Chapter 1: Life's Pretty Average, Isn't It?

Thursday | September 21st, 2023 | 8:43 AM

“Fuck,” I murmured into the air as I rolled over onto my side. My hand reached down my side and pulled my blanket closer to my head, hiding my face from the bright sun-rays shining through my bedroom windows. Wait, I don’t remember my alarm waking me up? Is it because I woke up before it? After it? I stretched my arm out from underneath my blanket towards the direction of my nightstand, where my phone should be. I felt the familiar shape of the device, and pulled it in closer to me. Pressing the home button, the screen lit up to reveal the time: 8:43 AM.

So I woke up before my set alarm. Of course, but I’m already up, so there’s no point in trying to go back to sleep. Although I didn’t notice it when I first woke up, it was starting to become apparent I had a growing headache in the back of my head. I can accredit this to my 19th birthday party, which was just yesterday. It was the first time in a while that I celebrated as much as I did. The night was a blur, and I could barely remember most of it, but all I know is I had a lot of fun.

Despite my head pains, I forced myself to move out of bed until my feet could hit the floor. At the same time, the door to my room opened wide to show my female roommate, Kang Seulgi, with a cup of water in her left hand and a plate of food in her right. She was wearing a loose-fitting T-shirt with some random logo on the front and black shorts. Her brown hair was tied up in a ponytail.

I watched her walk over to my wooden desk that I used for late night homework sessions and put the plate and cup down, before she turned and walked towards me. Her facial expression was the usual smile she always had.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Seulgi said, her voice light and airy. "How are you feeling?"

"A bit dizzy, but other than that, I'm okay," I replied. My voice was still hoarse, probably because I just woke up. "Thank you for the water and food, by the way. You didn't have to."

Seulgi shrugged and smiled. "It's no problem at all. We can't have our birthday boy starving."

"That was yesterday, though. It's technically not my birthday anymore," I reminded her, sitting up straight. She shrugged and took a seat next to me on the bed.

"Doesn't matter," she told me, "By the way, I'm sorry I couldn't make it to the party, Minjae. I came home pretty late last night."

"It's fine, don't worry about it. You didn't really miss much," I waved her off. “Wooyoung was there forcing everyone to drink up, Haechan got wasted after two shots, and I, well, think I got shitfaced.” I stood up from my bed and walked over to my breakfast sitting on the desk.

"Haha, typical Haechan. He's such a lightweight, he should learn to build up his tolerance." She giggled, standing up and walking over to stand next to me.

"Hey, you're one to talk. I don't think you should be criticizing someone else's alcohol tolerance, Seul." I laughed. She scoffed and nudged my shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Minjae."

I took the water in my hand and took a big gulp of it. After I did, I placed it back down on the desk. "I'm serious, you get crazy clumsy and dumb when you drink, the worst part is that's how you normally are when you're sober. It's like, double dumb and clumsy!" I snickered, stabbing my fork into the mound of eggs on the plate.

"Oh yeah? You probably cry your eyes out like a little baby when you're drunk, right? You always cry over dumb shit when you're sober." Seulgi snapped back with a laugh. I rolled my eyes, shoving a forkful of egg into my mouth while staring at her smile. Seulgi had these pretty monolid eyes shaped like almonds that turned in crescents when she laughed and I've always found it pretty.

But then again, Seulgi is pretty in general. I remember about a year and a half ago, right before I started university, I was at home doing whatever when the university sent me an email that my roommate for the year was finalized and our living arrangements were made. I was so excited when I saw that I had a pretty girl paired up with me as my roommate. I played a risky move opting for a co-ed arrangement, which was a more expensive option, but luckily it paid off.

A few months later, around the weeks before classes started for my first year, move-in day happened. I remember being really nervous, mostly because it was the first time I would live outside of home but also because it was the first time I was ever going to see my roommate, who was a complete stranger. We only contacted each other once over the summer, and that was to introduce ourselves as a formality, nothing more.

When I arrived at the university campus, I walked around with my wagon filled to the brim with my belongings behind me until I found my assigned dorm building nested in what the university dubbed the "Student Village", which was a collection of student living facilities. When I stepped inside, I noticed the amount of people crowding the lobby, moving carts and luggage around. The building I was living in was eight floors plus the facility floor, each floor was dedicated to four apartments.

The whole process of moving in was a bit of a struggle for me because of the fact that I came to the school by myself, deciding to leave my parents behind. Once I got my student card for the school, which served as my dorm key apparently, I took the elevator to the 4th floor and made my way to the dorm, located at the very end of the hallway. The apartment door was closed shut and locked.

I pulled the cart to a stop, and pulled it against the wall next to the door. Then, I reached down to the pocket of my pants and pulled out the student card I was given, grimacing at my ID picture for a bit. Noticing a black slot embedded in the wall right beside the door handle, I slid my card into it, and a light lit up. After a few seconds, I heard the lock mechanism release and the door clicked.

With a smile on my face, I grabbed the doorknob and turned it, pushing the door open. Peering into the dorm, it was a fairly sized living room with an open view of the kitchen on the far end of the room, separated from the living room by a low-rising counter. There were two doors, the one on the left slightly ajar, on either side of the room, which I assumed were our bedrooms. There was a couch placed against the wall near the bedroom door that was open, and an wall-mounted TV against the wall of the closed bedroom door. Not only that, there was a large cart, similar to the one that I had sitting in the middle of the room.

I looked down and saw a pair of shoes neatly placed against the wall. Stepping inside, I removed my shoes and placed them next to the other pair. With my belongings in tow, I wheeled them into the living room and closed the door behind me.

"Hello?" I called out to the apartment. "Is anyone home?"

As soon as I said those words, the door to the bedroom on the left swung open and revealed a pretty girl with brown hair and eyes. She had a bright smile on her face, and her eyes turned into crescents. She was wearing a pair of sweatpants and a shirt with a cat face printed on it.

"You must be Hwang Minjae! Hi, I'm Kang Seulgi," The girl introduced, her voice soft and friendly. She stepped out from the doorway and extended her arm towards me. "Nice to meet you!"

I looked down at her outstretched hand and shook it. "You too."

After we let go, she placed her hands on her hips and looked at my cart. "I'll let you unpack, I just got here about ten minutes ago, so I'm still settling in. Oh, I hope you didn't mind that I chose a bedroom. If you want this room, I can just move to the other bedroom."

"No, it's fine. They're probably the exact same anyways," I shook my head, pulling the cart further into the living room.

"News flash, they are the exact same," Seulgi sweetly laughed before disappearing back into her room. I laughed to myself, realizing no one was there to hear it, and moved into the other bedroom. It was a simple bedroom, with a queen-sized bed facing the window, a dresser, a closet, and a desk. I looked to my side and saw an open door leading into a small bathroom, which consisted of a toilet, sink, another closet, and a shower-bath with a curtain.

I spent the next hour or so unpacking all my belongings and getting comfortable. Just as I was finishing up, Seulgi came knocking at my door asking if I wanted to head out and grab dinner. So, with her wallet and mine, we wandered around the university until we finally found the student union and dining hall. There, we ordered dinner and ate together.

I realized pretty quickly that I could really see myself being friends with her, so I tried my best to be a good roommate and friend. She's just naturally kind, and her energy is contagious, and that's something that made it really easy to befriend her. As a result, she became one of the first friends I made here at the university, and eventually we became closer.

Even in her dorky moments, her prettiness just shone through and it made her more attractive. And her personality, despite being a bit childish and airheaded sometimes, was just perfect. She's the sweetest girl you'll ever meet. Spending so much time with her, I realized that the feelings I had towards her were a bit more than just a friendship, and a few months into the school year, I had come to the conclusion that I liked her, more than a friend. But, I never really told her how I felt, and I kept it in for a while as we became closer.

It was about ten months ago, as our very first semester came to an end, that I lost my chance if I was ever going to take it. Her now boyfriend, Kim Minhyuk, asked her out on New Year's Day, and she said yes. It hurt to see her dating someone else, and I thought to myself, "Well, what were you expecting?" I never told her how I felt, and it's no wonder that someone else swooped in. No doubt, I was heartbroken when I found out from her and for about three months after that, I forced a smile on my face and pretended like their relationship didn't eat me up inside.

At some point after those three months, I had snapped and decided I had enough, confessing to Seulgi about those feelings I had for her. I remember exactly how it went. I stormed into her room, where she was studying for a test. I told her everything on the spot, telling her that I've liked her ever since I first met her, went through a state where I was torn over their relationship, and how much she mattered to me. Seulgi reacted the same way people in her spot would’ve, she just couldn’t. There were no words that could be said that would suit that situation. We were at a weird stalemate until I left her room to let her study.

From there, it was awkward between us for a while. We would pass each other up in the dorm, and not look or say anything to each other. It was like she was a stranger again. I could tell that Seulgi wanted to put that entire ordeal behind her and pretend like it didn’t happen. I felt like a huge weight was lifted off my chest when I told her, but a new and heavier one just slammed back onto me. Fuck, why did I have to ruin our friendship?

That was until, one day, Seulgi finally brought it up while we were cooking dinner together. She talked about how she misses the old days and our original friendship, and wanted to just put it all behind us. By the end of it, we made up. I was glad that we were back to being friends and moving away from my crush on her and the tension between us. I would be lying if I said I didn’t regret not talking to her sooner about my feelings but that was on me. I just have terrible timing. 

I had finished eating, got dressed, brushed my teeth, and cleaned myself up a bit by the time the clock hit 9 AM, and now I was standing outside my dorm building, waiting around in the Student Village courtyard, sitting on a bench. The weather was pretty chilly, a result of it being early autumn, and I was wearing a hoodie over a T-shirt and pants. I was looking through the emails on my phone to pass the time, occasionally looking in the direction of the other buildings until I finally saw who I was waiting for. A short girl with long split-dyed hair, the left side of her hair colored pink and the other side colored light-blue, walked elegantly towards me.

“You’re here early, woke up before the alarm again?” She directed towards me. I grinned and nodded in her direction. Her name was Lee Nakyung, my quirky childhood best friend since middle school. On the outside, she was very beautiful and had a certain aura that screamed grace, but I knew her as the girl who eats spoiled yogurt without feeling sick because she strangely likes the taste better.

We go way back, helping each other through some rough times and all. We were inseparable since our pre-puberty era, growing up together as an unbeatable boy-girl combo. She was definitely my closest friend ever, and when I announced my acceptance into this university, she immediately followed my steps and applied to it. Thankfully, she also got accepted and I couldn't have been happier when we found out.

The girl and I had agreed that we wanted to live in the same dorm as each other, but due to the lack of space and a bit of unluckiness, we were not paired up. Instead, I was paired with Seulgi and Nakyung was paired with another girl, her name was Jang Yeeun, who I've only seen a couple of times when I hung out at Nakyung's dorm.

“Something like that, I had a bit of a headache after yesterday,” I replied. Nakyung dropped her backpack on the ground and started rummaging through the front pockets, fishing out a container with colorful candy, “Gummy bears?” She held the container in front of me, and I shrugged, grabbing a handful.

She took the container and stuffed it back in her bag. Then, she threw the gummy bears into her mouth and started chewing. She swallowed and smiled. "Holy fuck, slow down you're going to choke on them. Are you trying to kill yourself?" I exclaimed, seeing her swallow them so quickly when I'd barely finished my handful. She rolled her eyes, and stuck her tongue out, displaying the remaining candy stuck to it.

"Yeah, because gummy bears can actually kill you, Jae. I can't believe you still don't know that," She remarked, laughing. I gave her a blank stare. "I'm just fucking with you. Calm your tits." She grinned naughtily. Although Seulgi was the latest girl I’ve ever liked in my life, Nakyung was my original crush. I don’t know how it didn’t work out. We dated for a short time at the start of high school but it just felt awkward between the two of us.

I really enjoyed her bubbly personality and presence but it didn’t feel right dating someone who I basically grew up with at the time. There are other people in the world who would die for a relationship with their best friend but I guess I didn’t value it enough. We ended it mutually and decided that our friendship is more important, and from there we moved on with our lives, never mentioning it again.

Nakyung and I finally started walking, and I pulled my backpack over my shoulders. Our university was located in a large campus, nestled in a city of its own. There were buildings spread across the area, each building having its own purpose. My first class today was located on the other side of the campus, which was about a 15 minute walk for me.

"You didn't get shitfaced drunk yesterday, did you? That's why you're complaining about a headache," Nakyung smirked, raising an eyebrow at me. I shook my head, looking forward, and pursing my lips.

"Joy forced a lot of shots in me, but you know, I'm a thug, I walked that shit off," I said, playfully flexing my biceps. Nakyung's laugh filled the air, and she punched me in the arm.

"Yeah, alright. You're no match for the alcohol, I bet," She snickered. "I would've gone, except your friends didn't invite me. I'm chilling though, I don't need to be there for my bestie." Nakyung pouted.

"Sorry about that. When they surprised me in my dorm, I didn't exactly think about calling you up. Besides, they only invited the group chat, so don't feel left out," I explained, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and giving her a side hug.

"I said I'm fine, I'm just glad you had fun. So, how's 19 treating you right now? Are you feeling old and gray already? Ready to be a grandpa?" Nakyung poked at my arm, making me laugh.

"I'm not that old. Yet," I replied. My phone vibrated against my pocket and I pulled it out, checking the screen. It was a text from one of my friends, Park Sooyoung, but nicknamed Joy as everyone calls her. Nakyung curiously leaned in and looked at my phone with me:

Joy > hey guys, here's the pics and vids from last night

Underneath was an album of pictures and videos from the previous night. I swiped through them, smiling at the stupid moments that got captured.

"Look at this one!" Nakyung pointed, stopping me from swiping.

"Awe, cute," I smiled, staring at the picture of a drunk me wide mouthed while my boys were pouring me shots directly from the bottle. I swiped onto a picture of my foreign friend, Sana Minatozaki, passed out on the couch in my living room, a shot cup dangling from her finger and her face smushed against the armrest.

Jinho > haha the girls look dumb as fuck

Haechan > real talk

Wooyoung > man, i dont wanna hear you talking

Wooyoung > didn't you get lit off of just three rounds of shots???

The groupchat exploded with lols, lmaos, and all the different ways to laugh at someone over text. They were my goobers, or at least that's what we called ourselves, a bunch of goobers. It was corny to name ourselves, but we had an extensive history with each other since the start of university so we were really close with each other, kind of like a second family.

For instance, Pyo Haechan, the lightweight who I mentioned this morning, was one of my high school buddies who just so happened to apply for the same university as me. We made sure to keep in touch and started to grow our friend group from there. In the end, the goobers ended up being a mixed group of friends that hung out together, drunk together, and loved each other.

I turned off my phone and put it back into my pocket. Nakyung looked up at me, "Yeah, you definitely had a fun time last night."

"What can I say? The goobers know how to have fun," I proudly stated.

"The goobers," She chuckled, shaking her head. We passed up the campus library, a place where I spent most of my free time hanging out and doing my homework. It was four stories tall, and often had students either studying hard or lounging around on the first floor’s common area.

"Feel like coffee before class? I'll pay," I generously offered. Nakyung smiled, nodding, and we made a short detour off our path towards the library. As soon as we entered the building, a blast of heat welcomed us, a result of the warm weather being trapped in the large building. Just over to our right was a small cafe, tucked in the corner and selling a variety of coffees, teas, and other beverages.

There were a few tables and chairs for people to sit down and drink, but we walked over to the counter, waiting behind a tall girl ordering her own coffee.

"So, what'd you do yesterday while I was off getting drunk and shit?" I asked, looking towards her. Nakyung hummed, looking at the menu hanging on the wall.

"I had a date with my bed," She simply answered, smiling.

"A date, huh? How'd that go?"

"It was nice. The date went really well. I mean, he's hot, and smart, and sweet, and kind. What more could you want from a person?" She rambled on, her smile widening. I raised an eyebrow, smirking.

"Wow, I'm jealous, Nakyung, tell me more about the lucky thing," I played along.

"Well, I don't know if I should be saying this. But, oh god, I slept with my bed. He was so gentle and tender, but at the same time, he was firm and aggressive. He just had this way of making me feel so good and pleased, you know?" She giggled. I looked at her, reeling from her own joke.

"Did you seriously just describe the act of sleeping to me, in such graphic detail?" I stared, and she laughed harder.

"Maybe," She sang, turning her attention back to the menu. The tall girl was walking away from the counter, coffee in hand, and a guy came to the register.

"Welcome to the library cafe, how can I help you today?" He cheerfully asked, flashing us a toothy smile.

"I'd like a medium vanilla latte," Nakyung said, and the boy started ringing up the order.

"And you?" He turned towards me, waiting.

"I'll have a medium iced caramel macchiato," I ordered, pulling out my card.

"Of course, your total is $11.20, will that be all?" The boy asked. I nodded and handed my card over, watching him slide it through the machine. He returned the card to me and told us our total would be ready soon.

"Well anyways, Yeeun wasn't home again, so I just watched Netflix until I passed out," Nakyung continued the conversation from before.

"She's still dating that one guy? It's been how many months since they started going out? And how often does he come over?" I mused. Nakyung nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, they're still dating, she hasn't brought him around for a while though. I think the last time I saw him was two months ago," She responded.

"Well, next time you get bored cause Yeeun isn't around, hit me up. I'll try to hang out with you if I'm bored also," I offered.

"Don't worry, I'll come knocking on your door," Nakyung winked. A worker behind the counter called out our orders and we grabbed our drinks, heading back outside and continuing the walk towards our class.

"Anyways, it's too bad your friends didn't invite me," She repeated herself from earlier, a tinge of sadness in her voice.

"Well when they plan our next hangout, I'll make sure to bring you up and see if you can hang out with us," I said, hoping that she would feel better. She nodded and continued drinking her coffee.

"I'd really appreciate it if you could. I'm glad you have a nice friend group but you can't forget about your best friend! Don't leave me alone in my dorm, even sleeping with my bed gets lonely," Nakyung frowned.

"I'll try," I responded. She let out a small chuckle. I saw my class building coming up, a four story building with a brick exterior. It was pretty small compared to the other buildings on campus, and was one of the classes that were taught in one of the older lecture halls.

"Well, I have to get going. My class is just around the corner, have fun learning," Nakyung sarcastically said, pointing with her finger. I looked and saw her class building, and nodded.

"Don't die," I said, starting to walk towards my own as we branched off.

Thursday | September 21st, 2023 | 4:26 PM

Whirr. I stopped the blender once I deemed the slush inside smooth enough. I grabbed a plastic cup from a nearby stack and poured the slush into the cup to the brim. Sliding it over to a fancy machine, I put the plastic cup inside and pushed a button. The machine did its work and topped off the cup with a plastic cover with my workplace's logo on the top. I pulled a boba straw from a dispenser and balanced it on top of the cup, yelling out, "One taro slush!"

A couple seconds later, a girl ran over and took the slush from the counter, thanking me with a smile before turning around and leaving the store and making the shop empty once more. Right after my classes, I went straight to work at a local boba cafe. I liked my job, it was simple enough and it passed the time well but damn, we got no customers. I remember working when the cafe first opened and we would have a steady flow of people coming and going but it slowly declined as the months passed and new businesses opened up around the area.

I left my station and walked over to my coworker, a girl with a black apron wrapped around her waist leaning against the front counter.

"I swear, there's only like 20 people in this city," She commented, looking over at me.

Her name was Kim Chungha, she was about my age but older by a few months, something she never lets me forget whenever she tells me to clean the store at closing time. She had long, wavy brown hair that ended around her mid-back, but it was tied up in a ponytail and looped through the back of one of our work-issued hats.

"Hey Minjae, do you mind helping me with this?" A delicate voice called out from behind us. My other co-worker, Yoo Karina, was lifting up a box full of boba tea mixes from the ground. I walked over and gently pushed her aside. I hefted the tub up and moved it over to a table to refill our empty dispenser.

"Thanks, Minjae," Karina sweetly thanked. I grinned and shook my head, “No problem. Just call me if you need any heavy lifting.” Chungha smirked at me from behind the counter.

"You're such a gentleman, Minjae. If I ever have any heavy boxes to move, I'll definitely let you know," Chungha mockingly said. I rolled my eyes, returning the smile, and grabbing the tub.

"Oh, quit teasing him, he just wants to be useful," Karina replied, patting my shoulder. "Isn't that right, Minjae?" I nodded, and the two of them laughed. Karina had long, black hair, which she readjusted by flipping it over her shoulders. I guess I lucked out when it came to my coworkers that worked with me on my shifts, because they were extremely gorgeous. Chungha had this foxy aura, oozing charisma and a tomboyish personality. Karina was the complete opposite, exuding an elegant beauty that you couldn't help but notice.

I'm not saying that I was attracted to my coworkers, but damn, you can't deny the beauty radiating from the two. They were nice girls to work with, and sometimes we'd have our fun moments together. We often joked around and had our fun times in the backroom, but most of the time it was just a silent shift. I appreciated their constant disruptions, without them I’d be bored out of my mind. It was a shame that we never had a lot of customers anymore, but then again, the job was easier without having to deal with customers.

Karina and Chungha followed me into the backroom, helping me restock the boba machine and making sure it was running properly.

"Alright, the boba machine's fully loaded. Now all we have to do is wait for someone to buy some fucking tea," Chungha stated, and the three of us stood in silence, listening for the faint sounds of the doorbell ringing.

"I have a test tomorrow. Ugh, why did I even sign up for that class," Karina said, her voice filled with annoyance.

"What class?" I asked.

"Statistics," Karina deadpanned. I nodded in agreement. Sometimes, I would often run into Karina around school but I would never run into Chungha because she decided college wasn't for her. She wanted to get a job and start working right after high school, but she's currently working here in the meantime.

"That sounds rough," I commented. Karina's eyes widened and nodded.

"Yes, it's the worst. There's so many things to keep track of, and I have no idea how to do any of the problems," She lamented. "I'm just lucky we have a study guide for the test, otherwise, I'd probably fail it."

"Good luck with the test. I've never been the best with math, so I can’t help you there," I smiled. Chungha chuckled, looking out towards the store.

"I can't believe we've been talking this whole time and no one has entered the store. What the fuck," She muttered. I followed her gaze out into the empty store. The store was completely barren, not a soul in sight, and we were just standing here. Lately, the boba cafe hasn't been getting many customers. It wasn't like we're doing anything wrong, or the drinks aren't any good. It's the location, there are plenty of other boba shops that are around us, and it's hard to compete with the amount of traffic the other shops have been getting as well as the fact they were a part of franchises so they had a brand backing them.

It's been a whole year since the cafe first opened. I remembered applying because a few months into my first semester I realized I needed money. The family that owned the business were really nice when I first met them, and the hours were pretty flexible with my classes, so I ended up taking the job.

The store itself was pretty standard for a boba shop, there were a couple tables and chairs spread out so customers could sit down and eat, as well as a few bean bag chairs tucked in the corners, the only things we had to offer for entertainment were the TV's mounted on the wall with an internet connection to watch whatever shows. The front counter had a couple machines to brew drinks, a display case for food items, and a cash register. The menu consisted of the typical boba tea flavors, but we were also the first place to offer some unique flavors, a strategy the owners had used to gain customers.

Unfortunately, the novelty of the flavors wore off as the competition grew. Our sales dropped, and the owners were getting anxious about the business. We would have the occasional loyal customers who would come back, but the majority would go to other places. Because of that, the owners started reducing the number of workers on a shift, going from our peak at eight to just the bare minimum of three people. Luckily, Karina, Chungha, and I made the cut and were able to continue working, and I was thankful for that.

I was shaken from my thoughts when I heard a soft ringing from the storefront, the doorbell alerting us of a customer entering.

"Well, looks like someone got tired of waiting outside," Chungha whispered, looking over at the entrance. "Who wants this one?"

"You can take it, you know, being the oldest," I told her, and she sighed.

"Yeah, yeah, remember that when we have to clean the place later," She complained, but turned and walked out of the kitchen to deal with the customer. Karina and I shared a look, smiling.

"So, are you excited for volleyball season," Karina asked. I nodded, thinking back to one of my favorite times of the college year.

"Definitely. I mean, it's only my second season, so I hope that we can do better this year. You just reminded me to get my team to start practicing again," I responded. Around this time of year, the university organizes an intramural volleyball tournament for students. Each year, there are a bunch of teams that get made and sign up. Some of the goobers and I started playing volleyball last year because of it, and shit, we sucked but we've gotten better since then.

"What about you? Is your team signing up again this year? You guys placed third last year," I asked.

"Yeah, I think we are. One of our members graduated though, so we have to find someone to replace her," Karina informed. "Maybe one of my friends will want to join the team."

"Do they play?" I questioned.

"Nope, but that's not gonna stop me from begging her," Karina laughed.

"Oh god, good luck with that," I replied. We looked at each other and started giggling.

"Hey Minjae! Come out here, I'm too lazy to grab another drink!" Chungha called from the front. I rolled my eyes and gave Karina a look, and she smiled.

"Your boss is calling you," Karina teased. I rolled my eyes and walked out to help my lazy coworker.

Thursday | September 21st, 2023 | 10:12 PM

I was half sitting, half laying down on the couch in my living room just watching the TV when I heard the sound of my dorm door unlocking. I turned my head up towards the opening door and saw my roommate walking in, with a taller man walking in after her and shutting the door closed. He was Kim Minhyuk, the guy who asked out Seulgi before I could.

Sure, he was handsome and had a muscular build. He also was pretty social and had a bunch of friends. But I just didn't like the guy, part of it was indeed jealousy because I know I could've treated Seulgi way better than he could've if I had asked her out first. It's whatever, water under the bridge, it's been months so I guess I've moved on from that.

"What's up Minjae! I forgot to tell you happy birthday yesterday bro, my fault," He said, walking past Seulgi and holding his fist up for me to pound.

"It's cool," I muttered, hitting his fist with mine and turning back to the TV. Seulgi gave me a smile, and walked past the TV towards the kitchen, "Hungry babe?"

"Yeah," Minhyuk answered, taking a seat next to me and propping his legs up on the coffee table. Seulgi hummed, and the sounds of the cabinets and the stove were heard from the kitchen. I kept my eyes glued to the TV, ignoring Minhyuk's presence.

"So, what'd you do for your birthday dude?" He asked. I could see him turning his head in my direction out of the corner of my eye. I shrugged, still keeping my attention focused on the show.

"My friends planned a surprise party for me, and they got me a cake. Other than that, we just partied and drank." I replied, shortly.

"Sounds like you had fun," Minhyuk mused.

"I did," I responded, not even looking at him. I was being a bit childish, but I didn't care. He's dating Seulgi, the girl I've liked way before him, so it was okay to be a little bitter about him, right?

"That's good to hear." He said, and fell silent. The only noise between us was the show playing on the TV. Eventually, the silence was too much for Minhyuk to bear and he tried again, "What show is this?"

"I don't know," I answered. "Just flipping channels."

"What are they saying?"

"I don't know," I repeated. "Do you want the remote?' I floated it in front of him, and he quickly took it from my hands, fumbling with it. I sighed and got out of my phone, pulling up the Goobers groupchat:

Minjae > yo i just got reminded about vball intramurals, we still playing?

Within a few seconds, responses from my friends came in:

Sana > YES!!!

Tzuyu > ofc minjae

Jinho > i might have classes during gametime but ill try to make it

Haechan > no i don't think i'll be able to, but have fun without me

Sana > boo u whore

Minjae > lmaooo why not?

Joy > omggg lemme know what days yall play

Joy > ill come out and watch!

Minjae > yooo jinho what about yeji? she playing this year too?

Jinho > ye, shes down to play again

I smiled at the messages. Intramural sports were tons of fun, the energy was so alive and it's exciting to be competitive. Yeji, Jinho's girlfriend, used to play a bit of high school volleyball so she basically was the one who coached us from nothing. Although we lost pretty early, we still had fun and decided last year we'd play again.

Minjae > dopee alr just let us know when we should practice

Jinho > ye ok

I tapped off of the groupchat, and scrolled through some other messages, mostly from Nakyung telling me how boring her class was, which I never respond to just to irritate her. Eventually, Seulgi came out from the kitchen holding two bowls.

"Minhyuk, your food," She said, placing the bowls in front of him on the coffee table. I sat up straight and glanced over to see a bowl of instant noodles, "Thanks baby." Minhyuk smiled, and dug in.

Seulgi turned and looked at me, "Minjae, you hungry? You can have some from my bowl if you want."

"Oh, no. Thanks though," I declined. Seulgi grinned and sat down on the armrest next to Minhyuk. She started eating her bowl while watching the show with us, her feet pressed against Minhyuk's thigh.

"Babe, did you forget to only put half the spice packet? These noodles are a little spicy, damn." Minhyuk whined.

"Oh, sorry, I guess I got a little distracted." Seulgi apologized. Minhyuk hissed and dropped his bowl onto the coffee table with a loud thud. "I'm sorry, do you want me to make you another one?" She asked.

"What the fuck, no? Just give me your bowl, I'll eat this one. It's fine, you just didn't pay attention." He retorted, and Seulgi frowned.

"Sorry," She whispered, and handed her bowl over. Minhyuk roughly grabbed the bowl from her hands and started eating from it, slurping obnoxiously loud. Seulgi quietly watched him, reached for his bowl and started finishing his food.

I was watching the entire scene unfold in front of me, feeling awkward. Minhyuk had an attitude and didn't even bother thanking Seulgi again. I felt bad for her, he was rude, and he could've at least been more thankful. It was an honest mistake and it didn't hurt him that much, there was no need for him to be salty about it. Man, fuck this, I feel sick.

I stood up from the couch, "Alright, you two have fun. I'm heading in early." I announced. Seulgi and Minhyuk both glanced up at me, Minhyuk giving a quick nod and returning to his slurping, and Seulgi giving me a warm smile.

"Goodnight, Minjae. See you tomorrow."

"Night, Seul. Bye Minhyuk." I waved, and walked over to my bedroom. I sighed as I shut the door closed behind me, falling backwards onto my bed. I didn't want to be in that atmosphere. It's not the first time Minhyuk got rude with Seulgi, I've seen them argue multiple times over petty shit. He doesn't treat her right, and I'm sure he doesn't know how much of a sweet girl Seulgi is, but it's not my place to intervene.

My eyes fell onto a pile of dirty laundry sitting against the wall next to my desk. My heart began to pound and my pupils narrowed, as the familiar feelings of excitement came creeping back into my system. Shit. I quickly stood up, and went over to the pile. My breathing quickened, and I kneeled down, shoving my hands through the clothes and tossing them across the room. Hidden underneath a pile of my clothes was my prized possession. A bundle of purple cotton, as I unfolded, turned into a pair of lavender panties.

My cheeks heated up, and I licked my lips, bringing the underwear to my nose and deeply inhaling. My heart was racing rapidly. My lips curled upwards to make a devilish grin the more I stared at those enticing panties. Buckle up, it’s a long story. 

There's the first chapter! There's not much "action" that happens here, and the chapter's pretty much an exposition dump to start off the story but I promise the build up is worth it! I would really appreciate it if you left feedback or thoughts on the story so far, this is a story that I really want to see go far! - PI

FANPROSE EDIT: Hey there! I’m PantyIdols, author of this here fic. This is a story ported from AFF and AO3 that I’ve been working on for the past two, almost three years. So far, love this site, everything’s so nice in terms of UI and the different features are great! If you’re a reader from the aforementioned other sites, hey! If you’re a new reader who just discovered me, welcome! I really hope you enjoy!