Why Don't We; Soonhoon

03

⚐

THUMP.

Jihoon, head still bent over his desk, peers up under cotton candy wisps of hair to meet the eyes of none other than Kwon Soonyoung, looking triumphant and giddy.

Huh. A whole day later - Jihoon would almost think he missed him, except that's totally ridiculous. Soonyoung is not a force to be missed.

In front of him, cover up and shining under the boy's gaze like a treasure, lays The Great Gatsby. No bookmark can be seen, no dog-eared pages (Jihoon gives a silent thanks for that much - he might have actually revoked Soonyoung's library privileges had he found any such damages), and Jihoon isn't quite sure what to do with its simple presence.

"Uh ... What is this?"

"Your book," Soonyoung says, breezy. "Gatsby."

"And what about it?"

"Well, I finished it."

"Okay? Congratulations?"

Soonyoung lingers, and in the split second before Jihoon averts his eyes back to his own book, he can see the smile waver. That wasn't the response he was looking for, clearly, but Jihoon isn't sure what else there is to say.

Not looking back up, he says, "Do you want a medal?"

"N-No, but aren't you going to ask me about it?"

Jihoon slowly moves to shut his book, marking his page, and fully lifts his head to get a view of the boy in front of him. Soonyoung stands idle, gaze cast off to the side, hands fiddling behind his back; Jihoon leans back in his chair and watches him, thinking - there must be something behind this, right? There's got to be some particular answer Soonyoung is looking for, and Jihoon doesn't want to make the mistake of giving it to him.

"What would I even ask you?"

"I don't know - anything! Whatever you want. You finished it, right?"

"Yes? Soonyoung, are trying to ... Do you want to discuss the book with me?"

And then, Soonyoung looks at him, eyes wide as Jihoon's ever seen them and head barely holding back a nod. His lips twitch. Jihoon finds it's weirdly endearing, and instantly has to suppress the urge to gag once he realizes his own train of thought.

"I mean ... only if you want to."

Weirdly, weirdly endearing.

Jihoon hates himself for giving into it.

"Well then, make me a coffee and tell me what you think."

Soonyoung grins, and Jihoon's trying to force back the regret that threatens to surge through him when the boy inhales - much deeper than any person needs to inhale when they're about to start speaking - and launches into something so elaborate, Jihoon would almost think he studied flashcards for this exact opportunity.

And maybe that's enough to make him scrunch his nose and think wow, what a try-hard - but he's really too busy being impressed to do so.

Soonyoung's recount is delicate and enamoured, carrying them both from Jihoon's desk to the café, where he continues to speak as he begins making Jihoon's usual order without even ringing him up at the register. It's spoken softly, the sort of tone Jihoon isn't used to hearing on him, breathing over how much he loved the characters and the setting and the writing - oh, the writing.

"It works so wonderfully," he says between pouring espresso and steaming milk. "Like, it's slow, you know? But not in a bad way - like it's burning and burning, and I wanted so badly to blow it out and relieve the pressure, but also to just watch it go on for as long as possible. Everything unraveled so beautifully, even the unfortunate bits."

He delves into the narration, how the plot and dialogue and internal thoughts and observations blended so nicely; "Even at the most stressful parts of the story," he says, "it was like ... reading pillows. Like, every word felt so cushioned, if that makes sense."

And it does. Jihoon nods along and, for once, doesn't feel the urge to roll his eyes or grumble over something or other. He takes his latté gently and doesn't end it there, he keeps listening. Soonyoung's voice is sort of nice to listen to when he isn't being obnoxious or loud, Jihoon decides, and that's a fair thought - he's is still the most aggravating person Jihoon's ever met, of course, but right now, he's not half bad.

"Gatsby's enigmatic," Jihoon offers at some point, "and Tom Buchanan's a real dick." Soonyoung laughs, and it's still loud, but less grating than it so often is.

"Yes, yes! Oh, I hated him so much. And Daisy was so frustrating to read - like, I wanted to understand, but I just couldn't. What was she thinking?"

And it's a simple peace. Jihoon loves his books, love his literature - loves talking about it with anyone willing to hold a steady conversation on the matter. He didn't expect Soonyoung to be a part of that genre, but for the time being, Jihoon won't complain.

It's a one-time thing, and Soonyoung can't get used to it by any means - but no, he won't complain.

—

"Hey, Soonyoung."

"Yeah?"

"Were you finishing the book yesterday, when you didn't show up all afternoon?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I was reading it between customers - I wanted to finish it as soon as possible so I could talk to you about it."

"Oh, okay."

Jihoon wants to leave it there, let it be known that Soonyoung is not worth any more of his time - it's not like there's anything left to say, anyway, and he really should get back to his desk - but it's not that easy. Soonyoung's staring at his fingers, tapping against the countertop, and Jihoon watches his grin twitch to life.

"So ... you noticed I was gone?"

Jihoon fumbles, thrown off by the accusation.

"W-What? No - I mean, yes, but - don't flatter yourself, Kwon Soonyoung!" He feels his face heat up, burns hotter when Soonyoung starts snickering. "It was only because ... because for once, I had peace and quiet all to myself - that's not something I've been able to enjoy anytime in the last few months, and you - you just - "

"It's okay, Jihoonie," Soonyoung says, three infuriating smiles on his face, "you can say you missed me."

And with that, he turns back to his work, taking the next customer's order and leaving Jihoon to gape in the wake of his words.

He did not miss Soonyoung.