Part 1: Trivial Equations

"Hi!"

"Hi...?"

That was how Kim Taeyeon found herself face-to-face for the first time with her new roommate. There she was, struggling to carry the only box with her belongings and practically gaping at the tall raven-haired girl sprawled on the bottom bunk bed of her new dorm room. Her eyes moved hesitantly from the crushed chips littering the carpet floor to the sock hanging out of a seemingly overstuffed drawer. Completely not what she expected to see after getting lost on the way to the new university she was attending all by herself. Especially not the girl who was now standing in front of her, looking down with a smile that revealed no hint of worry for being caught in such a predicament.

Instead, she held out her hand toward the dumbfounded Taeyeon enthusiastically.

"Are you my new roommate? I'm Yuri."

"K-Kim Taeyeon."

She stuttered a response because she wasn't exactly sure how to react. To put it simply, Taeyeon didn't really like messes, commotion, or surprises. They made her anxious and irritated, and she had just been presented with all three within a span of five minutes. 

Yuri, satisfied with her introduction, flopped back onto the bed she had apparently claimed before Taeyeon even arrived. As if nothing had ever happened, she resumed to tapping on her laptop with one hand and reaching for a chip in the bag lying next to her with the other.

Taeyeon continued to stand at the entrance of the room awkwardly, unsure of where to look and still trying to figure out what to do.

So it shouldn't have been shocking that she almost dropped everything in her arms when she heard the girl's voice again so suddenly.

"Aren't you going to put your stuff down?"

"Right," she said, swallowing the lump in . She found a spot that hadn't been devastated by the mass of food and papers in the room. She dropped her box with a small grunt. Walking around here was going to be like finding her way through a minefield. Taeyeon hurried to lug in her plain black suitcase outside.

"You're not a freshman, are you?"

"Uhh... no, I transferred from Jeonju. How did you know?"

"Well, I didn't figure it out from your appearance, if that's what you're asking. You kind of look like a middle schooler to be honest," Yuri gave a cheeky grin when she saw red instantly flush Taeyeon's cheeks. "But our dorm manager said you would be my unnie."

"I guess so."

There was an awkward moment of silence as Yuri looked her over once more.

"You don't talk much, do you?"

For the second time, Taeyeon wasn't sure how to answer. Then again, she never knew how to reply whenever anyone asked her that question.

Yuri stared curiously at the short girl before catching a glimpse of the clock hanging on the adjacent wall.

"Oh, crap, I'm late! She'll kill me!" Yuri quickly jumped off the bed and scrambled to grab her wallet lying on the desk. "I'm sorry, I have to go... You can unpack all your things while I'm gone." 

She gave an apologetic smile to Taeyeon before speeding out of the room.

Taeyeon blinked twice and peeked out the door to see if the other girl had really left. Letting out a relieved sigh, she finally kneeled down and began to her suitcase. 

Neatly and methodically, she inspected the clothing she had packed in one corner and her toiletries and other necessities in the other. She gingerly opened the top drawer of the dresser, only to frown and wrinkle her nose in disgust when she saw that the girl had stored her dirty laundry there. Finally, she saw that there was another drawer on the other side of the room; it was empty, which was a big relief.

It didn't take long for her to settle in, despite the fact that she had to maneuver around constantly to make sure she didn't step onto anything. She was fairly practical and didn't bring anything that wasn't absolutely necessary, with the exception of two things.

Her drawing pad and CDs.

The CDs were of old songs from her childhood, the ones she told herself she'd play over and over if she missed her family and home. Even though she'd never stepped outside of the bubble of the rural countryside for longer than a couple of days, she knew that studying in Seoul would have many more opportunities for her future. The thought of having no one scared her at first, but she had to at least be strong, if not sensible. Her drawing pad, on the other hand, was the one thing she treasured the most. It was where she could release her inner thoughts onto paper, letting her emotions run across the smooth surface with whatever colors she wanted, allowing them to become something more than just words and feelings. It was also just for sketching anything she found interesting.

Since she was in middle school, she had found a love for art. To be clear, she was going to study the sciences so she could get a stable job and have a good foundation for her future. But still, she couldn't seem to give up this small hobby of hers, so she never did.

She placed her CDs snugly between some clothes in her drawer and the pad on the top of the desk she assumed was for her. The ladder wobbled slightly when she tried to climb onto her bed. She'd never shared a bunk bed with someone, but after laying for some time on the upper bunk, she thought maybe Yuri had had some reason to choose the bottom. She was, unfortunately, a lot taller after all.

Speaking of the girl, Taeyeon had a feeling it'd be hard to adjust. She was never a good conversationalist and was pretty reserved during first meetings at best. Yuri, however, judging from the few words exchanged between the two, seemed to be the slightly reckless and carefree type of person. She knew some of those kinds of people back in Jeonju, but her few close friends were mostly studious and responsible characters.

"Why do I always get paired up with the weird ones..." Taeyeon mumbled to herself.

Letting out a small sigh, she clambered down the side of the bunk beds, luckily without injuring herself. She fished the headphones already plugged into her music player from her pocket and exited her room, making sure to lock the door behind her.

There was no use in wasting the rest of the day. She might as well explore her surroundings because she'd have to start classes immediately after the weekend. All she wanted was for the student body to accept her and for the classes to be tolerable. She never asked for much to begin with.

Kim Taeyeon just wanted to be normal. She didn't have an extravagant dream, didn't have her heart set on something the moment she decided to go to college. She didn't have her future already envisioned and didn't bother to question whether she even wanted this in the first place. She didn't want to stand out. She just wanted to go to college like everyone else. To learn. To draw. To stay up late and cram. To sleep. To have a roommate. And maybe, to meet someone new.

Of course, plans almost never went perfectly as expected, and she had no idea that the last thing on her list would have the power to change her entire world, in ways both good and bad.

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"She seems really boring!" The voice of a girl could be heard shouting across coffee shop. The cozy place, with light-colored walls, a contrasting brown wooden floor, and nice round tables after the manager had decided to renovate the shop for a more modern look, was bustling with business. Not only could someone come by for a quick sip of coffee, but he or she could also sit down and have some pastries or ice-cream with a warm drink. The place even started offering free Wi-Fi since becoming so popular.  

Yuri felt a hard smack on her left shoulder. Even before turning to look, she knew the girl beside her was disapproving of her outburst.

"Your new roommate, I'm guessing?" A tall, skinny girl with long brown hair, sitting across the table, had an amused expression on her face.

"Duh, Sooyoung, who else?"

"You just met her, Yuri," Another girl, her height in stark contrast to the one next to her, pointed out.

"Sunny has a point, you know," Sooyoung said as she reached for a chocolate scone on the plate in between the four friends. Almost every Saturday, they met together to talk about the week's events and to relax. Sunny was attending university with Yuri, and the other two were nearby in a specialized school for the arts.

Yuri pouted, feeling betrayed for being ganged up on. "I can tell she's not going to be any fun."

Sooyoung leaned back on her chair. "And you? How was your impression on her?"

"Fine." Yuri stuffed with a cookie, chewing contently. She hadn't really thought too much on her own impression on the short girl. It was good enough, wasn't it?

"You probably scared her. Your place is still a mess, isn't it?"

"Shut up."

Sooyoung glanced at Sunny and shrugged.

"I agree."

The fourth girl, the one who had been silent the entire time, finally spoke.

Sooyoung laughed. "See? Your girlfriend agrees."

Yuri gave a betrayed look to the girl sitting by her side, but she stuck out her tongue in response and began to mindlessly check her nails.

"Jessica, you've been awfully quiet."

Yuri placed her hand gently on Jessica's, concerned.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine," the girl replied, sounding a little distanced from the rest of the group.

It worried the raven-haired girl because Jessica has been saying the same two words whenever anyone asked her for weeks. She wouldn't pry, she knew better than to let herself have to face her girlfriend's wrath when she was too worked up, but she was still worried because it never lasted for so long. And if things really bothered her, Jessica would pour out her heart to Yuri when they were alone.

People always wondered why Yuri, younger than the former by a full year, would go for a girl like Jessica. Jessica appeared cold and didn't give off friendly vibes during first impressions, no matter how pretty she was. Yuri, meanwhile, was open and a completely different sort of person. Tall, sometimes annoying, tan, obsessed with sports, and unafraid of people judging her. Things that didn't match Jessica at all. But for Yuri, it was never a question. The girl had captivated her from the very beginning. She was the one who had been kind to her on her first day of college when she wandered around like a hopeless and lost, albeit large, puppy. And Yuri never forgot it when people touched her heart. They didn't display much affection in public, but that was fine because she already knew how much she meant to the other girl. 

She opened to say more, but Jessica had beaten her to it.

"When it comes to first impressions, you shouldn't be the one talking."

"What?" Yuri protested. "I'm a great person!"

"For who?"

"You!" 

"I don't know..." Jessica gave a small, mischievous smile. "Sometimes I think otherwise..."

"Hey, I have feelings, too," Yuri grumbled. She crossed her arms and gave a huff, but to be honest, she was glad to see that Jessica was smiling again. Maybe she was going to tell her what was on her mind soon. Or better yet, she was getting over it.

The girls across the table laughed at the banter. They were also relieved to see the Ice Princess smiling again. Regardless of the matter, school had been stressful for the past few days because the break had just ended and a new semester was beginning.

When Yuri felt a reassuring squeeze on her hand, her heart squeezed tightly in her chest. 

"So... ready for the new semester?" Sunny asked to begin a new conversation.

She was met with displeased faces. 

"Don't remind me, I still have another half-year of Calculus," Yuri grimaced.

"That annoying teacher?"

"I would hardly call him a teacher."

Math wasn't really her thing, and with friends who were almost all going for the arts (or psychology, in Sunny's case) she really had no means of getting help in the subject. Not that she cared too much, but apparently math was a requirement to graduate. 

"You could ask your new roommate to help you," Sooyoung suggested. "Didn't you say she would be studying math and science at your university?"

The first girl nodded thoughtfully. "That's true. Maybe I could ask her."

Then, because she didn't really have an interest in talking about her failures in school, she changed the topic. "So how's the modeling career going?"

"I think I'm going to get my first professional shoot soon," Sooyoung smiled. 

"That's awesome! You should give me an autograph soon so I can brag to everyone about it when you're famous."

"Famous?" Sooyoung laughed good-naturedly. "That's a long way to go..."

And that was how their Saturday afternoons usually went. Together with friends, discussing their present worries and their future dreams.  Although they could not always meet up as four, one never failed to go to the same table at the same coffee shop every weekend to unwind. It was a perfect place to be for them. For Yuri, it meant that she had a time where she could forget all the overwhelming pressures placed before her after entering such a competitive university and occasionally have a date with her closest friends... or just with her girlfriend. Because of her rebellious nature, she had went against the advice of her parents and decided to go to university, not to become a lawyer, but to find her true passion. At the moment, she just wanted to live a life without barriers and do what her heart told her to.

Yuri was a freshman in college. She had a cold but lovely girlfriend, a full ride to a good college thanks to her swimming abilities and good grades, and now a boring roommate. Everything was completely normal.

But for Yuri, that was always the entire problem. 

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How's the first chapter? This'll probably be the shortest one, but I added it so I could at least start the story. It's just a small introduction of some of the main characters. Basically, it chronicles Taeyeon's (and Yuri's) relationships and struggle to find herself. But again, that's a rather vague storyline, isn't it...? I want it to have a more realistic and relatable feel, though. Taeyeon and Yuri are really different here, aren't they? Anyway, please comment and subscribe if you like this story. I promise to update this and my other fics within the next few weeks. Your support will be greatly appreciated :D.