➼ 　room 101.

@⁰² jimin y. he hadn’t expected her to turn around — he definitely hadn’t expected her to hold the frame of his face within the palms of her hands, the warmth that radiated from her fingertips creating a subtle shade of rose against his skin. most of all — he hadn’t expected their lips to meet in a feathering kiss, the gesture of affection being far too similar to their encounter at the library — and he enjoyed it, just as he did that day. for a moment, his hands only lifted to hover over the curve of her hips, hesitant with his touch in fear that if he advanced too fast and too hastily that she would pull away. but as the kiss prolonged, their lips moving against one another’s with languidness, he soon cupped his palms around her frame, slowly drawing her towards the build of his chest. every ounce of anguish that he felt — every drop of frustration that was bubbling inside of him instantly began to dwindle, her touch soothing in a manner that wasn’t capable of being duplicated by someone else. although the anxiety within him simmered, the rapid thudding of his heart only grew more intense, creating a ringing sensation within his ears. at this moment, everything felt in place. she felt in place in his hold. he felt in place with her lips pressed against his own. with a slight part of his brims, he retracted his head, though only enough to allow small puffs of air to fill his lungs. “jimin…” he whispered, his heart swelling when he caught the softness of her gaze. bringing his hands away from her hips, he lifted them so that they could cup her cheeks, head angling so that he could initiate another kiss — this one full of innocent passion as his plushness molded to hers with vigor, an action that attempted to show the intensity of his feelings towards her. he liked her. he liked her far more than he every liked anyone before.

@⁰³ san c. the pain and agony that saturates his tone as he attempts to retort back is what has her slightly faltering in her front, the pent up frustration he had been dumping over himself all weighing down on him that now, his words feel like a dam that's gotten loose — and she wants to fix it. , she doesn't know why she does... but right now, she just wants his hurt to cease, for the sullen expression that resides across his visage to disperse into that sincere smile he had once shown her, for him to be alright, even if she wasn't. perhaps, it had gotten lost on her in the time that she's spent trying to forget how he touched her, but now, her heart talks for her, wanting to express her feelings in the way that words fail to. she likes him, she does, in all the ways a person can be smitten with someone — that is how she felt for choi san, she confesses to herself. so, as he lifts his head to meet her own softening gaze, she steps to him once more, any previous bitterness and anger felt in her wisping away as she then cups his cheeks. she allows for the breath she'd been holding sift past her, leaning up on the tips of her toes to press their lips together. innocent and chaste like that day in the library, comforting and heartfelt like how they needed.

@⁰² jimin y. he had noticed that byeol scattered off of her lap and to his side the moment he got up, the feline sensing the tension within him — it was something she always did whenever he felt as though he was near a breaking edge. as the girl before him vented, his lips pursed into a thin line once more, hands balling into fists at his sides. “is that all i am to people?” he questioned, an ounce of pain lacing with the frustration he held within his tone. “just some boy who’s incapable of having feelings? who’s incapable of liking someone? of loving someone? well guess what —” throwing his arms up with exaggeration, the words left his lips faster than he could count. “i ing do. i have feelings for you and i wish i didn’t.” dropping his arms, he brought his hand up to rub at his face slowly, his gaze soon fixating on the girl as she turned her back to him. “i tried, jimin. do you get that? i /tried/ to forget about you over the summer. i even dated someone ! can you believe that? i hadn’t dated anyone in a year and refused to but the moment you step into my life, it was like i had to because the only way i would get you off my mind is if i was with someone else.” with a scoff, his lips curled into an incredulous smile. “everyone thinks they know me. everyone knows everything about me because of stupid rumors. ‘stay away from san, he’ll just hurt you’, ‘don’t talk to san, he’s just a boy’, i’m more than that. and i wouldn’t be trying so desperately to prove that to you if you /weren’t/ special to me.” uncurling his fingers from within his palms, he stared down at his hands, noting the way his nails created red indentations against his skin. “it was /one/ kiss, jimin. nothing more, nothing less. i don’t want to just do get another girl.” his words had lowered to a whisper by now, head raising to look at her once more, his expression having grown sullen and his eyes tired. “i want you.”

@⁰³ san c. what stuns her momentarily is byeol scattering off from her lap the moment san stands, backtracking off with his own conclusion made up in his mind. frustration is obvious in his tone, and although she knows she should assuage the tension felt, she doesn't. "you're wrong. it /is/ for me. i don't want to get caught up in some boy's life just because we kiss and he thinks it's 'special'. i don't want to like you, i don't want to have feelings for you, it's all just easier if i don't," she rises to her own feet, stepping close enough to point her finger to his chest, not touching, but definitely closer than they've been in a week. "huh? he, what?" she blinks, though her frown is still apparent over her countenance. "he came to talk to you and said to stay away? and what, is that what made you kiss jinsoul? you were just so angry and pissed that he tried telling you off, so you go and kiss someone else? and then you come to /me/, trying to say that i'm different from other girls, and then accuse /me/ of sleeping with other people?" she muses out with an incredulous laugh, shaking her head. this was ing ridiculous... god, why is she even bothering? she shifts on her heel, turning back towards the couch. "and no, i'm not ing around with anyone else. even if i was, what does it mean to you? just go get another girl."

@⁰² jimin y. when the word ‘don’t’ falls from her lips, he purses his own, watching as she turned away from in an attempt to block out whatever it was that he wanted to say. clasping his hands within his lap, he wrung his fingers together, doing his best to ignore the tug at his heart as she continued to speak. “why not..?” he whispered, brows knitting together. why weren’t they allowed to be anything? to be more than a summer fling that one forgets about after a while? “why is /this/ the way it’s supposed to be? who is it for? because it isn’t for me. it isn’t for you. the whole ‘no feelings’, ‘no enjoyment’ thing is bull and you know that.” as he spoke, anger and frustration began to rise within his voice, his feelings becoming overwhelming for his own good. “so who is it for, jimin? who are /you/ ing around with? is it someone else? is it mark?” he paused when the last name flew from his lips, a realization hitting him — it was mark. “of course.” he bit off, standing to his feet and backing away from the couch. “of course it’s him. i should’ve known when he came to me after our dance and told me to stay away from you.”

@⁰³ san c. it's when he attempts to paint the few images of them together in her mind that she immediately faces front, no longer able to look at him. this isn't what she wanted to remember; his hands on her waist, his breath ghosting her ear, his lips felt on hers. it's exactly what she's been attempting to avoid, but it flows from him so desperately that now... it clicks in her mind. "don't," she blurts out, her head turning to the other side of the room, breath held. "don't tell me you like me or anything. don't tell me that you /felt/ something for me, i don't want to hear it. this? us? it isn't supposed to mean anything," god, but she knows it does. it does mean something, but no—if she admits to that, then there was no going back, and that's what she's afraid of. "our summer fling is just a fling. let's just keep it to that. it's our fault that we let it get this far, but there's nothing left now. no enjoyment... no feelings. this isn't me being stubborn, it just is what it is... what it's /supposed/ to be, you know?"

@⁰² jimin y. it didn’t come as a surprise when she scooted away from him — but it did sting a little. “normal..” he uttered the word, feeling a sense of foreignness on the tip of his tongue. what was normal with them? pretending as though nothing happened between them? bickering with each other? avoiding one another in an attempt to keep their infatuation a secret? none of that was really /normal/ to him. “right. because this whole situation is normal.” he mumbled lowly, the words more directed towards himself than her. when she scoffs at his statement and proceeds to figuratively point a finger at him, he huffed as well, form leaning back against the couch as arms folded across his chest once more. “you didn’t exactly pull away. in fact — you /responded/ to the kiss.” pausing, he turned his attention to her. “are you telling me you didn’t enjoy it? that you /didn’t/ feel anything when we kissed? when i held you on the dance floor? because believe it or not, i did.” with another drawn out sigh, he lifted a hand to rake his fingers through his hair. what was he doing? about to sound stupid in front of her. “i felt something .. i did since the moment we met.”

@⁰³ san c. as he arises from his spot, she's about to question the terms she'd set, but he settles beside her and she can't help but to scoot to the opposite end of the couch once more. he was just as stubborn as his cat... and her. "well, i just expect that things would go back to normal," and truly, she thought it would. if she stopped paying any attention to him, perhaps her life would fall back into place again, but that proves to be wrong. as much as she wanted, he wouldn't leave her mind either. but there's no way she admits that. "you want to genuinely kiss me," she scoffs, voice laced in sarcasm. it isn't that she doesn't believe him... it's that she doesn't want to, because maybe that'd lead to more hurt. "the library, that was a mistake. i just didn't want mark finding out and well, in my defense, /you/ kissed /me/, so."

@⁰² jimin y. pursing his lips faintly, he fell into thought once more. what was his intentions for coming here? to confess to her? to tell her to get over the situation? he was at a loss as to what to say next until her words reached his ears, gaze lifting to rest on her features. with another heavy sigh emitting from his chest, he rose from the floor and onto his feet, not caring about the little deal that they had as he made his way over to the female and sat down beside her on the couch. “do you really expect me to just act as though things never happened? back to square one, huh? what about the library? do you really think i kissed you just for the hell of it?” sinking his teeth into his lower tier, he nibbled upon the flesh for a moment, staring down at his hands. “i don’t do things with you just because i can. i do them because … i genuinely want to.”

@⁰³ san c. she's rolling her eyes, annoyance seaming at her fingertips — surprisingly not towards him, directly at least, but only because he was sort of making sense. only sort of though, because she was still stubborn. wordlessly, she rakes her nails through byeol's fur, taking in a deep breath. maybe she is overreacting... it isn't a huge deal, especially when she's also shared a kiss with a near stranger that night. "okay fine, i'm not upset over it anymore, now what?" she mutters out, thumping the sole of her slipper onto the carpeted floor. "it's not like we're going to... do anything anymore, so who cares?"

@⁰² jimin y. “well, with that logic —” he began, upper form leaning back slightly as he moved his hands to press his palms against the floor, slightly angled back and away from his hips. "me kissing someone else when we aren’t even dating shouldn’t matter to you.” with a brow raised, another silence fell between them, his gaze falling towards the cat in her lap. he was a bit surprised by how well byeol took to her — she was a rather fidgety feline with other humans — but with jimin, she laid content in her lap, soft purrs being heard from her chest as the girl caressed her fur. “but either way, it was just a random kiss. there was no meaning behind it. it ended just as quick as it started and i couldn’t care any less about it.”

@⁰³ san c. cradling his cat to her chest, she emits tiny coos and has to physically restrain herself from nuzzling her nose to hers, now making her way to the couch. and as he drops himself in front of it, she scoots away slightly, protectively holding byeol and brushing her fingers through her fur. it's a brief silence before he offers his first question and that's already baffling her. why is she so upset? well... well, it's because... she lets out a soft scoff, directing her attention to byeol to help distract her. "why do you care if i'm upset?" she quips back, though it's because she doesn't have much else to excuse herself. "shouldn't matter to you if you ask me, hmp."

@⁰² jimin y. “sure. that’s fine.” his shoulders lifted in yet another shrug, not wanting to argue with the female about something so trivial as where he was allowed to sit. waiting for her to gather the feline within her arms, he soon makes his way into the dorm room, his gaze instantly casting over the set up of the place. it seemed like her — aesthetically pleasing yet simple at the same time. moving to where the couch sat, he perched himself in front of it, folding his legs pretzel style before he let his hand fall into his lap, long fingers toying with each other. he wasn’t sure where to begin. should her just blurt it out? or should he try to understand her feelings? what came out of his mouth probably wasn’t the best way to start the conversation. “why are you so upset over /one/ kiss?”

@⁰³ san c. "uh huh," she voices out dejectedly, a pout making way across her visage because... , she didn't really want him inside the comfort of her home, but she really wanted to play with his cat. it's a moment of contemplation that she makes, of course while shooting him a knowing squint, before etching the door wider for him. "fine, but, byeol and i get the couch, you get the floor. my terms." she grumbles, now leaning lower to outstretch her hand out for his cat.

@⁰² jimin y. “byeol..” he murmurs quietly once she asks for the cat’s name. leaning against the wall beside the door, he was able to get a small look at her through the crack — her slightly disheveled hair, the casual clothes she wore — and she looked beautiful. just as she always did. with a heavy sigh, he leaned his head against the wall beside the door, arms lifting to fold over his chest loosely. “no.” he stated with a stern voice. “i need to talk to you. so if you want the cat, you have to let me in too. besides —” raising his shoulders in a shrug, he glanced down at his furry friend. “she doesn’t go anywhere unless i’m there. she’s stubborn. and she doesn’t know you.”

@⁰³ san c. "... just slip it through." she finally answers after some deliberation, her curiosity getting the best of her as she then cracks the door open a smidge. "oh? she's so cute, wait," she murmurs out, catching the sight of his little furry friend that remained at his side. she was an absolute er for animals but was incapable of taking care of one, so any chance she has to see someone else's pet, she'd take it. her smile is evident on her face, but as her eyes flit to his, her heart clenches and she's gripping onto the doorknob to close it at any given moment. "only the cat," she softly says. "what's her name?"

@⁰² jimin y. the ‘well, too bad’ statement caused him to roll his eyes. among their quarrel, he forgot how stubborn and irritating she could be — but he supposed those were just a few of the many reasons why he was so attracted to her. nudging the door with his foot again, he spoke. “you have to open the door if you want it. or at least enough for me to slip it through.” taking another glance down at his cat, he mouthed the word ‘sorry’ to the feline, knowing he was practically using her as a pawn to get inside the girl’s living quarters.

@⁰³ san c. his frustration is apparent in the way the door slightly budges from his foot, but all it does is have her emit an amused snort, rolling her eyes. "well, too bad." she mutters, picking her the straw of her ice cream to then begin unwrapping it, but it isn't long until his voice is heard once more. what could it be now? "no you don't," suspicious yet curious, she steps back closer to the door, letting out a soft hum. "what, huh?"

@⁰² jimin y. her refusal to open the door didn’t come as a surprise — but it did grant a bit of … frustration. ten minutes, that’s all he needed in order to say everything he wanted to. with another heavy exhale emitting from his lips, he used his foot to gently nudge at the bottom frame of the door, grumbling just loud enough for her to hear. “i’m not saying everything through a stupid door. i want to look at you when i do.” he explained, earnest with his words. becoming at a loss as to what to do, he withdrew his hand from the door, taking a small step back. lowering his gaze, he watched as byeol turned her head to peek at him, the faintest of ‘meows’ leaving her. “mmm..” with an idea (albeit a bit dumb) coming to his mind, he stepped back to the door, placing his hand against it once more. “i have something for you.”

@⁰³ san c. "i know what you're going to say," she bluffs. to be fair, she has a pretty good idea about what he /could/ say that he already hasn't in his voicemails, but nevermind that. the point was that she didn't want to hear it... but just like that morning after the party, she stayed on call with him despite her declines — and now, she stays here with him, on the other side of the door, despite her conscience telling her not to. "i told you, i don't want to talk to you, san," she breathes out, having to pull herself from the peephole. god, okay, no looking at him. the sullen expression he wears is like her weakness, she swears. "i'm not opening the door. if anything, i'll give you two minutes to say whatever you want before i go back to my room. so, go."

@⁰² jimin y. a minute or so had passed since he first knocked and he hadn’t retrieved an answer, so he debated on knocking again, wondering if anyone was even home at the time. though, just as he raised his hand to give another attempt, the sound of her voice filtered through the door, her tone firm and demanding. despite the tension between the two, she still managed to make his heart thunder within his chest, the rapid beating nearly suffocating as a realization hit him — this would be the first time he’s seen her since the party. placing his palm flat against the surface of the door, he exhaled softly, lips pressing into a quick, thin line. “jimin …” he called out with gentleness, just as he did the day after the party, during their phone call. “open the door. i just want to talk to you and you haven’t been answering any of my attempts to reach you.”

@⁰³ san c. a week of peace, she'd call it. sure, he was consistently text messaging her, calling her, and searching for her in her home building, but... okay —no, her week was still hell. even without his attempts, it wasn't like she /wasn't/ thinking about him every second. if she were lucky, her mind would wander off to any assignments or studying, and perhaps that is why she finds herself nose deep into her own plethora of designs that scatter across her desk. anything to keep him off of her mind, she reminds herself... wait , she just thought of him again. god, this ing . tiredly, she crumples the current design she'd been shading in, tossing it near the trash but only to have it rebound off the wall. whatever, she didn't like it anyway. maybe this was how easy it is for him to 'throw' girls away. how dare he try to tell her he was different.

she saunters outside of her room to swing the freezer open, retrieving a strawberry shortcake ice cream to calm her nerves. a guilty pleasure, one may call it. but just as she's about to turn on her heel, there's a light knock on her door. 'did sua forget her card again? no, she'd be more rough with her knocks.' she thinks as she tip toes to peek through the peephole.

, why was he here.

"go away," she calls out loud enough for him to hear... but she can't pull herself away from the glass of the peephole, simply just watching him like some—ugh, loser. "i mean it."

@⁰² jimin y. a week had passed since the last time he had spoken to her — and even after a whole seven days, he still couldn’t get her off of his mind. foolishly, he would try calling and texting the female, but as expected, he would get no reply … and he began to wonder if she was truly trying to move on from him, a thought that made his chest ache as the strings around his heart pulled. “this is ridiculous.” he murmured to himself as he descended the hallway that led to the latter’s dorm room. after a couple of hours of contemplating, he had made the decision to speak to her directly. to maybe tell her how his feelings truly were. the words that she said before their last phone call ended had stuck with him — and every night, he felt an overwhelming weight of regret. taking in a deep breath, he soon exhales slowly, lips pursing into a faint line. he didn’t even know if she was going to be home or if she was going to be alone — but he had to try. he had to attempt to make things right. “and you’re going to help me.” he murmured once more, though this time, it was to the feline that was balled up in his arms. a siamese cat by the name of byeol. normally, he didn’t take his pet outside of his own home — but today was an exception because it was as if she could /feel/ the tension building within him as he paced his room earlier, resulting in her not leaving his side. when he reaches the respective door, he bent down so that he could gently set byeol on her feet, knowing she wouldn’t move and inch before he reached up, lightly knocking on the door with his knuckles. this was stupid.

/i am the new manwhore

/i kick the manwhore out of my dorm.

@⁰³ mark l. standing from her spot, she shuffles over to sit beside him on her bed, bumping her hip to his to scoot him over—all while hoping he wouldn't catch the slight hitched breath she takes as she responds. "like if choi san bothers me," she repeats with a nod. "yeah, i'll let you know. i think sua, my roommate, is our dd for the night, but if anything comes up, mhm. anyway, look at my setup!"

@⁰² jimin y. they've been friends for years; he knows when something is on her mind, and if the crinkle of her nose does anything to reveal how she feels, then clearly she has something to say. "yeah, hopefully. hey, if anything happens and you need help, just call me okay? i'll keep my phone on, and i don't plan on drinking too much... like if choi san bothers you."

@⁰³ mark l. capturing the plush in her hold, she steadies it on her desk with her head turned, attempting to avoid eye contact with him, even if it was just for a moment to gather herself. yeah, especially for one of the AEO guys you absolutely (almost) hate, she mentally says. "of course," she turns to him, crinkling her nose habitually. ". . . heaven forbid anything sketch happens."

@⁰² jimin y. then what is it? he wants to question, but mark's not exactly sure he wants to hear the answer to that question, deeming it better left unanswered. tossing her plush back to her, he leans down to face the ceiling with a sigh, rubbing his eyes. "well, at least be safe... make sure you use protection if you sleep with any of the AEO guys. lord knows you'll need it."

@⁰³ mark l. "it isn't the guitar,"—just you. "and it also isn't your face. like i said, can't up-show any peter parker." easily, she jokes, arms held out for the plush that she'd previously thrown at him. but, as he questions her, she allows for a pregnant pause to take place, perhaps too long for comfort. ". . . no. i just meant not yet. since you know, i heard the AEO frat party is comin' up soon."