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eastasianfeelings · 3 years

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part of your world: Dino

Summary: After two years as Seventeen's assistant manager, it's time for you to move on. Parting, however, is difficult for you and Dino.

Words: 5.9k

Warnings: angst, slight crack, and then more angst... :C

Author's note: I had planned to give this a fluffy ending but in the end poured too many of my real feelings about the K-pop industry in. 🥺 All of my second-person protagonists are me, but perhaps this protag is especially me. I may try and write a happy-ending epilogue in the future!

On an early Saturday morning, you send the news that you’re leaving your position as Seventeen’s assistant manager to the group chat.

You: Hello everyone. I’ve made the decision to move on to the next step in my career. Today will be my last day with Seventeen. Thank you for the honour of being your assistant manager for these past two years.

It’s a day off for the members and you know they only got home at around 1 AM last night, so you’re surprised when you get a text only five minutes later.

Dino: Nuna, are you at the company right now?

You: Yes

You put your phone away and continue on your way to the staff room. The room is empty and quiet, save for humming computers and the sound of rain hitting the window.

Not two minutes later, though, the quiet is broken when the door bursts open with a bang. In charges Dino, slightly out of breath.

“Nuna!”

“Whoa! Oh, Chan-ah,” you greet him, bemused. “Why are you here so early?”

“I was already on my way here.” He tosses his bag down carelessly and hurries through the tables and computers toward you. “I saw your message — are you really leaving? You can’t, nuna.”

You have to smile a little at his firm tone. “I can’t?”

“You’re doing a really good job! All of our managers like you.” He skids to a stop in front of you, eyes wide. “They think you’re one of the best assistant managers we’ve ever had. And we’ve had a lot!”

“I know, Chan-ah,” you assure him. “Thank you for saying that. My decision isn’t about you guys at all, I promise.”

“Then why?” His eyes grow wider. “No way… nuna. Are you — are you getting married? Are you pregnant??”

“Pregnant?” You laugh. “Yah, is this the 1950s? Do I have to leave my job just because I’m pregnant?”

“No, but — are you?”

Still chuckling, you reach up to ruffle his hair. “What do you think?”

Dino removes your hand from his head and holds on. “Nuna, tell me.”

“No, Chan-ah, I’m not pregnant.” You look up at him curiously. “Why are you so anxious?”

“I’m… not anxious.” He pulls back, swallowing, and drops your hand. “I’m just surprised. I mean, this is really out of nowhere, you know?”

“I know, I’m sorry,” you acknowledge. “But this was a personal decision I had to make. I promise it’s not because of you, or anyone else at the company.”

Dino looks away, then back at you, a crease between his brows. “You couldn’t have told us sooner?”

The thread of hurt in his tone makes you reach out on instinct and clasp his shoulder. “I’m sorry, I really am. The managers said this would be easiest for everyone. You know what I mean, right? It’s easier to make a clean break of it.”

“... ‘s not easier.”

“What’s that?” You lean in.

“It’s not easier.” Dino lifts his head, and the abrupt eye contact almost feels physical.

You step back. “What?”

“You’re leaving tomorrow!” he bursts out. “After all this time together, you’re just walking out of our lives? How is that easier?”

“I know, but the managers said this would be the best for everyone —”

“They don’t understand! None of our other staff understand me like you do, nobody got along with me like you do. You’ve helped me so much, all this time — more than anybody else in my life.”

You open your mouth, then close it.

“If you leave, things really won’t be the same,” he finishes, more softly.

His stare is so intent that you have to look away before you find your words.

“Chan-ah.” You clear your throat. “Thank you for saying that. I’m glad I could support you and help you, as your assistant manager.”

Dino frowns. “You’re not just our assistant manager. You’re not just staff to me, nuna.”

Oh dear. “I am staff, though. I was your assistant manager, that was my job.”

“I’m saying it’s not about the job! Our relationship isn’t about our roles,” he says with a huff.

“It is,” you say, trying to strike a balance between kind and firm. “It is, because everything I did for you, I did as your assistant manager.”

He narrows his eyes. “So I’m the only one who felt it? It was just a one-sided relationship?”

You decide to just say it. He’s not going to let this go otherwise.

“Yes. It was a one-sided relationship, because it was supposed to be, Chan-ah.”

“What?” He draws back in affront. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“My job revolves around you,” you say gently. “We talk about you, all day, every single day. Your dancing, your singing, your worries, your concerns, your feelings. I know your hobbies, what you do on your off days, where your family lives… I know much, much more about you than you know about me.”

Dino blinks. He opens his mouth to reply. No words come out.

“And that’s okay,” you emphasize, “that’s how it’s supposed to be, because you’re an idol. That’s your identity. As staff, our job is to understand you and support you, and I’m glad I could do so successfully. But because of our roles, this relationship is, was and always will be one-sided.”

You pause, to see if he’ll interject. Instead he looks away, pressing his lips tight.

“We can’t say it’s not about the job,” you say, softer, “when your job is your life.”

He rocks his weight back on his heels, face still averted. His hands are clenched at his sides.

“Chan-ah?”

“...All right.” He looks up. “All right.”

He doesn’t exactly sound all right. You try to read his face, but he schools his expression with that incredible control of his, and you’re left staring at his blank poker face.

“All right,” Dino repeats one more time, quietly, then turns on his heel, picks up his bag and walks out.

Watching him go, it feels like he’s leaving you.

But you know that’s not true. You’re the one leaving.

“So did I hear right?” you ask Dino after a long day of filming at Mnet. “Seungkwan and Hoshi are your favourite hyeong?”

“Oh, you heard that?” He laughs, a cute giggle, and covers his mouth a little sheepishly.

“And here I thought Vernon was your favourite.”

“Don’t tell him.”

You smile. “You know Vernon’s not the type to mind.”

“That’s true.” He gives you a side-glance. “Who’s your favourite?”

“My favourite hyeong??”

“No, I mean, out of the members… who’s your favourite member?”

“Oh.” Your turn to laugh. “I’m not going to answer that.”

“Why not? I won’t tell the manager-hyeong.”

“Try asking them that question.”

He huffs. “I know they’re going to say they can’t pick, because they’re not supposed to show favouritism.”

“Are you saying I do show favouritism?”

“No! No, that’s not what I meant.”

“Then why would I answer?”

“Just between us,” he tries to coax. “C’mon, nuna.”

You turn to him. He mirrors you, leaning in, face alight with anticipation.

Rising on your tiptoes, you flick him on the forehead.

“Ow!” He raises a hand to his face, pouting.

“Let’s go, the others are waiting.” Grinning, you start walking again.

“So do you have a favourite or not? Nuna? Nuna!”

The other members say their farewells in the chat group; you walk out of the company building for the last time that Saturday.

On Sunday, you and your roommate of three years say goodbye to your miniscule Hongdae apartment and make the move north of the river. Moving is, as always, a tremendously hasslesome process. By the end of the day, you lay your exhausted body down on your mattress, surrounded by half-opened cardboard boxes, and pull out your phone.

Your eyes pop out of your head when you see Dino’s name on the screen.

Dino: Can we talk?

Yikes. Should you be communicating with him now that you’re no longer an employee? The non-disclosure agreement in your contract didn’t give specifics on this, but you’re not interested in running afoul of the company’s lawyers. Then again, the members can contact whoever they want; they have those privileges now.

In the end, you give a non-answer.

You: I’m sorry, I’m currently moving and things are a little busy.

Dino: Moving?

His one-word reply confuses you. Is he asking for clarification? Expecting more details? You don’t know, so you don’t send a reply.

A little cowardly, sure. But leaving your job as Seventeen’s assistant manager has used up enough of your courage.

You pick your way precariously through the crowded KBS waiting room, distributing lunch box sets among the members. It takes five minutes to reach Dino and Mingyu, who are squished between the far couch and the window, and hand them the last two boxes.

“Thank you, nuna.” Dino hands his phone to you in exchange for the food, and you glance at the screen.

“Oh, Duolingo again?” You squint at the Japanese characters. “Something about cats, right?”

“Nuna, you know Japanese?” Mingyu glances up at you.

“Nah, I just recognize some of the kanji,” you explain. “Speaking of, Chan-ah, I talked to the translations team and found someone with Japanese teaching experience. Do you want me to set up some private lessons after this comeback is over?”

“Really? Yeah, that sounds great,” Dino says enthusiastically. “Thank you.”

“Okay, will do.”

“Actually, there’s something else I wanted to ask, nuna.” Mingyu puts down his chopsticks. “Myeongho and I were thinking about doing lives in both Chinese and Korean, you know how some other groups do these days? But we need a live interpreter.”

“Didn’t you already ask Taehui-hyeong for help with that?” Dino says with a frown.

“Yeah, but you know how he is,” Mingyu replies, “he hasn’t gotten around to it yet. So I just wanted to ask you, nuna.”

Dino clicks his tongue. “You realize you’re just making more work for her like this, right?”

“Eh? No I’m not, nuna and hyeong can work together to find someone.”

“Yeah, but how much time is it going to take to find someone for this random request you thought up at 3 in the morning? She has other things to do.”

“It was 4 in the morning, for your information. And Taehui-hyeong thought it was a great idea.”

“Then just ask him and leave nuna out of this.”

“Yah, is nuna your personal manager? I can ask her for help, too.”

“Okay, ceasefire, please,” you interrupt. “Mingyu, less talking and more eating, the beauty shop folks are arriving any minute and you’re first up. I’ll check with Taehui about the interpreter.”

“Thanks!” Mingyu shoots you a grin and a smirk at Dino, who scowls back.

“Chan-ah, try and get some sleep after you finish eating, okay?” You hand back his phone. “Also, sorry, I broke your Duolingo streak.”

“Oh?” He takes the phone and checks the screen.

“I took a guess, but looks like ‘We broke up because my cat was too cute’ was wrong.”

He stares at the mistranslated sentence for a few more moments, then cracks a smile. “I think you need to take Japanese lessons with me, nuna.”

“I mean, there’s the ‘cat’ character and the ‘break up’ characters, right there. It was an educated guess.”

“And all the other hiragana in the middle?”

“Yeah, I just ignored those.”

“...That’s not how language works.”

“Good thing you’re the global idol, not me.”

On Monday, you get another text.

Dino: Nuna, do you have some time today?

You do, in fact, have some time; you have an entire week off before you start your new job. Does that mean you should be talking to Dino, though?

As you’re staring at his message, conflicted, a call comes through.

You startle and nearly drop your phone. Managing to catch it, you quickly swipe to pick up. “Hello?”

There’s a pause. Then: “Nuna, it’s me.”

“...Dino?”

“Yes, it’s Chan.”

“Ah. Hi.” You swallow.

“Um, I called because… I wanted to apologize about how our last conversation ended.”

“Oh. That’s okay. I know it came as a shock to you.”

“Yes. But I thought it over, and I wanted to talk to you some more. Do you have time to meet up today?”

“Errr, can you tell me now, over the phone?”

“If you’re not free during the day, I have time this evening,” he says quickly. “I can meet you wherever, nuna.”

“Can you…?” You’re doubtful. It’s not an easy thing for an idol to move around Seoul discreetly. And now that you’re not a staff member, you really have no reason to be seen in public with him.

“Yes. You said you moved, right? Just tell me where’s convenient for you, nuna, I’ll be there.”

“Dino, I think it’s better if we talk over the phone —”

“Please, I want to talk to you in person, nuna. Please.”

The urgency in his voice makes you waver. Slowly, you say, “The thing is, Dino, I don’t think we can meet anymore.”

A pause on the line.

“No way… nuna, don’t tell me — did you move abroad??”

“What???” How did he jump to that conclusion? “No. No, I moved across the river.”

“Across the river? Then why did you say we can’t meet? If you’re still in Seoul, I can definitely go meet you!”

“No, what I meant was — look, I’m not a member of your staff anymore, right? It’s not that easy for us to meet up.”

“I’m serious. Just give me an address and a time today and I promise I’ll be there.”

“Can you at least tell me what this is about?”

“I want to tell you in-person,” he repeats stubbornly.

“...Fine.” You let out a breath. “Before that, though, you need to tell the managers why you’re coming to see me, get their okay and make sure someone can drive you. Got it?”

Dino doesn’t answer right away.

“Or,” you say, “you can just tell me right now.”

“Fine. I’ll tell them,” he says, sounding reluctant. “Send me the place and time, okay?”

“All right.”

“I’ll see you soon, nuna.”

You end the call and immediately think, Where the hell can we meet?

It’s amazing how you spent so much time with the members and yet only travelled to a few fixed places together: the company, the dorms, the broadcasting stations, and other media companies. Now that you’ve left your position, there are no intersections where you and the Seventeen members can meet in public.

In the end, you send Dino a text with the only viable, private place you can think of: your apartment. Then you send a quick heads-up to your roommate.

You: Jeonghyeon-ah, sorry for the late notice, one of the members of Seventeen will be coming over at 5:30

Jeonghyeon: Coming over?? Why? You’re not in trouble, are you?

You: I don’t think so…? >_< I’m going to try and send him home by 6 if you want to avoid it

Jeonghyeon: Yeah I’ll take you up on that, thanks

You: Don’t work too hard!

You spend the rest of the day mindlessly unpacking while your thoughts whir around, trying to think of what Dino might have to tell you. By the time five rolls around, you’re sore but satisfied with your unpacking progress and feeling ready to hear Dino out.

Fifteen minutes later, you get a message.

Dino: I’m so sorry nuna, I can’t make it today. I wanted to let you know earlier but I didn’t have time

For a minute you just stare at your phone. For some reason, it feels like a letdown.

Pushing back your disappointment, you keep your reply short and sweet.

You: That’s okay.

You get an immediate read receipt, so you wait to see if he’ll respond.

He doesn’t.

After a minute of waiting, you shake your head and put away your phone. Whatever Dino wanted to talk about, it must not have been as urgent as he made it sound. Oh, well.

“Here, Seungkwan-ah.” You sit down in the driver’s seat of the car and reach back to hand Seungkwan his precious iced Americano.

“Thank you~” He leans forward, smushing Dino into Vernon, and accepts it gratefully.

“Use the straw, okay?” You start the car and peel out of the parking lot; you’re late for the trio’s radio schedule.

“Yeah, no costume changes today, hyeong,” Dino jabs.

“Uh, excuse me, I spilled one coffee out of the fifty thousand drinks I’ve had in my life, one single time. Are you really going to keep bringing it up?”

“Fifty thousand drinks,” Vernon says in a musing tone. “If there are 365 days in a year…”

“Twenty-two times 365 is… 8,030. You’ve lived for 8,030 days, hyeong.” Dino holds up his phone, showing the calculator. “And 50,000 divided by 8,030 is... 6.2. Have you had 6.2 coffees every single day of your life?”

Seungkwan lets out a growl. “You know what I meant!”

You tune out their bickering and focus on getting through the Gangnam traffic as swiftly as safely possible. It’ll be a miracle if you’re not late, but hey, miracles do sometimes happen, right? Right?

After a few minutes, Seungkwan calls your name. “Hey, nuna?”

“Hm?”

“I think the barista left you their KakaoTalk ID.”

“Eh?” You put your foot down on the accelerator and manage to clear a yellow light safely. “What do you mean?”

“There’s a Kakao ID written here on the cup, plus a name.”

“Really?”

“Let me see that.” Dino grabs for the cup.

Vernon leans in as well. “‘Hajun’. I guess that’s his name.”

“Weird.” The next light you don’t make; you sit back and force yourself to relax your grip on the steering wheel.

“No, wait — what the hell? There’s a heart and a winky-face here too,” Dino says, tone rising in disbelief. “Yah, nuna, this guy’s trying to pick you up.”

“What?” You glance back with raised eyebrows.

He thrusts the cup out into your face. “Look! ‘Hajun’, heart, winky-face, Kakao ID. He was trying to pick you up!”

You turn back around in time for the green light. “Huh. Look him up on KakaoTalk for me.”

“Wait, what?” says Dino. “That’s a bad idea, you shouldn’t —”

“Found him,” Seungkwan announces. “Yi Hajun.”

“Yah, don’t!” Dino says loudly. “Why would you even bother, he’s obviously not a good person!”

“You didn’t even meet him,” says Vernon.

“Yeah, but what kind of weirdo goes around handing out his contact information on coffee cups?? Do you think nuna should meet that kind of person?”

“Relax, Chan-ah, I’m not going to marry the guy.” You turn onto the final street and glance at the clock. You just might make it.

“Yeah, well, he doesn’t look that good in bed, either!”

Seungkwan sighs. “I did not need that visual.”

WTF? You ignore Dino’s non-sequitur as you park the van and turn off the engine. “Okay, let’s go, we have two minutes to spare.”

Seungkwan and Vernon hop out, but Dino remains in the backseat. “Nuna, promise you won’t contact that guy.”

“Come on,” you urge, checking the clock again, “we’re going to be late.”

“Promise first!” He doesn’t budge.

“All right, I promise!” Why this is relevant to him, you’re not sure, but anything to get your idols to their schedules on time. “Now move, please.”

Finally Dino gets out of the van, and you lock up and jog in after them with an internal sigh of relief. What a job.

You finish unpacking everything by mid-Tuesday, and use the afternoon to scope out the local shops and do a much-needed grocery run to stock up your bare apartment. After dishing out a few hundred thousand won, you head back home laden with bags.

As you’re approaching your building, a familiar-looking vehicle catches your attention.

Your steps slow. The van’s parked on the opposite side of the street, and you keep a careful eye on it as you draw closer.

Just as you get close enough to read the license number, someone exits it.

“Nuna?”

You stagger to a halt. It really is him: Dino, dressed in all black, with a face mask pulled high and a ball cap pulled low, casually standing in the street in front of your apartment.

“Chan-ah, what —” Instinctively you glance around to see if anyone’s in the vicinity. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to talk to you.” He hurries toward you, hands reaching for your grocery bags. “Do you live here, nuna? Here, let me help.”

You side-step him and beeline for the van. “Who drove you? Taehui-yah, is that you?”

Taehui pokes his head out the driver’s seat window, wearing a sheepish smile. “Y/N-ah, hi.”

“Sorry about this, Hui-yah.” You shake your head in disbelief.

“No, it’s okay,” he replies, good-natured as always. “I wanted to come see your new neighbourhood anyway.”

“You told Taehui-hyeong you were moving but you didn’t tell me?” Dino butts in indignantly. “Really, nuna?”

You turn to him with a tsk. “Hurry up and say what you wanted to say before someone sees you.”

His eyes widen, and he glances around the street. “Right here? But… that’s kind of awkward.”

“Then let’s talk in the van.”

“Won’t your groceries go bad?”

Good point. “Fine. You guys can come up to my place.” You turn and head for your building.

“No, hyeong has to stay in the van,” Dino says quickly.

“Eh?” You turn back. “Why?”

“Because! That’s… that’s what we agreed.” He ushers you forward, away from the van and toward your building.

“Hui-yah, is this okay?” you call.

“Just get him back out here by five-thirty,” he calls back.

“Okay!”

When you turn back around, you find Dino’s somehow taken most of your grocery bags into his own hands. Well, you won’t complain.

On the elevator ride up, you remember Jeonghyeon. “Oh, shoot.” You scramble for your phone.

“What is it?” Dino asks.

“My roommate.” Exiting the elevator, you draft up a quick text.

“You got a roommate?”

His shocked tone makes you pause and look up. “Eh? I’ve always had a roommate.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Ever since I came to Seoul.” You send Jeonghyeon the text and continue on to your apartment.

“Oh.”

“You really don’t know anything about me, huh,” you say lightly as you unlock your door and step inside.

When you turn around, Dino’s standing at your threshold, looking at you with big eyes full of hurt.

“Hey — come on, I was joking.” You put down your bags and wave him in, feeling bad. “I didn’t mean it like that, Chan-ah.”

“Well, you’re not wrong,” he mumbles, trudging in and setting the groceries down gently. “But you know what, nuna?”

“Hm?” You close the door and turn to find him staring at you intently. “What is it?”

He takes a step forward. “I thought about it, and I don’t think it’s all my fault that I don’t know anything about you.”

“Hang on, I never said it was your fault.”

“I know, but what I mean is: you were too good of a manager.” He takes another step. “And maybe I was too good of an idol, right? That’s why our relationship was like that. That’s why you just felt like you were doing your job all the time.”

You smile a little wryly. “That’s one way to look at it, sure.”

Dino stops in front of you, expression earnest. “But see, now we’re no longer like that. You’re not my manager, I’m not your idol.”

To your surprise, he takes your hands and clasps them in his.

“Now we can have an equal relationship,” he finishes.

Uh. What?

“What are you talking about?” You pull your hands away.

He grabs on tighter and leans in. “We’re friends now, nuna.”

His tone is so matter-of-fact that for a second you actually believe him.

Then you shake your head. “What? No, that’s not —”

“Before we were just colleagues, right? Now we’re friends. You can tell me things like who your roommate is, how your family is, what you do on your days off. You can tell me everything about yourself.”

He’s looking so sincerely into your eyes that it almost physically hurts to look away. “Chan-ah, we can’t.” You tug your hands free again and tuck them behind your back.

“Why not? You’re not my manager anymore.”

“I’m not your manager anymore, but you’re still an idol,” you point out. “You still have all the responsibilities and restrictions of your job, your life. And now I’m no longer part of that life.”

“But I’m allowed to have friends,” he says indignantly, drawing back. “I’m allowed to choose you to be part of my life as my friend.”

“Listen, thank you for saying that, but — I can’t.”

“Why?” Dino pulls back further, eyes dimming. “You don’t want to?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to.”

“Then why?”

“If we become friends, Chan-ah, I’m going to start liking you.”

…

Wait.

You said it.

What the fuck?

You can feel your eyes growing huge, a mirror to Dino’s widening eyes, a mutual staredown over the gruesome confession that’s just come out of your mouth.

THUD.

Something hard hits you from the back, and you topple forward onto the floor.

“Ow,” you groan.

“Nuna! Are you okay?!”

“Oh my God, Y/N-ah, sorry!” That’s Jeonghyeon’s voice.

You roll over weakly onto your back and squint up at Jeonghyeon, who stands in the doorway with a hand on the doorknob and a hand to her mouth.

“I didn’t know you were standing behind the door — are you okay?” She hurries in and crouches down beside you. “Did you hit your head?”

“Ow. I’m okay. Welcome back.” You close your eyes and dizzily let her pull you up into a sitting position. “Sorry, this guy showed up without giving advance warning. Jeonghyeon, meet Chan.”

“Nice to meet you,” Dino says automatically. “Wait, never mind that — nuna, shouldn’t you go to the hospital?”

You wave him off as you stand, holding onto Jeonghyeon. “I’m fine. Anyway, you should go now.”

“Me?” Dino looks between the two of you. “But — we’re not done talking.”

“Yeah, well, Jeonghyeon’s home, so time’s up.” Avoiding eye contact, you move around him and into the kitchen to start putting away the groceries. “I bought groceries, Hyeon-ah.”

“So I see.” She puts down her bag and hangs up her coat, side-eyeing Dino all the while. “Why is he here?��

“Oh, um, let me introduce myself,” Dino says quickly. “Hello, I’m Dino of Seventeen.”

“Right. You’re the guy who didn’t show up yesterday after making an appointment with her.”

He ducks his head. “I’m sorry. That was my bad.”

“So. Again. Why are you here?” You can hear Jeonghyeon’s eyebrow raise in her voice. “Did you come to confess your love for her or something like that?”

“No, I did that already,” you say ruefully, sticking your head deep in the fridge as you put away the soy milk.

“Oh. Wait, what?” Jeonghyeon drops the eyebrow raise and comes over to join you in the fridge. “You did what?”

“I said I liked him. By accident.” You share a grimace with her. “It was right before you opened the door into me, actually, so you had great timing.”

“Wow.” She lets out her breath in a low whistle.

“Yeah. That’s probably going to be the lowlight of my thirties right there.”

“Now what?”

“Now he leaves, and we pretend nothing ever happened.”

“Uh, excuse me.” Dino knocks on the fridge door, then peers around the edge. “I’m right here, you know. I can hear you.”

“Great! Then you know what to do.” Jeonghyeon straightens, gives her excellent no-nonsense smile and starts ushering him out. “Go back safely~”

“I still have things to say,” he protests. “Just hear me out!”

“Sorry, time to leave —”

“I like you too, nuna!!”

You look around at that.

Both Dino and Jeonghyeon are looking back at you. Jeonghyeon’s jaw is slightly dropped; Dino’s staring at you like Jeonghyeon’s not even there.

“Um,” you say.

Dino makes a frustrated sound. “Can I talk to you in private, please?”

Jeonghyeon tilts her head at you. After a moment, you give her a tiny nod and move toward Dino. “Let’s go outside.”

He doesn’t move. “Are you kicking me out?”

“Either we talk outside, or we don’t talk at all,” you say bluntly.

“...Okay.” He turns and exits the apartment but holds onto the door, as though making sure you won’t close it on him.

“I’m going to start cooking dinner,” Jeonghyeon tells you. “Take your time.”

You give her a grateful smile before following Dino outside.

He stands fidgeting in the hallway as you lock the door. “Nuna.”

“Not here. Let’s go back to the van.” You start down the hall to the elevator.

“The van? But Taehui-hyeong’s there.”

“There’s nowhere else we can go.”

“So why not your place?” You can hear the pout in his voice without even looking at him.

“Jeonghyeon hates having strangers over. It’s the first rule of our roommate agreement.”

“Then why did you invite me here in the first place?”

You press the elevator button. “I invited you yesterday, when I gave Jeonghyeon enough notice so she wouldn’t be home at the same time.”

“So it’s okay as long as she’s not there?”

“Yes.”

“Weird,” he mutters as he gets in the elevator after you.

You send him a speaking look.

“Sorry,” he says quickly.

“Pro tip: if you like someone, don’t call their friends weird.”

He doesn’t reply. You glance over to find him looking at you.

“What?”

“You’re right,” he says. “I like you.”

“Wha — ?!” You whip back around to face the front. You can feel your ears starting to burn.

“I like you, nuna,” he says, louder. “You like me too, right?”

Fortunately, the elevator reaches the ground floor just then. You dart out without answering and power-march out of the building and toward the van, resolutely not looking at him.

“Nuna!” Dino breaks into a jog to catch up to you. “That’s what you said, isn’t it?”

“I didn’t,” you shoot over your shoulder, not looking around. “Now be quiet before you attract attention.”

You reach the van and knock hurriedly on the driver’s side. Taehui jerks upright from his doze and rolls down the window. “Y/N-ah, hey. You’re done?”

“Almost.” You open the rear door and get in. “Come on, Chan-ah.”

“What do you mean, you didn’t?” Dino says, clambering on after you. “You clearly said it!”

“Hurry up and close the door.” You lean forward and tap Taehui on the shoulder. “Hui-yah, let’s go back to the dorms.”

“What?! No!” Dino grabs your hand in his. “Don’t, hyeong!”

“Uhhhh,” says Taehui.

You pull away with a huff. Fine, if you have to hash this out in front of Taehui, you will. “Chan-ah, look, I was just joking around, okay? Let’s just forget about this.”

“I wasn’t.”

“What?”

“I wasn’t joking, nuna. I like you.”

You glance nervously at Taehui. “Okay, seriously, this isn’t funny —”

“I’m not joking. Ask Taehui-hyeong. I told all the manager-hyeong already.”

“You what?!” You turn your head to gape at Taehui. His awkward expression seems to confirm this.

“The reason I couldn’t come yesterday is because I told them this,” Dino continues, “and we spent the entire day arguing with senior management.”

“WHAT?” You’re pretty sure you’re in the process of losing your mind. “Lee Chan, you’re an idol.”

“I know!” he says. “I know. But I also know that I like you. And now… now I know that you like me too.”

“Yah, I never said I like you, I said I might start liking you!”

“You said you will start liking me!”

“So what??” Your voice is raised; you sit back and try to bring your volume down. “Okay. Look. You know what? It doesn’t matter.”

“How can you say that? Now we both know how the other feels!”

“It doesn’t matter, because we can’t date.”

“Nuna, I talked to management about this already! You can ask Taehui-hyeong, he was there. You know we don’t have an official dating ban.”

You give him your most stern stare. “Lee Chan, I am not going to date you.”

He blinks, opens his mouth, then pauses.

Finally: “Why not?” he asks, his tone wilted.

You sigh. “I know what it takes to be a celebrity. You owe your entire life to your fans. You live in the public eye. Your livelihood is built on societal sentiment.”

“My true fans would be happy for me to date someone I like!”

“But I don’t want to date a celebrity, Chan-ah,” you say. “I don’t want to date someone living in the public eye. I want to date someone normal like Taehui and deal with ordinary relationship issues.”

His eyes bug out. “Taehui-hyeong?” His head whips around toward the driver’s seat. “Hyeong?!”

“What? No, no, no.” Taehui shakes his head, a look of alarm on his face.

“Hey, I was just using him as an example!” you say quickly. “You know, for example, if I date Taehui, he doesn’t have any fans who might send me hate mail, and if we break up, I don’t have to see his face on the Internet.”

“Why would you date Taehui-hyeong though?!”

“I meant someone like Taehui!” You facepalm. “You’re totally missing the point.”

“Chan-ah, she’s saying she doesn’t want to date a celebrity,” Taehui intervenes. “Don’t you think you should respect her choice?”

“But —”

“He’s right. It’s my choice.” You’re grateful to Taehui for articulating it that way. “Can you respect that, Chan-ah?”

Dino looks down, crestfallen. “When you put it that way…” he mumbles.

You soften your tone. “It means a lot that you care about me. It really does. But I can’t be part of your world anymore.”

His brow creases in confusion. “You used to be, though. You were our assistant manager.”

“And I left. I left, for a reason.”

“...What reason?”

“The longer I worked, the clearer I saw how the K-pop industry turns humans into products.” You take a breath. “I know you chose this, and I’m not saying you made the wrong choice. But I can’t remain in this system. I can’t continue to contribute and uphold it. There’s too much dissonance in my head.”

Dino looks up, brow still scrunched. “Then — if I wasn’t an idol —”

Oh dear. “Stop. I’m not asking you to change,” you say. “We’re not going to change for each other, all right? Some day you’ll find someone who doesn’t mind dating a K-pop idol, and that person will be right for you.”

His throat moves visibly as he swallows. “I believe you’re right for me,” he says, voice thick.

“But I don’t believe you are for me,” you say, as gently as you can. “You’re not right for me, Chan-ah.”

He blinks a few times, then breaks eye contact and looks down without replying.

You look at Taehui, who’s watching through the rearview mirror with a concerned expression. “Hui-yah, sorry for making you listen to all this, and thanks for taking care of Chan. I appreciate everything you’ve done, really.”

“You know it’s no problem.” He turns around to clasp your hand briefly. “Take care of yourself, Y/N-ah, okay? Be happy.”

“You too, Hui-yah. Best of luck with everything.” You muster up a smile and wave. “Then… I’ll get going. Good-bye.”

You open the van door, get out and turn to close it.

“Nuna.” Dino’s there, holding the door open.

You look at him, at the faint glint of unshed tears in his eyes, and you can feel your throat close up with your own tears.

“Be happy, Chan-ah,” you say, and turn away.

That’s how you walk out of Seventeen’s lives; that’s how you walk out of Lee Chan’s life.

#seventeen #seventeen k-pop #k-pop #lee chan #seventeen dino #seventeen fic #seventeen fanfic #eaf writes seventeen #eaf original

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eastasianfeelings · 3 years

Text

couple things: Jooheon

Summary: Jooheon tries to bake you a dessert. Why? Because he feels like he needs to.

— requested by Anonymous: “oh your writing is so good <3 i love it a lot esp your jealousy series ^^ would it be ok if you wrote something domestic for monsta x? like a house husband or smth concept lol, for whichever of the members ^^”

Author’s note: sorry this took so long! OTL

Words: 1.5k

Warnings: a tiny bit of angst that gets resolved immediately through communication because my soul is Allergic To Angst

One Friday evening, you look up from your work laptop and sniff the air. “Heony? Is something burning?”

There’s no response. Ominous.

You save your work, lock your computer and get up from your desk to investigate the burning smell.

It’s dark out; you didn’t realize how much time had passed since your last break. There seems to be some kind of noise coming from the kitchen, and you head there.

“Jooheon-ah, are you — ?” You round the corner and stop, surprised. “Oh, hi Kihyunie! When did you get here… what’s going on?”

Jooheon and Kihyun look up from whatever they’re doing with the oven, which, judging by their distressed expressions and the smell in the air, isn’t going very well. Jooheon’s in a squatting stance, holding the oven door open, while Kihyun seems to be trying to extract something with tongs and an oven mitt.

“Wait, nuna!” Jooheon stands and lets go of the oven door. “It’s not ready yet — ”

“Hey, don’t let go!” Kihyun yelps as he yanks his hands back just in time.

“Be careful, guys.” You enter the messy kitchen and reach for Kihyun’s hands. “You okay, Kihyun-ah?”

“Yeah,” he says sheepishly, letting you remove the oven mitt and inspect his hands. “Sorry, I should’ve said hi when I got here a while ago.”

“It’s okay, I was probably in a meeting anyway.” You pat his hands before letting go and moving to Jooheon’s side. “Heony, what’s going on?”

His bottom lip is starting to stick out. “This was supposed to be a surprise.”

“What’s ‘this’?” You crouch down to look into the oven door.

Jooheon tugs you back to your feet and tucks you into his side. “Wait! It’s not done yet.”

You can’t help smiling at his pout. “It kind of smells done, Jooheon-ah.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Kihyun says, “um, we thought your skillet was oven-proof.”

“You… burned my skillet?”

“I’ll buy you a new one, nuna,” Jooheon says promptly.

You chuckle. “You don’t have to. Just tell me what you were trying to do.”

He squirms. “Nothing, really.”

“Nothing, really?” You raise an eyebrow, then turn to Kihyun. “Hey, Kiki, want to tell me what Jooheon called you over for?”

“Okay, fine.” Jooheon tugs you back to face him before Kihyun can answer. “I was trying to bake you a dessert, all right? Don’t laugh.”

“A dessert?” you repeat, surprised. “Why?”

He flushes a little and looks away. “You’ve been working overtime all week… I just wanted to do something for you while I’m home from tour.”

Wow. You’re touched. “Thank you, Heony.” You peck his cheek. “You know you don’t have to do anything for me, right? Just being here is enough.”

Shyly, he meets your eyes. “But I want to.”

Smiling, your heart full, you give him another kiss, this time on the lips. He responds eagerly enough that Kihyun decides to give a light cough to remind you of his presence.

You pull back from Jooheon and look round at Kihyun. “Right, so, you’re here to provide baking expertise, Kihyun-ah?”

“I didn’t know he wanted to bake,” he says immediately. “I mean, I’m an okay cook, but I’m not a baker. I wouldn’t have touched your pans if he hadn’t made me, nuna, honest.”

You laugh and pull free of Jooheon’s grip to go over to Kihyun. “Don’t worry, I’m not blaming you. Thanks for trying to help.” You pat his cheek, then take the oven mitt and put it on. “All right, let’s see what we’re working with here.”

The smell only worsens when you open the oven and reveal the sad remains of what looks like a brownie cake, which probably explains the cocoa powder dusted lightly over both Jooheon and Kihyun. Holding your nose, you gingerly pluck out the burned pan.

“The recipe said it was a ‘fool-proof’ skillet brownie,” Jooheon says mournfully. “And I even called hyeong for back-up.”

“Hey, I didn’t come over here to be called a fool,” Kihyun shoots back. “Why didn’t you pick something I can actually cook?”

“It was supposed to be special! Nothing you usually make is special.”

“Excuse you??”

“Okay, guys,” you interrupt, suppressing a laugh. “How about takeout for dinner? Sound good?”

At your insistence, Kihyun stays for dinner. It’s the least you can do after he’s helped out with Jooheon’s baking adventure. The two of them fill you in on the latest progress for Monsta X’s next comeback, and you laugh until you cry at the stories of their tour shenanigans. When Kihyun says it’s time for him to go, you see him off with a full stomach and fuller heart.

“You can come by anytime so long as you promise not to touch my oven,” you tell him, and he grins and says he’ll take you up on that.

You close the door and return to the kitchen to find Jooheon staring at your burned pan in the kitchen sink.

He looks up. “Let me buy you a new pan, nuna,” he says, eyes big. “Please?”

In the face of his adorable persistence, you can’t help but acquiesce. “All right, all right. You can whip out your card the next time I’m shopping for pans, okay?”

Jooheon smiles, eyes immediately disappearing, and surges forward to take your arm and tug you to the living room. “C’mon, let’s order one now.”

You laugh as he sits you down on the couch and hands you your laptop. “I meant the next time we go out shopping, Jooheon-ah.”

“But we don’t know when that’ll be.” His smile collapses back into a pout. “Why not just buy one now?”

“I should probably do some research first so I can get one that’s oven-proof next time,” you joke.

“No, but — ” He sits down beside you and pushes in close, slinging an arm along the sofa behind your back. “Who knows when you’ll need that kind of pan, right? It’s better to have one than none at all.”

You chuckle wryly. “Heony, I haven’t used that pan in a month. You know I cook even less than you do.”

“But nuna.” Jooheon presses in closer, lips pursed in a tantalizing pout.

You can’t help stealing a quick kiss. “What is it, Heon-ah? Why do you want to buy me a pan so badly?”

“It’s not… I mean… ” He huffs out a breath. “I don’t want you to go shopping with my manager-hyeong again, okay?”

???

“EH?” you ask, boggling. “Shopping with your manager? When did I —”

“You know that one time!” Jooheon bursts out, sitting back. “When you came to see us after that radio schedule! You and Manager-hyeong had gotten the couple drink set from the bubble tea shop!”

“Couple drink set… ?” You rack your brain, and locate a faint memory of picking up bubble tea before heading to the radio broadcast station. “Heon-ah, I just wanted to try the specialty drink, and none of you guys drink bubble tea, so I gave your manager the extra, that’s all!”

“When Minhyuk-hyeong pointed it out, Manager-hyeong turned totally red!” Jooheon crosses his arms.

“Minhyukie was just joking around, trying to embarrass us on purpose. You know it didn’t mean anything.”

“Yeah, well, you’re my girlfriend. We’re a couple.”

“Your manager-hyeong knows that.” You keep your tone soothing even though you kind of want to smile at his petulance. “I really just wanted to drink that specialty tea, honestly. You believe me, right?”

At that, Jooheon’s stiff posture softens, even though you can see him struggling to keep his expression stern. “Still,” he huffs, “I… want to be the one sharing those couple things with you. I want to do those kinds of couple things with you.”

“I get it, Jooheon-ah.” You lean in and give him a kiss. “We can, and we will, all right? We’ll do everything you want to do together.”

“...Yes.” He finally relaxes and returns your kiss warmly. When he breaks contact, he doesn’t go far, looking into your eyes. “I feel like we’re apart so often, nuna. I really wish I could make up all that time, fill in all that time to be the kind of couple we should be.”

Oh, Jooheon.

You cup his face in your hands. “There’s no should. We’ll be the kind of couple we want to be. Okay? Don’t feel like you have to make up anything. You know that’s not what I want from you.”

“I know,” he acknowledges softly. “I just... want to make sure we are. A couple, I mean. I want us to feel like we’re together.”

“We are together. We’re together because we love each other, as we are. And that’s enough.” You look him in the eye. “Yes?”

He looks back at you steadily, then nods, once. “I love you,” he murmurs, and kisses you again.

“Love you too,” you whisper, in between kisses. “I love you, too.”

After a few minutes pass:

“So… can I buy you a pan now?”

#jooheon #monsta x #eaf writes monsta x #jooheon x reader #monsta x fic #jooheon fic #joohoney #joohoney fic #I hope this isn't trash #eaf original

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eastasianfeelings · 3 years

Photo

200705 Inkigayo ✩ Wonwoo

#please move crop tops from women’s fashion to men’s fashion permanently thank you #seventeen #wonwoo

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eastasianfeelings · 3 years

Text

Some reader, lightly commenting on my fic: hey i liked this.

me, me eyes enormous: you COMMENT me? you comment on my fic, like the story? oh! oh! love for reader! love for reader for One Thousand Years!!!!

#this is sweet #fanfic

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eastasianfeelings · 3 years

Text

me as a writer: Oh no I can’t write that, somebody else already has

me as a reader: hell yes give me all the fics about this one scenario. The more the merrier

#nice #fanfiction

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eastasianfeelings · 3 years

Note

oh your writing is so good <3 i love it a lot esp your jealousy series ^^ would it be ok if you wrote something domestic for monsta x? like a house husband or smth concept lol, for whichever of the members ^^

Hello! Thanks so much for the kind words. And yes, I’m happy to write something a little domestic for MX. (This’ll be a good stretch for me - I admit most of my fics aren’t very domestic LOL). Love the house-husband idea, so thank you for the prompt!

#eaf ask

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eastasianfeelings · 3 years

Text

like a main dish: Shownu

← previous: I need you to come

Summary: You need to double-check with I.M whether he knows what he’s saying in the lyrics of ‘Love Killa’.

Words: 1.7k words

Warnings: mentions of oral sex, slight crack

You follow Shownu into Monsta X’s waiting room and loudly announce, “Hey, Changkyun-ah! We need to talk.”

Changkyun, who’s lounging on the far side of the room, looks up from his phone. “Oh, nuna, hi.”

“Nuna! I didn’t know you were coming today.” Jooheon rises from a nearby couch with a welcome smile and ducks around Shownu to give you a hug. “Hyeong sneaked you in?”

“Manager-hyeong did,” Shownu explains as he sits down on the couch in Jooheon’s vacated spot.

“Hey, Heonie,” you say, returning the hug warmly. “Did you gain weight? You look so healthy.” You peck him on his plump cheek.

He draws back with a light flush, his dimple out in full force. “Eh, you don’t have to point it out, nuna.”

“Why not? Surely everyone’s telling you how handsome you are these days,” you say with a grin. “Right, Hyungwon? Minhyuk?”

“He brushes it off, but I think he just wants us to keep saying it,” Kihyun chimes in, looking up from his position between Minhyuk and Hyungwon.

“Dude, you just died,” Minhyuk exclaims, stabbing at Kihyun’s phone screen. “If you’re not going to play properly, give it to me.”

“Hey, Y/N-nuna is here,” Kihyun retorts, “don’t you think you should greet her at least?”

“Nah, don’t mind me,” you say cheerfully with a wave. “I’m just here to talk to Gyunie, anyway.” You head further into the room, ignoring the slight fuss behind you as Jooheon accidentally sits back down on Shownu’s lap (“Eh?? Hyeong, that’s my spot...”) and walk over to Changkyun, who’s put away his phone.

“What’s up?” he asks.

You sit down and lean in close. “So. Changkyun.”

He straightens at your serious tone. “Nuna?”

“I need to ask you a question.”

“A question?” Changkyun stiffens even further. “Did — did Shownu-hyeong say something?”

You cock your head. Shownu? Say something?

“Because I told him it wasn’t true,” Changkyun says, words starting to spill out faster. “It’s not true, I was just — ”

As he stutters, you boggle at him. “What are you — ”

“I definitely don’t like you like that, nuna!” he bursts out, loud enough for everyone in the waiting room to hear.

And apparently they do hear, because the room has gone quiet.

Your eyes grow wide. You take in Changkyun’s embarrassed face, his cringing expression as he looks away from you, and you can’t help it: you laugh out loud.

“Changkyunie, you have a crush on me?” you gasp out. “That’s so cute, oh my God.”

“C-cute…?”

“You know I’m like an ajumma, right?” you say between chuckles. “Wow, I didn’t know mature women were your style, Gyunie.”

“You’re not an ajumma, noona,” he protests immediately, even though he’s still not meeting your eyes. “You’re only Shownu-hyeong’s age.”

“I guess you’re right, that would make Hyunwoo an ajeossi.” That thought sets you off on another round of giggles.

“Don’t laugh.” Changkyun’s hands come up to cover his reddened ears.

“Okay, sorry, sorry.” You get your mirth under control and reach out to give him a reassuring pat on the arm. “Don’t worry, I’m just teasing you.”

His gaze flicks up to meet yours, then away. “I’m only two years younger than Kihyun-hyeong, anyway,” he grumbles.

“Than — ?” You turn around reflexively to look at Kihyun.

That’s when you find all five other members openly staring at you and Changkyun, with varying expressions: Hyungwon and Minhyuk look slightly disgusted, Jooheon looks startled, Kihyun looks pissed and Shownu… he looks concerned.

A little taken aback, you try for a light-hearted chuckle and wave. “Uh, we’re just joking around here. That’s not what I wanted to talk about, anyway.”

But then Kihyun stands up. “So what if you’re only two years younger?” he snips at Changkyun. “Two years is a lot, you know.”

“Kihyun,” Shownu begins.

“It is not a lot,” Changkyun fires back. “You’re two years younger than nuna.”

“That makes you four years younger.”

“Oh my God,” Hyungwon mutters, and slides down on the couch into a sleeping position. “Wake me up when it’s over.”

“It’s not like four years is that much more than two — ”

“Hang on,” Jooheon interrupts, “why are we fighting over Y/N-nuna? She’s Shownu-hyeong’s girlfriend.”

At that, everyone looks back to Shownu. He’s standing, looking between you and Changkyun and Kihyun with brows lowered.

“Changkyun,” he says this time.

Changkyun visibly quails into the couch. “I don’t mean it like that, hyeong,” he says, though his tone is quiet. “Not like Kihyun-hyeong.”

“Then just stay out of it,” Kihyun hisses at him.

“Kihyun,” Shownu repeats.

Kihyun looks round, his stance softening into something less aggressive. “Hyeong, you know — you know I wouldn’t. You know I won’t.”

For a while Shownu just looks at him. Kihyun looks back, holding his gaze steady.

In the meantime, you gape at everyone and everything as you try to wrap your head around this drama-like scene unfolding in front of you. Jooheon and Minhyuk are watching with similarly wide eyes, while only Hyungwon seems to consider this beneath his regard, at least in favour of a nap.

“Um, so.” You clear your throat, and blink as everyone’s attention shoots back to you. “I was actually going to ask something else.”

Changkyun looks between you and Shownu.

“Hyunwoo didn’t tell me anything like that,” you say, a little more gently, because you can see how embarrassed he is. “It’s a question about your lyrics for the ‘Love Killa’ comeback.”

“Oh.” His shoulders slump. Then he glances once more at you, groans and covers his face. “Ugh. Seriously?”

Despite the situation, you have to stifle a chuckle. “So… can I ask?”

“Is Shownu-hyeong going to kill me after he’s done with Kihyun-hyeong?” Changkyun replies without removing his hands.

“No, of course not.” You peek over your shoulder just to make sure you’re not lying. Looks like Shownu and Kihyun are engaging in some sort of staredown; you’ll just… well, leave them to it.

“Okay. Ask.”

You sit back down next to him. “Right, this might be embarrassing, but don’t feel embarrassed, all right? I’m just curious.”

He peeks out from between his fingers. “What’s embarrassing?”

You lower your voice. “Your rap lyrics…” You have to clear your throat again before the words come out. “You said, ‘I want you to eat me like a main dish’.”

Your suspicions are confirmed when Changkyun bolts upright and presses back into the sofa arm as though he wants to disappear into it, and that sets off your laughter again.

“Oh my God, you really did mean it that way,” you gasp out, slapping your knee. “Damn, Gyunie.”

“Mean what what way?” Suddenly both Shownu and Kihyun are standing next to you, faces tight.

Changkyun scrambles to his feet. “Not about me liking nuna!” he says. “It’s about my line in ‘Love Killa’!”

Shownu meets your eyes, and a sense of deja vu flashes over you. He tilts his head, barely.

Your laughter fades away as you realize you’re about to explain cunnilingus to them. “Um, I guess Changkyunie didn’t tell you guys, but… saying ‘to eat someone’ in English — it can mean — oral sex.”

Kihyun’s eyes bug out. Shownu lets out a slow, controlled breath. His eyes stay fixed on you.

“Oh, shoot,” you realize belatedly, “I wasn’t supposed to talk about sex in front of Kihyunie.”

Fortunately, Kihyun’s more focused on tearing into Changkyun than paying attention to you. “Yah, Im Changkyun! Why didn’t you explain? We’ve literally been singing along to these explicit-ass lyrics and you just let us? You little punk!”

“I didn’t ask you to sing along, hyeong! Jeez!”

Shownu inhales, exhales again, slow and controlled, still looking only at you. You sidle over to look at him face-to-face and search his expression, wondering how he’s feeling.

“Hyunwoo-yah? Are you mad…?”

He takes your hand in his bigger one and grips firmly. “I’m…” Exhaling once more, he shakes his head. “No. Not about Kihyun.”

“Then, Changkyun?” You glance over your shoulder. “Hyunwoo, you must know I’ve never, ever thought of him like that.”

“I know. I know.” He repeats the word softly as he draws you closer. Close enough that even though you’re still standing apart, his size makes you feel like you’re wrapped up in him.

“I really only wanted to ask him about those lyrics.”

“Yes. I understand.”

You look up into his eyes. He looks back, gentleness replacing the tight wariness, and you reach up on tip-toe to kiss him on the lips. “I’m sorry for worrying you.”

“Next time…” He catches your other hand in his as well, tethering you to him. “Can you tell me before you ask the members things like that?”

“Yes. I will, yes.” You nod promptly. “I swear, anything sex-related, I’ll run by you first.”

He sighs, then smiles, a little ruefully. “I wonder why there’s so much of it in the first place.”

“It’s your members’ fault for being so explicit.” You let go of his hand and swing around to stare at Changkyun. “Right, Changkyun-ssi?”

He looks up from his defensive cross-legged and cross-armed stance in the corner of the couch. “Uh, what?”

“She’s saying you’re too dirty-minded,” Kihyun sniffs.

“I am not!”

You raise your brows. “I think we just talked about a specific line that went…”

“Okay!” Changkyun panics. “Okay, fine! Just that one line!”

You find yourself reeled back into Shownu’s grasp; he tugs your arm until you’re against his chest, almost in a back-hug. “No more discussion of this,” he says firmly to Changkyun and Kihyun.

Neither of them object, of course.

Shownu leads you back to the other side of the room, where Minhyuk is patting Hyungwon’s thigh.

“Hyungwon-ah, wake up, they’re done.”

“Sorry about the drama,” you say to them with an apologetic smile.

“No worries, nuna,” Jooheon says easily, “it’s their drama, not yours.”

You grin and pat his cheek. “You’re the best, Heonie.”

“Second-best,” Shownu says beside you.

Jooheon, Minhyuk and Hyungwon roll their eyes, but you just smile wider and reach up to kiss your boyfriend.

“Yes. You’re my best, Hyunwoo-yah.”

A/N: I wrote this at 12 AM and haven’t proofread it... it’s just lived in my head ever since ‘Love Killa’ came out and finally I got it down on paper, so please enjoy~

#monsta x #monsta x fic #shownu #shownu fic #son hyunwoo #shownu x reader #k-pop #k-pop fic #eaf original #eaf writes monsta x

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