Solji wakes up at the sound of her alarm ringing and groggily sat up to turn off her alarm then let out a tired sigh as she made a mental note not to stay awake until 3AM when she had work at 8AM. She didn’t intend to do so but her boyfriend was unable to sleep and decided to extend their usual night conversations, not that she was complaining or anything since it meant that she could spend more time with someone she liked a lot.

She got out of bed to start her morning routine and the scent of food had invaded her nostrils once she had stepped out of her room. She thought nothing of it and assumed that it was her mind imagining things since she was hungry. But the moment she reached the kitchen, she froze entirely at the sight presented in front of her.

Standing by the stove, cooking what smelt like bacon was Byun Baekhyun, her roommate.

It was rather peculiar for Baekhyun to be home since he was often occupied with various tasks outside which left Solji feeling as if she was living alone instead. Initially, he was always home and seemed to only leave for work or whenever his friends had bugged him to go out. But for the past month, his life had been consumed by so much work that he doesn’t seem to be present anymore. The only times she’d ever encounter him would be when he left for work or when he decided to stay at home for a few hours then leave.

As if feeling her gaze on him, he looked over his shoulder and smiled once he caught a glimpse of her. “Hey” He greeted before turning back to the stove, his greeting left unanswered since she was still in a daze.

Solji blinked a few times, trying to register the fact that her roommate was indeed there. “Hi” She greeted back and went to his side, observing him cook. “When did you get back? How come I didn’t hear you come in?” She asked, excited that Baekhyun was finally home and hoped that the male would plan to stay longer.

“I came back at 11 last night” Baekhyun replied. “Of course you wouldn’t notice, you were too busy talking with your boyfriend on the phone to hear me” He teased, though his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes like they usually do but she hadn’t noticed for she was far too embarrassed that her roommate had heard her.

"Oh? You heard?” Solji chuckled nervously. “Was I too loud? It didn’t seem like you have much sleep” She inquired, finally realizing the evident dark circles below his tired eyes then felt extremely guilty for being the reason. “Sorry”

“You really like saying sorry, huh?” Baekhyun remarked, his eyes twinkling in amusement which she rolled her eyes at. Baekhyun seemed to make her habit of apologizing as a form of his entertainment which she didn’t particularly mind but didn’t quite agree with his behavior either. “Let’s eat breakfast!” He announced, turning off the stove and ushered the female out while he took care of the dishes.

Both of them gathered at the table to eat the breakfast dishes cooked by Baekhyun. Solji felt really grateful that he had come home to cook this morning because she would’ve had instant noodles since it was the only dish she was able to cook without burning the whole apartment. It was probably the first homemade dish she had for the past few weeks after the constant purchase of takeout.

“This is so good!” Solji praised making Baekhyun smile, his cooking skills were pretty mediocre but she seemed to always shower him with compliments each time he made a meal for the two. “You should cook more” She suggested and he took her words into consideration upon recalling the damaged frying pan he found earlier which he suspected that Solji was most likely involved.

“Sure” Baekhyun agreed making her do a fist pump as she began to think of the soon to be made dishes, he could only laugh in amusement at such a childish behavior. “Only after you buy me a new frying pan” He added, snickering when she abruptly spluttered out her drink.

“I swear it was an accident!” Solji defended, desperately wiping any traces of orange juice from the table. “I tried cooking eggs because I thought it was easy to make but then I heard this really loud hissing sound so I panicked. Next thing I know, the egg started burning” She explained which only intensified Baekhyun’s laughter.

“How do you fail in cooking eggs?!” Baekhyun cackled, finding the whole story completely hilarious. He had a hunch that she wasn’t quite skilled in the culinary field but couldn’t believe she was that bad.

“Anyways, I’m really sorry for ruining your frying pan!” Solji apologized, receiving a teasing look from Baekhyun that was most likely referring to her apology but she was too sorry to even respond.

“God, you really are absolutely remarkable” Baekhyun shook his head with an amused smile playing on his lips, his life really has become much more interesting ever since Solji became his roommate. “Its fine, I can just buy a new one” He brushed off the matter easily, making her relieved from the guilt of not informing Baekhyun that had been eating her up for the past few weeks.

“Baekhyun” Solji called out to the male who had hummed in response. “Do you always come back at night?” She inquired and received a nod. Baekhyun raised a brow, staring at her as if silently asking her purpose of questioning him. “I just wanted to make sure that I wasn’t the only one living here”

There was a flash of guilt in Baekhyun’s eyes as he stared at her apologetically, he didn’t intend to make her feel so alone but there were certain reasons that compelled him to leave the apartment. “Sorry, work has become really hectic so I’m forced to work overtime a lot” He explained and she nodded understandingly. “I reckon you must be lonely”

“You have no idea” Solji pouted. “But good to know that you come home at 11, I can finally have ahold on you” She grinned.

“You know what, why don’t we go out this afternoon?” Baekhyun suggested, watching Solji’s face contort into an elated expression in an instant. He felt the need to do something with her as a way to compensate him neglecting her for the past few weeks in order to remove the guilty feeling stirring up inside of him.

“Are you serious? But what about your work? Didn’t you say you have to work overtime?” Solji asked.

“I can figure something out, I’m sure they’ll be fine without me” Baekhyun replied with a shrug, although she didn’t seem too convinced and hoped that she didn’t interfere with his work in anyway. “It’ll be fine. I mean, who could say no to a face like this?” He joked, sending her a playful wink which she rolled her eyes at but nevertheless felt a bit assured.

“Where are we going?” Solji inquired.

“Well, we could buy that new frying pan” Baekhyun suggested, letting out a chuckle as her apologetic face had resurfaced. “There’s this movie I’ve been wanting to watch, are you up for it?” He asked and she nodded enthusiastically. “And then we can do anything you’d like”

“Anything I like?”

“Anything you like” Baekhyun reiterated, smiling softly as her eyes twinkled in excitement. “So when do you get off work?”

“2 o’clock” Solji stated then her eyes had unconsciously averted to the clock on the wall, realizing that it was 7.30AM already. “I have to go to work now” She announced as she took the last few bites of her breakfast then reluctantly stood up from her seat, she really wanted to stay with Baekhyun a little bit longer. “Thanks for breakfast”

“Have fun, see you later!” Baekhyun hollered as he watched her head towards the door. “Don’t fall asleep” He teased, knowing that she had slept late.

“I won’t” Solji grinned at him as she held the door open. “Bye Baekhyun, see you later!”

~*~

Baekhyun had occasionally been glancing at the clock on the wall, waiting patiently until it showed 1.30PM so he could leave and meet Solji at the apartment. His pace in working had hastened throughout the whole shift and his smile seemed to never leave his face because his mind was too consumed on the upcoming event.

“What do you think has gotten gloomy Byun so cheery?” Jongdae asked Chanyeol who stood beside him.

Chanyeol took a glance at his happy co-worker, it was a bit strange for him to be in a lighter mood since he had been looking miserable for the past month. Baekhyun was usually a bright lad but he seemed to have turned a bit dull which had earned him the nickname ‘gloomy Byun’ by Jongdae. Seeing his friend revert back to his past self was a nice sight, Chanyeol didn’t care whatever happened as long as he was happy.

“Maybe something good happened?” Chanyeol guessed, shrugging as he continued his task.

“But what?” Jongdae inquired, grabbing Chanyeol to prevent him from working and to continue their discussion. “Are you not at all curious on what happened to our gloomy Byun?” He asked and received yet another shrug, Baekhyun would tell them eventually.

“I’m leaving!”

The two snapped their heads towards the brunet making his way to the door which made them both glance at each other in confusion. Chanyeol glanced at the clock that read 1.40PM which seemed far too early for Baekhyun to leave and suspected that that was the reason his friend was in a better mood.

“Not working overtime, Byun?” Jongdae asked with a raised brow.

“Not today” Baekhyun replied, waving at them both who reciprocated the action simultaneously. “I’ve got an important appointment to get to, see you tomorrow!”

“He’s definitely going on a date” Jongdae said as soon the brunet had left the premises, Chanyeol was left dumfounded at such a quick conclusion based on such little evidence. Furthermore, Baekhyun didn’t exactly have anyone special in particular to go on a date with. “I bet you $10 that he’s going out with his cute roommate”

“Why would his roommate go on a date with Baekhyun?” Chanyeol asked, growing more confused by the second.

“It doesn’t matter why, just bet with me that they’re going together! I need the extra cash!”

“Okay, don’t yell at me!”

 

Baekhyun reached his apartment and fumbled for the keys in his pockets, he had received a text from Solji a while ago stating that she was on her way back to the apartment. He successfully managed to take out his keys and began unlocking the apartment with a smile etched on his face. However, the sound of footsteps had caught his attention and his smile contorted into a thin line.

A taller male with a solemn expression approached him, nodding his head as a greeting which Baekhyun half-heartedly reciprocated. Baekhyun’s previously cheerful vibe had diminished into a colder vibe, all the excitement in him had died due to the presence of Oh Sehun, Solji's boyfriend.

“Is Solji home?” Sehun asked making Baekhyun’s eye twitch in annoyance.

“She’s on her way back” Baekhyun replied, letting go of the door handle. “I’ll be leaving first” He announced curtly before walking past the male without a single glance.

Sehun watched as the brunet walked away wordlessly, he was unfazed by his cold behavior. Although, he does ponder on the reasons as to why Baekhyun treated him in such way when they hadn’t even been involved in a proper conversation with each other. Even as Solji attempted to gather the two males to interact, Baekhyun always seemed to have an excuse not to do so.

Sehun didn’t let his mind wander off far on the topic and let himself in the apartment with a key that Solji had given him. He made his way to plop down the couch and close his eyes, letting out a tired sigh as he waits patiently for the female to arrive.

“I’m here, I’m here!”

The door had burst open and Solji entered excitedly, Sehun stared at her in amusement as it was a rare occurrence for her to arrive so enthusiastically, not that he was complaining. Her eyes quickly searched for a specific pair of dark brown eyes but had only come in contact with Sehun’s.

“Sehun?”

“Hey” Sehun greeted as she approached the male, he stood up and kissed her cheek as greeting. “I didn’t think you’d greet me so excitedly, did you miss me that much?” He teased, sitting down while pulling her down with him.

“What do you mean? I always greet you excitedly!” Solji defended then rested her head on his chest. “By any chance, did you happen to see Baekhyun?” She asked, hoping that the male was currently on his way to the apartment.

“Yeah, I saw him” Sehun replied making her sit up straight, turning to him attentively. “He left, probably to work”

“Oh” Solji said flatly, she couldn’t help but to feel disappointed and confused.

“Anyways, shall I make us something? You must be hungry after working so hard at work” Sehun offered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and received a nod from her. “Alright, stay here” He said, kissing her forehead gently before standing up from his seat to head towards the kitchen.

Solji’s phone vibrated and she took it out to see that Baekhyun had texted her. Apparently, work was even more hectic today and they needed him. He apologized for the change of plans and promised to reschedule to another day. Solji frowned, she understood he was busy but still wished he had ditched work just for today.

Once again, Baekhyun wasn’t home.