Buses going home at this late hour were always packed. It wasn’t new, it was a thing of life that Im Jaebum has long accepted. It was either he skipped his class on Thursdays and go home early or stay late in the library and ride the last bus. Jaebum never really liked libraries.

Packed buses were fine. He can deal with numerous people invading his personal space (unintended, of course) and his foot being stepped on. What he couldn’t deal with, however, were rainy days.

Rain is undoubtedly beautiful, Jaebum is a closet romantic and he loves the way the rain showers the whole city. He loves how the raindrops fall, small droplets slowly drenching roads and roofs. He loves the way the air gets chilly and how everything is damp. He loves the way his sneakers made squelching sounds with each step he takes and how he has to avoid puddles.

Rain is beautiful unless you’re riding a bus during rush hour.

“ .” Jaebum mutters under his breath for the nth time his foot got stepped on by the bulky man right in front of him. He can’t even complain because it wasn’t the man’s fault that the bus kept halting, messing up their standing and the limited space to step on.

The whole bus is packed and they were sandwiched too tight for his liking, all because of the rain. No one wanted to give in and ride the next bus, afraid the rainfall will end up stranding them in the streets of Seoul. So, basically, everyone pushed and pushed until they were all squeezed in with barely enough space to breathe.

Please go down the next stop. Please go down the next stop. Jaebum could see the sign of the next stop from where he stood by the window, hoping the burly man would go down because anything is better than having his foot killed.

As if someone heard his prayers, the man grunted before pushing people out of his way to get down the stop. Replacing him from the stop was three women in office attire, pushing through the crowd. Jaebum didn’t care, the man was gone and he would prefer heels rather than heavying feet stepping on him.

But as if the Heavens has something against him, just as Jaebum was about to reach for one of the handles, the bus lurched forward and--

“ OH MY GOD!” Jaebum followed this with a string of curses as he turns to his right. “I am so sorry. Are you alright?”

In a span of a few seconds, Jaebum had elbowed the face of the person standing beside him. It wasn’t just any sort of elbowing, he felt the way his elbow smacked the boy’s (it was a boy) face. The impact was strong because he could still feel the tingling on his skin. What more the boy who actually received the blow?

Also, the boy was holding his nose in obvious pain so that was clue enough.

“ I am so sorry. Are you alright? Do you need help?” Jaebum wasn’t usually frazzled, but then again he hasn’t hit anyone directly on the face. Well, he had hit someone on the face before, but it was with his fist and not with his elbow. Also it was someone that irritated him, not a stranger he has no grudge on.

The boy shook his head slowly, hair moving along with him. It took a few seconds, Jaebum buzzing with worry because he didn’t mean to hurt anyone. Stepping on feet is normal, but elbowing someone on the nose? Too much.

“ It’s okay,” was all the boy said. He gave Jaebum a small smile, finally removing the hand on his face. “I’m fine.”

That was that and Jaebum was forgiven.

However, Jaebum was a curious little . Rather, he doesn’t understand how the other boy just let go of Jaebum almost dislocating his beautiful  nose. If Jaebum was in his place, he was pretty sure he would’ve cursed the other already. Or at least sent death glares on the other’s  ways.

Instead, Jaebum is sneaking glances at the boy beside him. There were still a lot of people inside the bus, but most of them had gone down on the other stop so there was finally room to breathe. Jaebum had immediately stretched his arms and legs, grateful for the free space.

The other boy, however, took out a book from his backpack. A very old-looking book that Jaebum was sure he wouldn’t even find in his University’s library. Worse, the book didn’t seem to be for school. The boy looked like he was enjoying it, with the way his lips was quirking a bit.

Sadly, Jaebum’s stop came and he had to wrench his eyes away from the figure beside him. He goes down, feeling like he just lost a huge chunk of his life for some unknown reason.

The rain had stopped, the dark sky above him was clear.

Jaebum wanted to see the boy again.

*

Jaebum totally did not ride the same bus the next day. He totally just didn’t want to ride the earlier bus and he has reasons to wait for the next one.

But with a downcast face, a heavy heart and sore feet, he goes down his bus stop without seeing who he came for.

Did Bus Boy not have Friday classes?

*

Saturdays meant no classes because Jaebum cleared his schedule. He wanted to sleep and sleep long . So sleep he did, right until 11AM because his roommate’s alarm wouldn’t shut up .

“ Youngjae.” Jaebum grumbles.

The alarm continues blaring throughout their small, shared room.

“ YOUNGJAE!”

Jaebum curses, like he always does every Saturday mornings, the fact that Choi Youngjae is a heavy sleeper and that the alarm is not actually meant for him but was meant for Jaebum to wake up so he could wake Youngjae up.

“ GET UP, CHOI YOUNGJAE!”

But he knows that was fruitless, so he just finally forces himself up and immediately starts patting the boy sleeping next to him. It was going to take a long time, but he’s too much of a good hyung not to wake the boy up.

“ Wake up, Youngjae-ah.” Jaebum shakes the boy’s arm. Repeat sixty more times or for the next thirty minutes, whichever comes first.

In the middle of Youngjae groaning and trying to move away, Jaebum had a thought. Or, thought s .

If Bus Boy has class today? Is he awake now? Does he have a hard time waking up during Saturday too?

*

Does Bus Boy sleep in during Sundays? Or does he spend it reading books?

Jaebum looks at the unwritten essay he has to pass tomorrow and the numerous books he hasn’t even looked through. Sighing, he knew his conscience wouldn’t let him leave his homework unfinished so he sets out to do them.

Is Bus Boy doing his homework now or has he finished it?

*

Mondays are made by the devil to torture young minds like Jaebum’s.

Other than the essay he had to proof-read at 5AM, he had to rush to his 7AM class with only 3 hours of sleep. Unsurprisingly, they have a surprise recitation wherein he managed to charmingly talk his Professor without actually knowing what he was talking about. Perks of being good looking, he tells Jackson.

However, the world is being a little (huge) on him that he forgot they have a quiz on his next class. He couldn’t properly answer because 1) he didn’t study and 2) he was internally beating himself up for not studying. It was, honestly, so frustrating.

Lunch was a ing mess, Bambam and Yugyeom were being little s and almost toppled over their table causing Jaebum’s strawberry milk to decorate the floor. Then they both looked at each other and ran, leaving Jaebum to curse the world for being the one assigned to tutor Bambam last year that ended up with them being sorta friends.

And then as if life was against him, his afternoon class got moved to 2 hours late so he ended up having to take the same late bus during the rush hour.

The crowd isn’t as big as last week’s because it wasn’t raining, but it was still enough to earn a few steps on his foot. Jaebum was not amused, but he was too busy craning his neck to look around the bus stop and then inside the bus.

The boy wasn’t there.

Again.

*

Tuesday brought about feelings in Jaebum as he lets the first bus pass by to wait for the same bus he rode last Thursday. He was left alone in the bus stop, but people were soon coming to stand beside him.

As he stands there, heavy books on hand, he realizes he doesn’t even know what he’s doing.

He was looking for a boy whose nose he elbowed, spent the next 10 minutes staring at and that was all . He doesn’t even know if he’s a regular passenger of this same bus or if it was just a coincidence he rode that one.

As he scans the bus one last time before going down, Jaebum decides he wouldn’t look for Bus Boy anymore.

*

Jaebum is so tempted to stay back another two hours.

He could… tutor Bambam some more? Nah. The little still hasn’t apologized for spilling his strawberry milk no matter how many times Jaebum put him in a headlock.

He could go through some routine with Yugyeom? But staying with Yugyeom means dealing with Bambam and… refer to paragraph above.

He could stay with Jackson? But he was sure Bambam would be there too and…

Jaebum thought of staying in the library, but he knew that was pushing it. Jaebum doesn’t even like libraries. So with a heavy heart, he walked towards the bus stop that he was sure wouldn’t be crowded.

At 3:03PM, the bus stop felt foreign and the sun above felt blinding. Jaebum hasn’t gone home early in weeks and it felt bizarre. But he was at least thankful there would be no stepping on his foot this time around.

The bus came and Jaebum was able to grab a seat by the corner. It was surprisingly not that full when he came in, but with the number of people that rode from his stop, all the seats were finally taken. Ah, the luck when riding an early bus.

Jaebum wasn’t paying attention to his surrounding when people from the next bus stop came in. He was, maybe, trying to remember how Bus Boy looks like and is wondering if he’ll ever see him again. Then again maybe Bus Boy was just--

“ !” Jaebum cursed when someone accidentally hit his shoulders with their bag. He looked up, about to maybe curse some more when.

“ I am so sorry. Are you hurt? Please forgive me, my bag is too big.” A flash of dark brown hair, a gray cardigan and heavy books.

Bus Boy!

Jaebum had never stood up so fast in his life, almost toppling the both of them on the floor. But he caught himself quickly, smiling his most charming smile at the confused guy in front of him. Curses and painful shoulders immediately forgotten.

And the boy, the boy whose face he’s only seen for a few minutes… is even more beautiful up close and with the sunlight illuminating him.

“ Please sit here instead. Your bag looks too heavy.” Jaebum says with as much charm as he could, trying to use up the chance he was given.

The boy blinked at him, lips turning into a pout but he bows anyway and sits down on Jaebum’s vacated seat. The lady in a short skirt beside Jaebum grunts, obviously not pleased that Jaebum chose someone else to give his seat to.

But who cares about ladies in short skirts when there’s the boy wearing white shirt and then a gray cardigan over it, black skinny jeans hugging his legs so beautifully and black framed glasses covering his pretty face.

“ I’m sorry for elbowing your face the other week.” And like an idiot, Jaebum blurts out unnecessary things.

The boy, who was fixing his bag on his lap, looks up at Jaebum and his eyes widened in recognition before a small smile graces his lips. “I thought I said you don’t have to apologize? I heard you the first time,” the boy’s voice sounds even better in HD. Close, not overpowered by the grumbling of too many people squished inside the bus.

Jaebum shrugs, reaching for the handle and moving close to the boy’s side to make sure there would be no one hitting the boy this time. “The least I can give you is my seat,” he only said, hoping he wouldn’t disclose any more of unneeded information (like how he looked for the boy everyday since then).

The boy hums, “Thank you. I needed it.”

The conversation was coming to a close and Jaebum didn’t want it to, he didn’t spend the past 6 days thinking and looking for the boy only to let it go. He hurriedly looked at the boy, hoping for something to say. Anything.

“ You’re…” Jaebum coughed, getting the boy’s attention who looked up at him through the hair falling on his eyes. “You’re a Literary major?”

The boy tilted his head confusedly then down at the books on his lap. “Oh! These? They’re not for school. I like a little bit of light reading now and then.”

Jaebum would’ve snorted if they were friends because there was nothing light about those books. His shoulders could stand to testify. But as it have it, they weren’t friends (but they will be!!!) so he has to be polite.

“ Ah, I’m sorry. I don’t really know anyone who likes to read their books without it being a requirement from school.” It was only when Jaebum had said that he realized he sounded like an uneducated little .

“ Don’t worry.” The boy had beat him to an apology. “Me neither. All my friends doesn’t like reading books too, so you’re not alone.”

Jaebum smiles, glad that the boy didn’t embarrass him. Now, though, he doesn’t know how to ask what course the boy is taking.

“ I’m a Psychology major.” The boy offers and Jaebum was snapped out of his daze to look down and see that there’s a glint in his eyes. “And my name is Park Jinyoung.”

“ Uh. I. Im Jaebum?”

The boy, Jinyoung, just smirks at him as he opens a book from his lap. “You looked like you wanted to ask, so I answered. Was I wrong?”

Jaebum had never been this flustered since he could remember. He’s always had the upperhand in his relationships whether it was with his friends (except Bambam, he’s just an exception to all things) or whether it was with his exes. But this boy…

“ I--I’m pretty sure Psychologists aren’t supposed to--How did you--Can you read my--” Jaebum was stuttering and he knew it, also his hands are cold and sweaty and wow, prayer circle for his ego.

But Jinyoung just smiles winningly at him. “Hey, isn’t this your stop, Jaebum-ssi?” he casually said.

Jaebum paused and saw people going down his stop and panicked. “Oh, right. Thanks. Uh, I’m out? I guess?” and he had never ran down a bus stop as fast as he did.

Almost tripping on the last step and narrowly escaping falling face flat on the pavement, he almost broke a neck when he realized something. He turned around as fast as he jumped down the bus to see the doors closing with Park Jinyoung waving enthusiastically from his seat.

“ How the …” Jaebum blinked. How did he know this was my stop?

Im Jaebum curses because he can already foresee another week of stalking his buses just to see Bus Boy. Or, now that he has a name, Park Jinyoung.

“ .” Jaebum curses then turns around to walk towards his apartment.

Jaebum wonders how much it will cost if he rides the 3PM bus again, go back to his campus then take the rush hour bus.

But getting to know all the layers behind Park Jinyoung would be worth it. Im Jaebum is totally up for the challenge