A Slideshow of Road Lines {1}
Synopsis: They say oil and water don’t mix. What about oil paint and engines? He’s an artist reaching toward his dream while the girl with an engine heart is too busy trying to get her hands on the wheel. Is there a way for them to hold onto each other?
Word Count: 6.1k words
Pairing: Chris x Reader (yes, that is what I call him. I apologize if you prefer calling him Chan or Bang Chan)
Genre: college!au, artist!Chris, angst
Warnings: Alcohol, Language. Further warnings in later chapters.
Author’s Note: I’ve never done what I’m about to do with this work, which is to have several chapters of a series. The chapters will be on the shorter side, which is also very unlike me. I truly adore how this story is going and I can’t wait to further explore this world. I won’t be following any posting schedules, but there should be regular updates. Without further ado, let’s see where this road takes us. ~ Angelo
!IMPORTANT NOTE! If any of you have read my Hold a Heart, Bear the Burden series, this takes on a similar format. However, this story is taking place in TWO DIFFERENT TIMES instead of two different povs. When you see these flowers ❁, the story is shifting from present to past. There will also be a Then next to the day in order to further indicate that. If you have any questions, let me know!
DAY 1
She is a butterfly, beautiful and catastrophic.
What were the last words he said to her? Ah, it’s all a blur now. How can she remember, when it’s been so long, she can’t recall his facial features anymore?
“Y/N. Come on. Talk to me.”
She swats her roommate’s hands away as she swats away her sanity. Ignoring Chuu’s look of exasperation, she continues the sway of her hips as her arms snake toward the ceiling. Dancing in the middle of their living room, putting on a show like she’s the only one there.
Except she isn’t alone. And there isn’t any music playing.
The night wasn’t supposed to unfold like this, mostly blaming it on her tsunami of thoughts. From the moment she’s heard the news, the tether to him tugged her and reminded her of its owner. It slithered up from her heart and around her neck, suffocating her.
It’s been two and half years. She thought enough time had passed. It’s evident that isn’t the case, because hearing his name tonight had caused rain to fall from the ceiling and the flood to rise in her lungs.
Even with all this time and distance between them, Chris still stains her brain like permanent ink...or poison. Poison is probably more accurate.
Isn’t drinking supposed to make her forget?
When she feels Chuu’s hand graze hers once more, she snaps like the bond between her and Chris had so long ago.
“This is bullshit!” Her scream stills the storm, but only for a moment.
It only captures a snapshot of a moment. Chuu’s eyebrows are locked in a frown, hands outstretched like that of a needy child. Who is the real child?
Her other roommate Minnie is fanning her hands down at their guests Y/N had forgotten about, as if she’s avoiding a fire from spreading. What are those guys’ names again? She groggily searches her muddled mind, only remembering Minnie’s excited smile as she introduced one of them as her boyfriend.
It doesn’t take a genius to know Y/N isn’t taking Chris’s return well.
“I’m… sorry,” The words are miles apart, so distant she’s unsure if they come from her. The tsunami strikes shore just as Chuu’s face settles into one of understanding. Glancing at Minnie’s scornful glare sobers Y/N up a little. Chuu chooses to ignore their other and judgmental roommate, hands patiently waiting for her.
“I’ll walk you guys out,” Minnie makes it a note to speak pointedly as she escorts the two young men Y/N can barely remember to the front door.
The imaginary music fades from her mind at the slam of the front door. When had she got down from the coffee table? The ceiling is spinning. Has it always been so cracked, so ugly? Raindrops are falling from it and splashing her cheeks.
“The ceiling is crying,” She tells Chuu.
Chuu, her saving grace, fills her vision. Patting down Y/N’s face with a tissue improves the state of her damp face. Not enough, it seems, the rain continuing its downpour.
“I’m here, Y/N. You’re not alone.”
“He left me, Chuu,” Sitting up, the waves crash into her so hard she slams back down onto the couch. The ceiling listens to her elegy without judgment. “Am I supposed to brush it off like- like- like we never knew each other? Like we didn’t love each other? That’s the hardest request anyone has ever given me. And of all people, he was the one to request that of me. No- No, I was the one to request it. He may have left, but I left him first.”
“Y/N-”
Y/N manages to sit up, leaning heavily on Chuu as she looks into her roommate’s startled gaze. “He was always destined for the beauty of the world. He convinced me there is more, that immortality lies beyond our understanding. He chose that over me. He told me he never would. But he did. And it’s my own fault.”
Y/N searches Chuu’s gaze, wondering if it makes any sense to her. It likely doesn’t, but it doesn’t matter.
What matters is she understands.
“Was I a mistake to him?”
Chuu doesn’t answer.
“Is he a mistake to me?”
Silence. The ceiling showers her with gentle rainfall.
“Not possible. He’s…” Her eyelids suddenly grow massively heavy, heavier than that backpack she used to carry around in middle school. “He’s my favorite chapter. He’s… he’s the pen.”
Just like that, the butterfly is gone.
DAY 2
Something is crying, her body is heavy as if she’s submerged in a pool, and there’s an ache in her neck begging for attention. Peeling her eyes open, her gaze slides over the boring ceiling before heading downward. After giving her brain a moment to kickstart, she realizes the crying is her phone blaring its ringtone.
Making a note to change the horrid sound later, she moves to grab it- well, she thinks she does until she realizes her right arm is completely void of any feeling. Picking it up with her left hand, she watches as its slack body falls back to her side. The phone going off again is enough to make her snap. Instead, she slowly sits up, the flimsy blanket covering her pooling around her stomach.
Ignoring the incessant knocking in her skull, she lazily fumbles for her phone as the needles start prickling throughout her right arm. Trying to speak is a feat, so instead she trudges to the kitchen for a glass of water as she accepts the call.
“Y/N! I’ve been outside the fucking door for twenty five minutes. I would’ve started banging on it if I was in the mood to deal with Minnie’s bullshit. I locked myself out again.”
Taking her time, Y/N slowly drinks a mouthful from her cup, pauses, then drinks some more.
“Y/N? I’m not playing around. I had a shitty night and-”
Swinging the front door open, she comes face to face with Yeji, the fourth roommate and permanent resident in her life.
“You look like-”
“Shit. I get it,” Y/N cuts her off, turning around and heading back to the kitchen. She listens as Yeji closes and locks the front door, kicking off her shoes and hanging up her keys. She isn’t surprised at the sound of her following. Y/N silently watches as her roommate watches her back, taking a seat at the dining table tucked in the corner.
Rubbing at her neck, Y/N’s eyes dance away, which so happens to direct her gaze to the refrigerator door.
“Did I wake you up?”
“It’s whatever,” Y/N looks down into her empty cup, needing more water. Shuffling over to their water cooler, she pours herself more, stopping when she senses Yeji behind her.
“Sorry. I didn’t realize you were… you know.” Y/N blinks at her words, realizing she’s trying to show she cares. Yeji looks away before holding up a finger, “I actually have the perfect hangover remedy.”
“Really? I thought you never drank.”
Yeji crosses her arms, narrowing her eyes. “And?”
Y/N walks past her with one hand up in surrender, taking Yeji’s previous spot at the table. “Just saying.”
Silence stretches between them as Yeji gets to work. Y/N doesn’t bother making small talk, sipping quietly at her water as she waits. Truthfully, she isn't sure what to make of this exchange.
Best friends or not, things have been off-key between them for a while now. Nothing happened between them, no falling out or argument. It was just… off these days.
The thought of last night hits her over the head like her hangover. The worst part of this ruthless torture is she remembered every single part of the night before. Isn’t drinking supposed to make her forget?
She hasn’t realized Yeji is sitting across from her until she slides a plate in front of her. Toast lathered with butter, two boiled eggs, and cut up strawberries. Her heart tugs, recognizing the breakfast from the many sleepovers growing up.
“Thank you.”
Yeji waves her off. As Y/N bites into an egg, she senses her friend is about to speak. Just as the difficulty of chewing the yolk kicks in, Yeji’s voice fills the void.
“I heard from Jin who’s back in town.”
It’s hard to swallow, and not only because hard boiled eggs are unnecessarily difficult to eat.
Y/N tries to play it off with looking unbothered, her heart rate picking up. What is her deal? Why is it so hard to breathe? Avoiding Yeji’s pointed stare, she only meets her gaze over the rim of her cup as she takes the opportunity to catch her breath.
“Did drinking last night have anything to do with that?”
Stabbing a strawberry a little too hard, she braces herself for impact before meeting Yeji’s gaze and deadpanning, “What do you think?”
Yeji is never one to beat around the bush. What is she playing at this morning? Is their friendship so off that she can’t be her usual upfront self?
They are dancing around each other at this point, Y/N trying to finish her food quickly as she keeps an eye on Yeji for any mind tricks. Her friend’s arms are crossed atop the table, chipped nail polish drawing attention to her impatient fingers tapping at her forearm.
“What do you want me to say, Yeji?” Y/N finally breaks, setting her fork down.
“What do you want to say?”
“Oh, quit bullshitting me. Everything you do is calculated. Even offering to make me breakfast wasn’t out of the kindness of your heart. The moment you saw me, you waited for the opportunity to bring him up!”
She’s gone and done it now, but it’s too late to backtrack. Yeji is in the midst of a look of disgust, and Y/N is too upset to care as the chair screeches as she stands. Her friend mirrors her, cutting off her escape right as she reaches the stairs. Of course they had to live in a townhouse. Even if they didn’t, there is never a clean escape when it came to the girl in front of her.
“I’m sorry you’re not exactly jumping for joy that Chris is back, but that doesn’t mean you take it out on me.”
Y/N forces a laugh out, hiding her fear at the realization that Yeji is bringing him up for a reason.
“Spare me the pity. Why did you bring him up?”
Yeji pauses. Nausea rises in Y/N’s stomach. Is Y/N being too much?
She’s the one to avoid Y/N’s gaze now, feigning confidence. “I-I knew you wouldn’t be okay. That’s all.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, I’m not stupid, you know.”
Y/N mumbles beneath her breath, “I couldn’t tell,” and she wonders if Yeji chooses to ignore it.
“Hyunjin isn’t the only person you can count on to be there for you, you know. And if anyone has been there for you, it hasn’t been him. It’s been me.”
Wrong move. Not that Yeji is winning this chess match whatsoever. Mentioning Hyunjin is giving up her queen in the midst of their match. Check. Bringing up Hyunjin is sensitive, because usually she brings up her cousin out of spite.
“You know nothing,” Y/N’s voice quivers with anger, not even letting her open her mouth before she shoves past her and up the stairs.
“Y/N! Y/N, wait! Are you seriously going to walk away- we’re not done-”
Somehow, she manages to make it to her room on the third floor without vomiting or passing out. Slamming her door signals they are just that- done. Checkmate.
Throwing herself across the bed, she fights with all her energy to stop from crying. She’s being pathetic, after all. So what? Chris is back. And not just for some brief visit or to show his face to everyone else but her (like he did these past couple of years). He’s back for good- at least, that’s what Hyunjin’s texts implied.
Wiping her face with her sleeve, she pulls out her phone to check her notifications. As she scrolls through them, she ignores the sound of Minnie stomping down from the second floor to scream at Yeji about waking her up. She ignores Chuu’s knock at her door that follows shortly after, the one she saw coming.
She doesn’t even listen for when the yelling stops. Eventually, it just does.
Time passes as she lays there, turning her screen on and off. Holding off for as long as she could, it doesn’t take long at all for her to give in and open up her messages with Hyunjin.
Her eyes dance over his words over and over, the text that had set her off the night before. When he had first texted, she immediately knew he was acting strange.
She and Hyunjin had never said it aloud, because if they did Yeji would lose her mind, but the two of them are the closest out of the trio. Yeji already has a one up on Y/N considering she’s cousins with him. Blood relations meant they’re bound by destiny. When Y/N told him that, Hyunjin always argued that would mean Yeji had a one up on him because she met Y/N first.
They don’t have to say it aloud. They were in sync the moment they first met.
Which is why she knows him from head to toe, and knew how he started their conversation last night was off.
At first, he had called. Picking up the phone and picking up on his tone went hand and hand. He had tried so hard to keep his voice steady, she could feel that too. Hyunjin had always been the easiest to read between the three of them. When he had sensed her suspicion he had made some lame excuse about calling her back and then proceeded to continue their conversation over text.
Honey
I need to tell you something. Delivered at 8:54 PM
There’s but a few sentences a person can receive over text that gives them a heart attack. That sentence is one of them.
Y/N remembers how hard it was to stay calm as she texted him back as casually as she could, asking him what’s up.
Honey
I don’t know how else to put it so I’m just going to say it.
Chris is back now. Delivered at 8:57 PM
It had taken an hour long walk and a shower before she had responded to him with, That’s great.
She’s sure Hyunjin knows it isn’t great, not to her. Since then, she hasn't answered any of his texts or calls. There aren't many, but he was ignored enough to get the message.
What’s she supposed to say? Not just to Hyunjin, but to everyone? She can’t even articulate what she’s feeling to herself, let alone to her friends. The real question is, what did this mean? If he’s back, what does that mean to her?
“What does that have to do with me?” She confesses to her ceiling. Everything.
She laughs at the brutal honesty. The ceiling is right. It has everything to do with her. As Chris used to famously remind her, she was everything to him. And he, to her.
❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁
Day 1, Then
She was a historian, studious and scholarly. That’s what she tried to tell herself as she scrolled through endless online journals, looking for anything she could use in the essay that had her on the verge of crying.
A few months into university, and she thought it would eventually get easier. Of course, she had qualms about why she was a STEM major who was required to take a history course, but that didn’t stop her from working hard.
Just one more paragraph.
She stared at the winking cursor, every minute passed signifying a millenia going by. In the last month, there wasn’t a single assignment she was happy with, but she supposed it had to do. At least she was completing her work, after all.
For once, she decided to keep her phone on, making it impossibly easy for Yeji to pester her. So far, she was able to ignore it. After her phone buzzed for the eighth time, she picked it up without even checking the ID.
“Yes?”
“Did you really think I was going to let you off that easy?”
The thorn in her side since birth made way for the biting tone. That was the sweetest way she could describe Yeji.
“I held out hope. Guess I was wrong,” Y/N said distractedly, reading the last sentence she had typed out. Her eyes trailed up, frowning when it said last save was twenty minutes ago.
“You realize that you promised me you would ignore homework for one night. Just one. And you’re already breaking that promise.”
Y/N’s face scrunched up at Yeji’s tone. “Don’t you think you’re being a little dramatic? I told you I have a lot to do this week. I have two papers due by Sunday and an exam next Tuesday-”
“Yeah, yeah. You’re always busy, Y/N. That’s not new. But that doesn’t stop your movie nights with Hyunjin. Or when you spend time with Lu. You expect me to meet these douchebags on my own?” She had hissed the last part, but Hyunjin had always had perfect hearing. His scolding in the background was exactly what she expected, and it’s what she heard a moment later.
Ignoring Yeji’s whining, she cut in, “My roommate's name is Chuu, by the way-” she started typing distractedly as she added- “Put Jin on the phone.”
“Why? Just so he can convince you in one word while it’s super easy for you to reject me?”
“Yeji, sweetie,” Y/N skimmed over her paragraph before holding the phone in between her neck and shoulder blade, fingers racing across her keyboard, “Jealousy is not a good look on you.”
“Go for Hyunjin,” His muffled voice was masked likely by whatever snack he was shoving in his mouth. For as long as she knew him, he had never managed to break out of his snacker phase.
“Can you pretend that I’m considering going out even though I fully intend on staying in?”
“You should come out with us. I mean, I know school is important for us all, but I haven’t seen your face in years.”
Y/N deadpanned, “We had lunch together two days ago. You’re both being too dramatic for my taste.”
“You don’t have to come out. If it’s really urgent for you to hole yourself up in your room, that is.” Always the sweetest, she never had to worry about him understanding. “I don’t think it’ll kill you to come out for one night. There’s always a next time, of course-” Yeji arguing with his words made him snap before returning to his sweet self- “Anyways, I miss you too. A lot. We can’t be a trio when we’re missing the best one out of all of us.”
“I am right here, Hyun. Shouldn’t I be your favorite, ya know, since we’re blood related?” Yeji was closer to the phone now, Y/N too entertained by their banter to focus on her assignment any longer.
“That’s exactly why you aren’t,” He scoffed.
Y/N tuned out their arguments for a few moments, typing away. Ignoring the disappointment at her choice, she shook it off as she said, “I’ll catch you later, Honey. Okay?”
“Of course.”
~~~~
Swinging open her dorm door, a frown pulled at Y/N’s eyebrows at the sight of two very familiar faces in front of her. Hyunjin shuffled from one foot to the other, an apologetic smile awkwardly teetering on his lips. Y/N’s eyes slid over to Yeji, head high as she stood unashamed and proud. Narrowing her eyes at the woman, she pulled the door closer to her, no intention of inviting them inside.
That’s when Y/N noticed two unfamiliar faces behind her two best friends. The one nearest Hyunjin was a flower pre-bloom, hand fiddling with his sweater sleeve, round glasses sliding down his face. He was quite handsome, his facial features contrasting with his softer style.
The guy behind Yeji exuded confidence. Or cockiness. She didn’t know yet, but figured she’d find out eventually. Head tilted upward, stance commanding the wall he leaned up against to support him instead of the other way around. Eyes sharp as an eagle, watching her. Basically, the exact opposite of the other stranger.
“I tried to tell her.” Hyunjin blurted, pinning the blame.
Yeji spared a glare at her cousin before flashing her famous charming smile at Y/N. It didn’t work, an uncontrollable sigh slipping from Y/N’s lungs.
“Yeji, I told you that-”
“Yeah, I know, but it’s a Friday night. You can spend an hour or two with us.”
They fell into tension, a wave of frustration washing over Y/N. Yeji really knew how to get on her nerves.
Hyunjin’s gaze flickered between them, always on the forefront and ready to diffuse. “We’re going to play Mortal Kombat 11 at Jisung’s. I figured you might want to come.”
Tempting. Y/N softened at the sight of him, his face innocent and his intentions pure. She wondered how he and Yeji were blood related sometimes.
“I’m Jisung,” The confident/cocky one from behind Yeji chimed in, eagle eyes morphing into a boy next door. That might be an issue.
“Y/N.” She offered up a small smile, glancing back in her dorm room with longing. Refusing to look at Yeji, she studied Hyunjin- the only sane person in front of her, it seemed. Yeji was right about one thing: Hyunjin was her soft spot and always would be.
“Give me a few minutes to change. And then we can head out.”
“And the entourage gets bigger,” Jisung’s eyes flashed. Yeji rolled her eyes.
Casting them one glance, Y/N regretted her decision the moment she closed her door. No going back now.
~~~~
“Oh, come on! That was some bullshit.” Hyunjin called out, tossing the controller aside as Jisung whooped in victory.
“What did I say? Doesn’t matter who I go against. I can kick anyone’s ass if I’m using Scorpion.”
Y/N sipped at her soda, very amused by the debacle in front of her. Jisung and Changbin’s dorm wasn’t too spacious, only slightly bigger than hers, but it was filled with character. Changbin’s side of the room, she quickly learned, was the side of sanctuary. Organized, neat, and smelling of a citrus freshener.
Jisung’s side of the room was chaotic. Haphazard piles of clothes stuffed beneath the bed, discarded papers strewn about. At least it didn’t smell. The moment he had cleared the bed for them to sit down, Y/N had to elbow Yeji to prevent the distaste from growing any bigger on her friend’s face.
As the two guys continued on bickering for a few moments, Y/N watched as Changbin glanced over from his side of the room, irritation poking at his features. He was completely different from Jisung.
“Guys,” Changbin warned. It was enough to calm the argument, but only slightly.
“CB, who do you think is the best?” Jisung stumbled to his feet and headed straight for the guy in question. She didn’t know if Jisung was oblivious or he didn’t care for the look of anger on his roommate’s face. As the night dragged on, it seemed to be the latter.
“Don’t know.”
“It’s obviously Scorpion. Not to mention his fatalities are the most badass.”
Hyunjin rolled his eyes and gave Y/N a look, as if to tell her, Get a load of him. Smiling at him, she watched as the tension left his shoulders. Sitting on the floor in front of her made it easy for her to reach down and ruffle his hair comfortingly.
“Don’t care, Jisung.”
Jisung animatedly threw his arms up in surrender, declaring, “I’m clearly the one with the best taste here.”
“Please,” Yeji uttered. It wasn’t unheard, Jisung’s eyes snapping to hers, lighting ablaze anywhere they touched. If it were anyone else, it would have been enough to make them back down. This was Yeji, though. If Jisung were a bonfire, Yeji was a volcano.
“You think you could do any better?”
“I didn’t say that. I just think you’re hilarious.”
Hyunjin, wide-eyed and wise to his cousin’s behavior could sense the random tension growing between the two of them. Moving to open his mouth, Jisung beat him to the punch.
“Why, because I know how to have fun? Unlike you, who’s been sitting on my bed with a pissy attitude all night.”
Even Changbin was tuned into the bullets that came out of nowhere. Y/N subtly rubbed at her temple in annoyance. Just then, she recalled a conversation she had with Yeji a while back about how she had ran into Hyunjin and some of his friends. That conversation was a whole hour complaint and rant about one guy in particular, who was “so full of himself that he left the room empty”.
Her brain put two and two together, realizing the Jisung she mentioned back then was the guy in front of her now.
“Subzero,” Changbin’s quiet voice sounded from his bed, his eyes never leaving his laptop as his fingers flew across the keyboard.
“What?” Jisung asked, face scrunching up.
“Subzero is clearly the superior MK fighter.”
The tension was snatched from the room like that, though Y/N had to subtly grab onto Yeji’s wrist to keep her from rekindling the fire. They shared a look for a moment as the boys broke out into another Mortal Kombat argument. For whatever reason Y/N couldn’t explicitly see, Yeji couldn’t stand Jisung.
Sure, he was a bit full of himself but she also noticed the phenomenon that Hyunjin grew into in the boys’ presence. He was incredible on his own, but with his friends, there was a newfound confidence that hardly existed before. It was refreshing, because all their lives Hyunjin had struggled with that. Yeji had a habit of disliking most people, always finding something to complain about.
Y/N sipped at her soda as she looked away, shaking her head at the drama Yeji was slowly creating. Her eyes trailed to Changbin once more, now donning a pair of headphones to block out the chaos. Slightly scoffing in amusement, she found herself wishing she were in his shoes.
All she knew was Yeji was annoying her, Jisung was really loud, and she had a mountain of homework due in two days that she barely even touched.
She tuned in then, just as Jisung was cursing to himself and shoving his phone into his hoodie.
“Come on, man, unpause it,” Hyunjin whined, “You’re stalling because I’m about to kill your ass.”
“Nah, that’s not it,” Jisung unpaused the screen and continued their fight on the tv, “This is just the third time Chris has cancelled on me.”
“Was Chris supposed to come chill with us?” Hyunjin asked, screaming in disbelief when Jisung landed his special move, taking the win for the second round.
“Yup. Haven’t seen him for like a week. He keeps on saying he spends all of his time in the art studios but if that were true, I wouldn’t see him with Felix all the time.” Jisung skillfully maneuvered his character, knowing all the special moves. Hyunjin was a bit more clumsy, clearly not as familiar with the game as the owner.
“Yeah, but we are coming up on midterms,” Hyunjin reasoned.
“I get it. It’s why I’m not on CB’s ass about staying up all hours of the night. What I don’t like is Chris always cancels at the last second.”
Yeji distracted her when her then as she showed her a funny video on her phone. They spent a moment scrolling through Yeji’s Instagram for a moment, chatting here and there. Jisung, turning off the game, grabbed her attention again, his face guarded as he accused Hyunjin without hesitation.
“You cheated.”
“How did I cheat?!”
“There’s no way Erron Black beat Scorpion! There’s no way you beat me!”
“Oh, here we go.”
Y/N shook her head, Yeji nudging her. “What’s up?”
“What do you think about this guy?” Yeji revealed her phone screen, a Tinder profile on display. Y/N tried to keep her face from scrunching up, finding his photo to be too cocky considering the lack of clothing.
“Swipe left. Don’t do that to yourself.”
“Come on! He’s not bad!”
“He doesn’t even have a bio.”
Yeji pouted for a moment, studying the photo for a moment before sighing and swiping left, “Fair point.”
“What do you think we should do for his birthday?”
Jisung’s loud voice made her tune into their chatter-again. She watched him in the midst of solving a Rubik’s cube he had produced out of nowhere.
Hyunjin leaned his head back on the bed, hair splaying out by her legs. Y/N subconsciously reached out and started playing with his hair. Hyunjin hummed in satisfaction before mumbling, “I don’t know, maybe the bowling rink? It’s only a couple blocks from campus.”
Jisung paused in his puzzle solving, eyes narrowing at Hyunjin. “Good ideas, please. That’s lame.”
Hyunjin looked back at Y/N upside down, disbelief clear as day. She flashed him a comforting smile.
“Whose birthday is it?” Y/N jumped in as an attempt to redirect Jisung’s fire.
“Our friend Chris. You would’ve met him tonight if he wasn’t such a flake.”
Yeji stood and stretched before treading over to the communal bathroom the boys shared with their suite-mates. They all watched her for a moment before continuing their conversation.
“Well,” Y/N looked at Hyunjin before asking, “What’s Chris like?”
“That’s a good question,” Jisung pumped his fist in celebration as he finished solving the Rubik’s cube, fumbling to stop the timer on his phone. He groaned when the time read 4:01, clearly not satisfied. “What is Chris like, Hyunjin?”
“He’s… he’s probably the best one out of all of us.”
If Y/N was expecting him to say anything, it definitely wasn’t that. For as long as she lived, Hyunjin was the best guy she had ever had the honor of meeting without a doubt. It surprised her further when Changbin cut in with a one-word agreement before returning to his school work. Jisung even agreed, albeit a little begrudgingly.
The three of them might believe that, but it was hard for anyone to surpass Hyunjin in her eyes.
Looking between the three boys, she asked, “Are you being serious?”
“What, you don’t believe us?” Jisung snapped.
“Dude, chill,” Hyunjin warned, before he smiled genuinely at Y/N and nodded. “Yeah, I’m being serious. He has this way about him. I don’t know, he just knows how to make everyone around him feel good. He’s thoughtful and includes everybody. He’s also super funny and goofy. Oh, and my favorite thing? He always puts Jisung in his place.”
“Shut up,” Jisung barked, “Why don’t you marry the guy since you love him so much?”
“Nope. That’s CB’s job.” Hyunjin laughed, Jisung nodding and agreeing with whatever inside joke they shared.
It warmed Y/N’s heart, to hear how much they adored this other friend she hadn’t met yet. Truth be told, it made her a little bit more curious about the guys before her. Maybe they caught her on a good day. If this were anyone else, one hangout would have sufficed.
It was clear that there was more beneath this cocky facade Jisung put on, and Changbin was a locked treasure chest. This Chris guy lingered in her mind, wondering how great he had to be for his friends to praise him as effortlessly as they did.
Shaking her head, she finished off her Dr. Pepper. She paused her train of that. That was weird. Why did any of that matter? It wasn’t like these were her friends. This was probably the last time she’d hang out with them.
Her eyes found Hyunjin who was in the middle of a laughing fit. His face and neck were blushing red, his pretty smile on full display. Her heart squeezed, and she realized it made her happy to see him branching out and meeting new people.
If anyone deserved to be seen and appreciated, it was Hyunjin. There was a reason she had nicknamed him Honey. He was sweet, warm, and magnetic.
That was the moment she realized these guys? They were pretty alright.
~~~~
Later that night, after the girls parted ways with Hyunjin, they headed inside their dorm building. Unfortunately he lived at the same dorm as his friends, which happened to be on the other side of campus. After he and Jisung walked them home- Yeji quietly complained about her unwanted guest the whole walk there-they quickly departed.
As they rode up the elevator, a silence fell over the two. Y/N sensed Yeji had something to say for two reasons: Yeji didn’t hit the button for her floor and she kept on sighing dramatically.
Having enough of her dramatics, Y/N turned to her at the same time Yeji did the same. “What’s up?”
“That was… worse than I expected.”
“How so?” Y/N narrowed her eyes.
As the elevator rose up to the ninth floor, so did Y/N’s irritation. She didn’t know if she had the patience to deal with Yeji’s irrational judgment tonight.
“Well, Jisung is unbearable.”
“Here we go.”
“What? I know you saw how he is. He’s so full-”
“-Of himself. What else, Yeji?”
Yeji gaped at her, the elevator doors sliding open. Y/N took the lead out the doors, heading down the hallway and toward her dorm. Yeji followed close behind, hissing, “What, do you like him or something? You don’t agree?”
“I’m not saying that. It’s just… you’re always like this. Every time we meet someone new, you find something not to like. Jisung isn’t perfect, I can see that already. But so aren’t you. And I’m not either. So who are we to disapprove of who Hyunjin decides to befriend?”
Yeji straightened her back, face going cold. “Actually, we are the exact people who should tell him who he should avoid. We’ve been by his side his whole life through thick and thin, and we know what’s good for him. Jisung is not it.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. Yeah, we matter to Hyunjin but he’s his own person. He can decide who he can be friends with. And why are you so dead set on hating Jisung? He hasn’t even done anything!”
Yeji shrugged a shoulder, just like a child with no comeback. “I don’t need a reason. It’s intuition.”
Y/N wanted to pull her hair out. Instead, she unlocked her dorm door. Before she shut the door, she looked at Yeji in the eye and said, “Well, good luck with telling Hyunjin that. I don’t agree with you, just remember that.”
It sucked having to close the door on her, but she knew that she wouldn’t let off until it escalated into a fight. She hated fighting with Yeji, so she knew the best choice was to walk away.
“Everything okay?”
Turning slowly, she offered a weak smile to her roommate. Trudging into the room, she took in Chuu’s usual night routine, matching pajama set and face mask, sat at her desk as she watched her most recent Netflix obsession.
“Yeah, everything’s cool. Just Yeji freaking out again.” Y/N threw herself across her bed, needing a moment to collect her thoughts.
“Sorry to hear that,” Chuu softly told her, seemingly distracted by whatever was happening on her laptop screen.
As she laid there, the conversation between her and Yeji played out again in her mind. She understood her concerns, she really did. Yeji wasn’t the only one who noticed some of Jisung’s… negative qualities. In terms of friendliness, she was more like Yeji than Hyunjin. She was wary of people just like she was, the only difference was she needed more of a reason to write someone off.
Maybe it was jealousy, or maybe it was something more that Y/N couldn’t see, but Yeji was being irrationally unfair. After more thought, her mind didn’t change. Yeji would have to express her dislike on her own.
She started dozing off to the quiet chatter of Chuu’s show and her thoughts of the boys she had just met.
Bonfire Jisung, treasure box Changbin, and the mystery Chris.
She could admit to herself now, when the world was quiet and she was vulnerable to her own mind, that she didn’t mind being around them, not at all.
As long as they made Hyunjin happy.
> Part Two <