“Are you sure you want to go to college?” Henry questioned while we pushed most of my clothes into luggage. “I mean…learning all of the time just sounds so boring!” He scrunched up his nose and shuddered lightly, “And then what if you and Hyukjae hate your roommate? Or worse! What if your roommate really really likes Hyukjae-”      

            My eyes widened by the thought and I nearly glared at him, “Don’t say that!” I whined and then puffed my cheeks, “There is nothing to worry about! College can, and will be fun,” I said positively, but I didn’t feel so confident anymore. I zipped up my luggage and forced a small smile when I walked over to my drawer and grabbed my sketchbook.

            “Donghae…” Henry sounded sad, “I’m sorry…I didn’t mean what I said…I just…” He stopped, and I slowly turned and stared at him. “I’m going to miss you,” He whispered and looked down at his feet.

            “No…” I shook my head, approached him and pulled him into a tight hug, “Don’t say that, Mochi. I’ll be back,” I nodded confidently and pecked his head gently, “I’m not leaving forever.” I insisted in a soft voice. I suddenly felt horrible for not considering his feelings while I was so happy to be going to school. “I love you, you know that right?” I pulled away and stared at him.

            He nodded slowly, “I love you too…” He cracked a small smile and whispered, “Have fun in college, Hae.” He smiled and pecked my cheek before we embraced each other once more. At that moment, both SoHee and Amber ran into the room and joined into the hug. I laughed and attempted to hold all of my babies in my arms, but my arms weren’t long enough for all of them!

            They all kissed my cheeks and I kiss theirs and smiled sadly, “I’ll miss you guys…you better behave while I’m gone.” I then glanced at SoHee, “Especially you.” She rolled her eyes but smiled softly, and nodded.

            “I promise I’ll be good.” She said with a sweet smile, and I felt my heart break when I realized I wouldn’t see these beautiful smiles everyday anymore. I bit my lower lip and pulled them into my arms once more.

            We embraced each other for what felt like an eternity, and I wouldn’t have let go if Amber didn’t complain. “Okay, okay, I love you too, but you need to get going. Did you forget your boyfriend is downstairs waiting for you?” She teased and I quickly grabbed my stuff and headed down the stairs while they all trailed behind me.

            “Please promise me you won’t forget about her.” I told my mother for the hundredth time as I handed her Abby. I frowned, kissed her over and over again and my heart broke when I saw her tail wagging side to side; she looked so happy for the attention I gave her. I hugged my mother goodbye and then my father.

            “We’re sure you’re going to do well, son.” Appa said in a sweet tone and I smiled brightly and embraced him for a longer period. I was so overwhelmed with all of these mixed emotions that I didn’t notice when Hyukjae walked in and hugged my family goodbye as well. He didn’t forget to kiss Abby goodbye either.

            SungMin stood nearby and sniffled as he held Hyukjae tightly, “I’m going to miss you.” He whispered but then forced a smile once Hyukjae kissed his forehead. SungMin then hugged me tightly and I tried to say something to him but no words would form.

            “I’ll see you soon…” He whispered and then forced a small smile, “Have fun in college.” He smiled a bit wider and I nodded and watched Hyukjae as he grabbed my luggage and set it on the trunk of his car.

            My vision blurred by the tears that silently spilled as I made my way into the car and waved at my family; they waved back with small, sad smiles. Hyukjae gently took my hand and squeezed it softly, “Everything will be ok, baby.” He vowed in a whisper, pecked my cheek and then drove off.

            “I didn’t think this would be so difficult.” I whispered before I rested my head on his shoulder. He whispered his response, but I was already beginning to doze off. For some odd reason my head was beginning to ache, so I closed my eyes and allowed myself to slip into a nap.

            All I could see was black and a small dimmed light a few feet in front of me; I exhaled deeply and my eyes slowly widened when I noticed the white vapor that escaped my lips. The vapor created a small smoke and disappeared slowly.”H-Hello?” My voice quivered, and my legs wobbled in place as the thought of approaching the light flashed into my mind.

            I approached the light slowly, my feet nearly dragged onto the ground, “Is anyone there?” My voice echoed back to me. The sound of footsteps echoed as well, so I stood still and felt my skin crawl when the footsteps didn’t cease; they sounded closer to me. I began to panic, my breathing uneven as I looked around but was unable to see anything but black. I stared at the light and screamed when I saw a black figure underneath it.

            “Donghae…” the familiar eerie voice whispered and I screamed out when the dim light went out completely. My heart sped up, and I could feel cold sweat at my nape. I heard his voice closer and that’s when the darkness suddenly became light.

            “Baby.” Hyukjae whispered gently as he ran his fingers down my cheek. I opened my eyes and stared at him with a scared expression. He was hovered over my seat, and he gently ran his fingers down my cheeks, “It’s over now.” He sounded apologetic. He leaned in and kissed my lips softly and before I could kiss him back he moved away slowly and stared into my eyes. He took my hand into his and squeezed gently, and he waited patiently while I slowly calmed down from my nightmare.

            I breathed slowly, inhaled and exhaled deeply as I looked all around my surroundings. I was so grateful to be awake and away from that awful nightmare, “W-We’re here…” I whispered when I clearly saw our University from the parking lot. I cracked a smile when Hyukjae beamed excitedly.

            “Come on!” He grinned and we stepped out of the car.

            Hyukjae grabbed our room keys, and we dragged our luggage towards our dorm. I watched Hyukjae with a wide, excited smile as he grabbed the flat room key and slid it into the slit of the doorknob; he then pressed in a code and the door unlocked. I smiled at him, “This is really happening.” I nearly squealed and he laughed, kissed my head and opened the door.

            The interior looked like a small apartment, we walked through the living room first, and then the kitchen and then our rooms which were located at the very end. Hyukjae and I would be sharing a room and in the other room would be our other two roommates. The rooms with only two people were much more expensive and they filled up fast, so Hyukkie and I were stuck with this room, but neither of us really minded much.

            I stared at the two beds on each corner and smiled to myself as I scanned all around the room; the room’s walls were painted a tint of yellow and we both had three sets of drawers stacked together and a desk. I smiled when Hyukjae wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me into a tight embrace, I held him back and smiled when he whispered, “We’re finally here.” He spoke softly. “I’m so happy to be here, Donghae…with you most importantly.” He pecked my head and I grinned, pulled a bit from the hug and stared at him for a moment before I leaned in and kissed his lips.

            He tightened his hold around my waist a bit and kissed me softly, his lips were gentle but even then I became lost in the satisfying feeling. I closed my eyes and kissed him back softly, we became lost in our kisses and as Hyukkie’s tongue toyed with my lips we heard footsteps nearby.

            “Oh no…” we heard a whisper by the door. Hyukjae and I immediately pulled away to stare at our roommate. My eyes widened when I recognized him; it was the guy from orientation who was disgusted by my relationship with Hyukkie.

            “Jonghyun…” Hyukjae spoke up without an expression, he only stared at him and said, “Of all the people you could have gotten stuck with, you got stuck with the gay couple…how lucky of you.” He beamed for a moment while Jonghyun slowly approached us.

            He cracked a smile and nodded, “Just my luck…I guess now I have to get used to the idea of two guys making out….” He exhaled deeply and then stared down at his feet, “I hope we can get along well though…” he cracked a small smile.

            I approached him with a small smile and stuck out my hand for him, “I’m Lee Donghae.” I smiled sweetly and watched him struggle to shake my hand properly; he seemed unsure of what to do.

            He shook my hand gently and smiled lightly, “Jonghyun…nice to properly meet you roomies.” He grinned and then took a step back when Hyukjae only stared at him with no expression. “Well I should finish unpacking…I’ll see you two later…” he walked off towards his room.

            “I still don’t like him.” Hyukjae mumbled.

            “But we have to try to get along with him, Hyukkie, he’s our roommate now.” I shrugged and approached one of the beds slowly before I threw myself on the mattress. I hummed lightly from the comfort of the bed, but before I could move aside for Hyukjae he climbed on top of me and pecked my nape softly. I beamed and hugged my pillow as he traced kisses up and down my nape; his hands grabbed my hips and he gently rubbed circles with his thumbs.

            “I love you, baby.” He whispered and I smiled widely but kept my eyes closed while my body trembled u