walk, walk

     he raises an eyebrow at the other’s admission and while he’s not surprised to hear that there are rumours about him — aren’t there rumours about everyone? — he is pleasantly surprised to hear that they’re all positive. “that’s… flattering,” he says quietly, clearly surprised by the rumours. it’s true that that’s the image he tries to cultivate, but he didn’t think that he’d actually succeeded. usually, the little voice in his head would be whispering about how he’s really nowhere near what he tries to be, but his friends’ voices are louder, silencing those thoughts for the time being. 

     he’s more than pleased when hyuk appears to be considering for a moment before accepting the offer, content that he will, indeed, be getting the philanthropic chair he’d hoped to have. “welcome to the helio executive team, hyuk.” he says with a warm, genuine smile. 

     the other’s question amuses him and he smiles in return, meeting the other’s eyes without worry. “of course, that was part of the reason,” he says quietly. “that was why your application was considered so strongly despite other people having been in helio for much longer. we thought you’d be an excellent fit to the position.” 

     “would you have expected anything else?” he asks, his eyebrow arching slightly in question. “than for us to put a strong weight on your practical experience?”

     “thanks,” he responds, though he sounds a bit deadpan about it even if inwardly he’s pretty stoked about receiving the position. more things to distract himself with, which is good for his mental health nowadays. there’s too much guilt in brain nowadays, even with everything that he uses to distract himself with. now there was one more thing, and hopefully it would help with the invasive thoughts that were constantly on his peripheral. 

     “i will say though, pres,” hyuk addresses the older with a raised eyebrow, hoping that seungwoo wouldn’t expect this from him. and even if he did, he wasn’t going to acquiesce since this was a hard no on his end. “i’m not drinking any alcohol at any event,” he says, a tone of finality in his voice. this was something that harboured no arguments and he wouldn’t drink even if his life depended on it. 

     the answer he receives in response is one that he’s not surprised by at all, having only asked it because he was curious about how heavily his experience had tilted the weight in his favour. “i was just wondering,” he explains,  waving a hand idly. 

     he blinks at the older male in quiet surprise, his eyebrows arching slightly. he thinks he’s heard of it before, but he’s never really actually looked at it, as far as he remembers, so he’s not entirely sure if he knows what hyuk sells on there. in fact, if he thinks about it, he isn’t even sure that he knows the name of the store. “i heard about it, i think… but i didn’t know the name,” he confesses, and he’s only more impressed now by the idea of the fashion club vice president having an online shop where he really sells the things he makes. 

     it’s hyuk’s store, his brand, so the suggestion of potentially having seungjun’s things on there, when he has absolutely no experience with this, is absolutely baffling. seungjun can hardly believe that the older male would simply offer something on that level, and he’s honestly quite touched that hyuk would have that much faith in him. “that…” he starts, still rather stunned, cheeks flushing a faint pink in surprise. “are you sure? that’s… that’s a really generous offer, hyung.” he bites on his lower lip, his expression uncertain. “i mean, that’d be really cool… i just…” he’s worried that his products won’t live up to the quality of hyuk’s, but then, he supposes that if hyuk is the one helping him produce them, it would be alright. 

     he nods in understanding at the other’s response. “i know you must be proud of everything you sell — but i mean, is there one particular thing that you’re the most proud of? that you might say so far has been your best work to date?” he’s honestly just curious to see it, honestly, since the vice president always has such cool clothing already, seungjun wonders what exactly hyuk would consider to be his crowning glory so far. 

     “neon star,” he supplies quietly, the words almost reverent in a way that a parent would describe their child’s achievements. but neon star was just that, wasn’t it? his child. the website was his blood, sweat and tears all in one and he was proud of it. it wasn’t something that he flaunted, but there was a quiet sense of pride that surfaced whenever he was allowed to talk about it. he tugs open the jacket he’s wearing to show the logo on his signature shirt, having just so happened to be wearing one of the (sold out) shirts from the website today. “look it up when you have time.”

     hearing other people mention the name in passing, even when he wasn’t involved, also brought a smile to his lips. his name was nowhere on the website, so it couldn’t exactly be traced back to him, but hyuk’s proud nonetheless. 

     seeing seungjun’s reaction only reinforces his thoughts about helping the younger creaate something for the shop, even if it was going to be a limited edition jewelry piece of some sort. maybe a necklace, or a bracelet. he has a lot of ideas already, just from seeing the sketches on the younger student’s notebook. like he had said earlier—inspiration could strike at any moment, anywhere. “its okay, just think about it. you can say no, i won’t take it personally,” hyuk jokes, a small smile on his lips. 

SEUNGJUN

     -

     “hyuk hyung! i want you to meet someone,” he says happily, tilting his head at the red-haired male, a dimpled smile on his face. “this is my friend, jiyul. jiyul, this is hyuk!” he introduces them to each other cheerfully. “i thought you two might get along well…” he says with a sheepish, shy smile, his eyes glimmering with warmth behind the intricate mask. 

/

“we—” know each other already, jiyul attempts to say. the words die a little ineloquently in jiyul’s throat, like his mind is rejecting the possibility of socializing even more tonight, even if it’s in the company of friends (can he call @sgnhyuk a friend?). “hey,” is all jiyul manages for a second, the smile on his lips easy. “again,” he adds, gaze flitting from hyuk to seungjun. “hyuk and i were roommates in our first year,” he explains, his smile softening. “but you’re right. he is nice and i think we get along well too?” jiyul suggests, looking at hyuk half-expectantly. 

it’s unsurprising that somehow, seungjun and hyuk know each other. he thinks to ask how they met, but jiyul can’t muster up the energy right away to say anything more. 

     he genuinely doesn’t know what to do when jiyul is dragged up to him in the middle of the ball by @sgnseungjun​ and introduced to him, and then told that they might get along. it’s a bit of a shock to his system, and he’s very glad that jiyul seems to handle it a lot better than he does. it’s funny, honestly, considering that he’s known jiyul for so long now and yet ... no one seemed to know they were friends. 

     there’s a bit of a struggle when he meets jiyul’s eyes as well, trying to ask if they should act like they didn’t now each other or to just tell seungjun outright that they already knew each other. he’s honestly not sure, mostly because they did know each other but they hadn’t really become friends again until recently. he doesn’t even remember asking if he would be seeing jiyul at the ball or not, and he realizes he probably should’ve offered the other a custom mask. 

     thankfully, hyuk’s saved from needing to make the decision when jiyul speaks again and he nods along to confirm. 

     “hi,” he says, his voice probably sounding more fond than they needed to be. he’s happy though, that they’ve started becoming friends again. “yeah, i think we get along pretty well,” he laughs, tipping his head back slightly before turning to seungjun. 

jiyul pulls the mask just barely off of his face to rub at his eye—promptly replacing the mask afterward because he’s a stickler for rules. he’s tired though, in more ways than one. physically (it’s past his bedtime) and mentally (because while he appreciates meeting new people and having the opportunity to try and make new friends, it’s out of character for him—he’s exhausted, and he’s much too demure to tell anyone). 

he’s hiding himself against the wall, in a corner that no one really seems to be paying attention to. jiyul slumps against it for a second, eyes fluttering to a close before opening again. he wonders if it’s too soon to try and leave—or maybe if it’d be in bad taste after the events of the night. it’s probably a little too early. maybe jiyul should stop being so negative. 

a tiny sigh slips past jiyul’s lips and he stands up straighter, his gaze scanning the periphery as he tries to make a decision as to what to do. he’s more or less settled on finally leaving (after thinking about it fifty-thousand times in the past hour alone) when a vaguely familiar voice seems to address him.

“oh,” jiyul murmurs, his eyes widening when he notices hyuk—impossible not to recognize now that they’ve had one run-in (plus, no one else really seems to be a cherry). he smiles, faintly, letting out a quiet laugh. “i’m not very good at dancing,” he admits, shoulders sagging briefly. “i’m also not very good with parties like this one,” jiyul adds, though he figures hyuk probably doesn’t need to be told that to notice.

still, it’s kind of nice having someone like hyuk around. jiyul feels less on-edge, at the very least, and he wouldn’t mind idling for a little while longer in the right company.

“that bad, huh?” jiyul asks, tilting his head to the side. he sighs again. “are you good at dancing? i might step on your toes…” he trails off, biting back another small smile. “oh, i don’t remember if i told you… sorry, everything about this night has moved a little too quickly for me—” jiyul runs a hand through his own hair, shaking his head like he’s trying to recollect something. “—but you look nice.” 

     he’s not quite sure what pulled him to jiyul, but with a growing number of lunch dates under their belts it only feels right to seek him out. a familiar face, that hadn’t been for a while but was growing to be someone that he enjoyed the company of. also, he knew he wasn’t required to stay much longer and would enjoy ending the night without trying to make new connections. he didn’t need them in the line of work he was planning to go into anyway, so he could focus on more important things. like trying to get jiyul to dance with him maybe. 

     “you don’t have to be good at dancing to have fun,” he says gently, though he really wouldn’t be too hurt if jiyul turned him down. he’s faced rejection many times before and he’s not really worried about facing it nowadays. it’s just another stroke on canvas of life—and he also knows that jiyul would never do anything maliciously towards him. especially with the other’s general demeanor regarding the masquerade ball so far, hyuk wouldn’t be surprised at all if he’s rejected. “but i understand if you don’t want to.”

     to his surprise though, instead of being turned down outright, there’s a compliment that falls from jiyul’s lips to grace his ears and he literally stops in his motions, having been about to open his mouth and suggest something other than dancing. he feels his cheeks warm as the words process in his brain and it takes him a long moment before he knows what to say in return. 

     hopefully the blush isn’t too apparent on his cheeks. 

     it’s funny that, of all people, it’s jiyul’s compliment that brings his reaction from him. he’s been complimented multiple times through the night and he relished it—it came from the pride of seeing people like what he had made. his self-designed, hand-sewn suit with a custom mask. there were other people, of course, also wearing one-of-a-kind masks made by him tonight but his own is the one that he’s most proud of. 

     after the shock of having @sgnjiyul dragged over and introduced to him—by seungjun of all people—has worn off, hyuk finds himself itching to find his friend (?) again. he’s still not sure what to consider them, since they’re not really friends even if they’ve started eating lunch together again whenever their schedules allow them to. it’s ended up being about twice a week and sometimes three times if his morning class lets out early on fridays, and he won’t deny that he really enjoys these times. 

     he had been required to mingle and it had drained him enough that he wanted to find someone familiar to talk, and since most of his other friends seemed to be fully preoccupied with networking or trying to find people with the added obstacle of masks, he deems it safe to seek out jiyul for some refuge. 

     walking around after claiming a champage flute for himself—to prevent other people from offering him a drink, not to actually drink—hyuk wonders idly where jiyul would be. the other male wouldn’t have left right? he has half a mind to text his friend (he’s decided they’re friends again) before he gets a very distinct ~jiyul vibe~ by the wall and he glances over to see that it, indeed, is jiyul. standing by the wall. 

     during a ball. 

     it’s a shame that he knows the other student probably doesn’t want to dance or anything, but at the same time? it didn’t hurt to ask. sidling up to him, hyuk clears his throat with a smile playing on his lips once their eyes meet. he hopes that he still looks as good as he had when he had left his dorm earlier that night, and he runs a hand through his scarlet hair to ruffle it slightly, so that even if it was a bit messy it hopefully looked like it had been done on purpose. or something. 

     his lips quirk up into a small smile, his dimple not quite making an appearance with such a slight expression, but he truly is amused at how blunt hyuk is. it’s something he’d noted over the past few months that the other had been in helio for, but he had wondered if that would change depending on who the other was with. if he’s being honest, he’s extremely pleased to see that it doesn’t seem to matter who hyuk is with — he’s apparently just the honest, straight-forward type. 

      but hyuk’s reaction when seungwoo tells him that he’s the one who was chosen genuinely pleases him, and he smiles warmly at the other, feeling satisfied with their latest addition to the executive committee. “if it was a rejection, i probably would have called you into the helio office or taken you out for a coffee if you were a particularly good candidate,” he admits with a chuckle. “i’m surprised you didn’t guess the position was yours when i invited you out for a dinner.” 

     he glances at the cherry-haired male, his expression growing more serious. “of course, you still have the freedom to decline the position. we’ve offered it to you, but we understand that sometimes, situations change. are you still interested in being the helio philanthropic chair?” he hopes that the answer will be yes and that they’ll get a member he thinks will fit well with everyone else. someone who has a lot of experience in the field they’ll be serving in, too. 

     “i wasn’t sure if you were just,” he pauses here, thinking of what he wanted to say and he waves a hand in a vague gesture, “this nice to everyone. the rumours made it seem like you were, so.” there’s no real need to elaborate, he’s sure. he also doesn’t listen to rumours—or perhaps, more correctly put was that he didn’t believe rumours—always preferring to find out things for himself instead of listening to baseless words from people who probably only said those things to get a reaction from the person the rumours were about. but the only things he had heard about seungwoo were nice ones, and that was definitely intriguing. even to hyuk, who didn’t care much, if at all, to any of these things. 

     he raises an idle hand to run through his hair, scarlet strands falling back into his eyes despite his attempt at pushing them out of his face. he just lets out a soft sigh, shaking his head in slight amusement that apparently all the rumours were true for once. the helio president really was just a genuinely nice person. 

their drinks are set on the table and chan makes a show of pouring himself a glass of the cider. a bit more dramatic than he needed to, but chan has always been with the dramatics. “i need to slow down anyway–or really, i need to quit.” he admits, and it’s weird hearing that out loud. sure the thought has come to mind a few times, and his friends have told him before he needs to cut back.

it doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that hyuk is not drinking and has gone sober, nor is it any sort of pity gesture. he does feel for the younger, but honestly it’s a good excuse for chan to not drink tonight.

he doesn’t need to anyway. it’s not necessary for him to drink during dinner.

“nine months huh.” he responds, a little bit of a wistful tone to his voice. it’s wild for him to consider this. chan himself has only cut back a little bit in the last few months but to be sober for nine months? “not so much of a party person these days, embarrassed to admit though i find myself hanging out at snack bars far to often.” pubs and bars are his nightly stomping ground when he can’t sleep and there’s no one to bother.

     he blinks at that, unsure of what to make of it if he’s honest because he had never thought he would still be in touch with his old partying friends. he had purposely changed his number so that they wouldn’t be able to contact him, but he had somehow crossed paths with chan and had somehow struck up a friendship outside of partying. and maybe, that was something he had really needed. 

     to see that someone cared about him outside of that circle of drinking and flashing lights. 

     “to each their own,” is what hyuk ends up saying in the end with a shrug, pouring a cup out for himself but taking a sip from the water cup in front of him instead. he preferred to drink the cider with the food, rather than before the food came out. 

     “that sounds like it comes from personal experience,” seungjun teases playfully before he glances down at his own paper, scattered with drawings and sketches of things that he wants to put together to create the right feeling that he wants to communicate. but while he can draw up rough ideas, he thinks that the execution part would be difficult. and yet hyuk never seems to struggle with the execution, and that’s part of why seungjun thinks he’s so cool. 

     “i’d appreciate that a lot,” he says with genuine enthusiasm, his eyes brightening at the other’s warm offer. “i’m not sure where i’d sell it, but i’d love your help to try and bring it to life, hyung.” he nods his head eagerly when the other suggests that the necklace he’d intended for ahri remain one-of-a-kind. his fiancée is quite the unique person, and seungjun thinks that he’d want her to wear something just as unique as she is. 

     “it’d have to be, to live up to her,” he says wryly, though the words are soft. almost as though hyuk isn’t meant to hear them. to everyone else, seungjun simply sounds like he’s in love, even though his feelings for ahri are very distinctly not romantic despite their engagement. glancing back up at hyuk, he asks curiously, “hyung, is there something that you’re most proud of?”

     he pauses at the playful teasing from the younger, and hyuk actually has to think about it. he’s never really designed anything with someone specific in mind—unless he counted. everything that he did was for himself to wear, and while this might seem narcissistic or self-centered, he likes to think that being his own muse is the best way to get inspiration. 

     there was no way for him to lose the muse if their relationship or friendship suddenly ended. 

     “something like that,” he relents instead of saying everything that had passed through his mind just now, wondering if he would ever find someone he liked enough to make his muse. his thoughts briefly travel to a long-time friend, though he’s never seen his face—maybe one day. “did i tell you i have an online shop?” he asks, trying to remember if this was information he had divulged to the club or not. he didn’t share much about himself, only showing some of the things he had made for himself so he’s not sure if he had shared that snippet of information. “we could do a test run there, full credit to you.” 

hyuk’s as easy to talk to as ever, so jiyul unwittingly starts to relax a little bit too. he’s quiet for the most part as he follows behind hyuk, balancing the boxes in his arms and periodically peeking past them to make sure he hasn’t lost sight of hyuk or fallen too far behind. 

while he has to question his luck for dragging him into situations where he always seems to be doing chores and running errands for the rare passerby that isn’t intimidated by him, he supposes fate must pity him. a chance encounter with an old friend is enough to quell the numb ache in his arms, after all. 

“my kakaotalk username…” jiyul murmurs, trying to recollect it. when he remembers, he almost laughs at how plain it is. “it’s just songjiyul98,” he says, noting to himself that every username he’s ever had follows the same format, more or less—including his clandestine twitter handle. 

it seems like the hallway’s coming to an end, which probably means the studio’s in sight. he’s relieved—the boxes aren’t too heavy, but they have been in jiyul’s arms for much longer than he would have liked. his attention’s flickering as hyuk considers his lunch invitation, but at hyuk’s omission, jiyul frowns instinctively.

“you haven’t eaten today?” he repeats, the distant formality he’d been using as a shield just moments earlier shifting rapidly into a nagging tone. “it’s almost 3pm,” jiyul chides, lips pursed as he follows hyuk. “you always did this our first year, too…” jiyul continues, and he almost sounds petulant, like he’s whining, before he realizes (maybe too late) that he’s being too familiar. he’s lucky his face doesn’t show color well, but his ears are unfortunately already a bright red. “i—sorry. that was,” he stammers out, “i didn’t mean to nag.” 

they reach the end of the hall and jiyul gazes at the door most proximal to them, noting that it’s probably the studio hyuk’s been leading them to. 

“but you really should eat breakfast and lunch,” jiyul adds, a little quieter, his words borderline mumbled. his ears are still a little pink when he tears his gaze from the ground to the door again. “is this it? i’ll set the boxes down and we can get something to eat, then. i’m not too picky. why don’t you decide where we should go?” 

     he pulls his phone out from his pocket as they walk, planning to at least note down jiyul’s username if it’s a hard one to remember but instead he lets out a laugh, bright and genuine. “oh, right, how did i forget that,” he deadpans, though it’s clear in both his tone and posture that he’s just teasing. he quickly types in jiyul’s username and adds the new contact, sending a random kakaotalk sticker from his recently used as a first initial greeting before getting his train of thought cut off. 

    honestly? he really should’ve expected to get nagged at the moment the words had left his mouth.

    as it is, hyuk finds himself staring at his former roommate in something akin to shock on his face for a long moment, genuinely unsure of how to respond. it just caught him off guard, how familiar this all was and there’s a sudden regret building in his throat as he wonders if he should’ve reached out earlier, when he had changed his number the first time. there are too many thoughts running through his brain and he barely manages to catch the tail end of jiyul’s apology, which he manages to wave off with a breathless laugh and a vague hand gesture. 

     also, maybe he missed having someone genuinely care for him—even if they were only former roommates and nothing more. and perhaps. friends again. soon. 

     he remembers hazily, through a lot of other memories that he had fully blurred out, the sound of jiyul’s voice, of two years ago, saying the same things. maybe he had a problem that he needed to look into or something, but hyuk also knows that he tends to hyperfocus on any projects, sometimes silencing his phone until either it dies or someone calls him enough times that it breaks through DND. it’s a bad habit, he knows. but, well, he’s never really had a reason to change. 

     “it’s okay,” hyuk laughs, shrugging. “it’s nice to know someone cares sometimes,” he adds, not thinking his words through until after he’s said them. that probably sounded a bit sad, coming from him, and he shakes his head slightly to clear the more ... depressing thoughts that had appeared. “what i mean is that you haven’t changed at all, jiyul-ah.”

     he pushes open the door to the studio room and indicates the tables in front of them before moving out of the way so jiyul’s path was clear. “you can probably set it down anywhere,” he adds after a moment, unsure if the other would need the permission or something. 

     pausing when their lunch menu is left up to him, he chances a glance at jiyul with half a smile on his lips. 

(DIRECT MESSAGES) ✉️ / grey 🥀 @.calligreyphy

💬 /  it’s not boring! that’s really exciting!  💬 /  or… well… i don’t know what studio hours mean but it sounds exciting! 💬 /  you’re doing great 😊 💬 /  i haven’t really been doing much though… still working at the same place…  💬 /  the shelter i’ve been volunteering at has been seeing a lot of adoptions recently though! 💬 /  have you ever considered adopting a pet? if you ever do, come to my shelter!!  💬 /  😭 💬 /  😭😭😭 💬 /  😭😭😭😭😭😭 💬 /  if you think i’m great, then i’ll be okay…  💬 /  ???? don’t be sad!! they were being mean! it’s their fault 😠 💬 /  it’s just our luck having these weird chance encounters though…  💬 /  don’t be sad, grey! i think you’re great too 😊 💬 /  tell me more about your studio hours (?)  💬 /  i wish i was more artistic too… do you offer lessons? 😁

<   𝐃𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐌𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐒  > ✉️ with toothless @.toothless98

     he indicates the one that he had intended to be for ahri, smiling a little bit at the thought of his fiancée, whom he adores very much, but mostly just as an older sister. “this one was meant to be for her, but the rest of them were just sketches… i don’t know if any of them are on par with this one, though. i think i put the most into this one,” he laughs a little bit, flattered by the vice-president’s kind words. 

     it means a lot that one of the people he’d really looked up to when he’d joined the fashion club thinks he’s doing a good job. seungjun has always had a bit of interest in the field, but rarely has he had time to pursue it, with his extracurriculars, his academies, and all the training he’d been expected to complete. 

     “that’s really cool,” he replies after the other explains where he gets all his ideas. “honestly, i think it’s amazing that you can translate your ideas not just onto paper, but onto actual clothing…” he smiles a little bit, his dimples denting his cheeks, and he thinks about how there are so many things that he’s imagined doing, and yet none of them have translated into action. not that he really regrets it. seungjun actively tries to keep himself away from the past, looking towards the future — as though if he runs far enough, it’ll all go away. “i don’t think it’s easy to do that, turning thoughts into realities.” 

     “when something is done with someone in mind, it always turns out better,” he comments, trying to sound like he’s much wiser than his age would actually suggest. if he didn’t have to go serve his military service he would’ve graduated and possibly be bigger in the fashion industry at this point. but he knows that he needed to just take everything in stride—it would’ve been worse to leave for his mandatory military service in the middle of a blooming business. 

     he shrugs, and while he agrees that he feels blessed to be able to translate his thoughts and ideas from paper onto real-life garments and clothing pieces, he also thinks that just having good ideas and putting them onto paper was a feat and he tells seungjun this. 

     “its easier when you have help,” hyuk reassures seungjun with a smile, tapping a finger to the side of his nose as if sharing a secret. or perhaps, extending an offer. “i wasn’t kidding when i said i would help you if you wanted to make a prototype and sell it,” he adds, repeating his offer from earlier with a short laugh. 

it had been a split second decision to switch drinks, something chan isn’t fully sure why he did. there had just been something that told him he should. that 6th sense of his that always seems to work well. he doesn’t know what to call it–big brother sense? maybe–but he trusts that gut instinct. once again it seemed to work.

he felt his heart drop a little as he hears hyuk’s vague response. pulling enough from it to understand–recalling some rumors that at the time he had ignored–piecing things together slowly and in only a manner that chan could.

a small smile, sad, but supportive forms on his lips.

“well that’s all right.” he says, tone the same he always takes with. the same cheerful and kind idiot that he always is. there’s no pity to his voice, no fake understanding. just chan. “i mean drinking isn’t needed to have a good time, yea? how long have you been sober now?”

     while he’s always grateful to people for their tact, hyuk is really just over talking about the accident at this point. he’s had people bring it up to mock him, and try to bully him and he really just doesn’t care anymore. he doesn’t care if someone drinks around him—as long as whoever it was wasn’t forcing hyuk to drink? he didn’t care. it’s fine, it’s good, it’s gucci. 

     “honestly, if you want to drink i don’t care,” he waves a hand idly in the air, making a vague hand gesture that he hoped could pass as a do whatever you want. because it didn’t really matter to him. 

     he wasn’t the drinking police or anything. he wasn’t going to stop anyone from having their fun just because he wasn’t planning on drinking again. maybe someday far in the future he could slowly start drinking again but he doesn’t think it’s going to happen anytime soon at least. 

     his eyes crinkle up in amusement at the other’s question, having already decided on what he’s getting. not that the options here would have given him that many choices to be torn between, seeing as how he enjoys steak and they do it well here. “you’re impatient,” he remarks though there’s no bite in his tone, just a small smile on his face. “i know your standards for food are quite high, but i hope you’ll enjoy the food nonetheless.” 

     subin had teased him that he always had a penchant for the dramatic, and seungwoo would suppose that it’s not an entirely inaccurate statement, seeing as how he’d also brought seungsik out here to do something very similar, with much more drama than strictly necessary. but seungwoo finds it fun, in a way, to see how his executive committee reacts to these kind of situations. at hyuk’s comment about being taken and loyal, he really does laugh, though, genuinely amused. it’s fun to see how they react, but hyuk is even more organic in his bluntness. 

     “you’re right,” he says with a chuckle, “i do love my boyfriend very much and wouldn’t dream of straying.” he shakes his head with a smile and he taps on his chin. “let’s order first, and then i’ll get to the point. since you want to know so badly,” his tone is teasing here, and he feels fairly confident and hopeful that he’ll have his philanthropic chair by the end of this dinner. 

     once they’ve ordered and the menus have been taken away, he fixes his gaze on the cherry-haired male. “well, geum hyuk, i’m pleased to inform you that you have been selected as the philanthropic chair for heliotrope. if you choose to accept, your term will begin on the first day of the new semester.”

     “i don’t like wasting time,” he shrugs, and while he wouldn’t consider dinner with the president of the social club he was part of a waste of time, he also disliked small talk and would much rather jump to the interesting parts of the conversation instead. there’s no reason to beat around the bush, in his opinion, and he’s long since stopped being the type of person to sugarcoat words, knowing that it only prolonged the inevitable most times. “but i’ll enjoy the food, i’m sure.”

     he doesn’t say anything else, falling silent as he waits for the heliotrope president to either continue talking or ... not. whatever. he’s still anticipating what seungwoo is going to tell him because he’s genuinely not sure why he’s been called out. he racks his brain to try to remember if he had heard of any of the other candidates getting called out for a dinner, whether it be to be congratulated or rejected. 

      nothing comes up, but hyuk isn’t too deterred. he had only applied on a whim, deciding that it didn’t hurt for him to try for a position that he didn’t quite think that he would deserve. 

it’s been a long while since the last time he had a conversation with hyuk like this, but for the most part, it doesn’t really feel like much has changed—at least not after the initial formalities fade and the awkwardness of a stilted first conversation dissipate. this is hyuk after all. jiyul knows him.

“um…” jiyul frowns, his expression shifting from one of ease into one of contemplation. “i… i’m not positive who she was, to be honest,” he confesses. the encounter had happened out of the blue—and to be quite frank, he was shocked that the girl had approached him in the first place, considering his general demeanor’s never been too inviting. “i think we took a class together freshman year but i’m not sure.” this probably isn’t helpful at all. plus, the boxes are feeling heavier by the second. “it’s a bunch of fabric and cloth, if that helps at all? maybe she’s in your major…? she was about a head shorter than me, with cropped blonde hair.”

he shifts, repositioning his hands so his grip’s a little more secure. jiyul isn’t sure how fragile fabric could possibly be, but it’s not his stuff, so he feels obligated to be more careful. 

hyuk’s more passionate reaction to the tease draws a startled but amused smile out of jiyul. “i was just teasing,” he says, almost apologetically. “but i’d love to catch up. um, maybe after i figure out where to put these—huh?” his birthday? 

jiyul blinks, uncertain as to how he should respond. once, his brother had told him: you look like you might cry when you laugh sometimes. he wonders if that’s how he looks right now, as his expression breaks into an incredulous laugh. 

“that’s—that’s okay,” he manages to get out, his laughter—already quiet—subsiding into the shaking of his shoulders. “ah, that’s… really so like you to worry about something like that. it’s really not a big deal, i promise. thank you, though, for remembering.” 

idly, he takes another step forward into the building, nearly stumbling over a loose tile before catching himself. the shock of hyuk being upset about missing his birthday of all things definitely caught him off-guard. jiyul bites back another smile. 

“could you lead me to a good place to set these down?” jiyul asks, tilting his head to the side. he falters, wonders if he’s being a little too quick on the uptake about this. it’s out of his comfort zone to even ask someone who’s practically a stranger, but he has to remind himself—two years may have passed, but hyuk’s the furthest thing from a foreign face. “and… if you haven’t eaten, maybe we can grab lunch or coffee after? only if you’re free though—and no worries if you aren’t.”

     “fabric and cloth?” he echoes, trying to think if any of his classmates—there weren’t too many of them studying fashion and design, but that didn’t mean that they were a tight-knit group or anything—had ordered something of the sort, lately. off the top of his head, there are a few but it shouldn’t be too hard to track them down once he’s gotten the boxes settled somewhere safe. probably in the shared studio space. 

     he reaches out to try and help steady the box slightly, unsure if jiyul needed (or even wanted) his help at all, but he knows that standing still whilst carrying things is often a recipe for disaster and while he would like to continue this conversation, he’s sure it can wait for a bit. turning on his heel, he indicates for jiyul to follow him as he leads the other male towards the studio that the fashion students use. 

      hyuk will be honest: it’s one of his favourite places on campus. it’s wide and open, spacious even if the entire class was in there at once. and he has his own sewing machine and area to work. 

     it’s a good, creative space for him. 

     “i still feel bad though,” he comments, when he glances back to make sure the other male is following behind him and he shrugs, knowing that he would’ve reacted the same for any of his friends. “tell me your kakaotalk username again so i can add you again,” hyuk adds quickly, wanting to get that out of the way at least. 

      it’s been two years, yet this doesn’t feel as awkward as he had thought it would be. perhaps it was different because both of their hearts were in the same place—maybe jiyul wanted to catch up and pick up where their friendship had left off two years ago too. they had originally planned to continue being roommates, but things hadn’t worked out, the timing was all wrong. 

     (his thoughts drift to his friend, remembering when he had asked, do you believe in fate, toothless? that two paths could cross and meet again further down the road? maybe me and my friend just met at the wrong time?)