The rays of sunlight kissed Solin's cheeks as he sat on the windowsill. Taking in the beautiful scenery and anticipating all the possible sunrises and sunsets he'd see throughout the year. People watching wasn't one of his hobbies but as he looked down at the happenings below a sense of sonder overcame him, a realization that everyone was living a life as vivid and complex as his own. Everyone has a story, happy moments, sad moments, though some more than others, it gave him a sense of comfort to know that he wasn't alone even if it felt like it.

This feeling sparked inspiration for him, it didn't take long for him to start drawing once he took out his sketchbook. The light pencil marks capturing the cloud of anxiousness that followed all the students, no matter where they came from or their circumstances they all shared the same emotions.

"I still don't get why mom made us come a week early just to help you." The door creaked open, Yoobin walked in followed by his two older sisters Yookyung and Yooah.

"For emotional support, duh." Yoobin put his bags down as Yooah chuckled. 

"Yookyung be emotionally supportive? I don't think that's physically possible."

Solin stood up to greet the three, a soft smile plastered on his face that matched his gentle "annyeonghaseyo".

In contrast to Yoobin's loud voice, Solin was practically whispering. "Hi I'm Lee Yoobin. These are my sisters, Yooah and Yookyung. Did you choose a side yet?" He was referring to Solin's luggage in the middle of the room, not quite leaning on a preferred side to claim a bed.



"Either one is fine, I don't mind really."  Yoobin pushed his bags to the left and bellyflopped onto the corresponding bed. "What's your name again?" 



"It's Shin Solin, sorry I don't think I said it before." 



"You don’t have to keep apologizing, I just wanted to make sure I didn't have early dementia or something," Yoobin said as he made snow angels on his bed causing a titter to escape Solin’s lips.

“Is that my shirt?” Yooah pointed out. Yoobin wore a biker shirt with a pair of distressed baggy jeans that allowed his skinny legs to peak through. From the moment he walked in Solin took note of how rare it was to see a guy dressed that way in Korea, especially in his sisters clothes. Something he’d never have the courage to do.

“Yup! It looks good on me right?” Yoobin rolled to his side resting his cheek on his hand that was propped up by his elbow, as if asking to be drawn like one of those French girls.


"Please don't tell me you're an art major-" Yookyung was looking at the sketchbook that was learning on the windowsill. It took a distracted Solin a minute to respond. When he did he picked it up guiltily, holding it to his chest like a prized possession. “Sorry to say that I am.”

“Am i the only one in this room that thinks STEM is a necessity? Why are stem majors such a rare commodity nowadays?” Yookyung gave a judgmental look to everyone in the room, coming from a family of artists with Yoobin being a dance major and Yooah being a fashion major, she was always the odd one out.

“Because it’s boring! And stop making my roommate apologize, don’t you see he’s soft boy.”

Yoobin got up to wrap an arm around Solin in a protective manner flustering Solin whose cheeks faded pink. Funnily enough Yoobin didn’t look much different, both gave off a vibe closer to cute than manly but it was clear who had the more dominant personality.

“Our whole family is artsy, Yookyung is just jealous she didn’t get the talent gene.” Yoobin teased.

“Jealous my . I’ll be saving lives and curing diseases while you guys ‘make art’.” Yookyung said with air quote for emphasis.

“Hey! Dancing keeps people fit, okay? Solin can help cure depression with art and without Yooah everyone would be .” Yoobin argued back. Solin watched the siblings bicker as if watching a tennis match, head going back and forth between the two following the ball go in the others court with every comeback. But somehow despite going for each others throats, Solin could tell that they cared deeply for each other. It was the epitome of family.

“Whatever, we’re leaving, let’s go Yooah.” Yookyung looked around to see Yooah already by the door peaking her head out into the hallway. “You guys have Anthony as your RA?”

“Who’s that?” Yoobin asked. He was now jumping on his bed, the move clearly didn’t drain him as much as it did his siblings.

“Just some guy that everyone’s in love with. He’s not that great, I got a higher grade than him in bio last year,” Yookyung bragged.

Yoobin cupped his mouth to sound like a blow horn, “No one cares~”. The two siblings started going at it again as Yooah went back to poking her head outside. Solin tried to suppress the urge of drawing the chaotic Lee siblings as he watched them all, particularly Yookyung beating Yoobin with a pillow as he died laughing.

“He’s coming!” Yooah suddenly said. She slammed the door shut and went towards the rest of them while she fixed her hair.

Anthony came in a few seconds later. The sun shined on him perfectly to make it look like he was glowing. He smiled a crooked smile shielding his amber tinted eyes from the sun. “Are you guys okay?”

“Yeah we’re fine,” Yooah responded as she played with her hair.

“She just beat me up with a pillow!” Yoobin tattled before Yookyung smacked his chest.

“Don’t I know you?” Anthony asked making Yookyung sigh with her arms crossed. “Yeah we were in the same bio class.”

“Oh right you’re the only girl that got a 100 on the final right?”

“Yeah, you got a 92 if I remember correctly.” Yooah gave Yookyung a dirty look that Solin didn’t know was possible for the cute girl.

Anthony let out a soft laugh, “that’s right, it’s nice to see you again. Anyways I just wanted to introduce myself, I’m Anthony Kwon and I’ll be your RA for the year. We’ll have an intro sesh later today in the lounge, you guys should come by to meet everyone and get any general info on the dorms.”

“Will there be free food?” Yoobin asked.

“Yeah I’m planning on ordering pizza. What are your names?”

“We’ll be there! I'm Yoobin, that's my sister Yooah and that's Solin.”

Anthony gave them all a smile, eyes landing on Solin last lingering his gaze longer than the rest. Solin's heart hitched under his stare and he broke the eye contact by looking at the floor instead, cheeks now flushing deeper than the pink from before.

“I'll see you guys later then,” Anthony said. As soon as he left Yooah squealed like she just saw her favorite idol.

“Isn’t he just dreamy?”

Yookyung gave her 10th eye roll of the day while neither Yoobin or Solin could deny their RA’s visuals.

Solin got along with Yoobin splendidly, once his sisters left the two alone they talked endlessly. Yoobin was strange but not in an off putting way, not that Solin was the most normal person around himself. He looked forward to how their friendship would unfold, in the back of his head he also looked forward to the introduction party later that day so he could see Anthony again. As all the possible ways his year could go plagued his mind, a gentle smile appeared on his face. The anxiousness from before turning into a sense of excitement. While Yoobin just couldn't wait for a slice of pizza.

Hyoseop stood out like a sore thumb once he stepped out of the car. He wore a white faux leather pants lined with a pink strip on the outseam followed by a pink star to match on the knees, a knit sweater vest and a jacket with an identical design as the pants that he held over his shoulder. It was all his own design and he wore it proudly despite it being out of the ordinary for a country where everyone tend to dress in a similar fashion. 

"Hyoseop, would you get off your high horse and help out for once," Seunghyun complained. He was at the rear end of the car getting their bags out of trunk along with Dohyun. The brothers didn't dress nearly as outlandish as Hyoseop did, a T-Shirt and some pants worked fine. 

"I told you many times Seunghyun-ah, jealousy doesn't look good on you." Hyoseop rebutted as he got his bag, ignoring honorifics for the pure pleasure of seeing the older male get annoyed.

Seunghyun scoffed, "whatever, I'll go first before people realize that Hyoseop and I know each other." Seunghyun took two duffle bags and went on his way towards Chungsam Hall,  Dohyun couldn't help but laugh at Hyoseop's death glare in his direction.

"Your brothers an ."

Dohyun shrugged, "yeah sometimes." He was unphased by the bickering between his older brother and his best friend. They argued like they were the siblings instead, but he knew deep down that they loved each other somehow.

As the two got all the necessities in the Students Center Hyoseop felt many eyes on him. The outfit wasn’t the only thing that caught others attention, the blonde was just good looking in general. Standing tall and slim at 181cm, the glass skin and high nose bridge that decorated his symmetrical face made him seem like some sort of idol. He’d be lying if he said he never got mistaken as one either. Hallim high’s pretty boy is what they called him in highschool, not only his school but even neighboring schools were aware of his visuals. A big ego boost to the teenager though, it birthed a new Hyoseop, one who made sure he constantly looked his best. Call him materialistic and even shallow if you will, but one thing was certain, his face card never declined.

Compared to him Dohyun looked plain, although far from it when next to the average joe. Just a different vibe, a softer and unintentionally cuter one. He was slightly shorter than the other, his button nose and plump lips embellished his round face. His hair was dyed so black that hues of blue shined through. But Dohyun didn’t mind blending in, he preferred it actually. Going unnoticed meant no one paid attention, not paying attention meant they didn’t talk to him, instead he was able to go along his merry way as another leaf blowing in the wind, practically undetected from the rest. 

A bashful smile and a fraudulent attentive nod got Dohyun through the many interruptions the two faced on their journey to Chungsam Hall. Hyoseop’s fashion was the perfect conversation starter and the friendly boy knew just how to keep the conversation going while Dohyun stood next to him looking off into the distance.

“Man, people here are so friendly.” Hyoseop commented as if he wasn’t born and raised in the area. After exchanging goodbyes with the stranger he just befriended, the two were finally able to at least enter the building.

“I think I need a nap already.”

“Sorry love, I knew I’d be the best dressed today but I didn’t think so many people would come up to me. I even got recognized a few times! Now that I didn’t expect.” Hyoseop didn’t let his talent for designing clothes go to waste, he built Morning Glory from the ground up and was quite happy with how much his brand grew over the years. 

Dohyun only had enough energy to give his friend an endearing smile, the first real one in the last hour that he was forced to socialize. He loved seeing the excitement in Hyoseop, one that he wished he could reciprocate though Hyoseop didn’t expect that from him. Each knew who they were dealing with, when you’ve been friends with someone since elementary school you no longer hold them to an idealistic standard. Instead just accept them for who they are, nothing more, nothing less. Their friendship was like a dance, a give and take of effort and energy that created something beautiful in return. 

As they got to their room the first thing Dohyun was ready to do was plop on his bed, after putting his plants on the windowsill of course. Priorities. Their duffle bags were already in front of their door with no sign of Seunghyun. Dohyun didn’t blame him, with how long they took he’d probably leave too. Walking in they were greeted by three seperate beds.

“Thank goodness there’s no bunk bed.” Hyoseop said. 

“I guess the universe decided to spare me from hearing your never ending complaining.” Dohyun teased. 

“I didn’t complain that much.” Hyoseop retorted. Dohyun pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket, unfolding it once it was in his hands and pointing at the paper doing calculations in his head before saying, “107.”

“What?”

“In the last week you complained about the possibility of sleeping in a bunk bed 107 times.” 

“Let me see that.” Hyoseop snatched the paper out of Dohyun’s hand. It was titled Hyo’s Nagging and consisted of 21 complete sets of tallies and 4 outliers drawn neatly. Hyoseop scoffed, “well that’s not a lot, you’re lucky it was only fifteen times a day.” 

Dohyun gave a playful eye roll as he lined his tiny succulents on the windowsill. He mumbled to them while gently caressing their leaves. A small start to the jungle he was planning to turn his side of the room into.

Bursting through the door was a tall black haired guy that looked like he just ran a marathon. "Yes! Victory is mine!" He screamed with his fists in the air while panting, it didn't take long for him to snap out of it and realize that he wasn't the only one in the room.

"Oh hi, I'm Seokmin, you must be my roommates," he said as he shook both of their hands.

"I'm Hyoseop, and the florist over there is Dohyun. Sorry in advanced if you're afraid of bugs, I think it'll be inevitable with how he plans on decorating his side of the room."

Dohyun blushed at the harmless comment, any sort of attention on him was automatically embarrassing.

"Don't worry I'm not afraid of bugs, as long as they don't fly or crawl I'm good!"

The statement caught Dohyun off guard, but before he could break it to Seokmin that that made absolutely no sense Hyoseop spoke instead. "Why did that make no sense but I somehow agree completely, is your major journalism or philosophy or something?"

"No, psychology, I promise I'm not crazy though. I don't know why psych majors have that reputation."

"I guess it takes one to know one," both bursted out into laughter leaving Dohyun dumbfounded. How was that that funny and how was Hyoseop so good at this?

"But don't worry, people probably think I'm insane too with how I dress," Hyoseop said once his laughter died down. Dohyun gave him a side eye, knowing he was fishing for yet another compliment on his self made outfit. And of course he got it, "What? No way! You look amazing, white and pink are totally your color!" Hyoseop smiled sheepishly at the compliment, it was much expected but he acted humble regardless.

Dohyun tuned out the rest of their conversation since he didn't plan on participating, taking the opportunity to start unpacking by putting clothes in his drawer. By the time the first row was full, Seokmin was gone and Hyoseop was fixing his hair in his tiny handheld mirror. "I think I'm gonna like it here, people can really tell when a true visionary is in their presence," Hyoseop proudly admitted to his own reflection.

"Do you hear that? Uncle Hyoseop is being delusional again," Dohyun said up to his plants though he sat on the floor.

"Says the one talking to his plants," Hyoseop sighed dramatically, "the best always gets the most haters."

"It helps them grow faster– where did Seokmin go anyways?"

"He went down the hall, apparently his friend lives on this floor too. But anyways, lets go find Donggyu. He said he'll treat us to food whenever we asked, right?" Donggyu mentioned that months ago but Hyoseop refused to let him go back on his words. 

"I doubt he's in his office right now but we can check. Oh! Let's go see the gardens on the way! The hibiscus is in full bloom now so it should look beautiful," Dohyun gushed.

"I have no idea what any of that meant but since its the first time you've been excited all day, sure." Hyoseop wrapped an arm over Dohyun's shoulder as the two made their way to the hallway.

"It means pretty pictures in front of red flowers," Dohyun simplified.

"Ooooh, lets go take pretty pictures of me!" Hyoseop linked arms with Dohyun and started skipping down the hall. Dohyun puffed his cheeks and lowered his head, trying to ignore the looks caused by the embarrassment that is Kim Hyoseop.

Dohyun didn't have many expectations for college, nothing much ever happened to him since he tend not to take risks or stir the pot. But with Hyoseop by his side, who knows what kind of mischief his friend will get him into. 

Tony stepped out of the taxi and whipped off his sunglasses, a smile was plastered on his face as he looked up at the place that would now be his home for the next 4 years. He took a deep breath, taking in the fresh Jeju air before letting the surrounding trees absorb the carbon dioxide he exhaled. As the taxi driver brought his luggage from the trunk, Tony took out his phone and gave the driver a 100,000 won tip in the app, earning him many bows from the old man. He was in a good mood, Tony looked forward to starting anew in a foreign country; he felt optimistic about it, and getting to see his good friends was the icing on the cake.

The place was riddled with fellow students and parents going in and out of Chungsam Hall. He held open the door for a few people, bowing his head at them with a smile though none thanking him as he did so or offered to take over the job. It wasn’t until there was a break that the Canadian could go inside himself. 

Rude, he thought. But definitely not a deterrent from his smiley mood. Even realizing he forgot to get his room key once he was standing in front of his door didn’t upset him. 

Somehow Tony managed to get side tracked.  Everytime he was ready to go back to his room he got distracted and by noon he already had a couple of friends under his belt. Whether it was helping someone with their bags or engaging in casual conversation, a pleasant exchange took place. Instead of unpacking Tony wound up in the lounge telling a funny story about his friends first time drinking to a group of male residents. His arms flailed dramatically matching the fluctuations in his voice and expressions as he tried to convey the memory to the best of his abilities. 

“…then he runs after the trashcan and we find him passed out on top of it.”  

“Tony-“ Jackson aggressively whispered from the sidelines. 

“I’ll talk to you guys later.” Tony said to the others before making his way to his friend and giving him a hug. “Jackson! Long time no see! I see you shaved that awful facial hair.” 

It had been a year since the boys separated back in the UK and they’ve been looking forward to seeing each other along with the rest of the UK boys. Jackson gave him a halfhearted hug though, he had bigger fish to fry. “Why are you telling them the trashcan story?”

“Why not? I didn’t say it was you.” Tony said as they walked to his room, dodging passerbys’ on the way. 

“Okay good. Let’s just keep that story between us alright?” The last thing Jackson wanted was to be known for the one time he actually got drunk and acted stupid. 

“Fine fine my lips are sealed,” Tony did the lip locking motion as if it made Jackson feel any more secure in his friends word. “How did you know I was here already?”

“I was just walking around, and no one can miss that big Supreme logo.” Jackson was referring to Tony’s luggage, he might as well have been an ambassador for the streetwear brand with how much he was advertising them. 

Once Tony opened the door he already knew what to expect, he got a glimpse of how a single looked earlier and already knew he didn’t want to make many modifications. He was a minimalist in his own right and being an architecture major he needed as much room as he could get. The materials needed and the mess left behind from the amount of dioramas and layouts that he’d  probably be asked to make that year would be enough clutter. 

As soon as they got in Jackson plopped on his bed like his day was significantly longer than Tonys’. “Dude, you will not believe my roommate.” 

“What about him?” Tony found a comfortable spot on the floor to unpack, it was clear that his friend needed some sort of refuge. 

“First of all he’s undecided, he’s messy as hell and the worst part, he sleeps !” 

“Hey, look at the bright side, at least you’ll have a good view of the moon.” Tony couldn’t help but laugh, Jackson’s glare choked him up and only made him laugh harder. 

“I’d prefer if the moon stayed out of my room and in the sky.” Jackson sighed, “please tell me your day was better than mine.”

“Well I don’t know, I made a few friends, specifically this one girl. I didn’t get her name but she made me carry all her luggage then kicked me out of her room.” 

“She sounds terrible.”

“Actually she was really nice. I don’t know it was weird.” The whole thing felt like a fever dream, they got along so naturally but Tony couldn’t tell if she was flirting or not. The push and pull of the situation made her intriguing though. Either way it made her stand out from the rest and out of everyone he saw he hoped she’d see her again. 

“Of course you end up in a girls room on the first day.” Jackson rolled his eyes. Tony was always the guy that got along with everyone, quite the opposite from Jackson who preferred his alone time. A respectful party boy is what Tony’s friends called him, he could have fun and party till the cows come home yet you could still take him to meet your mom. “How did you get a single anyways? Your parents?”

“Actually they had nothing to do with it, it was pure luck.” While Tony’s parents could’ve offered a significant amount of money for their son to get the room of his dreams, he wanted to have the same anxious excitement as everyone else. “Besides, at least you have a view everyday unlike me who has to look at plain walls.”

“I dare you to say that in the community showers.”

Tony cringed at the thought of being surrounded by other guy while trying to shower, maybe he did understand how Jackson felt. As the problem solver, especially when it came to social issues, Tony took the initiative. “Introduce me to him, maybe we can sort out some kind of arrangement that everyone’s satisfied with.”

Jackson sighed and lead the way, the hands in his pocket indicating that he wasn’t looking forward to going back in there. Upon opening the door, they both saw Aidan laying on a mountain of clothes on his bed in nothing but his underwear. 

“You see-“ Jackson whispered as they both stood by the door just watching him. 

“Well at least he’s not . Maybe he said it as a joke. Come on, let’s go find the others.” 

The two friends were actually a group of four, all separated on different floors. Jackson wasn’t convinced that Aidan was just joking and neither was Tony. But one things for sure, he was happy as hell that he got a single. 

Jowon wanted to be happy, that’s all he ever wanted. But as he watched the trees racing by faster than his eyes could see, all he could think about was his nightmare. It wasn’t a rare occurrence for him, he often woke up in a cold sweat or gasping for air but that didn’t mean he ever got used to it.

His phone screen flashed on and his heart skipped a beat at the sight of his name. 

Taemin

He didn’t know it was possible for one person to make him feel so many things. His previous worries automatically exiting his mind, getting replaced by a cheeky smile. 

I can’t be there Won, something came up. I’ll see you next week, ok?

Great. The person he wanted to see most wouldn’t be there for his big move in day. Another jab to his already soiled mood. 

“We’re here!” Taeyang practically screamed, snapping Jowon out of his own head. He didn’t even realize that the music was on, Seokmin was singing to Like That by Psy while holding Jowon’s hand, another thing he didn’t realize. 

“Are you okay Wonnie?” Seokmin asked him from the front seat looking back. Despite looking exhausted he didn’t want his friend to worry anymore than he already was. “Of course~ you worry too much. I’ll race you!”

Jowon changed the subject as Taeyang popped the trunk, both got out the car and got their luggage as fast as they could.

“Wait you have to go to the students center first!” Taeyang called from the car, as he watched the two run then make a uturn around towards the Student Center instead. Jowon was in the lead with Seokmin close behind and Taeyang getting lost somewhere in the crowd of people. The boys ran up to the desk startling the staff member who greeted them. Oddly enough two panting boys wasn’t the weirdest encounter she had all day. The lady explaining the paperwork sounded like mumbo jumbo to the antsy friends that just wanted to continue the race. They kept giving each other playful glances that told the staff member they weren’t listening whatsoever. She cut the speech short and handed them all the items they came for.  

After receiving everything they both ineligibly signed their names and ran out of the building, bumping shoulders with a few other students that gave them dirty looks. The race continued, Seokmin a few steps in front of Jowon, their luggage flailing behind them trying not to fall apart at the seams. Once they entered the building they stood in front of the elevator that was currently stopped on the top floor. 

“I bet I’ll get there first,” Seokmin said, opting to take the stairs instead. Running up three fights should be easy work. To make things interesting Jowon decided to wait, wondering how the man version machine race would turn out. To his luck only a few seconds later the elevator arrived. He rushed in, not even waiting for the others to get out and frantically tapped his floor as if the elevator could recognize his sense of urgency. 

In less than a minute the elevator opened again on the third floor and Jowon saw Seokmin run right past him.

“Noooo!” Jowon screamed, immediately running after his friend causing others to flinch out of the way. Seokmin laughed the whole way there, his hearty series of ha’s echoing throughout the hallway. They both got to their doors the same time, it was just a matter of who would make it inside first. But when Jowon opened his he was met with a “Surprise!” 

Yeonjun, Hanbin, Minjoon, Taemin and the rest of his crew greeted him in an already decorated room. Balloons floated in the air and confetti riddled the floor that Jowon already knew would be a pain to clean. But he didn't even care because Taemin was there. He immediately ran into Taemin's arms and got his much needed dose of euphoria.

“Liar,” he mumbled, on the verge of whining in a cutesy way if his friends weren't present. 

“Favoritism much?” Yeonjun teased making Jowon blush and let go. Taemin's hugs had the ability to make him lose his sense of time so he hoped it wasn't prolonged. To at least act like Yeonjun's statement wasn't true he hugged the others as well. 

"How did you guys get here before me anyways?" Jowon asked to change the subject.

"We bribed the security downstairs to let us in, the tall one is a lot nicer than he looks," Minjoon said. If Baekho knew that all it took was 10,000 won for Sungcheol to break the rules he'd be in big trouble.

"Where's Seokmin? And why are you sweaty?" Hanbin asked.

"He went to his room, we raced and I'm pretty sure I won." Jowon said proudly, but the feeling wasn't reciprocated.

"Wait, you guys aren't rooming together?"

"No way!"

"What happened?"

Jowon and Seokmin were usually inseparable so it was no surprise that the news caught them off guard. Taemin was the only one of the bunch who knew of the so called split. "Nothing happened, we just have all the same classes so we thought it'll be better if we had different roommates. At least we can try to make new friends that way," Jowon explained, and by we he meant he.

"You guys better not replace us," Minjoon pouted. 

"Even if Jowon tried to replace us I wouldn't let that happen, you're stuck with us forever little bro," Taeyang said as he arrived, quickly putting Jowon in a harmless headlock from behind and rubbed his knuckles on his head. 

“HA! I told you I'd wi- heyyy what are you guys doing here~“ Seokmin said in a singsong tone from behind Jowon getting choked. 

"We thought you and Jowon were dorming together but apparently not," Minjoon said with his arms crossed, still offended over the fact.

"Wait- I thought Jowon won," Yeonjun enticed, knowing it would cause the two to bicker. And he was completely right, it wasn't long before the two were bickering back and forth about their race until Seokmin had a genius idea.

"First to a bed wins!" Seokmin yelled before immediately belly flopping on one of the beds. Jowon jumped on top of his best friend and the rest followed one at a time piling themselves on top of one another. Only Taemin stood on the side shaking his head at his friends shenanigans. 

"Hey, don't hurt Won," Taemin warned.

"Wow hyung, thanks for the concern," Seokmin said sarcastically, knowing he was facing the brunt of the pressure.

"I hope walking into a dude sandwich won't be a daily occurrence," Gion said from the entrance. He came back from meeting his girlfriends roommates who seemed nice so he was looking forward to meeting his own, seeing a pile of men wasn't on his agenda though.

"Move! Move! It's my roommate!" Jowon said excitedly as he wiggled his way out the pile to greet Gion. "I can't promise that it won't be a daily occurrence but I'll try my best," he joked, "I'm Jowon."

"Gion."

Jowon reached out his hand for a shake but was ignored, instead Gion let out a deep sigh as he went to pick up his guitar that was laying on its side. By his reaction Jowon assumed it was knocked over in the bro piling session. "Sorry about that, I didn't even notice there was a guitar, one of us must've knocked it over by accident." 

He grined his teeth in frustration at the sight of the confetti filled room. The silence was loud, Gion's mood managed to shift the whole aura into an awkward tension. "I think we need to set a few rules on visitors and boundaries."

"Hey man, it was just an accident," Taemin finally spoke, he wasn't one for many words but he didn't like the way he was talking to his friend. 

Gion chuckled, "I'm sorry, do you live here?" The sarcasm didn't match how calm he spoke. Jowon linked his arm to Taemin's, his way of holding him back and calming him down because they all knew how protective he got. Gion scoffed at the sight, the right side of his upper lip curling up in an ambiguous way. 

"No he doesn't but you don't have to be rude," Jowon interfered. He was just as upset as Taemin but getting into a fight on the first day with the person he had to live with wasn't ideal. 

"Hey, its a stressful day for everyone so lets all just calm down. We just came to surprise our friend bu we'll back off. Lets give Jowon and his roommate some space, okay?" Taeyang said to ease the tension and motioned for the others to follow him out the room. Everyone followed him except for Taemin who didn't even take his eyes off Gion.

"Taemin?" Taeyang called out. 

"Jowon and I will catch up with you guys later," he said, both still staring at each other as if fighting for dominance. 

"You should listen to your friend, I wouldn't want to complain and get you blacklisted from visiting. I'm not that cruel." Gion threatened, the fact that it was even mentioned suggesting otherwise. 

"Hey, hey," Jowon shook Taemin's arm until he finally broke eye contact to look at him instead. "Just go, I'll meet you soon ok?" Taemin was going to refuse but the look in Jowon's eyes pleaded with him to behave.

The once full room was now down to two. As Jowon cleaned his friends decorations, he couldn't believe how ty his luck was but he refused to rule Gion out just yet. His friends weren't the best guests and he sees how it could've been off-putting. "I'm sorry for earlier, lets start over shall we? Hi, I'm Kim Jowon."

"Kim Gion." They finally shook hands. Jowon didn't want to let one bad moment determine how his relationship would go with Gion. It was his choice to take the risk and not to dorm with Seokmin, and he wouldn't let himself regret it. He had more to worry about anyways.