Having been relentlessly bullied for as long as he can remember, Bomin has sadly become used to dealing with wrathful fire when it comes to interactions with others. Sure, over the last few years, it hasn’t been too much of an issue since he’s been lucky enough to find people with common interests, ones that he can lean on, but throughout his life, his peers have consistently chosen him to be their coveted punching bag. Hell, even a couple of his close friends have told him that they, too, find him to be pretty ❛ bully-able ❜ because it’s fun to see how he reacts to harsh words, playful jabs, and roughhousing. It’s something that he’s not ever been able to escape or evade, much to his chagrin. Though, the one silver lining to all of this is that these experiences have given him a thicker skin — one that still gets easily scraped and punctured occasionally depending on the severity of the taunting, but it’s far stronger than it was when he was a kid. For that, he’s thankful. However, there’s something specifically jarring about the way that Subin is coming at him. It makes him feel really, really low, and though he tries to take it in stride, the expressions coloring his face are making his feelings quite 𝐎𝐁𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒, and he wonders if his senior is able to pick up on that. Maybe that’s what’s making this worse.
Swallowing nervously, he listens to the berating words that are thrown at him and frowns; his mood and excitement for seeing Sunghoon completely obliterated. ❝ I’m sorry — I really don’t mean to be a bother… ❞ He offers, raising his hands in the air as if they are white flags begging for a truce. ❝ I don’t think what you’re saying about Sunghoon is true… and I don’t know why you’re being so mean to me when I haven’t done anything to you… ❞ Bomin hates that he’s getting so emotionally flooded in this moment since he knows that, if he remained strong and didn’t allow these comments to burn him, he wouldn’t add anymore fuel to the fire. A lump begins to form in his throat, but he ignores it; crossing his arms over his chest in insecurity. He’s afraid of saying anything off-color to his senior as he doesn’t want to seem disrespectful, even if he, himself, is on the receiving end of such 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐒 treatment. ❝ How does offering to help you clean make me desperate ? I just don’t want to be rude since I’m taking up space here. Is that not enough to convince you that I’m genuinely not here just to make your day worse ? ❞ Bomin counters, his tone high-pitched and nervous.
He doesn’t know why he follows the older of them into his bedroom, but he does — a little too afraid to leave now that his ❛ services ❜ have been accepted. What’s he gotten himself into ? He has no idea, but he hopes that by being a good sport, he can turn their dynamic into one that’s more friendly instead of entirely malicious. When he’s met with the state of Subin’s side of the room, though, he’s not exactly surprised that it’s so messy, but he does wonder how anyone could feel comfortable living in such a 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐂 environment. ❝ Aren’t you going to stay in here and help me, or are you just making me clean your room for you ? I don’t think that’s very fair if that’s your plan… ❞ Bomin can’t help but wonder if his queries will only continue to infuriate his senior or not, but he doesn’t want to be taken advantage of.
subin, who was probably born just to be lazy, really picked the wrong profession for someone who hated doing even the bare minimum of tasks. while he had mastered the art of appearing to be energetic and upbeat, especially onstage, it was very rare that he had the energy or willpower to do much of anything when he was behind closed doors. so, while putting on pants was the socially acceptable thing to do in the current situation, his disdain for bending over to pick up a wrinkled pair from the floor was winning. nudging at a pair with his bare foot, and then attempting to pick it up with his toes, he isn’t exactly aware that his actions were odd. and even if someone had pointed them out at such, then he’d be ready to go on a tirade about how he didn’t have to act a certain way to impress them. the funny thing was, that if he were on the outside looking in at his own life, then he’d realize how foolish his actions were. but with his pride blinding him, there was nothing stopping him from acting the way that he did.
despite the fact that he knew nothing about you, subin hadn’t expected you to react the way that you did. he figured that you’d be more the type to laugh off the insults and still try to become his friend. at least that scenario sounded a lot more entertaining than having to put up with your whining. he rolls his eyes, looking away from the floor to meet your gaze. “what makes you think that i’m being mean to you?” he raises his eyebrows before tilting his head to the side. playing clueless was a natural talent of his that he had mastered during his high school years. not that any of his teachers ever believed the innocent act when it was coming from him. if a fellow student came to them bruised and bloodied, then subin was always the first suspect. “last time i checked, you’re the one who made themselves at home where they don’t belong. since you’re obviously so comfortable here, i figured that we don’t have to speak formally to each other.” he blinks slowly, speaking calmly. but there was no sincerity behind his words. “and since we’re just so close, i should be honest with you, right? i should let you know that you should learn some manners before walking into a place that you don’t belong.”
he’d normally find this all to be so exciting. putting people in their place was, after all, his favorite thing to do. but there was something about your constant rebuttals that was only making his mood sour even more. he’d rather you nod along with everything that he said, and just admit that you were a worthless little pain in the neck. rolling his eyes, he continues to face you so that you could see his expression of annoyance. “yeah, actually, it’s not enough to convince me of anything. because if you were even half-normal, then you’d probably clue into the fact that there’s nothing here for you. but you’re apparently so desperate for company, that it doesn’t even bother you.” he backs up until he’s able to sit on the edge of his bed. he has to squirm up a bit to find a spot that isn’t covered in some kind of debris. “oh, and you’ve already made my day worse.” he puts on a sarcastic smile for only a moment before it disappears and he falls back onto the unkept bed.
“you’re talking about me like i’m some kind of monster.” he scoffs, now murmuring his words. “do you know anyone else who’d let an annoying stranger into their room? and i’m even letting you move all my stuff around. c’mon, i’m doing this out of the good of my heart since you don’t have any friends to spend this time with.” he juts out his lower lip, his pout meant to be a mocking feature paired perfectly with his harsh words. “the world isn’t fair? if it was, do you really think that you’d still be a pathetic trainee?”