Kihyun leans back in his chair, stretching his arms towards the ceiling. An exasperated groan escapes him as he moves to rub at his eyes, inadvertently shoving up his glasses in the process. He stands, deciding that maybe a change of scenery would help him refocus. He's been working on photo concepts for hours now, and nothing he's been sketching for the past few minutes has been up to his standards. So, with that in mind, he leaves his room, eyes widening in surprise at seeing the crowd in the living room.

“Hyung!” Changkyun greets, beaming widely up at the older. Minhyuk lazily turns his gaze on the TV to his roommate.

“Nice of you to grace us with your presence, Kihyun-ah,” he comments, smirking at the younger.

“I didn't know you two were here,” Kihyun says, smiling age goes to ruffle Changkyun's hair and tap Jooheon's snapback. The two sit on the floor, close to the TV, eyes glued to the screen as they battle each other’s avatars. He goes to the kitchen, ignoring Minhyuk's sass as always, and fixes himself a cup of coffee before going to sit next to the oldest in the room.

“How's your work going?” Minhyuk asks, leaning over to snuggle with Kihyun. He pouts, watching Jooheon as he focuses on the video game.

“Not as great as I'd like,” Kihyun answers. He nods toward their two dongsaengs, a questioning look in his eyes.

“I thought he wanted to come over and hang with me,” Minhyuk murmurs. “He texted asking if he could come over and play video games, and then next thing I know him and Kkungie are in our living room.” Kihyun in a breath through his teeth, clicking his tongue at Jooheon. Minhyuk had been crushing on Jooheon for a while now, so he probably thought the younger was just asking to hang out alone together. “He even asked if you were here, so I thought maybe he wanted us to be alone… I guess he was just asking for Kkungie’s benefit…”

“I told you Minhyuk-ah—”

“I know, I know,” Minhyuk says, waving a dismissive hand. “I've finally accepted the fact that you and Kkungie won't happen… But, that doesn't change that he follows you around like a lost puppy every chance he gets.”

“He sees me like a mom,” Kihyun explains, hiding the hurt in his voice expertly well. Minhyuk had been right to assume that at least one of them had feelings for the other when he started trying to throw them together, but he had been barking up the wrong tree… Kihyun had never said anything, because he'd always known Changkyun didn't like him like that. After all, why would he? Kihyun doesn't consider himself all that special without his talent with a camera.

“Yah!” Minhyuk calls, pulling at Kihyun's cheek to get his attention. Kihyun starts, and glances over confusedly at his roommate. “You're doing that thing again where you start to daydream in the middle of a conversation,” Minhyuk explains. “Have you not been sleeping well lately?” Kihyun tries for a small smile, shaking his head.

“Not really,” he murmurs, low enough for the others not to hear. Even if they did, he thinks, they wouldn't do much about it because of how focused they are on their game. “I've been…” He pauses, trying to find the right words as he pats his lips. “I've been struggling with a hard decision lately, and it's been keeping me up at night.”

“Is it major?” Minhyuk asks, clearly growing concerned. Kihyun nods, sighing heavily. He doesn't miss the hurt light skipping through Minhyuk's eyes, but he doesn't ask about it, either. If Minhyuk wants to talk about whatever is bothering him, he will. That's one of the great things about living with a loudmouth, they don't try to hide things from you.

Kihyun returns to his room after staying out in the living room long enough to feed the others and send Changkyun and Jooheon home for the night. He throws himself onto his bed, not really wanting to get back to sketching at the moment. He merely stares up at his ceiling, thoughts running through his mind like a tormenting merry-go-round.

The decision he had spoken of earlier to Minhyuk is a pretty big decision. One that could change his life forever, in fact. His eyes wander instinctively to the camera sitting on his desk, a thoughtful pout coming to him.

I should just give it up… he thinks, heart growing heavy. I need a steady income, so that Minhyuk and I don't get worried about rent all the time. I'm wasted on all these trivial projects, anyway. The only way I can get out of this is either moving or quitting, and I'm most certainly not moving. That's a risk I'm not willing to take. At least here I could find some part-time jobs… Maybe I could go back to school to get a different degree…

Kihyun turns on his other side, his mental ramble having reached its typical end. He hates being so unsure about things. He has to make a decision, and soon.

I’ll give it till the end of next month, he finally decides. If I have to scramble again to make rent last minute because of a lack of satisfactory projects, I'll hang up my camera and get a mundane job or two.

He squeezes his eyes shut, sending up a silent prayer that he won't have to do that. He prays that he’ll find that perfect model soon, and that he can spend the rest of his life doing the kind of concepts he wants to do.

It'd be nice if life turned out in such a lovely way just for him.

“I'm telling you guys,” Minhyuk hisses, fingers fidgeting nervously on the table. “He's going to move away! He told me weeks ago he was struggling with a difficult decision, and now he's starting to collect boxes in his room…”

Changkyun's heart falls all the way down to the center of the world. He'd hoped it wouldn't come to this. He'd prayed that Kihyun would find a reason to stay…

“Maybe he's just cleaning out his room,” Jooheon reasons. “You know, getting rid of old junk. He'd have told you beforehand if he plans to move. I mean, come on. He isn't the type to just pick up and leave, leaving his roommate high and dry.”

Minhyuk hmmphs thoughtfully, his mind wanting to accept such logic yet his heart telling him it's wrong.

“Just ask him, hyung,” Changkyun says, his pupils shaking slightly. “Please, ask him tonight if he's moving or not.” Minhyuk hums, regretting having brought this up around Changkyun. He knows how attached the younger is to Kihyun, and the news that he's packing his things definitely would've been distressful to him.

“I'll ask,” Minhyuk relents, more for Changkyun's benefit than his own. “He'll be out late tonight doing a high-end shoot, so it'll be some time tomorrow. But, I will ask him.”

Jooheon and Changkyun nod, satisfied with the result. Jooheon opens up a menu, Changkyun's eyes drifting down to look as well. He makes a pun about one of the foods listed, sending Jooheon into a fit of chuckles. Minhyuk can't help but smile at the site, his distressed heart lightening slightly at seeing Jooheon's dimpled smile. He could live his whole life without a care in the world if that smile could just be his forever…