My housemate was nothing like what his room made him out to be.

With all those books lying around waiting for him in his room, I’d thought he’d be the shrimpy type. He’d have glasses perched over nose and dark shaggy hair cut in messy tuffs over his eyes, giving him the nerdy sort of look. Or, at least that’s what he was supposed to be.

Jongup wasn’t very tall, nor was he short. He certainly wasn’t shrimpy. He stood just a little shorter than me with his deep brown hair risen in a swept spike that made him maybe a centimeter or two taller - still shorter than me, I’d like to add. And no matter how much those books weighed together, it was no way an excuse to have as fit a body as he did. It just wasn’t a normal, “oh I exercise during my spare time,” sort of body. (What kind of a bookworm had arm muscles like that?) He was not, repeat not, the person I’d originally imagined him to be.

I was not impressed, albeit maybe a tad jealous.

Coming back with clothes on, a little fit of coughs trying to escape the previous embarrassment, I found Jongup exactly where I’d left him before, still with his hands over his eyes. Did he know that he could have taken them down after I’d escaped to my room?

“Uh, I’m back.”

“And clothed hopefully?”

I groaned. “Can we … please promise to just forget that?”

Jongup laughed. I didn’t. “Consider it forgotten.”

(Something told me it wasn’t, that it’d end up showing up in a blackmail of some sort in the future.)

He lowered his hands onto his lap, that far too carefree smile still littering his lips. I’d be lying if I’d said it wasn’t contagious. By the time I’d seated myself in the other seat, I shared the lift of lips as he did. So maybe he wasn’t as bad as he could have been.

“Let’s start over.” This time, when he held out a hand in a handshake, I took it in mine to a firm shake. “My name is Moon Jongup. It’s nice to finally get to meet you … Daehyun, right?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Jung Daehyun. I attend Kookmin University, second year. I, er, major in music. Vocals mostly, but I can hold my own with a few instruments. You know, piano, saxophone, guitar … the usual.” Despite my attempted nonchalance, I gave my chest a little puff; not everyone was as compatible with instruments as I was - I was just naturally gifted in this aspect, no matter what my relatives liked to say.

His eyes were wide - my ego did a sort of somersault - as I listed off a few of my talents (I didn’t add the fact I wasn’t exactly a master in any those). If anything, he was impressed, the correct emotion  I was trying to draw out. “That’s amazing. I’ve always wanted to learn how to play the piano but,” he laughed, “I’m just not as musically inclined as you I guess.” Jongup shrugged, his slanted eyes squeezing further into crescents. It was cute, how they almost disappeared into his face.

(It reminded me of a sleepy puppy.)

“So then, what about you?”

“Oh,” he looked down at his hands, looking back up to another lazy shrug. “I’m a freshman.”

“And they didn’t provide you with a housing?” I gaped. Sure, it hadn’t been as if my in-campus dorms had been a five-star hotel luxurious, but at least they’d been cheap and there for us. “Where do you attend?”

“Korea U.”

This time it was my turn to respond with a quiet, “Oh.” Korea U was one of the top three schools in Korea. Here I was, feeling dumb again. Jongup seemed to have a knack at doing this.

“I uh, in their defense, I actually live in Seoul. So they’re not required to provide for me. I just … you know, wanted out of the house.” Jongup looked sheepish, his chapped lips. He wreaked of nervous, a total opposite to the bright look he’d had just a minute earlier. “You … you don’t hate me, do you?”

I choked on air. “Hate you?” I shook my head, wildly. Had I given off that I’d disliked him? No way. “Why would I hate you? You haven’t even done anything yet.”

He did a little sigh of relief, returning to his smiles. “Thanks.” Though it might be a little weird of me to say, he looked much better smiling than not. “There were … actually a surprising number of people that got mad at me for attending Korea U. I’m glad you’re not one of them.”

“Yeah? Well, they’re just a bunch of jealous hypocrites!” Scooting over on the couch so that our knees bumped sides, I threw my arms around his neck, pulling him down to a half assed hug that had his back hunch in response. “They can be jealous for all I care, my roommate’s a genius!”

I laughed and he joined in, his fingers wrapping around the arm hooked around his neck.

I may not have been as smart as Jongup, or read nearly as much books as he had, but if anything was for sure, I was sociable. Mom had even called me part bee because of it.

“And now, I’m hungry. Let’s go!” As much as I wanted to say that I just trying to lift Jongup’s spirits and get closer to him, I really was hungry. It was like everything I’d ate earlier today had all just been a really tasty dream. “Since you’re so smart, I can’t possibly get lost with you around!”

When I stood up, he was dragged along, hobbling to keep up with me as I had  decided it was not timing to let go yet. He didn’t seem to mind though; or, at least he was laughing.

“I’m a business major, not geography!”

I don’t know how, but I ended up dragging us half way through town.

Jongup wasn’t a genius with directions at all.

an: i finished the last of my tests for this year. so here, have a random update. (while i go and cry over not being able to minor in computer graphics)