Chapter Text
according to jooyeon’s horoscope reading on jungsu, he’s “highly emotional, sensitive, and feels everything strongly.”
“...is there a difference between any of those, jooyeon?” it comes out sounding more like a statement than a question. forgive jungsu, his patience flees exponentially faster when he’s around his best friend. the seven fundamental cancer traits: reveal your truth today flashes too brightly from jooyeon’s worn laptop screen.
jooyeon waves his arms dramatically in all the space they can reach. in the end, he points them at the article with a shit-eating grin, “it’s not me saying this- it’s the stars.”
he continues, “you also cry easily, get attached to people quick, and you’re super duper moody.”
it was starting to become too real for jungsu’s liking, so he shoves jooyeon with an eye roll for the history books. the younger shoves him right back, though it doesn’t make as noticeable of an impact. meaning, jungsu stays statue still after jooyeon audibly grunted in his efforts. he continues again, eyes widening as if it’s a revelation behind the curtains of a stage play, “mhm, you’re overly reactive too. wow it’s like they’re holding up a mirror to you!”
if it wasn’t for them sitting in the middle of the library at a time of students shuffling in and out to actually be productive, jungsu would’ve kept their shove war up. this fact saves jooyeon. that and jungsu is the one who invited him to study together in preparation for the new semester, relentless in his hope that they might get there someday. they hadn’t achieved the goal yet, two and three years into their majors respectively, but hey there’s still time. even if they haven’t studied together in the past decade they’ve been friends.
jooyeon might have mentioned “hopeful” as one of jungsu’s supposed traits before he rapidly scrolled to find the negative section. the little shit.
all this astrology stuff wasn’t interesting to jooyeon when he took a class on the subject for required elective credits. he passed the class with a b. now that last semester is behind them, he dove into researching what the stars could be whispering about like it could earn him credit. jungsu expects nothing else.
in a blur of scraping oak wood against roughened carpet, jooyeon scoots his chair impossibly close to his own. he leans in until his nose is almost touching jungsu’s cheek, eyes unblinking. and, as deadpan as lee jooyeon can be, he says, “tell me the exact time you were born.”
then he pokes the eraser end of his pencil into jungsu’s ear.
“what is wrong with you?!” a screech leaves jungsu’s lips that draws the eyes of too many of their peers. he’s aghast, gasping first before a questionably concerned grin marks his face, “you definitely ate glue as a kid-”
like dynamite, jooyeon howls with laughter, tossing his head of overgrown dark hair back. it’s mere seconds until they return to shoving one another. it’s mere minutes until the librarian warns them about the excessive noise they’re creating. one of jooyeon’s front teeth is still visible while they’re being scolded in their 20s like children. they spare the rest of the students by making their exit on a new mission to find out jungsu’s birth time from his mom.
another day without studying at the library. it’s becoming a record.
/
the first time it happens, jungsu thinks nothing of it and lets it pass as a mistake. then it kept happening.
being part of the university’s smallest major population, had minimal perks and a plethora of non-perks. for one, the ancient part of the campus is dedicated to housing the architecture students. it’s crumbling in some- most- aspects. there’s a mysterious hole in the wall of the laundry room that jungsu and his fellow future architects choose to ignore. rainy days are tough, as it feels like the structure is rattling and on the verge of collapse. windows creak, begging to be put out of their (loud) misery after service for years. as for the outside, it needed more than what a few coats of paint could fix. like extensive therapy, to start. the irony doesn't pass on jungsu.
what makes up for…all that is since there is such a small amount of students living in these dorms, jungsu gets a room to himself. there’s space in the extra unoccupied rooms, if the rumored ghosts are welcoming. compared to the other students who are divided by year rather than major, architecture has it sweet. sure, the bathrooms may be communal unlike the other majors, but jungsu has his chosen shower stall that he uses every day. that little corner is basically his own bathroom. after some time as a freshman, he started to leave his shampoo and conditioner in there, and later on a body scrub. fast forward to his junior year and nobody else has stepped foot into that space. until last week.
on monday, he walked into the bathrooms at his usual time before morning classes. it was the first day of the semester and he had intended to make a flawless addition to his track record. the bathroom light flickers against the murky aquamarine toned tiles. his clothes are swiftly taken off and a towel is wrapped around his hips. he brushes his teeth, humming in the process. soon, a couple of students groggily join him in freshening up. except when he goes into the shower stall, his shower stall, he’s met with the coldest reality check right on his back. his skin is covered in goosebumps on impact of the ice cold water pelting him. he jumps as far away as he can between the limiting walls.
he’s so naked and so cold.
shivering and confused, he figures that the hot water isn’t working at that moment and gives it leeway. it’s not like their dorms are known for superb maintenance. spoiler, the water doesn’t warm up. he’s forced to take a cold shower, not even the fun kind, before rushing out to get dressed. this must've been an unfortunate fluke that wouldn’t repeat itself is the conclusion he reaches once his skin didn’t feel like jumping away.
the second day of the semester, it happens again.
then the third day. it was beginning to be a ubiquitous fucker of a fluke.
on the fourth day, he notices that his shampoo is doubly empty. like it had been responsible for two heads. so the fluke is a person…with hair. starting his autumn days with cold showers hasn’t been a pleasant experience for jungsu. though he wants to avoid that atrocity, he’s stuck with it for the rest of the week.
the last thing jungsu wants to do is prove jooyeon right. he’s not reactive. he’s not highly emotional. he’s not super duper moody.
he still finds himself thinking about how the world is always against him and nothing ever goes his way.
the affirmations weren’t working because his whole routine was thrown to dust by that one, itsy bitsy sized thing. he needed to find out whoever was using his shower before him and more pressingly, his shampoo.
he’s quick to rule out the immediately familiar students to him, who he sees when he’s going in for a shower. it may be a small architectural group in total, but there’s still a sizeable amount of students for him to sift through. it’s been an unspoken rule for the floor jungsu lives on who uses what- the politics of the dormitory are a scintilla of how complicated it gets for jooyeon over in the second year area. and they have personal bathrooms in their rooms. maybe the solution is to be passive and take showers at a different time of day, like the night before. that wouldn’t solve the shampoo stealing, though. it was too abrupt of a shift to pinpoint.
between the cold showers and adjusting into the flow of his new classes, jungsu is grateful for the familiarity of sitting across from jooyeon at the cafeteria. blame it on his sentimental cancer traits.
jooyeon’s advice on this ordeal? “just find whoever smells like you.”
as much as jungsu normally appreciates his friend’s out of the box thinking, he wasn’t going to walk around sniffing people’s hair for hints of lemon rose. he watches jooyeon take a too-big bite of his sandwich and becomes inspired to do the same. with food tucked into his cheek, he shrugs, “it shouldn’t be a big deal but it’s messing with me.”
“i didn’t know you downplayed theft so much.”
“they probably don’t realize it. who wouldn’t though, everyone who has class around that time knows i shower there! i checked and we don’t have any new students either.” a sigh of annoyance punctuates jungsu’s words. his eyes scan the cafeteria in a fruitless effort to find a clue on who could be behind this, taking up entirely too much of his mental real estate. instead, he lands on the stairs circling behind the food donation bins. they lead up to the bakery ran by the university’s culinary students. yes, the bigger majors get opportunities like this and no, jungsu is totally not jealous. but also the fact that he could go for some custard filled bread right about now, or anytime, distracted him from his bizarre predicament.
“you don’t think it’s gunil trying to get your attention, do you?” answering his own question, jooyeon livens with conspiracy, “he is a leo. he might think he could actually pull off something so stupid and believe it. i bet it’s him.”
“we went out once. two years ago. i highly doubt he’d go this far.”
“he still texts you every day and hits on you 99% of the time his mouth is open. the other 1% he’s just staring at you like this.” jooyeon hangs his jaw slack and watches jungsu, unmoving. it was a freakish similarity to glances he caught of gunil that he swept as coincidence.
jungsu couldn’t deny the other points. he takes a sip of his banana milk before handing it to jooyeon, thinking. the dinner he had with gunil two years ago wasn’t even a date, at least from jungsu’s perspective. he thought that was a shared belief, but was proven wrong when gunil tried to kiss him in front of the dilapidated dormitory. they can still meet at the gym and work out in coexistence, if nothing more. as if on cue from the universe, jungsu’s phone pings with a text from the subject of their suspicions.
gunil
Let’s meet up tonight ;)
I meant :) lol
Unless you wanted it to be ;)
and below the string of messages is a mirror selfie taken during one of gunil’s recent work outs, bicep accentuated at the center. this whole jooyeon being right thing was becoming a freakishly common occurrence. without question, jooyeon had moved to sit next to jungsu, reading the messages. an overtly smug expression stretches out on his face, the same way he looks beating jungsu at every video game known to man.
“fine, fine, i’ll try and find out if he’s the one behind it.” jungsu says, texting gunil back that he would be at the gym around 7. “i still don’t think you’re right, for the record.” he added on for good measure, earning a nudge from his friend.
“i’ve never been wrong!”
since he planned a gym trip, jungsu decides to indulge himself a little and visit the culinary students’ bakery. he buys custard-filled bread, and treats jooyeon to a chocolate croissant because the “detective work” has him “famished.” in a completely unnecessary exchange, jooyeon gives jungsu a smacking loud kiss on the cheek at the cash register. the student behind it, namely hyeongjun, recoils visibly as he witnesses it. as usual, jungsu’s eyebrows shoot up in horror at jooyeon, who’s already walking off without him.
“you can’t just do that in front of people, lee jooyeon.” when he catches up to him, jungsu is trying to remain serious. but a custard smudge on his lips and boisterous laughter gives him away.
“oh please, you’re just a good girl who hasn’t been caught, jungsu.” his friend comments, annihilating a mouthful of deliciously flaky croissant. jungsu can only keep laughing.
/
jungsu entered the gym, the familiar scent of sweat and metal greeting him as he scanned the room for gunil. he spotted him near the weightlifting area, his muscular frame glistening with sweat under the fluorescent lights.
"hey, gunil," jungsu called out, making a beeline for weights rack gunil frequented.
gunil set down the weights in his hands, a smile spreading across his face. "hey! long time no see, stranger.” he winks and jungsu believes it to be a serious gesture.
a forced smile splashes from jungsu, nerves sewn into one another to ask about this the right way. as he sits down on the lat pulldown machine, jungsu is receiving all kinds of tips on how to achieve more out of this gym visit. gunil did always like teaching him. before he could start his workout, gunil hovers in front of him, squatting to be at equal eye level.
“do it like this,” he says, never breaking eye contact as he adjusts jungsu’s arms. once he deems them in a sufficient position, he taps on jungsu’s lower back to straighten it. their faces were too close- jungsu drew back and put distance between them.
“thanks, i think i got it.” although gunil chuckles, jungsu notices the flicker of disappointment pass his gaze as he picks the weights nearby up again.
how does one broach the subject of asking if their friend is stealing their shampoo and using their shower? a guidebook would be nice.
“so gunil,” he starts, keeping his tone casual and stretching the holder's name out, “i’ve been having this weird thing happen to me lately.”
when he looks over, gunil is already staring at him, eerily similar to jooyeon’s impersonation. it’s clear that his interest piqued mid bicep curl from the way he stops entirely, “oh? what kind of weird thing?"
"someone’s been uh…using my shower in the morning and stealing my shampoo." as he explained, jungsu tried to suss out a gauge on gunil’s reaction. “i’ve had to take cold showers because of it.”
“that is weird. have you asked around about it?”
“not really. i mean i mentioned it to joo but he just thinks it’s some kind of prank.” conveniently, he omits the part about jooyeon suspecting gunil to be the one in question. he feels his mouth become sticky with dryness from how quiet gunil is in response, only looking at him.
his voice lowers, forehead creasing, “so you came to me about it…?”
of course he would be confused- he already graduated and jungsu is asking him about something happening on campus. hundreds of explanations of why jungsu came to the gym accusing him of an utterly ridiculous behavior ring through his head, at the ready for what he expects to be a blow of offending gunil. it’s not like he came here with a pile of evidence. only light detective intuition and whatever the stars were telling jooyeon in their spare time. he opens his mouth to speak, one of the hundreds of excuses on his tongue, before shutting it promptly.
“oh i see what you’re doing!” gunil’s expression is led by a flirtatious smirk as he makes his way to jungsu. “you want to come over to my place for a nice, warm shower, but you’re too shy to ask. come on jungsu, you know i’d happily keep you warm myself.” his tone is cajoling, but jungsu feels the underlying intensity in his bones.
well, that rules gunil out.
jungsu winces in his place, skin prickling while he begins to fidget with his hands. a knot of diffusion settles in his stomach the longer gunil’s comment hung in the air. he laughs awkwardly, to fill the silence if nothing else. up close, jungsu can see the sweat beading at gunil’s temples, and it clams his own palms. gunil has been a good friend since the beginning of university- jungsu can’t see him any other way.
“what a generous offer.” previous disappointment transforms to a flame of eagerness in gunil’s eyes, making jungsu preemptively guilty for what he follows with, “i’ll pass though, thanks.”
the older pouts, resembling a soccer player who just missed an important goal. but, also like a soccer player, gunil gives it another passionate kick.
“if you change your mind, you know where to find me.”
jungsu offers a flat smile and nod, redirecting his attention to his phone. everything turned awkward, so painfully awkward.
yeonny ˃ ᵕ ˂
seungmin is joining us for dinner
sooo u have 2 ppl to pay for
it was through text and jungsu can still hear jooyeon’s maniacal laughter. and his “jungsu is buying us dinner!” from miles away. when jungsu advised jooyeon to get along with his new roommate for the year, he didn’t expect jooyeon to fully charge into being as close as they’ve become. better this than constant bickering, like it was last year. a smile eases his features as he texts jooyeon back. he still shakes his head at the same time though.
/
it was time. too early of a time, a bird chirping time as dawn breaks through the sky. time for the reveal that would put an end to non-pleasurable jungsu’s cold showers. this is going to be jungsu’s sherlock worthy revelation. after all, the only way to catch him is red-handed in the act. that’s precisely what jungsu intends to do.
dramatic is apparently another cancer trait.
with that in mind, he woke up ready to uncover who has been stealing his shampoo and leaving him to shower in the cold. nobody is in the bathroom when he walks in, or so he thinks until the sound of water running becomes clear. it’s coming from the corner, his shower stall. it must be him.
jungsu’s heart pounds with anticipation. also with how strange it is that his heart rate is up by waiting for someone to finish showering. he doesn’t dwell on that part for too long, preparing what he wants to say to the reason behind his cold showers.
within a few long minutes, the water is shut off. he half expects gunil to walk out of there.
the steam dissipates upward like a halo, revealing a head of fluffy blonde hair emerges from the corner. each strand seems to catch a piece of the murky bathroom light, neutralizing it. he steps out fully, securing the towel around his small frame. his face comes into clarity as he passes by jungsu to the sinks, giving him a disarming nod of acknowledgement. he’s gorgeous, bright-eyed and vivacious. water drops cling down his neck and back, inching closer to the blue towel below. as confirmation for the obvious, the scent of jungsu’s lemon rose products envelops the surrounding space.
that’s the person who’s been using his shower and stealing his shampoo? fuck. fuck and also what the fuck. the shiny lips- the beautiful eyes- the fucking defined fucking v-line.
as he processes the fact, the boy plugs a hair dryer next to the mirror that exposes jungsu’s silence. they make eye contact through the mirror before he turns around and gives jungsu the complete view again. now would be a good time to use actual words.
“hi! i’m jiseok, have we met?” the attractive boy- jiseok, apparently- suddenly jungsu is exchanging pleasantries, introducing himself and shaking jiseok’s hand. he speaks with a smile that reaches up to his eyes easily. so much for the epic confrontation he built up. that fully crumbled the moment he found out this guy is attractive.
eyes on the prize, not the pretty boy in a towel.
“actually um-” jungsu says eloquently. “i don’t know if you know but i always use that shower stall. i keep all my stuff there so…” he points over to the corner where jiseok had come out, "i'm just used to taking showers at a certain time and uh it's thrown me off, that's all." his voice trails off, it makes him feel incredibly stupid to say it aloud to anyone who isn’t jooyeon.
realization and embarrassment attack jiseok’s eyes together, clashing into an apologetic look, “oh my god, i’m so sorry! i had no idea that was your stuff. i thought it just came with the bathroom, my bad.”
such a genuine apology and admittance that it was accidental doesn’t fail on jungsu. being gullible is written in the stars for him as a cancer. his features soften, the inconvenience of the past days seeming miniscule now. he didn't mean to, after all. he tells jiseok that it’s okay, chalking it up to a misunderstanding.
jiseok straightens his shoulders out and makes an x motion across his chest, "i'll stop stealing your shampoo, kim jungsu, cross my heart." then he grins, tentative, “can i make it up to you sometime, though? or if you’re free, right now?”
jungsu blinks repeatedly in surprise, caught off guard by jiseok's unexpected charm and sincerity. and how nice his adam’s apple is. he hadn't anticipated such a yielding response to his accusation, let alone an invitation for restitution.
"uh, well, i guess that could work," jungsu replies, fighting a premature butterfly trying to get into his stomach. he’s taken by surprise at how quickly the situation is resolved, having planned for a lot more than this. all this thinking and internal script writing over this, left unnecessary. the frustration previously felt over the ten days of cold showers dissolves against jiseok’s magnetic demeanor.
“do you like sweets?” jungsu nods, already liking this idea. “then let’s go to the bakery, i’ll treat you.”
jiseok opts for a towel dry of his hair, making the wavy fluff marshmallow out even more. it only takes him a few minutes to get dressed and return to jungsu with that same smooth smile.
on the way to the bakery, jiseok explains that he was living off campus and moved to the dorms starting this semester. since he had to commute before, he was used to waking up early in the morning “with the roosters.” that’s what led him to jungsu’s shower, by pure coincidence.
“i wouldn’t have stolen your shampoo if i knew it was your shampoo, honest.” jiseok insisted as they rounded the corner into the cafeteria.
“so you would’ve stolen it if it was someone else’s.”
“hey no that’s-”
the teasing came too naturally for jungsu to expend thinking on it. jiseok’s eyes blow open as he protests and defends himself in the time it takes them to scale the stairs to the bakery. the student at the cashier stand is the same one from the other day:
“hyeongjun!” enthusiastically, jiseok high fives hyeongjun. although he’s taken aback by the sudden burst of energy, hyeongjun still matches it in his own beat and seems pleased nonetheless. “one custard bread please.”
his gaze turns up to jungsu expectantly. jungsu, however, thinks he’s lovestruck by what he just heard. they like the same type of bread.
“make that two.” his lips curl up into a grin, one that jiseok reciprocates with the sparkles in his eyes saying hello. after receiving payment, hyeongjun leaves to prepare their bread.
“you have good taste,” jiseok jabs playfully, purposely looking around everywhere but jungsu. his hands are clasped behind his back when he sneaks a glance over.
his mind reverts to a light “you, too.”
as soon as hyeongjun comes back, the delicious custard bread aroma tempts jungsu. his bread is carefully handed to him, soft and piping hot. unable to wait until they’re seated, they both take a bite of custard heaven with satisfied hums.
“am i forgiven?” jiseok licks his lips of the custard and waits patiently for jungsu to finish chewing.
excitement from the delicious bread chirps jungsu up, “yeah! and we can work out a system, if you want.”
he receives an eager nod. their chatting tumbles away from the shower and takes them to the vending machine. jiseok insists on buying jungsu a hot chocolate to make up for the cold showers. it opens with a pop, steam dancing out of the can. they finish the bread standing there, launching into a conversation about their shared major. and each other- there’s a lot jungsu wants to learn about jiseok. starting with, everything.
a minute before class starts, jungsu makes it in the door.