FRËON.

ii

third person's point of view

It was just six in the morning and Dokyeom already feels as if his life has been suck out from him. That wasn't an exaggeration yet.

Surely, Dokyeom is a man of few words and is the kind of person to understand even the littlest thing. Never did his words passed a number of ten when having a conversation with anyone, because for him, words don't express much. It was ironic, as he is a person engaged to music. There had been tons of songs he had composed, which expressed all his oppressed feelings, contradicting his belief that words don't express much. But Dokyeom believes that words differ a lot from a song. A plain sentence could be much poetic when written on a score.

Words mean a lot to other people, that is why humans take their words carefully. They're like knives that can pierce through anything. They're like ocean waves, tossing each moment possible. They're like time, once wasted, can never be brought back. Spoken words may hurt a lot, but what hurts the most are those unspoken ones.

Words should be chosen carefully, as well as every choices we make in life. For Dokyeom, one mistake can ruin everything. A wrong sign in a mathematical problem can ruin the whole equation, similar to our life choices. Decisions should be made never when we're mad, but in those times when we're down. Sad decisions always lead to easier paths, as our hearts become tired of hardships and difficulties, letting ourselves be happy.

"You're like, the most famous, most perfect student in the university, and you're just in second year," Seungkwan gasped dramatically. "How'd you do that?"

It was not his decision. Never in Dokyeom's life has he made his own decision. Once he sought independency, it didn't turn out well. Once he sought for freedom, he ended up a slave of his own kingdom. Those achievements that his captors see as gold, were the ransom for his desired freedom. Music, if not for it, Dokyeom wouldn't have been in front of Seungkwan right now.

"No slave wants to remain enslaved," Dokyeom clicked his retractable pen. "Slaves serve their masters in order to gain freedom. Unfortunately, I am not a master."

Seungkwan seemed oblivious of the implied subliminal message Dokyeom had said. "But you will be, won't you?"

All thoughts seem to fly away as soon as Dokyeom heard what Seungkwan said. Of all the things the latter had said, that was the only one that made sense, and it caused a whirlpool inside Dokyeom. The statement was pure innocence and obliviousness, Seungkwan wasn't even aware of the effect it had on Dokyeom, but it was such a painful strike for the older.

"To regain freedom, I will."

The door opened before Seungkwan could even respond, and in came one of the dormitory matrons. Not familiar with the face, Dokyeom furrowed his brows, but not at the matron but at the man standing beside her. It wasn't a new face, but Dokyeom's sure he has seen that face somewhere. Surely, that man isn't from music department as he would've recognised him easily if he was. Maybe, it wasn't that important and it slipped his mind. Probably, from preforming arts or theatre arts.

"Dokyeom-ah! Good morning! To you too, Seungkwan!" the matron greeted with full enthusiasm, nearly overpassed Seungkwan's enthusiasm this morning. "Are you wondering why I'm here at this time of the day?"

Dokyeom wasn't wondering, but Seungkwan was. So the latter answered, "Yes!!"

"Aw, thank you, Seungkwan-ie," the matron cooed. "As you can see, I'm here with someone new-- not really new-- but you get my point. He just signed up for a dormitory room this year and fortunately, you're room is the biggest one and would fit three residents all at once."

"A new roommate?!" Seungkwan exclaimed, he was the only one glad about the news the matron has brought. Dokyeom was not having it.

"Yes, Seungkwan-ie," there was a playful smile on the matron's lips. "Hey, Hosh, wouldst you want to introduce thou self?"

Dokyeom observed the man silently, similar to what he did to Seungkwan a while ago. Based on the built of this man's body, he sure is a performer. Probably a dancer, or an all-around performer. The way his eyes move around the room, this man is just as observant as he is. Dokyeom wouldn't miss the subtle smirk on the man's face when their eyes met, which irritated him a lot. The stranger does nothing, but Dokyeom already hates him.

"Ohayo gozaimasu," the stranger bowed a full ninety degrees before them, which surprised Dokyeom and Seungkwan since they both thought that the new guy was a native Korean. "Watashi wa Hoshi desu. Onegai shimasu."

No, the accent is a bit different from a native Japanese, Dokyeom thought. There were Japanese students among his class, like Nakamoto Yuta, and that person doesn't pronounce those words like what Hoshi did.

"A slave of another country, welcome to your home," Dokyeom welcomed Hoshi, in a very unwelcoming tone. Hoshi's brows slightly furrowed, almost unnoticeable, but Dokyeom saw it anyway. It was as if Hoshi knew what he was saying.

Hoshi smiled despite of the tension. "Aw, touché. Should have en garde, that was a bull's eye. My name is Kwon Soonyoung, you can call me soon."

"Never gets old," Dokyeom responded, and turned his back on them. Maybe, he should just finish his school work rather than negotiating with these kinds of people.

"Hello, I'm Seungkwan Boo. From Jeju!" Dokyeom could see Seungkwan standing from his seat. "Where are you from? I bet you're from one of the provinces. You're accent is a bit familiar."

"I'm from Gyeonggido," Hoshi answered, and Dokyeom felt the former staring at him.

Never have Dokyeom made decisions for himself. Even the name he's been used to wasn't his own choice. Though he believes that decisions should come from thyself, he believes that fate shouldn't. Fate doesn't come from ourselves for we are not the ones who control it. What has been fated, will happen. There's Murphy's Law which states that if something can go wrong, it will.

And who would forget the common phrase that goes everything happens for a reason?