章 14: Picking Up Pieces 1

Minwoo looks around his new room at the alpha dormitory. Everything is in place. His desk all clean, his bed made, his wardrobe all neat. Perfect. He should walk around the campus now to explore.

After that incident, he decided to live in campus where he is sure it won't happen again. He still owns the apartment though, but he might use that for other stuff. Not to sleep with omegas, that's for sure.

Beta, maybe.

But he might have to reconsider that. Considering he has no experience sleeping with betas. And courting them is said to be hard since they cannot detect pheromones so he would have to sweet talk to convince them. It is a lot of work for a mere one-night stand. And he has to prepare the males too. Not to mention some cannot handle alphas in bed so he will have to be extra gentle. He wonders if betas are worth all the extra work.

Maybe, if he is that desperate.

'Urghhh so bored.' He lies on the bed. He wants to explore but is not in the mood right now. He wants to party, like he always did. Unfortunately, he knows no one and doesn't want to take the risk of encountering another creep while going out alone. The new term starts in a few days so he needs to find something to do to fill his time in the meanwhile.

Meaning he needs to go out after all.

Just as he is opening the door, his next-door neighbour does the same. Talk about good timing.

'Hey. Are you the new guy?' The man asks, his voice gentle.

'I just moved in yesterday. Nice to meet you. Kim Minwoo, 1st year medic student.'

'Oh, hi Minwoo! I'm Lee Jeongmin. Or Taeyang. Whichever's better. I'm 2nd year medic. Haven't seen you around campus though.'

'I transferred here. Just registered this term.' Minwoo stares at the guy. He has a very bright smile. It is too bright. And the name seems familiar but it could be a common name. He hasn't been in Korea for a while, he doesn't know what is popular.

'Hey, I knew a Kim Minwoo!' Well, that is random. How should he react to that?

'Oh! It's a common name. I think…' Maybe his name is too.

'Is it?' Jeongmin wonders and looks back at him, thinking about something. 'Oh, you need a tour or something? You know the place?'

'Ah. Haven't been around yet.'

'Wanna join me for a jog?'

Minwoo considers for a bit. That may be a good idea since he hasn't been exercising since he got here. And he needs a tour. And a friend. So yeah. 'Gimme a minute to change.'

So, there is a man-made lake near their dorm. Apparently, that is where every student go for a jog since it is surrounded by a mini park. And some other dormitories are located near the lake therefore a lot of people gather here for all sorts of activities. He sees some people on their dates, some playing their guitars while others paint... This is good. He should be able to meet some people here.

'There's our department! And next to it is the university's hospital.' Jeongmin points out to the tall building located at the very end of the campus. They have been jogging for only 15 minutes so that means that their dormitory is not that far. He should be able to make it to class even if he wakes up ten minutes before, if he runs. 'Are you hanging in there?'

'Oh yeah. This is nothing.'

'Nice! How bout we go to other part of campus?'

'Lead the way.' Minwoo looks around, making sure to remember some places he found interesting. It would be nice if he can find somewhere isolated to make it his secret hiding place for when he needs to get away from everything. Back in his old university, he would go to the small wood near the campus to sleep. But the park here seems too busy to be his secret place.

'This is the Performance Arts Department!' Minwoo stares at the unique looking building and wonders if Jeongmin skipped all the other departments. Because he saw a lot of buildings for the last half an hour but the older did not say anything.

'Oh nice building. Wait, are you going in?' He tries to stop the other. Aren't they supposed to tour the campus?

'I need to see someone for a bit. Wait here.' Minwoo nods and waits outside, looking around the department. He thought he saw another beautiful building not far from here. They went passed it though. Maybe he will come back here if he has the chance.

Minwoo has always been drawn to buildings. He appreciates good architecture, but he is not the kind who can draw those straight lines and mind the littlest details about a particular building. He is also, not creative. It is just not his strong point. Anatomy and the human body is. That is why he chose medicine over architecture.

Nevertheless, he still enjoys learning about it. Just not taking exams and writing reports on it.

'Sorry to keep you waiting!' Jeongmin returns with a really big smile on his face. 'Needed to recharge.'

'Girlfriend?'

'Boyfriend. I wish.'

'Awww….' He pats the older's back and gives him a big hug. Besides the one girl he dated in middle school, Minwoo never had any lovers so he will never understand the pain the older must be feeling. Committing oneself to one person is a stupid thing to do but apparently some people would go the extra mile and even hurt themselves to do so. That is why Minwoo is hugging the guy.

Not because he feels bad for him not getting his dream guy, but because he finds him stupid. But Jeongmin doesn't need to know that. 'So I guess we're going back now? You only wanted to come here right?'

'Aishh!! Who said…' Jeongmin pushes his hand away and hits him lightly, his face although still has that smile, clearly gives away his embarrassment, 'You…'

Minwoo laughs at the man's antics. He likes it. Somehow socializing with people in his own native language gives him some kind of warmth, sort of a welcoming feeling. He thought it is only his family who acts all touchy and familiar because the only other people he speaks to besides his maids is Chris and that man seriously needs to chill. Maybe, if all people here talk and acts like this senior, he would not mind staying here for a long time after all.

Except for omegas though.

He still has no interest in Korean omegas. No matter what language they speak or how they act. No way.

'Let's go somewhere to eat first.'

'Sure! Where?' Minwoo is excited because, food! The most important thing in life besides sex is food and now that he might give up on the former, he only has food to rely on to survive his university life. He wonders how many canteens and cafes this whole campus has? And which one has the best coffee?

Walking alongside Jeongmin, he gets more excited when he realizes they are heading towards the beautiful building nearby. That beautiful building. 'The Architectural Department has the best café! Oh and there's the Architectural and Engineering's library.' Jeongmin points towards a modern-looking glass building. He can see the inside filled with bookcases and people studying with their notebooks and headphones. They look so cool. He is now curious about how the medic's one looks like. Not as grandeur, probably.

'Wow. You're right. This is definitely good.' He is awed by the interior of the café. It is like a book cafe decorated with pictures of modern buildings, yet cozy like a cottage, with a twist of urban design.

'Wait till you taste their coffee. I'd like the simple Americano.'

'I'll have that too.' He speaks to the waitress and leans back on the seat, eyes wandering to capture all the decorations. Maybe he can incorporate some of the ideas to his apartment since it is a bit too empty right now. Despite how he dress, Minwoo prefers his house to be homey.

'You know, you look really familiar.' Jeongmin starts again, still not letting it go.

'Really? Like who?' The other also reminds Minwoo of someone but he just cannot remember who. And that is weird because he doesn't have many Asian friends back in the Netherlands so he should remember where he has seen this face. Unless… 'Are you from Anyang?'

'Omo!!! Right!!! That's it! I used to live with my grandma in Anyang!!!' Jeongmin's eyes widens, Minwoo's too, 'Good god! Lee Jeongmin from Sunflower class???'

'I thought I knew you! Yaah Kim Minwoo! What the hell happened to you? You're a giant now!' Minwoo claps excitedly with Jeongmin. They were classmates back in kindergarten! Both of them were the underdog back then, not really standing out. He was small and Jeongmin was a game-freak. They were not close but didn't have problems with each other either. He remembers the one time they had to act in a play, and he became the monkey while Jeongmin the sun. And that is the only time they had anything to do with each other.

'Aah! So that's where you get the 'Taeyang' name.' Minwoo nods to himself as he recalls the history. Jeongmin only smiles, showing his famous bright expression. Seeing that, Minwoo laughs at how much the other changed yet still has that smile.

'Why are you my senior?' Minwoo wonders. They are supposed to be in their first year since he is not held back in any way, and the system in Korea is pretty much the same with his old university so…

'I skipped a year in high school! Cus I'm smart.' The man gives him a satisfied smirk and Minwoo rolls his eyes playfully. Out of all the people, he met his old classmate first. Things are looking really good. He will not have to go through the awkward conversation phase since Jeongmin seems like a really friendly guy. And he will not have to try to impress the guy since they are technically, already friends. Time to let loose then.

'So Jeongmin-seonbae¹.' He playfully calls which earns him a light punch from the other, embarrassed. 'Where do I go to have fun?'

'Like a park or something?'

'Like a bar or something.'

'Lemme guess. Omega-hunting?' Jeongmin raises one of his eyebrows. That particular question reminds him of one of his close friends who just left the university. Minwoo shakes his head, 'More like beta-hunting.'

'Beta??? Why???' Jeongmin has this really shocked face that Minwoo half-expected. Alphas searching for betas, who wouldn't be shocked?

'Personal interest.' He smirks. Maybe he will not have to give up his sex-life after all. This can all work out.