Chapter Text
Despite the frenzy that was the college student life, Haseul was grateful for one consistency: her radio show.
Although it was a bi-weekly occurrence, Haseul looked forward to it with undying enthusiasm. It was a chance for her to contribute to the college's community, either through music or her show's main segment "Ask Haseul". It always delighted her whenever she had gotten anonymous questions because it meant people actually listened and actually wanted to ask her things. More than anything, Haseul just wanted to help people.
It was a slow night at the radio station, song requests coming in every now and then from the usual night owls who couldn't sleep. Haseul hummed along to the song currently playing, glancing at the clock, then breaking into a wide smile.
She waited for the song to finish before speaking into the mic, "I hope you enjoyed listening, that was 'Friday' by IU. A personal favorite of mine if I'm being honest," she leaned back in her seat and stretched. "Speaking of honesty, it's that time of night again! We'll be starting 'Ask Haseul' in a minute, so be sure to get your questions in. If you're a new listener or aren't familiar with the segment, it's simple. You can submit an anonymous question of any topic through the school's website, but you have to begin the question with 'Dear Haseul" or I won't answer," she couldn't help the excitement bubbling up in her chest. "Song requests will be paused for the next hour so strap in."
Haseul swiveled her chair to the desk behind her and grabbed her laptop, pulling up the schools page. "Okay, let's see," she muttered under breath as her eyes scanned the stream of anonymous messages flooding in. She smiled as she managed to pick one. Leaning into the mic, she began to read aloud, "Dear Haseul, how do I deal with my annoying roommate? She's always eating all the food we have, mainly the bread, and keeps borrowing my earrings without asking. What do I do?"
She took in a deep breath before mulling over the response in her head. "Well," she said, "when dealing with roommates, communication is key. She'll never know what's bothering you if you don't speak up. If you do, maybe they'll change their habits. You always have to be clear and straightforward when confronting someone who keeps doing things that bother you. It's the basic rule to any relationship," she smiled. Satisfied with her answer, she looked back towards her laptop and scrolled through more questions.
Leaning back into the mic, she read the next question. "Dear Haseul, how do you deal with being criticized? People keep saying I'm too reserved or too intimidating to approach and it's irksome," Haseul frowned slightly at this.
"First, you have to tell yourself there's nothing wrong with the way you are. It's a bit hard to find people who'll accept you entirely but it does happen. I'm sure there's at least one person out there who relates to you and is wondering the same thing. Personally, I would ignore those comments and focus on myself because I know who I am and they don't. I hope that helps," she finishes.
The next 40 minutes go on with Haseul answering questions, some common ones and some that were a bit more personal. As she searched for another question, one caught her eye in particular. She almost laughed as she read it into the mic, "Dear Haseul, what's your ideal type in a partner?"
Haseul paused for a moment, unsure of how to reply. This was the first time she had been asked about herself on the show and though it wasn't exactly inappropriate, it was still a surprise. "Well," she giggled, "this is a first." She scratched her head as she pondered her answer. "I guess I'm a little old fashioned," she said, "I prefer the chivalrous type. Someone who'd hold the door open for you, or someone like my dad I guess?" she ended it off with an unsure response. She glanced at the laptop and saw another question immediately pop up, one similar to the question she just answered.
"Dear Haseul, what is your ideal first date?" she smiled. "Ah, if you're trying to flirt then I'm onto you," she laughed. "My ideal first date would be… anything that simply involves my partner. It doesn't have to be something special as long as I'm with them, because in the end the time spent with them is all the matters." She glanced at the clock and let out an exhale. "Alright everyone, time's up, which concludes this segment of 'Ask Haseul' on station 18.6," she adjusted her headset slightly before continuing, "If I didn't get the chance to answer your question, be sure to try again tomorrow, same station and same time. Thank you for tuning in!" she flicked a switch with a smile, ending the show.
Sagging into her seat, Haseul took a deep breath and realized how tired she was. Her curiosity tugged at her though. She reached for her laptop and scrolled through the questions she missed, noticing a majority of the recent ones revolving around romance and her in particular. Haseul felt a blush appear at the amount of interest this anon expressed. Secret admirer? she mused to herself. Most likely, that wasn't the case and she was just dealing with a lovesick college student but it didn't completely stop her from entertaining the thought.
She closed her laptop and stood up to gather her things, dreading the walk back to the dorms. It was always eerily dark at night near the radio station, something Haseul was never able to adjust to. She mentioned it several times to her friends about how unnerving it was. Some of them offered to wait for her so she wouldn't be alone but she politely declined, knowing most of them had better things to do than stay up late just to accompany her.
After making sure everything was in her book bag, she shut off the lights and made her way out. As she opened the door, she was immediately greeted by the cold autumn wind. She busied herself by adjusting the scarf around her neck, failing to notice the figure standing at the bottom of the steps in front of her. "Haseul," they spoke softly. Haseul jumped slightly, quickly adjusting her glasses to get a clearer view.
When she realized who the person was, she instantly perked up. "Jungeun?" she tilted her head with a smile. "What are you doing here?"
Jungeun fidgeted a bit, pulling down her black face mask before answering. "You've mentioned before you don't like the walk back to the dorms at night. I thought I could wait for you so you wouldn't be alone," she said. Haseul had to bite her lip to hold back her smile.
Jungeun could be so unexpectedly thoughtful, something Haseul noticed when they had first become friends. New people were quick to dismiss her as rude and standoff-ish but Haseul knew better. She saw right through her facade of indifference and it was the main reason they had become such fast friends.
Haseul made her way down the steps, "Did you wait long?"
"Ah, no," she scratched the back of her head, she seemed a bit nervous. "I was finishing homework and I remembered you would be wrapping up your show soon, so I thought I'd come. Here, let me carry that," she gestured to her book bag. Haseul handed it over with a small smile.
"How chivalrous of you," she snorted. Jungeun froze for a second, her eyes widening slightly. Haseul frowned, noticing her tense up. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, of course," she cleared her throat. "Let's go," she said, holding her arm out. Haseul looked up at her curiously, before linking their arms together and beginning the walk back.
"Hey, Jungeun?" Haseul spoke after a minute.
"Mm?"
"What's your ideal type in a partner?"
"W-what? What do you mean?" Jungeun nearly tripped on the sidewalk as she processed the question. Haseul giggled as she steadied her.
"Relax, I'm just wondering because someone asked me that on the show. It was kind of nice, you know? To be asked about myself for once."
Jungeun let out a breathy laugh. "Getting tired of playing therapist, huh?"
Haseul rolled her eyes, swatting at her shoulder. "I am not playing therapist. It just got me thinking about romance and all that. I feel like I'm missing out, don't you?" she looked at Jungeun curiously.
"I guess," she said simply. Haseul felt her tense up around her arm and took it as a sign to drop the topic. Odd, she thought. They arrived at the dorm entrance within a minute, Haseul letting out a sigh of relief as they made it to the top of the steps. Jungeun handed over her book bag, their fingers brushing slightly as Haseul grabbed it from her.
"Thank you for walking me back, Jungeun. It was really nice of you," she smiled. Jungeun simply nodded.
"It's nothing. Oh, let me get the door for you," she stepped forward suddenly, opening it for her. Haseul paused, glancing between the entrance and Jungeun and felt her cheeks begin to warm up.
"Goodnight, Jungeun," Haseul smiled as she stepped in.
"Goodnight," Jungeun nodded before jogging down the steps.
Haseul unwrapped her scarf and looked back at Jungeun. Something was definitely off about her, but Haseul was too tired to think too much on it. Mustering her last ounce of energy, she made her way to her room.