Chapter Text
The sound that woke Gguk up was violent. It was like someone was using a fucking jackhammer. His heart was pounding as if he had drunk coffee on an empty stomach; his hair was plastered to his forehead, and for one hopeful, blissful second, he was absolutely convinced it was an earthquake.
He shot upright in bed.
Then, another crash echoed from downstairs.
He stared at the ceiling. "No."
A pause, and another bang.
"Oh, come on!" Gguk closed his eyes. He dragged a hand down his face, already exhausted in a way that should not be possible this early in the morning, then reached for his phone. It was 6:02 a.m. when he threw the blanket off and stumbled out of bed, hair a mess and his hoodie half-on. He didn't even bother turning on the lights as he made his way out of the room and toward the stairs.
He already knew what was going on.
Halfway down, the smell hit him. Burnt. But not like "oops, toast" burnt; it was more like "someone set the kitchen on fire" burnt.
"Oh my god." He took the last few steps faster and stopped dead in the living room.
There was a ladder and duct tape. Lots of duct tape. A frying pan was attached to the wall, and in the middle of it all stood Cam, holding what looked like a glue gun. He was wearing safety goggles and work gloves, his brown hair sticking out wildly in all directions.
"Don't move," Cam said immediately, not even turning around. "The structural integrity depends on stillness."
Gguk blinked and looked at him in disbelief. "What the fuck is that?"
Cam stepped back slowly, admiring his work like a proud artist in a documentary no one asked for.
"I'm glad you asked," Cam gestured broadly, as if it were a perfectly normal time for such activities. "This is a mixed-media installation exploring the fragility of modern domestic life."
Gguk stared at the wall. There was a frying pan, a toaster, a piece of what used to be a mirror, three slices of bread and for reasons that felt personal, one of Gguk's shoes.
"Why is my shoe there?"
"I needed contrast."
"You need therapy. It's six in the fucking morning and you—"
"Time is a social construct, my brother."
"I'm going to construct your funeral."
Something behind Cam made a concerning crack. Both of them froze. Very slowly, the toaster began to tilt.
"Don't," Cam said quietly.
Gguk didn't move.
The toaster fell and hit the floor with a loud clang, bounced once, and took a slice of bread with it.
"Okay. That one was experimental," Cam exhaled.
Gguk rubbed his face. "You woke me up at 6 a.m. to lose a fight against a toaster."
Cam crouched down, picked up the toaster, and inspected it like a detective at a crime scene. He stood up again and looked at the wall, thinking.
"Please tell me you're done."
Cam didn't answer. That was already a bad sign.
"Cam."
"I think it needs height."
"What the fuck do you mean height? Cam, you're not being reasonable right now."
Cam grabbed the ladder.
"No."
"Just a little—"
"No."
"Trust me—"
"That is not an option now."
Cam climbed one step, and Gguk took a deep breath.
"If you fall, I'm not helping you."
"That's crazy. You love me."
"You're gonna crack your head open!"
Cam reached up to adjust the mirror, but it slipped from his hands. It crashed onto the floor and broke into pieces. Cam froze mid-step. He looked down at the mess, then slowly turned his head to look at Gguk.
"That was part of the plan."
"Sure it was." Gguk stared at him for another second, taking in the destruction, the smell, and the absolute lack of peace in his life. Then he turned toward the kitchen. "I'm making coffee."
"Make me one, too."
"You don't deserve my coffee after this shitshow at 6 a.m., but you're lucky I'm the best."
"Right, right. You're the best."
"I would also make toasts, but our toaster is hanging on the wall in the living room."
"I can take it down!" Cam yelled.
"You're unbelievable."
"I'm an artist, Gguk."
"You're unemployed."
"That's a harsh interpretation of my lifestyle."
Gguk leaned his head against the kitchen cabinet for a second. The coffee machine was dripping slowly, filling the silence with something almost peaceful. Almost.
From the living room, he heard Cam moving around, probably salvaging what was left of his installation.
"Are Knox and Gigi coming over today?" he asked, suddenly casual.
Gguk opened his eyes. "Yeah, they are."
"For the podcast thing?"
"For the podcast thing."
Cam walked into the kitchen, still wearing the safety goggles on his forehead like a headband. He grabbed his mug.
"I don't even know why I'm asking," he said, shaking his head. "They treat this place like it's theirs."
"Yeah, they basically live here," Gguk admitted.
"Knox has his own mug now."
"Actually, he has three mugs."
"That's what I'm saying," Cam took a sip. "And Gigi just showed up last week with a new toothbrush. Didn't ask. Just put it in the bathroom."
Gguk smiled into his coffee. "She's committed."
"She's invasive."
"That's Gigi."
Cam shrugged and leaned against the counter. "I'm not complaining. Just saying. It's not my apartment anymore. It's our apartment. The collective."
"You're being dramatic."
"I'm being accurate. Sometimes I think she hates me, you know?"
Gguk almost smiled. "She doesn't hate you, Cam. She just thinks you're a walking liability."
"That's basically hate."
"No, you know well that's Gigi being nice." Gguk poured more coffee into two mugs—his black, Cam's with way too much sugar. "If she hated you, she'd tell you to your face. In detail. With examples."
"Yeah, probably. By the way, this is good coffee."
"I know."
"I mean it. Best you've ever made."
"Don't push it."
Cam grinned and Gguk shook his head, and then the door opened. Not a knock. Just opened. Because of course it did.
"Hey, assholes," Gigi said, stepping inside like she owned the place. Which, honestly, at this point she basically did. She was already dressed for the day in loose jeans, an oversized sweater, and her long blond hair pulled back in a ponytail. Her blue eyes scanned the living room immediately, taking in the ladder, the duct tape, and the shattered mirror on the floor.
"See?" he said to Gguk, pointing at Gigi. "I told you. She's here all the time."
"I'm standing right here," Gigi said.
"That's my point."
She didn't even acknowledge it. Just walked further inside, stepping over a piece of bread like it was completely normal. She stopped in front of the wall installation and tilted her head, studying the frying pan, the toaster remains, the three slices of bread, and, most importantly, Gguk's shoe.
"Is that your shoe?" she asked, not looking at him.
"Yes," Gguk said from the kitchen.
"Why?"
"Contrast," Cam said proudly.
Gigi blinked once, then nodded, very slowly.
"Okay," she turned around. "You ready?"
Gguk grabbed his bag from the hook by the door.
"Give me a moment I need to go upstairs. And let me just—"
"I already texted Knox," Gigi cut him off. "He said he will be here later today for our podcast."
Gguk frowned. "He's not gonna be late, is he? He's our computer god; he can't be late."
"Relax, he won't be late."
After a moment, Cam looked at Gigi with something almost like approval. "You're very calm about the sculpture."
"I've seen worse."
"Really?"
"Last week you glued a vacuum cleaner to the ceiling, Cam."
"That was part of a different series."
Gigi blinked.
"Okay," she said. "Jeon, get your ass here, we're gonna be late!" she yelled.
"Jeez, I'm coming!" Gguk went down the stairs and Gigi grabbed him by the sleeve of his hoodie. "We're leaving before he explains the series."
"Smart," Gguk said.
"Wait—" Cam stood up, holding the toaster like a lost puppy. "You're not gonna help me clean?"
"No," Gigi and Gguk said at the same time.
Cam sighed. "Unbelievable."
"See you later, Cam," Gigi called over her shoulder, already pulling Gguk toward the door.
"Don't burn anything!" Gguk added.
"No promises!"
The door closed behind them. Gigi started walking down the hallway toward the elevator.
"We're late, by the way."
"We're not late. The lecture starts in—" Gguk checked his phone. "Shit."
"Yeah," Gigi smiled. "Told you."
The campus was already buzzing. Students were everywhere, some half-asleep, some already stressed.
After the first lecture, they felt like they’d already been run over by a steamroller.
They passed the library and the bench where Knox once fell asleep. Gguk smiled at the memory, then his thoughts drifted to something more important.
"Hey," he said. "After the podcast we're going to Bleep, right?"
Gigi didn't even hesitate. "Obviously."
"Cool. I'm gonna grab a shake for Cam too. His usual."
"Ah, yes. The 'Radioactive Rainbow.'"
"It's disgusting."
"Yeah, it's an abomination. But he loves it."
"That’s because he’s a menace. I’m convinced he drinks that stuff just to see how much his body can take."
Gguk laughed. "Probably."
They turned the corner toward the law building. The morning sun was finally starting to warm things up.
"Knox is gonna complain about the lactose again—" Gigi couldn't even finish.
"Yo! The Triangle Method!"
Gguk and Gigi both turned.
A guy was moving toward them—someone from their year, maybe? Gguk didn't know his name.
"Sorry, sorry," the guy said, slightly out of breath. "I just— Are you guys doing an episode today?"
Gguk nodded. "Yeah."
"Awesome." The guy grinned. "I literally never miss it. Last week's episode about the hookup culture? I was crying. My roommate thought I was having a breakdown."
Gigi smiled. "That's the goal."
"Seriously, you guys are the best thing on campus. Okay, sorry for bothering you, I just wanted to say that. Bye!"
He walked off, disappearing into the crowd.
Gguk watched him go, then glanced at Gigi.
"That's the fourth one this week."
"Fifth for me."
"Now you're fucking showing off."
Gigi shrugged, but she looked pleased. "We're good at this."
He knew their podcast was popular, but it still caught him off guard every time. Being stopped by other students didn't feel bad, just surreal. It was a constant reminder of how much their little show had grown.
By the time his day at university ended, Gguk’s brain felt like mush.
He and Gigi parted ways outside, and Gguk walked home alone with his hoodie up and earbuds in, though he wasn't really listening to anything. The afternoon sun warmed his face, and somewhere behind him, someone was laughing too loud.
The walk back didn't take long. He climbed the stairs, pushed the door open, and stepped inside, only to hear Cam’s voice immediately.
"—yes, I understand that, but the freight elevator is part of the apartment. It's not like I asked for it. It just came with the place. Like a weird, metal roommate."
Gguk dropped his keys on the kitchen counter. The metal clinked against the surface.
Cam looked up from where he was pacing in the living room, phone pressed to his ear. His brown hair was still a mess.
Gguk's eyes drifted to the far wall. The freight elevator.
It was a big, metal, industrial door that had been there since they moved in years ago. It was the one Cam used to bring up his weird sculptures, and the one that sometimes made terrifying noises in the middle of the night.
"Yeah, okay, hold on," Cam said into the phone. Then, covering the speaker, "The elevator's stuck."
"What do you mean stuck?"
"I mean it's not moving. It's just... there. Existing. Refusing to cooperate."
"I told you something was off like a week ago."
Cam waved a hand dismissively and went back to the phone. "Yeah, I'm here. Uh-huh. Okay. So you'll send someone? Great. When? Perfect. Yes, the apartment with the... yes, that one. The door with the star. You can't miss it. Thanks. Bye."
He hung up and tossed the phone on the couch. Cam turned to Gguk with a smile. "So the good news is, someone's coming today to fix it."
"And the bad news?"
Cam winced slightly. "He said it's going to be loud, like really fucking loud. Apparently the mechanism is stuck somewhere in the shaft, so they have to... you know..." He made a vague drilling motion with his hand.
Gguk felt his eye twitch. "We are doing a podcast at seven."
"I know," Cam sighed.
"What time is he coming?"
"Around six."
"So right before we record."
"Unfortunately," Cam stood there, looking genuinely apologetic for once. "Maybe the dude will be done by seven."
"Maybe."
"Or maybe it won't be that loud."
"Cam."
"Okay, it'll be loud. I'm sorry." He paused. "Do you want me to call him and reschedule?"
Gguk thought about it. The elevator had been broken before. It always took forever to get someone out here. If they rescheduled now, who knew how long they'd be waiting.
"No," he said finally. "Let him come. We'll figure it out."
Gguk grabbed a slice of cold pizza from two days ago. He took a bite, staring blankly at the elevator door. Cold pizza at two in the afternoon, a broken elevator and a brother who glued toasters to walls.
It was the peak student lifestyle.
"We're going to Bleep after; you want..."
"The usual."
"Radioactive Rainbow."
"The one and only."
Gguk sighed. "You're going to die of diabetes."
"And you're going to die alone because you never leave this apartment except for lectures and that stupid shake bar."
Gguk snapped his head toward him. "Hey, I leave the apartment!"
"You only leave for Bleep, emo boy."
"That counts."
"Barely," Cam grinned. "When's the last time you went on a date? No, wait—when's the last time you talked to someone you didn't already know?"
"I talk to people."
"Name one."
"Shut up."
"That's what I thought."
Gguk grabbed his pizza box and held it protectively. "You're not getting any more of this. You're insufferable."
"And yet, you love me." Cam patted him on the shoulder. "Radioactive Rainbow. Don't forget."
He walked off toward his room, humming something off-key.