Wonshik hadn’t always been the “smart one.” If you went back to his high school records you would see that he was thrown out of class for being disruptive and he hardly ever scored well on exams. It’s not that he wasn’t smart. He just didn’t try. He wanted to work in music. Why did he need to learn the Pythagorean theorem? School was pointless.

But naturally, he entered college with the rest of his classmates. How he even got accepted was a shock to even himself. However, once he had started taking classes he decided that maybe it wasn’t as bad as he had thought it was.

Wonshik was never one to be social. Part of the reason he acted up in high school was because he didn’t really have anyone. His parents were always away on business trips. It had always been like that, since he was a child. It was still the same even today as he was a twenty-five-year-old man. But he never had anyone. There were never any other children in the neighborhood. He never really clicked with anyone at school no matter what grade. He liked to refer to himself as the lone ranger. He heard that on TV as a kid and it kind of stuck.

It wasn’t that people necessarily ignored Wonshik either. There just wasn’t much to connect with. Sure, he was a bit of a class clown but outside of that, he was actually pretty quiet. He got embarrassed easily and had a hard time with cute things. He cried when he felt overwhelmed and collected Pokémon cards. He was “normal.” But he just never reached out to anyone and in turn, no one really paid much attention to him either.

Once he entered college, Wonshik felt so much more free. He lived on campus and it wasn’t much different than being at home because he had always taken care of himself without his parents anyway. What he liked about college was the freedom. He had deadlines but he wasn’t drilled day in and day out on things he deemed pointless. He didn’t have quizzes weekly nor did he have to go to seven classes a day, five days a week. He got to pick his own classes and he couldn’t have felt better about it.

He was free to make his music and no one was there to judge or bother him about it.

--

It was by chance that he met Cha Hakyeon. Hakyeon was also in what the school had dubbed the “music department,” but where Wonshik was in music production, Hakyeon was in dance and choreography. They first met in the lobby of their new dorm where the RA’s were trying to get everyone to introduce their selves by name and major. Wonshik had made the mistake of wondering aloud why the school had combined programs and Hakyeon quickly jumped into conversation with him. Wonshik thought Hakyeon’s feisty personality was funny. So, he kept him around.

Besides, one does not simply meet Cha Hakyeon and expect to not be friends. He was friends with basically the entire school by the end of their first semester.

And so began a friendship that Wonshik would eventually learn to love, occasionally regret, but overall, he would cherish it for his entire life.

--

“Wonshik! Open the door!” Wonshik heard banging on the outside of his dorm room. He knew it was Hakyeon but the hangover Wonshik was sporting was not allowing him to get up and unlock the door.

“Go away!” he tried to yell. It came out more garbled than he had intended it to.

“Wonshik, you promised you’d give me a new track for my choreo presentation! I have two weeks to complete this! Two weeks!” Hakyeon yelled from the other side of the door.

Wonshik groaned. He was going to have to get up. Hakyeon never stopped until he got what he wanted.

It wasn’t often that Hakyeon would drag Wonshik off campus to go for a drink but when he did, Hakyeon liked to go hard. He could hold his alcohol and sometimes forgot that not everyone had an ironclad liver. Wonshik had lost count of how many shots Hakyeon gave him after the fourth. Or was it the fifth? He couldn’t remember. His stomach churned at the memory of shot glasses being handed off in all directions. He felt a shiver run through him as he tried to fight the wave of nausea trying to consume him.

When he was finally able to push his blankets off and stand, the world decided it wasn’t going to let him see straight and he fell face-first to the rug below his feet, nearly missing his bedside table.

He groaned again and tried calling out to Hakyeon.

“The next time you try to drown me in alcohol remind me to kill you first.”

“It’s not my fault you’re such a lightweight. Why aren’t you coming to the door?” Hakyeon’s muffled voice sounded from the other side of the door.

“Because I fell. I have a hangover I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.” Wonshik couldn’t find the strength to stand so he tried crawling towards the door. He thanked whatever deity was watching out for him for his room being a bit small because the crawl to the door didn’t take long. As soon as he reached the door and unlocked it, he laid down and he felt the world spinning.

“It’s about freaking time.” Hakyeon said as he entered the room, stepping over Wonshik’s motionless body.

“I could have died.” Wonshik whined.

“Yeah well I’m going to kill you if you don’t give me my song.” Hakyeon smiled sweetly as he sat on Wonshik’s bed.

“It’s on my computer, you twit. I was going to give it to you yesterday but you took me to the bar instead.” Wonshik covered his eyes. The light from the hall was too much.

“Yes but you had a wonderful time.” Hakyeon waved dismissively.

“Correction. You had a good time. You were all over that guy from down the hall. What’s his name? Taekwondo?”

“Yes, Sik.” Hakyeon deadpanned. “Because people name their children after types of martial arts.”

“Whatever.”

“If you must know,” Hakyeon began.

“I don’t want to know.” Wonshik interrupted.

Hakyeon glared at him but it went unseen. He cleared his throat and began again.

“If you must know, his name is Taekwoon and I was not all over him. We bonded over our love of music.” Hakyeon crossed his arms.

“What love for music? The only reason you live in this hall is because they combined all the performing arts into one department. If they kept it in the old format, the two of you would have never met.” Wonshik had uncovered his eyes just enough to eye Hakyeon on his bed.

“We would have met! We both performed at the festival last spring!” Hakyeon sounded dejected.

“Yeah but the only time he talked was when he told you that you did good, after you complimented him. I’m sure he found you annoying because you come banging on people’s doors and don’t shut up until you get your way.”

Hakyeon glared at him again. Wonshik stuck his tongue out.

“Okay, look. So I like him? What’s wrong with that? At least I show interest in people. You hardly even talk to me anymore. If you could get any more antisocial, you’d become an actual potato.”

“Hey man. Don’t diss potatoes. You really want to fight.”

Hakyeon sighed.

“Whatever. I’m logging in and I’m getting my song. I have to be in the studio in an hour.” Hakyeon said as he stood and walked to Wonshik’s desk.

“So you come banging on my door at whatever time it is, leave me laying in the floor dying, and then invade my privacy by stealing my music off of my laptop. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had.” Wonshik had rolled over on his back, arm over his eyes, blocking the light again.

“First of all, I’m your only friend. Second of all, you wouldn’t have me any other way.” Hakyeon said as he clicked away on Wonshik’s laptop.

“That’s what you think.” Wonshik mumbled.

“Whatever. I’m leaving” Hakyeon said as he stood from his chair at the computer.

“Tell Hapkido I said hi,” Wonshik called from the floor as Hakyeon exited the room.

“I hate you.” Hakyeon sing-songed.

“You wouldn’t have me any other way.” Wonshik mocked.

“That’s what you think.” Hakyeon called from down the hallway.

Wonshik laughed but groaned when another wave of nausea wracked his body.

I feel like I have been gone for a thousand years. I haven't updated any of my current stories and instead I came back with this.

I really do hope you all enjoy it. I have a lot planned. I can't guarentee when I can update next, but I appreciate everyone that reads at least this first chapter.

This hasn't been beta'd. If you see any mistakes please let me know. Constructive criticism is appreciated!

Thank you and see you next time.