After the Storm
Seven DaysTuesday morning, the sun was barely up by the horizon but Sungjong was wide awake lying on the bed. A bulk of warmth was cuddling next to him. Is this happening? Did something like this ever happened? What am I doing with my life?!
Yesterday;
“Please, Date me” Myungsoo had a melancholic but sombre gaze at his roommate. “I don’t know what to do anymore.”
Seeing Myungsoo trying to even smile made Sungjong’s blood boil. He briefly closed his eyes clenching his fists and let out deep breathe. “Myungsoo, we’re friends right?”
The older guy smiled again, “Yeah, first one I made on my own. That’s why you’re special”
“Special huh? In these past months that we’ve been living and spending time together, I’ve waited” Sungjong could barely contain his anger he faced Myungsoo with face flushed,
“I waited for you to tell me about your problems! I wanted to ask why! But every time you gave me the look that you didn’t want to talk about it. So I waited for you to tell! But you never did! You !” Sungjong’s voice was raised, trembling but there’s no stopping now.
“You know how difficult it is to pretend being asleep?! The nights I stayed awake waiting when you will be coming back, thinking what if you got sacked by criminals on your way home when you didn’t come back. I even lied to my family saying I had something important just so I could check if you came back but you didn’t! ! I tried calling you but nothing!”
“Sungjong, are you okay?” in the stupor, Myungsoo panicked seeing Sungjong was trembling, he even forgot his own current dilemma. “Calm down”
“I’m calm! …I was calm! But you have to appear now? I didn’t even know if I should say sorry for eavesdropping on you or should I be angry with you! Argh, I never felt this frustrated in my whole life!”
“Eavesdropping?” Myungsoo asked.
“This morning at the park when you and that guy were arguing ….” It was too late for Sungjong to take his words as Myungsoo was quick enough to realize what was happening. “Oh shoot, I’m sorry I planned to tell you but…”
“So you saw that” Myungsoo calmly commented. He was seemed shock for a moment but then it quickly disappeared.
Sungjong was surprised, he expected Myungsoo to get angry but the latter only smiled as though the cat is out of the box.
“Okay, right now. I’m totally confused… way … way confused” Sungjong was chopping his hand on the air like crazy. “What happened?”
“Tell me what you know?” Myungsoo calmly asked his roommate, and it’s creeping Sungjong out. It’s like he’s in four-walled enclosed space with no windows, Myungsoo’s eyes were leaving him.
The younger boy explained how Myungsoo called out a name while being drunk, carefully omitting the kissing part before that.
He confessed walking in on their argument and heard everything. By the time Sungjong finished explaining the sun was down but they’re still sitting on the same spot. Myungsoo was quiet as if thinking.
“So that’s how much I know. I’m sorry, I wanted to help but I couldn’t think of anything” Sungjong felt like a gigantic nail had somehow been pulled right out his chest and he felt light inside. “If you proposed dating me just so you can have someone with you. I’m sorry I can’t, I don’t think that’s even a good idea. You should only do that with someone you sincerely like.”
“But as a friend, I can always helped you and stay with you… I mean I don’t have a choice since we’re roommates right?” Sungjong was grinning trying to ease up ambiance.
Myungsoo rubbed his palm on his face, but the corners of his mouth softens into a smile, “You, you’re the only person I can never understand.”
“Eugh?”
“I don’t understand why you’re the only one who would go out his way to care for me, I never had a friend but having you as the first, I guess it’s all worth it” Myungsoo chuckled as he reaches out putting his arms around his roommate into a tight hug. “You’re too honest, it’s almost scary”
“Oi! What on earth?” Sungjong frantically looked around seeing no one he was able to breathe in relief. “You’re getting me in trouble”
“Haha, just a little bit. I want to stay like this” Myungsoo buried his face on Sungjong’s chest, “Fr… i.e.… war…
“Stop mumbling and stop hugging me already. It is embarrassing!”
“I said, Friends are really warm” Myungsoo said as he finally moves away.
“Of course, all humans are. Alive ones that it is… I don’t know about zombies though” Somehow Sungjong didn’t realized he made another joke seeing his roommate suddenly cracked up.
“How about we grab some dinner, my treat so you’ll feel better” Sungjong said. But when he tries to stand up from the bench Myungsoo grabs his arm to hold him down.
“Sungjong, you said you’re going to help me right?” Myungsoo’s tone changed.
“Yeah, as long as it’s not dating” Sungjong was grinning.
“Then sleep with me” the older guy had an earnest innocent look on his face. But his roommate seemed like he just heard something worth killing for.
(At his point folks, we can see Myungsoo’s spirit willingness to abandon his physical body to avoid being beaten to a pulp LOLXD)
A resounding voice almost filled the entire place. “Are you an idiot?! What do you mean sleep with you? Are you insane?!!”
“No, sorry, sorry that’s not what I meant!” Myungsoo was almost begging for his life. A small bump forming on his head. “I mean, I can’t sleep unless there’s someone beside me. Literally, I can’t stand it! That’s why I’m asking you! Stay with me!”
Back to the present,
Sungjong was lying on the bed staring at the ceiling above, he had notice the light filtering through the thin curtains long ago but he remained immobile. He felt like he’s the one who needs the sleeping pills after all that’s happened.
Apparently something happened when Myungsoo was still a kid. Since then he had difficulty going back to sleep and unless he takes his pills or he’s dead drunk he can’t fall asleep.
However, in all this time he actually never did see his roommate take any medicine nor did he find anything that would indicate Myungsoo did so. Sungjong felt like he might have a serious brain meltdown with how many secrets his roommate’s keeping. He thought he figure out a great part of roommate’s life but he feels like there’s more. Well at least for now he can understand why his roommate would sleep with a ton of pillows.
“Augh. I should really stop nosing on about other people’s problem from now on” the younger boy helplessly mumbled as he glanced at the sleeping boy next to him.
But then if you look at him like this, he’s just like a kid in an adult’s body. Sungjong’s lips unconsciously puts on a smile, then with caution he slowly escapes from his roommate’s arms. “I’ll take a shower first, then job later”
Myungsoo squinted as the light passing through the window hits his eyes. His hands reaches out to the small space beside him, that side of the bed was still warm, evidence that just moments ago someone had been there with him. He glanced at the empty made up bed across him and suddenly remembers it was his.
From the bathroom Sungjong heard something like something big was being drag across the room. He tried to brush it off and finished his morning routine but when he stepped out of the bath and into their room he saw that Myungsoo had moved the beds close by the window beside each other.
“What are you doing?” Sungjong walked towards where his clothes are, a towel draped over his lower body and his shirt slung across his shoulders.
“The bed’s bigger this way” Myungsoo grins as he settled on the floor to rest. “
We barely fit on your bed last night and this way the room looks more spacious right?”
The younger boy opened his mouth to speak but closes them without a word as if agreeing to the statement.
“Should we get breakfast outside since we don’t have classes?” Myungsoo offered lying like a lazy sloth.
“Ah, I have to be somewhere” Sungjong said rummaging through his clothes. “I need to pass my resume for a part time.”
“You’re working?” Myungsoo asked a little bit surprised while watching Sungjong get dressed, his eyes fell on the younger boy’s slender waist and that milky porcelain like skin.
Sungjong glanced at his roommate who fell silent. “What the hell are you staring at?”
“Me? Oh, nothing I just thought that your skin’s like a baby” Myungsoo winked.
A loud thud was heard from the room at the end of the hallway as Sungjong went out of the door. “Yah… if yah don’ wan’ to die don’t speak words that make me want to kill yah”
“Ha-ha yes boss” Myungsoo was grinning like a kid, sprawled face down on the floor after being hit by a dictionary.
“I’m off” Sungjong said closing the door.
“Take care, bring me pudding!” Myungsoo yelled as he sat up with legs cross on the floor. He was smiling as his eyes roamed across the empty room until it fell on his study table. Suddenly Myungsoo’s amiable expression turned sullen. He got up, and walked towards his phone.
Two minutes later, Myungsoo was scrambling for breakfast inside the fridge when he saw a plastic bag with his name on it, he remembers it to be the same plastic bag they had brought from the super but he has no recollection of writing his name on any plastic bag.
However when the familiar pungent aroma hits his nose, the corners of Myungsoo’s lips already curved into a soft marshmallow smile. "Kimchi and sunny-side ups it is"
“Guess, I have to keep the window open all day long” the older boy can’t help but chuckle. For once the window was open on morning after a Tuesday, for reasons other than him getting out of his hangover.
................................... IDeviant......................................
Whoo it's chapter 5 already!
I've been crunching my brains for the past week thinking about Sungjong ang Myungsoo's personalities and it struck me, what about their family backgrounds?
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