Aran pushed the door open harder than necessary. The room was quiet until... "Ah! The great mind has returned!"
Taehyun's voice rang out dramatically. Aran paused, staring at him. Taehyun was sitting up on his bed now, eyes shining with excitement, a proud smile on his face.
"How was the meeting?" he asked, sitting up straighter. "You're popular now, you know."
Aran dropped his bag with a soft thud "…Popular?"
Taehyun nodded eagerly. "Of course! I have a friend in The Great Minds." He puffed his chest slightly. "I'm proud."
Aran walked closer and lightly hit him on the head.
"Stop dreaming."
"Ah!" Taehyun held his head. "Violence? Already?"
Aran rolled his eyes, sitting down.
"What's so special about that group anyway?" he asked.
Taehyun froze... then slowly sat upright.
"…You don't know?" Aran gave him a look. "If I knew, I wouldn't ask."
Taehyun leaned forward, suddenly serious.
"That group," he said, lowering his voice slightly, "was created by a former student president years ago."
Aran listened quietly.
"It's the most popular academic group on campus," Taehyun continued. "Only two students get the chance to join each year."
Aran's brows lifted slightly. "Two?"
Taehyun nodded. "And not just that, they have the most sponsors, the best opportunities… competitions, connections…" everything."
Aran leaned back slightly, processing.
"They study," Taehyun added. "But they also have fun balance."
A small pause, then Taehyun smirked. "And most importantly…" Aran narrowed his eyes slightly.
"They're known for having the most handsome and beautiful members."
Aran stared at him. "…That's your important point?"
Taehyun grinned. "Of course." Aran shook his head.
"But now…" Taehyun continued, looking at him dramatically, "since someone here is part of it…" He sighed deeply.
"I think the legacy has been broken." Aran slowly turned his head. "…Are you talking about me?"
Taehyun barely had time to react before Aran raised his hand again.
"Wait....wait!" Taehyun quickly covered his head, laughing. "I'm joking!"
Aran's eyes narrowed. Taehyun leaned back, still laughing. "Don't hit me again!"
A small pause then... Even Aran couldn't stop the faint smile that appeared on his lips.
But as the laughter faded, his mind drifted back.
The meeting, the pairing.....Minjae.
"…We'll be seeing each other often."
Aran sighed quietly, leaning back against the bed.
"…Annoying."
Taehyun tilted his head. "What is?"
Aran shifted slightly on his bed, then glanced at him.
"…What about Minjae?"
Taehyun froze slowly, very slowly his eyes widened.
"My idol?" he said dramatically, sitting up straight.
Aran blinked. "Your what?"
Taehyun ignored the tone completely.
"Minjae is a football maestro," he began proudly. "He's won matches against so many schools. Like, major wins."
Aran listened, expression unreadable.
"He's super popular," Taehyun continued. "Especially among girls. And I heard a rumor…"
He leaned closer, lowering his voice. "…His mother is an actress."
Aran's eyes flickered slightly, but he said nothing.
Taehyun leaned back again. "So… why are you asking about him?"
Aran didn't hesitate. "He's rude."
Taehyun blinked, then laughed.
"Rude? How?" Aran sat up slightly.
"He bumped into me on my first day," he said, his tone still holding that annoyance. "And couldn't even say sorry."
Taehyun paused processing.
Then..."That's it?"
Aran frowned. "That's enough."
Taehyun shook his head, still smiling. "So that's why you dislike him?"
Aran didn't answer directly, but his expression said everything. Taehyun sighed, leaning back against his bed.
"No, no… my friend," he said, waving his hand lightly. "Don't be like that. Try to soften your heart."
Aran rolled his eyes.
"He's actually nice to be with," Taehyun added.
Aran gave him a flat look. "Whatever."
He laid back on his bed, turning slightly to the side clearly done with the conversation.
Taehyun watched him for a moment, and then suddenly "Let's go to a bar today." Aran didn't even move.
"No."
"Come on.."
"No."
"Just one drink..."
"No."
Taehyun groaned dramatically. "You're so boring."
Aran pulled the blanket slightly over himself. "And you're too loud."
A small silence filled the room.
Then "…One day," Taehyun muttered, "I'll drag you out whether you like it or not."
Aran didn't respond, but a faint smile tugged at his lips.
Despite everything, this place was starting to feel a little less lonely. Even if certain people…We were still very annoying.
The door clicked open, Minjae stepped into his condo, loosening his grip on his bag as he let out a quiet sigh.
The living room was a mess.
Snack wrapper, open drinks controllers scattered everywhere.
And in the middle of it....Jeha and Jikyung.
Completely focused on a game.
"Seriously…" Minjae muttered, closing the door behind him. "Can't you guys clean up?"
Jeha didn't even look away from the screen.
"We're playing," he replied casually. "You can help us after."
Jikyung laughed. "Yeah, join us instead of complaining."
Minjae shook his head slightly.
"Hopeless." He stepped over a pile of snacks, heading toward his room.
"Hey," Jikyung called after him. "Why are you late?"
Minjae paused briefly but didn't turn.
"And where did you go after lecture?" Jeha added, finally glancing back.
Minjae answered simply. "Great Minds meeting."
Silence.
Then..."What?"
Both of them turned at the same time, mouths slightly open.
"You did what?" Jikyung asked, clearly shocked.
Minjae glanced at them, unimpressed.
"Why are you so surprised?"
Jeha dropped his controller. "Because you were never interested in that kind of thing before."
Jikyung nodded quickly. "Like, ever."
Minjae shrugged lightly. "And now I am."
A pause. Jeha's eyes narrowed slightly.
Then a slow, teasing smile appeared. "…Is it because of him?"
Before he could finish, Minjae tossed his coat straight at his face. "Shut up."
Jeha caught it with a laugh. "I knew it!"
Jikyung leaned forward, interested now. "Wait..so it is because of someone?"
Minjae didn't respond he simply turned and walked into his room.
The door closed.
"Oh, this is interesting," Jeha said, grinning.
Jikyung smirked. "Very interesting."
Inside his room, Minjae leaned back against the door for a second. A faint smirk appeared on his lips.
"…Thai brat." But his tone held no irritation.
Only curiosity because for the first time in a long while something had caught his attention and he wasn't planning to ignore it.