In a small coastal town, there were rumors of a lonely young man who lived in a beautiful mansion alone. One day a young man came off a bus at the pitstop and didn't get back on. Instead, he searched for a real estate office and ended up buying a large mansion fitted with side buildings. Afterward, the town only saw him when he went out for groceries or the odd coffee. There were many ideas about this teenager, and hence tales were told through whispers and over drinks. "He's obviously a criminal. Why would such a handsome young man choose to settle down here?" "Is he handsome? I haven't seen him before!" "Oh my, he's a handsome fellow! That boy asked me where the real estate office was. I thought he was planning on inheriting land or something." "I heard from my friend that he sent someone to the hospital." "What if he murdered someone?" "Haven't you heard... The kids told me that the mansion lights were on for half the night! What could he be doing up so late?" "Now that you mention it... Isn't he jobless? Is he running a shady business somewhere?" Shin Jun had no idea that moving to a small town would cause him to be misunderstood so badly. He'd simply found a cute little, silent town on a bus ride and decided to settle down. Updates every weekend [Sat/Sun] You can find early releases on my Patreon alongside my other novels.
Ryung was last and he sat forward with a small smile. "I'm Ryung, I hope we get along."
As if scripted, the boys all nodded to one another once again signifying the end of the introduction phase for now. Shin Jun couldn't help but feel awkward as he belatedly nodded towards the others.
What should he do?
What should he say?
He wouldn't consider himself shy, but ah, this was so awkward!
Hanseul leaned forward with the same thought and pointed to the white cards on the coffee table. They laid face down with the logo of the show on the back, while a small chalkboard told them to choose their rooms by fate. "Should we take them and reveal them one by one?"
Young-Sun crossed one leg over the other and hummed. "We can choose our rooms, unpack, and then come back here for dinner and get to know each other a bit more."
Chul nodded and leaned forward to grab a white card while he carefully covered the bottom with his other hand and laid it on his thigh. "How many rooms are there?"
Young-Sun leaned forward and grabbed a white card while pointing to the dining room table. "There's a single, two doubles, and a triple… so four rooms."
Hanseul grabbed a card and sighed. "I think I snore, I'm sorry in advance if I'm stuck with you…"
Tae chuckled and grabbed a card. "Please, I believe in fate - don't put me with Hanseul."
The air in the living room became less awkward as the men laughed and the the remaining four grabbed their cards and placed it upside down on their legs.
Shin Jun leaned back while playing with the corners of the card on his lap. Although he didn't mind being put in a single room, he'd be less lonely if he were in a double or triple room.
On the other hand, he'd never spoken about his sleeping etiquette with his family or boyfriend - what if he snores too? Ah, he'd never be able to live it down if his fans saw him snoring on a dating show.
Young-Sun, whom Shin Jun had dubbed the new leader and decision-maker of the house, was the first to flip over his card. He first showed the boys before looking at it. "First floor, double room."
One by one, the boys flipped over the cards in the same manner and soon dispersed from the living room with their luggage.
Shin Jun watched as the one person he had a conversation with went up the stairs while carrying a suitcase and turned his back towards the five men who stayed downstairs, following them through a hallway.
The house was rented from the production team so in order not to damage any belongings of the main owner, their valuables were located behind a locked door on the first floor while the rest of the house was free reign. At the end of the hallway was a large space with a low white couch, beanbag chair, TV, and three doors on the furthest wall.
The doors had a small chalkboard attached which read 'Double Room #2', 'Triple Room', and unlike the other chalkboards upstairs - there was a small piece of chalk stuck to the chalkboard to fill out the section under 'Roommates!'.
In between the two rooms was a washroom to be shared between the five men, but there was also another small washroom with just a toilet and sink at the beginning of the hallway where the living room meets the kitchen.
The group split and Young-Sun and Chul pushed open the doors to the double room while Tae, Ji, and Shin Jun pushed open the doors to the triple room.
Immediately, Tae turned to Young-Sun while blocking the view of the two men behind him by closing the door slightly. "Are there two beds in your room?"
Young-Sun raised his eyebrow and stopped pushing his suitcase. "Yes… Why?"
"Is the program group playing a prank on us or am I going to cuddle someone tonight? We have two beds too." Tae pushed the door wide open while his eyebrow twitched.
Although Shin Jun was quite tall, he was short when compared to the rest of the group and Ji was able to see over his head. "At least the beds are big. They look quite comfortable to."
Young-Sun chuckled from his door and grabbed his suitcase to go in behind Chul. "Just play a game to see who gets to sleep with who."
After saying that, the door closed leaving three men in the open space. If Shin Jun had his phone, he'd call his cousin and ask what he met by this but alas… He didn't have his phone. The program took it. Technically, his cousin has his one and only phone!
His eyebrow twitched but he grabbed his suitcase and entered the room while still in thought.
The room itself was fairly large. There were two beds separated by two nightstands, three clothing racks that lined one wall with just enough space between each for a suitcase, and a large window that opened to the first-floor balcony outside.
Tae followed behind Shin Jun, placing his suitcase next to a clothing rack. "I suppose this is one way to get to know each other."
Happy holidays to those who celebrate!
As a little treat, tomorrow chapters 1-5 of One and Only: Ten Thousand Years and chapter 1 of The Scum Prince [placeholder title] will be available for you to read for free on my Patreon.