Im Changkyun was odd. Every morning he wakes up after the last agonizing scream of his five horror movie alarms. Yes, he chose the best scream scenes out of his five favorite horror movies to set as his morning alarms, and yes, he needed five alarms to wake up. When he finally feels like he really needs to wake up, he always makes sure to put down the right leg first, to attract good luck, he says. Then, he walks in slow steps, eyes still closed, through the well-known path that takes him to the dorm’s shared bathroom, his soft dark brown hair pointing everywhere and partially covering his swollen sleepy face. Soon enough, it would be possible to hear the maknae’s deep voice, slightly muffled by the sound of the shower’s running water, singing loudly to any girl group’s hit songs that would come to his mind.

Once he finishes with his morning routine, he shows up in the kitchen with the brightest smile one could ever imagine, towel still wrapped around his shoulder to catch the water coming from his still dripping wet hair. He wishes his hyungs a good morning and then looks fondly with glowing eyes at the plate set in front of his usual seat, holding his already done, warm, and soft looking pancakes. That gaze he always gave to his pancakes was so intense that whoever witnessed that moment would say that was a sign of true love. Since Changkyun was always the last one to get ready, as we decided that based on our ages, his food was always ready by the time he arrived at the kitchen, but there is one lesson we’ve learned as a group when we began our dorm life. No one ever dares to prepare Changkyun’s coffee. Ever. Last time I tried, the younger spent the next ten minutes lecturing everyone in the dorm on how the coffee we drink in the morning needs to be a materialization of the sweetness of life and that no one ever understood his life philosophy… Or something like that. I guess he meant he likes his sugar with coffee, instead of his coffee with sugar. No one ever dared to mention that episode again.

Our manager was always punctually in front of our dorm at 8a.m., and that was also the time when our dorm was the noisiest. All the boys, except for me, running around screaming and searching for their belongings and simultaneously trying to put on their pants and shoes was common on a daily basis. What can I say? I like to keep myself organized, but it was also an amusing scene, so it’s nice to have some spare time. In the car, we always sat in the same seats, which meant that I and Changkyun always sat together at the back of the van. Sometimes, when he was too tired, he’d rest his head on my shoulder, with his headphones on, and take a quick and peaceful nap, so he could be at his full stamina for our practices. Usually, the maknae was very energetic in the mornings, making us sing along to all girl groups’ songs available in his iPod or using his abilities with words to crack jokes and puns at any given opportunities, with the help, of course, of Hyungwon all the way from the passenger’s seat. Aside from his mature appearance, the younger was really playful and did I ever mention that he really loves girl groups?

At the company, no one could deny the passion and intensity transmitted from Changkyun’s eyes. They say our pupils dilate when we see something we love, but the younger didn’t need to see it, all he needed was to feel it. His love for music, Monsta X, and our lovely Monbebes was evident whenever his playful expression changed to a focused one, once our practices started. Whenever I got the chance to watch his and Jooheon rap practice I never wasted it. It was mesmerizing to watch as he closed his eyes to pronounce every word carefully as they started flowing through his lips. His deep voice would fill the room and reach anyone sharing the same environment. Like a gentle wave travels the sea until it tickles the tip of one’s sandy toes, the coldness of the water causing a refreshing comfortable feeling on their skin, Changkyun’s voice seemed to have the ability to travel through air until it reached our ears and tickled our insides, delivering every feeling he had put into his self-written lyrics. Whenever he felt frustrated or unsatisfied with his work, he’d sigh in annoyance and slightly pout, while walking in circles in the studio gathering new ideas. It was unanimous among the members that Changkyun was the cutest when he was working.

At dance practice, the maknae knew it took longer for him to pick up their choreographies, so he always worked extra hard,  until his dark brown hair, already drenched in sweat, would stick to his forehead, as the air left his lungs and escaped through his slightly opened mouth, in heavy and short spaced breaths. Once he was satisfied with his daily progress, he’d lie down on the floor with his limbs spread all over, and just smile, showing his white teeth. Then, he’d start fooling around with us again, asking for hugs with a smirk, while wiggling his eyebrows, which was very gross, considering our sweaty shirts.

On our way back to the dorm, the van was usually very silent, after a tiring day of practicing. Changkyun seemed to be in his own little world, he said once that was the time inspiration hit him the hardest, so he had this habit of always having paper and a pen in our car. He looked so concentrated that it felt like no one would ever find out what was passing through the younger’s head until his words came out on paper and sometimes became the new songs in our albums. Our members are really grateful towards him and also Jooheon, who, aside from being the youngest members, still gave their best to make sure that our team would succeed.

At home, we would use our free time to play games, or sleep, and eat something that I cooked. Not wanting to brag, but I’m an amazing cooker. Changkyun usually kept me company in the kitchen, while we sang the songs that came out from his iPod, as I prepared our meal. The maknae was basically a kitchen disaster but, after countless ultimate fails and cuts, I am proud to say that he is now able to help me chop the vegetables, after my competent and effective intensive course on how to use a knife.

When it was time for us to sleep, we’d walk together to our shared bedroom and then lay down to sleep. Changkyun had this weird habit of slowing crawling on the bed, making sure to touch every single spot on the bed, before finding a comfortable position to sleep. He says that helps him find the softest spot on the bed. I say he had a cat at home because that totally reminded me of one, even though he insistently reminds me that he never had any pets at his home. The maknae usually slept all curled up like a fluff ball, under his fluffy blanket, which I thought was very cute, and before drifting off to sleep; we talked about anything that came to our minds, making sure our voices were the last thing we heard at the end of the day.

Yes, Im Changkyun is odd. His excessive hidden cuteness is odd; his habits are odd, even his alarms were odd for goodness sakes. But there’s nothing odder than how, little by little, I came to notice every single detail of the maknae’s personality, and how mysteriously happy his mere existence made me feel. Right now, at this very moment I can confidently say that, just by seeing his image walking in the coffee shop we set as our meeting spot, bearing the most beautiful smile I have ever seen, I am incredibly happy. He waved at me, and that was enough to steal the brightest smile I could ever give to someone.

Maybe I was the odd one after all, but there were three things I was absolutely sure of:

First, Im Changkyun was perfect to me.

Second, I was in love.

Third, nothing made me happier than being able to say that he was also my little odd Changkyun.

As he was sitting down by my side, Changkyun leaned to whisper in my ear.

“Hello, my little odd Kihyunnie.”

Well, maybe our peculiarities added up.