After ramyeon, my stomach is officially ballooned to its maximum level. Walking to the metro station with Beomgyu, I have to stop several times just to keep myself from cramping.

"The summer session lasts for four weeks," Beomgyu says, as we re-enter the dorm room together. "That means we have to make maximum use of our time."

"Agreed," I say. "Thanks for an amazing first day out."

"Treat me as your new boyfriend," he jokes.

I blush, and he laughs while laying down on his bed. His phone comes out next, and I assume he's messaging the other members of TOMORROW X TOGETHER when he chuckles with every new notification that comes in.

"Can I ask you another serious question?" I ask. "Sorry, I feel like I'm playing a game with how many things I'm asking."

"Fire away," he says, setting his phone aside.

"Are you grossed out by me in any way?" I ask, cringing at how my words come out all awkward and tangled.

"Are you kidding me?" he asks. "This is the 21st century. You're just like any other guy to me." He winks. "Even if it means your eyes linger on me a second longer than usual."

I gulp. So he's definitely noticed me staring. "I'm sorry."

He looks a bit regretful. "I should be the one who's sorry," he says.

He doesn't have to say anymore for me to get exactly what he means. Beomgyu is straight. He has the vibe plastered all over him—not a gay bone in his body. Of course, I'm in no position to wish for something different. He'll be my friend and nothing more. It's better this way, less complicated. I can heal fully if I accept that I shouldn't fall for anyone else anytime soon.

The night grasps me, the tiredness overcoming me. I fall asleep with the image of Beomgyu's smile engraved inside my eyelids.

*

The next day, Beomgyu wakes early again. I lay in bed while he showers and gets ready for our first class together—Korean pop culture. Again, I can't believe my life—my luck in being assigned to being Choi Beomgyu's roommate. It seems that God is looking out for me in more ways than one.

"Hey," he says, after coming out of the shower. His hair is wet, sticking to his forehead. "I have an idea. Why don't you come with me to meet the other members at the cafe. Only if you're ready, though."

I want to say no. I've always been a person to stick to familiarity, not risking it with stepping outside of my bubble. But. This is TOMORROW X TOGETHER we're talking about. They've just debuted this year, and I'll be a fool not to take an opportunity to meet them. God brought Beomgyu into my life for a reason, and I'll be stupid not to meet his best friends.

"Okay."

I rush in the shower, trying to scrub away the soap as quickly as possible. I accidentally use Beomgyu's body wash as my shampoo, and I drop my loofah multiple times. I come outside with my t-shirt slightly wet and my pants with a splattering of soap near its cuffs.

"You clean up well," Beomgyu says. I can't tell if he's being serious or not.

We head to a cafe directly attached to one of the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies' buildings. The other four members are already waiting in the middle, at a table for six. Pastries are spread between them evenly, along with all spectrums of coffee—Americanos to lattes to blended mochas.

"Hi!" Yeonjun is the first to welcome me as I sit down. "Has Beomgyu been treating you well? He's not too gross to live with, right?"

I laugh. "No. I mean, yes, he's been treating me really well."

"Hueningkai is rooming with me," Taehyun says. "Yeonjun and Soobin are together. Beomgyu was the one to volunteer to room with a stranger."

I smile. "Thank God for that. He's been really good to me."

Hueningkai looks at me suspiciously, his brows pulled together. "I guess he hasn't been making his usual messes yet. Usually, there's trash all over his room."

Beomgyu reaches over to pinch Hueningkai's cheek. "Do you want me to mess up your makeup? Don't embarrass me in front of my new friend."

New friend. The word lights up my world, and I can see in a tone of warmth like wearing a lens.

I share a pastry with Soobin, a chocolate cake with raspberry frosting. "How are your classes so far?" Soobin asks me.

"They're really good," I say. "I like my pop culture class. And right now in language class we're reviewing Hangul."

"Sounds like a treat," Soobin says. "It's too bad only Beomgyu is in your class. But maybe we'll become close friends throughout your stay here."

"He'll be my friend," Beomgyu says, the possessiveness coming out in a whiney note.

"Yeah," Taehyun says. "He can become overly attached, Jayden. Just letting you know."

I blush. "I don't mind."

Yeonjun reaches over to take a bite of the cake. His full lips smile in a crescent shape. "You like Beomgyu, don't you?"

"Hey!" Beomgyu shouts out. "All romantic topics are off limits."

"Why?" Yeonjun asks, clearly intrigued now.

I decide to answer before Beomgyu has to defend me even more. "I'm trying to get over a breakup."

All members of TOMORROW X TOGETHER, bar Beomgyu, gasp as if I've revealed that I'm actually a space alien. "Ohh," Soobin says. "That's tough. I mean, not like anyone here has ever had a girlfriend before."

Yeonjun laughs. "We're all sad and single. Well, for as long as we're idols."

I smile, guessing it's best not to disclose that it's actually a guy that I'm heartbroken after. "You guys have a close relationship with your fans. I guess that's how you survive being single."

"Hueningkai will date as soon as he can," Yeonjun teases.

Hueningkai blushes, dropping a piece of croissant on the table. "Hey! Not true."

There's an hour until class. So with Beomgyu sitting beside me, I begin to show more of myself to TOMORROW X TOGETHER. I tell them that I'm an aspiring writer. I say that I went to Seoul to heal from my heartbreak, to escape from the island that carries too many memories with my ex lover. I claim that I've been their fan ever since their debut. I danced to CROWN almost every day in my room back home, where I had no idea that I'd meet them only a few months later. I even succeed in getting Taehyun to sing one of my favorite lines in Nap of a star, the part about believing in someone even though I'm anxious.

All in all, being here with TXT is one of the most ambitious, yet healing things I could've asked for.