DRUNK. #𝗋𝖾𝗇𝗁𝗒𝗎𝖼𝗄

02

"let's go, hm?" jaemin was at the driver's seat in the car that was right in front of the dorm building. the night had just begun and the moon was seen shining clearly. i looked at the four who were in front of me and took a deep breath, preparing myself for what to come. i was starting to get used to these parties and i was about to get sick of them. not delaying anymore, i got in the car. 

i sat near the window so the moment we arrived, i could see the bright lights in the quite big house. it was clear it wasn't quiet in the house...

.

.

.

the blaring noises, the lights that kept flickering on and off, the murmurs of people that filled my ears, the scent of smoke and alcohol. i hated it all. parties to me were just excuses to exploit yourselves to these things. i never enjoyed them.

lucky for me, i bumped into mark-hyung who said that there was a balcony upstairs that wasn't that crowded. so as always, i just chucked myself to wherever corner in the balcony. it faced the back part of the house, as i noticed it wasn't a full neighborhood. there were multiple houses empty and not sold yet, which was one of the reasons why mark-hyung's place was one of the better options to throw a party in. there weren't so many people to disturb.

i finally could breathe in the night air. there were about three seats out in the balcony arranged side by side. i sat on the chair closest to the glass fence. it was easiest to relax my mind there as i could see the nice view. the moonlit streets with lampposts and the soothing breeze calmed me down from the fuss on the lower level.

how did i even get brought into this?

it had started when i first met chenle on orientation day where we got along quite well. on the first day we had already had a few conversations together and knowing we would be in a few same lecture classes together, i was glad. but on the second day, i had seen chenle with a few others, and as i know it now, there were three tall boys.

the moment i got physically near them, chenle would drag me to talk with the rest. and well, i should've expected that they were all social butterflies that just loved to spend their wasteful time on...'social events'. at first, i enjoyed the first party they dragged me into...for the first 20 minutes. as the night grew each time, the nonsense of total ignorance by university students just doubled, tripled until morning came. usually i would be the one to drive the others home due the heavy involvement of alcohol at times.

i sighed for what felt like the nth time i have during that night, once again taking in the cold air of the night as my eyes stared at the sky and the twinkling lights of the town. i didn't feel a need to turn on the little lamp on top of a desk nearby.

about half an hour, i heard the doorknob turn that disturbed my little escape from reality. i turned back to see a short shadow with the home lights shining from behind, it was hard to see their face. even though our eyes met, it was difficult to make out a clear image. only when the person sat down on the chair next to me could i see them properly.

a scent of a nice perfume caught my attention as i tried to not look creepy while staring. the person had brought a book with them, so it was less awkward. as the person read, i noticed... his hair had two tones, black and blonde, tied from front to back. the small figure was wearing similar clothes as to when i bumped into him this morning. it seemed physical appearance wasn't something he took much time for as they were simple clothes - - unlike the clothes worn by the people on the lower level, dressed with fancy clothes in order to impress others.

the same person from this morning that i couldn't forget the whole day, coincidentally was sitting right next to me then. funny...

remembering the lamp on the little desk...i did the dumbest thing i could think of.

"hey...do you want me to turn on the light for you to read?"

a split second after, i immediately regretted it as the eyes of the boy looked up from his book straight to mine. though it was still pretty dark then, the light from the inside was enough for me to see the boy's slightly surprised face. maybe it wasn't really a good idea to talk to a stranger like that...but then again, how else would i have put it?

"yes, please." he politely responded as he bowed his head a bit and i did as he said.

now that the lamp was the main source of light, the face of the smaller stranger was clearer. to be honest, he seemed kinder than he did that morning. i would've said that if i took a photo, the camera won't do justice to his pretty looks. his smile was as if saying thank you to me and he continued to read.

well, i tried to mind my own business after that, but...that was the first time i actually talked to someone aside from the same circle of people in a while. so i didn't want to lose the opportunity to actually socialize - - i mean, that was what jaemin had told me whenever he and the others dragged me into other events. "try to make other friends, will ya? who knows maybe we won't be close to each other one day and you'd be lonely" he would say with a smile. 

so i looked over to the cover of the book he was holding. turns out, it was a book that i had read before; borrowed from the campus' library last week. a general and vague explanation of the main theme would be about the uneven balance in opportunities for different groups of people, but i only read it for a project i had due and at the same time being really invested in the topic. so being the idiot i was...

"hey, do you enjoy that topic?" i asked as my heart pounded. i wasn't sure if it was because i don't normally go around asking strangers from my university questions, or if it was because pretty people genuinely make me nervous. but my mouth spoke faster than my thoughts during that second.

i felt bad disturbing his reading session again, but his eyes showed no more than kindness. a split second after his slightly surprised expression, it melted into a warm smile as his eyes sparkled by the reflection of the city lights. his slim fingers gently closed the book he was holding to show me the cover better.

"yeah, it's difficult to find books like these in the library. i heard some classes need certain books from it." his soft angelic voice was heard.

he had a pause before continuing, "...ah, wait, have we somehow...crossed paths before?" he was still smiling, even though it almost felt awkward.

"y-yeah, i saw you this morning before my lecture started." i tried my best to not get anymore nervous as i fiddled with my shirt. he nodded slowly as a response.

he felt too kind to be someone from the same university as me -- usually the people there would be a bit more stern and less soft.

"oh, what major are you in, if i may ask? i major in fine arts." his voice was the only thing i could focus on, even though the noise from inside the house was still clear. but i found it pretty interesting that a fine arts major stumbled on books relating to my major.

"i major in sociology." surprisingly, i didn't stutter, like his voice made me calm and at the same time my heart almost skipped a beat hearing it serenade.