↬part two
"then I think about summer, all the beautiful times
i watched you laughin' from the passenger's side"
pairing: hwang hyunjin x reader
genre: written series, angst, fluff, friends to lovers to exes to lovers, she fell first but he fell harder, yearning, mutual pining, non-idol au, baker!y/n, movie producer!hyunjin.
word count: 11.3k
warnings: y/n has self-sabotaging tendencies, cursing, mentions of alcohol, eventual smut, mature content, MINORS DNI!!!
tag list: open. send me an ASK to be a part of it, otherwise i might miss it. i will only be adding people who are willing to reblog the chapters and/or comment on them, because it does take time out of my day to tag everyone and likes or straight up cricket noises do nothing for me in return if i'm honest.
a/n: helloo, it's been a long time but here we are again with a new part. this turned out longer than i expected and i apologise, but i wanted to mainly show how these two got together and how it was that things started off for them, as well as how the dynamic of their friend group used to be before everything went down. in other words, and as you can see in the verse of the song i quoted, this part's gonna be more on the fluffy side (but not completely lol), so i hope you enjoy this small part of their story!
feedback is very dearly appreciated<3
You had never been a big fan of packing, but you were quite excited about the trip with your friends the next day. To be honest, you did not used to be a big fan of camping either, until that first year in college when summer came and Jeongin mentioned this one place he and his family used to go camping when he was little.
Everyone was so excited about it that you couldn't say no. Seungmin wouldn't have let you miss out on it and abandon him anyway.
And, in the end, you were glad you hadn't stayed home instead. It turned out to be a really precious bonding time for all of you, to the point that you all agreed to make it a summer vacation tradition — every single year of college, without missing a beat, all eleven of you would drive outside the city and ventour into the forest to have what you liked to call your much needed healing time.
Although the entirety of your friend group had graduated college last year, you had promised to keep making time for your yearly camping trip.
Minji hadn't been able to keep that promise that particular year, given she got an internship in the States and had left a little over a month and a half before summer started. She had promised over and over before leaving that she would most definitely make it next year, and you were all counting on that.
You were sad that she wouldn't make it, for now you would only have Hyejin to fight the potentially annoying male species you'd be hanging out with.
And there was also the fact that you thought Hyunjin wouldn't feel like going anymore. Sure, he would go, for he had promised and he loved spending time with all of you, but a part of you believed he wouldn't be the same since Minji wouldn't be there — that he wouldn't be as eager about the trip as he always was.
It was the way he hugged her and visibly didn't want to let go when you had all gone to send her off and she was about to walk through security. After witnessing that, you had convinced yourself that Hyunjin wouldn't be himself until she came back.
You had decided to give him space. You knew you'd be the same if you ever lost Seungmin, and that without being in love with him.
It would be good for you, too. Giving Hyunjin space and letting him find himself without his beloved best friend meant not seeing him for a while, and therefore, finally being able to focus on moving on from your stupid crush on him.
Only that you wanting to give him space didn't exactly mean he wanted to take that space away from you. So you knew when not even a week after Minji's departure he was calling you up to hang out.
Most of your friends would be there, minus Felix and Hyejin, who had already made plans alone, so you accepted. It had started out just like that, at least — hanging out with your group of friends, the way you always had. But now his attention was only on you, and his eyes would oh-so-naturally fix on you like it was their default target.
It didn't stop there. Hanging out with everyone else yet only focusing on you turned into making plans for just the two of you. You had been ecstatic the first time he asked you out — as friends, of course. He had a shitty day at work and wanted to go out for some coffee, but he didn't feel like being around a large group of people. You accepted in a heartbeat, so happy about getting to spend some time alone with him that you completely forgot about the whole 'getting over him' goal you had going on.
So happy to finally get the attention you wanted from him, that you didn't stop for one second to think whether he would be asking you to get some coffee with him if Minji were still here.
But it didn't matter, because one coffee date turned into two, and then two turned into three. Friendly dates turned into 'oh, maybe this is not so friendly' ones. Sunset walks turned into watching movies at either one of your places. Late night calls on the days you didn't get to see each other turned into texting all throughout the day, every day; which led to getting goodnight and good morning text messages with definitely-not-so-friendly hearts attached to them.
Just like that, Hyunjin was just as eager as every other year to go on this trip. And you? God, you couldn't wait for the day to arrive so you could spend even more time with him. You were mainly expectant of the bonfire at night — you had always loved the way the fire illuminated his factions from afar. He always managed to look extra cozy and your heart would flutter with every single glimpse. This year, though, you hoped you'd get to sit next to him, and maybe, if you were lucky enough, you'd get to share a blanket with him; as childish as it sounded.
Your daydreaming got interrupted by your phone buzzing on your night table, making you jump from your bed to pick it up and then feel your heart do a backflip when you read Hyunjin's name on the screen.
Fixing your hair as fast as you could and making sure your face looked presentable enough for him to see, you answered his video call.
"Hey, cutie" he greeted as soon as your face was visible on the screen.
You smiled timidly, feeling the heat reach your cheeks at the sound of that simple pet name. "You do realise it's midnight, don't you?"
"You answered anyway" he smirked triumphantly, earning a roll of eyes from you. "Why? Did I wake you?"
"No," you shook your head, looking down to your packed bag on your bed. "I was kinda going through everything I needed to pack, to make sure I won't forget anything".
"Well, in case you forgot to pack mosquito repellent like last year, I'm glad to inform you I've kindly packed some for you".
A small, breathy laugh escaped your mouth. "Why, thank you" you brought a dramatic hand to your chest. "Did I really traumatize you last year for that to be the first thing to come to mind when packing for me?"
"I wouldn't say traumatized…" he mumbled, looking down to what you guessed was his bag, as he unzipped it. "But you did make me so fucking worried when you came out of your tent that morning all covered in mosquito bites, so…"
Watching him show the repellent bottle to the camera, you couldn't help the throaty laugh that ran past your mouth this time, hearing him follow along the moment the sound you made reached his ears.
"You really didn't have to…"
"Did you remember to pack it this time?" he tested you.
"No, but—but," you quickly emphasized at the sight of his daring eyes. "Minnie always brings some. I was just too lazy to go up to his tent at night when I realised I hadn't asked him for it last year. I didn't think it would be that bad".
"Well, now you've got your own personal bottle of it" he pointed out, stuffing it back into his bag. "So no need to go to his tent if you forget to ask him for it again".
Too enchanted by that thoughtful act of service of his, you didn't realise you were staring until he blushed and cleared his throat.
"What?" he shyly asked.
"Huh?" you snapped out of it.
"I don't know, I… you weren't like, saying anything and—"
"Oh, no, I just…" you felt your cheeks burn once again. "Thank you. You're cute".
He laughed breathily, almost inaudibly. "I'm cute?"
"You know what I mean" you glared.
"I'd like to think you mean something else, though…"
You needed to take a deep, rather shaky, breath at that. Keeping yourself composed was not an easy thing to do when he said things like that.
"So, um… What were you calling for?"
He shrugged, letting you get away with your change of subject and lying back on his mattress. "Just wanted to talk to you".
"At midnight?" you raised an eyebrow.
"Got a problem with it?"
"Not really," you chuckled. "But we're seeing each other in a couple of hours, in case you forgot".
"Oh, I'm well aware of it," he nodded, tiredly placing an arm over his eyes. "Still wanted to talk to you before going to bed".
"Clingy" you teased.
The smile that curved up the corners of his plump lips made you wish you were there with him, lying your head on his chest and playing with his hair, instead of having to settle down for seeing him through a screen.
"It's gonna be a different trip this time around, huh?" you mumbled after a few seconds in which silence had taken over.
"Yeah…" he agreed quietly, removing his arm from his face and lying on his side. "It's gonna be weird without Minji".
You hummed in response. "I'll only have Hyejin to fight you guys now, and that's when she and Lix aren't all over each other".
"You'll have me, though" he smiled innocently.
You snorted. "Please, you'd drop me in a heartbeat to join the guys when they pick on me".
"That is so not true" he argued, squinting his eyes at you.
"I guess we'll see what happens when the time comes," you taunted him. "You think you'll still be able to have as much fun?"
"You mean without Minji?"
You nodded silently, bracing yourself for the answer you didn't want to know yet had not been able to stop yourself from asking about.
"Sure," he nodded confidently, making your heart feel at ease. "I've got you, it's gonna be just as fun".
"You think so?" you whispered.
"Of course!" he reassured you. "Let's go in the same car tomorrow, we can sit together and share earphones".
"I'm taking Changbin's car" you pointed out.
"Cool," he nodded. "I'll let him know I'm taking his too, then".
"No but, you know what that means, right?"
His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Not really…"
You chuckled. "It means he'll make me go on the passenger seat so I can lead the way for him, since he always seems to miss the entrance to the camping site".
"Can't he have someone else to do it?"
"He doesn't really trust any of the guys when it comes to giving directions," you shook your head. "And I respect him for it, honestly. Last time we had Felix give out directions we nearly ended up in Busan".
He puffed his cheeks cutely, in a way that had your heart melting in a second. "Good thing Airpods are a thing then. We can still share".
"And miss Binnie's carpool?"
"You know what, if you hate me just say so".
A throaty laugh escaped your mouth at his salty remark, staring at him through the screen in such a loving way that for a second there you feared he would realise your feelings for him.
"I guess we can share Airpods" you rolled your eyes in amusement, having him happily laugh under his breath. "Don't be too surprised when I start singing along to whatever Binnie's playing on the radio, though".
"I will feel slightly neglected but I get it" he sighed overdramatically.
Covering the yawn coming out of your mouth with your hand, you sleepily stared at him on the screen. "We should go to sleep now…"
"Are you trying to get rid of me now?"
"I'm sleepy..."
"But you look so cute like that" he cooed.
"It's nearly one in the morning, Hwang Hyunjin" you tried your best to sound stern and hide your smile. "We leave at seven".
"Alright," he sighed once more, closing his eyes. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?"
You nodded, a small smile making its way on your face. "See you tomorrow, Hyunie".
He smiled blissfully. "See you tomorrow, cutie".
-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-♡
"Can we stop to get some food?" Seungmin asked from the backseat.
You laughed over Changbin's heavy sigh next to you. It had only been half an hour since you left Seoul, and there was still another hour to go, yet you couldn’t say you were entirely surprised over your best friend’s request.
The trip had been smooth so far, way too smooth — Changbin and Jeongin loudly singing to any song that came on the playlist being the only sense of disruption in the car. You remained silently staring out the window, lightly bopping your head to the beat of the music coming from the Airpod you were sharing with Hyunjin. It was a funny contrast, having Binnie and Innie singing at the top of their lungs to nothing but upbeat songs, while Hyunjin and you listened to slower, calmer ones and quietly stared at the passing scenery outside.
The somewhat balanced atmosphere you all had managed to create was just bound to be disrupted by your best friend at some point.
"I asked you all if you wanted to stop for food before hitting the highway and you said you wanted to have breakfast at the camping site".
Seungmin pouted, childishly sinking against his seat and crossing his arms over his chest. "I wanted to live the full camping experience, but I take it back now, I'm hungry".
"Well, too bad because I'm not stopping until we get there".
Hearing Seungmin whine behind you in what sounded more like a tantrum, you couldn't help but laugh, staring at him through the rearview mirror before your eyes unconsciously fixed on Hyunjin by the window. He was laughing over your best friend's scene too, and his eyes were already on you. You held his stare through the reflection for a moment, enjoying the sight of his smile and the sound of his giggle before you looked down in a poor attempt to calm your racing heart.
Clearing your throat, you reached down to the backpack by your feet and rummaged through it until you found the snacks you had packed that morning before heading out, precisely in case something like this happened.
Without a word, you reached your hand behind your seat, giggling to yourself when you felt the pack of cookies being snatched from your hold not even a second later.
"You're the best, I swear to God" Seungmin managed to say with his mouth already full. "You better be selling these at our coffee shop once we open it".
You chuckled. "I will".
"Wait, those are homemade?" Jeongin asked from the middle seat.
"Mhm…" you nodded, leaning slightly back when he peeked his head through your seat.
"You have more?"
"Take some from Seungm—"
"No way, they're mine" Seungmin growled.
Rolling your eyes, you leaned down to your backpack once more, defeatedly looking for another bag of cookies you had thankfully packed as well.
"These are double chocolate chips," you let Jeongin know as you handed them to him. "Please share them with Hyunjin in case he wants some".
"I do want some!" he stated from behind, having your amused eyes instinctively fix on him through the rearview mirror, right as he eagerly dug his hand into the bag.
"And what about me?" Changbin whined. "You all are lucky I care about your lives and can't just turn around and snatch them from you right now".
You chuckled, reaching your hand behind your seat, and opening your palm. "Minnie".
The sound of his name coming out of your mouth was all it took for a single cookie to be reluctantly placed on it.
"Here," you called Changbin's attention, motioning for him to open his mouth.
"Is it red velvet?" he asked, opening his mouth and taking a bite regardless, as he was ready to eat whatever it was you decided to feed him.
As soon as he tasted them, he dramatically threw his head back and hit the border of the steering wheel.
"Fuck! They're so good".
You laughed, lightheartedly shaking your head at his reaction. Not even ten seconds later, he was opening his mouth again and leaning slightly over your side for you to feed him the remaining of the cookie you had managed to get from Seungmin.
Having fed him and watching him happily munch on it, you leaned back against your seat, closing your eyes to go back to listening to Hyunjin's playlist like you had been doing before this whole cookies situation took place — only for Traitor by Olivia Rodrigo to start playing.
Almost jumping from your seat, you turned around, staring at Hyunjin in utter disbelief while your jaw comically dropped.
"You did not just do that" you accused him.
He chuckled, staring down with a proud smirk at the unlocked phone in his hands as he seemed to look for another song. His point had already been made.
"What happened?" Jeongin wondered.
"Nothing, Hyunjin's just an idiot" you replied, tauntingly squinting your eyes at Hyunjin, only for his smile to grow.
"At least I'm not a traitor" his smile turned into a cynical smirk.
"A traitor why?" Seungmin's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"Who's a traitor?" Changbin joined in.
"It's nothing" Hyunjin brushed it off, his eyes never leaving yours.
"Oh, so you guys have reached the internal jokes stage now?"
"Shut up…" you felt the heat reach your face, turning around to sit properly and look ahead to the road.
Olivia’s voice stopped being heard, and it was replaced by Lauv’s, as I Like Me Better began to play. You looked down to your lap and tried to contain your smile. It had been ages since you last listened to that song, and a part of you, the delusional one that was head over heels for Hyunjin, wanted to believe he was dedicating it to you right then.
Looking out the window when you managed to conceal your blissfulness and everyone seemed to already be back in their own world, you decided to just focus on the road and stop giving too much thought to the song choice of his throughout the ride. He was using a playlist after all.
Nevertheless, you couldn’t help your mind from wandering and daydreaming all the way to the camping site, making it hard for you to focus on your duty as the designated human GPS.
You weren't sure if Changbin was right about you and Hyunjin having reached the 'internal jokes stage' yet, but you realised later that day that you had definitely reached some kind of complicity. You couldn't put your finger on when along the journey of the two of you growing closer it happened, but now your eyes would naturally lock whenever someone said anything slightly funny or even questionable. It was as if you wanted, needed, to share even the most minimal and mundane of things with each other.
And you hadn't noticed it was that obvious to everyone else until Hyejin pointed it out when you were setting up your tent later that afternoon. To say you were struggling a little bit was an understatement; it was a tent for three, and usually Minji was there to help set it up as well. You would definitely have some extra room that night.
Still, as focused on finding the correct corner of the fabric to stake it to the ground as she was, Hyejin managed to bring the topic up.
"So, what's going on with you and Hyunjin?"
"What do you mean?" you frowned, letting go of the fabric you were holding onto.
"Oh, come on, I'm not blind" she squinted her eyes. "Something definitely changed between you two".
"I mean, yeah, but…" you shrugged. “We’re just closer now, I guess”.
“I’ve seen the heart eyes, Y/N”.
“As if my heart eyes for him are anything new”.
“I meant his”.
You went silent, feeling your cheeks heat up and your hands shake. To have someone else notice it, too, only made it feel more real.
“You guys need help?” Felix interrupted before you could try and say anything back.
His arm was naturally resting over Hye’s shoulders, and although she visibly appreciated the offer, she settled for an obnoxious roll of eyes.
“We’re not damsels in danger” she playfully shoved his arm off.
Felix snorted. “Maybe not but you guys are clearly struggling here”.
“I could use some help” you admitted, getting a triumphant smile from Lix before he grabbed the fabric you had let go of a minute ago and began to stake it to the ground.
“But what about our girl talk” Hyejin pouted.
“Girl talk?” Felix looked at her with furrowed eyebrows.
She nodded, and just like that his eyes went to you — realisation hitting him in a second.
“Let me guess, you guys are talking about Hyunjin”.
You nearly choked on air. “We're not”.
"We're not?" Hyejin teased you, receiving a glare from you in a heartbeat.
“Ah, you guys can go on then" Felix nodded understandingly, with a glimpse of a smirk curving up his lips. "I already know all about it anyway".
Hyejin raised both hands up in defense when your glare was once again on her. "Don't look at me, remember he's Hyunjin's best friend after all".
Lix's smirk was now on full display. "I know things neither of you two know".
"There's not much to know, though? Right?" you awkwardly fidgeted in your place. "Hyunjin doesn't talk about me, does he?"
Felix and Hyejin exchanged an incredulous look, deciding right then to just leave it there and let you figure it out on your own. They knew you well enough to know you wouldn’t believe any of it unless you heard it directly from Hyunjin; and maybe even then you would still doubt it all.
“Anyway,” Felix shrugged, going back to his previous task. “Let’s set this shit up”.
“Language!” Hyejin reprimanded him.
You laughed at the exchange, going over to Hyejin so you could work together while Felix focused on the other corner of your tent. Even though you could feel their stares on you, you were just glad the topic seemed to be over with.
-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-♡
Turned out that setting up a tent with Felix and Hyejin was just a call to be kicked out of it as soon as it was done, so they could take a nap inside and just like that make you their third wheel. Not like you really cared, for you took a blanket and placed it under one of the trees that were farther away from everyone.
Lying down on it, you used your arms as a pillow while you looked up to the bright green leaves and the rays of sunshine peeking through them. You truly loved this camping site. It was quiet, with enough space for your entire group and the right amount of distance from other campers in the area.
The grass was green and abundant, the trees provided enough shadow for you not to go mad over how hot the summer weather was, and there was a lake only a five-minute walk from there. You would probably go there a little before the sun set; everyone seemed to be too immersed in their own activities to propose a walk to the lake anytime soon.
Seungmin and Jeongin were still setting up their tent, as they had been too busy whining about having to set it up before to actually do it. Chan, Han and Changbin were drinking and chatting the afternoon away, after having managed to clean up and put everything from your lunch away, since they had been chosen to be on cleaning up duty by a very fair game of rock, paper, scissors. Minho was lying on a blanket a few meters from you, scrolling through his phone. Felix and Hyejin were napping; and Hyunjin… you actually had no idea where Hyunjin was.
“Wanna go to the lake?”
As if reading your thoughts, there he was, kneeling on the edge of your blanket as he patiently waited for your answer.
You tilted your head up to look at him, still a bit stunned over both his timing and his suggestion. Nevertheless, you nodded, not having to think twice before you sat up.
“Are the others coming?”
“Nah,” he shrugged, standing up and giving you a hand to help you up as well. “They said they’re going later”.
“Shouldn’t we wait for them then?” you quietly asked.
Hyunjin brought a dramatic hand up to his chest. “If you don’t wanna be alone with me just say so”.
You scoffed, acting just as offended as he was. “That’s not what I said at all?!”
“Then?” he smiled, tilting his head in the lake’s direction.
Rolling your eyes while the biggest of smiles took over your face, you followed him. He knew the way to the lake by heart, you realised, as he seemed to avoid branches you wouldn’t have noticed were there if it weren’t for him dodging them before you. Although maybe it just had to do with the fact that you were too focused on him to pay attention to your surroundings.
After five minutes in which thankfully you made it out intact, you finally reached your destination. You smiled at the view of the crystalline water and the strong reflection of the sun on it, which you had to look away from in order not to be blinded. It looked the same as every other year, and a part of you was happy it remained the same throughout the time.
“Where are you going?” Hyunjin asked, eyebrows furrowing in confusion when you started walking towards the water.
“To lie down?” you answered, in what had seemed like more of a question.
“Not here” he shook his head.
“Why not?”
“Minho and Changbin are fishing here later”.
“So?”
“So, you know how loud those two are when they get frustrated” he reminded you, walking over to you and taking your hand so he could drag you with him. “I came here to recharge”.
Too stunned over the unexpected feel of his strong yet soft hand holding yours, you didn’t even object. You simply let him take you whenever it was he wanted to take you to — heart eyes stuck to the back of his head as he led the way.
“Recharge?” you mocked him regardless.
"Yeah?" he said, as if it was obvious. "Don't you need time to be alone and recharge after being with too many people for too long?"
"It's not even dinner time yet".
"And I'm already drained".
You chuckled at his tiresome remark, but decided to just leave it at that when you reached a bunch of rocks that blocked the way.
“Where exactly are we going?” you wondered, confusedly letting go of his hand when he began to climb them.
"Come here" he called, reaching his hand out for you.
“You want to lay down on top of these rocks?” you questioned, taking his hand nonetheless and allowing him to help you up. “Like, the view might be better, but I’m pretty sure lying down on sand is way better than lying down on a bunch of hard as hell rocks”.
“Oh, hush,” he amusedly shut you up, placing a gentle hand to your back after having let you go first so he could make sure you wouldn’t slip —and that he would catch you in case you did—. “You just keep climbing up and shut that pretty mouth of yours”.
You shut your mouth; not because he told you to, but because his words sounded lovely —although taunting— enough to bring heat to your cheeks and make you forget how to speak altogether.
He could tell the way you were feeling, you realised when you heard a breathy laugh escape his mouth. He was enjoying it too much, but it was fair, considering he wanted to have that kind of effect on you.
Thankfully, the climb up the rocks wasn’t that high, otherwise the tension taking over while his hand remained on your back and his heavy breathing would faintly hit your shoulder every other second, might’ve become too overwhelming for you to survive.
As soon as you reached the top and took a seat to look around, you were confused. You weren’t sure exactly where it was that he wanted you to go to next or even where to look at once up there, so you just turned around to him with knitted eyebrows as he finished climbing up and took a seat next to you. However, after taking what felt like five seconds to catch his breath, he stood up.
“Okay, now let’s go down” he offered his hand once more to help you up.
“What? Like, to the same place we just came up from?”
He chuckled, amusedly shaking his head before he leaned down to grab your upper arm and help you up. “Will you just trust me on this?”
“I mean, you could be taking me to my deathbed right now and I wouldn’t even know”.
He rolled his eyes, carefully guiding you over to the other end of the rocks, so you could begin your two minutes journey down. “Everyone knows you’re with me right now, wouldn’t be really smart for me to murder you”.
“Reassuring” you smiled cynically, earning a throaty laugh from him and a light —actually reassuring— squeeze from his hand.
Without another word, you let him help you on your way down. It was cute how focused he was on making sure you wouldn’t have trouble with it and wouldn’t get hurt, to the point he tripped at one point; thankfully only right before you reached the safety of the ground, so it didn’t really matter.
"What even is this place?" you breathily let out, turning around to finally take a look at your surroundings.
It was only then that you realised what he had meant by ‘alone’ and ‘recharging’. The place he had taken you to seemed to be another shore within the same lake; a much smaller one, which could comfortably fit around five or six people at most.
The rocks formed some kind of fence around a few meters of the lake, which was tall enough to keep people from seeing what was on the other side, and which made most of them —you included— believe that was all there was to it: Just a bunch of rocks.
Only the curious ones who were willing to climb said bunch of rocks for no apparent reason, like Hyunjin, were privileged enough to discover such a gemstone.
"I don't even know, to be honest" Hyunjin laughed, walking up to the spot close to the water where one of the rocks blocked the sun and provided some shadow. "Found it the first time we came here. Minji and I were taking a walk and I felt like climbing all the way up the rocks and came across this place. I don't think anyone knows about it".
"Well, I surely didn't" you confirmed, looking around in awe. It almost felt cozy, like a small fort you would build as a child. "You and Minji did a pretty good job at keeping it from us".
"Oh, Minji doesn't know about it".
You stopped in your tracks, almost not believing your ears. "She… she doesn't?"
"Nope," he shrugged, sitting down on the sand and patting the spot next to him for you to do the same.
When you hesitated, visibly having a hard time believing him, he sighed.
"Why'd you even believe I told her?"
"I mean… Wasn’t she with you?” you questioned, finally sitting down next to him.
He shook his head no. “She didn’t want to climb up with me. I mean, she was wearing a dress, so I guess it’s understandable” a chuckle abandoned his lips, and a bittersweet smile crept up in yours over the fact that he even remembered what she was wearing on the first day you ever came here years ago. “But yeah, I saw this place from all the way up and just kept it to myself. I could use some peace of mind during these trips”.
“You say it like we’re chaotic as hell” you laughed.
“Aren’t you?” he taunted.
You playfully shoved him away. “You should really include yourself in that sentence, Hwang Hyunjin”.
“Nah, I don’t think I belong there” he denied, having a hard time holding his smile. “Which is why I kept this place all to myself this far”.
You bit your lip, concealing a smile not to show how flattered you were to be the first and only person he had ever shared this place with — for not only had he told you about it, but he had taken it upon himself to pull you away from your group of friends and take you all the way here with him.
“Minji would be so mad if she ever found out you kept this from her…”
Hyunjin shrugged, resting his head on yours and making goosebumps form on your skin. “I don’t have to share everything with her”.
“She’s your best friend, though” you pointed out.
“So?” he asked, sitting up. “Do you share everything with Seungmin?”
You stayed quiet. He had a point. You did mainly share everything with him, from your achievements to your failures, and from your happiness to your sadness. But there were still a few things you kept to yourself, like the way you had felt about Hyunjin all along. Yes, he knew you had a bit of a crush on him, and he also knew you had grown closer since Minji left, but your actual feelings for the guy next to you, he had no idea about.
Your feelings for Hyunjin were something you had decided to keep to yourself and deal with on your own. There was too much at stake, and you wanted to believe you’d have enough control over the situation in case things went south. As long as you didn’t tell anyone, even if it was obvious in their eyes, you liked to believe you would be able to just forget about it all at the snap of your fingers.
Hyunjin nodded to himself at your silence — unaware of what was going through your mind yet knowing that just like that he had proven his point.
“Besides, she’s a blabbermouth. She would’ve told everyone else by now”.
You snorted, looking down for a moment to hold your laughter and missing the way his eyes lit up at the sight of you. "I'm telling her you called her that".
"Ugh, don't tell me I brought a snitch to my precious secret spot" he whined, dramatically resting his head on your shoulder. "Is that all, though?"
"Hm?"
"I was supposed to tell her because she's my best friend?"
“No, but…” you stayed quiet for a moment, pondering whether you should say what was at the tip of your tongue or not. "It's just…"
"What is it?" he straightened up, furrowing his eyebrows as he waited for your answer.
"This is such a stereotypical making out spot".
He snorted, disbelief written all over his face. "What?"
"Yeah, like, think of all the couples that have found this place at some point and used it to do their thing".
"Ew," he cringed, glaring at you right after. "You did not just ruin my favourite spot for me".
"I'm just saying," you laughed, playfully shoving away the accusatory finger of his that was pointing at you. "This is like, the perfect making out spot to bring the person you have feelings for".
"I brought you, didn't I?"
Your cheeks were hit by a rush of heat instantly, and not even lowering your head helped you hide from him what his words had done to you.
"Stop…" you lightly shoved him away with your shoulder. "I guess it caught me off guard that you didn't bring her here at some point since you've always been in love with her".
"In love with her?" He looked incredulous; you just nodded. "I'm not, though?"
"Hyunjin…" you murmured, almost begging for him not try and fool you.
"I haven't always been in love with her…" he mumbled, looking down for a second before his eyes locked with yours. "Definitely am not in love with her anymore".
You smiled bittersweetly. "Right".
"I'm not, Y/N" he reassured you.
"Since when?" you wondered.
He said nothing — simply staring into your eyes was enough for you to have your answer.
Whatever was going on between the two of you was unspoken, recent, and therefore he couldn't give you a proper answer without having it turn out as a confession and risking scaring you away.
He wasn't confident enough to verbally confess the feelings he had caught for you this past month yet, but the sincerity in his eyes had managed to give you the answer you were looking for.
Since she left.
Since you and him grew closer together and something changed in the way he saw you.
"Is a month or so really enough to get over your best friend?" you mumbled.
"It's not like I was head over heels in love with her" he mindlessly played with the sand under his hands. "It was just… a little crush".
You laughed under your breath, shaking your head rather weakly as you laid your back on the sand — mentally scolding yourself for not having brought your blanket with you to lie down on.
A little crush. You should know about it.
You were sure just a little crush wouldn't make him look at her the way he did, and it most definitely wouldn't have him unconsciously call her the most beautiful woman his eyes had ever seen.
But you were done arguing with him. In the end, it changed nothing — he did feel some type of way for her before she left; and even after she left, up until you had come up to change that now, apparently.
Besides, no matter how hard you tried to fight it, a part of you believed him. He looked at you different now. He acted different around you. And although you tried not to fall for it, deep down you knew it was already a lost battle.
Not knowing what to say nor what to feel about his advances, you closed your eyes. You could feel him staring at you for a while, yet you were too shy to acknowledge it, until he finally laid down next to you.
"Are we napping now?" Hyunjin asked, changing the topic after getting the hint about you no longer wanting to talk about the whole feelings thing.
"You said you wanted to come here to recharge, didn't you?" you smiled.
Although your eyes remained closed, you felt him smile brightly next to you. "And napping is your way of recharging?"
"Isn't it yours?"
"I just wanted to come here and spend some time with you, if I'm honest".
At that, you opened your eyes. Much to your surprise, his dark brown ones were already focused on you.
"Thank you…" you smiled sweetly.
He looked confused. "What for?"
"For trusting me with your precious secret spot" your choice of words had him rolling his eyes. "I won't tell anyone about it, I promise".
Hyunjin smiled, no longer being able to hold himself back and throwing an arm around your shoulders. You didn't fight back when he pulled you to his chest, if anything, you made yourself comfortable on it.
"In case it wasn't clear, even if you did tell someone, because I can’t really trust you with Seungmin,” his statement earned an incredulous scoff from you. “You're not allowed to come here with anyone else but me".
You chuckled, shaking your head and closing your eyes once more as you relaxed under his touch. "Would never even dream to betray you like that".
-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-♡
"What took you guys so long?" Chan asked as soon as you and Hyunjin arrived back.
The sun had already set a couple of minutes ago, and you were met with an already lit up bonfire while all your friends sat down around it.
You didn't even have the chance to play your late arrival off by silently sitting down until someone noticed you had finally made it back, for all their eyes were fixed on you since the second you reached your camping spot. Not even the few branches you had collected on your way back, to make it seem like you had wandered off together with the intention to collect some for the bonfire, would help you out of this situation.
Having everyone silently questioning you right then, you came to the conclusion that maybe taking a nap wasn't the brightest of your ideas — not when you were a proper five minute walk from your camping spot and hadn't set up an alarm to wake you up from the dream you were having in the arms of the person your heart felt most at peace with.
Hyunjin shrugged, refraining from giving them an actual answer as he nudged you to walk over to them and throw the thin pieces of wood you had collected into the fire, later taking a seat next to each other by it.
"You know what's funny?" Changbin spoke up next to you, with a hint of a smirk already showing on his face. "I'm pretty sure I saw them walking towards the lake, but when Minho and I got there later they were nowhere to be seen".
Once again, all eyes were on you. This time, though, you managed to see some dropped jaws.
"Did you guys get lost in the woods or something?" Han teased, rapidly moving his eyebrows up and down.
"I'm watching you, Hwang" Seungmin glared at him from the other side of the bonfire, earning a laugh from all of you.
Hyunjin raised both hands up, pleading innocence. "I did nothing".
"Did Y/N do something then?" Changbin teased.
You rolled your eyes, pressing a finger to your mouth "Quiet".
"Is that a yes?"
"Oh, my God" you whined, covering your face with both hands in embarrassment.
“Okay, okay. Leave the lovebirds alone” Hyejin came to your rescue — kind of.
“Have you guys had dinner yet?” you tried to change the subject.
“Nice save” Minho saluted you. “But no, we wanted to hang out here for a bit before. It got pretty cold”.
You nodded, silently. As if on cue, a light, cold breeze hit your body, making you hug yourself instinctively before you leaned closer to the fire and reached your hands out in hopes to get warmer.
Your eyes snapped back towards Hyunjin when you felt him leave your side, watching him go to the tent he was sharing with Lix and get something you could not quite tell apart from the distance, given how dark it was over there. When he got close enough to the bonfire again for you to see what he was holding, however, you smiled.
Before the words ‘thank you’ could even leave your mouth, he was placing a blanket over your shoulders and sitting down next to you.
“Anyone else?” Hyunjin asked, holding out a spare blanket he had brought just in case.
“Me!” Hyejin raised her hand from three seats away, reaching for the blanket Hyunjin was now offering her and then throwing it around her body — in the matter of just one second managing to look like a burrito.
“Gotta step up your game, Felix” Han called him out, shaking his head in feigned disappointment.
“Fuck off” he glared at him, only for his girlfriend to laugh next to him and pull him into her embrace.
Felix smiled in adoration, resting his head on Hyejin’s while he made himself cozy under the blanket she had just shared with him.
“I just got called single in like five different languages” Han sulked.
You laughed at the scene playing in front of you. Well, mainly at Han and his antics, for you could only smile and stare in awe at the lovely couple cuddling right there. They were so happy. They had always been happy together, always so unproblematic, and you could only wish to ever be part of a relationship like that.
You didn’t want that with just anyone, though, and the fact that the person you wanted it with was sitting right next to you did not help your case at all.
It was tough to be craving that much intimacy with someone who was right there, yet things weren’t clear enough between the two of you for you to just go for it.
You wanted to be able to do with Hyunijn what Hyejin had just done with Felix. You wanted to just rest your head on his shoulder and pull him into your embrace. You wanted to be close to him in every way possible, feeling his calm breathing next to you as you enjoyed the sight and warmth of the fire.
And maybe you were overthinking way too much, for sharing a blanket while camping was not that deep and it didn’t precisely have to mean anything, but you just couldn’t bring yourself to offer it to him, because, to you, it was that deep and it did mean something.
Silently staring at him as he had by now joined the new conversation you were not paying attention to, you felt your heart melt at the side view of his bright smile.
You didn't know how many minutes had gone by, but at one point you felt him shiver, and then lean towards the fire just like you had done before, as he looked for the warmth of it.
Looking down to the fluffy fabric hugging your body, you felt guilty to have taken his blanket when he clearly needed it too. You knew it was the chance you had been looking for to offer him to share it and that way cuddle him as platonically as you could, but after giving it a second thought you came to terms with the fact that you didn’t have enough courage to do so. Instead, you offered him the whole blanket.
“Huh?” Hyunjin questioned, taken aback when you took it off and handed it to him.
“You’re cold” you stated the obvious, motioning for him to take it.
“So are you” he pointed out.
“Yeah, but it’s your blanket”.
Hyunjin stayed silent for a couple of seconds, eyes going from you to the blanket in your hands and so on. Then, as if a lightbulb had just been lit up above his head, he smiled.
Taking the blanket from your hands, he threw it over your backs, making sure you’d hold onto the other end before he made himself cozier next to you.
“We can share”.
You bit your lip, lowering your head not to show the effect his actions had once more had on you. How could he make it look so simple? Just throw a blanket over your bodies, pull you closer and then say that you could share, like it was nothing?
A part of you was worried he would feel your heartbeat racing, even though your arm was the one leaning against him and not your chest. It was just beating that hard, and you grew even shyer when your eyes locked with Seungmin’s. Somehow, you felt like one look at you and Hyunjin snuggling up —if you could call it that— was all it took for him to figure everything out.
The crush you had told him about months ago, only then was confirmed right in front of his eyes not to only be one simple crush. And most definitely not a one sided one, like you had claimed it was back then.
“Something wrong?” Hyunjin asked quietly, leaning in towards your ear for only you to hear.
You shook your head no, smiling softly before turning your head to him. “Everything’s fine”.
Perfect, actually.
Hyunjin nodded, moving closer to you and hesitatingly bringing his hand up to hover your back. “Is it okay if I…”
Catching on with his intentions when he lightly tapped your back, you hummed in affirmation; tensing up for a second over the unknown feel of his hand on your waist, before you relaxed under his gentle, loving touch. You were nervous, of course, but it would've been odd for you not to ultimately feel at ease when his thumb began to draw small circles on the curve of your waist.
Maybe you got too carried away, or maybe you simply stopped worrying too much, but you found yourself resting your head on his shoulder — not even having time to doubt your own actions before his head was resting on yours.
As cliché as it was, you wished that moment would last forever. It felt so natural, like your head belonged on his shoulder and his hand belonged on your waist. Like you belonged together.
Your friends had silently agreed on not teasing you anymore; just carrying on with the conversation as if seeing you together like that was by now a daily occurrence.
Hyunjin pulled you closer, and with his lips faintly brushing the crown of your head, you began to doze off.
His phone buzzing in his pocket managed to stop you from falling asleep completely. However, he, too, was so immersed in the comfort your touch and warmth brought him, that he didn't even feel it moving directly against his body.
"Your phone" you quietly brought it to his attention.
"What?"
"Your phone's buzzing" you clarified, lightly pressing your legs to his so he could take a hint.
"Oh, right" he finally got it, earning a small laugh from you as he reached into his pocket and took his phone out. "It's Minji".
You couldn't help it, but your body tensed up.
"Minji?" Han asked quite eagerly.
"Isn't it like six A.M. over there?" Hyejin's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
Hyunjin shrugged. "She's Facetiming, hold on".
Watching him sit up straight and fix his hair right before taking the call, you moved slightly away from him, putting some distance in between the two of you. That small action of yours didn't go unnoticed by Hyunjin, but he decided to say nothing. It must've been nothing after all, right?
"Hey!" He greeted her cheerfully as soon as her face was on the screen.
"Hello~" Minji answered rather cutely. Your stomach twisted. "How's everyone?"
"Everyone's okay, they're all here, actually" Hyunjin let her know.
That simple statement was all it took for your seats to be taken over by all your friends — all ten of you trying your best to fit on the small screen that Hyunjin was struggling to keep as far as possible from his face, so that everyone could have a look.
Staring at your friend through the screen, you could tell she was just waking up. She was at the other side of the world, after all. But even then, when her hair was still messy and her face was completely bare, she managed to look as endearing as ever.
She looked happy. Tired, of course, given what time it was over there, but happy nonetheless. That same welcoming smile you knew so well was still intact, even while she was being attacked with questions from the entire friend group.
You tried your best not to look at Hyunjin all throughout the conversation. You knew it wouldn't do you any good to see him looking at her — not when you already knew the oh-so-special way he did. That one look in his eyes he only had when it came to her.
You also tried your best not to think of how usual these video calls were. They were best friends, for fucks sake, and they were half a world apart from each other on top of that. If it were you and Seungmin, you knew you'd be calling on a daily basis.
But Hyunjin and Minji were different. And the selfish part of you didn't want to think he was Facetiming her every single day when that seemed to be your thing now.
As stupid as you knew it was, you couldn't stop your head from hurting right then; all because of your own intrusive thoughts.
"We miss you!" Han shouted.
"Yeah, you should call the whole group more often" Chan accused her.
"Oh my God, you should show us around the filming set sometime" Felix excitedly requested.
"Have you met any celebrities?" Jeongin asked.
And the fact that everyone was talking so loudly and eagerly to the phone, as if its microphone wasn't working or something, was definitely not helping your abrupt headache.
"One by one, people. Please" she joked. "I miss you all so much and I will get to you in a minute, but I called Jinnie, so…"
"She said priorities," Minho joked with a roll of eyes. "Let's leave before our dignity hits rock bottom, guys".
Chuckling at his salty remark and watching everyone stand up so they could either go back to their seats or straight up go somewhere else after the bonfire bonding had been interrupted, you hesitated for a moment. Ultimately, however, you stood up too — not being able to decipher the look Hyunjin gave you when you were no longer sitting next to him, and your end of the blanket remained unattended.
Without much thought, you went to the place that felt the most familiar and, therefore, the most comfortable — Seungmin. He was back on his previous seat, mindlessly scrolling through his Twitter feed when you took a seat beside him.
He didn't even budge when you placed your head on his shoulder, silently reading whatever Tweet he decided to stop at.
"You should've brought the blanket" he said plainly when a breeze of cold air hit your bodies, eyes not leaving his phone. "It's cold".
You snorted. "It's Hyunie's blanket. You can go get another one to your tent if you're that cold".
"Just go ask your boyfriend for it, he's giving it to you in a heartbeat".
Your jaw dropped at his nonchalant statement, not minding holding back when you pushed him with both palms and almost made him fall off his chair.
"You're a menace" he accused you, holding onto your upper arm for dear life.
"You started it" you defended yourself.
"Just go get a blanket!" He motioned towards his tent.
"It's your tent, you go".
"Fine! But I swear to God I won't be shar—"
"Um…" Hyunjin's low voice brought your attention to him.
He was awkwardly standing in front of you, folded blanket in his hands while his eyes travelled from you to Seungmin, almost as if pondering his next move.
In the end, they focused on Seungmin.
"You think you can, um…" he nervously cleared his throat. "Leave us to it for a bit?"
Your heart skipped a beat, and your eyes fixed on Seungmin, who was already squinting his eyes in your direction.
The things he had to do for you and the sake of your romantic life.
Standing up without another word and with a quick glance to Hyunjin, he went over to Jeongin and Chan, who were busy chugging two of the beer cans you had no idea were there to begin with. Next to them was Hyejin, who was now holding Hyunjin’s phone as you supposed she was the next to talk to Minji one-on-one.
You frowned. You would’ve thought Minji’s conversation with Hyunjin would go on for ten minutes at least. Had it only been two minutes? Three at most?
Hyunjin took a seat next to you, placing the blanket around your body. His hands remained on your shoulders, tenderly massaging them before he rested his head on yours. You pouted, leaning into his body and burying your face on the crook of this neck.
"Why'd you leave?" he asked.
You shrugged, unintentionally tickling his neck and making goosebumps show up on his skin.
"Hm?" he pushed it, gently nudging you.
"Didn't wanna interrupt" you replied quietly.
"Interrupt?"
"Yeah, like… Minji called you, so…"
"She just wanted to tell me about what happened at the studio today and the instructions the director was giving, you know, to give me some tips since I aim to get there at some point".
You smiled weakly, being reminded of how even when it came to their careers they were a better fit than you and him. An actress and a film producer. It was a match made in Heaven.
"It's not like we were talking about anything top secret" he tried to reassure you when you wouldn't reply.
"No, but…" you sighed. "I don't know".
“Tell me”.
“It would’ve just… We were being way too cozy, and she was watching, I didn’t want to have her think that we’re—you know…”
Hyunjin frowned, looking down to his fidgeting hands on his lap. “But we are, though… Aren’t we?”
You looked up at him in surprise, and he could feel his heart flutter at the sight of your shining, incredulous eyes.
“We are?” you asked in a whisper.
“Do you…” he bit his lip, silently looking for the right words. “Do you really think I’m in love with her?”
You shrugged, sitting up and leaning away from him.
“Y/N…”
“I don’t know what you want me to tell you, it’s always been so obvious”.
“It was nothing, though”.
You snorted at that, shaking your head in disbelief while you focused on one of the trees in front.
“I mean it,” he reassured you, cupping your chin and guiding your face in his direction, giving you no choice but to look at him and feel your breath get caught in your throat over how little distance separated your face from his. “Whatever silly crush I had on her is gone by now”.
“You don’t have to explain yourself to me”.
“But I do,” he disagreed. “I do need to explain myself if it’s gonna jeopardize my relationship with you”.
“R-Relationship?” you whispered again, this time almost inaudibly.
"I mean, not like—I know we don't," he panicked, and you couldn't help but smile ever so faintly at the way his eyes opened wider than usual and his cheeks became a bright pink. "I'm just—in the future maybe, like…"
"Like…" you trailed off, giving him the little push he needed to go on.
Hyunjin took a deep breath. His hands were no longer cupping your face, but nervously shoved into his pockets instead. Suddenly, he had lost all the sudden confidence he previously had when it came to making it clear to you that he no longer wanted anything to do with Minji.
But he wanted things to be clear between the two of you. He wanted you to know that whatever it was he once felt for her, was now gone.
He wanted you to know he wanted you.
So, earning back every ounce of confidence he once had, he took his hands out of his pockets and held yours in them — his thumbs ever so tenderly caressing your soft skin, staring at them with the softest of smiles before his eyes went back up to your already elated ones.
“I like you, Y/N” he confessed. “I really, really like you".
"You do?" you murmured, not believing your ears.
"Mhm…" he nodded, feeling shyness hit him like a truck all over again yet refusing to let it take control over him. "I want to give us a try, I want to be with you, and… I just, I don’t want you to believe I'm stuck on Minji when I'm not".
You looked down to your lap and simply nodded, silently — visibly enough for him to know you heard him, yet not confidently enough for him to think you trusted him.
Everything he had just said was exactly what you wanted to hear. He wanted to be with you. Not her, you. He liked you, and wanted to give your relationship a try. Then why was your gut not allowing you to feel as happy as you should be?
"Can you please say something?" he whispered, nervously biting on his bottom lip.
"I, I don't…"
"You don't like me back?" he assumed; defeat clear in his eyes.
"No, I do!" you clarified embarrassingly fast, not even getting to feel ashamed about it after seeing the way his whole face lit up. "I do. I do like you".
He laughed under his breath, blissfully — thumbs still drawing circles in the palms of your hands, only this time it felt playful.
"What's stopping us then?" Hyunjin asked.
You shrugged, letting out a sigh as you looked up to the sky. "It's not even been two months since she left…"
He sighed heavily, cupping your face with one of his hands and making you look at him once more. "I know it seems like too little time, but I fell so hard so fast for you, Y/N. I can't even understand it either, but I did".
"What about when she comes back…"
"Does it matter?" He tilted his head in confusion. "I'll be with you, nothing's gonna change".
"She's coming back in five months," you pointed out, a small smirk curving up your lips. "You really think we'll last that long?"
Hyunjin giggled, resting his forehead on yours and smoothly pulling you closer to him by firmly placing a hand on your back.
"I think we'll last longer than that, actually".
That did it for you. Those confident words coming out of his mouth, his lips only inches from yours and his strong hand on your back, were all it took for you to shut down every rational part of your mind and to let your heart take over instead.
You wanted to be with him, and he wanted to be with you. So what if he used to have feelings for your mutual friend; it didn’t have to be so complicated.
And maybe, in the long run, that had been your biggest mistake. Pushing all your worries aside and just diving into your feelings for him. Rushing into things. Letting go of your inhibitions that night and never looking back from a decision you made in the heat of the moment.
Your biggest mistake was forgetting about the reason you were sitting all the way across from your previous seats around the bonfire to begin with, and why Hyunjin had come up to you in order to comfort you and reassure you of the way he felt for you.
The reason of all your insecurities was currently at the other side of the world, and Hyunjin was all the way over here with you. It was just that easy to forget about your concerns when the cause of them was nowhere near. Especially when the person your heart was crazy about was holding you so close.
Chuckling at those words that had made you risk it all, you placed your hands on his chest and softly nuzzled his nose. "You think so?"
"What, you wanna bet?" He challenged with a raised eyebrow.
You shook your head no immediately, as a laugh escaped your throat. And with each shake of your head, you moved closer to him — until there was no more space between your mouths, and your puckered lips were softly pressing on his receptive ones.
They felt just like everything you had ever dreamed of, but better. They tasted sweet, just like him; and they somehow felt even softer and plumper than they looked.
With your heart speeding up in such a way you had not felt in so long, you pulled away, feeling your cheeks burn up while your face remained buried in his neck in a poor attempt to hide from what you had just done.
"Oh, no. No," he warned you, tilting his head towards your hidden face and placing his hand on your neck — gently, yet strong enough to manage to make you look up at him. "You don't get to kiss me and then pull away before I get a proper taste of you".
His lips were trapping your bottom one before you could even register his words. He pulled you in closer, hand travelling from the back of your neck to the side of it, so that he could hold you still while his thumb was faintly pressing on your throat.
He deepened the kiss in no time, tilting his head to the side right as his tongue traced your bottom lip for you to open up. Once you did, he was greatly met by yours in the middle — tenderly massaging each other for a brief moment, before you focused back on sucking and teasing your needy lips.
"Did this answer your question?" he whispered against your mouth.
Too far gone in the sensation of his addictive lips on yours and the way his hot breath hit your mouth as it mixed with your own, you struggled to find your voice. "W-What even was the question?"
Hyunjin giggled, louder this time. Both hands cupped your cheeks, and his thumbs tickled your bottom lip as they faintly traced it. "You're so cute".
You looked down, not being able to hold his stare after hearing such a statement come out of his swollen, pink lips. Hyunjin laughed under his breath at the sight of it, planting a soft kiss on your forehead before he pulled you into his arms and fixed the blanket that was sliding down your shoulders.
"Are you two lovebirds done exchanging saliva?" Minho asked from the table a few meters away, mindlessly opening a red cooler.
Hyunjin rolled his eyes, and you shyly buried your face in the crook of his neck like it was oh-so-natural by now.
"Is that a yes?"
"What do you need?" you reluctantly gave in.
"You're literally the only person apart from me who knows how to properly fillet a fish, so…"
You sighed, sitting up and giving Hyunjin a lingering, apologetic look before you stood up.
"I can help, too" he stood up immediately after you, leaving the blanket by your chairs and following behind you.
"I actually need your help chopping the veggies" Hyejin caught him by his t-shirt before he could even reach your side.
"But I can help Y/N cut th—"
"You don't even know how to cut a fish" Hye mocked him.
"No, but—"
"Just give it up, lover boy" Seungmin shut every hope of his down, placing a firm hand on his shoulder and dragging him with them to the other end of the table. "Come join those of us on veggies duty, Y/N's not going anywhere".
Throwing one last glance your way and watching you fold up your sleeves right before you got to helping Minho, Hyunjin smiled. He wished you weren't interrupted because of veggies and fish duty, and therefore you could still be sitting down by the bonfire, all alone, making out like he then realised he was desperate to.
But Seungmin was right. You were not going anywhere. For as long as he stayed by your side, and for as long as he made you feel safe enough in your relationship, you would stay.
For as long as you knew he was yours and you were his, you were not going anywhere. And he planned to keep it that way, so there was truly nothing for him to worry about, right?
tag list: @brinnalaine @slut4colinbridgerton @sherryblossom @svintsandghosts @phenomenalgirl9 @meloncremesoda @jxcesstuff @nhyunn @armystay89 @mal-lunar-28 @143hyunes @seungminstaehyun @cutiespaghetti @chaotic-world-of-the-j @its-me-hyunjin @kwanisms @hyunfruits
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