It has been a long day for Junhui and honestly, there is nothing more he wants than a hot shower and his comfy bed right now. He can hear his neighbors’ loud voices from right outside the building door. It was the couple from the 2nd floor.

“Oh hey Junhui!” Soonyoung said as he sees him. Soonyoung and his boyfriend, Seokmin lives on the 2nd floor. They have been living in this building longer than Junhui. They are nice neighbors but they can be pretty loud sometimes.

“Hi!” Junhui says. He eyed the few boxes scattered around the floor. “Whose things are those?”

“Do you remember the lady who lived on the room 326, right under your room?”

“Yeah.. I don’t think anyone can forget her once they have met her.”

The lady in room 326 always, like always wear black dress. Nobody knows her age but Junhui guess she is in her mid 40. She looks creepy and someone once swore seeing her doing some sort of ritual at the park nearby.

“Apparently she moved to Africa last month to study the new voodo technique for this 2016 trend. Today the new occupant moved into that room.”

“Err… o… kay..” It bothers Junhui a bit that Seokmin looks so casual explaining the reason why the lady moved out, as if they are used to the whole black magic thingy.

“We were on our way back when we meet our new neighbor so we decided to help him moves his stuff upstair.” Soonyoung smiles to him showing his infamous 10:10 eyes. Why do they always look so happy? Junhui doesn’t think he will ever understand.

“Oh. Okay then, I’ll leave you guys with these boxes. Bye.” Junhui was ready to leave them when Soonyoung stop him.

“Wait for a bit more Junhui. He just went outside to buy us drinks. I’m sure he will come back soon. You can introduce yourself to him.”

“It sounds tempting… But my bed is waiting for me upstair. Maybe another time. Bye guys.”
Junhui walks into the lift and waves his hand to the couple.

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“Honey, I’m home.” Jun says as he enters his dark apartment. “Oh yeah, I’m not married.”

Jun takes off his shirt and pants and throws it into a high pile of dirty laundry, reminding himself to do the laundry tomorrow and stop being procrastinator. He took his batman t-shirt and sweatpants which he has used for 3 days. If it doesn’t smell, I still can use it at home, that’s Junhui’s words of wisdom, or more like an excuse because he is too lazy to do the laundry.

Junhui’s work as barista usually doesn’t take much of his time, but ever since Jisoo resigned to join the new christian group next town, his workplace has not been able to find the replacement for him. Jun doesn’t really mind though, really, he can send the extra money to his mother to help paying Fengjun’s school.

He took out 10$ bill from his pocket jeans and put it into a clear jar on the table next to his bed. The clear jar is 90% full of money. There is a big label on it with Junhui’s handwritten, ‘Education’. “If I can keep this up, I can finally go to college next year.” Junhui grins.

When Junhui went to Korea with his uncle during high school years, he fell in love with the country. The foreign scenery and the clean weather made him decided to move to Korea after graduating high school.

Another reason is because he wanted to be independent. If he lives near his mom, he feels like he will always depend on her. However looking at the state of his apartment now, he can’t say he is 100% independent adult yet. Maybe, 70%. Okay, 50%. Wait, is that a dirty dish since last week dinner? 30% independent adult. Well, I can increase my adult-ness by 10%, tomorrow.Jun says as he takes his laptop and walks into the bedroom to read the latest chapter of Shokugeki No Shoma.

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One of Junhui’s positive trait is that, no matter how late he sleeps at night, he can still wake up 6AM the next day. That’s why he is never late to work. This is the 10% extra adultness he said yesterday.

He enters the lift and press the 1st floor button. The floor stopped on the 3rd floor. Junhui looked up from his phone to see who entered. A young male who looked like he is the same age with him in a pair of skinny jeans and blue button up shirt enters the lift and stand on the opposite of Junhui.
He must be the new neighbor from room 326. He looks hot. I should’ve waited yesterday with soonyoung and seokmin ㅜ Late is better than never, jun says to himself as he look at the stranger.

“Hi, you must be the new occupant in 326. I’m Junhui and I live above your room.” Jun says cheerfully as he extend his hand to shook the stranger’s hand. The stranger only glanced at him once before he turns his face the other way.

Whaaatttt… the...fuuuuddggee… Junhui slowly takes back his hand and stand awkwardly facing the lift door.
Rude! Just because you’re handsome doesn’t mean you can be rude to your neighbor. Jun feels extremely pisses off and ready to exit the lift as soon as the door opened, in a very adult-y way.

Ding!

The sounds indicate that they have arrived at the first floor. Jun was taking a step outside when he hears the stranger,

“Hey you, your zipper is down.”

Jun quickly put both of his hand in front his zipper. Damn… It’s truly opened. Jun feels his face heating up in shame. He turns to look at the stranger’s way and realised that he already left Junhui there.

“Mamaaaaa” Junhui feels like jumping from the top of his apartment right now. 20% of adultness decrease.

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“That was so embarrassing.” Junhui has said that 15 times already ever since he arrived at the cafe.

“He is hot and I embarrassed myself on our first encounter.” Jun hides his face with his hand hoping he could apparate to another universe. Probably one where he doesn’t have to be an adult. Preferably, Doraemon universe. He could borrow the wiping memory machine and wipes the stranger’s embarrassing memory of him.

“That was not so bad Junhui. As long as you didn’t go commando this morning.” Junghan chuckles as he turns the ‘Closed’ sign around indicating that they are open for business.

“I did not! But… but….” Junhui can feels his face heating up again.

“Don’t tell me…… you…” Junghan’s faced him with look of horror.

“I am wearing saitama sensei printed boxer today. Huaaaaaaaa….” Junhui muffled cries mix with Junghan’s roaring laughter can be heard from outside the cafe.

“Hey, what happened? Hyung, I can hear your laughter from outside the door.” Jihoon, their regular customer says as he enter the cafe. “The usual please.”

“Junhui met his hot new neighbor this morning but his zipper was down and he was wearing anime boxer” Junghan explained still laughing.

Junhui groans as he hears that.

“Wow so much for first impression hyung” Jihoon smirks at him. “At least, you can be the unforgettable neighbor to him.”

Junhui slams his face on his hand again.

=======================================================

Junhui wakes up the next morning feeling uneasy. He is not ready to meet his new neighbor again. He prays to every god above to help him avoiding the neighbor for, preferably, the rest of his life. He slip into a pink hoodie and black jeans and go to work 15 minutes earlier than his usual time.

He was checking his social media feed when the lift stops. Isn’t this… too fast? Junhui lifts up his face to see his new neighbor enters the lift. He groans internally. Why does this happen to me? Why does he looks hotter today? Junhui look at the opposite way from his neighbor while silently checking his zipper. It’s not down today. Okay. Good.

He glanced at his neighbor again. His neighbor is wearing a black sweater on top of a plaid shirt and a skinny jeans. He is also wearing a cactus green sling back. Totally, 100%, Junhui’s type.

They have arrived on the first floor then his neighbor walk out without even once looking back at Junhui.

Rude but hot but rude. Junhui thought to himself.

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His neighbor is rude but he is still hot and Junhui still embarrassed himself so meeting the neighbor again is still not suggested. So today, Jun decided to go to work, 15 minutes late than his usual time. If his neighbor go to wherever he is going at the same time as yesterday, he should be safe today,

Or so he thought when his neighbor enters the lift again.

Junhui feels like slipping down the wall and cry but he feels like it will be too dramatic. He takes out his phone from his pocket and pretend to look busy. He doesn’t dare to look at his neighbor this time. But when his neighbor walk out leaving Junhui behind, he thought “We can be the hottest couple in this building if only I didn’t embarrassed myself on the first day.”  That’s too reaching but Junhui enjoys being delusional sometimes. So much for being an adult.

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Junhui is not the type to give up easily, but after another 10 failed attempts and being scolded once by Junghan for being late, Junhui gives up trying to avoid his neighbor. Every day Junhui would play with his phone and walk out after his neighbor, whose name is Wonwoo, from Soonyoung and Seokmin’s information who also told him that he is an art student from the college near their building. Not that Junhui asked them anyway, haha, definitely not, not at all.

It has been like that for a month now. Junhui wonders if he is being rude because he never initiate a conversation. It’s not like he cares anyway, Junhui justified himself.

The lift stops on the 3rd floor and Junhui started to (pretend) to look busy with his phone. The lift moves again. Jun turns to check his hair on the mirror wall beside him. Wonwoo’s reflection shows on the mirror and he was staring at Junhui. Junhui stares back at him. This is the first time Wonwoo do something that acknowledge Junhui’s presence in the lift, other than the first encounter of course. Before Junhui can turn around to ask him, the lift door opens and he walk out. Junhui feels his zipper again, scared that the ‘accident’ will repeat itself. It’s not down.. Then why did he stare? Junhui decides to just ignore it and go to work.

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Junhui determined to ask him if he stares again but the opportunity come to him before 24 hours passed. It was 4AM when the fire alarm blares. As soon as he hears that, Junhui jump out of his bed and run outside with his slipper. Firefighters come 5 minutes later but it turns out, it was just a small fire from the 2nd floor. All the tenants have to sit outside for precaution as the firefighters checking up for another fire ignition.

Junhui regrets not bringing his jacket as he sit on the bench in front of the building. It’s still quite cold outside and his pajamas is not the thick one. He was looking at soonyoung and seokmin who are hugging each other, probably to warm themselves up, when someone put a jacket around him.

“Eum.. You can wear that. You seems cold.” Junhui turns around and see his neighbor, the neighbor is sitting beside him. And Junhui is wearing his jacket. Oh..my.. What? Junhui’s confusion probably reflected on his face because Wonwoo explains that again, “You seems cold so you can borrow my jacket. I’m wearing sweater so I’m good.”

“Okay…” Junhui is still confuse because his hot neighbor who never spoke to him (only once but it doesn’t count) just letting him wear his jacket. Not that he complains.

“My name is Wonwoo.”

“I know. Wait, no. I meant, my name is Junhui. Nice to meet you Wonwoo-ssi.” Junhui replied with a nervous laugh.
Wonwoo chuckles and Junhui swore if it’s physically possible, he would melt into a puddle right at that moment.

“Why did you stare at me yesterday?” Very blunt Junhui, good job Junhui. Junhui groans internally as soon as those words escaped his lips.

“Ah.. I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable. It’s just… ever since I meet you….” Wonwoo is looking at Junhui while he says that. Junhui feels his heart pounds in his chest. Will this be a confession?

“.... i want to ask you where did you buy that Saitama Sensei boxer. I really want it.”

Junhui can see his imagination of bringing Wonwoo to his cafe so he can introduce it to his friend, or his imagination of bringing Wonwoo back to China, all that just formed in his mind 30 seconds ago, burned and become ashes.

“Ah.. a… that saitama sensei? I ordered it online.. Hehe”

“I see..”

Junhui looks toward his building and see more firefighters entering the building.

“So, do you like One Punch Man too?” Wonwoo’s voice break the silence.

“Yes! It is my current anime obsession right now!”

“It’s mine too.” Wonwoo’s grin to Junhui seems like a promising start, at least to Junhui who exaggerated everything.

=======================================================

They have been discussing about anime for an hour that they didn’t realised they can go back to their apartment now. Fortunately (or unfortunately?) Soonyoung and Seokmin called them to go back in. Junhui can’t hide his disappointment as he and Wonwoo enter the lift. He still wants to spent time with Wonwoo together. Wonwoo notices his disappointment. When the lift arrived on the 3rd floor, wonwoo turns to Junhui.

“Do you want to re-watch One Punch Man in my apartment while waiting for the sunrise? It is too risky to fall asleep now anyway.”

“Yes! Of course! Gladly!”

Junhui doesn’t think he can wipe his wide grins off of his face for a while now as he follows Wonwoo into his apartment.