Chapter 3 Two Completely Different Languages

Taehyun discovered three things about his roommate before noon.

Arin hated noise.

Arin hated mess.

And, apparently, Arin hated him.

The last one was still under investigation.

Taehyun woke up to the sound of a curtain being pulled open.

He groaned and pulled the blanket over his head.

Sunlight immediately flooded the room.

"Close it."

Nothing.

Taehyun opened one eye.

Arin stood by the window, already dressed.

Black trousers.

A loose white shirt.

His hair was slightly messy, as though he'd run his fingers through it instead of bothering with a comb.

He was holding a sketchbook.

Taehyun stared at him.

"Did you hear me?"

Arin glanced over.

"Yes."

"Then close the curtain."

"No."

Taehyun slowly sat up.

"...Why?"

"Because it's morning."

"Exactly."

Arin gave him a look.

A very specific look.

Not anger.

Not annoyance.

Something closer to Are you actually serious?

Taehyun frowned.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"That face."

Arin blinked.

"I have one face."

"No, you don't."

A pause.

"Apparently I do."

Taehyun stared at him.

Was he joking?

He couldn't tell.

That was already irritating.

"You know what?" Taehyun threw the blanket aside. "Fine."

He got up.

He was still half asleep when he walked toward the bathroom.

His foot hit something.

He looked down.

A pair of Arin's shoes.

Neatly placed beside the bed.

Taehyun kicked them aside.

Arin's head turned.

"Don't."

Taehyun looked at the shoes.

Then at Arin.

"I didn't know they were sacred."

"They're clean."

"So?"

"So don't kick them."

Taehyun stared at him.

"You really care about shoes that much?"

"I care about not stepping on things that belong to me."

Taehyun laughed.

"You're unbelievable."

Arin turned a page in his sketchbook.

"I've heard."

That somehow annoyed Taehyun even more.

By eight-thirty, the room looked exactly the same.

Except for one side.

Arin's side remained perfectly organized.

Taehyun's side already looked like a small natural disaster.

Two shirts were hanging from the back of his chair.

A pair of shoes had somehow migrated beneath his desk.

His gym bag lay open on the floor.

His towel was hanging from the bedpost.

Arin stared at it.

Taehyun noticed.

"What?"

Arin looked at the towel.

Then at Taehyun.

Then back at the towel.

"Nothing."

"There you go again."

"Again?"

"That look."

Arin's eyebrow lifted.

"What look?"

"Like you're silently judging me."

"I wasn't silent."

Taehyun's mouth fell open.

Then he laughed.

"Okay. That's actually funny."

Arin didn't smile.

Taehyun pointed at him.

"See? That's what I'm talking about."

"What?"

"You don't react."

"I react."

"No, you don't."

"I just did."

"That wasn't a reaction."

"What would satisfy you?"

Taehyun thought about it.

"I don't know."

"Then that's unfortunate."

Taehyun stared.

Arin calmly returned to his sketchbook.

"Did you just insult me?"

"No."

"You absolutely did."

"I stated a fact."

Taehyun dragged a hand over his face.

"You're going to be exhausting."

Arin looked up.

"You're loud."

"So?"

"I was making an observation."

"That sounded like an insult."

"It wasn't."

"Then why did it feel like one?"

Arin's mouth twitched.

Barely.

Taehyun noticed.

"Did you just smile?"

"No."

"You did."

"I didn't."

"You definitely did."

Arin closed his sketchbook.

"You're late."

"For what?"

"Class."

Taehyun looked at the clock.

8:57.

His eyes widened.

"Shit."

He grabbed his bag.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You didn't ask."

Taehyun stopped halfway through putting on his shoes.

"You are unbelievable."

Arin looked at him.

"You're repeating yourself."

Taehyun pointed at him.

"You're lucky you're pretty."

Silence.

Taehyun froze.

Arin froze.

For one strange second, neither moved.

Taehyun cleared his throat.

"I meant—"

Arin picked up his bag.

"You're late."

Then he walked out.

Taehyun watched him leave.

"...What the hell was that?"

The campus cafeteria was louder than the dorm.

Much louder.

Taehyun liked it.

People shouting across tables.

Friends stealing food from each other's plates.

Music playing from someone's phone.

Someone arguing about a professor.

Normal.

Comfortable.

He spotted Jae near the window and dropped into the seat beside him.

"Finally."

Jae looked him over.

"How's the roommate?"

Taehyun grabbed a fry.

"Terrible."

"Already?"

"His name is Arin."

Jae raised an eyebrow.

"And?"

"And he's annoying."

"What did he do?"

Taehyun opened his mouth.

Nothing came out.

Jae waited.

Taehyun frowned.

"He exists."

Jae laughed.

"That's not a reason."

"You haven't met him."

"Maybe he's nice."

"He's not."

"Maybe you're the problem."

Taehyun looked offended.

"Me?"

Jae nodded.

"Definitely you."

"Traitor."

Before Jae could answer, someone dropped into the seat across from them.

Noah.

And beside him—

Arin.

Taehyun's expression immediately changed.

Arin noticed.

His eyes flicked toward him.

Then toward the empty seat.

Then back.

"You."

Taehyun leaned back.

"Unfortunately."

Noah looked between them.

"You two know each other?"

"Roommates," they said simultaneously.

Jae nearly choked on his drink.

"You've got to be kidding."

Taehyun pointed toward Arin.

"This guy is impossible."

Arin looked at him.

"He's loud."

"There."

Taehyun turned to Jae.

"You see?"

Arin calmly opened his lunch.

"You've been complaining about me for approximately thirty seconds."

"Because you're irritating."

"You're still talking."

"Because you're irritating."

"Then stop."

Taehyun stared at him.

Noah slowly leaned toward Jae.

"Are they always like this?"

Jae nodded.

"We met them five minutes ago."

The afternoon made things worse.

They discovered they had one class together.

Not just any class.

A mandatory interdisciplinary course.

Creative Thinking and Design.

The professor divided the students into pairs.

Taehyun leaned back in his chair.

Please.

Anyone.

Literally anyone.

"Taehyun Kang."

He looked up.

"Yes?"

"Arin Seo."

well, manifestation is what you think of the most isn't it....

Taehyun's head snapped toward the professor.

Arin's expression didn't change.

"You're partners."

Taehyun stared at Arin.

Arin stared back.

Neither spoke.

The professor smiled.

"Wonderful. You two look like you'll work very well together."

Taehyun muttered,

"That's one way to describe it."

Arin heard him.

"Another would be unfortunate."

Taehyun turned.

"Did you just make a joke?"

"No."

"You did."

"No."

"You did."

Arin looked at him.

"You talk too much."

"And you don't talk enough."

"Sounds like balance."

Taehyun paused.

Then frowned.

"Don't make this sound like we're compatible."

For the first time that day, Arin's expression changed.

A tiny, almost invisible smile.

"Don't worry."

He opened his notebook.

"I wouldn't."

Taehyun stared at him.

He had no idea why that irritated him more than it should have.

Maybe it was the calmness.

Maybe it was the way Arin never seemed impressed.

Or maybe—

He simply wasn't used to someone who didn't react to him.

Either way, Taehyun made a decision.

He was going to win.

Whatever they were competing over.

He just needed to figure out what the competition was.

Across the table, Arin quietly wrote something in his notebook.

Taehyun leaned over.

"What are you writing?"

Arin covered the page.

"Nothing."

"You're suspicious."

"So are you."

"I'm not."

Arin looked at him.

That expression again.

The one that somehow said more than words ever could.

Taehyun narrowed his eyes.

"You know what?"

"What?"

"I don't like your face."

Arin calmly returned to his notes.

"That's unfortunate."

Taehyun groaned.

"Stop saying that."

well, Taehyun had a mission now, to get Arin annoyed.

Younger siblings are a pro at that.......by nature.

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