PLEASE DON'T KILL ME THIS WAS SITTING IN MY DRAFTS FOR A REALLY LONG WHILE
I WAS TRYING TO FINISH ALL THE CHAPTERS BEFORE PUBLISHING THEM ONE BY ONE BUT I THINK I'VE MADE YOU ALL WAIT LONG ENOUGH D:

Please stick with this for now ;A; I'M SORRY

To others, ambition was something you had to have to get what you wanted.

To reach your dreams.

To dominate the obstacles in what you call life.

To Youngjae, ambition was a part of his everyday routine.

Yoo Youngjae -- a 19-year-old college sophomore -- thought ambition was something you needed in order to survive.

It’s all about persistence, he assumes, and tries to go for the gold at the very beginning.

His best friend slash roommate, 19-year-old Jung Daehyun, just laughs.

Oh, that laugh. That smile. Youngjae’s really screwed now.

--

Stirring in bed, Youngjae lays flat on his stomach, cheek against the softness of his pillow. He cracks an eye open, taking look at the bed next to him. “Wow,” he sighed quietly.

His roommate, shirtless and sleeping on top of his covers. It was quite humid last night, he had to admit, and he didn’t blame the other male to sleep shirtless.

But if he’s gonna sleep with his plump lips parted and one leg over the other in those baggy sweatpants, along with his palm settled calmly on his built abdomen, how is one supposed to concentrate on one thing? With this hot and tan country boy laying as if he’d just screwed someone?

Youngjae now had both eyes open, just staring at disheveled looking male he called his best friend. His hair was all over the place, but Youngjae thought it was an angel’s fingers that had worked them there because wow, he looked amazing even after hours of sleeping.

The younger male smiled. He had ambition, but he didn’t believe he had enough to use it to get the other. Maybe next time, he figured.

By the time Youngjae snapped out of it, his digital clock read 7:10AM. That means 10 minutes less of getting himself ready for the day. His eyes widened.

Good for Youngjae, he only had morning classes today since it was Friday.

He quickly left bed, making sure to take baby steps towards his closet and retrieve his clothes for the day. He took his phone off the dock, checking instagram on his way to the bathroom.

“Himchan hyung, you’re so stupid,” he said to himself, looking at a selca of his friend since 2 years ago, hugging a vodka bottle in one arm and looking totally stoned. He looked down at the comments and sees his other friend, Yongguk (who was Himchan’s roommate and boyfriend) spamming his comments with “Is this why you didn’t come back to the dorm?” and “You little where the hell are you?!”

Personally, Youngjae thinks these two are real hypocrites, because just last week, Yongguk uploaded a selca of himself with bloodshot eyes and a stack of empty Budlight cans in the background. Himchan commented what he did on that photo, so today he has turned the tables on him. Not that it matter, Youngjae thought, since this was how their relationship remained steady.

Lucky for him, his roommate was always home before he was and calling him every five minutes after the time he’s supposed to get back.

Might as well call themselves a couple now. Youngjae coughed on his own spit at the thought. The very lovely thought that was a little too far from his reach.

When Youngjae was about to turn off his phone, he glanced at the time on the top of the screen.

7:32AM. More than 20 minutes lost.

“,” Youngjae whisper-yelled, putting his phone on the bathroom counter and shutting the door behind him before turning the water on.

Some soap in the eyes and hit on the glass door later, he turned off the showerhead and grabbed his hung towel, rubbing his hair frantically.

He almost yelped when he heard a knock on the door.

“Youngjae? Why are you still here?” Daehyun said through the door.

“I need to be clean before class starts, duh.” He said nonchalantly, wrapping the towel around his waist.

“But it’s already past 8.”

Youngjae froze.

He skipped shaving and immediately put his clothes on, not caring if he buttoned his dress shirt wrong. Youngjae reached for the doorknob and opened the door, not caring that he bumped into the still shirtless man with his arm, noting that his skin was still warm.

Youngjae ran into their room and grabbed a pair of socks and put them on carelessly and ran to the front door, taking his bookbag off the hook.

“Later Daehyun!” He called out the other in the kitchen, struggling to put his sneakers on.

“See ya later,” he laughed. Daehyun had no classes today and he planned to stay home. Maybe he and Youngjae could grab a bite later, he thought.

When Youngjae ran down to his classroom’s building, he was glad to find everyone still crowding in the hallway. He hurries in, many “excuse me”’s exchanged and he finds his friend.

“Youngjae!” He yelled, Youngjae looks at him, breathless. He ran the whole way, and he thought he was gonna pass out from the lack of air.

“J-Jongup,” he managed to breathe, “I’m glad I found you.”

“Damn, you’re red. You ran all the way here?”

“Unfortunately,” he scratched his neck sheepishly.

Before Jongup could get another word in, the professor (as if on cue) came from behind the crowd of students and fumbled with his keys. He unlocked the door and told one of the students standing by to close it when everyone had gotten in.

Then from there, Youngjae’s day has just begun.

After the lecture, he and Jongup left for their next class together (which was fortunate since they both chose the same morning classes).

“Do you wanna hang out after class?” Jongup asked casually, smiling as he typed away on his phone, as if texting someone.

“Sure but,” Youngjae started, “you gotta tell me why you’re smiling like a creep right now.”

“Oh, nothing, it’s just a friend I’ve recently just gotten close to.”

“‘Just a friend’,” Youngjae mocked and accompanied it with a pair of air quotes.

“Yeah.”

“Do I know him or her?”

Jongup took his focus off the device to glare at Youngjae. “Why ask if it would be a her if you already know it’s a ‘he’?”

“You know that you just openly admit that you like someone, right?”

“SO?” Jongup striked rather “sassily”, as I’d like to put it, and focused his attention back on the mobile device.

“Okay, okay,” Youngjae raised his hands in surrender, “do I know this guy though?”

“Not sure,” Jongup answered quickly without looking up, attempting to think up the next words to type in reply to the boy being mentioned as of this moment.

Youngjae felt that it would be awkward to talk on, so he just decided to keep walking since he knew he’d probably be late. Jongup eventually took a step which resulted in him walking, eyes still never leaving his phone, smile still never leaving his face.

The older completely paid no mind to his muscular friend, that is until he heard a slight “oomf” and decided to take a glance, only to see Jongup smile more.

“No texting while you’re walking, Junhong,” he giggled, locking his phone (which was possible the first time since they exited class) and smiled up at the tall, younger looking student.

“I should say the same to you too, Jongup,” he mimicked Jongup’s tone, his voice somewhat teasing as he (as well) put his phone in his side pocket.

“Wanna have lunch later?” Jongup offered.

Junhong clicked his tongue, “You know it,” he winked.

From the corner of his eye, he could see another figure staring at them as they conversed. He turned to him, and smiled, “Hey, Youngjae-hyung.”

“Sup, Junhong,” Youngjae nodded, smiling lightly. He must’ve been the guy Jongup was getting fanboying over. Figures.

“Well, I gotta get to class,” Junhong dismissed himself out loud, “Mr. Bang’s gonna get pissed if I’m late again.”

“Again,” Jongup repeated in a mother-like tone. This was rare, Youngjae thought.

“Wait, Mr. Bang?” Youngjae suddenly spoke, and Junhong turned to him nodding.

“Yeah. You know him?” Junhong asked.

“Well, it depends,” the eldest out of the three tapped his chin, “know his first name?”

“It’s Yong-something. I forget.” Junhong shrugged and dismissed himself again after yelling, “Call me later, Jongup!”

Jongup was too occupied looking at a bunch of sparrows picking up random crumbs from the concrete that Youngjae could recall weren’t even there in the first place.

“, we’re gonna be late!” Youngjae looked at his watch, pulling Jongup along with him, breaking the other from his reverie.