2 :  u n c h a r t a b l e  t e r r i t o r y 

Amazing what the passing of a single day, let alone a month, could do to the dynamics of a relationship between two people. School had become a lot less insufferable since the day Taemin had welcomed his new roommate into his life, and he wasn't sure who to thank. He knew Hyukjae was completely unaware of how much of an impact his sudden appearance had on Taemin's life, and he knew it was something he had to eep secret, at least for a while more. Surely professing one's gratitude after only two weeks of knowing each other would scare the bejesus out of the redhead, and Taemin didn't want to risk it. He turned the page of his textbook, shaking off the thought and trying his absolute hardest to focus on the wall of text in front of him. As much as he hated school, he had no intention on flunking his first test in college. Thank god his teacher had been kind enough to cancel his lessons for the week so that students had the time to actually study for the test instead of pretending to pay attention within the four walls of a classroom. Taemin scanned the lines of text over and over, struggling to absorb the information laid out before him. He tried to fight off the looping memories of Hyukjae smiling and laughing with him as he took the redhead on a tour around the college premises. I'm glad I get to be roommates with you, the redhead had said while kicking about in the snow scattered all over the school field. Taemin, who was not used to any form of kindness except from his family, could only smile in return, unsure of how else to react. I have a feeling you and I will get along as more than just roommates.

Just then, Hyukjae burst into the room, doubled over and panting heavily. Taemin turned around and looked at the redhead with a quizzical look across his face. Sensing danger, he closed his textbook and sprung off his chair, kneeling by Hyukjae's side.

"Hyukjae, what happened?!" Taemin asked, a sense of worry and urgency echoing in his words. Hyukjae continued to pant, bent over with his hands on his knees. He raised one hand as if to tell Taemin wait, and then burst into a loud belly laugh. Throwing his head back, he let loose, chortling. Taemin, who was at first extremely sceptical and confused, eventually joined in. How could he not? Hyukjae had a very contagious laughter, and an infectious gummy smile that went along with it. Taemin laughed and waited for some sort of explanation from his redheaded friend, but to no avail. He stopped laughing abruptly and grabbed Hyukjae's arm.

"Hyukjae ah," he called out, his eyes doubling in size. "Uh, what exactly are we laughing at?"

Hyukjae cleared his throat, regaining his composure. He straightened his back and smoothened his t-shirt, a proud and extremely smug look washing over his face.

"I was at the laundry room, and I saw Jaejin—the kid who made fun of you for being bi last week—dumping his tighty-whities into one of the washing machines," Hyukjae began to explain, struggling to suppress a grin, "and after he presses the button, he leaves the laundry room. I wanted to play a prank on him to take revenge on your behalf, y'know, so I dropped some red food colouring into the machine. Couldn't help but to laugh, really. Then Jaejin comes back and catches me laughing in front of his washing machine and—man you should've seen the look on his face when he saw all his turning pink—"

Taemin stood up with a look of disbelief on his face. "You...you did what?"

"Turned his tighty-whities pink, that's what."

"But Hyukjae, Jaejin will kill us. He knows you're my roommate and he hates me." Taemin began to pace up and down, anxious. He bit his lip, ruffling his hair with both hands. He wasn't prepared for the potential showdown that might happen, considering that he was the kind of person who preferred staying out of trouble altogether anyway. Hyukjae frowned, guilt-ridden by how his roommate was reacting. He certainly wasn't reacting the way Hyukjae thought he would. Hyukjae stepped in front of Taemin, putting his hands on the blond's shoulders.

"Lee Taemin. Look at me." He widened his eyes, glaring intently into Taemin's eyes. "It's a prank. Relax. All I did was turn his underwear pink. He won't kill us, or at least, he won't kill you."

Shaking his head vigorously, Taemin swallowed and struggled out of the redhead's grip. "Still! I don't want either of us to get into trouble!"

"We won't."

"How do you know?!"

"Because—" Hyukjae paused, retrieving something from his back pocket. "I've got dirt on him."

He dangled a chain in front of Taemin's face, raising his brows. Taemin closed in to inspect the chain further. At the end of the chain, there was a pendant; not just any pendant, but something very odd and familiar...

"What the ." Taemin grimaced. "Why the do you have a plug on a chain in your pocket? Wait. Wait don't tell me—hold on, what the ? Where did you get that from?!"

Hyukjae swung the chain and caught the pendant with his palm, smirking. "Found it in a pair of jeans in a basket in front of Jaejin's washing machine. It's his, Taemin. It's his."

Taemin contorted his body in disgust, sticking out his tongue. "Dude, what the ! Get that thing away from me!" He dashed towards his bed and sat down on the edge, creasing his forehead. Hyukjae didn't have to explain anything; Taemin knew that the god forsaken item he had found in Jaejin's jeans insinuated that the man was into weird, , rear-related , and that it was ironic, considering that each time Jaejin picked on Taemin, he'd tease Taemin for being into bumming. Nonetheless, Taemin wanted nothing to do with the prank at all. He'd always been the sort to retaliate to bullying and name-calling with nothing but silence. He didn't believe in taking revenge. Not one bit.

"Anyway, I left a note in his laundry basket. Told him I had something that was his and that if he tries to pick on you again, I'd make it hell for him." Hyukjae tossed the chain into the bin underneath the computer desk, dusting his hands. He walked over to Taemin's bed and sat next to the blond who, at the moment, was massaging his temples. He wrapped his arm around Taemin and laughed, rubbing Taemin's shoulder.

"Nobody will dare to do anything to you anymore, Taemin ah. Not with me around."

The redhead's words raised the hairs on the back of Taemin's neck. Taemin moved away, shooting Hyukjae a look. Inside, his heart was palpitating at the speed of light; he was so unused to kindness or being defended in any way that Hyukjae's words bounced about in his mind like a tennis ball, blanketing him in an odd mix of discomfort and reassurance. On the outside, however, he glared at Hyukjae, slack-jawed.

"Uh, by the way, Hyukjae," Taemin strayed, changing the subject. "I'll be going home over the weekends to celebrate Chuseok with my family. Will you be going home too this weekend?"

Hyukjae rubbed the back of his head. He turned to Taemin, picking at the dry skin on his lip.

"I realised I've never told you this, but—" Hyukjae paused briefly, trailing his eyes over the empty bed space in between them. "—I don't have a home to go to."

Taemin froze, unsure of what to say in response. His mind began to jump to conclusions; had he accidentally walked himself into some sort of unspoken sensitive subject with that question? Was this something you shouldn't ask friends unless you knew about their background? Had he accidentally reopened an unhealed wound by asking Hyukjae about his Chuseok plans? While forcing himself to look as calm as possible on the outside, internally, Taemin panicked. He'd gotten so used to the life of solitude that he struggled with social situations to a certain degree, and it hadn't occurred to him how bad his social skills were right until that moment. Or perhaps he was being too critical of himself. He didn't know what to think. The silence remained for too long of a moment for HYukjae to ignore it. He touched Taemin's lap gently.

"Don't worry, it isn't something I avoid talking about at all." Hyukjae smiled reassuringly. "It's just that I haven't gone home to my parents ever since I came out to them three years ago. They kinda kicked me out for, y'know, being gay."

", sorry to hear that," Taemin finally cracked, sinking his shoulders. His eyes fell to his lap, where Hyukjae's hand was. "Where have you been living then?"

Hyukjae's smile dissolved into a thin, flat line. He retracted his hand and clasped his hands together, resting them on his own lap. "I've been moving around, renting places here and there. It's been tough." He swallowed, hanging his head, before turning to look at his blond roommate with a renewed optimism painted across his face.

"On the bright side, now I live here!" He exclaimed, a little too excitedly for Taemin's liking. "At least now I have a home for Chuseok, even if it's just you and me here, and mostly me being here alone on holidays."

Taemin's heart sank. He didn't know what to do; was he supposed to offer a word of comfort? Give the redhead a hug? Reassure the man that everything would be fine eventually, and that his family would welcome him with open eyes soon enough? He cussed himself for being so bad with social cues.

"Why don't you come home with me for Chuseok?" He blurted out. As soon as the words left his mouth, his mind launched itself into chaos. Anxiety swallowed him like quicksand. He regretted being so careless with his words, yet somewhere deep down, he wished Hyukjae would agree to  it. However, the ominous look on Hyukjae's face; a heavy frown with a wrinkled forehead; ate away at his glimmer of hope. Hyukjae leaned forward.

"Are you sure your family wouldn't mind?" Hyukjae waited for an answer, pursing his lips. Taken aback, Taemin contemplated, running his thumb across his lips. Should I say they don't mind and just call them later to let them know? He wondered. Or should I call them later and just tell Hyukjae they said no, regardless of what they say, and pretend I never offered in the first place? Ugh. Taemin you're a ing idiot. He tilted his head and smiled at Hyukjae. Perhaps a larger part of him wanted Hyukjae to spend the holiday with him and his family after all.

"Of course not! Why would they mind?" Taemin laughed nervously. "Besides, it's just my parents and I. Plus my parents are really open. They're aware I'm as straight as a roller-coaster track, meaning not at all, so you're not going to have to tiptoe around them either. It'd be nice for them to know who I'm bunking with in school, anyway." His nervous laughter morphs into a look of uncertainty and hopefulness, spurred by Hyukjae's unchanging expression. He kept his lips sealed, allowing silence to engulf them both once more. Hyukjae, on the other hand, had begun to fidget in his lap, looking down. He nodded quietly, probably in response to some sort of internal conversation he was having in his conscience. Hyukjae looked up and binked several times.

"Give them a call and ask first, okay?" He reminded, getting onto his feet. "I... I don't mind coming along with you, but only with their permission. I'm already on bad terms with my own parents. Wouldn't wanna be on bad terms with anyone else's."

Hyukjae walked over to his side of the room, hastily picking up a stack of books.

"Anyway, I'm late for class. I'll see you later, Taemin."

Taemin nodded in acknowledgment, his eyes following the back of the redhead until he disappeared beyond the door. He picked up his phone and decided to call his parents right away, not wanting to miss out on the opportunity of introducing his newfound friend to them. Somewhere deep down in his heart, something was blooming. He just didn't know what yet.

The phone rang, once, twice, several times before reaching voicemail. The female voice of an automated answering machine greeted from the other end of the line.

"The number you have called is not available. Please try again later," it said, followed by a beep and then an off-hook tone. Taemin tried again, redialing his mother's office number instead. He waited anxiously, leaning against the railing of the balcony. For some strange reason, he was desperate to get through to his parents, to let them in on his plan of bringing a friend over for Chuseok. He didn't know what it was about Hyukjae that made him feel like he wanted to protect him, honestly. As playful as the redhead was, he had an air of mystery to him; he never revealed too much about himself or his background and past. Perhaps he didn't know how to. The only thing Taemin was sure of was that hidden in the cracks of the redhead's voice earlier that morning, there was fear. Are you sure your family wouldn't mind? The redhead had asked, hesitant. Give them a call and ask first, okay? Taemin recalled the look on the redhead's face; the man had gone from cheeky and upbeat to dark and melancholic at the mention of family and home. I'm already on bad terms with my own family. Wouldn't wanna be on bad terms with anyone else's. The line rang a few more times, followed by an audible click. A soothing voice begin to speak.

"Hello? Taemin ah," said the voice. Taemin's cheeks rose.

"Eomma!" He greeted brightly, unable to control his grin. It had been a while since he'd last heard his mother's voice; he wasn't the sort of person to have made calling home a daily habit, and even if he had, it wouldn't guarantee that either of his parents would have had the time to pick up his calls anyway. His father worked on a ship and would remain uncontactable for days when he went on one of his voyages, and his mother worked in a bank. Of course, it wasn't important to him that they couldn't answer his calls as often as either of them wanted to anyway. His parents had always been the hardworking sort, and despite that, they'd always showered him with love and affection growing up.

"How are you, my son?" Taemin's mother asked, the faint noise of files being stacked audible in the distance.

Taemin anchored his elbow on the railing for leverage, hitting at what had felt like an ant bite on his ankle with his free hand.

"Good, good," he replied, straightening his back. "Are you doing well, Eomma?"

His mother smiled, exhaling into the speaker. "I'm doing well, sweetheart. It gets a bit lonely but I've been going to your aunt's place for company some nights. Don't you have class today, Taemin?"

"Nope." Taemin paused briefly. Oh yeah, I almost forgot the real reason why I'm calling her. "Jungsoo-seonsaengnim canceled classes this week so we can study for next week's test. Anyway, Eomma, I have something to ask you."

The line became silent. Sensing that his mother was waiting for him to elaborate, Taemin took a deep breath, ignoring his racing heart.

"So I have this good friend. He's my roommate. His name is Hyukjae."

"Mmhm...?"

"And I asked him whether he'd be going home for Chuseok this weekend, but he said he hasn't seen his parents in three years because they kicked him out for being—" He hesitated. "—for being gay."

Taemin's mother gasped into the phone, shocked at what her son had just shared.

"Oh no, dear," she lamented. "That sounds bad."

Taemin nodded, brushing his blond fringe back. "I know, I know. So anyway, I was wondering... Would you and Appa be okay with me bringing Hyukjae over to join us for Chuseok? I mean... I just feel really bad that almost everybody in the dormitory will be returning home for the holiday except him. He's new here; well, newer than me at least; and he's a really nice friend and everything and I was just wondering if you and Appa would mind welcoming him like second family because—"

"Taemin ah."

"—I feel like he's been on his own for so long and after all Chuseok is a family—"

"Taemin sweetheart. Listen." Taemin's mother lowered her voice, sounding more firm than before. "Your Appa and I would be more than delighted if you brought home company. Don't worry about it, okay?"

Relief washed over Taemin. He kicked about excitedly, happy that his mother had given permission for him to invite Hyukjae over.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Taemin danced around, feeling like he'd emerged from some sort of mental tussle victoriously. On one hand, he felt like his reaction was an overreaction; why was he so relieved his mother had given him the permission to bring Hyukjae over, anyway? On the other hand, it didn't matter why he was extremely relieved. All that mattered to him was that Hyukjae had company over the holiday, at the very least.

"But... Taemin ah," his mother's voice crackled through the speaker once more, "is there something you want to tell me about this Hyukjae boy? You've never brought a ma—uh—friend home before."

Like a deer in headlights, Taemin froze, frowning. Oh yeah. I've never brought a friend home, ever. He turned, combing his fingers through his hair. What makes Hyukjae so special? 

"Eomma, I—"

Just then, the sound of the doorbell being pressed repeatedly echoed through the room. Taemin hesitated, looking from his phone to the front door and back again. He shuffled in his place before deciding to check who rang the door.

"Eomma, I'm going to have to call you back, okay? I'll talk to you about it later. Someone's at the door."

Taemin hurried towards the front door, sliding his phone into his back pocket. He furrowed his brows, annoyed that whoever that had been behind the incessant doorbell ringing had moved onto rapping on the door continuously instead. He stopped at the door, taking a deep breath to calm himself. He hated having his peace disturbed, among other things. At that very moment, he wished that whoever that had decided on what kind of doors to install in the dormitory had chosen to install doors with peepholes instead. I swear to god, if it's Hyukjae behind the door because he forgot the password I'll— Taemin exhaled. He unlatched the door, pulling it open. The person on the other side of the door wasn't someone he'd expected at all.

"Hello," the shorter man greeted, smiling benevolently. Taemin tilted his head in response, scrunching his nose as he attempted to recall where he'd seen this man before. Within seconds, he sized the man up; the man had tan, sun-kissed skin and a head full of dark brown wavy locks that accentuated his devilishly handsome features. He had a slightly muscular build, and shoulders too broad for a man of his size, at least in Taemin's opinion. Quickly glossing his eyes over the rest of the man, he realised that the man was dressed in pajamas and had a book nestled in between his side and one of his elbows. The man cleared his throat.

"Um, is this where Hyuk...Hyuk..." He trailed off, looking around as if he was searching for the end to his sentence. Thankfully, Taemin caught on fast.

"Hyukjae?" Taemin finished for the man, forcing a smile onto his face. "Yep, this is where he lives, alright. I'm his roommate. Can I help you?"

The man blinked his eyes sheepishly in a bid to hide his embarrassment, the reddened tips of his ears blowing his cover. He took the book from under his arm and held it towards Taemin, pursing his lips. Taemin took the book from him, creasing his forehead. He scanned the cover; on the front of the paperback, there is an image of an oil painting depicting a couple dressed in olden day clothing, standing at a balcony. He read the title of the book, typeset in some sort of Victorian font: "Romeo and Juliet". Taemin looked from the book to the man standing in front of me, puzzled.

"Uh, I'm Donghae. I live in Room 311," the man, who now has a name, introduced himself. "Your friend ran into me two hours ago in front of my room and dropped his books. He seemed like he was in a rush, so he picked everything up except—except this one. Could you give it to him?"

"Sure thing." Taemin placed the book on a shelf next to the door and turned back to Donghae, leaning against the door. "Anything else?"

Donghae blinked perpetually, stealing a glance at the interior of Taemin's room. He shook his head, awkwardly putting his arms behind his back.

"That's all. Thank—"

"No problem," Taemin interrupted, closing the door even though he saw Donghae's attempt to stop him. He looked at the book on the shelf and sneered. He never really took notice of who lived on the same floor as he did since he mostly lumped everyone together in a pile labeled "People Who've Called Me All Sorts of Derogatory Names" at the back of his mind, so it was no surprise he had a difficult time recalling where he'd seen Donghae despite the brunet living only seven rooms away on the same floor. Thinking nothing of the book and his slight brush with the brunet, Taemin jumped onto his bed, taking out his phone to call his mother a second time and finished the conversation that they'd left hanging. Keying in his mother's number, Taemin waited as the phone rang several times, only to reach the automated answering machine instead. He tried several more times, but to no avail. Cussing at the fact that his little moment with his mother on the phone earlier had been interrupted by a book return—god damn it do I look like some sort of library—Taemin chucked his phone aside and decided to take a short nap instead. He tossed and turned, eventually drifting off into a deep sleep.

"Lee Taemin, wake up. Hey, Lee Taemin, wake up!"

Taemin groaned, rolling onto his belly. He reached for a pillow and placed it over the back of his head, hoping that it would drown out the noise of the redhead's nagging.

"For goodness sake, wake up, Taemin! Have you been sleeping since I left for class or something?!" Hyukjae badgered, ripping the blanket off the blond. He sat on the edge of Taemin's bed, holding the man by his hip, shaking him. Taemin groaned and kicked his legs as if to warn Hyukjae, not that the redhead cared anyway. Hyukjae continued shaking the man until finally, Taemin crawled out from under the pillow. He sat up.

"Jesus! I thought you were dead!" Hyukjae exaggerated, irritated. The sky overlooking the college had turned a bright mix of amber and pink, signaling the near end of a day. To his dismay, Taemin had been sleeping for nearly four hours. He tutted, annoyed at the fact that he'd wasted his day in bed when he could've been studying for the test instead. Taemin lolled his head back, swaying his head from left to right in an attempt to loosen the tension in his neck. He looked at the clock on the wall. It read 6:23 PM, which meant that it was almost dinner time and that the cafeteria would have most likely filled up by now. His eyes searched for the room for something, something he was supposed to give to Hyukjae. He paused, staring at the shelf next to the front door. Oh, right.

"Your friend dropped by just now," Taemin mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "Said you dropped something and forgot to pick it up."

Hyukjae frowned. "Friend? The only friend I have is you. What are you..." Hyukjae's eyes followed the blond. Taemin climbed off the bed, taking several large steps towards the front door. He retrieved something from the wooden shelf that was mounted into the wall next to the frame of the front door and returned to Hyukjae's side, handing the item to him. It was a book. Hyukjae stared.

"Donghae from Room 311 came by earlier in the afternoon. He said something about you bumping into him or something. Apparently you dropped your stuff and forgot to pick this one up."

"I didn't... I don't have a copy of Romeo and Juliet..." Hyukjae began to flip through the book, confused. Then he stopped at one of the page; page 311; a scribble of words at the top corner of the page catching his eye. As he glossed his eye over the words, his pale cheeks began to flush a bright pink. He closed the book, holding it to his chest. He bit his lips.

Taemin blinked his eyes. "What is it?"

"Look."

Receiving the open book from Hyukjae, Taemin skimmed across the pages. He paused, taking notice of the messy Hangul scrawled at the top of one of the pages:

Hello! Remember me? I'm the one you bumped into this morning in front of my room. I wasn't brave enough to tell you this, but I found you really cute. I've heard the rumours that go around about you and your roommate, and I just want to tell you that...I'm the same. I'm shooting my shot. I was just wondering... Would you like to have dinner with me tonight? If yes, meet me at the laundry room at 7. I'll be waiting, xx

Taemin closed the book, frowning. For some reason, deep down, he felt uneasy. He closed the book and returned it to Hyukjae, careful not to let his discomfort show on his face. Smiling at the redhead, Taemin clasped his hands together, drooping his head to his side.

"Wow," he whispered, almost deadpan. "Are you going to meet him then?"

Hyukjae darted his eyes, uncertain. "I don't know. Should I?" He cracked the page open to page 311 again, a soft smile spreading across his face as he read the messy handwriting over and over. He traced a finger over the letters, biting his lip once more. His heart was racing. On the other hand, Taemin, who had been watching his redheaded friend all this while, worked hard to stifle a sigh. Jealousy began to pool in his chest like the water in a plunge pool. He couldn't let the redhead know that, of course. Sound excited, he told himself.

"Of course you should!" Taemin exclaimed, beaming. "I saw the man. He's really good-looking. I mean, I don't know anything about him apart from that, but that's for you to find out, isn't it?"

A brief silence ensued. Hyukjae leaned forward, studying his blond-haired friend's expression. He furrowed his brows.

"What?" Taemin asked, shifting uncomfortably. Hyukjae shook his head.

"Nothing," the redhead answered shortly, straightening his back. "You don't look too happy for me."

, Taemin thought to himself. I'm ing terrible at hiding how I really feel. Think of something, Taemin. Something. Anything. He scrunched his nose and blinked his eyes slowly, pretending he was still sleepy. Reaching his hand out to touch the redhead on the shoulder, he pursed his lips together, faking a weary expression.

"I am," he murmured, yawning. "Probably just too tired to show it. You should go get ready."

Hyukjae hesitated. He closed in on Taemin, staring intently into the blond's eyes. With his face mere inches away from Taemin's, he smirked.

"I know what's happening," Hyukjae whispered. "You like..."

Taemin held his breath.

"...Donghae. You're just pretending you've never noticed him because you don't want me to know that. I'm right, aren't I?!"

Taemin sank his shoulders, relieved. A part of him was glad Hyukjae was too ignorant to notice the truth. Throwing his hands into the air, Taemin surrendered, playing along with the redhead's assumption. 

"You got me," he grinned. "I used to have a miniscule crush on that man, but I figured after a while that he isn't my type. He's all yours. Now for the love of god, please just go get ready and meet the man in front of a washing machine or something."

Hyukjae laughed, standing up. He walked over to his bed and placed the book on his pillow, pulling his blanket over it as if tucking it to sleep. He fetched a towel from the wardrobe and started walking towards the bathroom.

"By the way," Taemin blurted aloud just as Hyukjae set his foot into the bathroom. Hyukjae halted in his tracks, turning around.

"I called my mom earlier. She said she'd be delighted to have you over for Chuseok."

The redhead smiled. "Thank you."

He disappeared behind the bathroom door, and once again the room was silent.