-Click to listen-

You can also read along to my narration.

It was about half past eight once Kim HimChan reached the hallway door to his apartment. His feet shuffled against the mat and he knocked softly for his roommate to reply. A silent minute passed and he rapped his hand on the door again but there was no one to answer. A sigh slipped from his pink lips as he fished his pocket for the key-fob. One click and two beeps later, the door was cracked open leaving just enough room for him to tiptoe in.

Argyle covered toes kicked off his shoes before creeping past the foyer. The cotton slid across the hardwood floor, a dark maple color that the couple had decided on. The cappuccino color melted the gray palette which covered the house. Something about the combination of muted tones and a heavy brown was clean and certainly easy to look at. “Yeobo?”

He called out once more but the emptiness assured him that he was, in fact, alone. “And you don’t even leave a note.” He scoffed lightly dropping his wallet onto the counter top. His phone and key remained in his pocket, unsure of their uses for a later time.

The blue LED on the home phone blinked and his lips curled into a smile. He’d told her again and again that a house phone was a waste of money, but she insisted on keeping it. Even though they’d had it for nearly a year, the voicemail wasn’t set properly, which is the only reason he’d agreed to it. Sappy greetings to the engaged couple’s voicemail is what won him over, but she was clever enough to avoid him and keep the greeting simple.

A slender finger clicked the play button and he waited for her voice to leak from the speaker. Her sweet dreamy tones are what he waited for every day. Just a simple hello or call of his name could ease all his worries.

“Kim, Kim HimChan?” It was a deep, distant but familiar voice. “Do I have the right number? Ah-This is Bang YongGuk from high school.” I know who you are, don’t be so meek, Himchan teased the unknowing man. “Well, give me a call back. I’ve got news.”

The last he’d seen of the other man felt like centuries ago. What was it, eight…nine years?

HimChan felt a rush of cool air fill his chest and he picked up the phone. Scrolling through the caller ID, he noticed a number that’d called half a dozen times but left no message. “So she did try.” He continued searching and stopped at the number relating to one very old friend.

“Yeboseyo?”

HimChan’s heart froze. The icy feeling slid down his core letting every cell feel like it was exploding. His body was numb.

“Ah, YongGuk-shi?”

“Channie? Kim HimChan?! Wow, so I did have the right number.”

“It’s been awhile hasn’t it?” It took a lot to stir the cool man. From what HimChan remembered, YongGuk rarely got excited about anything at all.

YongGuk chuckled lightly at the question. He realized that the old friend wanted him to get to the punch rather than make meaningless small talk. Even if there had been close to ten years of separation, personalities stayed mostly the same and HimChan—as talkative as he was—hated small talk. “What do you think about getting everyone back together?"

It was this question that nearly caused HimChan to shake.

"Everyone? You mean, the six of us? After all this time?" His breath was heavy and he quickly his lips to make speaking easier. “How did you get my number anyways?"

A soft chuckle leaked through the speaker and HimChan waited for the musing tone to drift away. It was the very thing that attracted each of the five boys to YongGuk. His uncanny way of putting all of them at ease, it drew them in and somehow slowed time. The sound of his unchanged voice was a reminder that the six of them had no ‘falling out’ but merely drifted away. An unbroken friendship tied the two boys and even though they’d gone their separate ways, it was clear to HimChan that everything was as it was ten years ago.

"Your Umma. She still uses the same line." He paused and the both of them laughed.

"Oh yeah, forgot about that. She’s lived in that house for twenty-something years and not once bothered with the phone.”

"Ah, lucky for me…. Hey, do you have anyone’s number?"

The sensation of YongGuk’s deep voice in his ear was becoming more and more obscure. HimChan was wide-eyed but dozing off into fits of nostalgia. Memories of high school began distracting him causing him to lose his train of thought. “Ah, I’m sorry. What was that again?"

"Do you have anyone’s number? I was hoping we could get together soon."

HimChan shook his head as if it would rid him of faded memories. “Oh, just add us on cyworld. I should be easy to find and from there just search for the guys."

"I didn’t realize you all were on cyworld."

HimChan was all too aware that he was slipping out of reality. He watched his kitchen counter top lower and shrink into a single desk. A weight of books dropped onto his shoulders and the lighting changed into a blinding morning.

“I just got back into Seoul, I’ve got some exciting news.”

His voice echoed like a distant call from the hallway which was situated alongside their classroom. It was as if the boys were returning from a long vacation and slowly each of them settled into his vision. No matter how dishonest his surroundings were, the voice in his ear instilled in him that the chalk board and rows of desks before him were as real as his very own existence. The reflection of the florescent lights gleamed off the white speckled floor and he was a senior in high school once more.

“It’s a bit weird to talk about, something better to say in person.”

HimChan’s nostrils filled with the scent of lavender and the clean uniform tiles began to crack. The weight on his shoulders lifted and pressure was applied against his back. There was a moment where he felt himself falling but a hand slid down his arm, fingers lacing with his…catching him.

“I, I also have something to tell you guys. Let’s set a date.”

Hope you enjoy this fic! It's going to be about ten chapters long (give or take)
Have a lovely day :D

-MeiMeng