Mirrored Match // ATEEZ ✔

= 6 =

Hongjoong lies down on the mattress with his head hung on the edge, his view of the world around him upside down. He's not looking at the surrounding of the room he's sharing with Mingi, but at the screen of his phone which is currently open to a famous artist's social media page, where the artist currently has 99 posts, made up of work in progress and finished products posts. He's been a fan of the soyesul page ever since he first stumbled upon it on his explore page, and he has been keeping up to date with the artist. The artist never revealed herself or her face, only saying that she's a woman who paints in her free time. Having gained more than 10 thousand followers, more and more start to wonder on how the person behind the paintings look like, to whom the strokes of colours belong to.

He wonders whether she'll upload anything special in conjunction with her 100th post, and he can't wait to give all his support for the artist manning the page. After scrolling to her newest post, he exits the app and splays out his hands, letting his arms spread on the floor as he hears the front door being opened hastily. Even from the sounds of the steps he knows who has just returned home, and he lifts up his head to see the giant standing under the doorframe, a goofy smile on his face.

"You won't believe what I got, Kim Hongjoong!" Mingi exclaims before he prepares to do something that makes Hongjoong shout out in horror.

"No, don't even think about- AHHHHH!"

Mingi runs at him at full speed, going over to the mattress Hongjoong is on, that's located on the opposite side from where the door is. While he runs the short length he spreads out his arms and the older has nowhere to run with only a few seconds to react as the mattress is backed into the wall. Then he jumps onto the mattress, tangling the older in a suffocating hug and he shakes the latter, claiming that he just got extra money from working overtime at the postage sorting centre.

"You wak gil-ee-eng meh," Hongjoong manages through the space he has to say something.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" Mingi asks in concern while his arms are still wrapped around Hongjoong's tiny figure.

Hongjoong frees his hand before slapping Mingi's forehead and butt, exclaiming, "I said, YOU'RE KILLING ME."

"Oh, come on a hug once in a while is not that bad. We need," Mingi breathes in, "human touch to stay alive."

"Well if you don't hug me in your sleep every day then maybe I can consider that but you're hugging me every single chance you could," the older says but they remain in that position, with the older's head on Mingi's arm.

The front door opens again, this time with Danbi shouting to their whole small house on what they're getting for lunch as she's currently tired, angry and hungry after returning from her shift working as a waitress at the 24-hour restaurant. When she arrives at the door of their shared bedroom, she looks no more surprised to see both her housemates cuddling as she leans against the doorframe.

"Oh wow," she starts. "When's the wedding? And I sure do hope I'm part of the VIP list because that's the least you can give me after I have completed my calling of becoming the third wheel to your relationship." She doesn't wait for any invitation for her to come into the room because they're used to it; she merely sighs before sitting on the floor. Then with her back towards the two on the mattress, she leans back and plops her head on Mingi's chest.

Hongjoong looks at the stuff that she brought home, and realizes that she's not wearing her waitress uniform. Having been able to guess what happened, he asks anyway, "You returned home without your uniform, and you said you're tired, angry and hungry. Your shift doesn't end until 1 but here you are at 12, crashing into our room and becoming a self-certified third wheel."