Chapter SIX

After that “emotional” evening, Taehyun’s attitude towards his roommate changed tremendously. For some reason, he greatly sympathizes with Seungyoon. After all, he wasn’t sure what made his brunette roommate quit music, stop doing something he excels in, and to put a halt into doing something that he loved. Yes, Taehyun was curious. But no, he was smart enough to know that it wasn’t the time to further question Seungyoon about it— yet. He knew it was a sensitive topic for the older male but Taehyun also understood that he himself wasn’t someone whom Seungyoon can easily spill his life story.

The maknae secretly wished that they were actually closer. It wasn’t because he especially liked Seungyoon nor because he is a curious person. Actually, maybe a little curious, BUT, he really want to give his roommate a hand… for some reason he cannot explain. Perhaps, it is because Taehyun majors in music as well and knew of the musical talents hidden within Seungyoon’s thin frame. Taehyun wants to try his best to spike Seungyoon’s interest in music again, or at least attempt to do so.

However, Taehyun does not have a scheme of plan yet. Just how is he supposed to get his roommate to change his mind? From simply the few weeks of knowing Seungyoon, Taehyun concluded that the brunette is indeed a stubborn . There is basically nothing that can change his mind! And most importantly, Taehyun still don’t know Seungyoon well enough yet. If Taehyun wants to do this, he must have an absolute excellent and optimal plan. And that is exactly where Taehyun is stuck at now.

He wasn’t even sure himself why he was so keen on helping Seungyoon. But when he remembered the gaze that Seungyoon gave him that night, he would suddenly feel the motivation to help his roommate again. No, it wasn’t just a desire to help him out— it was almost like a NEED to help him out.

Then something clicked in Taehyun’s mind. There may be a possible way to know Seungyoon better, quicker, and more efficiently as well. The easiest way to know someone is to know and meet the people who surround him. He needs to meet Seungyoon’s friends and probably even get a job at the diner that Seungyoon works at! From that point on, Taehyun finally decided on a plan.

---

SEUNGYOON’S POV

“Seungyoon-ah!”

“Woohoo yeah!!!”

Who? Me?

“Seungyoon-shi!! Fighting!”

What? Where am I? Who are these people calling my name?

I walked towards the source of the voices and noticed a bright light shining upon my face. I immediately squinted my eyes, unable to adjust to the sudden brightness yet.

“Kang Seungyoon! Kang Seungyoon!”

The crowd began to cheer my name continuously. Why? I knitted my eyebrows and began to study my surroundings. It was then when I realized where I am. I am standing beside a wooden chair, an acoustic guitar is occupying my hands, and a microphone stands in front of my figure. Are they waiting for me to sing? A smile slowly formed on my face as I finally see the audience clapping and cheering me on. I took a seat, adjusted the microphone closer to my lips and cleared my throat. I took in a huge breath and began the first note on the guitar. People cheered even louder, which motivated me to play even better. I voiced out the first sentence of the lyrics to a track and noticed even more people smiling at me. I suddenly sensed a feeling of warmth burning and seeping out from the bottom of my heart— happiness. It was a sensation that I haven’t felt in a long time.

What is this feeling? I miss this feeling. Why is this so reminiscing? Why can’t this last forever?

I continued with the song but I somehow lost confidence. What if they don’t like my music? What if they don’t like my voice? What if they judge what I do? I didn’t know what happened. And to make matters worse, a guitar string snapped and flicked across my chin. I tried to keep playing and pretend nothing happened, but things didn’t go the way I wanted.

“Yah! What are you even playing guitar? Keep up with the beat!”

“You call that singing? Go take some lessons young man!”

“Boooo!”

At that point, I stayed quiet. I stopped playing, as if all the energy within me suddenly drained out, and just sat stealthily on the chair. Words hurt, especially from people who supported you before. These people, they liked me. They liked what I played. Why are they doing this to me now? All of a sudden, I got hit with something. I tried to block myself but it just kept coming. I frowned and felt sick to the stomach. Why are people so cruel? I looked down and realized the slimy mixture is eggs. But what can I do? I quickly got up and immediately ran off stage, away from the shameful environment. I tried to hide my tears collecting at the brim of my eyes and ran down the stairs into the backstage area.

I stood still when I collided with someone. “Sorry!” I quickly mumbled out, keeping my head low in case this person knows me. Plus, I am not in a very presentable sight right now.

“Seungyoon…shi?”

I stopped walking to turn around just to see Dayoung right in front of me. Crap. Just my luck. I gulped and continued with my route in the complicated, maze-like hallway. “Seungyoon-shi, wait for me! Where are you going?” I glanced back to see her following me.

“Leave me alone!” I said frustratedly, trying my best to run through the endless hallway. Why is this corridor so long? Unexpectedly, people began piling in, giving me a disgusted look as I attempt to squeeze pass them. “Excuse me!” “Sorry!” Those words were all I managed to say.

Beep. Beep. Beep! Ugh, what’s that? I looked around my surrounding but cannot figure out the noise.

“Ha! I got you!” Dayoung appeared in front of my eyes. Taken aback, I fell backwards onto the floor and she immediately crept down beside me.

Beep. Beep. Beep!

I shuddered at Dayoung’s touch. I tried to get up on my feet but the sliminess on my clothes made me slip instead.

Beep. Beep. BEEP!

I jerked up immediately, panting heavily. Several drops of sweat began to roll down my face. I touched my face and then quickly glanced down at my body just to see that I am sitting in bed. I quickly turned off the ringing alarm and buried my face in my hands. It was just a dream…

I inhaled and exhaled slowly to calm my racing heart rate down. What the heck was that? Why did I dream about my insecurities again? I swear it gets more realistic each time. Why do I have to remind myself of those feelings again? I haven’t had those kinds of dreams in a while now… I shuddered again after I recalled Dayoung’s appearance. Bumping into her at school again must have left a huge impact in my mind. I sighed and lifted the covers off my body and headed for the washroom. A shower will definitely do me some good right about now.

End of Seungyoon’s POV

---

The moment Taehyun woke up that same morning, he immediately rushed out of bed after noticing that it’s already 9:15am. He silently cursed his phone’s alarm for failing to wake him up. Once he ran into the hallway, he noticed Seungyoon occupying the washroom. However, the sound of water stopped running and he assumed his roommate just finished a shower. Taehyun bangs on the door loudly and continuously yelled “Hyung, please for the love of God, let me use the washroom first! I’m late for class already!!”

The door opens right away to Taehyun’s surprise, even though he expected Seungyoon to occupy the washroom for a longer period of time. “What’s the hurry for? It’s Saturday today. Unless you have some other kind of classes to attend.”

“It is?” Taehyun’s eyes bulged out. He didn’t believe his roommate’s words. He even went into his room to check the date on his phone. “You’re right! What the heck was I thinking?” He then proceeded to slam his forehead onto his door a few times.

Seungyoon chuckled at his roommate’s humorous behaviour. “Good news isn’t it? You can sleep in and relax or do whatever you want.”

“Uh, I guess. But now that I’m up I don’t feel sleepy anymore.” Taehyun muttered, following Seungyoon out into the living room. He casually took a seat at the table while the elder busied himself inside the kitchen, seemingly trying to attempt making breakfast. He started to crack an egg into the pan but a waft of smoke soon followed. Seungyoon frowned and ended up with some burnt eggs.

“The hell. You really can’t cook!” Taehyun exclaimed. “Did you even put oil in the pan?”

“I need to do that?” Seungyoon questioned with a very shocked expression.

Taehyun rolled his eyes and simply sat back on his chair with his arms crossed. He concluded that there was no point in teaching the brunette since it will just be a waste of his time. How can someone not even know the importance of putting oil in the pan before frying an egg?

Seungyoon eventually gave up with a pout and ended up having another idea for breakfast…

Well, more like throwing some stale cereal into a bowl.

“Crap! We ran out of milk?” Seungyoon frowned. “I guess I’ll have to eat this with water.”

“That’s disgusting hyung.” Luckily Taehyun snatched the bowl away from Seungyoon just in time. Seeing that the elder didn’t ask him to make breakfast today, he decided to ask, “So, am I off the hook for cooking you food for the week?”

“Technically no, but I’m letting you off the hook today because I’m in a hurry.” Seungyoon answered, rushing into his room and coming back out within a minute in an entirely new attire. Taehyun was amazed by the fact and thought maybe his roommate could even set a world record for it.

“What’s the hurry for?”

“For your info, dear roommate, if you want me to remind you, there is something called rent for this damn apartment.” Seungyoon smiled sarcastically and even did a hand motion to show his sudden enthusiasm towards the topic, as if introducing a new term to Taehyun. “So I’m heading over to my damn job to slave myself away for some money so that I don’t have to live on the streets and starve myself away.” He finished his point with a poker face. He chugged down a glass of water as a breakfast replacement and headed for the door. He stopped on his tracks, however, and eyed Taehyun suspiciously. “Speaking of which, do you even work? How are you planning to pay rent?”

Taehyun was left speechless. “Uh…” He mumbled out, looking downwards at the wooden table in front of him. There was no way he was planning on letting Seungyoon know that he saved up money from his summer job of tutoring other music students. No, that is a bad idea. Taehyun doesn’t even want to mention anything music related in front of Seungyoon just yet. What was he supposed to say?

“Actually…” Taehyun began and then an idea popped into his mind. “Do you think your work place needs any more employees?” He quickly finished his sentence and slowly observed Seungyoon’s reaction.

“Wait. Come again?”

“Uh, well in other words, are you guys hiring?”

Seungyoon cocked up an eyebrow, stepping away from the door once he sensed that it’s going to be a long conversation with Taehyun. “You mean… You want to work at where I’m working?”

“Uh, yeah. If you guys are in need of a hand and if you don’t mind.”

“Why? You actually don’t have money?”

Taehyun responded with a shrug.

Seungyoon immediately huffed out and pounded his fist against the wall. “Are you serious?!”

Taken aback, Taehyun almost jumped out of his chair. However, he immediately cleared his throat and straightened his posture to look composed once again. “Well, I do have some money saved up… BUT, that’ll eventually run out right? Just saying.” Taehyun shrugged again.

“Maybe I should’ve done a background check on you before letting you in this place.” Seungyoon mumbled out as a joke. “I’ll let you know about it later when I get a chance.” He then checked the clock on the microwave and immediately turned pale. “Okay I REALLY got to go. See ya!”

Seeing that Seungyoon relaxed a little and is willing to help him out, Taehyun smiled and waved goodbye as his roommate finally left the apartment. He continued grinning as he got up and headed back towards his bedroom. “Step one? Check.”

---

Taehyun received a call from Seungyoon later that afternoon. Right away, the younger ran into the washroom to get ready.

“What? Right now??” Taehyun thought he heard his roommate wrong or thought the elder is simply trolling him for fun, but no, from the tone of Seungyoon’s voice, he is dead serious.

“Yes right now. Can you make it? I’ll tell him you’ll be here in 15.” Seungyoon said once again. “I know it is last minute but my manager said since you’re my friend, it’ll just be a short interview.”

Taehyun tried to register what Seungyoon had just said. No, not the part where he needs to be at his work place in fifteen minutes, not the part where he said he’ll be interviewed right on the spot, but the part where Seungyoon referred to him as a friend. So they’re not simply ‘roommates’ anymore but are friends now? Since when did his title get upgraded? But he brushed that fact aside, ignored that smile tugging on the corner of his lips and replied “Sure, I’ll be right there!”

When Taehyun got his over to the same block as where Munch Box is located, he patiently waited for Seungyoon’s appearance as that’s where they promised to meet up first. Taehyun hated waiting and it’s been a good five minutes since he arrived. When he caught a glimpse of Seungyoon, however, Taehyun instantly burst out laughing.

“Why are you laughing like that?” Seungyoon asked as he approached the maknae, who is still in laughing fits.

“Sorry, hyung.” Taehyun finally managed to stop laughing, “It’s just that, you walked out here with an apron tied around your waist and it just looks really funny.”

Seungyoon rolled his eyes. He knew he looked ridiculous but what can he do? It’s part of his job’s attire. “Yeah yeah yeah. Once you get the job you’ll be wearing one too. Don’t be mad when I laugh at you too.”

“Why do I need to wear one?” Taehyun asked right away as he walked side by side with his roommate, heading to the diner. “It won’t look good on me though.”

“And do you want this job or not?”

Taehyun kept quiet, knowing that there is no way he could get his way in this circumstance. “Is your manager nice? I haven’t had an interview in ages! My skills might be rusty by now!”

“Oh don’t you worry. It’s just going to be chill.” Seungyoon replied with a smirk as he guided his roommate towards the diner.

Taehyun looked worried all of a sudden. What if he doesn’t get it? He needed this job, yes, he wanted to know Seungyoon better, but on a side note, who would complain about getting some extra cash?

“Seung… Seungyoon-shi??”

The brunette heard his name being called out and turned around to the voice. Oh why oh why!!! He should have just ignored it! Or pretend that it was his imagination and continued on to work! But no… He decided to turn around just to come face to face with Dayoung—again. Seungyoon suddenly remembered the dream he has last night and felt even more troubled. “Oh… ha. Hey Dayoung-shi.”

“Omo!!! It’s so nice to bump into you here Seungyoon-shi!” Dayoung squealed as she smiled brightly at the tall male. “What are you doing here?”

“Uh…” Seungyoon paused. “I’m heading to work now actually.”

Dayoung suddenly looked extremely interested in his words. “Oh really? Where do you work? Maybe I can visit you from time to time! I can even bring you lunch! I cook well just so you know, hehe!”

Taehyun felt out of place again, but tried his best to follow what this Dayoung girl is saying. If she knows Seungyoon, then she must be his friend! In other words, if he gets to know her better then maybe she can fill him in about Seungyoon’s past!

“Oh, it really is okay. I don’t usually eat lunch anyways…” Seungyoon politely declined, eyeing at Taehyun for help.

Taehyun simply stared back at him, confused. In the end, he pointed at himself and towards Munch Box, “Hyung, if you want I can head over first. I don’t have much time left just so you know…”

“No! NO!” Seungyoon pleaded, almost begged desperately, for Taehyun to stay. He looked at Dayoung, “Sorry, Dayoung-shi, but I really got to go right now.”

She pouted. “Why are you always in a hurry?” She suddenly looked over at Taehyun and stared at him for a while. Taehyun noticed her stare and looked a little uncomfortable. She finally decides to speak up. “Omo, are you Nam Taehyun by any chance?” Both males looked at her, surprised at how she knew of him. “Oh my, it really is you! I’m a fan of yours, can I please have a picture with you??” She didn’t even let Taehyun respond and whipped out her phone within 0.0001 seconds and snapped a picture of a happy Dayoung and a grumpy Taehyun with a ‘what the actual ?’ face. Dayoung finally released her grip on his arm and bowed down. “I really like your singing! You performed at the opening day didn’t you? You’re like so perfect, oh my God, I can’t believe I get to meet you! Actually, I was even planning on creating a Nam Taehyun fan club here at school, what do you think?”

Taehyun didn’t respond. He looked at Seungyoon and the latter gulped.

Dayoung interrupted their intense staring contest. “Oh actually, how do you two know each other? Oh Seungyoon-shi, how can you not tell me you know Taehyun-shi? Omo, we definitely need to hang out more often now! Hahaha!!”

Seungyoon finally pulled Taehyun away from Dayoung’s reach and the duo began walking away from the girl. “Bye Dayoung, we really got to go!”

“Can’t I join you guys?”

“NO!” Seungyoon simply exclaimed and pulled Taehyun with him as they sped walked away.

Dayoung waved at them with a grin. “It was nice to meet you Nam Taehyun-shi! I LOVE YOU!”

Once the boys were at a safe distance from Dayoung, Taehyun finally spoke up. “Who the heck was that? Was she your friend?”

“Don’t even ask that!” Seungyoon immediately yelled out. “We only worked on a project together last term. Dude, I’m sorry. I didn’t know she would do that to you. Are you okay?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess. Just a little shocked.” Taehyun said, his face still looking a little uncertain at what just happened.

When they looked back and noticed that Dayoung wasn’t there anymore, they finally felt safe enough to enter Munch Box. There was no way they can let her find out where they worked, otherwise, the both of them are going to have a bad time.

Once they entered the diner, the little bell attached to the door rang and a male behind the counter said “welcome!” in a sing-song voice.

“OH!!! Taehyun-shi, is that you??”        

Taken aback by another sudden ‘Taehyun-shi’, the mid split male shuddered. But once he spotted Jinwoo behind the counter, he immediately relaxed. “Jinwoo-shi? You work here too?”

“Of course! Why else would I be here?” Jinwoo grinned. “So you’re the friend that Seungyoon said he’s bringing here to meet with our manager?”

“Oh uh, yeah, that’s me.” Taehyun replied politely as Seungyoon brought him over to the other end of the diner. “Hopefully I’ll get it?”

“Oh don’t you worry! If you’re referred I’m sure you’ll get in! Plus, our manager loves our little maknae Seungyoon so you’re already at an advantage!” Jinwoo grinned as he made his way to Taehyun, giving him a pat on the shoulder as encouragement.

“So… You two actually know each other?” Seungyoon questioned. He knew that Jinwoo knows Taehyun since they’re in the same class, but he didn’t know that they’re actually on talking terms. And looking at how Jinwoo, the usual shy boy, is interacting with Taehyun made him think otherwise.

“Yeah, we met in class.” Taehyun simply replied, trying to fill his roommate in with a new piece of information.

“OH MY GOOOOOD!” Minho suddenly popped out of the kitchen and ran towards Taehyun to give the youngest a hug. “Taehyun-ah!!!!” Taehyun was shocked by Minho’s overly active personality but Jinwoo and Seungyoon simply looked indifferent as they watched in silence. “So did you finish the interview yet? Did you get in? Are you working with us? Huh? Huh?”

“What the… Minho-shi, you work here too?” Taehyun seemed taken aback at the amount of people he knew who worked at Munch Box. “Who DOESN’T work here?”

“I’ve been here the longest!” Minho boasted, lifting up his chin in a proud way. “Seungyoon came next and Jinwoo is the last to join, but he’s been working here for like… what? One year?”

“One year and two months to be exact.” Jinwoo happily informed.

“Wow, you guys seem close. I didn’t know you three know each other. Small world.” Taehyun concluded as he tried to smile at the trio before him.

“Oh ho ho! We go way back!” Minho continued, about to spill more stories about themselves. Taehyun’s ears immediately perked up as his plan to know about Seungyoon’s past is going better than expected. “You got lots to catch up on, bro!”

The interview for Taehyun went great and he was then announced as the newest addition to the Munch Box family. The boys shared a laugh. Seungyoon felt relieved. He’s never seen Taehyun smile before. At least not as bright as the one he’s looking at right now. He was worried in the beginning about how much time Taehyun needed to adjust to a new work environment. Picking up a new job can be overwhelming, especially if Taehyun didn’t know anyone here. At least Seungyoon was close with Minho before working here. However, seeing that his friends and Taehyun talking so casually helped ease off Seungyoon’s worries.

Their walk home that day was similar to how quiet it usually is yet somehow it was also different at the same time.  It was a new feeling that they cannot pinpoint.  Seungyoon noticed that his roommate was cheery, surprisingly, as he’s humming a tune while walking along a line on the cement floor. “You seem to be in a good mood.”

Taehyun glanced over and smirked. “I guess you can say that.”

Chuckling, Seungyoon shook his head at his roommate’s unpredictable behaviour. “Why? Because you got the job?”

“Perhaps.” Taehyun replied.

“But it just means that you’ll just be slaving your days away when you’re not in class or home.”

Taehyun laughed. “You don’t look like you enjoy your job that much.”

The elder shrugged. “I don’t mind it. Days pass by so quickly when I’m working with those dorks.”

“Yeah. It doesn’t seem that bad. Everyone’s chill and seems to get along well.” Taehyun added and looked over to his roommate. “Plus, I think it’ll be fun to work with you.”

“Me?” Seungyoon pointed at himself with his index finger once he heard Taehyun’s words. “Why?”

“Then I’ll get to know you better, my friend.”

They looked at each other for a moment to which Taehyun eventually broke away their gaze as they rounded a corner of a block. And for some reason he cannot explain, Seungyoon turned just as cheery as Taehyun for the rest of the walk home.

Author’s Note:

Oh my… Readers I’m so sorry. I’ve been delaying in writing a new chapter but here you are! Not too long, not too short. Sorry if you all expected a long chapter. Another transition chapter- kinda. Our two main characters seem to be getting along well, which is nice. Haha. I wanted to show that both roommates have a "soft spot" for one another. We also got a glimpse of Seungyoon’s past- though not the same details as him dream, I just wanted to let you readers know that he is insecure about it.

Oh man oh man, I really like Dayoung’s character here. Everytime she pops up, I know something epic is gonna happen. *troll face*

Btw, did anyone watch MAMA awards? Congrats to our WINNER for getting best new artist :3

Okay guys, until next time. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter!