University life was busier than I expected.
Myeong Jaehyeon spent his days meeting new people every morning, going to class, and wandering around club promo booths, so he hardly even noticed where the day went.
Meanwhile, Taesan's days were always the same.
Class.
Assignments.
The library.
And the dorm.
"You really live such a boring life."
One evening, Jaehyeon came back to the room and flopped onto the bed as he said that.
Taesan, who had been sitting at the desk working on a coding assignment, lifted his head.
"What about it."
"It's the same every day."
"Because I have things I need to do."
"If you're a college student, you should have some fun too."
"You play way too much."
"That's college life."
Jaehyeon laughed and walked past Taesan's desk.
Then he saw the major books stacked on top of it and widened his eyes.
"Whoa..."
"Why."
"Are you reading all of these?"
Taesan didn't take his eyes off the screen.
"Yeah."
"That's really amazing."
Jaehyeon, who had meant to tease him as usual, stopped for a moment.
There wasn't a single empty spot on Taesan's desk.
Class materials, notes, assignment files.
Everything was perfectly organized.
It was the complete opposite of him.
"Have you always worked this hard?"
"What about it."
"Studying."
After a brief silence, Taesan answered.
"Because I have to."
Just a few words.
But strangely, Jaehyeon felt like there was a lot of story hidden in them.
A few days later.
Jaehyeon was swamped with an art department assignment.
"Ah..."
He walked all over campus with a camera and took photos, but nothing he liked came out.
"I'm done for."
The deadline was tomorrow.
What the professor wanted wasn't just pretty photos, but photos that contained people.
But that was hard for Jaehyeon.
He liked people, yet he couldn't properly capture people at all.
By the time the sun started to set.
Jaehyeon was sitting on a campus bench, sighing.
"What am I supposed to take a picture of..."
Then.
Click.
He heard the familiar sound of a camera shutter.
When he looked up, Taesan was standing there.
"What are you doing here?"
Jaehyeon asked in surprise.
"Just passing by."
"Is there really any reason for an engineering major to pass by here?"
Taesan didn't answer.
Jaehyeon looked at the laptop bag in Taesan's hand.
"Don't tell me you came looking for me?"
"..."
"I knew it?"
"No."
"Then why."
Taesan thought for a moment, then said,
"You left your wallet in the room."
Jaehyeon checked his pocket.
"Huh?"
It really wasn't there.
"That was close."
"So I keep telling you to take care of your things."
"You nag me every day."
"Because you lose things every day."
Jaehyeon grumbled, but he was smiling.
Then he spotted Taesan's camera.
"But did you take pictures?"
"No."
"But I just heard the shutter."
Taesan was silent for a moment.
"Just..."
"What did you take a picture of?"
As Jaehyeon moved closer to look at the camera, Taesan shifted away slightly.
"You don't need to see it."
"Why?"
"It's nothing special."
That reaction only made him more curious.
"Show me."
"No."
"There's no such thing as secrets between roommates."
"There is."
"There is?"
Jaehyeon smiled as he looked at Taesan.
He had thought he was only ever cold.
But every now and then, he showed a side no one expected.
In the end, Taesan sighed and handed over the camera.
"Just one."
Jaehyeon checked the screen.
The photo showed a campus scene.
The sports field in the sunset.
Students walking by, laughing.
And...
In the middle of the photo was himself.
Himself smiling while holding a camera.
Jaehyeon was at a loss for words.
"This..."
"You can delete it if you want."
"No."
Jaehyeon looked at the screen again.
"Why did you take a picture of me?"
Taesan averted his gaze.
"Just because."
"Taesan."
"..."
"You’re a better photographer than I thought."
At that, Taesan's expression loosened just a little.
"Of course."
"What? I praise you and you just accept it right away?"
"Because it's true."
Jaehyeon burst out laughing.
It was the first time.
The first time Taesan had felt like a joke.
That night.
After finishing his assignment, Jaehyeon lay down on the bed.
On the bed beside him, Taesan was quietly reading a book.
"Taesan."
"What."
"Do you not have any friends?"
"..."
"No, I'm just curious."
"I do."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"How many?"
Taesan thought for a moment.
"...One."
Jaehyeon snickered.
"That one person isn't me, is it?"
"..."
"So not yet."
Taesan turned a page and said,
"You're noisy."
But Jaehyeon could tell.
He was different from when they'd first met.
Taesan was still blunt.
And Jaehyeon was still a mess.
But somehow, starting at some point.
The silence in the same room no longer felt awkward.
The strangest person he'd met in unfamiliar Seoul.
And maybe the most comfortable person, too.
The distance between the two of them was slowly getting smaller.
