Under One Sky {한 하늘 아래}

Chapter 4: Slow Mornings and Shared Silences

Sejin noticed things, too.

Like how Joo always used the same mint shampoo. How he grinned too widely at dumb jokes. How he'd toss a hoodie at Sejin's head and say, "Wear this, you look cold," without even thinking.

One night, it rained.

Heavy sheets of water clattered against the windows. Joo had just returned from practice, drenched from head to toe.

"Jesus, I'm soaked," he grumbled, dropping his bag by the door.

Sejin looked up from his desk. "Umbrella?"

"I forgot I had legs this morning, let alone an umbrella."

Sejin tossed him a towel wordlessly.

Joo caught it and rubbed his head dry, water dripping down his neck.

Sejin stood, opened his wardrobe, and pulled out an oversized, fuzzy and cute pastel hoodie that was way out of Joo's usual colors for his clothes. "Here. You'll catch a cold."

Joo blinked. "You sure?"

"I'll survive."

Their fingers brushed as the hoodie exchanged hands. Joo stared at him for a second longer than necessary.

"...Thanks."

Sejin turned away quickly, ears tinged pink. And Joo put on the hoodie and it fit perfectly for his larger frame since it's oversized for Sejin's petite frame.

Later that evening, when the storm had quieted into gentle taps on the windows, Joo climbed into bed in Sejin's oversized hoodie, although the hem would be lifted sometimes if he moves. He looked unusually soft in it.

"You should wear this more often," Sejin muttered from his side of the room.

Joo tilted his head. "What?"

Sejin looked up from his book. "The hoodie. It suits you."

Joo smiled — not his usual wide grin, but a smaller, gentler one.

"...Thanks."

Friday afternoon rolled around, warm and golden. Classes had ended early, and neither of them had plans.

"Wanna hang out?" Joo asked casually as he leaned against the doorframe, a banana milk in hand.

"Where?"

"I dunno. Around?"

Sejin hesitated, then nodded. "Okay."

They spent the next few hours roaming the quieter parts of campus — the garden behind the music building, the hill behind the library. Joo showed Sejin a hidden vending machine that sold expired candy bars for 100 won, and Sejin introduced Joo to a secret staircase that led to the roof.

They didn't talk about deep things. They didn't need to.

The conversation drifted from childhood snacks to horror movies, to which Pokémon they'd be if they were one. Sejin found himself laughing more than usual, while Joo watched him with a kind of quiet wonder, like he couldn't quite believe the Sejin he'd once thought was cold and aloof could laugh so freely.

As the sky dimmed, they sat side-by-side on a bench just outside the dorm building, sharing a convenience store sandwich and passing a bottle of barley tea between them.

"Hey," Joo said suddenly. "Can I ask something?"

Sejin looked at him. "Sure."

"What did you think of me when we first met?"

Sejin hesitated. "On the subway?"

Joo nodded.

"...I thought you were kind of scary," Sejin admitted. "Like... cold."

Joo laughed. "Everyone says that."

"You're not, though," Sejin said, softer now. "You're... actually really warm."

Joo turned to look at him, and for a moment, the world slowed.

"So are you," he said quietly.

They held each other's gaze — and then quickly looked away.

"Anyway," Joo said, rubbing the back of his neck, "we should go in before the mozzies eat us alive."

"Yeah," Sejin nodded, heart a little faster than before.

They returned to the dorm using different stairwells again, out of habit. But this time, when they both arrived at the same door, they didn't laugh or act surprised.

They just looked at each other — a little shy, a little expectant.

Sejin opened the door, and Joo followed him in, wordless.

That night, neither of them said much as they got ready for bed. But when the lights were off, and the room filled with the familiar sounds of breathing and wind against the windows, Joo whispered into the dark:

"Sejin?"

"...Yeah?"

"You're the best roommate I've ever had."

Sejin smiled quietly to himself beneath the covers.

"...You too."