"Kris Wu, are you seriously looking at that again?" Chanyeol kicks the dirty clothes out of the way as he stumbles into their shared dorm room.

There's another pile of clothes right next to his bed, and sneakers are strewn all over the room, tripping any innocent passer-by if they ever step into this place. Not that any of their friends will willingly come in. Not when the room smells like a mixture of perspiration and kimchi ramyun that Kris is always eating.

"Yeah, what's wrong with it?" He asks through a mouthful of noodles, slurping the soup deliciously as he fixates his attention on the screen.

"Self-estrangement? Endless consumption of toxins that will kill you in a few years’ time?" Chanyeol questions, wincing when he remembers the laptop in his bag after he threw it on the floor.

"I don't," Kris opens his mouth to retort only to realize that his friend is right, or has always been right. He had not been turning up for the weekly dinner gathering for months, in favor of hiding in his room staring at some stranger eat in front of his tiny laptop screen. To speed things up, he has also taken to eating instant ramyun after basketball practice so that he will not miss his favorite mokbang.

"What's so interesting about it?" Chanyeol invades his personal space, and stares at the eating figure in the screen. "He looks like a squirrel when he eats, it doesn't even make food look more appetizing." He comments, earning an elbow to his ribs.

"It is cute," Kris stresses on the last word, "and you'll never appreciate it since you're so self-absorbed."

"Hey," Chanyeol huffs indignantly. "I'm not. At least, I know that Kim Jongin in our Economics class is really hot." He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively for extra effects.



The health risks from only eating ramyun and sitting in front of his laptop for hours set in earlier than Kris expected as he finds completing the laps that the coach has assigned difficult for the first time in his life.

"Kris!" His coach berates as he lags behind the rest of the team. "Stay back for 20 extra rounds after practice."

He can only nod sluggishly as he attempts to catch up with the rest of the team.

Chanyeol is already sprawled on his bed, dressed in club wear when he enters their room. Kris' laptop is hidden under his huge frame, and it doesn't seem like he is going to hand it over any time soon.

"Go get dressed," he orders. "We are going clubbing tonight."

His protests fell on deaf ears as he is pushed into the bathroom with leather pants that are too tight, and a shirt that has too much bling bling for his liking. But Chanyeol is persistent, refusing to let him out of the tiny cubicle till he is sure that Kris has showered and changed into his designated outfit.

"Why are we going clubbing on a school day?" Kris asks as he pushes his fringe away from his face.

"Jongin is going to be there tonight and your little crush too." Chanyeol replies with excitement as they walk to the nearest bus stop.

"What?" Kris sputters, knowing who Chanyeol means by his crush. "How do you know that he is going to be there?"

A weird light twinkles in Chanyeol's eyes as he replies. "I hacked into your account when you were at practice and sent him your photo asking to meet tonight, and he agreed."

The taller boy cradles his head in response before punching his friend repeatedly. "Why did you even do that, you crazy kid?"

He forgets to ask which photo Chanyeol has sent the other boy.



The deafening music inside the club gives him a throbbing headache as he steps into the stifling area with an overly-enthusiastic friend by his side. As he scans through the room, there is no one that reminds him of the cute boy that he is enamored with in the vicinity. Instead, throngs of bodies press against each other as they try to dance on the crowded floor.

"Here," Chanyeol grips his forearm and steer him to the bar, "I told him we will meet here. Try to breathe and have fun." He winks before he is off finding Jongin whom he had been harboring a crush for months.



Kris pulls on his black jacket as he waits, slightly conscious of the attention his shirt has been attracting. Apparently, what Chanyeol dressed him in is popular with the clubbing crowd as he receives appreciative stares from people who walk past him, and even several offers to buy him drinks.

"Hello," a small pat on his shoulder shocks him, causing him to spill the green drink on the table.

"Sorry," the new guy apologizes before sliding into the seat next to him. "You are Kris Wu right?" He asks, tilting his head to the right.

The guy in front of him should be the mokbang guy whose features he can memorize perfectly, and yet he looks nothing like the cute college kid that he remembers. A thin line of kohl lines his eyes and the black eye shadow at the end of his eyes add on to the smoldering look, transforming him into the iest guy Kris has ever seen.

"Hey," Kris stammers awkwardly, "I'm Kris. You are?" He asks to make sure that he has not gotten the wrong guy.

"I'm Baekhyun. The one who holds a mokbang session every night?" He tilts his head again, looking so adorably y that Kris wants to squish him in a hug. "Your hair is kinda obvious, so I thought you are the one who contacted me." He gestures to Kris' hair, not waiting for the other to ask how he managed to recognize him.

"I see." Kris replies blandly, and drops his eyes to the countertop not knowing how to continue the conversation. It is easy when they are separated by a laptop screen, and when he is merely one of the fans that likes looking at Baekhyun eat. But now that he is given the opportunity for an interaction, he doesn't know what he can say except "You look adorable when you eat, and it makes me want to feed you forever". He will never say that since it’ll just make him look like a creep.

"Apple martini?" Baekhyun asks, pointing to the drink on the table.

"Yeah, thought that I should get something to calm my nerves." Kris answers honestly, drawing out laughter from Baekhyun.

"But that's so weak." Baekhyun mocks, darkening the flush on Kris' cheeks.

The rest of the night passes by easily with Baekhyun's ability to converse about everything under the world, and Kris gets the other's number with the promise of texting him the next day.



Kris is probably incapable of having a love life if Park Chanyeol doesn't exist. The number lies in his phone untouched for a week till Chanyeol gets tired of his whining and incessant pining and sent the first message for him. The reply comes faster than he expected, and it continues from there with Baekhyun updating him on his daily life or the two of them just chatting randomly about the weird news they've read online.

Sure. Kris sees Baekhyun replying when he comes back from the toilet. He has no recollection of whatever he has sent that will have entitled such a reply, and proceeds to scroll up before he gets the shock of his life.

He has just asked Baekhyun out for coffee this Saturday. He has just asked Baekhyun out for coffee this Saturday. He has just asked Baekhyun out for coffee this Saturday. And he is willing to bet all of his fortune on Park Chanyeol being the mastermind.



The rest of the days crawl by when he is anticipating the date coffee outing and whizzes past when he is worrying over what to wear for the date coffee outing; it passes too slowly for him most of the time.

He is early, stirring his green tea latte in the highly overpriced coffee shop as he awaits Baekhyun's arrival.

The other boy appears moments later, apparently early for this little outing that they are having too. (Kris refuses to call it a date in his mind) "You're early," Baekhyun comments as he distracts Kris from his mindless stirring of the drink.

Baekhyun is dressed in a light gray shirt and dark blue jeans with a checkered shirt tied loosely around his waist. What really causes the mental breakdown for Kris though is the pair of nerdy spec perched on his nose completing the preppy look.

"You're early too, and cute." The words spill out of his mouth before his brain has the opportunity to filter them.

"I know." Baekhyun answers easily. "Since when am I not?"

The embarrassment that Kris felt previously is easily erased by Baekhyun's reply, and it feels easier to flood their conversation with nonsensical bickering after that.

If anyone asks him after that, he will admit that he has no recollection of what happened or what they talked about. For the three hours they were there, all he is able to pay attention to is how the younger's (he finds out that Baekhyun is two years younger) eyes shine when they talk about food, the weird and wild gesture that he makes when he is passionate about something, or how much he smiles (it seems like his facial muscle never gets tired of it).

"I've to go soon." Baekhyun says regretfully when the clock inches closer to 6pm. "I have to prepare for the broadcast tonight."

"Okay," Kris tries to shuffle his expression into one of indifference, not wanting to burden his date. "We can meet up again soon?" He asks skeptically, not sure if he'll get a second date outing after today.

"Sure," the other boy agrees eagerly. "Maybe you can join me for my broadcast too one day!"






Epilogue

"Hello guys," Baekhyun greets cheerfully, adjusting the camera to fit the food and the two people into the screen. "My friend Kris is here with me today and we will be doing this broadcast together."

He stirs the olive oil into the salad as he pushes Kris to wave at the viewers. "Kris is a basketball player, so we will be eating something healthier today since sportsman are so health conscious." His nose scrunches up cutely as he laments over not being able to eat pizza or fried chicken that he likes so much in order to accommodate to Kris.

"We will start now." He waves his spoon at the camera before digging into the food.

The comments flow in as usual, with Baekhyun replying to a few in between his mouthful of food.

Are the two of you dating? One of his followers asks, prompting the rest to ask out of curiosity.

Baekhyun points out the comment to Kris who pretends to be engrossed in his food in an attempt to avoid direct contact with the camera. "Are we?"

"Do you want to?" Kris asks in response.

Baekhyun answers him with a blinding smile, and he thinks he got his answer.