Under One Sky {한 하늘 아래}

Chapter 5: Close Enough to Touch

The weather had cooled.

It was the kind of crisp morning that made every breath feel cleaner, sharper. Students shuffled into classes with jackets pulled close and hands stuffed into pockets. Autumn was clearly settling in — yellow leaves littered the stone paths, and a sleepy kind of calm had taken over the campus.

Sejin was already at his desk, fingers flying across his laptop as the sun crept through the blinds. Joo had left earlier than usual for gym practice, and the room had been unusually quiet without his occasional humming or dumb remarks about cereal flavors.

Sejin glanced at Joo's side of the room. His bed was unmade, books stacked messily on the desk, hoodie slung over the chair. Despite the chaos, it had somehow started to feel... familiar. Homey.

Comforting.

That realization made Sejin pause. He didn't usually get attached to people this quickly. But Joo — loud, warm, unpredictable Joo — had slowly crept into the softest corners of his routine. And it scared him a little, how natural it had started to feel.

Later that afternoon, Sejin sat under the gingko tree near the campus fountain, sketchbook in hand. He liked coming here when the weather cooled — the way the golden leaves fluttered down was calming, like a slow, silent snowfall.

He had drawn a few pages already: outlines of benches, light posts, a cluster of birds overhead. He turned the page absently, and before he realized what he was doing, his pencil was tracing the sharp curve of a jawline.

Strong brows.

Messy hair.

Kind eyes.

The page came to life too quickly — it was Joo. Laughing, looking off to the side like he always did when he was flustered. Sejin froze, staring at the page.

Why had he—

"Whoa. Is that me?"

Sejin jumped.

Joo stood behind him, leaning slightly to peer over his shoulder. He had a bottle of juice in one hand and was still in his black gym sweatshirt, hair damp from showering.

Sejin slammed the sketchbook shut.

"It's not—! I mean—just practice—"

Joo raised a brow. "Looked really good to me."

"You weren't supposed to see that."

"But I did." Joo grinned. "Damn, I look kinda hot from your perspective."

Sejin groaned. "Shut up."

Joo laughed, plopping down beside him on the bench. Their shoulders brushed. Sejin didn't move away.

"I always knew you were talented," Joo said, softer now.

Sejin didn't respond right away. He was still warm with embarrassment.

Joo looked down at his hands. "You draw other people often?"

"Only when something about them stands out," Sejin said without thinking.

He felt Joo glance at him.

"...And what stood out about me?"

Sejin hesitated, lips parting, then closing again.

"The way you smile," he said finally. "It's... hard to forget."

Joo was silent for a long moment. His usual grin faded, replaced by something softer. He looked away, ears tinged red.

"Thanks."

The air between them shifted again. Heavier this time. Full of something unnamed.

That night, the dorm room was filled with quiet. The lamps cast warm pools of amber over their respective desks as they worked. Joo tapped at his phone, half-focused on a group chat with his gym buddies. Sejin typed away on an assignment.