Minhyuk somehow managed to locate Ashley cackling away to a flock of her friends, or more like minions, consisting of two guys and a girl, all exceedingly snooty, standing in front of their sparkly lockers.
As Minhyuk approached, he groaned inwardly because the topic of conversation was himself, more precisely an elaborately fabricated version of yesterday’s lacklustre unfinished endeavour.
He withdrew the girl from her friend group who, on spotting Minhyuk, ‘ooh-ed’ and ‘aah-ed’ in a remarkable variance of pitches, clearly drawing their own fantastic conclusions.
However, Minhyuk was quick to snuff out Ashley’s raging fire at another possible hook up. Of course, the girl had whined and demanded an explanation and Minhyuk had spewed some mumbo jumbo about Mrs. Gibbons once again, silently deciding to gift the woman’s grandchildren something lavish for constantly throwing her under the bus.
Surprisingly, Ashley seemed to be actually scared of his housekeeper which worked quite well in Minhyuk’s favour. And they parted ways after Ashley left a questionable invitation for a threesome, if Minhyuk was ever interested.
Now Minhyuk did enjoy a good time, but he wasn’t about to display his nudity with more than one person at a time, thank you very much. So, he vaguely nodded at her and fled towards the art building, sighing in relief.
His professor was relatively pleased with the painting, insisting that Minhyuk had much more potential than this. She pointed out the fine details of his work, scrutinising and pointing out the brush strokes where he should have poured more emotion, should have driven home his vision.
At the outset, his work was more of an objective perfection. But it lacked subjectivity and the signature of individuality.
Minhyuk doesn’t blame her. He did complete the project after his underhand business the day before.
He promised to do better at which his professor reminded him that he must or his grades were going to slip. And Minhyuk earnestly promised her that he would do his best in the next assignment and even asked if he could work for some extra credit.
His professor assured him that she would think of one and let him know. Minhyuk attended his art history class next and after that he was free of classes for a few hours till his Modern Literature class. So, he decided to head over to the library.
Once he was settled in his designated seat towards the back of the massive room with tall, ancient bookcases, he plugged on his earphones and decided to take some notes from the latest class that he had.
His phone began pinging incessantly after a while, and Minhyuk, without even checking, knew that it was their group chat blowing up.
...UNFORTUNATE COLLEGE KIDS...
Jinhoo😜✌️:
Hey losers listen up
Jaesung🤓☝️:
I’m kinda busy with my Metaphysics lecture rn
Jinhoo😜✌️:
Oh shut up Jae. Quit being a 50 year old for like 5 minutes and listen 2 me. Where r the others?
Youngjae😎🫶:
Greetings darlings💖
^^^Minhyuk🤠🕳️:^^^
^^^Whats up?^^^
Jinhoo😜✌️:
So we’r goin trekkin this spring break
Jaesung🤓☝️:
What?!
Youngjae😎🫶:
What!
^^^Minhyuk🤠🕳️:^^^
^^^I’m down, where?^^^
Jinhoo😜✌️:
See. The kid knows whats up. The other 2, stop with your queries. This isn’t up 4 debate. We’re goin to Alaska.
Jaesung🤓☝️:
Idk. Isn’t that too extravagant?
Jinhoo😜✌️:
🙄 don’t 4get we went to Paris last year to spend Christmas
Youngjae😎🫶:
Seems adventurous enough 2 me
^^^Minhyuk🤠🕳️:^^^
^^^I cud use a break. LANDSCAPE PAINTING!^^^
Jinhoo😜✌️:
3 down, 1 to go. Joon? It better b a yes
Jaesung🤓☝️:
Ugh fine. At this rate m gonna exhaust all my savings
Jinhoo😜✌️:
U can always ask 4 more frm ur parents, hon ❤️❤️
Jaesung🤓☝️:
😑
^^^Minhyuk🤠🕳️:^^^
^^^Lemme know the deets. Spring break is in 3 weeks^^^
Jinhoo😜✌️:
My dad will b accommodating us wid everything. I cant wait!!
Youngjae😎🫶:
It won’t be like too cold ryt? I don’t want my skin to get too affected
^^^Minhyuk🤠🕳️:^^^
^^^🙄🙄🙄🙄^^^
Jaesung🤓☝️:
Guys I need 2 go, the prof is sayin some really interesting theories rn. Byah!
Jinhoo😜✌️:
Ah, the nerd. Anyways, I need 2 head 2 class too. Byebye losers❤️
Youngjae😎🫶:
❤️❤️❤️
Minhyuk grinned at his phone. His friends were an oddball mix but he wouldn’t have it any other way. He had known them since high school.
Initially off to an awkward start given their varying personalities but eventually falling into a rhythm and then all trooping to the same college together.
Ever since then, they’d made it a tradition to go vacationing every year to various places more often than not, planned spontaneously by Jinhoo and considering the fact that all of them hailed from extremely well off families, being able to afford these trips were never a problem.
Last year they’d spend their Christmas and New Year’s at an Airbnb in Paris and Minhyuk had felt the thrill of hooking up with a French girl on Christmas eve and then having a great time with an Italian guy into the New Year.
Minhyuk sighed dreamily, staring at the bookshelf ahead. Maybe he’d find some nice mountain girl or boy on this hiking trip. He knew it would be yet another exciting one.
Just as Minhyuk was about to get back to his notes, he noticed someone standing behind the massive shelf across him, peeking through a gap in the books.
He looked up and was met with the familiar smirk of Mr. Striped Pants from the café, who was currently rolling a piece of hair around his forefinger accompanying his sultry smirk. Minhyuk smiled back and looked around him.
The library was relatively empty at this hour, as most were in their classes. Even if they were, Minhyuk knew a secluded area right at the very back of the huge room, where the oldest and most useless versions of books were kept and which was rarely visited by students, which is why the CCTV was absent in that particular area.
The man emerged from behind the bookshelf, lightly running his fingers along the spines of the book aimlessly, throwing a coy glance or two at Minhyuk’s direction. A clear invitation to something that Minhyuk was quite happy to accept.
He closed his books and shoved them in his bag along with his phone. The man instantly perked up, and Minhyuk subtly indicated the man to follow him.
Once they reached the dusty and dark corner of the library, he rounded on the man and walked with confident steps till the man was backed up against one of the bookshelves.
“Let’s not waste time exchanging names, shall we?” Minhyuk murmured, and nipped at the man’s earlobe gently, unleashing his full charm. He felt the man visibly shiver.
“B-but I already know your name,” the man murmured, eyes already glazing over.
Of course you do, Minhyuk thought.
“Don’t say it. A little mystery always spices things up,” Minhyuk said instead and latched onto a particular spot in the man’s neck to suck away as the man instantly let out a low groan.
“You want it rough or slow?” Minhyuk asked in a low voice, licking a little stripe on the man’s shoulder which he had exposed by pulling down his red shirt.
“R-rough,” the man panted, rapidly becoming a mess and Minhyuk smirked.
“Perfect.”
...-----...
As Minhyuk headed for his Modern Literature class, fixing his hair and pulling his tan button-up, he decided libraries did indeed have quite the quaint charm that somehow amped up the pleasure.
Many of Minhyuk’s peers wondered why despite being a college student he still lived with his parents.
Well, for starters, he wouldn’t give up his mansion of a house and lavish master bedroom with a flat-screen TV for a measly college dorm, no thank you.
Minhyuk didn’t mind the slightest living with his parents. Primarily because his parents were liberal, easy-going folks who didn’t hinder or restrict Minhyuk in living his life however he wanted.
They understood Minhyuk was an adult and so gave him the necessary liberties. It never posed a problem for Minhyuk to do whatever he wanted. Except for when he forgets to lock his goddamn door or invite clingy people to his house.
Minhyuk knew he was extremely well off. His father was the CEO of a motor vehicle company, manufacturing sleek parts for well-known automobile brands while his mother was an interior designer, one of the very sought after in New York.
He never had to work for anything in life so far, being allowed a hearty amount of pocket money to spend as he pleased. And Minhyuk really didn’t have many hobbies to spend the money on, except video games and painting supplies.
However, his parents had made it clear to him that all this wealth was not supposed to get into his head or be taken for granted.
There was severity in Minhyuk’s father’s decisions when it came to Minhyuk maintaining his grades in college and doing consistently good in his major.
And Minhyuk, despite his wayward ways, tried his best to never disappoint his parents on that aspect. So, even though Minhyuk did get a lot of slack, his parents never tolerated any type of entitlement.
Minhyuk was currently sitting at dinner with his parents, eyes glued to his phone, keeping a tab of the football score of the match that was going on.
He was shifting and moving in his seat sporadically every time an interesting point came for the team that he was supporting. Mrs. Gibbons was fluttering around with trays of food till Mrs. Kim politely asked her to retire and look after her own dinner and that they would serve themselves. The woman gave a huge smile and scurried off.
“Minhyuk?” His father called out.
Minhyuk absentmindedly hummed, eyes following the quarterback with fervor.
“Son.” The authority now clear in his voice, and Minhyuk reluctantly locked his phone and looked at his father expectantly.
Mr. Kim smiled and spoke, “I have some news.”
Minhyuk perked up because usually his father’s news was always good.
“We are going home for your spring break this year. For your grandparents’ 60th marriage anniversary.” His father said, smiling wider now as his mother looked fondly at her husband.
Despite being in the States nearly all his life, except the first 10 years, Minhyuk knew that when his Dad called 'home' it always meant South Korea, more precisely a few kilometers off Busan, in a countryside where his grandparents lived and owned a huge farm replete with animals of various kinds and one which Minhyuk loved visiting when he was younger.
He vaguely remembers going to school there till he was 9 years old before moving to America, and the glitz and glamour of the west promptly erased and wrote new things in Minhyuk’s young and impressionable mind. Right now, though, he wasn’t all too thrilled about the vacation. Considering he already had plans of his own.
“Uh, but Dad…I kinda already made plans with Jinhoo and the others,” Minhyuk said sheepishly, twirling a piece of broccoli on his plate.
“Minhyuk, you tour with your friends every year. We have never stopped you before. Does your grandparents’ special occasion mean nothing to you?” his mom asked coldly.
And there it was. The emotional card. Minhyuk knew, denying would brand him as ungrateful. This was going to be a big deal because most of their extended family, his cousins, all still stayed in Korea, and all would be in attendance at this anniversary which would most certainly be a grand affair, considering his grandparents were looked up to by everyone in their small town, being the most influential family there.
But Minhyuk didn’t want to go. He wanted to scale the mountains and see the lakes and find exotic people to interact with.
He wanted to paint the spring landscapes and drink and just have fun with his friends. He loved his grandparents, but any function with family was bound to be a boring affair. And Minhyuk wasn’t even very fond of the countryside anymore, too used to the city life.
He knew escape wasn’t an option without heavily disappointing his parents, and no matter how bratty Minhyuk can be from time to time, he didn’t enjoy upsetting his mother and father. So, despite feeling angry at having his lovely holiday plans thwarted, Minhyuk found himself agreeing.
“Okay. Yeah, we should go, of course.”
“That’s my boy,” his mother said and affectionately ruffled his hair, and Minhyuk offered a tight smile. His father, seemingly pleased, continued with his dinner, discussing what gift to give his parents with his wife while Minhyuk zoned out.
He unlocked his phone, the game now long over, and his mood soured further to find his team had lost. He scowled and went to their group chat, informing them he couldn’t go. He instantly felt his phone vibrate with a barrage of texts which he chose to ignore for the time being.
Too sulky to reply.
He popped a broccoli in his mouth and grimaced at the taste.
His spring break was probably going to be one big broccoli, bland and utterly boring. And Minhyuk just knew, he had this feeling that he would have a bad time, being pestered with questions by his inquisitive relatives and pesky cousins about his life that he had no interest whatsoever in answering.
He was determined to hate every second of it.
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