to give him enough room to unceremoniously plop the bag he was holding onto touma.
"eat," is all he says at first, in a tone that won't accept any arguments, with an equally matched stare at his temporary roommate. he comes back down the stairs after to give touma space because part of junho worries he might be overstepping right now and doesn't want to turn the other off from him even the slightest bit - but at the same time, he can't help but want to make sure touma is taking care of himself (and if he isn't then junho would just take it upon himself to ensure he does).
it's only after he's back at floor level and sitting on his own bed and pretending like he's rummaging through his bag for something that he speaks again. "making sure my friend doesn't starve because he doesn't want to get out of bed is not a useless thing. i think it's pretty reasonable to check in on people you care about?" junho ends it like a question, not because he's asking for an answer, but rhetorically because it's obvious he would care about his friends?! "in fact, i won't leave until i see you eat something. whether you get out of bed afterwards and do something is up to you," he continues, trying to act and sound as neutral as possible as he keeps going through his belongings aimlessly. "but even i'm not staying cooped up here with my laptop either."
⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ ⋅✯⋅ ☾₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆ 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐆𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐎 𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐓𝐎𝐃𝐀𝐘 ever since their booth was up and running. None of them had to deal with weirdos asking for more than just a cheek kiss which they were all very thankful for. Honestly, what else could go wrong?
With a bright smile on his face, Phoenix greets the next student in line. Possibly the last before his shift comes to an end too. “Hello!” He leans in closer to proceed with his duty but pulls away at the next second, eyes all wide, surprised at the sudden request. “Excuse me?” Rendered speechless, his mind begins to wander at his very own arms and hands. They weren’t ripped or large enough as hell at all — toned, yes but not exactly huge or anything. His hands were also smaller than the average guy. Not made for chokeholds or headlocks, that’s for sure.
With a baffled expression still on his face, he leans in with a slight whisper, “We’re a… um... we’re a kissing booth. Do you really want a chokehold?” If this kid was going to pay anyway, he figures he could just go ahead and fulfill that request. He stands up this time and stretches his arms before beckoning the guy before him. “Are you really sure about this?” ⁺₊
in hindsight, junho really should've just taken the kiss. it would've been quick and everyone else was doing it anyways, so it wouldn't have been strange - but junho had heard people talking about how some volunteers at the booth would agree to this alternative instead and well, he was curious! he was going to ask the same of whoever ended up being the person at the booth currently no matter what but the other's reaction does have him feeling a little bad because he clearly caught them off guard with his request. was this not something more people were doing after all and he was a victim of misinformation?!?!?
with the next words he hears, junho feels his face reddening but he forces himself to push through the feeling because he has no one to blame for putting him in this situation but himself. (and well, the guy who dared him to do this in the first place, but he also went along with the game so... doesn't it come back to him in the end after all?)
"uh... yes...?" he sounds unsure but he had asked for it after all, he needs to just get on with it. "i'll still pay, of course! and you can have a break from kissing," he unhelpfully supplies because why does that even matter. and why does it sound so weird saying that. "uh... so yeah. headlock, please. and if i could take a photo together after..." the more he talks, the weirder he realizes he sounds so he sighs, resigned to whatever poor impression he's probably making on the other.
he should at least try to explain himself though, for the other's sake. "i need proof of being here because of a dare," he admits. "but i'm also happy to support your team!" whatever that team is, he doesn't even try to guess or assume; he's already not making himself sound any less strange--very not normal, in fact--so he should just not shove his foot into his mouth again.
photography club is one of akari's favorite activites aside from her tennis playing. she becomes engrossed in others and their works. slowly, as she's talking with other students, her eyes move over to junho and the entire club nearly gasps when he crumples over, looking like he hasn't slept in days. akari is quick to raise from her seated position and go help him collect the contents of his bag.
"that looked rather painful." she comments neatly while scooping up a few items and replaces them to their rightful storing spot. "are you okay, junho?" worry drapes her face, her features crinkle lightly and the other photography club member can't help but feel bad for him. "you look like you haven't really slept either." a comment made of observing him as he was joining the session for the day.
before she manages to place the last of his belongings in his bag, she notices a photograph. akari tucks some of her hair behind her ear and plucks up the picture in question. "this looks impressive. is it your submission for this week?" she wonders, hoping to distract him from the pain he must be feeling from that snag against the table.
as the reality of the situation settles in around him, junho unsurprisingly feels embarrassed-- walking into an object was one thing but to fall over like a piece of paper and even have the contents of his bag fall out? he really got a triple whammy of mortification and if he wasn't in pain, he would probably feel that even more. as it is though, he's too physically hurt to pay his emotions any mind right now.
"i can confirm it was--" he pauses to wince, the throbbing pain in his stomach a loud and consistent reminder, then continues, "--is--indeed painful." through his grimace, he manages to joke, and for that, he thanks his flexibility for that moment of quick thinking. "i mean, i'm not okay but i'll get over it." this kind of incident won't injure him after all, and the pain will go away eventually - although he might get a bruise from this in the worse case scenario.
"thank you though," he adds on, once he notices the other picking up his belongings and putting them back in his bag, before shrugging at akari's comment. "i was up late finishing some work." he doesn't say this to be dismissive, it's just that losing or forgetting to sleep was such a normal occurrence for junho that he just accepts it as a given constant in his life; sleep deprivation was basically synonymous with him so he no longer questioned or worried about it because it was so commonplace now.
he has to admit though, he thought he was better at managing and carrying himself so this wouldn't happen. yet he recalls the series of events that led to this interaction and he feels his face warming up again.
as junho quickly starts gathering the remainder of his possessions and dumps them into his bag without much thought (both to distract himself from his embarrassment--he couldn't even bring himself to look at the rest of the room around him and the other club members present at the time--and because he wants to move on from this ordeal), his actions still when he hears akari's comment, and lifts his head to look at her. "you think so?" junho looks surprised, not expecting the photo to have been noticed but also because it was being complimented.
photography was more of a idle hobby than something junho intended to take particularly seriously but he likes capturing moments he wants to remember so he wanted to make sure he taking them properly. "thanks," he smiles then nods. "i was taking a walk the other day and managed to catch the sunset on my phone since i didn't have a camera with me. the colours were really pretty so decided to print it out, but i'm glad it turned out well." by now, junho's gathered all his things sans the photo in question, so he decides to zip his bag shut and makes sure it's properly secure. "what are you submitting?"
☽༓･ ha ha hey guys..... so i ended up taking a little ghost hiatus because i was just sooo not in the rp brain + i ended up being quite busy towards the end of the last month anyways, so i didn't really have the energy to focus on writing much! since my hiatus is up now, i'm going to try to get back into the swing of things again so i have a few updates:
i still plan on following through with all the owed starters from my last starter call, they will just be coming at a probably slow pace! i tend to like looking at blogs/pages first to try and come up with a more fitting/personalized starter, unless an idea suddenly hits me when i start writing something so that usually takes me some time to do :')
i have completely lost track of who i was attempting to plot with since opening and never finished, and who is still around, so i'll put it out there that if you were someone i was plotting with and i haven't replied yet, please poke me so i know you're still interested! i'm honestly shy and embarrassed to come crawling back into dms after x weeks so please lmk if you still wanna put up with me 🥹🥹
lastly, event plotting! i put some ideas below for anyone interested, since i didn't really get to take advantage of yeonchella bc i was all over the place and couldn't focus on it back then & i hope to do better about events this time!
if i owe anyone a starter from said plot call i linked above, and you want it to be an event starter instead, let me know here and i'll prioritize that for now! we can plot for it too or i can write something random, just lmk!!
EVENT IDEAS
he 1000% was almost late for check in or the actual boarding on to the bus bc he slept in (most likely stayed up late the night before working on something or was last minute packing), prob slid in right at the literal last minute and has your muse to thank for it! maybe they checked in for him somehow so he could arrive a bit later, or they took it upon themselves to constantly message or call him repeatedly to make sure he wouldn't miss the bus; now he wants to thank them for their help and he owes them: What do they ask him to do in return.
they arrive at the retreat grounds and find out who their roommates are so junho sees his room and suddenly goes blank, like he just turned *off* and is staring wide eyed; your muse notices and wonders what's up, or they think he's being stupid and tease him but little did u know that junho is currently having a mental breakdown in his brain except he won't say a thing about it and would be like "ha ha wow crazy rooms, anyways what do u wanna do first?" and very pointedly does Not talk about going to the rooms to drop their stuff off first-- what's up with that???
exploring the grounds! junho has committed to enjoying the mt trip and not stay cooped up in his room all weekend bc this is a rare opportunity to (he's finally acting like a polaris member maybe) so he'll be very willing to tag along with others, do whatever they want to do, etc; he's a pretty easygoing and sociable person so he is down for Anything. i mean it (if u guys break the rules he won't say a thing!)
hiking.... that's gonna be a #no from him dawg not bc he's incapable of physical activity but he just doesn't have an interest/see the point HSDJHSJKD so maybe this is the one (1) thing he'd say no to, unless your muse somehow convinces him - or kidnaps him idk man! maybe they entice him with the lake and say it could be good for inspo or something (he will be Sceptical but what the hell sure i guess!)
he could be convinced to do the yoga tho like your muse would probably have to literally drag him out of bed for it bc it's at 8am but he wouldn't be mad about it???? he may not be very flexible tho... he do be sitting at his desk often after all
i think someone could also drag him to try outdoor painting! he makes music so like surely he must be creative artistically? (the truth: he can't draw for SHIT and your muse finds that hilarious. or feels bad for him. ur choice)
as for sports... again, he doesn't really mind but he's not doing it unless someone asks him to or they need an extra person to fill a team or something! he's probably like, average? not bad, not good but not *terrible* so he will do his best to pull his weight; maybe he makes a misstep or gets too absorbed and gets injured, or your muse does and he helps them out, or the reason your muse got hurt was *bc* of junho somehow so he feels guilty now and promises to make it up to your muse
during the trivia night, junho is so not invested in proving who's smarter so he will just be a casual bystander/participant LMFAO but maybe a polaris member who *is* invested gets on his ass to contribute more, or a lyra member starts arguing with him/is rude to him as a result of the trivia night and junho is like ??? chill ??? i am not ur enemy but now he doesn't wanna back down. or maybe your muse realizes junho is harmless and they laugh about it together afterwards!
oh also. junho is not a chef. he can do basic prep work and following instructions/recipes but he is heavily reliant on convenience store meals and food delivery normally, so he is not a talented or experienced cook; he can make a mean ramen with a bunch of toppings and side dishes etc to go with it tho!!!
bonfire shenanigans! i'm unfortunately beginning to draw a blank at this point but as always, i am happy to throw junho into anything for fun :---)
and ofc i can look at anyone else's event plot calls too if you have one, just link me it bc there is too much to backtrack on the dash for me so i fear i've missed a lot of posts...... 😭
contrary to what some might believe, junho does have other hobbies aside from music and staying cooped inside his room all the time. granted, he does do that a lot, but he also somehow finds a way to keep up with his studies and appear in all the clubs he's in frequently enough-- all while still managing to find sleep in between.
sometimes, he even wonders himself how he does it.
he supposes in exchange, of course it'd catch up to him eventually (and more often than he liked), and today was one such case as he walks into the photography club's meeting room with very obvious bags under his eyes despite his attempts to hide it with his reading glasses. if junho thinks he's doing a great job at not acting like he's exhausted as hell however, it all falls apart in the next second when he momentarily rubs at his eyes and simultaneously bumps into the corner of a table because he wasn't looking, immediately crumpling over like a paper ball.
letting out a loud yelp and falling to his knees--unintentionally dramatic--he holds his lower stomach that was what banged against the table and crouches over. "oh god," he groans out, only to realize a second later that the backpack that was hanging off his shoulder with one strap has slipped off. of course, to make matters worse, it was unzipped and the contents of his bag come sliding out. all while in the middle of the photography club.
it's mr. steal yo drink
imogen and junho ( @juunnam ) have an unfortunate run-in at a café
she's not really paying attention when the barista sets a drink by the pick-up counter, to engrossed by the video currently playing on her phone right now (it's a highlight reel of this past weekend's grand prix in belgium— can you really blame her zoning out?). imogen just assumes the drink is hers. she'd been too distracted to realize that someone else had walked into the small café and ordered something too. without even taking a look at the name scrawled across the cup, or what it actually is, she's going for a sip.
eyes widen the moment the liquid hits her tastebuds. not her drink. shit. imogen has to physically stop herself from spitting it out just out of pure reflex, hand clapping over her mouth. in perfect comedic timing, the barista is setting a new drink out on the pick-up counter, complete with a chipper little 'imogen! i have an iced vanilla latté for imogen!' eyes scan the room hurriedly, looking for whoever she just stole this drink from. she turns, only to be met with who she assumes is the victim of her thieving.
"um..." she smiles apologetically, eyes sparkling in a way that seems to plead 'don't hate me.' "i think this is yours..." she continues, lifting the cup up to finally read the name written on the side. "junho?" she cringes, holding up the drink. obviously, he can't drink it now. "i'm so sorry! i'll buy you a new one— anything! actually, not anything. whatever you just ordered was, like, kinda bad... respectfully! you should get something else. i'll pay!"
the whole scene plays out like a comedy, or even a sitcom; junho almost can't believe something like this is actually happening in real life - but it is, he responds to himself mentally, as he watches on in mild shock as someone else pick up his order and take a sip of it right as he was about to reach for it himself.
first, he wonders how the other had assumed the drinks was hers. didn't she hear that the name the barista called out was junho? then, he notices she seemed to be occupied with her phone--perhaps watching or reading something, he assumes--which answers that for him (she probably wasn't paying attention to names and just assumed the drink was hers, since she did order before him).
but just when he was about to tell her she grabbed the wrong drink, in the next second he witnesses her taking a sip from it-- and if he wasn't the victim of a stolen drink, he would've laughed at her obvious reaction to his order: a triple shot grape americano (it was some kind of limited special menu item he was curious about because he couldn't imagine how it'd taste). the situation only gets funnier when the barista sets down what junho assumes is the other's actual order, which only further proves that his drink would be a very stark difference from what she--imogen? he finally has a name for the offender--was probably expecting.
perhaps, the funniest part of this all however, is when imogen finally realizes she took his order and turns around to see him. junho almost lets out a laugh then, seeing her expression, but before he can say or do anything in response, he suddenly feels offended by what she says next. why, however, he's not sure; it's not like this was his regular order or something he knew he liked - he was just trying it out of something like morbid curiousity.
"uh, actually..." junho grimaces and shakes his head. "i just ordered it to see what it'd taste like," he admits, not wanting her to get the wrong idea about his tastes. after all, if he just wanted a coffee or something, he could've just went back to his dorm and made it himself. "but thanks for testing it for me, i guess?" is his follow up, a teasing smile appearing next. he isn't mad or annoyed, really; this whole situation was more hilarious than anything and he understands this drink switching mistake happens often - he's seen it happen enough when he also worked as a barista before.
"i guess i'll just have what you got, since you seem confident about your tastes," he answers finally, the teasing smile from before turning into a bigger grin. "respectfully."
she's not too sure how she had gotten herself into this situation ... is what she would like to say. but if she's honest, she had really just sort of ... lost track of things while at yeonchella today. she had worked a shift at the anime club's collab booth and then she had sort of just gotten sidetracked from everything else.
along with that, she had forgotten to eat ... and hydrate. thankfully yohan had quite literally stopped her from dying, and she'll have to go thank him once she's recovered from all of this. with some water in her system, she had managed to get home before literally almost passing out in her bed, only remembering to beg junho for some help through some probably full-of-typoes texts.
hearing the door open, jiahn peeks up from where she's burrowed under one of her cooling blankets and lets out a sound of relief, as if it could've been anyone else.
"i'm feeling kinda nauseous still," she complains, knowing full-well it was entirely her own fault but needing an outlet anyway. "can you just pass me one of the pocaris for now," she adds, sticking out a hand from underneath her makeshift blanket fort and waving it a little. "let me know how much it was and i'll transfer you when i can stand looking at my phone screen again."
when junho looks over at jiahn laying in her bed, he does feel bad; who wants to suffer from heat exhaustion? it makes you feel weak and miserable enough to not do anything, but you also can't do anything but lie down and rest which could easily get boring unless you sleep it off entirely. and judging by jiahn's response, you feel nauseous on top of that which is never a comfortable feeling.
"if i was a better person, i would scold you right now for not remembering to eat or hydrate when you spend all day outside under the sun but then i'd be a hypocrite," he says, the corner of his mouth turning up because he knows that she knows that they both regularly employ bad self-care habits. "but you really should eat something soon. you sure you didn't want soup instead?" junho hands over one of the pocari bottles as he asks this, just to be sure since he could still run out and get some, or maybe order delivery. he was getting kind of hungry too, now that he thinks about it.
"it's fine, don't worry about it," he waves off the other's offer to pay him back as he goes to sit next to the table, ready to pass jiahn anything she needs. none of things he bought cost a lot anyways, and despite his side hustle, he wasn't really super desperate for cash - or at the very least, not from his friends.
"you should pay for the next food run we do though." junho is grinning again, teasing but also knowingly, because he's pretty sure jiahn will want to pay him back somehow no matter what he says or does to stop her. at least eating together is something they can both benefit from.
☽༓･ *does the walk of shame onto dash after ghosting for so long despite my best intentions* hello... would anyone like a random starter..... 🥹 doesn't matter if we've plotted/semi plotted before (which tbf is not many of you because i am terrible at remembering to reply to messages, or lack the energy and brain power to do so most days) or not, just like this post if you want one! (new muses/members pls feel free too!!)
i really need to get off my ass and be a better plotter bc junho is soooo in need of more threads but bc i am my own worst enemy and a pro at self sabotage, i am here begging to write starters instead hehe 👉👈 so pls take pity on me and let me write u something <3
"aren't you half the reason why our collection is so big?" junho returns, a brow arched but not in an accusing way; it was simply a fact that jiahn had dabbled in decorating ceramics at some point-- or was it actual pottery she was into? she had gone through so many ideas in the time they've known each other that admittedly, some things started blurring together. the only proof that they had all happened is how much stuff they've accumulated because of all her ventures since junho liked hanging on to any gift he's given by a friend.
either way, he had received some of her earliest works when she was just getting started so in addition to his own purchases, they had amassed quite a selection of mugs. it was a wonder, really, how they managed to store so much in their single, shared dorm - but he supposes that's also why he and jiahn work so well as roommates. not only did they have similar sleep habits and schedules, they have also somehow figured out how to live in their organized chaos and clutter without complaint.
junho can only laugh at how jiahn had apparently forgotten her entire purpose for returning to their dorm so dramatically because it was very like her to. he'd gotten used to it though so it doesn't phase him anymore; he only nods and waits for her to give him what she made, his expression curious and a little expectant. taking the bag offered to him, he immediately opens it and sees...
"a marshmallow?" are the first words that come out of his mouth, unable to hold back his first impressions. junho blinks slowly as he fully takes in the little palm-sized plushie then looks up from it to jiahn with a blank face. "are you saying i remind you of a marshmallow?" it is cute though, that much he can tell, but-- "what is it, exactly?"
"okay, but that's besides the point," she says dismissively, knowing that he's right. she had dabbled in decorating ceramics at point and had tried a bunch of different glazes at a local studio, and had ended up keeping the mugs that hadn't turned out too great. she guesses she could donate them or something, but she thinks they give their room some personality.
not that it being split down the middle helps that at all. her sides with her many crafting materials and kpop posters and plushies and his side with his actual computer with music making things that she doesn't try to understand. either way, she likes the mug collection and she's not looking forward to the day that she has to figure out who's taking what.
that's a problem for future!jiahn though.
"i guess you can call it that," jiahn nods slowly, also peering inside as if she had forgotten what she had made. "i was dabbling in making plushies and thought this shape was easy to make," she says, shrugging a little but she grins afterwards at his reaction.
"i mean, doesn't it look so polite? i feel like it gives nam junho vibes, you know?" she's not sure if he gets what she's saying but she doesn't really have much more to elaborate on, nor does she have much more time to spend here when she sees the time on the clock on her desk.
"oh—i gotta go," she says, grabbing the coffee she had set aside, wanting to make sure she didn't forget it. "thank you for the coffee! enjoy the plushie...?" she tacks on afterwards, laughing a little before waving and then heading out.
☽༓･ BIG APOLOGIES FOR HOW MIA I'VE BEEN OMG i am just a slow person and only have sporadic bursts of energy to write/plot... sdlajsdad i do have some plotting messages i still need to reply to which is why i only have two threads going on rn (aha) so until i finish responding to those (and i put up an official yeonchella plot call/get the brainpower to go through everyone else's), i'm going to do a quick starter call! please reply with a word for a random starter that i'll base off of it + let me know if you'd like it related to the event or not! if nothing's specified, it'll be a surprise (altho pls do lmk if you have a preference if possible bc i don't want to give someone a starter they didn't want for something specific u know)!!! capping at... 3? 4? 5? for now idk we'll see but any replies past the first whatever number might get a starter anyways if i'm feeling spicy 🥴
☽༓･ reblogging this since i've written all the starters previously owed from this the first time! starters going forward will not be yeonchella related bc of the deadline but i'll try pulling smth out of my brain for it lol so like before, please reply with a word for a random starter based off it! if you'd like to plot instead (or continue plotting bc i never messaged you back) then please like this post so i know it's ok to come bother you again :')
truly, genuinely, junho wonders how jiahn gets herself into these situations; it's like she has no self awareness about her well being (which, his brain reminds him, he's not particularly any better at but this isn't about him!) as he re-reads the message he had gotten from her, asking for a list of things to bring back to the dorm because she somehow got heat exhaustion from working at the anime club's booth all day and now she's resting back at their dorm but she can't--or well, shouldn't--get up.
she truly amazes him sometimes.
junho treks back with a plastic bag filled with her snacks and drinks of choice, as well as hydration drinks and the apparently most important request: chicken nuggets which he really had to go out of his way for.
"delivery for shin jiahn," he says as monotonously as possible as he lets himself into their room, making a big show of dropping the bag on the table loudly like it was a big favour to her. "even the chicken nuggets which i definitely didn't eat one of." he didn't actually but jiahn doesn't need to know that. "do you want to eat now or later?"
maybe junho should say no more often because for whatever reason, he had said yes to a game of truth or dare and now here he is, at the kissing booth, waiting for his turn next. maybe he could blame it on the yeonchella air, as everyone was saying? because he should know better that any game of truth or dare would never be harmless and yet he still agreed to it like a fool.
at the same time, he reasons this is probably a pretty mild dare he got - plus he would be supporting whatever sports team was on shift at the time. school spirit and all that! yeah!
he steps up for his turn and settles on a neutral smile. junho didn't really have a preference for who was at the booth right now, considering he'd be fine with anyone but the idea of a kissing booth in general makes him a little nervous (he will not elaborate why though, thank you very much).
"hi," he starts off with, hopefully not sounding awkward. "could i ask for you to put me in a chokehold?" he asks next in a rush while also trying to maintain a completely normal voice because he is going to be so normal about this.
in an unexpected turn of events, junho is the one being asked if he's okay (he is, technically, but also not because of the metaphoric--and literal--mess he's made) so he doesn't know how to respond for a moment, caught off guard by the reaction. at least his brain is alert enough to take back the bottle that's handed to him, albeit wordlessly as he tries to process what's going on. he had anticipated anger or annoyance or something like that, not this kindness (in junho's eyes anyways) - but he should be thankful, not confused.
"oh, uh, yes?" he finally manages to answer, head tilting slightly as he grips the bottle tighter. "maybe the heat has gotten to me more than i thought...?" it's possible, really, since he was feeling a little delirious from his air conditioner breaking and then having to walk outside in this heat until he got to the convenience store. the coldness inside was only a short reprieve since he knew he had to leave eventually and then this incident happened right after, as if a mere portion of a whirlwind of unfortunate events destined to happen to him.
before he can say anything else though, the person he's run into is telling him to wait and then enters the store junho had just exited, leaving him there, confused. he's not sure if the other had heard him mention the dry cleaning so because he still feels responsible and that he should do something in apology, he remains standing there until the man returns.
once again, he's surprised by the other's actions and while slow to accept the items at first, eventually takes them with a bow of his head. "thank you... i'm the one who messed up but you're doing all this for me instead," he says, apologetically and also in awe. junho is beginning to think of all the people he could've bumped into, he's lucky it was this person. this could have taken a terribly awful turn but it was resulting in a better than anticipated conclusion, which has him finally smiling a little.
"i definitely owe you either way," junho insists as he puts the ice pack around his neck and feels instant relief. the heat suddenly becomes just a bit more bearable. "if not for the shirt then this," he gestures to his neck with one hand then lifts up the popsicle with the other. then he shoves the bottle in the crook of his elbow and holds it against himself as he takes the other's phone and enters his number in.
as he hands the phone back and looks up at the man again, junho's brain starts to melt away like the fog on a mirror clearing up and then it hits him. "oh--! now i know why you looked familiar to me!" he exclaims, eyes wide and expression as if he just had an eureka moment (to be honest, he kind of did). "i've seen you around campus before, i think?" although he couldn't put a name to the face still, junho at least remembers seeing him before... somewhere, surely. "that'll make it easier for me to repay you sometime!"
"aren't you half the reason why our collection is so big?" junho returns, a brow arched but not in an accusing way; it was simply a fact that jiahn had dabbled in decorating ceramics at some point-- or was it actual pottery she was into? she had gone through so many ideas in the time they've known each other that admittedly, some things started blurring together. the only proof that they had all happened is how much stuff they've accumulated because of all her ventures since junho liked hanging on to any gift he's given by a friend.
either way, he had received some of her earliest works when she was just getting started so in addition to his own purchases, they had amassed quite a selection of mugs. it was a wonder, really, how they managed to store so much in their single, shared dorm - but he supposes that's also why he and jiahn work so well as roommates. not only did they have similar sleep habits and schedules, they have also somehow figured out how to live in their organized chaos and clutter without complaint.
junho can only laugh at how jiahn had apparently forgotten her entire purpose for returning to their dorm so dramatically because it was very like her to. he'd gotten used to it though so it doesn't phase him anymore; he only nods and waits for her to give him what she made, his expression curious and a little expectant. taking the bag offered to him, he immediately opens it and sees...
"a marshmallow?" are the first words that come out of his mouth, unable to hold back his first impressions. junho blinks slowly as he fully takes in the little palm-sized plushie then looks up from it to jiahn with a blank face. "are you saying i remind you of a marshmallow?" it is cute though, that much he can tell, but-- "what is it, exactly?"
considering how much time junho spends inside, cooped up in his own room or a studio, it's probably not surprising that he's not particularly fond of summer. it's way too hot to do anything except maybe go to the beach or a pool or water park or something like that, otherwise the heat and humidity just gives him even more incentive to stay indoors where the air conditioner is.
so of course, it just had to break during a really hot day. obviously.
and that's how junho finds himself begrudgingly leaving the studio to go buy a good fan to use until he could get the a/c fixed. the moment he stepped outside, he felt like he was going to melt instantly - so he wandered into the nearest convenience store and promptly picked up a popsicle and ice cold drink.
it's when he's left and has the popsicle hanging from his mouth, his lips the only thing holding on to it, that he just has to bump into someone because of course he would; what else would go wrong today?
"shit, sorry," he mumbles out, the popsicle still in between his lips-- or was, anyways, as he watches it break off from the stick in slow motion, a terrified look on his face as he watches it melt right onto the shirt of the person he's just bumped into. "oh, shit," he repeats the curse with more feeling (and also cursing how things just had to come in threes, apparently - good or bad).
quickly, he reaches out to try and do something but all that results in is the bottle he was holding on to dropping to the ground next. at least it wasn't open yet though, so there's that, he supposes. and then he realizes he has nothing on him to help clean because he really only had his phone, keys, and wallet on him. classic.
"sorry, i'm going through it right now, i think," he apologizes again, this time finally looking up at the person and realizing he looks familiar - but perhaps because he's too frazzled right now, junho can't place who or where or how he might know the other. he squints then shakes his head, opting to bow slightly instead. "i don't have anything to help clean but i can pay for your dry cleaning or something if you let me know how much is costs? i can give you my number," he decides on offering, since he should be the one taking responsibility for this.
"negative 5 is not a real answer," junho deadpans with an unimpressed expression to match - as if he has any room to speak on good sleep habits (he doesn't). "but good luck getting through your class today," he snorts and begins making jiahn her coffee without another word. even if he hasn't worked at a cafe for a couple of years now, he hadn't lost his touch since he kept making his own drinks to keep himself--and now jiahn, too, ever since they started rooming together--awake through his (their) countless sleepless nights.
another benefit of having worked at a cafe: he's gotten very quick at whipping up a coffee in no time so by the time jiahn is done with... whatever she was doing in a rush before she'd have to leave for class, junho's handing her a freshly brewed coffee in a travel mug-- just in case.
"so what is this trinket you made with me in mind?" he finally asks; he was curious about it the entire time. as much as he likes teasing jiahn or acting like he's doing her a great favor by accepting the various gifts and things she's made over time every time she starts a new business venture, he really does like seeing what she comes up with. he also hopes that one of her ideas will hit eventually so if he has to buy one of everything new she makes, then so be it. "is it something super handsome like me?" he grins, pretending to look--and sound--cocky but junho knows jiahn will probably just roll her eyes at him or go along with it for fun.
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