Taeseok • Taemin | College Days
Hot, sticky summer days where humidity rested thickly within the atmosphere causing exhaustion and outright annoyance to everyone were not favourited by the Angel. The brown-eyed male had a tendency to crave the cold— harsh winds, snow, crisp air, the works of winter, really. Still, he knew fully well he’d have to deal with the heat of summer at least for a while until, naturally, everything took a turn into autumn.
"It’s only a few more weeks." He spoke to himself, voice low as he walked through the quiet hallways. The central air condition unit was going through repairs, unluckily as Taemin found himself ready to move into his dormitory. Merely a month ago, he was in the air conditioned auditorium of his high school graduation ceremony, walking across the stage— now, he was covered in sweat, even in his given attire; loose, pale yellow tank paired with thick, grey sweatpants. Oh, how he wished walking around naked was publicly accepted and not illegal at all.
Alas, he had to make do with the short breeze he was greeted with as he stopped short, right in front of door to his room. It was made of a heavy-looking mahogany wood, golden numbers nailed onto the upper middle of the frame which read, “450.” Glancing to the side, the young Angel caught sight of an open window and silently thanked any other heavenly figure besides his Father for such a feat. Sighing in discontent, he reverted his vision to the door before unwillingly opening it up. “Wait, I have to pay to get it locked?”
Leaving his hand upon the doorknob, Taemin shaped a simple lock upon the door underneath the knob before returning his hand to his side, smiling almost smugly at his handiwork. Two small keys rested snugly in his palmed grip as he stepped into the room, appreciating the hard, cherrywood floors as opposed to the thick carpets that adorned the hallway floors. Resting the keys upon an empty coffee table, Taemin seated himself cross-legged upon the floor.
It was a nice dorm— fully furnished, with two rooms, each holding a king-sized bed and bedside table paired with closet space; another, smaller room with a simple coffee table, two lengthy cocoa-coloured couches and an already wall-mounted flat screen; the kitchen had the basics— microwave, stove, refrigerator, cupboards and to the side, a washing machine and dryer stacked one upon the other. “Holy Hell, this cost a ton.” Taemin murmured to no one in particular as he claimed his room [the one on the left, as he’d favorited that side for unspecified reasons], his belongings already appearing in place. “I mean really, who on Earth has the money to afford this kind of living?”
He didn’t. He was simply an Angel. He could have had better, but he was in college to make friends. Naturally, he’d tried for the best, but it was still a reason to complain— three thousand flat monthly, was incredibly pricey, and although he could easily afford it, he would much rather complain than exert the effort to stop some natural disaster taking place in the world, which would cause God to go into a frenzy.
“‘Keep the balance,’ He says. ‘Don’t interfere in human affairs, Arariel.’ He drones.” Taemin rolled his eyes as he mocked his father, looking quite ridiculous as he was only speaking to himself. “Well fine. I’ll just spend an obscene amount of money on an education I don’t need. We’ll see what you do then.” He was still childish; the rebellious teenager of the Angels, but Taemin was anything but heartless. His determined expression faltering, the male let out a defeated sigh. “I’ll get a job.” He spoke aloud, clapping his hands together once. “I’ll at least be able to contribute to society like that, right?”
He hadn’t even met his roommate yet and he was already beginning to look like a mental case; speaking to oneself was just as publicly unacceptable as strutting around naked.
And yet, he continued; “I saw two positions open on my way here— was it at a café? Au Bon Something-or-the-other. Yeah, I’ll get it right sometime.” He was beginning to fill thickly with excitement as a grin spread across his lips. “If I get a job, Angel-ing my way to the top won’t feel so… Wrong.” Snorting, he pressed his hands upon either of his knees, nodding his head. “I’ve got this.” He wanted to clear his conscience, and although it was clearly childish, he was ready to step into the working world if it meant feeling better about being able to afford the dorm.
