*Knock. Knock. Knock*

“Damn it,” Ruo cursed groggily, lifting his head from the sea of blankets that surrounded him. It was 2 in the afternoon and he was still asleep, exhausted from last night’s homework cramming session. He squinted bleary eyed at the door, more disturbed by the consistent knocking than the rubbish scattered around, resembling a pig sty more than an apartment.

“Oh tenant!” a voice called from outside the door, muffled by the walls but Ruo could still hear the growing impatience in the sweet voice. Ruo knew better than to anger the young owner of Muhanjeong apartments; he had learnt that the hard way. And with that in mind, he groaned, cursing a series of creative insults into his pillow before throwing himself off the bed, groping blindly with sticky eyes for some clothes. He mumbled appreciatively as he grabbed something, feeling around for arm holes and pulling it over his head without looking at what it was. With a simple black vest and shorts (put on backwards), Ruo stumbled out of his room, taking care to step over the random frying pan thrown hazardously across the center of the room towards the door, opening it a crack.

“There you are~!” Joongki smiled, happily shoving the door open, stepping over the small ledge and striding towards the tall man now thrown across the couch. Ruo blinked his large brown eyes, staring as Joongki grinned in that sickeningly sweet way. A sense of dread filled Ruo as he internally groaned; he knew that smile. He whined, swinging his long legs onto the couch as Joongki smiled at him innocently, eyebrows raised at the weary expression on the younger males face.
“What? Do I have something on my face?” Joongki questioned, a smirk twitching on his face as Ruo sighed, holding up a hand before the man could speak again, ”I know what you’re going to say. So spare me the greaseball comments. I know you’re handsome hyung. No need to remind me first thing in the morning.” Ruo sighed as Joongki shrugged, glancing pointedly at his watch, “For the record, it’s afternoon. And I just thought I’d remind you of my own physical attractiveness. But that’s not what I’ve come to tell you.”

Ruo eye twitched apprehensively, body tensing in preparation to run, tackle the man before him or do whatever it takes should the need to escape arise. You never know when you’ll have to run when it comes to Joongki; he was unpredictable as a child shoved into a toy store. Joongki seemed to enjoy the younger man’s fidgetiness, taking his time, looking around the apartment, even humming in his ease until Ruo finally exploded.

“Dammit, just tell me!” he growled irritably, pouting while Joongki laughed, leaning against the wall and peering down at a scowling Ruo. He shot him a charming smile, “Sorry to break it to you kid, but you’re getting a roomie today.” For a second, he thought it was a joke. He snorted, shaking his head with an amused smile, “Nice try hyung. But I know this place has got more than enough single rooms. You haven’t had a new tenant for months.” Joongki merely smiled, sparking a sense of unease in the 20-year-old.

“I’m hurt that you underestimate me, Ruo,” Joongki fake sniffled, wiping an invisible tear with his sleeve, “Must I remind you of the lovely lady that moved into Room302 just a month ago? She seems to take quite the liking to you,” he said.
“She’s like 60,” Ruo reminded, crushing Joongki’s vibe. He shot a reproachful glare at the laughing male, “Age is but a number, Ruo,” Joongki huffed, chucking something at him which he caught with ease, “What is 40years of age difference got to do with love?”

He saw a glint of silver and looked down, cradling a new pair of keys in his palm. He drowned out Joongki’s ranting, just staring at his palm, deep in thought. With a sinking feeling, he realized that no matter how much he tried to deny the truth, there was no avoiding it. He really was getting a roommate. He groaned, cupping his face, dreading it before he had even seen the person. Now don’t get me wrong, Jung Ruo was by no means an anti-social person. He could be the life of the party when he wanted. But he had never taken too kindly to sharing in general, so accustomed to the life of only childhood that sharing seemed like quite a bother. With a sigh, Ruo cradled the keys, contemplating throwing them out the window but chasing the thought away as Joongki punched him on the arm.

“STOP IGNORING ME YOU LITTLE BRAT!” Joongki yelled, jerking Ruo out of his thoughts. The owner of Muhanjeong huffed, spinning on his heels and stomping across the apartment back towards the door before stopping and turning back, “By the way, your roomie’s a girl. Don’t go chasing her away with your…morning tendencies.” Ruo smiled innocently, 2 invisible devil horns forming over his head as he got a sudden jolt of inspiration, “Of course not~ why do you think I’d chase her away?” he asked, laughing evilly inside despite the sweet smile on his face.

“Because you’re a predictable and I can read you like a book,” Joongki muttered, shaking his head. He still smiled though, elated at the thought of the romance that was to bloom in a few months. Being raised in a family deprived of love, Joongki had grown into quite the romanticist, desiring to be surrounded by little cupids flying around shooting arrows and hearts, filling the air with love. He breathed the mushy gunk, reveling in the gushiness and feeling his own heart swell at the thought. It would be like Spring coming early, blooming with new couples here and there, lighting up the apartment. The truth of the matter was that there was more than enough rooms at Muhanjeong. But why tell his tenants that? Especially little Ruo. Joongki was determined to find the kid a girlfriend if he had to burn all the other rooms in the apartment to do it.

“By the way,” he said, pausing and looking back at a stunned Ruo, “Clean this place up a bit, hmm? Let’s live like humans, yeah? Your roomies due to come in the afternoon.” Ruo squinted at Joongki’s retreating back, “Is he calling me dirty?” he mumbled moodily, tossing the keys onto the kitchen counter as he vaguely picked up a pair of his underwear, staring at it. It was true; Jung Ruo wasn't the tidiest person ever. But hey, everything had it's place and everything was in it's place. Sure, stepping into his apartment could pose a certain health hazard but nothing too serious. A sprained ankle at most. Nope, Ruo decided. He wasn't going to clean.  He threw himself back onto the couch, throwing his arms back with a satisfied yawn.

“Roommate huh?” he smirked, “I’ll give her a welcome present alright.”

Could he have known that she was the girl he would fall head over heels in love with?

Probably not. But that's what makes life so fun.

We never can predict what will happen.

Ruo cracked an eye open, staring at his shorts with a frown. Could he hear the strange omniscent voice? Nah. That wasn't it. He just realized something.

"Why didn't anyone tell me it was on backwards?"