15 August 2013

“Wow, the room is bigger than I thought,” Ryeowook muttered to himself, tilting his head up to the low-lying ceiling of a decently sized college dormitory. The crest of his university was carved into the wall, appearing glossy and clean. It read:

St. Angela’s College

The window was open, setting hot air circulating through what must have been a much stuffier room. Leaning over one of the bare-faced mattresses was a lean young man with disheveled pink hair. He looked over his shoulder, offering a small smile at the freshman. “Hi, welcome to Sapphire Hall,” he greeted, dusting himself off before walking over to take the box from Ryeowook.

“Don’t just stand there like a ,” Kim Youngwoon slapped his younger brother’s slight backside, sending the frozen boy staggering forward.

Ryeowook squeaked, fumbling and whipping around. “I was just thinking!” he spat back, glaring at his grinning older brother. He quickly bowed to the fellow in his room. “Thank you for the help. My name is Kim Ryeowook and I’ll be living here from now on. It’s very nice to meet you,” he said in a flurry, face heating up.

A surprisingly small hand tousled his dark hair. Glancing up, Ryeowook saw the stranger’s amused face. “Nice to meet you too, Ryeowook. I’m the RA, Jongwoon. I’m here to help, so if you need anything just ask.” His deep eyes were daunting and alluring through the cotton candy pink hair, the contrast being too much. “I’m actually going to be sharing the bathroom with you.” Jongwoon nodded toward the door residing between the two dressers in Ryeowook’s room. Reaching over, he turned the knob, pulling it open to reveal a petite suite-style bathroom. “It’ll be you and your roommate and me. Since I’m an RA, I have a room to myself.”

“I see,” he nodded, alert eyes lifting back up to Jongwoon. “I’m glad that you’re my suitemate then.” Ryeowook paused, fumbling slightly, “I mean, I wouldn’t mind if it was someone else, but it’s good to know that someone older is—not that you’re old, I just—uhm…”

“He’s normally this dorky,” Youngwoon spoke up, pushing his sunglasses onto the top of his head. “I’m his brother. Unfortunately, I’ll have to leave this useless kid in your care, Jongwoon.” He shoved his hand down on Ryeowook’s head, pushing him down. Smirking, he laughed at the complaints.

“No problem,” the RA smiled. He glanced around the room before pointing toward the door. “Why don’t we go downstairs and grab the rest of Ryeowook’s stuff?”

The two older men exchanged a nod. Youngwoon squeezed Ryeowook’s shoulder, saying, “Stay here, kid. We’ll be back with your stuff in a minute.” Without waiting for affirmation, Jongwoon and the brother headed out.

Ryeowook stared after them, wondering if that was how adults acted. How old was his RA anyway? He slowly sank down in his desk chair, taking a deep, unsteady breath. It was strangely suffocating. Leaving everyone had been harder than he anticipated. Matters were only worsened because he chose a university so far from home. He just hadn’t wanted to be someone stuck at home. Perhaps he had overcompensated.

Sighing, he tried to calm his pounding heart, not knowing how everyone was so easygoing. Then again, Youngwoon had already gone through university years ago and was happily on his way to being married. His girlfriend, well, fiancée to be exact, was a fairly nice woman. Ryeowook couldn’t really complain. His brother always had it all together.

Brand named schooling.

Steady job.

And to top it off, he had a beautiful fiancée and was in the process of purchasing a two-floor apartment in the city where he could raise his family and bring their parents honor.

Ryeowook was a runt who decided to attend school for music. Well, dreams aren’t meant to stay dreams. That’s what he had to remind himself every day.

***

Youngwoon pulled the last two boxes out of his car, handing one of them to Jongwoon. He shut the door and nodded for the younger man to start walking. It was only silent for a minute at most. “Are you a junior or a senior?” he asked conversationally.

“I’m a junior,” Jongwoon answered, “How much older are you than Ryeowook? It seems like you two are pretty close.”

“We’re half-brothers, actually,” he elbowed the automatic door button, waiting for it to slowly slide open. “My father married his mother and he was born when I was about nine or ten.” Youngwoon made his way through the busy lobby of the dorm, avoiding various people running around.

“He must seem like such a baby to you,” Jongwoon chuckled.

The man smiled faintly, “I do worry. He’s too honest and gentle. I tried to toughen him up, but it didn’t work out so well.” Youngwoon pursed his lips for a second, before suddenly shifting the topic. “I’m guessing you’re wondering why I’m here instead of our parents.”

“I didn’t think it was really appropriate to ask,” Jongwoon responded carefully, noting the change in tone. He pressed the button on the elevator to their floor.  

“Ryeo and our parents are in a rough patch right now,” he explained, “it’s not something to hide. I just want you to know because he gets emotional really easily. If the brat starts crying or something, it’s pretty normal, so don’t take it heart.”

The RA smiled slightly. “You’re really worried about him?”

Youngwoon grunted and hefted the box up higher as the door opened to the third floor. “If you had a useless runt like that around, wouldn’t you be concerned too?” He spoke roughly, but it was clear that warmth and affection reflected in his eyes. That was more than enough to express his feelings.

Pushing back into the room, the conversation smoothly moved back to Ryeowook who was moving his bed so it aligned parallel to the large window. The wooden frame pressed up against the heater, freshly made up bed shining under the rays of a midmorning sun. His sheets were deep blue, blanket a soft gray. “Hyung, do we have time to go to a store? I need a few things.”

“What?” Youngwoon complained, “no way, no way. I don’t want be stuck with you another second. The car ride was long enough with you.”

Ryeowook frowned, tugging on his older brother’s arm. “Please? I really do need it! I promise it won’t be long!”

He mock-sighed, much to Jongwoon’s amusement, and tugged his arm away, setting the box of stuff down on the desk. “Fine, you’ve got half an hour. That’s it, kid.”

“Thank you, thank you!” he grinned brightly, eyes shifting over to the RA for a second. Ryeowook nodded his acknowledge, tripping over his words as he addressed the junior, “Thank you—thanks, I mean, for helping bring—to bring my stuff up.” His face flushed bright red again and he ducked his head.

Jongwoon tried not to laugh, simply walking around them to set the box down. “It’s okay. Don’t worry. I actually have to get back downstairs to help the other residents.” He waved at them before turning back to the door. “It was nice meeting you, Youngwoon-hyung.”

The two brothers glanced at each other. Youngwoon clapped Ryeowook on the back, snorting. “Don’t be getting all gooey-eyed at your RA. He’s too old for you.” He grinned teasingly.

Ryeowook proceeded to chase his brother out of the building.