extracurricular
Apartment Block 17
a/n; this extracurricular thing is gonna be a sort of arc for the next few chapters ...?
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[APARTMENT #417; Jeon Wonwoo, Kim Mingyu]
“Good morning,” Mingyu yawned as he plopped himself down onto the couch next to his roommate.
“Finally decided to wake up before 9AM?” Wonwoo raised an eyebrow, moving aside to allow more room for Mingyu’s lanky legs.
“I don’t know how you manage to wake up before 9 in the summer holidays. You’re probably not human,” Mingyu reasoned.
“It’s called having your life in order,” Wonwoo replied, switching channels for the umpteenth time. Aside from cringeworthy kids shows, morning news programs and sitcom reruns, there was nothing noteworthy on TV. The drama Mingyu had been watching had ended its reruns, with Wonwoo watching them on TV every morning while Mingyu had to watch the recorded version later as he was never awake early enough. Wonwoo had nearly shed a tear at the finale (not that he’d ever tell Mingyu he was secretly watching it).
“Not everyone has that luxury,” Mingyu yawned again and stretched, nearly hitting Wonwoo in the head. “Oh yeah, I finished reading ‘Me Before You’ last night! It was so sad!” Mingyu sniffled for good measure.
“Oh, I didn’t think you’d actually read it,” Wonwoo said incredulously. He felt immense happiness building up inside that Kim Mingyu of all people actually read a book. For all Wonwoo knew, Mingyu had trouble paying attention long enough to read a simple recipe; it was a wonder the boy knew how to cook so well.
Wonwoo managed to keep up a decent conversation with his roommate about the book until Mingyu’s stomach rumbled, signalling a need for breakfast.
“I definitely appreciate that you actually read something I recommended,” Wonwoo told him as he popped some bread into the toaster. “No offence, but I didn’t think you were the type who read books for fun.”
“Excuse me,” Mingyu clutched his chest in mock hurt. “When I was little, I read the phone book for fun,” he said with an emphasis on ‘fun’.
He was lying, of course; the last book Mingyu had fully read, not including textbooks, was Romeo and Juliet for his 10th grade literature class. And that was a play, not a novel. He found it mildly interesting, unlike the books he had to read for his senior literature classes; in which he had relied on summaries and essays from the internet to pass the subject.
“Whatever you say,” Wonwoo exhaled - his version of a laugh, Mingyu had learned - as he took butter out from the fridge and began lathering it generously across the slices of toast.
As they ate in silence, Mingyu searched for more topics of interest to talk about with Wonwoo. Ever since their arcade visit, Mingyu noticed that Wonwoo was a lot more open to conversation compared to before. That, and Wonwoo had displayed more emotions in the past week than Mingyu had seen in the first two weeks of living with him.
“Hey,” Mingyu mumbled through his mouthful of toast after finally remembering something he had to ask, “Do you happen to know if there’s a job opening at the café you work at?”
Mingyu had visited Wonwoo’s workplace, Jam Jam Café, a few times since moving in, and he really enjoyed the calming atmosphere the place held. Next months’ rent would need to be paid in just over a week, so Mingyu figured it was about time he went job hunting.
“Not sure, I’ll have to ask my boss. Do you need a job?” Wonwoo asked.
“Yeah. Need to be able to pay the rent, after all,” Mingyu said sadly. “I was meant to find one earlier, but I guess was in too much of a holiday mood.”
“Well, I honestly don’t feel like Jam Jam is the right place for you,” Wonwoo said carefully. Noticing Mingyu’s slightly downcast expression at his words, he hurriedly continued, “It’s way too serious. You wouldn’t enjoy working there, and it gets really hectic and uptight sometimes.”
“Or am I just not sophisticated enough to work there?”
“Maybe...” Wonwoo said sheepishly. “But you can give it a go! I’ll try hook you up. If it doesn’t work out, we can ask Seungcheol. He should know about open jobs around here; he practically knows everything.”
“Thanks, Wonwoo,” Mingyu smiled. “Well, it’d be cool to work there since I already know you and Junhui-hyung.”
“We can head down there this afternoon, since I’ve got a shift today,” Wonwoo suggested.
“Sounds cool!” Mingyu grinned, jumping up and bringing their empty plates to the sink. “In the meantime, wanna play some Mario Kart?” he asked, not expecting Wonwoo to agree.
“You’re on,” Wonwoo grinned quickly and dashed off to the living room.
Wait, I thought you said you hated racing games? Mingyu shrugged and happily followed his roommate, who was already on the couch holding out a remote for him.
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[APARTMENT #118; Choi Hansol, Boo Seungkwan]
“Seungkwan, should we join any clubs?” Hansol wondered as he read an email he received that morning from their high school.
“Oh, is that about that email?” Seungkwan joined Hansol behind his laptop.
The email that was sent to all students asked them to consider joining new clubs for the new semester. Due to the current clubs being overfilled, several new clubs had opened up for students to join. Seungkwan was currently in choir, but Hansol wasn’t in any clubs as he saw them as a waste of time.
“Yeah. Are you gonna continue choir?”
“Nah, I’m a bit bored of it,” Seungkwan said, scanning the list of new clubs. “Oh! Let’s try drama!”
“Drama? As in, acting? No thanks,” Hansol screwed his nose in disgust.
“Why not? You already look like Leonardo DiCaprio. You’re wasting your visual,” Seungkwan tutted.
“Looks aren’t synonymous with talent,” Hansol sighed.
Seungcheol laughed from where he was quietly observing across the table. “Just do it!”
“Hearing that from you of all people isn’t going to change my outlook on an acting career,” Hansol shook his head. “There don’t seem to be any clubs for me. I’ll probably just go clubless again this semester.”
“C’mon, Hansol,” Seungkwan tugged his arm. “You’ll never know unless you try.”
“I’ll come watch you,” Hansol decided. “No promises on me joining, but I’ll come watch you (fail),” he coughed jokingly. Seungkwan slapped his arm lightheartedly.
“You should ask Junhui for help on acting,” Seungcheol said. “He does drama at Pledis.”
“Well, it certainly suits him,” Hansol said thoughtfully, thinking about the outgoing and friendly hyung they had acquainted themselves with since their Pokémon Go banters.
“Oh wait, I just remembered,” Seungkwan interrupted. “Talking about school, did you manage to find a tutor?”
“Crap! I forgot about that,” Hansol admitted. “I’ve been studying hard, but I totally forgot to look for one.”
“Oh yeah, I was meant to ask around, wasn’t I?” Seungcheol asked sheepishly. “Gimme a second, I think I know someone,” he said as he took out his phone.
Today 10:44 AM
me
> yo jeonghann
> doesnt jisoo study some science stuff at uni
> is he good at maths
> specificaly high school maths
jeongman
> well he studies astronomy so
> he’s pretty good at maths as far as I know
> how come?
me
> think u could gimme his number or smth
> need to ask him favours
jeongman
> hmmmmm what do I get in return?
me
> youre charging me for his number?!
jeongman
> he’s valuable to me
> I’m not giving out his number so easily ;)
me
> //.... um you don’t have to pay rent next month?
jeongman
> two months and we have a deal
> I’m lacking artistic inspiration and I have a load of uni stuff so pls
me
> ... fine.
jeongman
> thanks<3
> xxx-xxx-xxx
> also if ur gonna text him now can u tell him to hurry up with my milk
> hes ignoring me :(
me
> um ok
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Today 10:46 AM
me
> hey jisoo, this is seungcheol
> jeonghan gave me your number if you were wondering
jicool
> oh ok.. hi seungcheol!
> do you need anything?
me
> are u good at high school math
jicool
> um... yeah... i didn’t fail lol
> why...?
me
> i got a child here who needs some help
> figured since ur doing like a science degree
> u’d be alright enough to help the boy out
jicool
> oh, who is it?
> i’d be happy to help
me
> he’ll pay u ofc
> oh his name’s hansol
> good kid
> bit weird though
jicool
> WAIT HANSOL
> CHOI HANSOL?????
me
> yes wait omg are you a stalker why do you know him
jicool
> lol he knows me you can ask
> i hope he remembers me
> bUT OMG I’D LOVE TO TUTOR HIM
me
> ok jisoo hold up you’re creeping me out here
> not sure i wanna let u anymore
> now that i know ur so eager...
jicool
> I’M NOT A E
> ASK JEONGHAN,HE KNOWS
> i’m a gentleman.
> NO BUT i just rlly love boonon and i met hansol the other day
> now i know its not some dodgy kid you know
> id be happy to help !!@#
me
> sounds fake but ok
> do u have his number
jicool
> yeah he gave it to me for ur birthday plan thingy
me
> um ok
> i am slightly disturbed at how my birthday brought u guys all together
jicool
> disturbed? its an amazing thing
> friendship !!!1 not that you would know,hey ;)
> anyway ok i’ll text him later
> bye~
me
> byebye
> oh yeah jeonghan says to hurry up with the milk whatever tht means
jicool
> yeh i know i was ignoring his texts on purpose :)
> im at the store rn so u can tell him to chill lol
me
> tell him urself i’ve got stuff to do
jicool
> :(
“Okay, so,” Seungcheol said, drawing the attention of the two boys back to him. “Apparently you know Jisoo.”
“Jisoo-hyung! Yes, I know him! Wait, did you ask him if he could tutor me?” Hansol asked excitedly.
“Wow, didn’t know you guys were so in love already,” Seungcheol said dryly. “But yeah, he said he’ll text you later.”
“I never thought of asking him! Thanks, Cheol,” Hansol grinned.
“Just part of my job,” Seungcheol said, ruffling Hansol’s hair. “Anyway, I have some errands to run, so I’ll head off. Have fun with Jisoo.”
“Thanks, Seungcheol,” Seungkwan said. Seungcheol detected a hint of sarcasm and wondered if Seungkwan held something against him for bringing up Jisoo. Ah, teenage jealousy.
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[PRETTY U BEAUTY SALON]
“Hurry up, Jeonghan! The cars leave in five!”
Fumbling to cram all his makeup brushes into his bags, Jeonghan mumbled out reassurances to his manager that he’d be out on time.
The salon he worked at, Pretty U, had close ties with Pledis Entertainment and would often be called out for makeup assistance on big projects for their trainees. Such times filled with Jeonghan with more dread than excitement; helping out with trainees’ makeup was essentially a trip to hell.
Not only were makeup artists pressured with the task of beautifying these pure, innocent trainees to fit society’s standards, but working on little sleep, in terrible time constraints and studios was commonplace. Jeonghan felt blessed that he was only a part time helper.
Throwing his bags into the last departing car, Jeonghan squeezed into the seat next to his fellow co-workers. The air was stuffy with stress and fatigue, and all Jeonghan wanted to do was curl up in bed back home. Preferably, with Jisoo.
Arriving at Pledis Entertainment was just as hectic as it had always been. The drivers ejected their passengers violently, bags were mixed up (everyone just had to grab what they could and work with it) and Pledis staff would swarm the makeup artists with directions on where to go and who to beautify. Jeonghan usually stuck to one of his seniors, but today, a staff member instructed him to head to a certain studio and tend to one of the dance teams.
Over his several visits to Pledis Entertainment, Jeonghan had formed quite a close bond with a few of the trainees there. Having to feel their faces for a good hour or so really brought them closer together. He spotted a few of his close trainee friends on his way to his assigned destination.
“Hey, Seokmin!” he reached out for a quick and awkward hand-hug as they passed by each other in a flurry. Seokmin, a tall, brown-haired vocalist, was being ushered quickly by staff members into one of the building’s many recording studios. He barely had time to say hello before he was guided into the room.
At first glance, the building’s current situation was no different to a hospital’s emergency unit. Announcements were going off at every given second and people in white formal-wear were rushing left and right to God knows where. Jeonghan managed to make his way through the crowd to his destination.
The room was a dance studio turned into a makeshift makeup studio, with rags and boxes of makeup strewn everywhere in front of the giant mirrors. Jeonghan wasn’t even sure what important performance they were preparing for this time; but it happened quite often at Pledis.
“Jeonghan, there you are!” one of his coworkers, a tall, black-haired boy named Hyungwon called as he spotted the boy enter the room. “We’re doing up this lovely group of boys for an important dance performance today. I’ve started with their hair, but we need help with their makeup because Jihyo was reassigned somewhere else,” he instructed.
“Alright,” Jeonghan said, setting his tools down in front of the first boy and reading the instructions he was given on the group’s concept.
After the group briefly introduced themselves, Jeonghan set to work on the first boy, who went by his stage name, ‘Rocky’.*
The room settled into a comfortable silence as Hyungwon and Jeonghan worked tirelessly to prepare the six dancers for their performance. The boys started talking after a while, having nothing else to do.
“Hey, Chan, are you still looking for a tutor?” one of the older boys asked. Jeonghan remembered him introducing himself as Shownu, the unofficial leader of the group.
The younger boy, who had just returned from the change rooms, sat back down in his seat and turned to the older boy. Though he had introduced himself by his stage name, ‘Dino’, he insisted on being referred to by his real name, Chan.
“Yeah, I haven’t been able to find someone available,” he said sadly.
“What do you need a tutor for?” a boy named Jinyoung asked.
“Maths. I failed my last test, and it hasn’t been looking that good lately either.”
“Maths . You’re a trainee anyway, you’ve got better things to worry about,” another boy assured.
Jeonghan was currently finishing up one of the boy’s makeup; a tall, attractive trainee by the name of Hyungkyung. He didn’t particularly want to interrupt their conversation, but remembering that Jisoo had agreed to tutor Hansol earlier that morning, he decided it would probably be beneficial to the young boy.
“Hey, if you’re looking for a tutor, I think I know someone,” he said.
“Really?” Chan sat bolt upright with a smile on his face. The pure innocence of the boy made Jeonghan want to protect him.
“My boyfriend’s really good at maths. I’m sure he’ll be happy to help out,” Jeonghan smiled back.
“That would be so good! You have no idea how hard it is to find a good maths tutor these days,” Chan said, sighing.
“Give me your number later and we can arrange stuff,” Jeonghan suggested, starting to apply makeup on the next trainee.
“Chan, stop moving so much. You’ll ruin your hair,” Hyungwon chided.
The conversation relapsed back into random things, as well as last minute instructions for their upcoming performance. Jeonghan and Hyungwon were dismissed an hour later, after finalising preparations, and were allowed to go straight home.
“Good work, Jeonghan. That was a particularly hectic shift,” Hyungwon sighed as he reached his apartment block, which was several blocks away from Jeonghan’s. Bidding each other goodbye, Jeonghan trudged to Apartment Block 17 and managed to get to his apartment before he collapsed. He had worked for two hours longer than he usually did, so to put it simply, the pavement was suddenly looking very comfortable to him.
“Jeonghan,” Jisoo grinned as he opened the door with open arms. Jeonghan gladly accepted them and held the boy tightly. As far as Jeonghan was concerned, Jisoo was the best smelling person he’d ever met (not in a creepy way, of course), which made his hugs a million times more comforting.
“I hate going to Pledis,” Jeonghan mumbled into Jisoo’s woollen sweater. “If I see one more makeup brush, I’ll throw up.”
“Hope you don’t mind seeing regular paintbrushes,” Jisoo said as he disentangled his arms from Jeonghan, “Don’t forget about your project that’s due tomorrow.”
Jeonghan groaned and trudged to the kitchen, gripping onto Jisoo’s hand tightly and dragging the boy along.
“You cooked?” Jeonghan said incredulously, staring at the steaming plate of deliciousness awaiting him on the dining table.
“Why do you make it sound like I’m a terrible cook?” Jisoo laughed, snaking his arms around Jeonghan’s waist in a semi-back hug that Jeonghan loved a little too much.
“Because you are.”
Jeonghan found out later that the delicious dinner was actually a pre-prepared meal that just had to be heated up in the microwave. Nevertheless, it was pretty good.
“Oh yeah,” Jeonghan mumbled through the food, starting up a casual conversation as they usually did during dinner, “Do you think you’ll be able to handle one more boy to tutor?”
“What?” Jisoo nearly choked on his food, which he had been eating in large mouthfuls.
“Today at Pledis, a child was saying he needed a tutor,” Jeonghan said. “So small, so cute. You gotta help him.”
“Oh no. Are you latching on to this one?” Jisoo knew Jeonghan’s motherly tendencies to baby anyone he found small and innocent. Though a bit weird at times, Jisoo found it kind of endearing.
“Okay, he’s not that small. But he’s so young.”
“What’s his name?”
“Chan.”
“Okay, that’s cute.”
“I know, right! So, you’ll tutor him? I’ll give you his number.”
“I’ll think about it.”
Jeonghan knew Jisoo was too nice to say no.
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Today 8:34 PM
me
> hello
4chan
> .... hi
me
> i’m jisoo
> jeonghan asked me if i could tutor you
4chan
> oh!! i didn’t know your name sorry
> nice to meet you jisoo!
> do you think you could help me with my maths :(
> i’m a 2nd year at pledis high
me
> yeah should be no problem
> i’m actually tutoring another one though wait
> im not sure what year he’s in lol
> might be easier to help you both at the same time but i’ll check hang on
4chan
> oh ok whatever’s easier for you!
> im just thankful i can get some help
> the holiday homework is killing me
me
> rip
> i definitely dont miss high school
> b rb
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Today 8:36 PM
me
> hansol wht year are you in
memesol
> 3rd year
me
> oh ok thanks
> also when do u wanna come over
memesol
> what day is it tmr
me
> friday?
memesol
> when does school start
me
> like next week
> dunno about high school but uni starts in about a week
memesol
>
> i’ll come tmr then... you free around 11?
me
> k
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Today 8:37 PM
me
> nvm he’s 3rd year
4chan
> ok then
me
> ill have to tutor you separately
> when do you wanna start?
4chan
> tmr morning?
me
> ok but it has to be before 11
> 10?
4chan
> ok thanks!!! :)
> one more thing
> one more thing
> uh, where do you live? :P
me
> o right
> do u live close to pledis? since ur a trainee
4chan
> yep. apartment block nearby
me
> ok i do aswell
> do u know apartment block 17?
4chan
> WHAT YEAH I LIVE THERE
me
> oh wat
> coincidence HAHAHAHA
> i’m in apt 104
4chan
> ok ill see u tmr then!!! :D
me
> oh yeah, hwo was your dance performance?
4chan
> oh, did jeonghan tell you?
me
> he texted me briefly :)
4chan
> oh ok well....
> it was sO GOOD
> my hyungs are amazing im so proud!!
me
> wish i could’ve seen it! love me some good dancing
4chan
> well, the pledis hosts a showcase for students at the school every year
> you could come then :D
me
> wouldnt miss it for the world :-)
> looking forward to meeting u tmr :D
4chan
> me too!!! jeonghan’s super nice so u must be too
“How much did you pay this child to say you were nice?” Jisoo poked Jeonghan.
“I’m a genuinely nice person,” Jeonghan shrugged. “I can’t help it.”
Jisoo laughed in disbelief. The poor boy has no idea what he’s getting himself into with Jeonghan. I pray for his soul.
“Also, turns out Chan lives in this block as well,” Jisoo added.
“Well, it is a big apartment block,” Jeonghan said.
“He’s coming over tomorrow, and so is Hansol. Don’t be creepy,” Jisoo warned jokingly.
“Who do you take me for?” Jeonghan shook his head. “But hey, you sure you can handle tutoring both of them?” he added in a serious tone.
“Well, I could use the extra money, since Hansol insisted he’d pay me,” Jisoo said. “I don’t mind giving up the extra time.”
“You’re too nice,” Jeonghan smiled.
“One of us has to be the nice one,” Jisoo teased, “Knowing you, you would’ve turned them down just so you could keep your extra sleep-in time.”
Jeonghan couldn’t really disagree.
After much chiding and insistence on Jisoo’s part, he finally got Jeonghan to his room to finish his holiday project that was due the next day. Pledis University was holding some random art showcase, and participants had to hand in their works before school started the following week. Though Jeonghan’s work schedule had been hectic lately, he still managed to complete a majority of his artwork; Jisoo was in awe at how the boy managed to stay standing.
“Don’t push yourself too hard, okay?” Jisoo said as he handed Jeonghan a cup of milk. The boy perked up and gulped it down thankfully as he picked up his paintbrush grudgingly.
“You know I’m too lazy to push that hard,” Jeonghan said good-naturedly. “Don’t push yourself too hard either,” he smiled. Though Jisoo knew Jeonghan could be cunning at times, his angelic smile and laugh shone so brightly that it could probably cure cancer. That is, when it wasn’t laced with devilish intentions.
Kissing him gently, Jisoo wondered how he ever got lucky enough to meet Jeonghan.
Trudging back to his room; which was next to Jeonghan’s, as the two could never agree on how to share space, resulting in having to spend nights together in alternating bedrooms; Jisoo decided he’d better dig out his old maths books his mother had insisted on bringing over from America. Sorry, Jeonghan. If you’re not sleeping tonight, then neither am I.
a/n;
this is going to be like a multichapter arc bc my chapters are too long and i can’t even handle reading it all in one sitting
as with most part 1’s, the more eventful stuff happens in part 2 lmao
*Chan’s dance group at Pledis was based off that special stage featuring him, Astro’s Rocky, Romeo’s Hyungkyung, Monsta X’s Shownu, Got7’s Jinyoung and NCT’s Ten :D
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