Two months before..

The sun was shining brightly.
Yeosang was sitting in a park near the university, painting a picture.

Although the semester had just started and he had just arrived at the university, he already felt a little overwhelmed. All the people were really nice, but somehow Yeosang felt out of place. He was very shy and didn't know how to talk to all the new people.

Yeosang dipped the paintbrush into a light green colour. He didn't even know what to paint and felt uninspired, which rarely happened to him. He sighed and pulled out his phone. There were many unread messages from a group chat, so he opened them.

"All freshmen are meeting tonight at *****"

Yeosang sighed again.
It was the third time he had received such a message in the past two weeks. And since Yeosang had not gone there the last two times, he probably had to go tonight. He didn't want to be the only one who didn't go there since everyone would be there.

But when Yeosang looked the address up, he noticed that it was a bar not far from the university. So everyone would be drinking again.
Yeosang moved his brush across the canvas. He already knew how uncomfortable he would feel later.

~

Hours passed, and Yeosang stood in front of the bar with a lump in his throat. The muffled music could already be heard from inside.
Yeosang turned to leave quickly, but it was too late.

"Hey freshman!" the guy standing in front of the door called. "Aren't you going in?" Yeosang turned around and forced a smile. "Sure," he mumbled and walked through the door with small steps.

The blue neon light inside already gave him a headache. Why did freshmen always have to get drunk in places like this? Couldn't they do anything else?

Yeosang went inside, anxious about what would happen. Many people were already inside. They were talking, drinking, and dancing. Yeosang swallowed and went to the bar in the back. Overwhelmed and envious, he looked at the people. He could never speak openly in front of so many people.

Yeosang took a seat at the bar and tried to pretend that he was just like everyone else. After a while, a waiter approached Yeosang and leaned over so that Yeosang could hear him. "What can I get you?" he asked. Yeosang didn't think twice.

"A Sprite," he said. When the waiter finally understood what he wanted, he laughed. "Come on, drink something with alcohol, you won't die." Yeosang shook his head.

The waiter shrugged and handed Yeosang his glass with a strange look. Yeosang tried to ignore him and drank the Sprite calmly. The music and flashing lights were enough, how could he survive any alcohol?

A few minutes passed and Yeosang still felt out of place. Even though all the freshmen looked like they were having fun, he would never dare to approach them. He brushed his hair out of his face and was about to refill his glass when someone sat down next to him. Yeosang looked over curiously. It was a guy with brown hair, but he didn't look like a freshman at all.

"One tequila, please," the guy said to the waiter. Then he looked in Yeosang's direction and Yeosang narrowed his eyes.
He begged that the guy didn't notice his stare. The waiter placed a shot glass in front of them. Yeosang looked at it with disgust. How could anyone enjoy such a thing?

"You don't like drinking?" the guy next to Yeosang suddenly asked, pointing at Yeosang's glass. Yeosang looked up in surprise. He looked into the guy's eyes and immediately became shy. He was so good-looking.

"What makes you think that I don't drink?" Yeosang asked, a little offended. "I mean, the disgusted face you just made says it all," the guy laughed and finished his drink. Yeosang swallowed.

"I don't mind drinking, but this tastes disgusting," Yeosang said, pointing at the now empty shot glass.
"It doesn't taste good to me either," the guy said. Yeosang had to smile wryly. "Then why are you drinking it?" The guy also smiled. "I don't know, it hits fast."

Yeosang made an understanding face even though he was completely confused. "May I ask what your name is?" the guy asked after a while. Yeosang suddenly became nervous.

"My name is Kang Yeosang," he said, trying not to look as nervous as he really was. The guy nodded and smiled. "Nice to meet you. I'm Jongho. Choi Jongho to be exact." He handed his glass to the waiter for a refill. Yeosang watched Jongho. Something seemed different about him.

"Don't you want to drink with your other friends?" Jongho asked.

Yeosang sighed and looked in the other direction where everyone was dancing. Then he shook his head.
"No, I'd rather leave this place." he admitted honestly.

Jongho finished his glass and looked at Yeosang for a while. "If you want to go somewhere else, I'll go with you." Yeosang was surprised and looked at him to see if he was serious. He raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry, I'm not a murderer, but to be honest, I prefer quiet places. So I want to leave as well." Yeosang nodded. So they did have something in common.

"Okay, let's go then," Yeosang said, surprised by himself. Normally, he would never accept such a strange offer. Jongho got up and looked around. Yeosang followed him.
"Are you looking for someone?" he asked when he saw Jongho's searching look. "Not really, let's just go," he said and grabbed Yeosang. Yeosang just let him and let himself be pulled away in silence.

The night air hit Yeosang's face and he shivered. He looked at Jongho and could see him more clearly now. He had a really cute face and looked almost like a bear. Yeosang smiled. Jongho noticed his intense look.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Yeosang shook his head. "Oh, nothing," he said, putting his hands in his pockets.

Together they walked down the street, which was very quiet. "This is much better," Jongho sighed and looked up. Yeosang was watching him. He was relieved that he didn't feel weird at all. Any other person would have made him feel uncomfortable.

"You're a freshman, right?" Jongho asked, breaking the silence. He gave Yeosang a quick look and then continued walking. Yeosang followed him. "Yes, I got in two weeks ago," he explained. "What major are you in?" Jongho asked. "Guess." Yeosang laughed a little nervously.

Jongho stopped and turned to Yeosang. "Something with art?" Yeosang made a surprised face. "Is it that obvious?" Jongho chuckled. He suddenly seemed so soft in Yeosang's eyes.
"In a way, it is. You just have this vibe."

Jongho continued walking.
Yeosang didn't know if that was a compliment or not. "So you study here too? You don't look like a freshman," Yeosang exclaimed and followed him again. "Yes, I am a student here, but I will graduate next year." Yeosang wondered what Jongho's major was, but he didn't dare to ask.

"And have you made any friends in the past few weeks?" Jongho asked. Yeosang became very quiet and looked at the ground. "Not yet," he said. Now Jongho seemed surprised. "Really? But the freshmen meet often, don't they?" Yeosang nodded, still looking down.

"Yes, but I haven't been to the last meetings. Those events aren't really my thing." Jongho looked over at Yeosang. "What is your thing then?" Yeosang seemed to be thinking and looked back at Jongho. He was afraid that he would find him strange.

"I don't know, but I always get anxious when I'm around a lot of people," he tried to explain, hoping not to sound like an absolute freak. Jongho stopped once more and looked at Yeosang. "Why is that?" he asked. The question made Yeosang a little nervous. He swallowed.

"I am not good at talking and tend to be very shy. It also takes me a long time to open up to someone," he said. Suddenly, Jongho smiled. "What?" Yeosang asked, confused.

"You don't seem shy with me at all, and you talked to me without any problems. And what you just did wasn't that opening up to someone?" Yeosang was taken aback and realized that Jongho was right. He didn't feel overwhelmed or afraid to speak. He didn't stutter either and wasn't really shy. He looked up at Jongho who was still smiling.
"You're right," he said, smiling too.

They stayed like that for a while, smiling at each other. Yeosang felt strangely at ease, considering that he was facing a complete stranger. After a while, Jongho broke eye contact and looked away. "Shall we go home? It's getting late, don't you think?"

Yeosang didn't even notice how the time passed, but it was indeed quite late. "Where do you live?" Jongho asked. "My parents live outside of Seoul, so I live in a dormitory near the university," Yeosang replied.
"Good, then I will take you there."

They walked on, and Yeosang couldn't stop looking at Jongho. Why did he seem so different and why did he feel so comfortable around him?
Jongho noticed that Yeosang was cold and handed him his scarf after a while. "Just put it on. I don't need it," he said without looking at him. Yeosang smiled and took it. Jongho just seemed so nice in his own way.

It wasn't long after when they arrived at the dormitory. Jongho gave Yeosang a smile. "Go inside," he said. Yeosang nodded. "Thank you for today," he said and wanted to leave, but stopped. "Your scarf," he said and started to take it off, but Jongho stopped him.

"Just keep it. I really don't need it," he said, smiling again. Yeosang looked at him for a long time. He was almost paralyzed until Jongho spoke again. "Now go." Yeosang nodded and finally turned away from Jongho.

He walked to the door and turned around one last time. But Jongho was already gone. Yeosang sighed and couldn't deny that he really liked Jongho. He was so friendly and handsome. With a smile and an excited feeling, he finally entered the building...

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