Bang YongGuk

Two alarms went off simultaneously. A third stopping just as quickly as it had started. Across from me, HimChan groaned, pulling his head under his pillow. He wanted more sleep; I could tell that eight hours never seemed to be enough for the cat eyed man.

Already dressed, and mostly ready for the day, I am sitting on the bed reading a novel. An action of course, filled with spies and seductive woman, ready to kill the main character but foiled before it goes through.

“Gukkie~” HimChan calls are muffled from the pillow covering his face.

“Mm?” I hum, turning the page.

“You are meant to lie under the blankets… Not on top…” He pulls the pillow away, looking up at me.

“I know…”

The alarms keep going, getting louder every minute.

“Then why aren’t you under keeping me warm?” he asks, pouting slightly.

“Because someone needs to be up and ready in case something happens… Like some people not turning off their alarms!”

HimChan sits up, leaning his head against my shoulder, closing his eyes. “Don’t worry too much about it Gukkie… There is nothing we can do about it without invading privacy.” He tilts his head, and looks up at me sweetly, “And what’s our number one rule?”

“Don’t invite yourself into others rooms without permission?” I ask, not quite sure. There was a long list, mainly for JunHong, but extended to the rest of our house mates in order to create some fairness in the youngest eyes.

“Mm...” he hums, curling closer into my side before pushing me off the bed and lying where I once was. “Now go knock on their doors to turn it off. You can only come back if you are going to be under the covers with me.” He smirks before flicking his wrist and ushering me out the door.

I smile, widely. Getting pushed out by HimChan was a weekly occurrence, always a Monday when school started back, but it was something I had gotten used to and no longer dreaded.

I remember when we first moved in together and he had done it. I was still asleep and JunHong’s alarm was going off, getting louder and louder by the minute. HimChan had pushed me off out from under the warm covers and onto the cold floor, telling me that I had to deal with the shrill sound while he stayed in bed for a little while longer.

After that, every Monday, on JunHong’s or someone else’s alarm sound, I would get pushed out of a warm bed by HimChan who took my spot and told me not to return till it was fixed. I got used to it and got up earlier to combat the sudden cold rush that I knew I would feel had I slept in till another alarm.

I move to DaeHyun and YoungJae’s rooms, knocking loudly. “Turn it off guys, time to get up.”

Strolling further down the hall I hear the second alarm coming from JunHong’s room down stairs. I move down and once again I knock, telling him too that it is time to get a move on.

A grumble comes from inside before he mutters, “Do it for me…”

I slowly open the door and wait for my eyes to adjust to the dull light that comes from within.

“JunHong?” I call, moving to his desk, where his phone lays on charge and buzzing like mad. “It’s time to get ready.”

“Gukkie-Hyung…” He mutters again, eyes half open in his shower like chamber.

I hum in response, turning off his alarm and hearing a loud sigh escape from HimChan upstairs, damn he is dramatic.

“I had a dream…”

I hum again; I am used to him waking up and tell me of what he saw behind his eyes. Since JiEun, we haven’t talked much about his dreams, I have to wait until we are alone or JiEun has made it clear she is gone. It used to be how we bonded. Over JunHong’s memory like dreams, but now it seemed like a memory itself.

“But it wasn’t like my normal ones… Not my nightmares and not my usual memory like dreams…”

“What happened in this one?” I sit down at his desk, my fingers tracing his new textbook, homemade by JiEun with help from YoungJae – not that JunHong knows that, or anyone else for that matter.

He moves over to kneel in front of me and telling me what he saw.

“It started like the others, like a memory… but then it changed. I was on a date…” His cheeks turn pink, something that doesn’t happen often for the boy. I smiled, ready to hear more. “And we got ice cream… but then it turned to different colours, like how when you close your eyes and look up at the sun you see red? It was like that, only it flickered different colours before settling on black… I was walking around in the black and then the girl I went on a date with was there… I couldn’t see her face – at least I don’t remember her face…” he says when I gesture for more details, “and we started talking, but I don’t remember any of it. I mean, I remember it… But I don’t know the words… Does that make sense Hyung?”

I nod slightly. “I guess it does. I mean, when I remember my dreams but the tiny details fade after I wake up. I guess it’s like that… Right?”

He nods, before looking up at me, a shy smile on his face. “I know that I know the girl Hyung. I called her name in my dream, and I really enjoyed my date with her…” He looks down. “Even if it was in my head.”

I pull him into a hug. “You need to remember her JunHong. It will make you happy.”

He nods. “But Hyung… What if I get lonely because of it?”

I sigh, pulling away to look him in the eyes. “You still have us, and I am sure there are many senior girls wanting to try to date you. You will be fine JunHong.”

He smiles, and nods once more.

“Now get ready before HimChan sees you aren’t in the kitchen.”