(suju) when it's bad, ain't nothing worse.; yesung, yesung/ryeowook
when it's bad, ain't nothing worse.
(suju) 1715 wds. pg-13; rpf, au - yesung, yehwook, vague yesung/dana (csjh)
the truth is, he's delayed because he probably has the most rotten luck in the planet.
s. yesung isn't stupid, he knows there are rumors about him, but that's all they are really anyway: rumors.
a/n. epic kpop university au collection; sequel to this ryeowook piece, and while this can stand on it's own, the ryeowook story was pretty much the one that built the foundation for the university au. :)
d. i do not know, nor am i affiliated with, yesung, ryeowook, dana, super junior, cheon sang ji hee the grace or sm entertainment. none of the events depicted in this story happened.
- - -
"I hear he's been here for ten years," Sungmin whispered.
"What? That's even longer than Eeteuk-hyung!" Ryeowook whispered back.
Sungmin shrugged, "I doubt it's true, but it's the word around campus anyway."
*
Yesung isn't stupid - well, okay, he can be a bit slow sometimes, but he still knows what people say about him behind his back. He knows they range from plain stupid (no, he's not a fucking test subject for behavioral scientists), to absolutely absurd (for the record, no, he doesn't eat cats, dead or alive), to simply untrue (of course he hasn't been in the university for ten years, and he definitely hasn't been there longer than fucking Eeteuk has).
The truth is, he's delayed because he probably has the most rotten luck in the planet.
His first year, he had contracted chicken pox right before finals, resulting in failed exams, which resulted in dismal final grades and a failing mark in his Natural Science general education subject. The year after his laptop crashed the night before most of his papers were due, half of which he didn't have backed up. By the time he'd re-written his review paper for General Lit class, his Professor had already apparently gone on an early break because he was going to be taking a sabbatical for the rest of the year. Yesung never got to complete that subject.
The worst yet was his third year, because when kids say "dog ate my homework" they're usually lying or cracking jokes, and while a dog never ate Yesung's final paper for his Sociology 101 class, Heechul's stupid cat (who wasn't even supposed to be allowed in the dorms, but Heechul gets away with everything anyway) had pooped on it. Looking back, that's probably where the cat-eating rumor came from as he'd chased Heebum out of his room, yelling curses, right before he ran into Heechul who glared at him and had yelled at him for traumatising his poor cat. Obviously, he'd failed Sociology that year.
His life is basically like that, a series of unfortunate events. Never enough to push him completely over the edge (or kick him out of university) but always just enough to make his life a little miserable (and more than enough to keep extending his stay in school).
*
"Oppa, you keep staring at that freshman again," Dana said, as she plopped on the bench beside him in the school quad.
"HUH, NO, WHAT?!" Yesung cried out, a little too quickly, a little too defensive. "No I am not," he followed up, trying to sound a little more composed.
Dana laughed, liking the flustered expression on Yesung's probably a little bit too much, "You're so obvious sometimes."
"Sungmi-" Yesung began.
"Dana, oppa. You don't hear me calling you Jongwoon-oppa," Dana corrected, "And don't worry, your secret's safe with me. All your secrets are, haha."
Yesung sighed. It was really more of a worry the fact that Dana knew too much about him.
*
Yesung had Music Materials with Ryeowook during the latter's first year. The class had been full of sophomores, because that's when you usually take the course, but Yesung was taking it later than everyone else, due to another round of unlucky events in his life. Apparently Ryeowook was taking it early because he'd enrolled late, and most the General Music courses for freshmen have already been filled and he was stuck with that particular course.
The seat next to Yesung had been empty (a product of his less than stellar campus reputation) so Ryeowook had ended up sitting next to him (a shy smile on his face when he had asked if the seat was empty) for a whole semester.
Before long they had realised they lived in the same dormitory building - the same floor even, and since Music Materials was during Fridays, 5:30pm, they usually ended up going back together. And because Yesung is actually a natural rambler (something very few people know, because very few people will speak to him willingly), he'd talk and talk and talk and tell Ryeowook random stories (never about himself though since he never has good-sounding stories about himself) because Ryeowook would listen and smile and nod and actually listen to his stories.
*
"He's probably scared of you now," Dana told him, frank as always.
"What? What did I do?" Yesung asked.
"You probably talked too much, like you always do," Dana shrugged, "Geez, oppa, I don't think you realise how much you tend to talk sometimes."
Yesung stared at her. The truth is, Dana has always scared him a little, she never minces words, always straight to the point, but then Dana is also one of the few people who talk to him willingly, one of the few people he can actually refer to as a friend, and all because they were partners in their History of Music project a year ago.
"You're not really as bad as they say," Dana had told him even though all throughout the project Dana had clearly been frustrated at him because (according to her) his cursed luck kept rubbing off on her.
"You are really too obvious!" Dana laughed as Yesung attempted to wave at Ryeowook across the quad. The other boy just awkwardly smiled back.
"Sometimes I'm not sure how dense you are," Dana laughed as Yesung frowned, "Anyway, I have to go now. Sunday just messaged to meet at the library. I'll see you around, oppa."
*
They have Advanced Voice Class and Composition 1 together. Ryeowook has long since made friends with peers in the same year, so he wasn't constantly attached to Yesung's side.
Actually more like never now, Yesung sighed to himself.
Still, it didn't stop Yesung from observing Ryeowook. Despite being such a luckless failure in everything else, Yesung actually excelled in most his music major classes. Composition 1 was the only music class he's ever had to retake, and it was definitely not due to lack of trying. He wants to learn, really learn, but song writing has always frustrated him. It was the one music-related thing that didn't come to him naturally, and he has begun thinking that maybe he just really lacked the perseverance for it.
Ryeowook though, he excelled at it. If before Yesung noticed him because he was the new kid who listened to everything he said with wide-eyed fascination and quiet interest, now Yesung noticed him. He noticed how Ryeowook was so passionate in learning about music, how he put his heart into singing, into writing music. The professors had nothing but praise for him, and Yesung really couldn't blame them.
One time he had secretly gone for a secret 3AM smoke by the stairwell (it was past lights out, but their dorm probably had the most lenient rules ever, and it's not like Eeteuk was going to do anything about it if he caught Yesung), and he had passed Ryeowook's room on the way back to his own, and he couldn't help but notice the faint flickering of lights behind the door, and the soft tones of a keyboard playing, and it was so quiet he can even sort of hear the scratches a pen was making on paper.
Half-past 3 in the morning and Ryeowook was composing. Half-past 3 in the morning, and when Yesung couldn't sleep instead of being productive like the other boy, he had opted for a cigarette break instead.
*
"Tell him," Dana said to him, as they watched Ryeowook step in front with the teacher for his voice practicals.
"Tell him what?" Yesung asked, brows furrowed.
"If you don't, I will."
"Tell him what?!"
*
Yesung doesn't know why his heart skipped a beat when a week later he spotted Dana and Ryeowook in the cafeteria talking and laughing and looking incredibly comfortable with each other.
*
"Oh. Hi hyung," Ryeowook greeted, eyes widening a bit when he realised it was Yesung smoking by the stairwell, "The, um, the elevator's kind of broken."
"H-hey," Yesung answered, almost choking on the smoke he just inhaled, "Um, yeah, I heard."
"They're fixing it now, though," Ryeowook continued, for some reason unable to meet Yesung's eyes.
There is a weird silence, and Yesung smiles at Ryeowook awkwardly, and they both know a few months ago it wouldn't have been like this - Yesung would have cracked an unfunny joke but Ryeowook would have laughed anyway and then Yesung would have babbled on and on and on. Neither of them know what's changed but there they were anyway.
"Can I sit down?" Ryeowook asked after a short while.
"Okay."
And then there was more silence.
"I'm sorry hyung," Ryeowook finally whispered after what seemed like hours (but in reality only a few minutes) of silence.
"For what?" Yesung asked, putting out the cigarette he had been smoking.
"Dana-noona told me you think I've been ignoring you," Ryeowook said.
"I never said anything like that," Yesung answered.
"Yeah, well," Ryeowook paused, "It's kind of true anyway. I'm really sorry."
"That's okay," Yesung answered, trying to smile.
And then for some reason, Ryeowook let out a strange giggle, "Noona also told me all sorts of things about you, hyung."
Yesung groaned. There was no way this will turn out good for him, but he gave in anyway, "Like what?"
"Things," Ryeowook continued giggling, "Like when you worked on a project together and you kept messing your oral report up and she had to make it up for both of you. She also told me how much of a mama's boy you are, hyung."
Yesung's eyes widened. If only he wasn't sort of scared of Dana, he would really let her have it.
"It's cute though, hyung," Ryeowook said, "how much your mother is supportive of you, and how much you want to please her. You know, that time, you were always telling me things, but you never talked about yourself."
"Well now you know why," Yesung chuckled, "It's not like you readily tell people things like these about yourself don't you?"
Ryeowook just laughed as he insisted, "It's cute."
"I am really going to get Dana for this," Yesung shook his head.
"No you're not, hyung," Ryeowook giggled.
Yesung sighed, no he wasn't.
*
"You're awfully cozy with him lately," Sungmin teased, "So do you know now why Yesung-sshi is still in school after so many years?"
"He hasn't really been here for ten years, you know, hyung," Ryeowook answered.
"So how long has it been exactly?" Sungmin laughed, "Do you also know why he's been here for so long?"
"I don't think it really matters anymore, hyung," Ryeowook just smiled knowingly.
/ fin.