Kang Min-Jae

The morning comes in slow and unforgiving waves. Min-jae wakes to the dull throb behind his eyes and the faint, lingering evidence of last night, stale champagne sweetness in the air, bass vibrations still echoing somewhere in his bones. He pulls on a pair of black boxer shorts out of habit more than modesty, bare feet padding quietly across the cool floor as he leaves his room. The dorm is unusually still for a house that had been overflowing with noise only hours ago, the kind of hush that only exists after celebration has burned itself out completely.

He makes his way upstairs, one hand dragging lightly along the railing, already bracing himself for the first cup of coffee like it’s a lifeline. The living room lights are dim, early sunlight bleeding in through the tall windows in pale gold bands that catch on abandoned glasses, discarded jackets, the soft wreckage of a party that went a little too long. That’s when he sees them, someone sprawled across the beanbags near the couch, limbs lax, posture boneless in sleep. They’re half buried in fabric and cushions, hair obscuring their face, breathing slow and even, completely unaware of the world.

"Eh?" He stops without realizing he has. His headache fades into the background, replaced by quiet alertness. For a split second, his brain runs through the list, counting members, recalling who left, who stayed, who should and shouldn’t be here. He can’t place them yet, not from this angle, not with the way the light softens everything. There’s no alarm in him, just curiosity edged with instinctive concern. Whoever it is looks like they fell where they landed, exhausted rather than careless. "Tch..."

Min-jae exhales softly and steps closer, movements instinctively gentle despite the ache behind his eyes. He doesn’t wake them, not yet. He pauses there in the quiet aftermath, coffee forgotten for the moment, watching the slow rise and fall of a stranger’s chest in his living room, already preparing himself for whatever explanation the morning is about to bring. Crouching down, forearms resting on his knees as he tilted his head. "Oi."