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"Hyung!" called Junghwan, the youngest in the dorm, shaking the older's body as he tried to wake him up. With a frown in his face, Hyunsuk removes the blanket from him, facing the kid in annoyance.
"Oh, gracious. What is it?" he scratches his nape, rubbing the sleepiness off his eyes as he heaved a deep sigh infront of the kid.
Junghwan's eyes widened, "Today is the day," he said, but Hyunsuk's reaction shows that he can't remember. "You'll be treating us out!" exclaimed Jeongwoo, who just barged in the room without even knocking.
"Please, not now, Jeongwoo. I just slept." the older groaned, as he layed down his body back to his bed, trying to sleep.
"Okay then, start cleaning the bathroom." said Jeongwoo, Hyunsuk abruptly stood up as he eyed at the two.
Oh, well. Of course, Hyunsuk does remember that he lost the bet with the group, and he is to treat the whole group with ice cream, which is pretty simple; all he has to do is treat them with ice cream that costs a large amount because of the group's big appetite. The thing is, he will clean the bathroom for a whole week if he refuses to do so.
No one likes to clean a bathroom that's used by seven boys, right?
"Okay, fine!" he stood up and pushed the two out so he can change clothes. With a sigh and frown, he changes clothes and washes his face. When he went out of his room, the six members of TREASURE are now wearing their coats, ready to head out.
It was just the start of summer, so it was pretty understandable that the cold breeze was still lingering in the atmosphere. That's why Hyunsuk can't figure out why would six guys eat ice cream in the middle of a cold noon.
Weird taste, huh?
"What flavor would you like?" he asked the guys, already sitting at a table, tapping the surface with their fingers. They shrugged.
"Any would do." Haruto plainly answered, as soon as he did, the whole group was suddenly nodding as a response.
Aish, seriously.
Without a single thought, he walks towards the counter as he ordered random flavors of ice cream for his members. And of course, for himself.
That's why his lips turned to a slight pout when he discovered that the last serving of the ice cream flavor that he wants was already served. With an expressionless face, he makes it up to their table.
Maybe Jaehyuk was too observant to notice that Hyunsuk wasn't eating one, and so, he asks. "You don't have one for yourself?"
"Nah, the last cup was served already." Hyunsuk plainly answered as he fished his phone from his pocket, "Ah, for that guy." Jeongwoo mumbled, eyeing at the guy at the top corner of the shop, two tables away from them.
The other members followed where Jeongwoo's eyes are looking at, and so does Hyunsuk. He felt his mouth watering to the sight of the ice cream that the guy was leisurely eating while his eyes are still focused in the book that he was reading.
With a smirk, an idea comes to Jaehyuk's mind as he whispered to the older, "Hmm, hyung. Lets add another punishment for you."
"Seriously, Jaehyuk? You're in this?" Hyunsuk groaned, eyebrows raising as the younger members eyed at them in confusion. Jaehyuk raised his right palm, denying the statement.
"What? I'm trying to help you eat, hyung!"
Hyunsuk doesn't know how many times he was sighing and groaning today when he just woke up. Taking care of six chaotic children who won't even listen to him is too much to handle for him, what more if he always loses the bet that they're having almost every single week?
Jaehyuk gestured the members to move their faces closer in order to hear his plan. Junkyu, being dumb, was late to notice them as he moved himself late. Jaehyuk shook his head as he continued.
"So, here's the plan. You'll walk towards that guy on the side and sit infront of him. Then, you'll take three scoops of his ice cream without getting caught. If you managed to do that, then we'll pay for these and clean the bathroom for a whole month." he explained, earning giggles from the younger members, and even from Yedam, who is known to make smart decisions in the group.
Hyunsuk was tempted; all he has to do is just sit and take three scoops, right? Nothing else, right? That'll be easy for him, just— do it and it's all done.
"Hmm, sounds great. I'm in." he answered with no hesitation. He stood up and started walking towards the table.
As soon as he sat down, he clasps his hands together. Shoot, he's nervous! But it was too late for him to back out as well! He runs a hand through his scalp as he sighed, pulling the bowl closer to him, carefully, as he took a spoon.
He cleared his throat, trying to announce to the guy that he's infront of him amd is about to eat his ice cream, but it seemed that the guy was too engrossed with his book that he can't even look at Hyunsuk nor hear him. Hyunsuk took it as a signal and took the first scoop, then another one.
At the time that he was about to take the third and last scoop, the guy lowered his book a bit, only revealing his eyes, looking at the Hyunsuk. Hyunsuk gulped as he swallowed the third scoop, chewing it in nervousness with his eyes wavering.
"Hello," he awkwardly said, the guy chuckled as he placed his book down in the table, taking a scoop of his ice cream. He nod his head, greeting Hyunsuk back.
"Hmm, lost a bet?" he asked, eyes now at the book that he just put down. Hyunsuk nervously whispered, "U-uh, yeah."
The guy smiled, "I figured it out, those guys at the side are laughing too much." he said, looking the other members of TREASURE in their respective table, trying to stop themselves from laughing too hard. Hyunsuk sighs, head bowed low.
"Hey, I'm sorry for this. You want me to treat you out next time?" he apologized, and the guy just shrugged, "Actually, there's no need for that. But well," he hesitated for a while before closing the book, smiling at Hyunsuk.
"Okay. Shall we go now?" he said, "Really? Right now?" asked Hyunsuk, the stranger shrugged.
"Yeah, right now. Your friends are eavesdropping, they might find out that you failed." he said, looking back at TREASURE, Hyunsuk abruptly stood up as he held the stranger's hand, guiding him out of the café while looking at his members, who's wearing confused looks in their faces.
You would actually expect that the guy would ask for something expensive from Hyunsuk, but no. He didn't. Instead, they went to another cafe, again, and ordered two bowls of ice cream with two different flavors.
Finally, Hyunsuk can eat, he was all excited to sit on their respective table but it seemed that the day was not in Hyunsuk's favor. Holy mole, he dropped his ice cream!
The staffs immediately cleaned the floor, yet, Hyunsuk was still gloomy. How come and he's experiencing such a bad day? The stranger chuckled, he offered his own ice cream to Hyunsuk, telling him that he had enough earlier.
Hyunsuk shrugged the ice cream off, the stranger asked why. And they both laughed at the petty reason of Hyunsuk; because the flavor is mint choco. "Who actually enjoys mint choco when it tastes like toothpaste?" he argues. And the stranger would just tell him to taste it, just like how he does, slowly eating it scoop by scoop.
Driven by hunger, Hyunsuk takes the bowl and takes a scoop. Unexpectedly, it tasted good, for the first time. It was weird though, he always ate that kind of ice cream and always gags at the taste but this time, he's unexpectedly enjoying the ice cream, genuinely.
Even the stranger had find it weird, how the stranger infront of him is now enjoying the flavor that he despised at earlier. He laughed, and that sounded like music to Hyunsuk, unexpectedly, again. Hyunsuk laughs too, and from the bickering about an ice cream flavor, they are now genuinely just talking for hours inside an ice cream cafe, not even minding the time.
It felt like a swift move of a clock hand for Hyunsuk, but it actually took eight hours for them, talking nonstop inside the café about their likes and dislikes, why would Hyunsuk hate the flavor and why would the stranger love it, until they had to close the café at 6 p.m. Now, walking together with the stranger, still talking, heading towards their dorm, which is something that Hyunsuk doesn't know if he shall continue to let the stranger do so or just shrug him away.
But he chose to walk with him, and talk, as well. When they had reached their dorm, he faced the stranger, "Wow, that was a blast. Thank you." he said. The stranger took a pen from his pocket and took Hyunsuk's hand, wrinting on his palm.
Hyunsuk flinched a few times due to the tingling sensation, as soon as the stranger has finished, he smiled at Hyunsuk. "Here, anytime."
Hyunsuk took a look at his palm, it was the stranger's cellphone number, probably. "Oh, thanks." he smiled back.
"Have a good night!" the stranger turned backed as he started to walk away, Hyunsuk stared at the number at his palm lovingly, he was about to save it in his phone when he realized something,
He hasn't asked for the stranger's name.
"Oh, wait! I don't know your name yet!" he called him out, luckily, the stranger heard him from a distance. It smiled at him, again.
"Jihoon, I'm Park Jihoon."
A smile was formed in Hyunsuk's face as he saved the stranger— Jihoon's number in his contacts. He made a few taps and suddenly, Jihoon's phone was ringing. When Jihoon fished his phone from his pocket, Hyunsuk dropped the call as he said,
"I'm Choi Hyunsuk, please message me when you got home!" he smiled back, waving at Jihoon as he quickly ran towards his dorm, not even waiting for Jihoon's reply, leaving Jihoon standing outside.
Jihoon chuckled, saving the number in his contacts as he stared at the screen of his phone, looking at the contact that he saved just now. He realized something missing; a picture.
His brow raised unconsciously, smiling as he looked back at the door of Hyunsuk's dorm. "I will."