Chapter Text
When 18-year-old Jeongguk set foot in the beautiful city of Songju for the first time as a freshman he was equally thrilled and terrified.
Having been born and raised in Bangsan, a small rural town in the south where most of the residents were farmers, the young doe-eyed boy didn’t have the chance to experience what city life was all about, which resulted in some new experiences for him.
One of them was the food. City food was just bland. Of course, it was nothing compared to his mother's home cooking or his father's home-grown vegetables. Also, what Jeongguk noticed was that eating by himself was very weird and felt lonely. Back in Bangsan, he usually had all the meals together with his parents, three older siblings, and (occasionally) grandparents.
Here, everything was just fast. And don't forget bland. And super lonely... Which of course lead to Jeongguk's second thing to hate.
Rush hour. The city was full of life and the poor student found it very difficult to adapt to it. Yet slowly, he started getting used to the fast pace of the city-dwellers when he met Park Jimin, roommate and future best friend.
Small in size but huge in temperament and confidence, the local Songju student had taken it upon himself to show young Jeongguk everything.
It kinda turned into his personal quest, he told him, to teach the doe-eyed boy the ways of the city and bring him out of his shell.
After all, he was bound to be the greatest street photographer out there. Jeongguk needed to get around and experience the urban landscape before capturing it. The boy surely had an eye for it, Park Jimin had noticed, so helping and hanging out with him really came naturally.
A lost puppy in an oversized hoodie and a bucket hat with great potential. That's what Jimin had seen the first time the two of them met at the doorstep of their now shared dorm room.
So, in the next couple of years that followed his arrival in Songju, the young one wasn’t afraid of getting lost or panicking over missing his bus anymore. Although sometimes he'd give Jimin a call to let him know he was on his way home.
Yet no matter how hard Jimin tried to make Jeongguk a city boy, there’s one thing that he really hadn't managed to change. And that was Jeongguk's greatest enemy, also known as the subway.
Songju’s transit system was admittedly a nightmare for the young doe-eyed student.
Consisting of different lines and something called the River Line that transported people along the river, Jeongguk couldn't pick the right one to get to his destination.
When he needed to take Line 7 to go to his part-time job in the city center, he somehow ended up on Line 9. And well, he still doesn’t even know how he ended up on the River Line a couple of times.
A freaking nightmare! Those were the words he had used to describe the entire transit situation to his brothers, Junghyun and Min-ho, and his sister Sae-hee.
If you asked Jeongguk what he hated the most, he wouldn't tell you the endless assignments or doing the dishes at RJ’s late at night. No. He would simply tell you, "the fucking subway!”
But as much as he loathed the entire thing, the young one had to agree that it was rather convenient and safer than a bus—although Jimin's argument would be proven wrong a couple of days later when his roommate fell asleep, ended up missing his stop, had his wallet stolen and got scolded by his boss.
"That's it! I'm never getting on that metallic monster ever again!" He had declared that night when he got home from RJ's, tired and frustrated. And who wouldn't be?
The young student was determined that he was never going to get on that thing ever again, but well, you know what they say, never say never.
For Jeongguk, getting to like riding the subway was really a miracle that Jimin even celebrated with soju and beer.
But well, the young one didn’t really tell his roommate why he had such a rapid change of heart and why it was only on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the days he was working part-time.
As Park Jimin found out after a lot of pestering, the reason had a beautiful honey-colored face with a few moles scattered on it that formed, according to Jeongguk, a little asterism.
Also, the same reason was usually dressed in casual clothes, carrying a tote bag and, sometimes, a few grocery bags. Once, the same reason decided to eat some of the strawberries he had probably bought from the Farmer's Market. Which of course was a terrible idea when it got all over his white shirt, staining it on the spot.
Did that stop him from having more? Well, no. The stranger even offered some to an elderly woman sitting next to him.
It was definitely a precious little moment that Jeongguk's curious eyes witnessed while he was listening to his favorite track, making stories about the passengers to distract himself.
But the most peculiar thing Jeongguk had noticed about this reason was that somehow he was always seated in the last railcar, standing or sitting by the window to admire the beautiful view, especially when the train crossed the bridge over the river and the passengers could see the city lights. It really made the photographer inside him wanna snap a picture of him in black and white.
Is he a model or something? Why is he so perfect? Jeongguk thought more than once, fingers aching to reach for his camera and just capture the moment of the golden-skinned stranger looking at the lights.
But, the young one didn't want to pass off as a stalker or something. That would be terrible really and he most definitely didn't want to end up in a cell, trying to explain what had happened.
So no photos, no cameras, no nothing. Just his eyes capturing and memorizing the beautiful sight of the stranger until… well you know how these things usually go. They either start cutely or with a huge misunderstanding that ruins everything.
So, for Jeongguk's peace of mind, let's take everything from the top.
The young photography student and the reason he came to love the silly subway met two years after he had moved to Songju.
He’s not quite sure when it happened. It was probably one of those days that he was exhausted after his shift at RJ’s. It was a Tuesday or a Thursday and he thinks their eyes met just for a second the moment the automated voice announced his stop.
It was just a glance between strangers on the subway. They would never see each other again. And that’s, well, one of the things that the young one hates about cities. The anonymity and indifference contrast the friendliness and warmth of his much smaller rural hometown.
When Jeongguk got off at his stop, he didn’t even look back. He just carried on walking along with the rest of the passengers like every other Tuesday or Thursday, using his card to exit the station and head back to his dorm for some much-needed rest.
People came and went in the city of Songju. That’s all Jeongguk knew until he kept coming across the same reason every Tuesday and Thursday, on the last railcar of the stupid subway between 8 and 9 pm.
They probably had very different lives. Jeongguk made over a hundred stories about him. He could be a model, a baker, a pianist, or a professor of Antiquities. Maybe an architect or even a spy! The possibilities were endless for the man who Jeongguk had nicknamed V due to that Vincent van Gogh sunflower tote bag he used to have with him every single time.
He must love art, he noted in his mind. Another little thing about him to weave another story. Maybe he was an artist or a sculptor. His hands looked delicate and long. He really must be an artist of some sort! Maybe he was one of those popular ones who loved hiding in plain sight. Maybe he was the Vincent van Gogh of their time.
Jeongguk's mind loved making little exciting scenarios about him every time he noticed something different about his appearance. Sometimes he used to dress as an old jazz singer. Other times he was all rock n roll, sporting ripped jeans and a band T-shirt that would have been a great conversation starter.
Led Zeppelin? AC/DC? Def Leppard? Was that man an eccentric rock band member perhaps? Could he be famous? Well, it was kinda impossible for him to be. The rest of the passengers would have recognized him, right? It's hard to go unnoticed really with his fluffy blonde hair that framed his mesmerizing face ever so gracefully.
The only thing Jeongguk was certain about was that he was a little older than him and had no student card as he noticed once when the inspector asked for their tickets. His was the regular green like everyone else's compared to Jeongguk's purple one.
That day, the young one almost got a fine because he couldn't find his. A deep giggle was heard in the sea of voices around him as he was panic-searching for his card while the ticket inspector with the name Min Yoon-dae pinned on his jacket was waiting for him to find it.
In the end, the young boy concluded that V, the subway stranger, was probably commuting to and from work, which made him think they probably had the same finishing hours.
Of course, Jeongguk wasn't the only one intrigued. There were curious glances from both sides, especially weeks after their first meeting when Jeongguk realized that in the sea of strange faces, they could easily spot each other no matter what they wore.
Maybe the man had made assumptions, too, to pass the time when he wasn’t reading something. It's a different book every Thursday, another hint Jeongguk missed, too stunned by the way he kept reading in silence.
If he had paid attention, maybe he would have found out that the man worked in a place related to books. A bookstore more precisely, judging by the flower logo on the right corner of the tote bag where he usually carried his books.
But even if he had, Jeongguk couldn't have connected the dots. During those silent subway meetings none of them ever initiated any conversation, just silently enjoying each other’s familiar presence, doing their thing among the crowd till the young student had to get off the subway.
Jeongguk didn’t know V's stop. It could be the next one or the one before the last one.
Songju was a big city. Too many lines. Confusing as fuck. The man could be living in the suburbs, changing from the subway to a bus or grabbing a taxi after getting off.
Anything was really possible. And it was the pondering over of those possibilities that made Jimin notice that something had started forming there. A silent bond, perhaps? Well, he couldn't really tell, but something was definitely there. Jimin's gut was never wrong.
"Are you having a subway date tonight?" His roommate teased him before he left for work one Tuesday afternoon. "I thought you hated it."
"Of course not! You know me, Jimin hyung. I totally misjudged public transport," Jeongguk hurried to grab his keys and purple card, dressed in his leather jacket and one of his favorite band tees. "Need to go now. Jin will be mad if I'm late! See ya at dinner!"
And Jimin would just shake his head before he saw him leaving for work with the brightest smile ever.
"Nobody heads to work looking like that, Jeongguk-ah," his roommate sighed and shook his head once more before he went back to his textbooks. Another Tuesday for Jeongguk and his mysterious subway date.
It's safe to say that this little thing carried on for months. And, as it was natural, Jimin's teasing carried on every time he absentmindedly mentioned that guy, V, and their silent subway dates.
Until, well, that autumn Tuesday night when things finally became more… intimate.
Due to some unexpected bus strikes and Jeongguk's bad luck, the subway was super crowded. Suffocating even, someone could say.
None of them was seated, offering them to senior passengers who needed them. They didn't even spot one another at first, completely lost in the loud chaos of bodies and voices.
That's when Jeongguk remembered why he had originally hated the subway, holding the strap of his backpack tighter and trying to turn towards the open window to get some air. An impossible feat, of course, so he stayed there, surrounded by noisy, smelly, and annoyed people who just wanted to go house.
Are you here or did you grab a cab, he thought, wondering if the man was somewhere in his railcar or he had decided to avoid this mess.
Yet a few stops before Jeongguk got off he got the answer to his question.
Amidst the chaos, a forgetful passenger started yelling at the people close to the door, pushing those around him to get out a few seconds before the subway left.
By doing so, a chain reaction occured, forcing the rest of the passengers to move aside clumsily for him to pass through.
Jeongguk's feet moved instinctively, heading towards the right side of the railcar with a pout after getting an accidental elbow hit on his side.
Cursing between his teeth, he tried to turn around to grab the metallic pole since all of the handgrips were taken.
"Hey! Watch—" He murmured when another man fell on him, forcing the young boy to turn around only to find out that the man was no other than the subway lover stranger.
Their bodies were too close to each other and Jeongguk swallowed the rest of his words, avoiding any sort of contact because it would be weird and embarrassing to smile at a complete stranger like a lunatic and then get all shy about it (even though he knew which his favorite bubble tea flavor was and how he always kept his green card in his left pocket along with his keys).
It's okay, he thought. Just stay cool. Cool. Cool. Cool— It's just three minutes to the next stop. Air… I need air… Why is he so hot? Fuck! It! I meant it! Just... Fuck... He continued, trying to peel his eyes off the man's face who was just scrolling through his phone, headphones on. His hand looked even more beautiful from up close, wrist adorned with a golden bracelet with five green flowers made of tiny gemstones.
Did he buy it? Or made it himself? More questions flooded his mind, trying to distract himself from the proximity when everything was thrown into chaos.
As Jeongguk kept admiring the bracelet to prevent himself from staring at his face, a rude passenger pushed the poor photography student when the train stopped again.
As if everything was in slow motion, the poor student lost his balance, resulting in his entire body falling on the man trying to hold onto the metallic pole. His entire body froze and his eyes were pressed shut as more passengers got off and got in, making the atmosphere inside the railcar even more suffocating.
When the subway started moving again, Jeongguk was slotted against the stranger's chest, making him blush wildly as the smell of strawberries entered his sensitive nose.
Fuck… He smells good… Is he working out? Feels like it… The thoughts flooded his mind as he was still pressed against the man.
For a moment, he thought he could hear his heart, beating as fast as his but it was probably his imagination. What he didn't imagine, though, was the music coming from his headphones. Which meant only one thing.
Safely hidden under his bucket hat, Jeongguk opened his eyes and lifted his head just a little to find the man staring at him.
Fuck my life! He thought before he murmured the words, "I'm s-so s-sorry," and tried to move back, unsure whether the man had heard him.
The young one hid his eyes under his bucket hat, minimizing exposure and making some people grunt as he forced his way to the door, heart beating loudly at the sudden and unexpected encounter.
Maybe he hadn't noticed it was him, the stranger he had been encountering every Tuesday and Thursday. The curious eyes that sneaked peeks at him while he was reading or the shy bunny smile he cracked at every time the man bit his nails when his book became angstier.
Jeongguk stood there, pressed on both sides by butts and elbows, feeling like a sardine inside a tin can, when the subway reached the next station.
He thought he felt a hand on his shoulder but without paying any attention, he got off and decided to walk all the way to SongjuTech Entrance Station where he shouldn't have gotten off.
Maybe he hadn't even managed to notice it was him. Jeongguk went home that day praying the gods erased the incident from everyone's minds.
Maybe it wasn't as serious as he had thought. Yet, unbeknownst to him, the stranger wasn't as oblivious as Jeongguk wanted him to be, looking at the young boy exiting the train and murmuring things to himself.
But, well, Jeongguk wouldn't find out about it until later on.
A" complete disaster…" That's what he said when Jimin asked him what had happened and he was late for their gaming night.
"Trouble in subway paradise?"
"Don't even… Ugh…" He murmured, exhausted, walking to his room and shutting the door loudly to make sure nobody bothered him for the rest of the night.
"Strawberries, of course it was strawberries…" He then whispered to himself, recalling the sweet scent, a little smitten.
And that's when he realized.
"Fuck! You're turning into those creeps!" He told himself, throwing his bag on the floor and letting his body fall on his bed in defeat. "What was I thinking?" He shouted, hiding his face behind his palms only to listen to Jimin's voice coming from inside.
"Is everything okay in there, subway lover?"
Jeongguk murmured a short reply before he turned around and grabbed the rolled up towel he used as a pillow, pressing it over his mouth to let out all of the frustration trapped in his heaf before he gave up, apologized to the poor cotton roll and took a deep breath.
"Hyung?" He suddenly shouted, moving to the door and opening it enough for his head to peek through.
"Headless JK," Jimin smiled. "We meet again. Do you have a quest for me or something? Are the trolls parading in the dungeon, again?"
"I… I'm so sorry…" He whispered, apologizing for earlier, looking at the way his roommate was all curled up on the old couch, feeling comfy to even make Harry Potter jokes.
"Hmm… You really seem off tonight," his hyung examined his blushed face and told him to move closer. "Sit," he patted the couch pillow next to him, still holding his controller. When Jeongguk sat down, he let his head lean on his hyung's shoulder and took a big breath.
"The subway guy…"
"Holy sh— Did you talk to him at last?"
Jeongguk shook his head, flooding Jimin with curiosity the more he remained silent.
"Is it possible to fall in love with someone you have never talked to?"
Jimin took a few seconds to think before he let out the deepest sigh ever. "I thought you wanted to talk about what happened… Not about me and—" He stopped when he found Jeongguk staring at him, big doe eyes looking directly into his soul.
"Who is it?"
"W-what?" Jimin stuttered for a second, moving back to escape Jeongguk's gaze. "I don't know what you're talking about, Guk," he added before he brought his small pinky to his mouth.
"Oh, you stuttered! It's serious, then!" Jeongguk turned his entire body to him, folding his legs on the couch and waiting for his hyung to spill the beans.
"Nobody…"
"That may have worked on that cyclop but not me. Try again, hyung!" Jeongguk carried on, begging for a more convincing answer with his big doe eyes.
"Aish! Stop staring at me like that!" Jimin pouted, folding his arms on his chest and trying to resist Jeongguk's big puppy eyes.
"Do I know them?" He asked, yet all he received was a no in head shake form.
Who is it, Jeongguk thought, taking his mind away from his embarrassing encounter.
"Remember when we went to that themed club with the guys?"
"JITB?"
"Yeah…" Jimin whispered, recalling their Saturday night at one of Songju's popular underground hip hop clubs where the two of them had watched some of their uni friends perform. Jeongguk loved it and, to be honest, he was so immersed he had hardly noticed that his roommate was gone for almost 15 minutes for a little bathroom break.
"Did you hook up with somebody I know? At JITB?"
"Well… I was kinda drunk you know…" Jimin added, face turning even redder.
"Oh. Is that why you took so long to join us?"
Jimin nodded again, witnessing pure curiosity painting the young one's face.
"So? Was it Sung-woon?"
"What? No! Sung-woon and I are just bros."
"Just bros, said he while blushing…" Jeongguk mumbled, waiting for his roommate to come clean.
"Sometimes you can be a pain in the ass, you know. Weren't we talking about you and your subway boyfriend just now?" Jimin answered back, making poor Jeongguk's eyes open wide.
"Hyung! He's not my boyfriend!" He insisted but he'd love to get to know the beautiful man on a more personal level. "I haven't even talked to him!" Kinda.
"But you're dying to do so, no?"
Jeongguk lowered his eyes, smiling shyly to himself as he recalled their encounter earlier on. The smell of strawberries still lingered in his nose. It was weirdly pleasant and memorable.
"I wish I knew his name at least…" He murmured, letting his body sink on the couch, defeated.
"That makes two of us," Jimin joined him with a deep sigh.
"Hyung? What happened at JITB?"
Jimin closed his eyes, letting his head land softly on Jeongguk's shoulder.
"I made out with one of the dancers from that Neuron dance crew. But since I was drunk and all of them had the same outfit on I can't tell who it was…"
"Oh… That sounds bad, hyung."
Jimin nodded with another deep sigh. "It was the best kiss of my life."
"Oh! Then you need to find out who it was!"
"You make it sound so easy," Jimin murmured. "I mean what am I supposed to do? Go out kissing strangers till I find the right one? Like Cinderella but my lips are the glass slipper? Aish..."
"Doesn't sound like a bad idea to me," Jeongguk tried to make him smile. "Or you could ask your friend Bada. She knows people."
"Perhaps…" Jimin whispered.
"How good was it?" The young one's question was genuine, curiosity oozing from every pore of his body.
"Have you ever kissed anyone?"
"I—" The long pause made it obvious. "Used to have a girlfriend back in high school…"
"I mean a real kiss, Jeongguk-ah" Jimin added. "One that makes you feel like stepping into uncharted territory, where anticipation and uncertainty converge. A collision of two worlds that creates a moment suspended in time. A subtle, electrifying connection, as if your souls are whispering secrets to each other. One that ignites a spark of desire and warmth, sending shivers down your spine."
"Wow! Didn't know you were a poet, hyung!" Jeongguk blinked a couple of times, unable to fathom the words coming out of his best friend's mouth. A kiss like that would probably make the rest of the world fade away and leave behind only sweet euphoria.
That's exactly what Jeongguk wanted.
A real kiss. A strange concoction of curiosity, longing, and the promise of something beautiful yet to unfold.
"Have you ever fallen in love?" The question came out softly from Jimin's soft lips and all Jeongguk could think about was the subway or more importantly the blonde man reading his book with the most beautiful smile adorning his ethereal face.
The young one sighed deeply, feeling the anticipation for their next subway meeting flooding his body.
A spark? No. That little encounter ignited more than a spark inside him. A wildfire perhaps that had already started burning his gut.
"You and I are hopeless cases, aren't we?" Jeongguk listened to Jimin, feeling his hands wrapping around his arm, resting there for a second.
"You need to find him, hyung! You have to! Neuron has how many members? 6-7?"
"13."
"Oh… That's a lot of people."
Jimin sighed softly. "1 out of 13…" He whispered. "Whereas you—"
"0.012%…" Jeongguk added, surprising his hyung.
"You did the math? I thought you hated math."
"I was curious," Jeongguk hummed.
"About?"
"The chances of finding your soulmate..."
"Ah, Jeonggukie," Jimin let his arm go, sitting properly next to him before he let his hand ruffle his hair. "You are a rare one, you know it?"
"I'm not a Pokemon, hyung…" Jeongguk pouted, enjoying the little ruffle.
"You love sunflowers, banana milkshake, get sad when I'm struggling with practice, you want to capture everything with your camera to make it last in time, you care about those around you, you miss your family to the point of crying and…" Jimin paused for a moment. "You fell in love with a stranger in the subway. You found the one among 1.2 million people riding the subway daily if I'm not mistaken."
"I…" The young photographer tried to say, feeling his face warming up as Jimin continues acknowledging facts.
"Tell me about him."
"I already did, hyung…"
"Well, tell me again," Jimin encouraged him to share. He wouldn't even shower with him in the room. It took a lot of effort to make him open up. And now that he did, Jimin would make sure Jeongguk didn't miss his chance. "What do you like about him?"
And Jeongguk took a moment to think, gathering all the memories of him till the subway reached SongjuTech Entrance station.
"His smile…" He finally spoke softly.
"What about it?"
"It's warm and infectious… Especially when he is watching something on his phone. His face lights up and when he realizes he looks around him shyly before he goes back to what he's watching…" Jeongguk remembered everything, keeping the extra details to himself.
His eyes, crinkling at the corners, becoming twin crescent moons, twinkling with an inner joy that seemed to transcend this world. Was he happy? Perhaps. Maybe he had someone waiting for him but that didn't stop Jeongguk from memorizing more.
The curve of his lips was so inviting and tender, forming a gentle arch that effortlessly captured the essence of happiness. It's as though he's sharing a secret with the world, a secret that whispered, "I see beauty in the simplest of things, and I want you to see it too."
And everytime he witnessed it Jeongguk melted a little more, feeling bad for staring yet being unable to peel his eyes off him.
"Wow… That's impressive!" Jimin exclaimed, eyes turning to Jeongguk's red cheeks. "So when will you talk to him?"
"What should I say, hyung? What's the next station or I'm sorry I bumped into you the other day? I didn't want to be a creep and stay pressed onto your chest..."
"Wait a minute!" Jimin almost shouted, turning to the poor doe-eyed boy with the wildest smirk. "We had contact?"
"Hyung! No! That's not what happened!" Jeongguk shouted back, trying to explain the situation. "It was crowded and I just tripped 'cause somebody pushed me and I fell on him!" He continued, pulling back and landing on his feet, embarrassed to the bone. "It was an accident! Don't look at me like this!"
But Jimin continued, enjoying the sight of Jeongguk's first real crush blossoming on his innocent face until the young boy turned around and walked to his room, murmuring a barely audible "goodnight, hyung."
"A happy one?" His roommate's voice reached his ears as he pushed the door to his room open.
"Yeah…" Was the last thing Jimin heard as Jeongguk walked inside.
"I see. Sweet dreams, Jeonggukie," he added with a soft smile before he reached his phone and started looking through the photos they had taken at that popular underground hip hop club." Now which one of you was the best kiss of my life…" He sighed, scrolling through the photos when the sight of one of the dancers caught his attention. "Could it be you…?" He wondered, letting his mind run to JITB, trying to relive the kiss. "Fuck… I need to give Sung-woon a call," and with that, the mighty Park Jimin stood up and headed to his room, starting his own quest for the mysterious "Jack in the box," aka the love of his life.
* * *
Silence fell in the small dorm room minutes after Jimin had finally fallen asleep.
The clock on the wall showed 4 o'clock and Jeongguk was still awake, listening to his favorite song about loving someone 7 days a week.
Maybe that little encounter wasn't really a disaster, he kept thinking and thinking. Maybe that could be the beginning of a beautiful thing. Slowly, he rolled on his side, face lighting up from his phone screen as he searched for Songju's subway map.
There were 13 more stations after SongjuTech Entrance station. Which was his, he wondered. Did he walk home? Was it far away? Did he take the bus, too? Did he get tired walking there?
So many questions about the blonde stranger he had nicknamed V. Was all that worth it? For a stranger?
Well… That blonde man had something on him. Jeongguk hardly ever believed in soulmates. But for a brief moment the thought echoed beautifully in his mind. Finding somebody to love in a fast-paced world was already hard. Imagine how much more difficult it would be for someone a little different than the rest.
Sometimes it felt impossible… But what if he was really the one?
Jeongguk continued looking at the subway map. The stranger could live close to him. Maybe they went to the same bar on Fridays or did their grocery shopping at the same store.
The thought made something in his belly crawl and the young student, being new to the feeling of real love, thought he had probably stressed-eaten too many snacks.
"He definitely thinks you're a creep now, JK!" He murmured to himself, grabbing the towel pillow and using it to cover his eyes. "What if he decides to get a car or the freaking bus because of you? Fuck—" He continued, yawning a little as his eyes tried to memorize all the stations right after SongjuTech.
In the end, he also fell asleep with his phone resting on his face, battery dead. In the morning, he thought he had a dream of them meeting again. Now that was a disaster. The young student had no pants on and everyone was staring at him as he tried to introduce himself to the blonde man.
Embarrassing… That's what Jeongguk recalled when he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and hurried to take a shower before uni.
The next time they saw each other it was two weeks later. The stranger hadn't taken the subway for reasons that Jeongguk's mind couldn't know. Maybe he was out of town. Or maybe he was the cause…
On that Thursday evening, the subway wasn't as crowded as usual. However, being exhausted after his shift at RJ's (and slightly sad that he hadn't spotted V) Jeongguk didn't immediately realize they were standing close to each other.
Well, not until his hand slid on the metal pole as his eyes closed for a moment and his fingers touched the passenger's underneath his.
Their hands brushed momentarily and Jeongguk pulled it away, snapping out of his drowsiness when the woman announced his stop and he hurried to rub his eyes.
It was then that their eyes met again after a few days. It was just for a brief moment, but there was something magical in it. Jeongguk even opened his mouth, but no word came out of his voice box, too stunned to speak.
"Move!" An annoyed man suddenly shouted at him and the next thing Jeongguk knew was that he was being pushed outside by a few other passengers who had grown impatient waiting for him to move.
When the door closed, the young photography student didn't walk away. He waited there to catch a glimpse of the stranger. And when he did, he found his eyes were still on him with a pretty smile pinned on his face.
Jeongguk tried to hold back his shy smile, turning around only when the train was gone and walking to the exit.
That man had the most beautiful smile in the world. How was it even possible to feel so many things due to a smile?
Feeling his heart racing and his cheeks burning, his tired feet brought him back to his dorm where Jimin was getting ready to go out.
"Did you get sick or something?" He asked when he noticed him, moving closer to take his temperature with his hand.
"S-sick? No…" He sighed.
"Did you run all the way here then?"
Jeongguk tilted his head a little in confusion. "No?"
"Then why is your face all red, Jeonggukie?"
"R-red?" His voice was full of surprise as his roommate's hands cupped his warm cheeks. "S-shit…"
"Oh my," Jimin folded his arms on his chest, looking at him with a smirk. "Did the subway lover finally notice you?"
"Hyung!" Jeongguk shouted, pouting and frowning until Jimin burst into laughter.
"I'm sorry, Jeonggukie. You really look adorable, though. I'd love to see that subway lover's reaction. They'll be having a field day looking at you acting all cute and shy."
"He's not my subway lover! Ugh— You know what I'm gonna study now. Exams are coming," Jeongguk replied, trying to hide his face from his very amused roommate.
"Of course," Jimin nodded, knowing well that their exams were still far away. "Enjoy studying!"
"Just… give me a break…" Jeongguk squinted his eyes, walking inside his room and falling on his mattress face down.
His heart was racing and only when he finally calmed down he turned around, and wished it was Tuesday already.
At 2 a.m., the door to their dorm room opened. Jimin's voice was heard and then another one that he had never heard before.
Had Jimin found his mysterious kiss? From the sound of it, he definitely did. And Jeongguk, while happy for him, grabbed his rolled up towel and used it to shush the wet noises and the little banging sounds before Jimin's door closed shut.
—Jimin, 02:04 am
Sry in advance :D
His phone showed the new message before a new round of noises escaped from under Jimin's door and reached Jeongguk's ears.
Sorry my ass… At least one of us is having fun… He thought before he grabbed his earphones from the nightstand and blasted his favorite song, going back to checking the subway map.
At that point he had memorized all of the stations just in case. Maybe he was overthinking it. Maybe he should focus on his studies instead of chasing strangers in railcars. But the more he thought about it, the more the eagerness to find out who V was grew.
One of these days, he whispered in his thoughts before the music and sweet drowsiness gave him another dream.
And what a dream that was because that time, he dreamt of grabbing the stranger, introducing himself confidently with a short, "the name's Jeongguk. Jeon Jeongguk," probably influenced by that spy movie he had watched with his hyung before he kissed the blonde stranger shamelessly amidst the crowd.
That was one hell of a dream. Well, until Jeongguk woke up and found out that his perfect dream was very much… wet.
Fuck… He chanted in his thoughts, feeling kinda embarrassed yet determined to do something. I need to find a way to talk to him.
And very soon, his dream would come very very true.