// common room.

@jihoon "You look kind of cute now that I look at you from this point of view." Mingyu complimented, his eyes remained stuck on Jihoon's small figure. The taller didn't know why Jihoon disliked his height, Mingyu find it awfully cute to be honest. His height was kind of bothersome, because of so many things. Seeing how Jihoon lowered his head again, Mingyu smiled to himself proudly. "Being too tall is not a good thing either. It makes me clumsy." Mingyu tried to cheer him up, but he knew he couldn't. Because he didn't know how the other really felt about it. Because he couldn't understand. "I really can't remember how many times I had a sore bump on my head for being this tall. Or this long. Whichever works." Now Mingyu didn't know what the hell was he saying, he was just mumbling things as if it could help make Jihoon feel better.

@mingyu Jihoon was a bit startled when Mingyu suddenly spoke. Thinking that he was the one being spoken to, he turned to face the other boy only to realize that he was talking to an old lady who was standing in front of them, offering her his seat. Jihoon couldn't suppress the smile that was slowly forming on his lips upon Mingyu's kind gesture. He then directed that smile to the lady when she had finally taken the seat beside him, giving her a small nod.

When he finally looked up to give Mingyu an approving smile, his eyes widened slightly, seeing how the other was towering him now that he was standing, while Jihoon was sitting. He finally decided to just lower his head again, while feeling overly self-conscious about his own height.

@jihoon Noticing how weird Jihoon was behaving, Mingyu couldn't help but wonder why couldn't he look at him in the eye. It seemed as if Jihoon was avoiding his eye, and Mingyu, felt kind of upset. Maybe that was what Jihoon felt earlier. The bus started to move, and just when he was about to ask why Jihoon looked pretty flustered and flushed, Mingyu caught an eye of an old woman. Maybe older than his grandmother. She stood in front of him, as she tried to grab on the strap near his seat, but Mingyu took her hand instead. "Lady, you can sit on my seat. I'll stand." Mingyu smiled in a friendly manner, and knowing that the road was going to be a bit bumpy later on, Mingyu quickly settled her on his seat next to Jihoon as he stood before them. "Are you sure about this, dear?" She asked, quite unsure but seemed thankful also. Mingyu nodded his head, holding on to the bus strap for stability. "Of course. It makes me look like a jerk if I sit and you stand. It's rude."

@mingyu Jihoon had to suddenly stop in his steps when he noticed that the bus was packed. For a moment he became a little undecided whether he was going to move forward or back. Then he suddenly gave a jolt when Mingyu once again grabbed his hand then lead him to the vacant seats which seemed to Jihoon as the same ones they had sat on when they came here last night. And there it was again, the unfamiliar tingly sensation on the hand which Mingyu was holding. It seems to travel up to his arms and he had to momentarily squeeze his eyes shut in order to supress a shudder.

Jihoon was once again seated at the side of the window, definitely almost in the same situation as last night, only this time he was in better terms with the guy beside him. He turned to face Mingyu when he heard the other say "You're welcome.", only to quickly look away again upon noticing the proximity of their faces. "Uhm, yeah." He mumbled, then tried to keep his eyes fixed on his tightly clenched fists resting on his lap.

@jihoon Nodding his head in encouragement, Mingyu stepped inside the bus, swiping his card on the reader for both him and Jihoon. Seeing how the bus was packed, Mingyu searched around for empty seats, and thankfully, there were just two empty seats from where Jihoon and Mingyu sat earlier last night. "Come on." Mingyu smiled, grabbing Jihoon's hand again, bringing him to sit down on the seat next to the window while Mingyu sits next to him. It was always like this every morning in his neighborhood, a lot of elderly people would get into the bus and go to the city for their own purposes. Mingyu was always used to this, because he has been riding this bus since small. "Your welcome." Mingyu answered him, his head facing Jihoon's face as their shoulders bump with each other.

@mingyu "Goodbye Mrs. Kim. Thanks again." Jihoon bowed and waved at the lady, smiling brightly. Then he suddenly caught his breath in his throat when Mingyu grabbed his wrist, because he felt an unfamiliar tingly sensation on the area where Mingyu was touching him. It was brief, but strong enough to leave him momentarily stunned.

It took awhile before what the taller boy said registered into his mind. Jihoon smiled almost absentmindedly. "I like her too..." He said so softly that it was almost inaudible. "She's really... nice." He looked at Mingyu with a gentle look in his face. "Thank you. For bringing me here." He met Mingyu's eyes for a second, smiling at him before slowly getting on the bus.

@jihoon "Alright, run along you two, before you miss the bus." She ushered, sending one of her friendly smiles to Jihoon and to Mingyu. Mingyu smiled back, before grabbing Jihoon's wrist towards the bus stop since he could hear the bus coming this way. "Bye, mom. See you soon." He greeted, waving her a goodbye before letting go of Jihoon's hand once the both of them were in front of the bus door. "My mom likes you." Mingyu informed, sending Jihoon a smile. "She never does that to my old friends."

@mingyu Jihoon huffed softly at Mingyu's words. 'What did he mean with 'Wherever he goes, I go?'.What is he? My keeper? And the nerve of him to wink at me!' Jihoon wanted so bad to throw Mingyu another one of his piercing glares, and the urge to kick him on the feet was so strong but he restrained himself, only because Mingyu's mother was in front of them.

Jihoon almost jumped, and he blinked several times, at the unexpected hug that Mrs. Kim had given him. And he was still feeling dazed even after she had pulled away, that it took him several seconds to give her a response. "Uhm... thank you for having me, Mrs. Kim." He bent forwards, giving her a deep bow. "And I wouldn't mind coming back if it meant learning about Mingyu's secrets." He added meaningfully, glancing knowingly at Mingyu's direction, before turning back to her in order to give her one of his sweetest smiles. He couldn't help but feel touched with all her sweet gestures. Then Jihoon's eyes widened at Mingyu's last remark and he could feel that his cheeks were practically burning. He quickly looked away in order to avoid the taller boy's eyes, feeling so flustered. 'What the hell was that supposed to mean?'

@jihoon "Leaving so soon?" His mother asked, and Mingyu can literally detect the disappointment in her tone. Watching Jihoon stomp his way over to him, Mingyu quickly stood in front of his mother, as if creating a wall between him an Jihoon. "Yeah, mom. Jihoon has classes and wherever he goes, I go." Mingyu smiled, winking his way to Jihoon once he saw the glare Jihoon directed towards him. His mother turned to face Jihoon, and with both of her hands on his shoulders, she pulled him in for a hug. "Thank you for coming, Jihoon." She smiled, pulling away just to look at his face. "Come more often. And if you do, maybe we'll tell you secrets about Mingyu here." Mingyu let out a small snort, causing his mother to roll her eyes as she moved her attention towards himself. "And you! You better take care of Jihoon. I never taught you to be a jerk so don't you ever dare to try and be one. Alright?" Nodding his head obediently, Mingyu pulled in for a hug, placing a soft kiss on her cheek as he did so. "I know, mom. I'll visit again soon. Who knows maybe the bext time I'll come here, I might bring someone I love?" He joked, his eyes glancing to Jihoon as he did so, sending him a teasing wink.

@mingyu "I-" Jihoon found himself momentarily unable to think of an answer. Mingyu had hit bull's eye, after all. "Well... what I eat is really none of your concern!" Was the only retort he could manage, the tips of his ears slightly turning pink. Why the hell does this guy always manage to get into him? Then his eyes widened when Mingyu called him a hamster, but wasn't able to say anything else because the other had already sped off towards the restaurant. Jihoon balled his hands into tight fists fuming. How dare Mingyu call him a hamster. He then his heels and stomped his way to where Mingyu was determined to make his revenge, but faltered upon seeing Mingyu's mother. He tried catching the taller boy's eyes, throwing a glare at him, before quickly relaxing his stance and readied himself to give Mrs. Kim a smile, tucking aside his vengeance for later.

@jihoon "You? How?" Mingyu stopped right in front of Mingyu, towering him as he did so. He his lips, his playful smile still visible on his face as he stared at Jihoon. "What do you always eat during your stay in the dorms? Ramen?" Mingyu raised an eyebrow at his glare that seemed to have no power to make Mingyu blink. But Mingyu was rather amused by it. "I'll have you know that always eating ramen isn't good. Honestly." Mingyu added, "It makes you look more of a hamster than snake." He smiled playfully, before speeding off to where his mother was, which was right in front of the restaurant doors.

@mingyu "Whatever grandma's boy." Jihoon retorted sticking his tongue out as well. "And I didn't hit you that hard, geez." He then turned to face Mingyu as soon as he had stepped off the stairs, then folded his arms across his chest. "I'll have you know, that I have managed pretty well on my own in the few months since I came to University. So don't you underestimate me." He glared, hoping that it was threatening enough for Mingyu to stop teasing him.

@jihoon Laughing softly at himself, Mingyu couldn't help but smile widely. "Be glad that I didn't mention the taboo word." He chuckled, rubbing his arm slightly, looking at Jihoon with a pained expression. "If my grandmother saw you hit me, she'll get angry with you." He stuck his tongue out, huffing out a breath as he reached the last step of the stairs. He looked at Jihoon with an eyebrow raised, as if not believing what he said. "Really? I really don't seem convinced by that."

@mingyu Jihoon didn't expect Mingyu to hear his grumbling. He pursed his lips at the latter's remarks and simply looked at him with narrowed eyes, half expecting him to say the 'forbidden words', which are related to his height, but they didn't come, and he somehow felt glad. He then let out a sarcastic laughter before adding, "Very funny." Then punched Mingyu lightly in the arm. "I may not look like it, but I really am capable of taking care of myself." He retorted before walking ahead, making his way downstairs.

@jihoon "Maybe you are." Mingyu teased playfully, hoping that he could see that small pout on Jihoon's face again. It was cute, and if Mingyu dared to say a word, he would never see it again. Which was why he would do anything just to see it again. "I mean, maybe you are a kid. I couldn't tell if I didn't know you." Mingyu teased again, with a playful smile on his lips. "Joking." Mingyu stated, worried that Jihoon might take it as an insult. He stood beside Jihoon, grabbing his jacket that he left home a few months ago and walked towards the stairs. "She's downstairs. Come on."

@mingyu Jihoon wasn't able to stop himself from sticking out his lower lip at Mingyu's remark about not letting him go back by himself. "I'm not a kid to be watched over, you know." He grumbled in a really low voice not wanting for Mingyu to hear, before stepping forward as the other boy stepped back to make way for him. He then turned to face Mingyu once he had walked past him. "Yeah. These are all I have when I came here last night." He said gesturing at his bag. "Should we tell your mom that we're leaving?"

@jihoon "I can see them tomorrow. Or any other day." Mingyu said, tilting his head to the side as he watched Jihoon before him, wondering why he wasn't looking at him in the eye. "I'm going back to school too. Although I have free lessons today, I would never forgive myself for letting you go back to school all by yourself." Mingyu let out a sigh, taking a step back, waiting for Jihoon to walk ahead of him. "You got everything you need?"

@mingyu Jihoon bolted up as soon as he heard Mingyu's voice from outside the room. For a moment he wondered why the other didn't get inside then he remembered that it was his father's room and that he still had some difficulty staying inside it.

"I'm fine." He called out before quickly scrambling to his feet, grabbing his bag from a nearby chair where he had apparently hung it last night, then he slowly made his way out of the room, feeling slightly apprehensive now that he had finally spent some time thinking.

When he finally got out of the room, he found himself quite unable to look at Mingyu in the eye, though he tried his best to keep a calm and not-so-awkward front. "Uh, you know, if you still want to spend some time with your mom and grandma, I could manage to go back to school all by myself." He looked up and gave Mingyu a smile which he hoped would reassure the taller boy, while clutching tightly on the strap of his satchel.

@jihoon Mingyu was about to barge into his own room, but his hands froze as soon as he held the doorknob. He realized that it was his room. His former father's room. Knowing that he still had problems in stepping into his own room, Mingyu decided to knock the door instead. "Are you okay?" Was the first question that MIngyu asked, he was concerned because he thought maybe Jihoon fell asleep or something.

@mingyu Jihoon decided to sit and wait on Mingyu's bed while contemplating on his current situation. He was already aware that he had always been pretty slow when it comes to picking up on certain situations. And it's only now that it has properly sunk in that he had actually been confessed to last night. By a guy. In the person of Kim Mingyu. A terribly cocky, yet pretty nice guy he had only met last night.

Somehow, everything seemed so surreal to him. And that he even managed to talk to Mingyu like it wasn't the first time that it had happened was already an amazing feat especially to a person like him. How did he even manage talking to the guy without turning into a nervous wreck, anyway? Hell! He never even had a girlfriend before, much less fell in love with someone. He has basically zero experience when it comes to such things. So how was he supposed to give Mingyu an answer when he'a as clueless as a blank paper on how it actually feels to like, like someone? The more he thinks about it, the more panicky he becomes.

Throwing himself backwards on the bed, he covered his face with his arms and let out a frustrated groan. He stayed in that position until Mingyu came back into the room.

@jihoon After several tries on how to get Mingyu to speak about his dad, Mingyu clarified that he really didn't like to talk about him. Which is why now his grandmother was trying to push Mingyu into talking about Jihoon instead. Saying that she could sense how Mingyu somehow had an attraction towards the said boy. And Mingyu wouldn't deny it, but he won't admit it either. He was still unsure of it. "So you don't like Jihoon?" Mingyu blinked, and gave a shrug as his answer. "Do you like Jihoon?" Mingyu asked, and there was a wide smile on her face. That showed Mingyu the answer. "He's a nice person, Mingyu. Even though he does seem to hold a strong personality, he has manners. That's enough for me."

After about 20 minutes talking with his grandmother, Mingyu decided that it should be time for her to rest since she really need lots of it. Greeting her a goodbye, Mingyu walked out of her room and walked towards the bathroom, only to see it empty. Mingyu blinked, wondering where he went until he heard movement in his own room.

@mingyu Jihoon noticed that Mingyu wasn't in his room when he went inside. He then wondered where the other guy was, and thought that maybe he went back in the kitchen, so he he decided to check, thinking that he needed to tell the taller boy that he was done using the bathroom. He had just taken a few steps towards where the kitchen was when he passed by a room where the door was slightly ajar. He stopped in front of it for a moment and heard Mingyu's grandmother's voice. She had asked a question to whom Jihoon had assumed was addressed to Mingyu.

Jihoon felt it unwise to eavesdrop on the conversation, and he thought that it was going to be too awkward to just barge inside the room all of a sudden. He also didn't want to interrupt the two either. Who knows when was the last time Mingyu had spent some time with his grandmother,. So he simply decided to go back to Mingyu's room and wait there instead. After all, he still needed some time to think about certain things. And with certain things, he meant the "thing" with Mingyu. Because he was definitely getting more and more confused by the minute.

@jihoon Mingyu smiled, still standing in front of the bathroom door like a crazy person. Maybe he was. He heard his grandmother calling out for him. "What are you doing standing there, Mingyu?" He swiftly turned his heas towards her, giving her a soft smile before walking near her. "Trying to make myself crazy. What do you think?" He joked, earning a small smack on his shoulder. They laughed, and Mingyu missed this, playing around with his grandmother, and hearing her laugh mostly. It didn't take long for him to march over to his grandmother's room, following her like a lost puppy. He thought that he would wait for Jihoon instead. She sat on her chair, and Mingyu sat himself on her bed as he let out a soft sigh. "D you still miss your father, Mingyu?"

The question caught him off guard, and swallowing the now growing lump on his throat, he forced a smile. "Do you?"

@mingyu Jihoon found himself blushing an even deeper red at Mingyu's question. The way he had said it made Jihoon want to run and hide out of total embarrassment. Well, he did mean it that way but he never expected it to sound so embarrassing when coming from someone else. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before he was finally able to speak. "I-I said I was going to think about it." He mumbled not failing to notice Mingyu's smirk. "And uhm, yeah. I'm going to take a shower now." He quickly went back inside the bathroom, almost slamming the door in MIngyu's face. It was only when he had closed the door did he realize that his heart was racing. '.' He thought pressing his forehead against the door. What the hell was he thinking, saying all those things? And to a guy no less. Wait. Was he even into guys? '.' He thought again, covering his face with both hands and letting out a muffled groan. He was definitely confused now. Jihoon spent a good few minutes in that position before he finally moved to take a shower. He had a bus to catch, after all. After around 10 minutes, he stepped out of the bathroom wearing the same clothes he had worn yesterday.

@jihoon It was Mingyu's turn to look up to Jihoon and listen. The other had his head hung low and his voice was soft, and when Jihoon looked up at him with an awkward yet hopeful expression, Mingyu couldn't stop himself from smiling. He let out a soft chuckle, reaching his hand out to scratch the back of his neck. "So that means, you'll consider that confession?" Mingyu raised a playful brow, a teasing smirk was seen on his face as he straightened himself up. He could slowly feel himself getting more energized. "I heard you. Now go on and shower. Or else we're taking the next bus which is in 3 hours. Although, I don't see any wrong in that." He smiled playfully.

@mingyu Jihoon pouted a bit at Mingyu's mumbling. He was a lot shorter than the latter so he was still able to see clearly, Mingyu's face even when the taller boy was looking down. He went silent for a moment then shrugged and spoke in a soft voice. "I think I kind of understand why you reacted that way, though. It was your defense mechanism, or something of the sort. I should have understood that... but I still got pissed. So uhm, sorry." He paused a bit, before continuing. "Also uh..." He looked down and started fiddling on the hem of his shirt. "I... haven't really rejected you... I just... I need some time to think about it, and uhm... get to know you. So uh... I don't know if you still remember what I said last night about us to start with being friends first. I mean if you were listening..." He looked up, his face looking a bit flushed, and he was wearing an awkward yet hopeful expression.

@jihoon The taller didn't really expect for Jihoon to open the door, which was why Mingyu had his back leaned against the door. And when it opened, he almost fell, but thanks to his super fast reflexes, he managed to escape that embarrassing fall he would have had. He muttered a soft 'its okay' when he heard Jihoon's soft murmur. Mingyu, still feeling a little surprised that Jihoon would actually open the door and face him after saying things that Mingyu has never said before. "Umm.." Mingyu his lips, nodding his head as he listened to Jihoon, and finally, Mingyu realized what an he was before. He may have trouble with his feelings, but he didn't know that Jihoon was also feeling slightly uncomfortable with it. "Sorry. I... I was just being stupid." He mumbled, biting down his lower lip as his eyes remained on the floor, nodding his head at Jihoon's last question. "Y-Yeah."

@mingyu Jihoon was in the middle of removing the shirt which he had borrowed from Mingyu, when he heard the latter's voice from the other side of the door, making him pause, his arms suspended upwards, with half of the shirt already pulled up to his head. He slowly lowered the shirt back down as he listened to Mingyu, whose voice which was slightly muffled because of the door between them. A smile was slowly forming in his lips, the longer he listened. He still sounded awkward, but at least he was finally talking.

JIhoon stepped towards the door to open it, and was mildly surprised to see was Mingyu was directly on the other side, and was probably even leaning against the door for he almost lost his balance when it opened. He murmured a soft sorry before giving Mingyu a serious look. He took a deep breath. "So you finally decided to speak up, but you chose the time where there's a wall, literally in between us?" He started, somehow wondering where he's getting all the confidence to be able to speak this way. He took a deep breath. "I forgive you. Well... I'm not really mad at you in the first place. Just a little bit upset, I guess. Since you suddenly dropped the 'I like you' bomb on me, and then one minute you start acting really nice, and a complete in the next. It's all very confusing... and not to mention annoying." He sighed, then looked down on his feet. "I guess I was also being a jerk since the first meeting so uhm... I'm sorry too." He looked up again. "So are we okay now?"

@jihoon "I shouldn't be like this." Mingyu let out a sigh, once Jihoon was alreay inside the bathroom. He knew that he had no right in being angry, it was something Jihoon decided, and he should respect that. Which was why he stood in front of the bathroom floor, turning his back on it as he rested himself against the closed door. He turned his head sideways, trying to say something, and he hoped that Jihoon would hear him out. "Hey.. I'm sorry." Mingyu started, darting out his tongue as he slid it across his lips. "I shouldn't be like this. I just.. I don't know either. I don't know why I'm acting this way. I can't explain what I said last night, because I don't know that too. Sometimes I voice out stupid things, and that you shouldn't think of it anymore. I'm sorry.. I-I.. I'll find out soon enough if my feelings are true. But to do that, I need to know you, understand you. I hope you understand that I'm not so good in asking for forgiveness but I am. And that once you get out of this door, I'm not going to be awkward anymore." It was true, Mingyu always in trying to say what he needed to say. Which was why he hoped that he made sense.

@mingyu Jihoon suddenly stopped in his steps just before he could get inside the room, after noticing that Mingyu was already inside. His brows quirked slightly upwards seeing how the latter was pacing back and forth. He seemed to look troubled, and Jihoon couldn't help but think that perhaps it was because of him. But he couldn't think of anything that he could have done to make Mingyu act that way. Unless... Jihoon sighed. It couldn't have possibly been about the thing that had happened last night, was it? Well if Mingyu was upset about that... Jihoon balled his hands into tight fists and clenched his teeth, mentally telling himself that what he did was right. It's not like he could just tell Mingyu that he liked him too, right off the bat, because that would be a lie. He should at least make sure about his feelings first. And how could Mingyu say he likes him after knowing him for only a few hours?

Jihoon let out a soft sigh in order to suppress the anger that was slowly rising up inside him, and he was able to relax himself just in time for Mingyu to finally notice that he was there. He almost raised a brow upon seeing the other's awkward disposition. Whatever happened to the cheekiness and the overflowing confidence he had shown last night? He simply gave a small shrug in response to Mingyu's words, since he was still upset about having been left in the kitchen earlier. He then walked towards the chair where he had placed the folded clothes he had worn yesterday, took it in his arms and went to go to the bathroom without saying another word.