“Alright. After this class, I'm going to walk to the gym and start working out again,” I tell myself, determined. It's been so long since I had a proper workout, and it's definitely showing. I don't consider myself fat, but I really miss being able to lift a decent amount of weights and run a few miles without tiring out. If only I didn't get lazy, then I would still be able to do all these things. I don't care about my weight. I just want to feel fit and healthy again. It's a reasonable goal, right?

  I have my backpack on my shoulders and a drawstring bag with my workout clothes in my hand. As I walk up to our university’s gym, I find myself feeling a little intimidated. I remember walking in there my Freshman Year and seeing plenty of fit people all around running on the treadmill, lifting weights, and doing all the other things you can do in a gym. What makes it worse is I don't end class until the busiest time of the day: 5 o’clock. Since it’s summer, there's not a lot of students or professors around working out, but part of me wants to turn back and just do a little workout at home. Deep within me, I know if I do go home now, I'll just lie on my bed and take a short nap before getting up to eat and complain how I should've worked out earlier.

  With all the courage I can muster, I walk into the gym, smelling the familiar scent of cleaning wipes (The gym provides this to clean the equipments) and sweat. I swipe my car and head straight to the locker rooms. There's only one guy in here, stretching. I change into workout clothes and stuff my bag in a locker before heading out.

  Our gym isn't as big as other schools, but it's a decent size considering our campus isn't huge either. However, they are very proud of their rock climbing wall in the middle of the whole place, in which you can see once you enter. As I pass by the tiny bouldering area, I spot an old friend of mine.

  “Jongup!” I exclaim just as he's putting chock on his hands for a better grip on the walls.

  He smiles. “Hey, Youngjae! Long time no see! What are you doing here?”

  “Just taking summer classes. Gonna start working out again while I’m here. You?”

  “Same, and working.”

  We begin talking about our summer. Apparently, Jongup worked at the gym for most of the summer to earn a few cash, and now he's here taking a few classes to get ahead.

  “We should catch up sometime with the rest of the gang,” Jongup suggests, “I saw Junhong in the business building yesterday and he said he would be free this weekend. And I believe Himchan is also here.”

  “Yeah. Definitely. Just text me and we can set up at time.”

  “Alright. I'll let you get to your workout.”

  “See ya.” We part ways. Ah, at least I found someone I know taking summer classes. It makes it a little bit more bearable. I mean, since I'll have the same class everyday for an hour and a half, it's always nice to know someone else is suffering with me.

  I can't help but be happy, thinking that I have plans this weekend. My roommate, Yongguk isn't here, so I've been alone in my apartment, not talking to anyone. And here’s Jongup. Ah, it's so nice to be able to talk to a friend again.

  I look up and see chocolate eyes staring at me. My smile is still on my lips. I panic for a bit and shift my eyes to the side, only to look back and still see him with a smile.

  “Good afternoon,” he greets with a deep voice.

  It throws me off. But also, I'm a bit awkward. “Oh. Uh. Good afternoon.” I bow my head and keep walking. My pace quickens and my heart pounds in my chest. Damn. He was cute. How could I have never seen him before? Is he a year older or younger? It doesn't matter because it's not like I'll see him again. I check over my shoulder and notice that he's gone.

  I have a sigh. I really hope I don't see him again because that's just too embarrassing.

  The next day, I convince myself to go to the gym at the same time with no excuses. The moment my class ends, I'm walking straight to the gym.

  “Ugh! It's so hot!” I complain as I walk down the street. No one is around me, so I didn't care how loud I was. The mystery boy pops into my head. “I wonder if I'll see him again…” In all honesty, I can only remember his eyes and those thick lips when he smiled. Other than that, I can't recall anything because I only focused on escaping the situation. Oh, I'm such an idiot. All he did was greet me because I was smiling at him! It's not like I was doing anything wrong. Ah! Why am I thinking about this so much?

  “Stupid, Youngjae. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid,” I mutter to myself while slapping my forehead with my palm. As I approach the door, again, I am met with chocolate eyes. My hand is still on my forehead and I freeze.

  The guy holds the door for me and steps to the side. He nods his head slightly as a greeting.

  I grin and walk pass him with a quiet, “Thank you.” I turn my head to check up on him. Just as I do so, he smiles at me and takes a step back, but bumps into a girl who was walking towards the opened door.

  He apologizes and they have a short interaction of a “Sorry,” and a “It’s okay.” I can't help but chuckle. I guess I'm not the only one who can embarrass himself. I find my heart beating fast again. Ah! What is wrong with you, Heart? You don’t even know this guy, so why are you beating so quickly?

  I head to the locker room. If I keep meeting that guy like this, I don't know if I can ever set foot in the gym normally.

  “Oh, you gotta be kidding me,” I utter to myself as I park my car near my apartment. I walk towards the staircase and sure enough, I see that same gym guy coming out of his car and heading towards my direction. There's no way I'm going to let him see me. With my backpack on my shoulder, my drawstring bag on my arm, and my phone and keys in either hand, I rush to the staircase and walk to the second floor. It was honestly hard opening the door to leave the staircase with all the items I had so it delays me. I hear someone coming up behind me. When I get the door open, I hold it out and realize it was him.

  Maybe he doesn't need to go on the floor. I let the door close and just as I take a step forward, my phone drops on the ground, creating a loud thud. “Crap.”

  I hear the door open behind me.

  Oh, no. It's him isn't it? I bend down and swipe my phone from the ground. I really hope it's not him. I make a mistake and glance behind me. . It is him.

  My apartment door is close by. I fumble with my keys and drop those. “.” C’mon. This guy doesn't even know me and I bet he's judging me so much right now. I pick up my keys and stand by my door. Just before I unlock it, I glance to my side.

  Sure enough, he's smiling at me.

  I blush and push my door open, only to crash my shoulder on the door frame. I forgot to unlock the damn door!

  The gym guy doesn't say anything, but chuckles and walks down the hallway.

  I watch him go, seeing his slow strides to a room a few doors down from mine. What are the odds? He just had to be living here, too! I bump my forehead on the door. I bet he thinks I'm an idiot now.

  The next morning, I decide to get to class a little earlier so I can do a quick review before my quiz. This time, if I see that guy again, I will do my best and act normal. I don't know why I've been acting so weirdly around him. We don't even know each other!

  As I'm going through all the things I need to remember, I find myself visualizing those brown eyes and captivating smile. I shake my head. No. Focus, Youngjae. You have a quiz!

  I step outside my apartment.

  Man, the inside of my nose is itchy.

  I raise my hand to my nose. Just before I can scratch it, I see him walking up to me and looking at me. I pretend to cover up a cough. Great. Now I bet he thinks I'm gross.

  He stops next to me. “I see you everywhere for some reason,” he comments.

  “Uh. Yeah. Weird, right?” I mentally slap myself. What am I saying.

  He chuckles. “Yeah. I have never seen you before. Have you always lived here?”

  “I moved in last year with my roommate, Yongguk, and we'll probably be staying here until we graduate.”

  “I see. Well, I don't usually see my neighbors anyways, so I guess it's normal not seeing people. I'm Daehyun by the way.” He holds out a hand.

  I take it and feel a sudden warmth course through me. “I'm Youngjae. Nice to meet you."

  “Nice to meet you, too, Youngjae. So, you're heading to class?”

  I nod. Why did I decide to leave early? I'm too awkward talking to people I just met, and let us not forget this guy is ing cute. Upon closer inspection, I can see he has a beauty mark just below his eye. Damn. That looks really good on him.

  “Same. I’m taking Psychology.” He starts walking and I follow. “What year are you?”

  “Junior.”

  “Me, too!”

  I honestly did not expect such a carefree attitude from a guy like him. At first glance, people might think he's a boy with those impossibly good looks, but talking to him now, he seems like a nerd as he keeps going on and on about what he's learned in Psychology.

  We reach my car.

  “Well, this is my car,” I point out and stop behind it.

  “Alright. I guess I'll see you at the gym.” Daehyun laughs.

  “Ha…” Ugh, so that means he remembers every embarrassing moment by me.

  Daehyun waves and spins on his heels.

  “Wait. Do you want to ride with me?” What? Yoo Youngjae! What are you saying? I mentally slap myself again.

  “Oh, it's alright. I have my own car.”

  “I mean, I don't mind because it looks like we start and end at the same time.” Why am I still talking? Plus, I'm just assuming all this because we got back to the apartment at the same time.

  “No, it's fine, but I will consider your offer another time. I'll see you at the gym.” With those words, he walks to his car.

  Yeah, he definitely remembers every encounter I had with him. This is great. This is just great, Youngjae. Remember, I need to try to not embarrass myself any further.

  As the week goes by and the weekend passes with meeting my friends, I find myself a bit sad Monday morning. The rest of the week, I didn't see Daehyun. I try to leave the apartment early and go to the gym at my usual time, but he's nowhere to be found. I mean, I really shouldn't be bothered, but it's strange not seeing him after having all those encounters.

  I head to the gym and see Jongup again, but no Daehyun. I talk to Jongup and we’re thinking about hanging out again. That's fine by me.

  This time, I try the treadmill. Normally, you would never see me on this thing because I hate running in general, but I need to work on my cardio. I've been weight lifting and using the elliptical, so now is the time to challenge myself. If I can run for ten minutes straight, then that's an accomplishment. I get mentally ready before turning it on. I plug in my music, put on my earbuds, and I start with a slow jog. There's no way am I going to push myself on the first day. My mind goes blank and I find myself staring at one of the TV screens without processing what I'm watching. All I can think about is what I'm going to do when I'm done and I'm already dying.

  From beside me, I see someone stepping on the treadmill. I pay no attention and keep doing my thing. Noticing blonde hair, I turn my head and find Daehyun walking next to me. It catches me off guard and I stumble on the treadmill.

  What is he doing here?

  I slow down the pace and pull my earbuds out. In between breaths, I exclaim, “Daehyun!”

  “Youngjae!” He counters. He chuckles and stops the treadmill. “Just wanted to say hi. I don't usually do cardio, so I'll be going now.” Daehyun steps down and makes his way towards the weights.

  Ah, every time he's around, I'm always doing something so awkward. I'm the master at embarrassing myself apparently.

  By the end of the workout, I make my way out of the gym. Little did I know Daehyun was waiting for me outside. It takes me a moment to process everything and pause in my tracks as I see him coming up to me. Crap. What the hell? I thought he was gone! I try to avoid his gaze, but it’s too late. He stands next to me and walks with me as I head to my car.

 “You know, we always see each other for some reason. Haven’t you noticed?” He pauses. “So, how was your workout?” Daehyun asks casually. His shirt has sweat stains all along his back and chest and his skin glistens under the sunlight. A few strands of hair sticks to his forehead, and he brushes them off to the side.

  “Not that bad.” I, on the other hand, probably don’t look as majestic as he does. Not only am I wearing a huge shirt, making me seem shorter than I actually am, I have sweat stains everywhere, including my armpits. Maybe it was a bad idea running on the treadmill, and this hot weather is not helping my case. I notice him staring and panic a bit. “I mean, I haven’t really ran on a treadmill for so long, so… Yeah.” Why am I so awkward.

  “Is that why you tripped when you saw me?”

  “No! I mean, kinda. I just didn’t realize you would be there.”

  Daehyun laughs. His eyes sparkle. “You’re weird, Youngjae, but you seem like a cool guy. We should hang out more since we live in the same apartment, and I’m pretty sure we’ll see each other more if you keep going to the gym. Oh, I have a good idea! Why don’t we be workout partners? We can spot each other and things like that.”

  I think about it. It’s not a bad idea, but then that means he’ll see me sweat like a pig every day. Plus, he must be a workout genius while I’m an amateur. I don’t want to embarrass myself in front of him. However, it will give me more motivation to go because lately, I feel like I want to skip out on working out and move it the next day. I know if I did that, I will never go again. “Alright. We can be workout partners.”

  “Cool! Same time as today?”

  I nod. “It’s ideal. I usually go after my last class.”

  Daehyun nods his head. His thick lips curve into a smile as his eyes turn into crescents. “Well, I guess I can take up on that offer.”

  “What offer?”

  “To ride with you to school. It’ll be easier since you go back to the apartment after your workout, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Then, if that offer still stands, I would like to ride with you in the mornings and leave when you leave. If not, that’s totally fine.”

  Ah, Yoo Youngjae, what have you gotten yourself into? Why did I even ask in the first place. “Sure. I don’t mind. The more people the merrier!” Did I really just say that. Stupid, Youngjae. I need to stop being awkward.

  “Great. It’s settled then.” Daehyun reaches into his backpack and pulls out his phone. “Can I have your number that way we can contact each other?”

  “Sure.” I take his phone and type my number in. As I do so, I glance up and see him gazing at his phone, expectantly. When he notices me stopping, he looks up just as I drop my eyes to his phone. I hand it back to him.

  “Thanks! I’ll text you later. I’m actually going to study in the library for a bit before going home.”

  The library? From where we are, the library is on the other side, and with Daehyun walking next to me, he’s getting further and further away from it. Why is he walking with me in the first place anyways? “Okay. That’s fine. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow morning?”

  “Yeah. I’ll see you later, Youngjae.”

  “Bye, Daehyun.” His name slips off my tongue strangely. I don’t know why. It’s not like his name is that unique, and it’s not like I haven’t said his name before. Ah, whatever. I continue my walk to my car.

  I didn’t even get a chance to step into my car before receiving a message from an unknown number.

  Hey! It’s me, Daehyun!

  Unknowingly, I find myself smiling at his text. I quickly wipe it off and shake my head. Why am I so happy to see someone texting me? Well, I do only text one person everyday and that’s Junhong who I’ve known since my primary years. We actually don’t see each other in person, but we still keep in contact through text which surprises me. I guess you can call it a long distance friendship when in reality, he lives probably twenty minutes from my house in my hometown. It’s quite complicated.

  I climb into my car and get settled. Should I answer him? I don’t know what to say if I do. Maybe I should just say I got his number.

  Hello, Daehyun!

  Okay, that definitely was not what I was going for.

  I wait a bit and receive no answer. I guess he’s studying now. I make my way to my apartment and continue on with my day.

  Daehyun didn’t text me after that. He did, however, text me this morning, making sure I won’t leave him. I laugh because I didn’t think about that, but it makes it seem like it happened to him before.

  I reply with:

  Don’t worry. But if you’re not downstairs within five minutes, I’m leaving.

  Just as I send it, he comes rushing out the door and towards my car. I didn’t even get a chance to unlock my door before he pulls on the handle. “Geez. Hold on!” I exclaim as he pouts. I didn’t really mean leaving him literally. I just wanted to .

  When I unlock my door, he climbs in and throws his backpack on the ground. “Good thing I was already heading downstairs before you texted that.” He chuckles nervously while putting on his seatbelt. “So, today, since I worked on arms yesterday, we can do some leg workouts and maybe work on our core. What do you say about that?”

  My eyes grow wide. Legs? Leg days are the worse! I bet since I’m working out with Daehyun my legs will be so sore tomorrow, I won’t be able to get out of my bed! I slowly nod my head. “Yeah that’s fine,” I say calmly even though deep inside I’m screaming.

  Daehyun straightens and grins widely.

  As I’m driving to school, we have some small talks. We basically ask each other the basic questions like, “Where are you from?”, “What’s your major?”, “Why did you choose this school?” and things like that.

  Even after I park and we make our way to class, we talk. The more we speak, the less nervous I get and the less times I embarrass myself. Daehyun seems like a cool guy who enjoys singing and working out. Apparently, he also likes watching Anime. Interesting.

  When we part ways, he reminds me that we are working out.

  “Yeah, yeah. I know,” I point out. It’s not like I forgot.

  “Just making sure! People tend to forget within the hour.”

  I glare at him. “Don’t tell me you’re going to text me also.”

  He shrugs his shoulders.

  “You are, aren’t you?”

  Daehyun gives me a cheeky grin. “And what if I do?”

  I shake my head. Let me also take note that he’s a weirdo. “Alright. Do whatever you like.”

  He winks at me and makes his way to his class.

  My heart skips a beat and my cheeks flush red. What is with this guy? He really is strange!

  Let’s just say that the workout was intense and embarrassing. After all, Daehyun can lift a lot while there’s me struggling to even lift half of what he can. I’m not going to mention how much he lifts because that’s just going to embarrass me even more.

  By the end of the workout, we’re sweating so much and I try my best to wipe off every sweat from my body. He laughs at me as I rub my towel under my shirt and over my chest.

  “What?” I tilt my head in confusion.

  “Nothing. You just look funny sometimes.”

  What does he mean by that?

  He laughs again, but harder. “See? You’re always making a face! Do you not notice it?”

  I scrunch up my nose and and squint my eyes. Crap. Now that I think about it, he’s right! I do make a lot of weird faces. Wait, does that mean I was making a strange face while we were working out. Ah! How embarrassing! I lightly punch his shoulder. “Oh, shut up! It’s not like I do it on purpose.”

  Daehyun rubs his shoulder and pouts. “Ow. That’s mean.”

  “How does that hurt?”

  “It’s not nice to punch someone.”

  Yeah, this guy is definitely weird. With a face like that, no one would expect it. I throw my hands up and walk away from him. “Whatever.”

  “Hey, wait for me! Youngjae!”

  I ignore him and hear his quick footsteps behind me. I chuckle to myself. This looks like this will be the start of a new friendship - an interesting kind of friendship.

Author's Note:

  I really thought this would be a literal one-shot with just one chapter, but I'm thinking about splitting it into two parts because this first part is just an intro to their friendship. I'll put more DaeJae (romance-wise) into the second part. And I'll make sure there's lots of fluff. Thank you for reading part 1!

With Love, 

LokiCraze123