Chapter Text
Hyunjin wasn’t expecting to fall in love at 10 a.m. on a Wednesday, but there he was, half-asleep, clutching a banana milk, and suddenly witnessing what he could only describe as a golden-haired angel tripping over a suitcase.
“Who is that?” Hyunjin whispered, poking Chan in the ribs with the straw of his banana milk.
“That’s Felix,” Chan said, unfazed. “From Australia.”
“Felix,” Hyunjin repeated dreamily, staring as the newcomer scrambled up, mumbling in English and dusting off his pants.
“Don’t get any ideas,” Chan warned. “He barely speaks Korean.”
That was fine. Hyunjin didn’t need words. He had vibes.
Ten minutes later, Hyunjin was standing directly in front of Felix in the practice room. The rest of the trainees had politely moved to the edges of the room, sensing that whatever was about to happen could only be described as a public trainwreck.
Hyunjin pushed his hair back, looked deeply into Felix’s eyes, and said in his most charming voice, “Hi. I’m Hyunjin. You are very…sparkly.”
Felix blinked. “Uhhh…thank you?”
“You speak Korean!” Hyunjin gasped, dramatically clasping his chest.
Felix laughed nervously. “No. I mean, yes? A little? Not—wait—what did you say again?”
Hyunjin pointed at Felix’s face. “Sparkly,” he repeated.
Felix tilted his head. “Spark… like glitter?”
Hyunjin panicked. “No! I mean yes—but like angel glitter . From heaven.” He gestured wildly, knocking over a water bottle that splashed straight onto his sock.
Chan groaned from the side. “Oh my god. This is painful.”
Felix looked confused but pleased. “Angel glitter?”
Hyunjin nodded furiously. “You fell from the sky. Boom.” He slapped the air for emphasis. “Straight into my heart.”
Felix blinked again. “…Boom?”
“BOOM,” Hyunjin said louder, just in case volume helped with translation.
Felix blinked a third time, then broke into a wide grin. “Boom.”
Hyunjin melted.
Later that afternoon, Hyunjin tried to show Felix around the dorm.
“This is the kitchen,” he said, pointing. “Eat. Food. Rice.”
Felix nodded. “Food. Rice. Okay!”
“This is the bathroom,” Hyunjin continued. “Shower. Soap. No poop in shower.”
Felix gave a thumbs up. “No poop!”
“Good!” Hyunjin cheered.
Chan walked by, stared at them for a long moment, then shook his head and kept walking.
“This is my room,” Hyunjin said, opening the door dramatically like he was revealing a grand palace. It was, in fact, just a bunk bed, a dying plant, and a poster of Taemin.
Felix stepped in carefully. “Wow. Cozy.”
“You can sit.” Hyunjin patted his bed. “But only you.”
Felix sat and Hyunjin sat too. They stared at each other.
Hyunjin smiled and Felix smiled too. Then Felix sneezed violently.
Hyunjin, startled, screamed and fell backwards off the bed.
Felix leapt up. “Oh no! Hyung—okay?!”
Hyunjin’s legs stuck out from behind the bed frame. “I’m fine! This is fine! Love is pain!”
The next day, Felix accidentally said “I am a toaster” during roll call.
Hyunjin clapped like a seal. “He’s perfect,” he whispered to Jisung.
Jisung frowned. “You mean he meant to say ‘trainee’ and said ‘toaster’ instead?”
“Yes,” Hyunjin sighed. “He toasts my heart.”
By the end of the week, Felix still didn’t understand half of what Hyunjin said, and Hyunjin still used body language like he was auditioning for Mime Idol , but somehow it worked.
Hyunjin would point at a practice move and shout, “Faster, like ninja!” and Felix would nod, grin, and do a triple spin even though they were supposed to be learning a ballad.
Felix would accidentally use random Korean phrases he learned from TV dramas, like “I will protect you!” when offering Hyunjin a water bottle.
Hyunjin cried the first time that happened.
“I think I’m in love,” he told Chan, sniffling.
“You’ve known him for five days,” Chan replied flatly.
“Five magical days,” Hyunjin corrected.
On the sixth day, Felix looked at Hyunjin across the dance room and said in careful, practiced Korean:
“You are…my favorite…toast.”
Hyunjin’s soul teleported to another universe.
>>>>>>>