Chapter Text
We only met each other just the other day
But you already got me feeling some type of way
Now, if I could figure it out
I'd take you back to my house
So we could meddle about
Hyunjoon's fingers danced across the keyboard, layering another synth track onto the demo he had been working on for the past three hours. The soft glow of his monitor was the only light in the dark dorm room, casting shadows across the energy drink cans and tangled headphone cables on his desk.
"Hyunjoon, come on!" Minseok’s voice cut through his concentration like a knife as he walked into the room. "We're going to be late!"
"I told you, I'm not going," Hyunjoon muttered without looking up, adjusting his latest track. "Sports aren't my thing, you know that."
Minseok groaned dramatically, flopping onto Hyunjoon's bed with the kind of theatrical flair that made Hyunjoon wonder if his dormmate had missed his calling as an actor.
"But it's Jihoon's first game as a starter! He's been texting me nonstop about how nervous he is. We have to go and support him!"
"You can go support him, I'll send him a congratulations text later." Hyunjoon saved his project file and opened a new one, already planning the next demo he wanted to work on.
"You're impossible," Minseok said, but there was fondness in his exasperation. He sat up, crossing his arms. "What if I told you that if you come to this one game, just this one, I'll stop bugging you about leaving the dorm for the rest of the month?"
Hyunjoon paused, his cursor hovering over a plugin. That was... actually tempting. The peace and quiet alone would be worth sitting through ninety minutes of watching people kick a ball around.
"Fine," he sighed, pulling off his headphones. "One game. But you owe me."
Minseok’s face lit up as if he had just won the lottery.
"Yes! You won't regret this, I promise! Also! There are a lot of pretty boys who play with Jihoon! Some eye-candy for the game!"
Hyunjoon scoffed while he closed his computer. He took his sweet time changing clothes, cleaning up, and making his room impeccable before leaving. The more time he spent on those little tasks, the less he would have to spend sitting on the bleachers, waiting for the game to start. When he came back from the bathroom, after spending at the very least 20 minutes fixing his t-shirt, Minseok was tapping his foot impatiently.
"Finally! Can we go now?"
"Yeah, yeah," Hyunjoon muttered, running a hand through his hair in a halfhearted attempt to make himself look presentable.
"Oh, come on, Hyunjoon!" Minseok said, suddenly grabbing Hyunjoon's arm before they made it to the door. "I knew you would forget!"
He rummaged through his backpack and pulled out a folded soccer jersey, number 3, Jihoon's number, and what appeared to be face paint in the university's colors: navy blue and silver.
"Absolutely not," Hyunjoon said immediately, taking a step back.
"Absolutely yes!" Minseok countered, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "You promised you would come to support Jihoon. That means actually supporting him, not just sitting there like you're at a funeral."
"I never agreed to…"
"Put it on, or I'll tell Jihoon you only came because I bribed you," Minseok threatened, dangling the jersey in front of Hyunjoon's face.
Hyunjoon glared at him, but he knew when to admit that he was beaten; he didn't want Jihoon to think he didn't care about his hobbies, he just didn't share the enjoyment. With a long, suffering sigh, he yanked the jersey over his clothes, pulling the hood out in an attempt to look more put together. It was slightly too big, hanging loose on his frame, but Minseok looked delighted.
"Perfect! Now hold still." Before Hyunjoon could protest, Minseok had opened the face paint and was dabbing it on his cheeks.
"This is ridiculous," Hyunjoon muttered, trying not to flinch as the cold paint touched his skin.
"This is team spirit," Minseok corrected, carefully painting a navy blue stripe on Hyunjoon's left cheek, then a silver one on his right. He stepped back to admire his work, grinning. "There! Now you look like a proper fan, Jihoon is going to love this."
“The only thing Jihoon loves is soccer and Sanghyeok, Sanghyeok and soccer.”
“And Sanghyeok loves you, which makes Jihoon love you, too.”
Hyunjoon caught his reflection in a nearby surface and groaned. He looked absurd: like someone who actually cared about sports, which was arguably the worst part.
"I hate you," he said without any real heat.
"You will thank me later," Minseok said cheerfully, slinging an arm around Hyunjoon's body as they headed for the door. "Trust me."
꒰ ･ ｡ﾟ ✦ ･ ｡ﾟ ꒱ ꒰ ･ ｡ﾟ ✦ ･ ｡ﾟ ꒱ ꒰ ･ ｡ﾟ ✦ ･ ｡ﾟ ꒱
The soccer field was already crowded when they arrived, the evening air filled with the buzz of excited chatter and the occasional whistle from warm-up drills. Hyunjoon shoved his hands deep into his pockets, following Minseok through the stands to find seats.
"See? This isn't so bad," Minseok said cheerfully, waving at someone across the field.
Hyunjoon was about to respond with something sarcastic when the teams jogged onto the field. His eyes automatically scanned for Jihoon: number 3, easy to spot with his distinctive running style, but then his gaze caught on someone else entirely.
Number 10. The captain, if the "C" on his armband was anything to go by.
Hyunjoon couldn't look away. There was something about the way he moved: confident, purposeful, like every step was calculated. When he turned to address his team, Hyunjoon caught a glimpse of his profile, and his heart did something weird and uncomfortable in his chest.
"That's Hyeonjun," Wangho said, joining them at a steady pace as they headed for their seats, noticing where Hyunjoon was looking. "Team captain. He is incredible; he basically carries the whole team. Also, I heard he is super intense about training. Like, scary intense."
Hyunjoon barely heard him. He watched as Hyeonjun, so that was his name, clapped Jihoon on the shoulder, saying something that made their friend grin nervously. There was an ease to Hyeonjun’s leadership, a natural charisma that seemed to draw everyone to him.
They had barely made it to their seats when the whistle blew, and the game began.
Hyunjoon had never cared about sports. He had always found them boring, a waste of time he could spend on music. But watching that particular captain play was like... like watching a perfectly composed piece of music come to life. Every movement was deliberate, every pass felt precise. When he scored the first goal, a beautiful shot that curved past the goalkeeper's outstretched hands, Hyunjoon found himself on his feet with everyone else, cheering.
"I knew you would get into it!" Dohyeon shouted over the roar of the crowd, grinning ear to ear.
When had Dohyeon gotten there?
But Hyunjoon didn't have time to waste on thinking about where Dohyeon was coming from or when he had joined them. He wasn't cheering for the game; he was cheering for Hyeonjun, and that realization hit him like a truck.
Oh no, he thought, sitting back down heavily. Oh no, no, no.
This was bad. This was very bad. He didn't do crushes. He didn't have time for crushes. And yet here he was, unable to tear his eyes away from the team captain, his heart racing every time Hyeonjun so much as touched the ball.
By the time the game ended, their team winning 3-1, with Hyeonjun scoring two of those goals, Hyunjoon had accepted his fate. He was screwed.
"Do you want to go and congratulate Jihoon?" Wangho asked as people began filing out of the stands.
"I... yeah, sure," Hyunjoon managed, trying to sound casual and definitely failing.
They made their way down to the edge of the field, where players were celebrating with friends and family. Jihoon spotted them immediately and jogged over, sweaty and covered in grass stains.
"You came!" he said, looking genuinely surprised when he saw Hyunjoon. "I didn't think Minseok could actually drag you out of your cave, I thought I would have to send the big guns."
"Ha ha," Hyunjoon deadpanned, but he smiled. "You did great out there."
"Thanks, honestly, I just tried not to mess up. Did you see Hyeonjun’s second goal? That was insane…"
Jihoon was cut off by someone calling his name, and Hyunjoon's breath caught as Hyeonjun himself approached, still in his grass-stained uniform, his hair damp with sweat. Up close, he was even more devastating.
"Good job today," Hyeonjun said to Jihoon, his voice low and warm. Then his eyes shifted to Dohyeon, Wangho, Minseok, and Hyunjoon, and he smiled: polite, friendly, completely unaware of the effect he was having. "Friends of yours?"
"Yeah, this is Dohyeon, Wangho, Minseok, and Hyunjoon. We are dorm mates," Jihoon explained.
"Nice to meet you," Hyeonjun said, and when his eyes met Hyunjoon's, everything else seemed to fade into background noise.
"You too," Hyunjoon managed, and mentally congratulated himself for forming actual words.
Hyeonjun’s smile widened slightly, and for a moment, just a moment, his gaze lingered on Hyunjoon before someone else called for his attention, and he had to leave. Hyunjoon's mind was spinning, but not just from the game. Something about Hyeonjun felt familiar. Unsettlingly familiar.
It wasn't until they were halfway across the soccer field, heading for the exit to wait for Jihoon while he took a shower and changed clothes, that it hit him like a train. The English Club. First year. The guy with black hair who sat two rows from the back wall. Hyunjoon stopped walking so abruptly that Wangho nearly crashed into him.
"Dude, what…"
"That was him," Hyunjoon breathed, his eyes wide.
"Him who?" Dohyeon asked, confused.
"Hyeonjun. That was... oh my god." Hyunjoon ran both hands through his hair, his heart racing for an entirely different reason now. "He was in the English Club. First year. He only came twice before he dropped out, but I..."
He trailed off, but the memories were flooding back now, sharp and vivid. Black hair, not blond like now. Same confident posture, same devastating smile. Hyunjoon had noticed him immediately: he had spent those two meetings trying not to stare, had gone home and done what he always did when he developed a crush: he had become slightly obsessive about it.
He had found Hyeonjun's social media, his possible schedule, and his major. He had learned he played soccer (although he had never actually gone to watch a game, because that would have been too obvious, and he still hated sports). He had found out his favorite coffee place from the campus café, as he had posted it several times. He had compiled a mental dossier of information like some kind of lovesick teenage detective.
And then Hyeonjun had dropped out of the club, and Hyunjoon had forced himself to move on, to forget about the handsome guy with black hair who had made his heart race during discussions about stupid books he hadn’t even read.
Except he had never really forgotten. He had just... filed it away.
"Wait," Minseok said slowly, his eyes lighting up with recognition. "Wait, was he the guy you wouldn't shut up about during first year? The one you…"
"Yes," Hyunjoon cut him off quickly, his face burning. "Yes, okay? That was him. I didn't recognize him at first because of the hair, but... god, it's definitely him."
"This is amazing," Wangho said, grinning. "You've had a crush on him for, what, two years?"
"I did not have a crush on him for two years," Hyunjoon protested weakly. "I had a crush on him for like a month in first year, and then I forgot about it, and now apparently it's back with a vengeance."
"This is fate," Minseok declared dramatically. "The universe is giving you a second chance."
"The universe is playing a cruel joke," Hyunjoon muttered, but his mind was already racing.
Did Hyeonjun remember him? They had never actually spoken during those English Club meetings. Hyunjoon had been too nervous, too caught up in his own head. For all he knew, Hyeonjun had no idea he existed back then. And now, two years later, they had finally met properly. Except Hyunjoon was wearing face paint and an oversized jersey, looking like the world's most reluctant sports fan.
Great first impression, he thought sarcastically.
"You have to talk to him again," Minseok said. "Like, actually talk to him. Not just stand there looking starstruck."
"I did not look starstruck."
"You absolutely did," Wangho and Dohyeon said in unison.
Hyunjoon groaned, covering his face with his hands. This was worse than he had thought. Not only did he have a crush on the soccer team captain, which was already shameful enough, but it was apparently a crush that had been lying dormant for two years, just waiting to resurface at the worst possible moment.
And the worst part? He had no idea if Hyeonjun even remembered him at all. He was so, so screwed.
꒰ ･ ｡ﾟ ✦ ･ ｡ﾟ ꒱ ꒰ ･ ｡ﾟ ✦ ･ ｡ﾟ ꒱ ꒰ ･ ｡ﾟ ✦ ･ ｡ﾟ ꒱
They were still standing near the field when Minseok pulled out his phone, typing furiously with a mischievous grin that made Hyunjoon immediately suspicious.
"What are you doing?" Hyunjoon asked warily.
"Texting Jihoon," Minseok replied innocently, not looking up from his screen. "Asking if he and his teammates want to join us for dinner."
"What? No. Absolutely not." Hyunjoon reached for Minseok's phone, but his dormmate danced out of reach. "Minseok, I swear to god…"
"Too late, already sent!" Minseok announced triumphantly, giving his phone away to Dohyeon, for him to hold it out of Hyunjoon's reach. "Besides, it would be rude not to invite them, they just won the game."
"I hate you," Hyunjoon said flatly, even as his heart started racing at the thought of spending more time around Hyeonjun. "I hate you so much. And I hate Jihoon. Why wouldn’t he tell me about this whole thing?"
"You have to remember we met Jihoon last year, he wasn’t there for your first year crash out," Dohyeon said, handing the phone back.
"No, you don't," Minseok said at the same time, checking his phone as it buzzed. "Oh, Jihoon says yes! He's bringing Minhyeong and Hyeonjun. And apparently his boyfriend Sanghyeok is coming too."
Hyunjoon felt his soul leave his body.
"His boyfriend?" He managed to ask, misunderstanding the sentence.
"Yeah, dude, come on, you have seen Sanghyeok countless times, he loves you," Dohyeon laughed. "He basically lives with us on the weekends."
Hyunjoon barely processed that information. He was too busy having an internal crisis, thinking it was Hyeonjun's boyfriend, and not Jihoon's boyfriend. But also about the fact that he was about to have dinner with Hyeonjun. Actual dinner. Sitting at the same table. Making conversation. Possibly making a complete fool of himself.
This is fine, he told himself. This is totally fine. You're a normal person who can have a normal dinner with normal people. You're not going to be weird about this.
He was definitely going to be weird about this.
꒰ ･ ｡ﾟ ✦ ･ ｡ﾟ ꒱ ꒰ ･ ｡ﾟ ✦ ･ ｡ﾟ ꒱ ꒰ ･ ｡ﾟ ✦ ･ ｡ﾟ ꒱
Twenty minutes later, they were all crammed into a booth at a hotpot restaurant near campus, the kind of place that was always packed with students. Jihoon had showered and changed into a hoodie and jeans, looking much more relaxed than he had on the field. Next to him sat Sanghyeok, a tall guy with black, meticulously styled hair and thin metal glasses, who had an art portfolio bag slung over his shoulder.
"Everyone, this is Sanghyeok," Jihoon said, his hand finding Sanghyeok's under the table. "Sanghyeok, these are my dorm mates whom you have already met. And you already know the guys from the soccer team."
"Nice to see you all again," Sanghyeok said with an easy smile.
Across from them, Minhyeong and Hyeonjun slid into the booth. Minhyeong was taller than Hyeonjun, with a round face and an infectious laugh. Hyeonjun had changed out of his uniform too, into black jeans and a simple white t-shirt that somehow looked unfairly good on him. Hyunjoon tried very hard to look anywhere else but found his eyes drawn back to Hyeonjun like a magnet.
"So," Hyeonjun said, his attention landing on their side of the table as he settled into his seat. "Jihoon tells me you guys don't usually come to games, what changed?"
"Peer pressure," Hyunjoon blurted out before he could stop himself, and immediately wanted to sink through the floor.
But Hyeonjun just laughed, a warm sound that did terrible things to Hyunjoon's composure.
"Fair enough. Sports aren't for everyone. What do you usually do instead?"
"Music," Hyunjoon said, then realized how abrupt that sounded and tried to elaborate. "I mean, I produce music. In my dorm room. It's... yeah."
Great job, very eloquent, his brain supplied unhelpfully.
"That's cool," Hyeonjun said, and he sounded genuinely interested. "What kind of music?"
"Electronic, mostly. Some hip-hop beats. Whatever I'm feeling, I guess."
"He's actually really talented," Minseok interjected, because apparently he had appointed himself as Hyunjoon's hype man. "He's always working on something. It's kind of impressive, honestly."
Hyunjoon shot Minseok a look that clearly said shut the fuck up, but Minseok just grinned back innocently.
"Hey, if you are so talented, I would love to hear your stuff sometime," Hyeonjun said, and Hyunjoon's brain short-circuited.
"Yeah, maybe," he managed, trying to sound casual and definitely failing.
The server came to take their order, breaking the moment, and Hyunjoon used the distraction to try to pull himself together. This was going to be a long dinner.
As the food started arriving and the conversation flowed around the table, Hyunjoon found himself relaxing slightly. Sanghyeok was always funny and easy to talk to, telling stories about his art classes that had everyone laughing. Minhyeong was enthusiastically recounting the game from his perspective, acting out his tackles with exaggerated gestures that nearly knocked over someone's water glass.
And Hyeonjun... Hyeonjun was exactly as Hyunjoon remembered from those two meetings: charismatic, attentive, the kind of person who made everyone feel included in the conversation. But there was more to him now, or maybe Hyunjoon was just noticing things he hadn't before, since they had never really interacted. The way Hyeonjun listened when people talked. The way he laughed at Minhyeong's terrible jokes. The way his eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled.
Hyunjoon was so, so, so screwed.
"So Hyunjoon," Minhyeong said, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Jihoon mentioned you're in your third year? What's your major?"
"Music Production, that’s why I mentioned making music before…" Hyunjoon replied. "I'm in the same program as Minseok."
"That's right," Hyeonjun said suddenly, and Hyunjoon's attention snapped to him. "You look familiar. Have we met before?"
Hyunjoon's heart stopped.
"I... maybe? I mean, campus isn't that big."
"No, I mean..." Hyeonjun frowned slightly, like he was trying to remember. "Wait. English Club? First year?"
Oh god. Oh god, he remembers.
"Oh... Yeah," Hyunjoon admitted, trying his best not to give away the fact that he already knew this information. "You came to a couple of meetings before you dropped out."
"That's right!" Hyeonjun's face lit up with recognition. "I knew you looked familiar. Man, that feels like forever ago. I had to quit because soccer training got too intense, but I remember those meetings. You barely talked, right? You just sat there and looked really focused."
"I was... paying attention," Hyunjoon said weakly, which was technically true. He had been paying attention, just not necessarily to the books they were discussing.
"Small world," Minhyeong commented, reaching for more meat from the broth.
"Yeah," Hyunjoon agreed faintly. "Small world."
Under the table, Minseok kicked his shin gently, and when Hyunjoon glanced over, his dormmate was giving him a look that clearly said this is your chance. But Hyunjoon didn't know what to do with that information. What was he supposed to say? Hey, I had a massive crush on you back then, and apparently, I still do?
Yeah, that would go over well.
The dinner continued, and despite his internal crisis, Hyunjoon found himself actually enjoying it. The food was good, the company was better, and every time Hyeonjun smiled at him, Hyunjoon felt something warm unfurl in his chest. Maybe Minseok was right. Maybe the universe was giving him a second chance. Or maybe he was just setting himself up for the most spectacular crash and burn of his life.
꒰ ･ ｡ﾟ ✦ ･ ｡ﾟ ꒱ ꒰ ･ ｡ﾟ ✦ ･ ｡ﾟ ꒱ ꒰ ･ ｡ﾟ ✦ ･ ｡ﾟ ꒱
The week that followed became a beautiful kind of torture.
Hyeonjun came over on Tuesday first, still in his practice clothes, hair damp from a quick shower in the changing room. Jihoon had invited him casually, like it was the most natural thing in the world, as if he had been showing up for the longest time, as if it wasn’t a first, and Hyunjoon had nearly dropped his laptop when they walked through the door.
"Hope you don't mind," Hyeonjun said, flashing that devastating smile. "Jihoon said you guys were ordering pizza."
"No, yeah, totally fine," Hyunjoon managed, trying to act like his heart wasn't attempting to break free from his ribcage.
They ended up sprawled across the living room, pizza boxes open on the coffee table, talking about everything and nothing. Hyeonjun fit into their group dynamic so easily that it was almost scary. He laughed at dumb jokes, engaged seriously when Wangho started talking about his psychology lectures, and even asked Hyunjoon about his music, again.
"You should really let me hear something you've made," Hyeonjun said, and Hyunjoon nearly choked on his pizza.
"Maybe," he said, which was his default answer when he meant absolutely not. I would die of embarrassment.
Thursday was worse, or better, depending on how you looked at it. Hyeonjun showed up again after practice, this time with Minhyeong too. They brought energy drinks and stayed for hours, playing video games and talking shit. Hyeonjun was competitive in a way that made Hyunjoon's chest ache, celebrating victories with fist bumps and laughing off defeats with good humor.
And Minseok kept giving Hyunjoon these looks, like he knew exactly what was going through his head. Which he probably did, because he was observant like that.
By Friday, when Jihoon and Hyeonjun showed up after practice with drinks for everyone, Hyunjoon had resigned himself to his fate. He was going to die. This was how it ended. Death by proximity to someone so unfairly attractive and genuinely nice.
"We brought the good stuff," Jihoon announced, holding up bags of beer and soju. "I thought we could celebrate surviving another week."
"Hell yeah," Minseok said, already reaching for a can. "What are we doing? Just drinking, or...?"
"We could order food," Dohyeon suggested. "Make a night out of it."
"Play something?" Minhyeong offered with a mischievous grin. "You know, any classic college game."
"Oh god," Hyunjoon muttered, but he was outvoted before he could protest further.
Two hours and several rounds of drinks later, they were all pleasantly buzzed and sprawled across the common room. Empty chicken boxes and scattered beer cans littered the coffee table. The game had started off tame enough, embarrassing childhood stories, silly dares like doing push-ups or singing songs.
But alcohol had a way of loosening tongues.
"Truth or dare," Wangho said, pointing at Hyeonjun.
"Truth," Hyeonjun said without hesitation. He was leaning back against the couch, relaxed in a way that suggested he had nothing to hide.
"Okay, real talk," Jihoon said, and Hyunjoon could hear the capital letters in his tone. "You dated that girl last year, right? The one from the business program? What happened there?"
The room went quiet. Hyunjoon's stomach dropped. He didn't want to hear this, didn't want to know about Hyeonjun's romantic history, especially not…
"We broke up," Hyeonjun said simply, then paused. He took a sip of his drink, like he was considering how much to say. "Actually, I broke up with her. It wasn't fair to keep dating her when I realized I didn't... I don't like women. At all."
The silence that followed was deafening. Hyunjoon's brain completely short-circuited.
Did he just…
He doesn't like…
Oh my god.
"That's really mature of you," Dohyeon said finally, breaking the silence. "Seriously. A lot of people wouldn't have handled that so well."
"Yeah, well," Hyeonjun shrugged, but there was something vulnerable in his expression. "It took me a while to figure out. But once I did, it felt wrong to keep pretending."
Hyunjoon felt Minseok’s eyes on him and risked a glance over. His friend was giving him the most significant look in the history of significant looks, eyebrows raised so high they nearly disappeared into his hairline.
Not now, Hyunjoon tried to communicate telepathically. Please, for the love of god, not now.
"My turn," Hyeonjun said, seemingly oblivious to Hyunjoon's internal crisis. "Jihoon, truth or dare?"
"Truth," Jihoon said, leaning into Sanghyeok's shoulder.
"Most horrible thing you've ever done in a relationship?"
Jihoon winced.
"Fuck. Okay, full confession time: I cheated on my girlfriend in high school."
"What?" Sanghyeok turned to look at him, surprised and with a defeated look on his face.
"I know, I know, I was an asshole," Jihoon said quickly. "I was sixteen and stupid, and I thought I was in love with my best friend. It was a mess. I told her immediately after, and we broke up. Learned my lesson hard. Never again."
"Character development," Minseok said sagely, raising his drink.
The game continued. Minhyeong confessed to once getting so drunk that he woke up in a different city. Minseok admitted to having a secret tattoo that his parents didn't know about. And then…
"Dohyeon," Jihoon said with a wicked grin. "Dare, we have done too many truths in a row."
"Bring it," Dohyeon said confidently, though Hyunjoon could see the slight waryness in his eyes.
"Kiss the best-looking person in the room."
Dohyeon didn't even hesitate. He turned to Wangho, who was sitting next to him, and planted a kiss on his lips. It wasn't long, but it wasn't exactly brief either. When they pulled apart, Wangho looked stunned, and Dohyeon was grinning as if he had just won the lottery.
"Oh my god," Minseok burst out laughing. "You two should just date already. The tension is killing everyone."
"Shut up," Wangho muttered, his ears turning red, but he was smiling.
"Okay, but for real though," Minhyeong said, still laughing. "That was smooth."
Dohyeon just shrugged and winked at him, looking pleased with himself.
"Alright, alright," Sanghyeok said, turning to Hyunjoon with a gleam in his eye that made Hyunjoon's stomach drop. "Hyunjoon. Truth or dare?"
Hyunjoon's mouth went dry. Dare would probably be worse; knowing this group, they would make him do something absolutely mortifying. But truth...
"Truth," he said, trying to sound braver than he felt.
"Have you ever had a crush on someone in this room?"
The world stopped.
Hyunjoon could feel everyone's eyes on him. His heart was pounding so hard he was sure everyone could hear it. He could lie. He could absolutely lie. But the alcohol in his system was making him reckless, and maybe, just maybe, he was tired of keeping this to himself. And also, he had always been a terrible liar.
"Yes," he said quietly.
The room erupted.
"Who?!" Dohyeon pretended not to know.
"Oh my god, you can't just leave it at that!" Minhyeong followed up.
"That's all you get," Hyunjoon said firmly, his face burning. "That was the question. I answered it."
"That's such bullshit," Minseok protested. "You have to tell us who!"
Another liar. Another person pretending not to know.
"No, he doesn't," Wangho said, coming to his rescue. "Those were the rules."
Hyunjoon risked a glance at Hyeonjun and found him looking thoughtful, like he was trying to solve a puzzle. Their eyes met for a brief second before Hyunjoon quickly looked away, his heart racing. This is fine, he told himself. This is totally fine. It's not like you just basically outed yourself in front of your crush. It's fine.
The game continued, questions getting progressively more ridiculous as the alcohol kept flowing. By the time someone dared Minhyeong to do a handstand against the wall, they were all laughing so hard that Hyunjoon's sides hurt.
꒰ ･ ｡ﾟ ✦ ･ ｡ﾟ ꒱ ꒰ ･ ｡ﾟ ✦ ･ ｡ﾟ ꒱ ꒰ ･ ｡ﾟ ✦ ･ ｡ﾟ ꒱
Around three in the morning, Sanghyeok was the first to tap out, announcing he needed to sleep or he would regret his existence tomorrow. Jihoon offered his bed to him, claiming he would go and hug him a bit later. Wangho and Dohyeon were the next to get away from the gathering, closely in time, suspiciously going into the same room.
By dawn, only a few of them remained conscious enough to help with the cleanup. The living room looked like a battlefield: empty bottles, crushed cans, chicken bones scattered across plates, and a fine layer of cigarette ash near the window where people had been smoking throughout the night.
"I'll take the trash on my way out," Minhyeong mumbled, already collecting bags.
"I got the bottles," Minseok added, stifling a yawn.
Hyunjoon grabbed a broom and dustpan, heading toward the window where most of the ash had accumulated. The early morning light was just starting to filter through, painting everything in soft blues and grays. When he stepped outside onto the small balcony to sweep up the ash that had drifted out there, he found Hyeonjun leaning against the railing, a cigarette between his fingers. The younger boy turned at the sound of the door, a lazy smile spreading across his face.
"Leave it there, I’ll do it," Hyeonjun commented, taking a drag.
"Just don’t throw the ash on the floor, I got it," Hyunjoon said, focusing intently on sweeping the ash into a neat pile. Anything to avoid looking directly at Hyeonjun in the morning light, because that felt dangerous.
"You guys are good hosts," Hyeonjun said, watching him work. "Really. This was fun."
"Yeah, it was," Hyunjoon agreed, still not looking up. "I’m glad you guys came."
"You know," Hyeonjun said, and there was something in his voice that made Hyunjoon pause. "We should do this at my place next time. Well, mine and Minhyeong's. It's bigger than this dorm, and we have a better sound system."
"Oh, yeah? That would be cool," Hyunjoon said, finally glancing up.
Hyeonjun was looking at him with an expression that Hyunjoon couldn't quite read. Something soft and warm and intent all at once.
"You should definitely come," Hyeonjun said, and the way he emphasized you made something flutter in Hyunjoon's chest. "I mean, everyone is invited, obviously. But I want to make sure you're there."
"I'll try," Hyunjoon said, his mouth suddenly dry again. He blamed the lack of sleep.
"You better come," Hyeonjun said with a grin, then took another drag of his cigarette. "You're interesting, you know that? All quiet and mysterious with your music. I want to get to know you better."
Hyunjoon was left speechless for the second time that night. He was just being friendly, right? That's what friendly people did. They said nice things and invited you to hang out. This was normal friend behavior.
"I'm not that interesting," Hyunjoon mumbled, going back to his sweeping with renewed focus.
"I disagree," Hyeonjun said, and Hyunjoon could hear the smile in his voice. "But I guess I will have to prove it to you."
Before Hyunjoon could figure out what that meant, Hyeonjun stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and stretched, his shirt riding up slightly. Hyunjoon, very deliberately, did not look.
"I should probably head out," Hyeonjun said. "I need to at least make it to my apartment before I fall asleep."
"Yeah, good luck with that," Hyunjoon said.
Hyeonjun paused at the door, looking back at him.
"Thanks again, Hyunjoon. Really. I had a great time."
The way he said his name made Hyunjoon's heart do something complicated.
"Anytime," Hyunjoon managed.
He watched Hyeonjun disappear back inside, heard him say goodbye to whoever was still conscious enough to respond, and then the sound of the front door closing.
Hyunjoon stood there on the balcony, broom in hand, as the sun continued to rise over the campus.
He was just being nice, Hyunjoon told himself firmly. That's what nice people do. They compliment you and want to hang out. It doesn't mean anything.
But a tiny, traitorous part of his brain whispered: What if it does?
He shook his head and went back inside to finish cleaning. It was too early in the morning for this kind of existential crisis.
꒰ ･ ｡ﾟ ✦ ･ ｡ﾟ ꒱ ꒰ ･ ｡ﾟ ✦ ･ ｡ﾟ ꒱ ꒰ ･ ｡ﾟ ✦ ･ ｡ﾟ ꒱
The walk back to their apartment was quiet at first, both Minhyeong and Hyeonjun exhausted from the long night. The streets were empty except for the occasional early morning jogger, and the sky was painted in soft pastels as the sun continued its rise.
"So," Minhyeong finally said, breaking the silence with a knowing grin. "How did it go with Hyunjoon?"
Hyeonjun groaned, running a hand through his hair.
"It didn't."
"What do you mean it didn't?" Minhyeong asked, genuinely surprised. "I saw you two on the balcony. You had the perfect setup! Morning light, post-party atmosphere, cigarette aesthetic, the whole thing was basically a romance movie scene."
"I know!" Hyeonjun said, frustration bleeding into his voice. "I tried everything. I complimented him, I told him he was interesting, and I literally said I wanted to get to know him better. I even did the whole 'you should definitely come' thing with emphasis. Nothing."
Minhyeong whistled low.
"Damn. He really is oblivious."
"Either that or he's not interested," Hyeonjun muttered, kicking at a pebble on the sidewalk. "Which, fair enough, but god, he's so fucking pretty. Did you see him tonight? Even when he was just sweeping, he looked…"
"Yeah, yeah, we know," Minhyeong interrupted with a laugh. "You've been saying he's pretty since Jihoon introduced you guys after the match. 'Minhyeong, did you see his eyes?' 'Minhyeong, the way he concentrates on his music is so hot.' 'Minhyeong, I want to fuck him so bad.'"
"I don't sound like that," Hyeonjun protested weakly.
"You absolutely do," Minhyeong said. "Jihoon and I have been setting this up for weeks. The game night? His idea. Getting Hyunjoon drunk enough to loosen up? Also, his idea. Me conveniently disappearing so you two could be alone on the balcony? That was coordination, my friend. Teamwork."
Hyeonjun stopped walking, turning to stare at his roommate.
"You guys planned all of this?"
"Of course we did," Minhyeong said, as if it was obvious. "We're good friends. We want you to be happy. And also, watching you pine over someone is getting kind of painful. Jihoon said if he had to hear you talk about Hyunjoon's 'delicate fingers on the keyboard' one more time, he was going to lose it. You have seen him three times. You can’t be this obsessed."
"I hate you both," Hyeonjun said, but there was no heat in it.
"No, you don't," Minhyeong said cheerfully. "But seriously, what happened? You had the perfect opportunity."
Hyeonjun sighed, starting to walk again.
"I don't know. I said all the right things, but he just... didn't seem to get it. Or maybe he did, and he was politely deflecting. He kept focusing on the sweeping like his life depended on it."
"Maybe you need to be more direct," Minhyeong suggested.
"More direct than 'I want to get to know you better'?" Hyeonjun asked incredulously. "What am I supposed to say? 'Hey, Hyunjoon, I think you're gorgeous, and I've been thinking about kissing you for the past week.'?"
"I mean... yeah?" Minhyeong said. "That would probably work, actually."
"I can't just say that," Hyeonjun said, feeling his face heat up despite the cool morning air. "What if he freaks out? What if it makes things weird?"
"Things are already weird," Minhyeong pointed out. "You're literally pining after him like a Victorian maiden. It can't get much weirder than that."
Hyeonjun wanted to argue, but he couldn't. Minhyeong had a point.
"He did admit to having a crush on someone in the room," Minhyeong continued thoughtfully. "What if it's you?"
"It's not me," Hyeonjun said immediately. "Did you see how red he got? He was mortified. If it were me, he would have... I don't know, looked at me or something."
"He did look at you," Minhyeong said. "I saw it. It was brief, but it happened."
Hyeonjun's heart did a stupid little flip at that, but he squashed it down.
"That doesn't mean anything."
"You're hopeless," Minhyeong said, shaking his head. "Look, we will be having another party at our place next weekend, okay? Jihoon and I will set up another situation. But this time, you need to actually make a move. Like, a real one."
"What kind of move?" Hyeonjun asked warily.
"I don't know, figure it out," Minhyeong said. "But if you don't do something soon, I'm going to tell him myself just to put us all out of our misery. I can’t do this for another week. I can’t believe you are acting like a teenager over a grown-ass dude."
"Don't you dare," Hyeonjun threatened.
"Then do something about it," Minhyeong shot back. "You've been wanting to fuck him since day one. Either make it happen or move on."
They reached their apartment building, and Minhyeong pulled out his keys. As they climbed the stairs to their floor, Hyeonjun found himself thinking about Hyunjoon's face in the morning light, the way he had smiled when they talked about music, the careful way he had swept the ash into a neat pile.
Maybe, he thought, maybe Minhyeong is right. Maybe I need to be more direct.
But as he collapsed onto his bed, still fully dressed and too tired to care, he couldn't help but wonder if Hyunjoon would ever see him as anything more than Jihoon's friend who was just being nice.
꒰ ･ ｡ﾟ ✦ ･ ｡ﾟ ꒱ ꒰ ･ ｡ﾟ ✦ ･ ｡ﾟ ꒱ ꒰ ･ ｡ﾟ ✦ ･ ｡ﾟ ꒱
Hyunjoon woke up at three, to seventeen notifications on his phone, which was already concerning because he usually had his notifications muted. He reached for his phone on his nightstand, squinting at the bright screen.
His Instagram story. He had posted to his Instagram story. Except he definitely hadn't posted anything. The last thing he remembered was collapsing into bed after the party, still thinking about Hyeonjun's smile on the balcony. He opened the app with growing dread. And sure enough, there it was: a story posted five hours ago, a picture he had taken on his bedroom’s mirror, with the song "Meddle About" by Chase Atlantic.
"Minseok!" Hyunjoon shouted, launching himself out of bed and storming into the living room where his dormmate was innocently eating cereal.
"Good morning to you, too," Minseok said cheerfully, not even looking up from his phone.
"Why did you post on my Instagram story?" Hyunjoon demanded, waving his phone like evidence in a trial. "Also, why didn't you close my account on your phone? It has been three months!"
"Number one, I didn’t post. Why would I do that? Number two," Minseok said, basically admitting to it, with a grin that was far too pleased with itself, "Because you needed a push. And I am an excellent friend who provides pushes."
"A push toward what exactly?" Hyunjoon asked, though he had a sinking feeling he already knew.
"Towards finally making something happen with Hyeonjun," Minseok said matter-of-factly. "Do you know how painful it's been watching you crash out every time he walks in through the door?"
"I don’t do that! And there’s no ‘something’ happening! This is freshman year all over again! Just let me handle it!"
"He thinks you're pretty," Minseok said slowly, as if speaking to a child. "He wants to get to know you. He's been obvious about it. You've been oblivious about it. So I decided to help."
"By posting a thirst trap on my Instagram?" Hyunjoon asked incredulously.
"It's not a thirst trap, it's romantic," Minseok corrected. "And also, yes. Because subtle isn't working with either of you."
Hyunjoon looked back at his phone, at the notifications still coming in. Most were from people he barely knew, but there were a few that made his heart rate pick up. Minhyeong had viewed it. And so had Hyeonjun.
Hyeonjun had liked it ten minutes ago.
"Oh my god," Hyunjoon said, sitting down heavily on the couch. "Oh my god, he liked it."
"That was the point," Minseok said patiently.
"I'm going to kill you," Hyunjoon said, but it came out weak.
"No, you're going to thank me," Minseok corrected. "Probably at your wedding."
"There's not going to be a wedding, there's going to be a murder," Hyunjoon muttered, but he couldn't stop staring at the little heart icon that indicated Hyeonjun had liked his story.
"Wait, wait, wait," came a voice from the doorway. Dohyeon appeared, still in his pajama pants, shirt probably lost somewhere on his room’s floor. "Did I just hear what I think I heard?"
Wangho emerged right behind him, wearing the shirt that now they knew was not on Dohyeon’s floor.
"You posted what on whose Instagram?"
"It was for a good cause," Minseok said defensively, though his grin suggested he had no regrets whatsoever.
"Define 'good cause,'" Wangho said, settling onto the arm of the couch and slurping on Minseok's cereal loudly. "Because to me this sounds like chaos."
"Hyunjoon needed help with his Hyeonjun situation," Minseok explained.
"There is no situation!" Hyunjoon protested, his face burning.
"There's definitely a situation," Dohyeon said, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "We've all seen it. You turn into a different person when he's around. It's actually kind of embarrassing."
"I do not…"
"You do," Dohyeon interrupted. "Remember last Tuesday when he complimented your hoodie, and you literally forgot how to form sentences? Jihoon had to change the subject because you were just standing there making weird noises."
"That was one time," Hyunjoon muttered.
"It's been multiple times," Wangho corrected. "But honestly? Posting on his Instagram without permission is kind of insane, Minseok. Even for you."
"It worked, though," Minseok pointed out. "Look, he got a message."
Hyunjoon looked at his screen, a protest forming at his lips, waiting to tell Minseok to stop lying, when he saw it. A DM. From Hyeonjun. Hyunjoon looked at Minseok, who was watching him with barely contained glee.
"Open it," Minseok urged.
With shaking fingers, Hyunjoon opened the message.
hyeonjun_j: good song choice
Hyunjoon stared at it. Then stared at Minseok.
"See?" Minseok said triumphantly. "You're welcome."
“He is malfunctioning again,” Dohyeon added.
Hyunjoon wanted to argue, wanted to be mad, but all he could think about was Hyeonjun's message and the possibility that maybe, just maybe, Minseok had been right.
"I still hate you," he said, but his fingers were already moving to type a response.
"Sure you do," Minseok said, going back to his cereal with a satisfied smile.
"What are you going to say back?" Wangho asked.
Hyunjoon looked at his phone, at the cursor blinking in the message field.
"I have no idea."
"Say something about how you've been listening to it on repeat," Minseok suggested. "That's true, right?"
"I mean, yeah, but…"
"Or ask him if he wants to make a playlist together," Dohyeon offered. "Music is your thing. Use it."
"That's actually not bad," Wangho admitted. “A little bit dramatic, though.”
Hyunjoon's fingers hovered over the keyboard. His heart was racing, and he was acutely aware of three pairs of eyes watching him, and the banging headache that was forming now that the rage was slowly leaving his body.
"Stop staring at me," he said without looking up.
"We're emotionally invested now," Dohyeon said. "This is better than any drama."
"Way better," Wangho agreed. "This is real-life romance. With actual stakes."
"The stakes being Hyunjoon's dignity," Minseok added.
"Not helping," Hyunjoon muttered, but he was already typing.