#seventeenweeklyarticle
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Broken Pieces
Lee Jihoon x fem!Reader
Genre: angst, fluff
Words: 5,3k
Warnings: protective bff & bias wrecker Choi Seungcheol; adult language; dumb and dumber, featuring awkward interactions.
[Soulmate AU] Your friend broke your soulmate's heart, leaving you to pick up the pieces of both his and your own heart.
(A spin-off / sequel to my soulmate!Kwon Soonyoung fic: "Right? Right.")
Your soulmate mark was a cat – just as your grandmother had predicted. Perhaps she knew what was good for you, perhaps she just knew you – either way she had been correct.
It was a doodle of a small fluffy cat who always seemed to be either busy or sleeping. Just like the marks of your friends, the cat went about its day on your wrist like an alive tattoo. Sometimes it slept, sometimes it read a book, sometimes it played piano – you wondered if your soulmate did the same.
The mark appeared on your sixteenth birthday and while you hoped you’d find your soulmate soon, it would be years until you saw him for the first time.
Your second year at university. That is when you met Lee Jihoon – handsome, soft-spoken, full of smiles and hope. He had chosen the same minor subject as you.
At first you thought he was just another guy you’d have a crush on – just a hopeless short-term fantasy until you’d find the perfect person. But you were proven wrong four weeks into knowing him.
“Woah, careful there,” he spoke as he gently pushed you back upright after you had stumbled in the café. Queues are dangerous, you knew that already, but suddenly they were also a blessing.
The moment his fingers touched your skin, a jolt of electricity ran through you. He seemed to pay it no mind, only offering you a friendly smile before turning back to his girlfriend.
When you looked at your mark, the cat was clawing as if to break out of your skin and run to him. When you glanced at his wrist, a similar doodle – a spotted cat – was just as excited to meet your mark.
That was when you knew – Lee Jihoon was your soulmate.
But the smile he offered to her told you that you stood no chance. Even if the fates had meant for you to meet and fall in love, your heart seemed to be meant to break.
You cried yourself to sleep that night – whether from heartbreak or from the joy of finally finding him, you weren’t sure.
Months passed of just watching him. You didn’t dare to make conversation, didn’t dare to even look at him for long. Your heart ached for him.
It was unfair to break his heart for stupid revenge. It was unfair to do his heart any harm at all. He deserved better.
Jihoon’s heart that held so much love once, and now you wondered if he would ever be able to feel love again at all – you didn’t think you would. Even just watching his heart break from the sidelines had been too painful.
“Have you considered talking to him for a change?” Seungcheol suggested when he caught you staring at Jihoon at lunch. You failed to feel any amusement at his words even as he laughed at you.
Instead, you offered him a mild glare. “You think he’d want to talk to anybody after what he went through?”
“I mean,” Seungcheol thought for a moment before grimacing, “yeah, you have a point there.”
“I always have a point, Cheol,” you told him proudly and continued eating your food. “Besides, he probably wouldn’t talk to one of her friends anyway.”
Her. Han Eunmi. The girl who claimed to be his soulmate and broke his heart into a thousand pieces before you could tell him the truth and save him.
She had been your first friend at university. Her bright eyes and sweet smile were always the first to greet you in lectures. She always saved you a seat, even to this day. But something in her changed when she met her soulmate – you could barely recognise her anymore. Your best friend was your best friend no more.
“You should just grow some balls and tell him,” Seungcheol told you once again. He was all too familiar with the distant vengeful glint in your eyes.
You wanted to kick him. “Says the one that still keeps covering his mark because of his commitment issues?”
Glancing down at the near-comical amount of chain bracelets and the raccoon doodle sniffing around under them on his wrist, he pouted at your words. “I just don’t love the thought of soulmates.”
“No,” you laughed, “you just don’t like the thought of possibly getting your heart broken.”
“Then what’s your excuse?”
Back when you first met him, you had felt so hopeful, so excited for your future. Watching him from afar was one thing, standing side-to-side with him in the café line was different. You could practically feel the fluffy cat on your wrist tugging you closer to him, scratching and jumping every time you moved your arm.
But then she had uttered those words and your world collapsed inwards: “This is my boyfriend.” Even now you feel a little nauseous thinking about the moment: the self-satisfied smile on her face, the love-sick smile on his, his arm around her waist. You couldn’t even replay the memory in your head without wanting to cry.
You glanced towards Jihoon.
“He already got his heart broken,” you mumbled to Seungcheol dejectedly. “I don’t want to add to his problems.”
“I feel like finding his real soulmate would be the opposite of a problem for that poor guy,” Seungcheol said – no, stated. He was certain of his words.
You wished they were true. With a sigh, you whispered, “Just leave it, Cheol. There’s no point anymore. If I was in his shoes, I wouldn’t even believe in soulmates anymore.”
It was obvious by the look in his eyes that Seungcheol wanted to argue. But he knew you well enough to not push it anymore.
“For this project, I need you guys to pair up,” professor Byun started, sounding about as tired as you felt in this 8 am class. Maybe he, too, craved an early coffee that he’d failed to acquire in his hurry to get to class on time. The thought made him a little more tolerable in your eyes.
“Do you guys want to pair up on your own or should I just do it myself?” he asked the class, but his eyes were practically begging you to choose the first option. Unluckily for your introvert self, the class immediately called out to pair up among themselves. He breathed out in relief just as you sighed in defeat.
“Alright, I’ll give you guys…” He glanced at his watch and nodded. “Ten minutes to pick a partner and a movie from this list. Remember to write your names next to the movie title in the shared document on so that others know it’s taken. I’ll go and get some coffee in the meantime.”
As you looked around the lecture room, you found yourself making a wish for the floor to swallow you whole.
No one in your limited friend group had picked this film studies class – most of them citing the 8 am time slot as the reason –, so who were you supposed to partner up with? A stranger who more than likely wouldn’t do any of the work or – even better and your personal favourite – would drop out of the course in the coming week and leave you without as much as a note.
“Hey,” you then heard his voice and you didn’t know whether you felt nauseous from fear or excitement. You turned your head to find Jihoon standing right there, hand on the chair next to you, a tired look on his face – the same look he’d been wearing since Eunmi crushed his heart in her hands with a giggle. He took a deep hesitant breath. “Do you want to– You don’t have to but I don’t know anyone else in this class… So, maybe, you and I–”
Though a little breathless that he was even talking to you, you straightened in your seat and nodded. “Sure, we can partner up.”
A polite smile appeared on his lips before he pulled out a chair and sat next to you. He glanced at the film list projected onto the room’s screen. “So… Do you have a particular film you want to pick for this?”
You shook your head. “I was hoping you did.”
He grimaced and chuckled. “Well, at least we’re on the same page about that.”
As if we’re soulmates or something. You almost uttered those words. You were glad you caught them before they slipped out.
“Let’s–”
“Should we–”
“Oh.” He laughed. “You go first.”
“No, you.”
“No, you–” He sighed before suggesting, “First free film on the list?”
You nodded immediately. That had been your thought as well, after all.
“So, what film is it?” he wondered, leaning over to read your laptop screen. Your rational brain wanted to shove him away; your emotional brain wanted to pull him even closer. It was hard to get anything done in that condition.
You pulled yourself together, ignoring the sweet scent of his cologne and the almost-there tickle of his hair against yours, and scrolled through the shared document. “Let’s see… The Pianist, 2002.”
Jihoon’s brows rose in surprise. “I do love pianos.”
“I doubt it has a lot to do with pianos,” you mumbled, but didn’t need any further confirmation to put your names down next to the title. Both of your names. Next to each other. Your heart stuttered at the sight.
“It has to have at least a little bit to do with pianos,” he insisted with furrowed brows. You laughed, earning a disbelieving wide-eyed look from him. “No? You’re doubting it?”
“Maybe.”
He shook his head in mock disappointment before relaxing in his chair again. “So, when do you want to work on this project? I’m free to meet on Mondays.”
It was your turn to look at him with wide eyes, lips parting in surprise. “You… want to meet? In person?”
He blinked. “Yes? Like normal people? Is there something wrong with that?”
“No, no, it’s just that–” You took a deep breath under his watchful eyes. “I figured that after what happened with Eunmi, you’d–”
“Dig myself a cave to die in? Stop socialising completely?” He sighed and looked away. “Look: as long as you don’t bring her around to our meetings, we’ll be fine. I just– I don’t even want to be in the same building as her.” His gaze was sharp when he looked at you again. “And I’m only tolerating you because of this class.”
Were words supposed to hurt like that?
“So, Monday, in the library?” he spoke again as if he hadn’t just thrown a metaphorical dagger into your heart.
You nodded. “I’ll see you Monday.”
He didn’t speak another word to you in that entire class.
Seungcheol was quick to notice your mood being more dejected than usual at lunch. Affectionate by nature, his fingers reached across the picnic table to find yours and give them a little squeeze.
The gesture only made you want to cry more: why couldn’t he be your soulmate instead?
“Did something happen in class?” he asked, eyeing you cautiously. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“It’s nothing.” A complete lie and even he knew it.
He called out your name in a warning tone – like a father getting ready to reprimand his rebellious child. “What happened and what can we do to fix it?”
“I don’t think there’s any way to fix anything,” you mumbled and lifted your fork to your lips to take a bite of your lunch. There was no joy in the taste of your favourite meal on this day.
Seungcheol frowned. “Is this about Jihoon again? What happened this time?”
“He wanted to pair up for a project,” you told him and his expression morphed into a bright smile – one that screamed “See! I told you he’d see the light!” – but his face promptly dropped into a scowl when you added on, “and then he told me that he only tolerated me because of our film studies class.”
“He said that?” he spoke lowly.
“His exact words.” It wasn’t even like he actually intentionally broke your heart. It must have been the stupid soulmate bond acting up and making you more emotional about this than necessary. “I don’t know why I’m so sad about this.”
“He’s cruel. That’s why.”
“Don’t say that.”
“It’s true though. He’s cruel and he’s dumb and he doesn’t deserve you.” He nodded his head in confirmation when you looked up at him again.
You scoffed out a laugh. “Why do you think he’s dumb anyway? He does well in our classes.”
“He may be academically gifted but he had his soulmate under his goddamn nose this whole time and he didn’t even realise,” he practically whined. “If that’s not dumb, I’m the king of Korea.”
You contemplated for a moment. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I should just give up this fantasy of mine and find someone who actually likes me.”
“You– I–” His frown deepened almost comically. “That is not what I meant at all.”
“You just said–”
“Stop listening to what I say!”
You rolled your eyes. “Thank god you’re not my soulmate.”
“Okay, I’m not that bad.”
“You’re awful.”
“And yet you stick around.”
Your gaze drifted to where Jihoon was seated under a maple tree with his friends. “Maybe I just have bad taste.”
[I’ll be waiting at 3 in the library. Room A232. – Jihoon]
Seungcheol mumbled something under his breath as he accompanied you to the library. Before you could ask him about it, he turned to you. “Can’t you just tell him you’re his soulmate? What’s the worst that could happen?”
You stared at him. He quickly realised the error of his words.
“I just mean that maybe he’d like to know. Maybe he’d act a little warmer towards you if he did.”
“I don’t know what you’re expecting him to treat me like,” you said. “He knows me as Eunmi’s friend. As someone complicit in the worst lie of his life. He’s treating me very nice all things considered.”
“Well, he still should know,” he decided. “If you don’t tell him, I will.”
You rolled your eyes. “Whatever you say, big guy. I’ll see you in the journalism section in a few hours?”
He sighed. “As always. Wake me up when you’re ready to go.”
And just like that, he picked a direction and headed that way – to his lonely little napping spot between shelves of journalism guidebooks. It was a good thing he got along so well with the librarians.
Though you weren’t a stranger to this library, you still felt a little out of place this time. Maybe it was the nerves of meeting Jihoon again. You hadn’t seen him even once outside of the one film studies class you both took.
Or perhaps you were just anxious about the fact that you had failed to watch the film due to reasons out of your control. Lee Jihoon was notorious for having a short fuse with his peers. You weren’t sure you could handle falling even further down his list.
The plaque on the door read A232. You double-checked it. Triple. Four times. Five–
Jihoon startled you by opening the door. “Are you going to come in or do you expect a formal invitation?”
“I… was just checking,” you mumbled and brushed past him into the little study room. You placed your things down opposite of the seat he had occupied. This was it – the end of your life. You hadn’t even said goodbye to Seungcheol. You sighed, closed your eyes in anticipation of the scolding that would follow, and confessed, “I didn’t watch the film. I’m sorry.”
You were ready for an onslaught of sharp words, the scolding of a lifetime, maybe even some screaming and him telling you that you were just as bad as Eunmi.
But it never came.
He sat down and hummed. “Yeah, I didn’t have time to watch it either.”
Dumbfounded, you opened your eyes to stare at him. He felt your gaze on him and looked up from his screen with an awkward tight-lipped smile. “What?”
“I thought you’d yell at me,” you spoke faster than your filter could catch.
He chuckled and scratched the back of his neck. “I thought you were going to yell at me.”
“What now?” you thought out loud. You hadn’t prepared for this scenario, not even close.
Jihoon made faces – scrunching up his face and frowning between silly smiles and pursed lips – as he considered the options. “We could… watch it now?”
“Like, now?”
He nodded slowly. “I don’t have any plans for the next couple of hours. Do you?” You shook your head, too speechless to actually respond. “Then let’s watch it. I have a speaker somewhere in my bag– Hold on. I’ll get it.”
Your brain was severely lagging behind. You hadn’t even realised the implications of his words. Your jaw dropped. “You mean–? You want to watch it together? Here?”
“I mean,” he paused and looked at you, “I wouldn’t mind picking a different place. We could go to the courtyard. Or a café. Well, probably not a café but–”
“There’s a lounge room on the third floor,” you blurted out. “There are sofas and a vending machine.”
Jihoon brightened up at your words. “That sounds perfect. Let’s go?”
“Sure,” you breathed out, unable to believe this was happening at all.
It took barely 5 minutes for the two of you to get to the lounge room. Jihoon was quick to occupy a three-person sofa in the corner of the room, right between the vending machine and the ceiling high window. With a victorious smile, he patted the spot next to him.
You must have been too slow for his liking because tilted his head to the side, eyes still on you. “Did you want this spot instead? I’m okay with either. Just say the word.”
You said nothing and took the spot he had previously offered. The less you spoke, the less likely you were to piss him off – it was only logical.
As you sat there and waited for him to set up his laptop and speaker, you glanced at your wrist. The fluffy cat on your skin was endlessly, tirelessly running towards him, looking back at you as if to convince you to reach for Jihoon.
You looked to his wrist instead, wondering, perhaps hoping that you’d find a similar doodle trying to get to you. Even if it just glanced, just to confirm. But his soulmate mark was hidden, covered with a black wrist support.
He glanced back at you before lifting said wrist. “Are you looking at this?”
Cursing yourself for getting caught staring, you nodded and tried to act like your ears and cheeks weren’t burning.
He shrugged. “My wrist hurts sometimes. Nothing to worry about.”
Deflecting. You knew him well enough to know that even if he was telling the truth, it was only half of one. He was lying to save his pride.
“My roommate has the same one,” you said, deciding to go along with his narrative. “She says it doesn’t help a lot though.”
“It’s the cheapest one I could find,” he replied with a shrug before turning back to his laptop, searching for the film. “Do you live at the dorms?”
“Yep.” But he knew this already. He used to visit Eunmi there, right across the hall from you. You cleared your throat and willed the thought to go away. “That’s why I didn’t manage to watch the film. I was going to watch it over the weekend, but the dormitory wi-fi was the slowest it has ever been.”
He scoffed on your behalf. “That sounds awful. What did you do in the meantime then?”
“My roommate had to bring out the board games. So, Monopoly.”
He laughed and sat back on the sofa, leaning closer to you to hear more. “That almost sounds even worse. Any friendships ruined that night?”
“No, no, you don’t understand,” you laughed along, almost forgetting you were nervous to be around him in the first place, “we played Monopoly for two days straight. The same game. It just didn’t end. My roommate and her boyfriend are no longer on speaking terms.”
“Monopoly truly does ruin relationships.” He laughed harder, almost leaning against you entirely in the fit of giggles. “Did you win? Who won?”
“I came in third place.”
“Out of three?”
You nodded shamefully as he laughed even harder, this time fully resting his head on your shoulder. He quickly leaned away though, much to your disappointment, but his giggles never ceased. It was the most beautiful sound you had ever heard.
Despite the shared laughter at your study sessions and sitting together in class, Jihoon never acknowledged you outside of the lecture room. He barely even glanced your way when you passed him in the hallways; he definitely never returned any waves or even nods. You weren’t sure whether to laugh or cry.
Seungcheol was left to gather the pieces of your confidence. Though he was vehement that there was no soulmate for him and he’d be happy being single his entire life, he refused to let you suffer the same fate.
It was already getting painful to watch you mimic his habit: hiding the fluffy cat under a variety of bracelets and wristbands, covering it with long sleeves whenever the weather allowed. Your hope had turned into anxiety in front of his very eyes and he’d be damned if he let you continue down this path.
“If you don’t tell him, I will.” – he was going to stand by these words. Even when you practically begged him not to.
“He won’t like it,” you’d told him.
“He’d be upset with the both of us,” you’d scolded him when he presented the idea again two weeks later.
“Why would he even believe you?” you’d scoffed.
He decided he’d make Jihoon believe him. So, after sending you off to class, he located your soulmate in the same lounge room you’d introduced to him. He was even resting on the same sofa.
Seungcheol stood in front of him and cleared his throat.
Jihoon straightened up immediately at that, pulling his laptop screen down. “Can I help you with something?”
“I need to talk to you.”
“About…?” Jihoon scoffed when Seungcheol offered him no further context. “Listen, if this is about something (Y/n) said or did–”
“She never told you, did she?” he asked. “You still don’t know.”
His counterpart blinked. “Know what? What is this? Do you have no one else to play mind games with?”
“Jihoon,” he sighed, “she’s your soulmate.”
His words were met with a frown. “What nonsense are you speaking now? No, first you barge in here, and now you’re making up stories– Does she know you’re here?”
“She knows I made a promise. For her.” Seungcheol closed his eyes and spoke as calmly as he could, “She’s your soulmate. She’s the little spotted cat on your wrist. You’ve been breaking her heart this entire time and I’m sick of it.”
Jihoon’s frown deepened. His hand clenched into a fist in his lap as he spoke, “If she’s– Why didn’t she say anything?”
“That you’ll have to ask her yourself. I just came here to balance the scales – it seemed unfair that she suffer with the knowledge but you break her heart with every word.” Seungcheol sighed and opened his eyes again, gaze hardening. “What you do with this knowledge is up to you. But if you break her heart any further, I will break you.”
You were blissfully unaware of your best friend’s actions. In fact, you hadn’t seen him since lunch. You had been preoccupied with making the slides of your film studies presentation more, –well–, presentable.
The courtyard was a perfect spot for drawing inspiration for slide designs: the fresh air did wonders to your brain and the constant distant chatter of your fellow students served as white noise. You were on a roll.
Who knows, you thought to yourself, maybe Jihoon will even grace you with his proud smile when you show him the presentation.
Suddenly, a strange feeling filled you. You habitually glanced down at your wrist – the cat was standing on his hind legs, as if trying to peek over a fence to see what was in front of you. Like he was expecting his owner back from a long trip.
“So it really is you,” you then heard his voice.
Your head snapped up to look at Jihoon standing right in front of you, his eyes trained on his own wrist – miraculously uncovered this time, the usual black band crumpled in his other hand.
Your voice and words betrayed you, they left you fighting in the battle field all alone. You gulped. Instead of acknowledging his words, as if doing so would make the situation disappear, you turned your laptop his way. Your voice wavered as you told him, “I made some changes to the slides. Thought it would look better if we made them prettier. What do you think?”
But Jihoon kept staring at his wrist as if you weren’t even there. How could he not stare at the spotted cat he’d spent all these years mindlessly glancing at, following, and talking to in the moonlight? The cat who had once stood for a broken dream now stood for a new hope.
Finally, he tore his eyes from the cat – the mark of you – and looked at you instead. There was something so incredibly sorrowful about the look in his eyes, you could barely fight the urge to cry. He didn’t bother to do the same.
A tear slipped down his cheek as he shakily breathed out. “You could’ve told me, (Y/n). Why wouldn’t you– Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was afraid,” you confessed, avoiding his eyes. “I didn’t think you’d want to know. Not after what she did to you.”
He scoffed. “You watched her lie and break my heart and it never occurred to you to just… tell me? To just say you were the one? That I was looking the wrong way?”
You wanted the ground to take you away. It would’ve hurt less than this confrontation. All of these eyes curiously watching from a distance, the whole campus witnessing him breaking your heart – it was too much. Even if he was right to be mad.
“Jihoon…”
“What were you so afraid of?” he wondered, frown deepening and voice raising by the word. “That I would reject you in favour of her? That she would stop being your friend because you foiled her plans? I don’t know if you’ve noticed but she’s clearly not a good friend so why are you still siding with her?!”
“I’m not!”
“It sure seems that way!”
You glared at him. “I stopped talking to Eunmi the minute she told me what she had done!”
Jihoon expression softened at your words. So did yours. You sniffled. “I had already let her go too far because she was the only friend I had when I first came here. She was the only friend I had known. I didn’t want to lose both my best friend and my soulmate. I thought–” You took a deep breath and avoided his eyes. “I thought if I couldn’t have my soulmate, I’d at least have a loyal friend who wouldn’t let me feel lonely. I was mistaken.”
Running his fingers through his hair, he sighed. His arm dropped, his eyes following as if to make sure the spotted cat remained.
“You should’ve told me,” he whispered once again before stepping closer, crouching to your level. He sighed once more. Then you felt warm fingers around your wrist. “Had you told me–”
“Just reject me and be done with it,” you begged. “Don’t make this even worse. I deserve my heart shattered, but at least make it quick.”
He frowned. “You didn’t even let me finish.”
“Then finish quicker. I still have a presentation to–”
“Had you told me,” he started again, more assertively this time, his hand holding yours tightly as if to anchor you to him, “I would’ve rejected her and run to you back then already. I would’ve believed you without any hesitation. But seeing as that didn’t happen,” he sighed and you braced yourself for a proper heartbreak, “I guess we’ll just have to make up for lost time.”
Your heart stopped beating. At least it felt like it did. Your eyes widened while searching his. Instead of a scowl or a frown or a glare, you found yourself on the receiving end of a fond smile.
Your jaw dropped. “Are you serious?!”
“As serious as Seungcheol is about breaking me if I break your heart,” he promised with a soft laugh. His fingers still never left your hand, only sliding down to lock with yours.
You groaned and closed your eyes in despair. “...He’s the one that told you.”
“I’m glad he did,” he laughed, “because I don’t think you would’ve told me for a while, and I certainly wouldn’t have figured it out anytime soon.”
“We’re both dumb, aren’t we?” you mumbled, finally opening your eyes again once the embarrassment faded.
“Complete idiots, the both of us.”
“Soulmates,” you joked.
“Soulmates,” he confirmed with a laugh.
You still wondered though. “Why aren’t you more mad at me?”
He shrugged and sat down next to you, shoulder to shoulder, on purpose this time. “I thought I was at first. But I don’t think you’re at fault for what Eunmi did to me. You were just trying your to be a good friend.” Seeing your sheepish smile, he nudged you playfully before whispering, “Plus, I’m not entirely sure I could take Seungcheol in a fight.”
You laughed. “I guess that’s one perk of being his friend.”
Jihoon smiled. “He seems like a great friend. I like him better than I liked Eunmi.”
“I do too.”
“What do you say we give this a proper try?” he suggested, holding out his hand for you to take, the doodle-like cat on his wrist full on display.
You smiled. When you lifted your hand to meet his, the fluffy cat rushed to meet his spotted one where your skin touched. Their noses pressed together happily, the cats nuzzling into each other’s necks after finally meeting each other after all this time of being so close but never close enough.
“I’d like that,” you told him and he breathed out in relief.
With the awkward distance out of the way, sitting beside him didn’t feel as nerve-wracking as it once had. It felt natural to be in his presence now. You wondered if you’d be drawn to him soon, just as your soulmate marks were drawn to each other.
“How did you find me here anyway?” you asked him after a moment of silence.
He shrugged. “I followed the cat. Figured that if Seungcheol was right, the mark would lead me right to you.” He gestured around. “It did.”
“Huh.” You pursed your lips in thought before giggling. “I guess I should’ve tried that when I was looking for you earlier.”
“Earlier? Today?” he wondered.
You remembered your laptop all of a sudden, pulling it closer to the two of you. “I made some changes to our presentation. I wanted to show you and then we could maybe work on it a little. Hold on.”
“Right now?” He seemed amused at the idea when you nodded. “Sure, we could do that. Or, – hear me out –, we could go on a little date to make up for lost time.”
But as tempting as that sounded…
“The presentation is due tomorrow morning, Jihoon.”
He grimaced. “Brunch date tomorrow then?”
“... I could fit that into my schedule.”
Note: I only wrote this so I'd have an excuse to later write cute university boyfriend / soulmate Jihoon fics as sequels lol
#seventeen scenarios#seventeen fic#seventeen x reader#seventeenweeklyarticle#woozi scenarios#woozi x reader#lee jihoon x reader#lee jihoon scenarios
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Let it Snow || h.js
pairing: joshua hong x f!reader
warnings: FLUFF, also this is a very christmas centered , Joshua + reader are both teachers, but it doesn't really come up often
word count: 9.1k
summary: what does it feel like to be loved by Joshua Hong? It feels like coming home.
a/n: MERRY CHRISTMAS!! this is the first thing I've written since I moved to Korea so y'all be nice lol. this is so self indulgent there's barely even a plot. It's just fluff.
main masterlist
“So I really don’t understand why we can’t just take one car.”
You looked up from your computer to find the teacher-next-door Mr. Hong had made himself comfortable, perched on the edge of your desk with a sandwich in his hand. You couldn’t help but roll your eyes with a sigh as you turned back to the lesson plan on your screen.
“I’m just saying,” he continued as he took another bite. “We’re going to the same place, and with gas prices like this, I just think it’s the most logical solution.” You already knew he was looking at you with an eyebrow, waiting for your imminent rebuttal before he presented his own. It was always like this with him, every conversation a game of tug-of-war, and most of the time Joshua had a way of drawing you to his side. Regardless, it never stopped you from playing along.
You pushed back from your desk, swiveling the chair a bit to get a better look at him. “What about car space?” You began. “My car is too small to hold us and our luggage and gifts.” You fight to keep a poker face as Joshua beams at you with his infamous smile. Since first getting hired two years ago to be a third grade teacher you’ve heard countless coworkers and parents walk down your hallway, excitedly chattering about that exact smile. While it wasn’t uncommon to see Joshua smiling (especially for his own third grade class), it did feel special that right now, you were a private audience to it. The idea made your heart flutter.
“So glad you mentioned that,” he offered you a grape from his lunch box. “I was just thinking that my brand new, spacious, 5-seater SUV with ample trunk space and leg room needed to be taken on a road trip.” You took the grape as you mimed considering his response. Honestly, it was a good idea, but admittedly, there was also some satisfaction to be found in pretending to be reluctant.
You chewed on the inside of your cheek as you thought of another excuse before Joshua interrupted your thoughts. “Can’t think of anything else, can you?” He raised an eyebrow as you rolled your eyes in response.
“Okay, I admit,” you looked up to see Joshua’s face light up. “It’s a pretty good idea.”
“So that’s a yes?” He asked, finally hopping off your desk and offering you one last grape as the sound of students approaching reminded you that lunch time for teachers was never long enough.
“It’s a yes, Mr. Hong,” you replied, grabbing the grape from his outstretched hand just as you heard an excited squeal. Two third graders were standing at the door, with just the perfect incriminating view of your hand in Joshua’s. You quickly pulled your hand back, like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar, not even taking the grape.
As if unfazed by their whispers, Joshua raised an eyebrow in amusement as he decided to pop the grape in his mouth before heading toward the door where the two girls continued to giggle about the scene. “I’ll see you later,” he said to you as he headed for his own classroom. “Have a good class, kids! Be nice to your teacher, it’s the holidays.”
You couldn’t fight the smile on your face as he walked out, even as your kids rushed to your table. “Did Mr. Hong finally ask you to marry him?” One excited child asked. By now, there was a small crowd gathering to find out the details.
“Marry him?” You asked in surprise. “Why would he ask me that?” You stood from your desk and motioned for them to go sit down at their desks, which they obeyed, but the giddy smiles on their faces was a sign that the conversation was not yet over.
“Because he loves you, duh,” A voice called out from the back. “All old people have to get married when they love someone.”
“Yeah,” a chorus of agreement followed. “We’ve been waiting all year for it.”
The sting of being called old by a room of 9 year olds was drowned out by the way your heart fluttered at the idea of being loved by Joshua Hong. You weren’t even dating, unfortunately, but every so often he’d make a snide flirty comment or put a hand on your back and you’d find yourself wondering, what if?
You and Joshua had first met in high school when he was your group leader for your freshman orientation. He was a senior in need of volunteer hours and although he was kind and helpful, he was more interested in talking to the other group leaders than becoming buddy-buddy with awkward freshmen. Once the school year officially started, it quickly became obvious that he and his friends were wildly popular at school, at the center of every social circle. Although you had a few friends in common, you were still on the outskirts of their circle.
It wasn’t that you were particularly invisible, but the number of times you had spoken to Joshua Hong could be counted on one hand. The first time was during orientation, when he asked your name for the sign-in sheet. You’ll never forget the butterflies you felt when you saw him smile for the first time. He spoke to you again later that day, when you were sitting beside a boy named Chan and neither of you were really talking to each other. You noted the way Chan lit up in relief at Joshua’s presence.
“Chan!” Joshua called to him before turning his attention to you. “I see you’ve met my neighbor, Chan.”
You waved awkwardly to the boy next to you. “Chan, this is…” Joshua trailed off with a sheepish smile, and a hand reaching to the back of his neck. You filled the silence with your name, feeling heat in your cheeks, embarrassed. Chan must have noticed because he introduced himself once more before realizing you already knew his name. There was a sense of relief in knowing he was just nervous too. “Go easy on him,” Joshua joked. “Chan doesn’t know how to talk to girls yet.” Before Chan could retort, Joshua had walked away, leaving you with the boy who’d become your best friend for the years to come.
The third time was at Joshua’s graduation party that Chan had begged you to accompany him to. You didn’t really know anyone there, although you recognized most of the boys from Joshua’s somewhat large friend group. You were relieved to find you and Chan’s other friends, Seungkwan and Hansol. They were sophomores from his health class, and were really easy to hang out with. The party was more fun after finding them. You didn’t run into the host of honor until you had taken a break from a riveting game of truth or dare to grab a soda from inside the house. Joshua was in the kitchen, seemingly taking a break as well, and didn’t notice you come in until you opened the fridge. When he finally turned to you with a smile, you swore you could have fallen to your knees in embarrassment. The words that came out of his mouth… devastating to say the least.
“Hey,” he began. “You’re Chan’s friend right? I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Joshua.” You hoped he couldn’t see the heat rise to your cheeks or the way your own smile faltered. Thankful that no one else was around, you took his outstretched hand in a handshake and introduced yourself to him for the third time. You didn’t really see him again after that, and honestly, that was more favorable than having to introduce yourself to him for a fourth time.
However years later, in the hallways of another school there he was again. He was a few inches taller, his taste in fashion better, but his smile was the same as it was years before. The vice principal was in the middle of showing you your classroom roster when a knock on the door caught both of your attention.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Hong,” your vice principal greeted him. Standing at the door was a blast from the past, and with him came the butterflies you thought you left behind in the musty halls of high school. “This is the new third grade teacher,” she introduced, but before she could get your name out, Joshua had beaten her to it. He remembered your name. Her eyebrow raised in interest. “Do you know each other?”
“Yeah,” you replied. “We went to high school together.” You really hoped no one noticed how warm your face suddenly felt at the surprise of not only seeing him again, but also remembering your name.
“Is that so?” She asked and Joshua nodded with a smile. “In that case, Mr. Hong, you can finish up this tour right? I have a date to get to.”
Joshua gave a salute before taking her place beside you, close enough to smell the cologne he was using. A definite step up from high school Joshua’s usual Axe body spray. “Have a good time,” he called to her as she left. “Now, let me tell you all about which kids to watch out for.”
From the beginning, Joshua had become not only a mentor of sorts, but somehow your best friend as well, and everyone knew. Or at least, they had their own ideas about what he was to you. The third graders in front of you currently were no exception.
“So is Mr. Hong going to be your husband now?” The question snapped you out of your thoughts and you dismissed it with a laugh.
“No,” you laughed, turning to write a math problem on the board. “We’re just going to visit our families together for Christmas break.” Honestly, you really didn’t need to be defending yourself to anyone, but you knew your kids were so curious, and who were you to deny them that?
The class erupted into a chorus of disappointed “aw”s and “boo”s that made you chuckle. “Okay, okay,” you attempted to settle the class. “Enough of that, we have other problems to solve,” you continued as you pointed to the question on the board.
By the end of the day, you were exhausted. After making sure all of your students were sent home safely, you walked back to your classroom and plopped into your desk chair with a sigh, thankful that it was the last day of the semester. While wrapping up a few emails on your computer, you heard a knock at the wall next to you. Two quick knocks and one just a bit later. You smiled to yourself, and responded with the same knock. You and Joshua had a secret knock, a sort of code to let each other know that the other’s presence was needed. You got up from your desk to open the door where Joshua was already waiting outside his own.
“Tired?” He asked, and you nodded back with a sigh. “It’s all that sugar. I keep telling the librarians to stop offering them candy canes before it’s time to go home.”
You laughed at his frustration. “I love those kids,” you began. “But I am so glad I won’t have to see them for three weeks.”
“Me too,” he agreed. “Unless, you know, one of them is also visiting home and happens to be in the same 10 mile radius as us.”
You groaned at the idea. “Shua, don’t even joke like that.” You stepped closer to him to playfully push him, at which he dramatically winced and reached a hand over his heart.
“It’s just so fun to annoy you,” he began. “You make this cute little face that looks like a pack of squirrels just moved into your brain.” He reached a hand to tap a finger in between where your brows had furrowed together.
You rolled your eyes at him. “It’s only funny until it’s true. Then you have a 9 year old shadow trying to follow you around everywhere.”
Joshua put his hands up in defeat. “Okay, okay. You got me there.” He let out a small sigh before continuing. “Should I come over tonight to help you pack?”
“Don’t you need to pack?” You asked him as he shook his head.
“I finished last night,” he assured you. “Figured you’d probably wait until today to start.”
“You know me so well, don’t you?” you smiled up at him as he nodded.
“I like to think so.” He smiled at you in return, although it felt much softer than his usual smiles.
Joshua arrived promptly at 6 p.m. with a knock at your door and takeout from your favorite Chinese restaurant around the corner. A quick look through the peephole showed a smiling Joshua dressed in his old and worn college hoodie, one that you’ve borrowed and worn enough times that it sparked a dating rumor at work, his duffel bag, and his plaid pajama pants. You were wearing your own matching pair. The smell of the chicken was enough to entice you to open the door. Upon entering your apartment and kicking off his beat up white sneakers and dropping his duffel, he set down the bag of food on the counter and flopped down on the couch, laying down and grabbing the remote to press play on the show you had paused.
“Hello to you too,” you chuckled. “Make yourself at home, I guess.” You grabbed a box filled with noodles and a pair of chopsticks before walking over to the couch. As if on instinct, Joshua lifted his legs, allowing you to find a spot before lowering them back over your lap.
“Don’t mind if I do,” Joshua teased back. “Can you pass me the popcorn?”
“Here,” you rolled your eyes as you handed him the bowl of popcorn. “I thought you were coming over to help me pack?”
Joshua popped a handful of kernels into his mouth before replying which made you grimace. “I’m emotional support.”
“What would I even need emotional support for?” you questioned. “We’re only packing for a few dsays. I’ll just bring a few outfits and –”
You were interrupted by the sound of Joshua clearing his throat and swinging his legs off of your lap so he could sit upright and face you. “Remember last year, you said the same thing and still forgot to bring an outfit for that charity gala your parents throw every year?”
You nodded in defeat and let out a groan as you stood to go to your bedroom closet, to find a dress. You pulled two out, your trusty black dress that you’ve worn to a few of your parents’ galas and a newer red dress that you’d been saving for just the right occasion. After walking back outside, you held them both up for Joshua, who had now moved on from the popcorn and began eating at your noodles. “Which one should I bring?” you asked. “I know I wear this one every year, but I love it and then there’s also this –”
“Definitely the red one,” Joshua interrupted you, nearly choking on a mouthful of tofu to get his sentence out. “No more questions.” You couldn’t tell if his face was red from nearly choking on tofu or the idea of seeing you in the dress.
You shrugged and nodded as you slid the material off the hanger and unceremoniously dropped it into your suitcase, along with all the other outfits that were already packed. For the next half hour, it was relatively quiet in your apartment. The sound of Home Alone seemed to be the only break from the silence aside from the quiet chuckle Joshua would let out throughout the movie. These were your favorite moments with Joshua. School days were busy and loud, so much running around that when you did see him, it was in breathless “hey”s and rushed waves in the hallways. But in the warm glow of the fairy lights that adorned your living room wall and the stillness of it all, Joshua looked ethereal. If you had told yourself at 14 that the boy who barely even knew your name would not only be your friend, but even have a drawer of his own clothes at your apartment, you probably would laugh.
“What’s got you laughing?” Joshua asked, turning his head towards you. You didn’t even realize that you had chuckled aloud.
“Just…thinking, I suppose,” you answered him.
“Is that so?” He asked, moving to sit up and leaning forward on his knees in exaggerated interest. “Better share with the class, then.”
You thought about asking if he remembers the first time you met him, but decided to save it for another day. The quiet peace you had built up in this moment was much too delicate for an awkward question like that. So instead you told him you remembered a stupid Tik Tok that Chan had sent you earlier that day and Joshua’s face lit up in excitement.
He grabbed his phone and sat down next to you, knees touching yours. “Why don’t we give him a call?” He suggested. “He doesn’t even know I’m coming home this Christmas. I told him I was thinking of going overseas for the break.” He pulled up his number and hit the video call button and Chan answered almost immediately. Joshua held the phone to make sure you’re both in frame as he greeted him. “Hey Chan!”
“My two favorite teachers,” Chan smiled. “What’s up?” The sound of a dog barking and multiple people engaged in conversation in the back gave the hint that Chan was already back home with his family.
“I have something to tell you,” Joshua whispered conspiratorially. He leaned forward toward the camera, but before he could get a word out –
“You guys are getting married,” Chan blurted out excitedly and Joshua nearly dropped his phone. Why does everyone jump to that idea first, you thought to yourself.
Joshua was flabbergasted. “What? No that’s not–”
“You’re finally dating, aren’t you?” Chan guesses again, wagging an accusatory finger at Joshua. “I’ve always known–”
“No,” Joshua stopped him. It wasn’t often that you saw him turn so bright red, so you relished the moment. “We– I– I’m coming home for the holidays, is what I was trying to tell you.”
“Oh,” Chan dragged out awkwardly. “Why didn’t you just lead with that?”
“You literally didn’t even give me a chance,” Joshua was exasperated. He passed the phone to you while he stood up to grab a drink and put away the leftover food.
You greeted Chan again. “Channie, I miss you.”
Joshua called out to you from the kitchen. “Ouch, how come you’re never that excited to see me?”
“She sees you every single day,” Chan answered instead. “Let me have my best friend back.”
“Aw,” you began. “Don’t worry Chan, you’re still my best friend.”
“And what am I?” Joshua pouted as he returned from the kitchen.
“A leech at most,” you teased, causing Chan to chuckle. “You showed up just to watch my movies and eat all my snacks.” Joshua rolled his eyes but resumed his original position beside you anyway. He could never really be annoyed at you.
“So when are you guys going to head over here?” Chan asked. “Most of the guys are already here and are already planning to do something after the gala.”
“We’re headed out first thing tomorrow morning,” Joshua answered. “We’re only staying for the week.”
“Make sure you pack your warmest clothes,” Chan advised. “It’s supposed to be colder than usual this week.” You mimed a salute to Chan and Joshua nodded in response. “Okay, I’ll see you both tomorrow then!” Chan exclaimed before saying a quick goodbye, accidentally cutting himself off in the process.
Joshua set his phone down and you could still see the echoes of pink on his cheeks from Chan’s remark earlier. “I’m uh…” he began, getting up from his spot and still avoiding looking you in the eyes. “I’m gonna go get ready for bed. Is your extra blanket still in the hall closet?”
“Yeah,” you responded. “Wake me up later?”
He smiled at you from the bathroom door. “Of course,” he assured you. “Good night.”
“Good morning, sunshine,” you heard a voice cut through your dreams. Joshua was sitting beside you in bed, shaking you gently. The room was still dark and you wondered if you slept any more than four hours. “It’s 5 a.m.,” Joshua told you, as if he knew what you were thinking. “It’s early, but I wanted to beat the traffic.”
You rubbed your eyes as you sat up. Joshua was already dressed. Well, dressed for a road trip. He was still wearing the same hoodie from last night, but traded his plaid pajamas for a pair of black sweatpants, and a white baseball cap sat on his hair that was growing out much too fast. “Good morning,” you yawned. You reached up to brush the bangs that were sticking out from under his hat away from his eyes. He chuckled softly, and you were glad that any awkwardness he might have felt last night was gone.
“I already put your suitcase in the car,” he announced as he watched you get up and head to the restroom to change and get ready for the day. “Everything is ready. Well, except you.”
You popped your head out of the restroom to roll your eyes on him before returning. He walked out of the hallway and headed toward the kitchen. “I’ll make us some coffee,” he called loud enough for you to hear.
When you were finally out of the bathroom, dressed similarly to Joshua in a sweater and sweatpants, you were greeted to the smell of coffee and your favorite pastries from the bakery downstairs. Joshua was sitting at the counter, sipping from his favorite of your mugs – a misshapen Snoopy mug that you had found on one of your many thrift shop trips together. The sight was all too familiar to you and made it much too easy to pretend that this was what it looked like to be in love with and loved by the man across from you.
“You ready?” he asked, handing you your pastries, still in the bag and still warm, and the coffee that he had put into one of your travel mugs. You took one sip and savored the ratio of sugar and cream that Joshua had perfected when it came to you, and nodded at him in reply. After going through your mental checklist of last minute things to turn off and unplug, the two of you finally made it out the door.
“Do you still have that playlist we made last year on that work trip?” You asked as you entered Joshua’s car which was still cold after spending the night in the guest parking spot at your complex.
Joshua handed you his phone which he had plugged into the car. “Duh, it should be pinned,” he said as he fiddled with the many buttons on his car dashboard. You almost sighed as you felt the growing warmth of his heated seats. I’d marry him right now for his car, you thought to yourself as you put the playlist on and handed Joshua the phone. He plotted the address of your childhood home and you two were set for the next few hours.
Not long after leaving the apartment, the sky began to slip out of its indigo hues and into a cozy blend of pinks and oranges that could fool anyone into thinking it wasn’t freezing outside. The sun was beginning to rise over the horizon, casting a warm glow onto Joshua’s face and as he reached up to grab his sunglasses, he caught your gaze.
“Take a picture,” he teased. “It’ll last longer.” He had his sunglasses on, but it didn’t do much to hide that he was looking at you through his peripheral. You pulled out your phone.
“I will, actually,” you started taking pictures, capturing Joshua’s laughter. He’s so pretty like this, you thought to yourself as you continued to take candid shots of him. “These are definitely instagram worthy,” you told him.
“Send them to me later,” he requested.
“Mmmm… you’ll have to earn them,” you smiled and tucked your phone away. You pulled your sweatshirt sleeves down over your palms as you began to yawn.
“You can nap, you know?” Joshua assured, taking a quick glance at you. “We still have a ways to go.”
You shook your head. “I don’t want you to drive alone,” you told him. “Plus, it’s too bright out anyway.”
Joshua let out a sigh before reaching up to pull off his cap which he then placed on your head instead, pulling the front down to cover your eyes from the brunt of the sunlight. “You should really find better excuses if you’re gonna keep arguing with me,” he joked. “Now sleep, I’ll wake you if I need anything.”
“Oh Joshy,” you started. “When will you learn that I never give in easily?” Despite your arguments, you were already drifting off.
“Trust me,” you heard him say softly. “I know it all too well.”
When you finally woke up, it took your eyes a bit to adjust to the brightness of the day. You reached up to pull down the hat over your eyes, only to find that in its place was the weight of Joshua’s head on top of yours and you had accidentally slapped him right in the face.
“Well good morning to you too,” Joshua yawned, leaning off of you. “We’re here by the way.”
“Why didn’t you wake me?” You leaned back toward your seat and away from the center console where you and Joshua’s arms were practically entwined.
“I felt bad that you only had like 3 hours of sleep, and I guess I dozed off waiting for you to wake up.” He shrugged as if it was the most casual and normal thing to do. It most definitely was not normal. Scanning your surroundings, you saw that you were parked in front of your home. “Are you ready?” Joshua asked.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” you replied with a sigh.
The two of you walked out of the car with your luggage in hand, only for Joshua to do a double take in front of your parents’ driveway. “That’s so funny,” Joshua chuckled to himself. “That looks like my mom’s car.”
It was indeed Joshua’s mom’s car.
Apparently, both of your moms had become best friends in the last year, after Joshua’s mom volunteered to help out with the gala last Christmas. The next few hours were filled with countless childhood stories being shared about you and Joshua, leaving you both flustered and embarrassed. It turned out that before Joshua Hong was a high school heartthrob, he was a goofy little boy who dressed up as Shrek every single halloween without fail.
Eventually, when both women had exhausted their memories, they shooed the two of you away to the living room so they could finalize details for tomorrow night’s gala. There wasn’t anything good on TV, so you and Joshua mostly sat together, quietly scrolling through your phones. When Joshua’s mom came in, neither of you even noticed until she remarked, “Don’t you two look cozy?”
You were laying down with your legs swung over Joshua’s lap and a blanket on top of both of you. You were cozy, but your cheeks flushed at the teasing tone of her remark. You sat up and scooched an appropriate distance away from Joshua who laughed quietly. His cheeks weren’t red at all. “Oh, don’t mind me,” his mom dismissed, grabbing a vase from the coffee table and retreating out of the living room. “As you were, lovebirds.” From the kitchen, you could hear them in a fit of stifled laughter.
You looked at Joshua who was fighting his own laughter as he waited for you to resume your position close to him. He could tell you were hesitating and cut through your thoughts. “It’s warmer under the blanket,” he coaxed you back to him.
When the doorbell rang and Chan’s voice cut through to the living room, you and Joshua both looked at each other with a sigh of relief. Boredom was creeping in quickly, and Chan offered the promise of something to do to break from the monotony of being in your childhood home. The two of you stood up to meet him at the door and offered for him to come into the house.
“No, that’s okay,” he dismissed. “I was on my way to meet the guys when I saw your car and thought I’d come and see if the two of you wanted to come along.” You were already slipping on your shoes and coat before he said anything else.
“Whatever you’re doing, I’m in,” you agreed, tying your scarf around your neck. Joshua was doing the same already.
“I haven’t even –” Chan tried to continue, but the two of you were already pushing past him, waving goodbye to your moms.
“I call shotgun,” you called out as you walked toward Chan’s car. Joshua pouted but stood at the back passenger’s door anyway.
It wasn’t until Chan was already in the car that you finally asked where he was taking you. “The guys wanted to meet up at the parking lot of the high school,” he explained.
“As a teacher,” Joshua began, leaning forward between you and Chan’s seats. “I don’t condone loitering on school grounds after hours. As a former high school delinquent myself though, I just hope Hansol brought snacks.”
“As fun as that sounds,” Chan chuckled. “I think Seungcheol and Seungkwan wanted to play soccer on the field.”
Sure enough, when you arrived at your old school, you could hear the boys yelling from the field before you even got out of the car. It was a familiar sight, and a wave of nostalgia came over you as you and Chan trailed behind Joshua on your way to the field.
“Remember when you would beg me and Seungkwan to watch our soccer practices?” Chan nudged you.
You rolled your eyes back at him. “I was really interested in soccer, okay?” you defended. You were lying and Chan definitely knew it. You only used to come to his games and practices to watch Joshua play. In your years of high school, however, you never actually learned anything more about the sport.
“Right,” Chan said. “Name a soccer position. Any soccer position. Besides the goalie.”
“Uh,” you hesitated. “Okay fine, I had ulterior motives, but shut up.” Your face suddenly felt hot and you hoped that Joshua didn’t hear your conversation. Chan laughed as he watched you walk away from him.
When you arrived on the field, it seemed that most of the other dozen or so members of Joshua and Chan’s friend group were already engrossed in the middle of a game. You slipped into the bleachers beside Jeonghan, who was snacking on a banana. Jeonghan was Joshua’s partner in crime in high school. Because of your shared literature class, you had spoken to him a bit more than Joshua or his other friends in high school. He gave you a slight nod in acknowledgement before offering you one as well.
“Hey, long time no see,” he greeted you. “Did you and Josh just get here?”
“Yeah,” you replied, accepting the banana. “About an hour ago. No soccer for you today?”
“Not today,” he shook his head. “I hurt my ankle at work, so I guess I’m up here with you today.”
“I can’t promise I’ll be as entertaining as whatever’s happening down there,” You gestured down to the field where the boys had briefly paused to attempt a weird trending dance Joshua had learned from his students.
“I’m sure you will be,” Jeonghan said with a smirk.
“That almost sounded threatening, Jeonghan.”
“Nah,” Jeonghan wrapped an arm around you. “I just have a few questions for you, and I’m sure your answers will be entertaining. For me, anyway.”
You immediately knew where this was headed. Jeonghan was the only other person, besides Chan, Hansol, and Seungkwan that knew of your crush on Joshua. The only difference was that he had somehow figured it out on his own, rather than you admitting it to him. He confronted you on a day like this, at one of the soccer practices. He plopped down beside you during their break and asked bluntly, “So when are you gonna tell ol’ twinkly eyes you like him?”
You had sworn Jeonghan to secrecy, which he of course agreed to. “Why would I tell him myself, when I can be in on the secret instead?” he had said. Even in all of the times you’ve seen him since that day, he’s kept his word. Now here you are yet again on the bleachers about to answer the same question.
Knowing you didn’t have much of a choice, you let out a sigh. “Go ahead.”
“Great,” Jeonghan beamed. “First one, when are you gonna tell ol’ twinkly eyes you like him?” You threw your head back at his question. How does he remember that? You thought to yourself.
“Never, most likely,” you answered. Jeonghan shook his head in disappointment. “What?”
“That’s such a boring answer,” Jeonghan chastised. “Why don’t you tell him?”
“Because I like being his friend,” you shrugged. “What we have right now is nice.”
Jeonghan snorted a laugh. “Seriously?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” you asked loudly, causing Joshua to turn up at you from the field in concern. You smiled and waved to him, appeasing him as he turned back to the game.
Jeonghan put his hands on your shoulders, squeezing as if massaging you. “Relax,” he shushed. “It’s just… you guys are basically in a relationship already.”
“No we’re not,” you argued.
“Oh please,” Jeonghan scoffed. “Half the time Joshua picks up my facetime calls, he’s in your apartment or you’re in his. He has a drawer full of shirts that he’s set aside for you at his place, and I’m sure you have one at yours. Do you know how many times he’s left a night out early so he can come see you instead? And if he doesn’t leave, he’s ordering a meal to your place to make sure you have something to eat. It’s a relationship, you’re just both too scared to say it.”
For once, you were speechless, and for the second time, Jeonghan had hit the nail right on the head. What were you and Joshua? Just friends don’t do the things you do… but also, if he wanted to be something more, why wouldn’t he just ask? And if he didn’t ask… well should you even be doing these things anymore?
“You know I’m teasing you, right?” Jeonghan continued, seeing the way your skin began to pale in panic. “Well mostly. I do think you guys are just a semantic definition away from dating, but you don’t have to say anything to him if you’re not ready.”
You let out a sigh. “Thanks, Hannie.”
“No problem,” he said. “Just think about it okay?” It looked like the boys were wrapping up their game, and Jeonghan chuckled as he watched Joshua immediately search for your eyes as he grabbed a bottle of water.
Jeonghan leaned over in a whisper. “I’ve never seen him look at someone like that. I call him starry eyes for a reason.” Before you could reply, he stood to meet the other boys while Joshua came bounding up the bleachers to replace him.
“You okay?” he asked as you nodded your head in reply. “Are you sure? Jeonghan can be a bit much.”
“Yeah,” you chuckled. “You ready to go?”
“Well,” he began, eyes trailing to the boys who were all grabbing their stuff. “The guys wanna go get waffles at the diner, but if you’re down, we can walk there together. I know a bit of a shortcut.” You nodded and the two of you said your goodbyes to the group.
Instead of walking back to the parking lot, Joshua led you down a small alleyway between the gymnasium and the soccer field. The gap was narrow and dark, especially with the sun beginning to set, and Joshua reached behind him to grab your hand. If you hadn’t just spoken with Jeonghan, you would have felt butterflies, but instead you just felt a bit guilty.
“Joshua,” you called out. “This feels sketchy.”
“Oh, it definitely is,” he replied, and you could hear the smile in his voice. “This is how I used to sneak off campus way back in the day.” It wasn’t long until you were finally in a clearing, and you paused to catch your breath. Small spaces were not fun.
“You know,” you began. “I had heard you skipped class but I never really believed it.”
“It’s such a shame we weren’t best friends back then,” Joshua laughed. “I could’ve been a bad influence on you so much earlier on.”
“I can’t believe the district trusts you to educate our future leaders,” you teased.
“I’m reformed,” Joshua defended.
“Sure,” you rolled your eyes. As you continued walking, you found yourself speaking before you realized what you were asking. “Do you think we could’ve been friends in high school the way we are now?”
“No,” Joshua replied quickly. “I’m a firm believer that things happen when they’re supposed to happen. Plus, you were too good for me.” He looked over at you with a gentle smile. It wasn’t really the answer you expected to hear, but how can you feel hurt when he smiles at you like that?
“Oh,” you uttered. “Too good for you?” you felt yourself blush at his words.
“Yeah,” he confirmed. “You were kind, smart, and cute. I was smart too, but a bit of a slacker, as you can see.” Cute? He called you cute, you thought to yourself.
“Well what about now?” The two of you had stopped at a small park. You weren’t too far from the restaurant, but it was obvious you were both holding onto the opportunity to be away from the chaotic energy that tends to follow a group of 13 boys.
“Well,” Joshua began, leading you to sit beside in the swing next to his. “You’re still smart and kind, and I’m less of a slacker.”
“What about cute?” you asked, expecting him to tease you. “Am I still that?”
Joshua shook his head before looking at you with a kind of softness you hadn’t seen before. It was as if you were something delicate he was holding in his hands and he was afraid that you would shatter with any pressure. “You’re beautiful,” he breathed out the words in a whisper. If the breeze had picked up any more, his words would have been carried away with it.
For a second, you couldn’t say anything. Joshua had complimented you many times before but it was always in silly comments or in teasing jokes. This, however, was none of the above. It felt like a confession, almost, like something he’d been wanting to say for much too long. It just felt different, but the good kind of different. The kind that feels like a door is opening, slowly.
The sun was setting behind him, coating his face in swathes of warmth and you couldn’t help but think the same about him. You had seen him in the sunrise and now with the sunset, and you thought to yourself, If only I could start and end every day with him like this. And so, you decided, it was time to reach for something new, even if it came with the risk of losing what you had now. Hoping for a Christmas miracle, you finally whispered back to him.
“Joshua,” you began. Even in the disappearing daylight, Joshua’s eyes twinkled away, anticipating what you had to say. “I think I… I think I–”
The sound of a car honking turned both of your attention to the source – Jeonghan’s car filled with too many people who were all waving at the two of you. “Hurry up, lovebirds! We’re starving,” Mingyu called from the passenger’s side as they sped away.
The moment was gone, but as you looked at Joshua, he gazed at you with the same fondness as before. He stood up and offered a hand out to you, helping you up. “Let’s…” he began with a sigh. “Let’s try this again tomorrow, okay?”
Your hand still in his, he gave it a squeeze before letting it go.
The next day, you woke up to the sight of blinding sun bouncing off the snow blanketed streets. It was refreshing to be able to wake up well past noon in your childhood bedroom to the sound of your parents listening to Christmas music downstairs. It all felt so familiar, just like you never left.
However, what did shock you, was finding Joshua at the kitchen counter, helping your parents make Christmas cookies. He was still in his pajamas and his hair was still messy, but he was laughing along as your dad butchered all the words to “Frosty the Snowman.” No one had noticed you coming down the stairs, and you appreciated the chance to observe the scene quietly. Joshua just seemed to fit in every aspect of your life so perfectly, and it almost made you regret the years you had spent pining from a distance. But Joshua was right, things happen when they’re meant to.
Finally deciding to make your presence known, you walked to the fridge to grab a glass of orange juice before sitting at the counter, across from where Joshua was adding the finishing touches to a gingerbread man.
“Morning,” you greeted him. “I see my parents have taken you hostage.”
Joshua laughed as your dad responded. “Not true, he chose to come here with his mother, so the labor was implied.” You looked around, Joshua’s mom was nowhere in sight.
“Where is Mrs. Hong anyway?” you asked.
“She went to the gala venue to start with the decorations,” Joshua answered. “Told me to be productive here.”
“Why didn’t anyone wake me?” you questioned. “I could have helped.”
Your parents and Joshua all shared a laugh. “Oh honey,” Joshua cooed. “We tried.” You blushed at the nickname. He dusted his hands off against the apron he was wearing before pulling his phone out to show you the evidence. He had taken a video of him trying to wake you up.
The video showed you sprawled across the bed like a starfish, and as Joshua tried to shake you to wake you up, you swatted his hand away. Even though he wasn’t in the frame, you could hear the smile in his voice. He would never let you forget that he had this video. You hid your face in embarrassment.
“Anyway,” your mom said. “We’re just wrapping up, so you two can go ahead and get ready.”
“I didn’t bring any of my stuff with me so I’ll head home,” Joshua explained as he untied his apron. “I’ll swing by around 6 to come get you?” he asked.
“That’s perfect,” you smiled at him as he nodded and helped your mom place the last of the cookies into a box, ready to be taken to the venue. “What about you guys?” you asked your parents.
“We’re going to the venue now,” your mom explained. “We’ll be getting ready there after setting everything up.” You watched from the counter as your dad and Joshua picked up all of the boxes of desserts and carefully walked to the door to load them in the car. You called out a goodbye to them as you went back up to your room to get ready.
When the doorbell finally rang, it was 5:50 p.m. and you were still not ready. Your makeup was halfway done and your hair was still in a mess of rollers on top of your head. “You’re early,” you exclaimed as you opened the door to an elegantly dressed, hair perfectly coiffed, cologne scented Joshua. “Wow, you look…”
He smirked at you as he held out a flower that he was holding. A single white blossom. “Handsome? Hot? Like heaven on legs? An angel?” he teased.
“Beautiful,” you finished. Joshua looked surprised and with his hair slicked back, you could see the tips of his ears turn a shade of red.
“That’s my line,” he recovered.
“Not yet, I’m not,” you laughed, shaking your head as you let him into the house. He stepped in, but stopped in front of you.
“You always are,” he said again in that same tone from last night. The kind that made you go weak in the knees and made you wish time would pause for just a little bit, long enough for you to memorize the freckles on his face and find constellations in his eyes. Then he smiled, and you remembered how you looked, not even close to ready, but he still smiled at you like that, and you let yourself think, this what it looks like when Joshua Hong loves you.
You almost left the house just like that. It wouldn’t matter how you actually dressed, because you felt beautiful. But, who would you be if you weren’t constantly trying to beat Joshua Hong at his own games? So you snapped out of your haze and finished getting ready, and the look he gave you as you finally came back down the stairs indeed felt like a victory.
“Cat got your tongue, Hong?” you teased. Now in your heels, you were nearly eye level with him. His cheeks had turned pink and instead of replying, he shook his head and laughed.
“I suddenly feel underdressed,” he joked, offering you the flower he had earlier. Before you could reach out to grab it, however, he reached out and tucked it behind your ear. “I know it’ll fall out, but I couldn’t find a corsage or anything.”
“A corsage?” you questioned. “Are you taking me to the prom, Joshua?”
“Just humor me,” he offered his elbow out to you. “It’s what I should’ve done in high school.”
The gala was in full swing when the two of you finally arrived. A band was playing jazzy renditions of Christmas carols, couples were on the dance floor, and everyone was dressed to the nines in shades of red, green, and gold. Joshua’s friends were split into two tables near the back, but before the two of you headed towards them, Joshua pulled you away to the buffet table.
“Hungry?” you asked Joshua with a teasing smile.
“Not really,” he admitted but grabbed a cookie anyway. “I just wanted you to myself for a little bit longer.”
“Oh? Why’s that?” you questioned.
“I just know that as soon as we walk over there,” Joshua pointed to the table where the boys were all gathered around Chan, Seungcheol, and Mingyu having a water bottle flipping contest. “Either Jeonghan or Chan is gonna steal you away and I won’t be able to see you until the night is over.” He took a bite of his cookie.
“And what a loss that would be,” you joked. You grabbed a cup of punch and a cookie as well. “Did you make this one? It looks very Joshy.”
“Yes I did,” he nodded. “And yes, it would be a loss. Save me a dance?” He held his hand up, raising his pinky to yours for a pinky promise.
“Always,” you affirmed, crossing your pinky with his.
Sure enough, as soon as you sat down at your seat, Jeonghan and Chan both were pulling you right back up. Joshua shot you a knowing look and mouthed “Told you,” as you were dragged toward the dance floor.
The band began to play an upbeat Christmas song, loud and brassy. Jeonghan twirled you around as he spoke, loudly for you to hear over the music. “Took you long enough,” he joked.
“What do you mean?” you asked with a laugh.
“We were placing bets on how long Joshua would try to keep you away from us,” Chan answered, doing some dance that did not fit the vibe of the song. It was quite endearing how well the boys knew each other.
“Did you finally get to talk to him?” Jeonghan asked. The middle of the dance floor was a very odd place to be having this conversation, but yet so fitting for the two boys with you.
“Well we were kind of getting to it last night,” you confessed. “Until we were rudely interrupted by a gaggle of impatient and hungry men.”
“Oh we thought you guys were already making out,” Chan announced. By now he was just going through decades of trendy dance moves. He was on the mashed potato now.
“What? No,” you were thankful that it was a bit dark in the ballroom, they couldn’t see the blush on your face. “We were just talking.”
“Lame,” Jeonghan booed, dragging the word out and giving you a thumbs down.
“I thought you wanted me to talk to him,” you questioned.
“Yeah, talk about something juicy,” he retorted. “If you didn’t confess, and there was no kissing, you were just being lame and I don’t care.”
“Well how am I supposed to talk to him if I’m dancing with you fools?” You rolled your eyes. The tempo began to slow as the band began the Christmas Waltz.
“Oh, perfect,” Chan mused as he and Jeonghan shared a mischievous look. Before you could stop them, they had already run back to the table and grabbed a confused looking Joshua who was halfway to taking a bite of his cookie. Once they returned, they shoved him towards you, and he nearly fell to the floor on top of you, but caught his momentum by resting his hands on your shoulders.
You took a step back in recoil, blinking in surprise. Joshua repositioned himself so one hand was at your waist, drawing you in, and his other hand held yours against his chest. “Hey,” he smiled.
“Hey,” you breathed out. He was close enough to you that you could smell the cinnamon in his cologne.
“I guess I was wrong about those two,” Joshua laughed. “Remind me to thank them later.”
“Will do,” you laughed. “But, maybe don’t thank them too much. We have an audience.” You nodded towards the table where at least half of the boys had their phones out, taking videos of the two of you and giving a thumbs up. You leaned your forehead against Joshua’s shoulder in attempt to hide from the attention.
“Ignore them,” he chuckled, giving your hand a squeeze. “This is one of my favorite Christmas songs,” he announced and began singing along quietly. You tried not to wince at the way his breath tickled against your ear in a private serenade.
It’s that time of year,
When the world falls in love.
You pulled back to look at him, his eyes reflecting the light from the disco ball and his face lit up in the dim glow of the strings of Christmas lights. You found yourself leaning in before you could find a reason not to. When your lips finally met his, it felt like coming home. Like the ending of a melody you’ve been chasing your whole life, the answer to a question you’ve been asking since you met him. He was smiling when you pulled away.
“I love you,” he said so easily as if he'd been saying it to you his whole life.
Your mouth opened, as if to say something, but no words came out. Joshua smiled softly down at you. “There is absolutely no way you can argue your way out of this one,” he teased.
“I wasn’t going to argue,” you defended yourself. “I was just… you beat me to it.”
“Well,” he leaned down to press a kiss against your temple. “You’ll have plenty of chances to beat me to it from now on.”
From the side of your vision, you could see Jeonghan, Chan and the others silently cheering the two of you on. Joshua rolled his eyes at them before leaning back in to kiss you. “Might as well give them something to cheer for,” he breathed against your lips.
This, you thought, this whole time, I have known exactly what it feels like to love Joshua Hong. Loving him feels like coming home.
It wasn’t until the day after, when the boys were back at the field playing soccer that you finally got to ask Joshua the one question you’d been dying to ask him since your first day of work with him. He decided to sit out from the game and watch from the bleachers with you instead.
Your arm was looped through his and your head was resting on his shoulder. Your entwined hands were resting on his knee and it was comfortable.
“Oh hey,” you cut through the silence. “Do you remember the first time we met?”
“Duh,” Joshua replied. “We met at my graduation party, where Chan brought you as his date. Look where that got him though.” He laughed and you could feel it. When you sat up and pulled your arm out of his, he looked at you in concern.
“That’s not where we met,” you bit your lip as you broke the news to him.
“What do you mean?” Joshua argued. “I remember it clear as day. Chan told me he was bringing a girl from school, and I made fun of him for it. Then you walked into the kitchen looking for a soda, and that’s when we met.”
“No…” you began. “We met at my freshman orientation.” Joshua looked confused as you continued. “You were my orientation leader, and you introduced me to Chan.”
Joshua’s face paled in embarrassment and he buried his head in your shoulder with a groan. You patted his back, and couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped your lips.
“I don’t even remember meeting my own girlfriend,” he groaned in disappointment.
“It’s fine, Shua,” you assured him. “You made up for it anyway.”
“How?” he questioned, finally looking up at you with a pout.
“When you remembered my name that day you walked into my classroom.”
#caratwritersclub#seventeenweeklyarticle#joshua hong#joshua hong x reader#joshua x reader#seventeen fluff#joshua hong fluff#joshua fluff#seventeen × reader#seventeen angst#seventeen imagine#ioshua hong imagine#svt ioshua#seventeen joshua fluff#hong jisoo#hong jisoo x reader
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packages, boxes and bags
day eight of junkissed's svt season's greetings event
member — boyfriend!seokmin x reader
genre — the sweetest and purest fluff
word count — 3.1k
synopsis — you’re having trouble finding the perfect gift for your boyfriend on your first christmas together. maybe his friends can help.
warnings — a little cursing, reader is called seokmin's girlfriend, pet names (baby, honey), they are so damn cute it hurts, when can i have my own seokmin god please i'm begging
notes — lowercase intended. i apologize this is late but i was busy the past couple days and i also didn't have much inspo for this. so imagine my surprise when today i sit down at my laptop and boom three thousand words just. appear. but i am so happy with how this turned out and i hope you will be too. i must warn you all this is disgustingly sweet and precious and i definitely screamed into my pillow more than once while writing this. i hope you enjoy :) p.s. i promise this isn't an ad for kay jewelers— blame @duhnova for that
one reblog = one (almost) engagement ring
you shut your laptop closed and groan, putting your head in your hands. this was never going to work.
you’ve spent the better part of your day off on websites like amazon, macy’s, even walmart, trying to find the perfect gift for seokmin.
despite being together almost seven months now, it’s the first time you’ll be spending christmas together. and… you have absolutely no idea what to get him.
first you thought about getting him some little gadget for his computer at work, maybe a new keyboard or a cute new mouse pad. but then you remembered how he told you in passing the other day how he couldn’t stand how his job had him hunched over his computer all day, and he was thinking about looking for a new one where he wouldn’t have to be on it so much.
then you thought you might get him a nice framed picture of the two of you, something small to keep in his apartment for when you’re not there. but when you came over last weekend, the first thing he did was show you the digital photo frame he found in his closet that his mom got him for his birthday that he’d forgotten about. he was stoked to “finally be able to put it to good use” and had programmed it with dozens of pictures of the two of you.
you’d tried google. you’d looked at every gift-giving website under the sun. you’d even asked your best friend what she was getting for her boyfriend for christmas to see if it might spark an idea.
but everything you come across is either something he already has, something he doesn’t need, or something he could easily get on his own.
so… you were stuck. thoroughly and completely stuck.
meanwhile, unbeknownst to you, seokmin is currently on the other side of town, running through the mall in a panic, trying to figure out what to get you.
he knows he shouldn’t have waited until three days before christmas to get his holiday shopping done, but he’s been busy– there’s a huge promotion up at his job, and he’s doing everything he can to get it. not only would it mean less sitting at his desk all day and more moving around, it would also mean a big raise, so you can finally move in together like you both have been wanting to. now that would be a perfect christmas present if he gets the position, but he won’t find out if he has or not until the new year, so that rules that out.
it’s your first christmas together, so he really wants to go all out. winter is his favorite season, and now he gets to spend it with his favorite person, so why wouldn��t he make it something extravagant? except… he can’t find anything to get you.
so here he is at the mall downtown, ducking into every store and searching for something, anything that might give him an idea of a gift you might like.
he doesn’t wanna buy you clothes, because that’s lame, and also because he doesn’t wanna get something that’s not guaranteed you’ll like. what if you think the fabric is too itchy, or you don’t like the pattern? returning or even exchanging his gift would mean a big failure.
he doesn’t wanna buy you the trinkets he found at that one gift shop, because even though they are cute, they’re not special enough to get for you. these are the type of things he’d pick up for you on his way home from work as an everyday treat, or at the very most, a stocking stuffer; you deserve more than some cheap little thing he found on a whim.
he thought about getting you a new purse, because you said you’ve been needing one since the strap on your current one broke, but he’s pretty sure you already bought yourself one when your boss gave you an amazon gift card as a thank-you for all the overtime you’ve been doing lately.
it seems like everything he thinks of to get you is a dumb idea. so now he’s stuck. thoroughly and completely stuck.
you sigh, pulling out your phone and scrolling through your gallery, praying that one of the photos is hiding some kind of sign that’ll tell you exactly what to buy him. but as expected, there’s no magic word or wish list or qr code that leads to the perfect gift.
you’re just about to give up and call him and just ask him what he wants, when an idea hits you. calling him would be admitting to him you can’t think of something special to give him, but calling his friends… now that, that might get you somewhere. they’ve known him for way longer than you have, they must have some idea of things he likes or might want.
you quickly dial the number of his friend minghao. you’ve only met him a few times at some get-togethers, but he seems like the most responsible out of his group, and the most likely to give you a helpful answer.
he picks up on the first ring, but the voice that answers… isn’t minghao?
“hello seokmin’s girlfriend! this is minghao’s phone, how can i help you!”
“junhui, i told you to stop touching my phone!” you hear a voice in the background that you guess is minghao.
“fi-ine,” the first voice—junhui?—grumbles, and you hear a shuffling noise as you assume the phone is being passed back to its owner.
minghao sighs. “hi. sorry about him. what’s up?”
you try not to laugh at the phone mix-up. “just, uh, have a question for you.”
“mhm?” he prods.
“has… seok mentioned anything he wants for christmas? or, like, is there anything you know he needs?” you ask, hoping it sounds nonchalant.
he hums. “mm, not really. are you trying to come up with a christmas gift for him?”
you whine. “yeah. but i’ve tried everything, i can’t think of a single good thing to give him.”
minghao pauses. “he’s really sentimental, but you probably already figured that out by now. the best i can suggest is something homemade, or something related to some kind of memory you have together. he’d like that.”
you freeze. “i… i think i’ve got an idea,” you say jumping up from your chair. “you’re the best, minghao, i owe you big time for this.”
“don’t worry about it. merry christmas.”
you hang up the phone and open your laptop again. this just might work.
you hadn’t planned on spending this much on seokmin’s present, but why not go all out? sure, you’ll have to cut back on your morning coffee for a couple weeks, but it’ll be worth it to see the look on his face on christmas morning.
at the same time, across town seokmin’s just walking out of the jewelry store, a shiny velvet box tucked into his jacket pocket. it’s a lot more than he wanted to pay for it, but it’s better than showing up empty-handed. besides, if that promotion comes through like he hopes, he’ll pay it off in no time. it might have cost a small fortune, but he just knows it’ll look so pretty on you. he can’t wait to see you wear it.
christmas eve finally rolls around and you’re standing outside the door to seokmin’s apartment, your arms full of bags for the weekend you’re spending with him.
his entire face lights up the second he opens the door, and he squeezes you in a tight hug before giving you a soft kiss. “hi baby,” he says, almost shyly. “merry christmas.”
he grabs the bags from you to carry them inside, and you give him another kiss. “merry christmas.”
he takes your things back to his room to set them down, then comes back out into the living room, wrapping his arms around you again. “i’m so glad you get to be here,” he says quietly.
“mm. me too.”
the room is quiet, besides the faint honking of cars outside. you snuggle up on the couch together, picking out a movie to watch, the dim lights casting a soft glow around the apartment.
“do you wanna open your present now?” he asks when the screen turns black and the credits slowly roll past.
“seok, you have to wait until christmas! we can’t open all our presents tonight!” you giggle, and he pouts.
“please?” he says, looking up at you with those big, pleading eyes you adore so much.
“fine,” you concede. “but only one! or else we won’t have anything to open in the morning.”
he grins and gets down on the floor beside the couch, crawling over to the tree to grab a small wrapped box nestled into the bottom branches. he comes back over and sits at the base of the couch, putting one knee up as he hands you the box.
he grins up at you as you tear open the wrapping paper, revealing the soft velvet jewelry box.
you look down at him, and he nods eagerly, motioning for you to open it. you hesitate. it definitely looks expensive, way more than you would’ve wanted him to spend on you. but you did pay almost $300 renting the place for his gift, so you write it off as being even.
you delicately pry the box open with your fingernail, revealing a breathtaking ring absolutely covered in diamonds and intricate silver gilding. it gleams even in the low light, sitting in its little velvet box, staring up at you.
you gasp, throwing your hand over your mouth. “seokmin, what the fuck is this!?”
his smile instantly drops, the color draining from his cheeks. “do you not like it? i can probably still return it, i have the receipt–”
“no!” you shout, and he jumps, eyes wide. “no,” you repeat, calmer this time. “no, i love it. it’s gorgeous. i just– i thought we were doing… small presents first?” you stutter, still in shock at the beautiful piece of jewelry in your shaking hands.
he blushes. “i… wanted you to wear it now,” he murmurs.
you study him, and suddenly you realize he’s still down on the carpet on one knee. and everything finally clicks.
you scream as you jump up from the couch. “seokmin, you’re not proposing, are you?” you gasp.
“no?” he stammers, confused why you’d think he is, before realizing himself that he looks… well, he definitely looks like he’s proposing.
he hurriedly puts his knee down, sitting flat on the carpet. “i’m not! i’m not. this is just a really nice ring, i swear,” he rushes to explain. “at least, not yet,” he mumbles under his breath, but you don’t hear him. you’re still focused on the fact that there’s more diamonds in this ring than you can count on one hand.
you’re still standing in front of him, mouth hanging open, and he’s starting to get worried because you haven’t said a word in a few minutes. “do you want me to propose?” he asks hesitantly. because, screw it, he’s already got the nice ring; if you’re ready, then he’s ready, might as well—
“no! i mean, yes, i do, i really do, but not right now, i…” you trail off, not sure how to continue.
the room is silent, both of you staring at each other. after a minute he stands up, taking his seat back on the couch. “oh no,” he says, finally breaking the silence with a groan. “i ruined this, didn’t i?”
“no,” you sigh, having recovered enough from the shock to sit next to him again. “no, of course not. i’m just… surprised. i wasn’t expecting this. it must’ve cost a fortune.”
“it’s rude to ask someone the price of a gift, you know,” he says, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
“trust me, i’m not asking,” you laugh. “i don’t even wanna know.”
“can… can i put it on you?” he asks, his voice getting soft again.
you look at him, and then at the glittering diamond ring in his hand, and you can’t not accept it. you nod, letting out a quiet “mhm” in agreement.
your eyes start to water as he slides it onto your finger, and he looks up worriedly when you sniffle. “it’s so pretty, oh my god,” you whisper, more to yourself than to him.
“please don’t cry,” he says softly, and he looks so upset that you have to reassure him you’re not mad and you just really, really like your gift.
you admire how it looks on your finger for a second before you scoot closer to him and wrap your arms around him.
“i love it, baby,” you murmur. “you really didn’t have to do this.”
he hums. “but i wanted to. i wanted to show you how much i love you.”
tears well up in your eyes again, and you bury your face in his neck to hide them. “you already show me. every single day.���
he sighs, a happy sigh, relaxing into your arms. “i’m glad you like it.”
you stay like that for a while, gently rocking back and forth on the couch, peacefully enjoying everything. the scent of his cologne wafts around you, a comforting, familiar smell, and the colorful lights of the christmas tree shine softly in the background. you wouldn’t want to spend christmas anywhere else.
you pull away a little, breaking the silence with a short laugh. “mine’s gonna look so stupid compared to yours,” you pout as you snuggle into his side, leaning your head against his shoulder.
“are you gonna make me wait until tomorrow to open it?” he asks, rubbing his hand up and down your arm.
“no,” you sigh. “it’s probably after midnight by now, anyway.” you lift yourself out of his arms, going back into his room to get his present from one of your bags.
it’s a lightweight little box, and you hand it down to him. the gift itself isn’t big in size, but you know he likes taking the wrapping off, so you put it in a box and wrapped it for him.
he waits for you to come sit beside him again, and he opens it, carefully tearing the red and green paper with a grin on his face.
he opens the box, revealing a small piece of paper. he looks back at you. “baby? what’s this?”
your cheeks heat up as you begin to explain, suddenly feeling shy about your gift. “well, i… i rented out the movie theater we went to on our first date, and i thought it would be fun to, just… spend the day there, i don’t know.” you trail off, looking down at your hands, until seokmin takes them in his own.
when you look back up at him, his smile is so wide, it almost looks like it hurts. “i love it,” he beams, his voice breaking a little. “that’s so thoughtful, honey. i really love it.”
he leans forward to squeeze you in a hug, and you can’t help but smile, too.
“this is the best christmas ever,” he sighs into your neck, holding you tightly against him. “love you so much.”
he sits back, pulling you onto his lap facing him. “do you know where i got the ring from?” he asks suddenly, locking his hands behind your lower back.
you look at him. “um, kay? it says it on the box.”
he grins. “and?”
you frown in confusion. “and… what?”
the tips of his ears turn pink. “y’know, their slogan? ‘every kiss begins with kay’? from the commercials?”
you blink at him.
he groans, rolling his head back. “can i just kiss you now, please?”
you giggle, throwing your arms around his neck and rubbing your nose against his. “fine.”
and just as he’s about to, his pocket vibrates, and he pulls out his phone.
“my… boss?” he says, confused, showing you the screen.
you whine, resting your chin on his shoulder. “what does he want that can’t wait? it’s one in the morning on christmas eve– well, technically christmas morning, now.”
he looks at you with pleading eyes, and you sigh. “you can answer it. quickly, though, please?”
he presses a kiss to your cheek in thanks before sliding the button to accept the call, holding the phone up to his other ear. “hello?”
you can’t hear what’s being said on the other line, so you close your eyes, worn out from the night’s big surprises. you have a lot to do tomorrow—today—and you’ll need sleep if you want to spend the whole day with him like you want to.
seokmin sits up suddenly, startling you. you lean back, looking at him, wordlessly asking if something’s wrong. but he’s beaming, his smile so bright you’d think he’d just been told he won the lottery, and you crease your eyebrows in confusion.
he stays on the phone for another minute, listening intently. “thank you so much. merry christmas,” he says finally, then hangs up, tossing his phone to the other end of the couch.
“what? what is it?” you ask, still concerned despite his giddy expression.
he settles back, his hands sliding to your waist and holding you up on his lap. “i just got some news,” he says, and you know he’s being vague on purpose to draw out the suspense.
you pout. “well, are you gonna tell me, or not!”
he giggles, unable to hold it back any longer. “i got the promotion!” he yells.
your mouth falls open. “what promotion?” you ask, tentative.
“i didn’t wanna say anything unless i was sure, but there’s been a position available at the company, and they wanted to hire someone from within,” he says excitedly. “it wasn’t guaranteed that i’d get it, but i did! i got the promotion!”
“aw, seok! i’m so proud of you, baby,” you smile, leaning down to kiss him.
he pulls away after a second, and you look at him expectantly. “i have more news,” he says with a grin.
“and?”
“and… it comes with a big raise, so we’ll finally be able to afford a place together,” he beams, rubbing his hands up and down your back.
you bite your bottom lip to stop it from trembling, and feel your eyes well up with tears, spilling down your cheeks.
he calls your name softly, and you look up at him. “are you… what do you think?” he asks, his big eyes searching your watery ones.
“i– i’m just so happy,” you stammer, leaning down to hug him again. “i love you so much. this is more than i could’ve ever asked for.” you bury your face in his neck, letting your tears of joy fall onto his sweater.
“merry christmas, honey.”
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#svthub#k-labels#seventeenweeklyarticle#🌃 : june.writes#❄ june's winter wonderland! ❄#dokyeom fluff#svt fluff#seventeen fluff#seokmin fluff#seokmin imagines#seokmin x reader#seokmin scenarios#svt imagines#svt scenarios#seventeen scenarios#seventeen imagines#seokmin x y/n#seokmin x you#dk fluff#dk imagines#dk x reader#dk scenarios#dk x you#svt dokyeom#svt seokmin#dokyeom x reader#dokyeom x y/n#dokyeom fic#dk fic#seokmin fanfic
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take it easy (slowly carve out my heart)
you had always been the target. always. he knew this. he knows this.
so why does wonwoo feel like he's the one who's dying?
pairing: assassin!wonwoo x gn!reader
rating: M
wc: 0.8k
prompt: @diamondyjh wanted angst so i repurposed an old namgi fic hope u enjoy :')
summary: wonwoo's assignment: become your husband and bide his time until given the command to kill you. a simple mission, really — one that shouldn't have been hard. except, he never accounted for the fact that he might actually fall in love with you. too bad he's the perfect little soldier.
warnings: major character death (reader), graphic depictions of violence, stabbing, blood, assassination, grief/mourning
tags: angst, and i mean ANGST, no happiness here sorry folks, only as much pain and sadness as i could shove into less than 1k
a/n: the prompt for the original fic was 'a whisper in the ear' for the 'ways you said i love you' prompt challenge, and the friend who'd requested it had specifically said "but make it hurt" so. here we are :')
The brick of the deserted alleyway is freezing through the back of Wonwoo's jacket, but he doesn't really feel it. Just focuses on the way the chill greedily seeps under his skin, sinking down through muscle and sinew and deep into the marrow of his bones.
He needs it, the cold — more than he needs the air in his lungs or the blood in his veins or that overbearing muscle that continues to beat inside his chest. That terrible, frivolous thing.
So he needs the cold, needs it to numb everything except the machine that he thinks has always dwelled within him.
("Never forget who you really are, Wonwoo-ssi — what you've been made into.")
"Wonwoo?"
("It's the only way you'll survive.")
"Where'd you go?" Your call comes from just outside the entrance to the alley, cutting softly through the otherwise quiet of the night.
That thing in his chest gives an obstinate thump, but he ignores it. He is numb.
"In here, y/n," he replies, just loud enough to be heard from the street. He takes in a deep breath, the winter air a painful comfort as it crystallizes inside his lungs.
"Baby?" Your voice is closer now, and Wonwoo tilts his head to see you peering down into the alley. He meets your eyes, your brows furrowing in concern, and you quickly make your way toward where he continues to lean against the wall. "What're you doing out here in the cold? Are you okay?"
He is numb. He is numb. He is numb.
He tells himself this over and over again, wills it to be true as you stop in front of him and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Sorry," he murmurs, "I'm fine. Just needed to get some air."
Before this moment, the lies had always fallen so easily out of his mouth, like sand between his fingers. (Were they ever really lies?) But this one weighs heavy on his tongue.
"That's usually my line," you quip, a half-smile tugging at the corners of your mouth.
You move your hand from his shoulder to his jaw, gently stroking the cool skin of his cheek with your thumb. Your other hand comes to rest on Wonwoo's waist, the touch just as gentle even through his thick winter coat. "We can stay out here for a bit, hmm? Until you're ready to go back inside."
You close what little distance is left between the two of you and press your forehead into his neck. "Or if it's still too much," you mumble into his collarbone, soft and warm, "we can go home. Whatever you need, baby."
I am numb.
He whispers, "Okay, love."
I am numb. I am numb. I am numb.
Three deep, slow breaths later, and he believes it enough to do what he was always meant to do.
It's quick, the way he pulls out the knife and shoves it between your third and fourth ribs in one swift motion.
It's so quick, in fact, that you don't even scream, just choke on a strangled breath as your body jerks in Wonwoo's hold. He twists the blade — "like a key in a lock, Wonwoo-ssi" — and yanks it out, letting it fall from his gloved grasp to the dirty concrete below.
You choke again, hands sloppily trying to find purchase on Wonwoo's chest as your legs rapidly lose their ability to support your weight, but you don't let go.
I'm numb.
And neither does Wonwoo. He can't.
You had always been the target. Always. He knew this. He knows this.
I'm numb I'm numb I'm numb I'm numb—
So why does Wonwoo feel like he's the one who's dying?
"W-won—," you cough, the blood that's filling up your lungs spilling messily past your lips.
"Shhhh," he croons into your hair, carefully lowering you both to the ground when your legs fold completely beneath you. "I'm sorry, love, I'm sorry. God, I'm so, so sorry."
He pulls you tighter to him, the blood rapidly soaking the both of you. Your movements start to slow, and your wet, shallow breathing turns into stuttering gurgles.
"I wish things could have been different," Wonwoo whispers into your ear. "I'm so sorry. I love you, I'm sorry. I love you, I love you, I love you."
Back and forth, back and forth, he rocks you — whispering his love and apologies over and over until your chest goes still in his arms.
And then he screams.
("Make it believable, Wonwoo-ssi. No one can ever see anything other than a grieving husband.")
He screams, and he weeps, and he begs, because somewhere along the line, it had stopped being a part to play. Loving you had never been an act, and the agonizing sorrow he feels ripping through his body will never be anything but scathingly, disgustingly, unfathomably real.
He'd never wanted it — that stupid, stupid, terrible, horrible thing called a heart. But you had given yours over so freely, so wonderfully, so wholly, that he had been helpless but to hand his over in return.
That stupid, frivolous thing.
#wonwoo angst#svt angst#seventeen angst#wonwoo x you#wonwoo x reader#wonwoo fanfic#svt fanfic#seventeenweeklyarticle#i feel like i'm missing tags but oh well#savv writes#savv fics#feel free to come yell at me about this#i deserve it skjflksdjfsldkjfsldk#:')
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Horanghae Chapter 5
Story Summary: Everyone knows that Soonyoung loves tigers. The term Horanghae literally means “I tiger you”. Needless to say, the Seventeen members shouldn’t have been as surprised as they were the night he came home with a very timid white tiger curled against him.
Chapter Summary: After a successful first day of getting to know the members, you’re more than ready for day two, at least with these two you kind of know what to expect. You also start to experience just how strong your bond is with the members.
Chapter Pairings: Joshua x White Tiger Hybrid Reader (First Half), Seungkwan x White Tiger Hybrid Reader (Second Half), Hoshi x Tiger Hybrid Reader
Rating: PG
Genre: Fluff
Word Count: 8.3k
Chapter Warnings: A very slightly suggestive moment with Joshua (reader ends up on his lap) but otherwise pure fluff and reader getting her first kiss(es)
AN: Thank you guys for your patience, the next chosen members were Seungkwan and Joshua. Once again I did try to keep them even but Seungkwan's part is a bit longer, I also got a bit carried away with the ending and Soonyoung. I do have a few ideas for who I wish to do next but I’ll also let you all decide. Would you rather see JunHao next or Wonwoo and Vernon?
This chapter is not beta read as I was eager to get it out to you guys and it’s like 7am when I finally post it. Please excuse any errors!
Previous Chapter . . . Next Chapter (TBA)
Horanghae Masterlist
You were a bit surprised when you woke up by yourself the following morning instead of being shaken awake like what happened with Mingyu. Sitting up and rubbing your eyes, you looked around the room to see that Soonyoung was also already gone. The clock on your nightstand told you it was almost ten in the morning so it wasn’t like you had slept in much, though you assumed he probably had plans for the day. Casting your gaze back down to the nightstand, you perked up as you saw a brightly colored piece of paper tucked under the clock. Curious, you carefully grabbed the note and readjusted so that you could read it properly.
‘I hope that you slept well! Once you wake up and have breakfast go ahead and meet me outside. I’ll be sitting on the patio by the backdoor.”
You were confused for a moment, though you quickly recognized the handwriting that belonged to Joshua. It was then that you remembered you had fallen asleep in the car with Jihoon and so you hadn’t known which two members you were supposed to spend the day with. They probably drew the names while you were asleep and just planned on having you find out when you woke up. The thought made you a bit nervous as you realized this meant you had no idea who you would spend the second part of the day with, but at least you could relax knowing Joshua was first. He was one of the members who had welcomed you eagerly and treated you like family from the moment you arrived, so needless to say you were excited to have some one-on-one time with him. With a gentle smile you set the note back down on the nightstand and quickly slid out of bed so you could get ready. You had no idea when he left that note for you but you did know that it was getting late and you didn’t want to keep him waiting for much longer.
You made your way to the window and glanced outside briefly to check the weather. It had been pretty sunny for a majority of the week but it never hurt to double check just in case. Seeing that it was, indeed, bright outside, you decided to go similar to your outfit from the previous day with shorts and a simple t-shirt that had a tiger printed on it. Jeonghan had been the one to buy said shirt for you, gushing about how fitting it was and how cute you would look in it despite the argument that it was probably overkill. You didn’t really care too much about the design though since it was comfortable and it was a bit funny to wear a tiger shirt as a tiger so why not? Also you still had no idea what you and Joshua would be doing, or what you would be doing with the second member so you figured dressing in something you could move around in comfortably would be your best bet. You quickly finished getting ready and made your way down to the kitchen, passing Wonwoo and Seungcheol who were busy arguing over some video game they were playing. You only glanced at them momentarily before sneaking into the kitchen where you happened to run into Soonyoung and Jihoon. The mess of dishes in the sink and the way the boys were dressed told you that everyone had probably eaten already and they were likely getting ready to go somewhere. Judging by the laptop bag that was hanging over the shorter male's shoulder, you could guess that they were probably about to head to the studio. It was Soonyoung who noticed your presence first, looking up and smiling widely when he saw you.
“There she is, nice to see you finally woke up,” he teased. Jihoon turned around and smiled softly at you, motioning for you to walk over to them which you happily did.
“I was almost worried I bored you to death last night, you passed out so quickly,” he teased. You giggled softly and shook your head.
“You didn’t bore me at all, I was just really tired from all the running around I guess.” Both males chuckled softly and nodded at your confession.
“Yeah Mingyu will do that to you,” Jihoon mumbled, “I swear that man might be a puppy in a human's body with how much energy he has.” You giggled a bit at the comparison, unable to stop yourself from imagining what kind of puppy hybrid Mingyu would be had he been born as one. Though your thoughts were quickly cut off by Soonyoung placing a hand on your shoulder, bringing your attention back to the present conversation.
“Today should be a lot easier on you though,” he assured, “I’m pretty sure Shua just plans to hang out around the house so you don’t have to worry about doing too much. In fact I’m pretty sure he’s waiting for you outside.”
“Yeah I know,” you replied, “his note said to grab myself breakfast and then meet him on the back patio.”
“I don’t know how hungry you are but there is a plate left for you in the fridge if you want it, or we have a few snacks that you’re welcome to help yourself too if you’re not that hungry,” Jihoon explained.
“I’ll probably just grab something light for right now,�� you said after a moment of thought, “I don’t want to keep him waiting for much longer.” You heard Jihoon laugh at this while Soonyoung pouted a bit.
“We probably shouldn’t be distracting you then,” Jihoon mused with another laugh, “and we were supposed to be headed to the studio anyways so I think we should get going.” He directed the end of that statement towards the man who was still holding on to you a bit. Soonyoung mumbled something you couldn’t quite register but nodded, taking a moment to pat your head before making his way to the entrance with Jihoon.
“See you tonight Y/N! Try not to have too much fun with them, okay?” Soonyoung called back over his shoulder.
“I won’t!” you assured with a small laugh before turning your attention to the cabinets in hopes of finding a snack. There was a moment of silence before you realized something, quickly running out to catch the guys before they left, “Oh wait! Before you guys leave, can someone tell me who I am spending the second half of today with.” They both turned to look at you, confused for a moment before realization hit them.
“Oh that’s right, you weren’t there when we drew the names were you?” Jihoon asked, smiling a bit when you shook your head, “once you’re done with Joshua you’ll be hanging out with Seungkwan.” You didn’t know whether to feel relieved or nervous by that information, staring silently at the door as the two males waved goodbye one last time before leaving. It wasn’t that you didn’t like Seungkwan, it was just that he had always been a bit weird when around you so you never really knew if he liked you or just wanted to mess around with you. You decided to push that thought into the back of your mind for the time being however, remembering that you still had to meet up with Joshua before it got too late. Running back to the kitchen, you searched through the cupboards before settling on a granola bar, holding the snack between your teeth as you all but dashed to the back door.
The sun's rays attacked you as soon as you stepped outside, causing you to shield your eyes with your hand as you adjusted to the brightness. You blinked a few times to sooth the irritation from the light before slowly lowering your hand and glancing around for Joshua. The soft sound of a guitar caught your attention, making your ears perk up as you followed the source to where the man was sitting. He was set up on the edge of the back patio, seated on a lawn chair facing you despite his focus being on the instrument resting in his lap. He was looking down, his bangs covering his eyes as he plucked gently at the strings, blessing your ears with the melody that he hummed along to. You took a moment to just appreciate the music, closing your eyes and waiting for the song to finish before finally making your way over. Joshua perked up when he heard your footsteps approaching him. Looking up, he smiled fondly at you and set the guitar to the side so he could sit up properly.
“Good morning,” he greeted, “did you sleep well?”
“I did,” you replied, taking a seat in the chair next to him, “sorry if I kept you waiting, I didn’t think I would be that tired.”
“Don’t worry about it, I haven’t been out here too long,” he assured, “also I figured I could get some practice in while I waited for you so win-win in my opinion.” You nodded softly and turned your attention towards the instrument that now rested at his side. It looked a bit older than the one you had seen Jihoon play in the studio, but it still looked really nice and piqued your interest.
“I didn’t know you could play the guitar,” you commented after a moment, causing Joshua to chuckle.
“I guess I haven’t really brought it out around you have I?” he questioned, running his hand over the side of the instrument, “I wouldn’t say I play it too often but it’s a little side hobby that I enjoy.”
“You’re really good, I really liked that song you were playing,” you complimented, causing him to turn slightly red.
“Thank you, it’s one of my favorite songs so I always find myself going to it first when I want to practice.”
“Do you ever make your own songs?”
“I mean sometimes but nothing really noteworthy, I can play one for you in a bit if you’re curious. I just need a moment to give my hands a break because your fingers can get pretty sore if you play too much.” You eagerly nodded when he offered to play you a song, not only wanting to hear him play more but also enjoying seeing him so content. Even with 13 owners, you still felt a really tight bond to all, or at least most of them, so seeing them happy or content made you equally as happy. A part of you wondered if they ever felt the same way about you, but you wouldn’t even know how to approach that question so you let it fade from your thoughts. Instead you brought your attention back to the instrument that started this conversation. If you remembered correctly, Joshua was the second member now that you had seen play the guitar which definitely piqued your interest. You knew that the guys all had some sort of musical talent, but this was the first time you had ever gotten to witness it. You couldn’t help but be curious if everyone had the ability to play an instrument or if you just happened to get paired with the two that did.
“Jihoon plays the guitar too,” you said, pretty much thinking out loud, “do you guys all play instruments then?”
“Maybe not all of us but at least most of us know how to play one or two, we usually play them for side projects rather than for work like Jihoon does,” he explained. You gave him a confused look which made him smile in return. Even after all this time, their jobs still made no sense to you. It seemed like every time you thought you understood what the guys did, one of them would say or do something that proved you completely wrong.
“So what do you guys do then?” you asked.
“Well, we’re idols, we perform for people,” he replied, humming in thought when he saw that you still didn’t understand, “Here think about it this way okay? So all 13 of us work in a group that makes and performs music for our fans. We all dance and record the songs, so some of us sing and some of us rap. Jihoon is our main producer so that’s why he focuses more on making music while the rest of us focus a bit more on performing. Though we all pitch in and we all have our own little skills that we can use in our work. Does that make sense?” You took a minute to process what he was saying before shyly nodding. Joshua's smile widened a bit and he reached out to scratch behind your ear, “We’ll show you what we do once we get the approval to bring you around, I’m sure once you see it for yourself it will make more sense.” You tried your best to nod with his hand stroking your fur but it only served to push your head further into his hand. Joshua said nothing and continued with his actions, letting his hand rest on the top of your head so that you could nuzzle into it at your own pace. “You’re really cute you know that,” he said out of nowhere, making you freeze and look up at him.
“I am?” you asked, not able to stop the heat rising to your face no matter how hard you tried. Joshua noticed this but said nothing, having to look away in order to keep his own blush from spreading.
“I mean of course you are,” he stuttered out, “you’re very sweet and affectionate, and if I didn’t know better I would think you were a regular house cat instead of a tiger.” You tilted your head to glance up at him, forcing his hand away from your head and causing him to shrug, “I don’t mean that in a bad way, obviously. It’s just that the common conception about wild hybrids is that they are usually more aggressive and not as affectionate as the more common ones, that's all. It’s actually kind of refreshing that you’re not like that, I love how cute and cuddly you are.” By now you were sure that his face was more red than yours, but you didn’t give him time to find out as you turned to hide your face against his chest. Joshua let out a soft noise of surprise at the sudden action, though you soon felt his arm wrap around your waist to hold you closer to him. “Hey now don’t get shy on me, come here,” he teased, nudging you a bit with his arm to get you to look at him. Instead of doing what he wanted you shook your head and proceeded to nuzzle further into his chest, practically suffocating yourself against the fabric of his shirt. He always had a bit of a wood like scent to him but today he also smelled a bit like citrus, making you wonder if he changed his perfume or if it was just the outdoors rubbing off on him.
The two of you remained still for a moment until you heard Joshua sigh. Before you could react he was turning his body and pulling you so that you were straddling his lap, one arm around your waist and the other resting gently on your shoulder. This new position felt oddly intimate and you felt yourself blushing even more, though Joshua quickly moved his hand from your shoulder to your chin before you could look away. “Don’t be shy, it’s just me,” he assured, keeping his voice soft and rubbing small circles into your lower back, “I’ll admit I was just trying to move you over so we could cuddle better but I suppose this position works as well.” He chuckled nervously and glanced around to make sure that none of the guys saw you two. You were still extremely flustered by the sudden intimacy but still forced yourself to look at him. Joshua had leaned back a bit so that you wouldn’t be completely pressed against him, his expression soft as he looked up at you. You tried to shift around a bit to make the position less awkward, only to feel yourself blush more “Are you okay? We can move if you feel uncomfortable,” he assured, already adjusting to pull you off of him when you grabbed his wrist.
“No it’s okay,” you responded, causing him to raise an eyebrow at you.
“Are you sure Y/N?”
“I’m sure, I’m just not used to this level of affection yet I guess,” you confessed.
“Affection? You mean like cuddling?” he asked, to which you nodded.
“Like you said, people don’t really want to cuddle with wild hybrids so usually I would just get head pats. Though I do really like the cuddles.” You could have sworn you saw his eyes light up a bit when you said that.
“I definitely like the cuddles too,” he responded, “so feel free to cuddle with me whenever you want.” You giggled softly and nodded, repositioning yourself a bit so that you were seated better in his lap. With your new position you were able to wrap your arms around him in a tight hug, nuzzling your face into his neck and sighing deeply as you inhaled more of his natural scent. Joshua's chest rumbled against you for a moment as he laughed, wrapping his arms around you just as tightly and sitting back in the chair with you still attached to him. His head rested against yours and every so often you would feel his lips softly touch the top of your head. The action made you feel warm in a way you had never felt before, but you honestly didn’t want the feeling to go away either. “Hey Y/N?” you heard him speak up after a few minutes of comfortable silence. You let out a questioning hum in response and felt him shift under you a bit, “you said you weren’t really used to affection, does that also include kisses?”
“Uhh yeah it does,” you admitted shyly, “I don’t remember ever getting kisses actually.” Joshua frowned a bit at this though you weren’t able to see it as you were still nuzzled into his neck.
“Are you okay with kisses then?” he asked after a moment of thought.
“I mean I like the ones you’re giving me on my head so, I think so?” you replied back. Your uncertainty was obvious and it made Joshua hum in thought as he considered his next move.
“May I try something then?” he asked. When you didn’t immediately respond he took this as a sign to explain himself, “I won’t do anything crazy I promise, I’m just curious to see if you like it is all. You took a moment to think about it, a bit overwhelmed with all the new attention but also curious as to what he meant. You quickly decided that you trusted Joshua and you wanted to know what he was planning so you lifted your head from his shoulder so that you could nod. He let out a sigh of relief and nudged you away enough so that you two were facing each other again. His hand reached up to gently cup your cheek and tilt your head to the side, giving him enough access to lean up and press a soft kiss to your cheek. His lips were warm and very soft against your skin, and you swore that you could still feel them there even after he had pulled away. “Well, what did you think about that?” he asked. It was a genuine question, but you couldn’t bring yourself to answer, suddenly feeling embarrassed. Joshua didn’t know whether to be worried about your reaction or laugh at how innocent you were. He opted for a middle option though, and stayed silent while watching you to see how you reacted. It took a few minutes of you cupping your cheek where he kissed you and stuttering over your words for you to finally answer him.
“I really liked that,” you whispered. Joshua didn’t hear you at first so he had you repeat it, but once you did he was smiling up at you like you just told him the best news imaginable.
“I’m so glad to hear that, because I really liked it as well,” he said with a laugh, pinching your cheek to make you giggle as well.
“Can I try that as well?” you asked, looking down at him shyly.
“Try what, giving me a kiss as well?” he asked to clarify, unable to stop himself from turning red as you nodded, “of course you can.” Despite his slight blush from you returning his affection, Joshua still turned his head so that you could easily lean down and kiss his cheek. You were really nervous about doing something wrong, so your lips only barely touched him before you were pulling away. Your hand moved to cover your mouth and your ears pressed to the back of your head as you tried to look anywhere but at him. It seemed Joshua appreciated the action either way, though, as he mirrored your previous action by placing his hand over his cheek and looking back at you. You two sat there staring at each other for much longer than you would consider comfortable, both extremely flustered and not knowing what to say. Joshua was the one to finally break the silence, clearing his throat to get your attention. “So, I’d say we probably have another hour or two before Seungkwan comes to steal you away, would you like to learn how to play the guitar?” You perked up and nodded eagerly, earning a soft chuckle from the man as he tapped your thigh, “Stand up real quick so we can adjust to a better position.”
You did as you were told and climbed carefully off of Joshua's lap, standing a bit away from the chair as he sat up. He took a moment to stretch out his legs before adjusting himself and sliding back in the chair. This allowed you to sit down in between his legs and still give him room to move so he could help you with the guitar. Joshua's front was pressed against your back as he placed the instrument in your lap and guided your hands to where they needed to be, his head resting on your shoulder so he could see. You two spent a bit just with you getting used to holding the guitar and plucking at a few strings to hear how everything sounded. Once you were comfortable with that, he began showing you how to play his favorite song, the same one he had been playing earlier. His hands never left yours and helped to guide you while he sang the lyrics softly against your shoulder. You had to admit you still had no idea what you were doing or how to play since he was doing most of the work, but that didn’t matter since you were enjoying the moment with him. Joshua seemed to be enjoying it as well, given you could feel him smiling against you and the way he would try to shift as if to get closer to you. Even if you weren’t really learning how to play the guitar, you would have happily stayed in that moment with him for as long as possible. Unfortunately, that moment did have to come to an end as the sound of the back door and footsteps alerted you to the presence of another member.
“There you are!” You heard Seungkwan exclaim as he walked over, “you guys were supposed to be back inside like an hour ago!” You felt Joshua stiffen behind you, shuffling through his pocket to pull out his phone and look at the time.
“Oh wow it’s that late already, sorry Seungkwan I guess we got carried away out here,” he apologized. Seungkwan was clearly not amused though, crossing his arms and pouting down at the two of you like a saddened child.
“We agreed on a set time for a reason!” he whined, “I already don’t get to spend time with her as is and now the one time I do you’re stealing her from me!” You were a bit confused by what he was saying. Yeah it was true you hung out with certain members more than Seungkwan, but you never knew that he wanted to actually spend time with you either. He was always around with one or more of the other guys so you just assumed he didn’t really have time for you. Then again, you were starting to realize that maybe you had judged some of the guys a bit too quickly. Joshua merely laughed and shook his head as he maneuvered his way around you to stand up.
“Alright alright I’m sorry,” he teased, “she’s all yours.” Joshua carefully took the guitar from you, putting the strap over his head so he could carry it back inside. Careful not to accidentally hit you with it, he reached down to scratch your ear and kiss your head one last time before making his way back inside. Seungkwan looked between the door and you for a moment, confused by the display he just saw but deciding not to comment on it. It only took a second for him to get back to his excitement for spending time with you, walking over and carefully grabbing your hand so he could pull you to a standing position.
“Come on Y/N! I only have until dinner and I want to make the most out of it,” he urged, already walking towards the door before he finished talking. Since he was still holding onto your hand you had no choice but to walk with him as he was still holding his hand and you didn’t feel like being dragged around the dorm.
“Where are we going?” you asked as he led you inside, immediately pulling you down the hall.
“My room,” he replied without stopping, “I didn’t really have a lot of time to prepare since I didn’t know my name was drawn until this morning but we’ll still have a lot of fun I promise!” You hummed softly in agreement and followed him down the hall towards the back where his room was. You hadn’t seen everyones room yet but you had learned from the few you had been in that they were all fairly similar in layout. The biggest difference between them was the way the guys decorated and Seungkwan's room turned out to be no different. It was laid out the same as the other members, though you could see all of the pictures and memorabilia from his past. Seungkwan finally let go of your hand so he could close the door, walking over to one of the nightstands and pointing to the bed. “Go ahead and make yourself comfortable, I’ll join you in just a second.” You nodded despite the fact that he wasn’t looking at you, deciding to look around his room for a moment before actually sitting down on his bed. You noticed that it was a bit softer than the one you shared with Soonyoung, bouncing a bit on the mattress and resisting the urge to roll around on his sheets. You didn’t know if it was your tiger instincts kicking in that made you want to scent each member and mark them as yours, or just because you enjoyed the comfort of the different members. Either way, the feeling of Seungkwan enveloped you as you found yourself falling back against his sheets. You had never really been close enough to him before to get used to how he smelled or his warmth, but now that you were here you were definitely enjoying it.
“Having fun there?” the sound of his voice startled you out of your little trance. Jumping up from your spot, you let out a nervous giggle when you saw Seungkwan standing at the edge of the bed. He had a very amused look on his face as he looked down at you, a laptop resting between his arm and his hip.
“Yeah sorry, I just haven’t been around you much and you smell really good,” you admitted. Seungkwan cocked his head to the side, setting the laptop down on the bed so he could climb on and sit beside you.
“Do I?” he asked, “what exactly do I smell like?”
“It’s very light, but also sweet and kinda citrusy as well, honestly it reminds me of a tangerine,” you explained with another giggle. Seungkwan seemed very amused by your analysis, poking his lip out a bit as he contemplated what you said.
“You’ve been around me for a few minutes and you can tell all of that? That’s kind of impressive,” he said.
“Is it? I thought it was normal to catch onto people's scents?” you questioned.
“Maybe for a hybrid but we can’t really smell any of that. Like yeah I can smell perfumes and all of that but otherwise it’s just normal to me. I’m not even wearing anything right now and you can point it out so easily.”
“So that’s why it’s so light,” you commented, making him laugh a bit and shake his head.
“Do we all have a unique scent to you then?” he asked, to which you nodded, “who’s your favorite?”
“I don’t have a favorite,” you responded immediately, “you’re all unique and special in your own way and it’s always comforting.” Seungkwan didn’t verbally respond to your answer, but you could see him smile shyly from the corner of your eye. This was a bit of a different side to the man you had seen when you first moved in, but you had to admit you liked this sweet and shy side of him. Seungkwan seemed to catch on to how quiet it got, grabbing the laptop and turning it on.
“So like I said I didn’t really have time to plan anything, but I was thinking maybe we could just hang out or watch something since we haven’t really gotten to spend time before. I’d offer to play a game or something but the others kind of took over the living room,” he explained. He sounded a bit unsure of himself which made you relax a bit more. You also had to admit the way he was acting was pretty cute and made you want to curl around him. Once again it didn’t take long for your instincts to kick in, scooting closer to him and wrapping your arms around his waist. The action startled him, causing him to yelp and jump a bit in your hold. It worried you a bit that maybe he wasn’t comfortable with you being close to him, but you soon felt him wrap his arm around you in return. “Maybe a little bit of warning next time you want to hug me okay, I thought I was going to die just there,” he teased, dramatically holding his hand over his heart. You couldn’t help but laugh at how dramatic he was as you snuggled closer against him.
“Sorry I promise next time I’ll announce when I plan on hugging you,” you teased back. The tone of your voice made him scoff and roll his eyes.
“Alright I see how it is then,” he mused, “maybe I don’t want to spend time with you if all you want to do is make fun of me.”
“I’m not making fun of you! You’re the one who started it!” you argued, poking at his side playfully. The action made him gasp and quickly cover his hand with his mouth to keep from laughing. Unfortunately for Seungkwan though, your sensitive ears still picked up the sound. Curious about his reaction, you decided to continue poking at him while your other arm stayed wrapped around him. Seungkwan gasped again and began to squirm a bit as you tried tickling him, removing his hand from his mouth as he grabbed your wrist.
“I wouldn’t continue this if I were you,” he warned. You looked down at where he was holding your arm then back up at his eyes. His expression was firm in his warning but you could still tell after a moment that he wasn’t being serious. Seeing that, you decided to do the opposite of what he said and decided to test your luck.
“Yeah, or what?” you challenged as you moved your free hand to tickle him again. Seungkwan yelped and let you go so that he could grab at your other arm. You couldn’t help but laugh as you watched him try to fight you off. He struggled for a few moments before finally getting the upper hand and pulling you off of him.
“Alright then, you asked for it,” he exclaimed. Before you had time to react Seungkwan had turned and pushed you so fell on to your back. He sat on your legs, just above your knees so you couldn’t get away, and moved both of his hands to tickle at your sides. Any chance of staying quiet left the second he began tickling you, the movements causing you to erupt into a fit of squeals and giggles. Your head shook and your hands frantically reached out to try and push Seungkwan off of you but to no avail. He was clearly stronger than you and, even if he hadn’t been, his position gave him the upper hand so you had no chance of fighting him off. Seungkwan continued his movements until you were practically out of breath, laughing loudly himself at your desperate attempts to pry him off of you. “Not so tough now, are we Kitty?” he teased once he finally let you go. You tried your best to glare at him but failed as you tried to catch your breath, a few more giggles leaving you as you calmed down.
“No fair,” you whined, crossing your arms over your chest as you tried to glare up at him. Seungkwan mimicked your expression and voice for a moment before sticking his tongue out at you.
“You started it, I just played along,” he pointed out. You wanted to argue but knew there was no winning against him. Instead you pouted and turned your head away with a dramatic huff, keeping your arms crossed over your chest. Seungkwan chuckled softly and reached down to run his hand through your hair, humming as you melted immediately into his touch. “I’m sorry, okay? Here how about I make it up to you with cuddles and we can watch a movie?” he suggested. You tried to pretend to be mad but the twitching of your ears and tail gave you away almost immediately. “I’ll take that as a yes then,” he said as he climbed off of you. You sat up and watched as Seungkwan pulled up a random movie on his laptop and returned to his previous position on the bed, practically laying down with one of the pillows propping him up. Once he was comfortable he looked over at you and opened his arms as an invitation for you to snuggle up to him, which you happily did. You curled up against his side with most of your top half laying on his chest. Seungkwan responded by immediately wrapping his arm around you, rubbing your lower back as the other moved to run through your hair. It was a bit knotted now since you had been moving your head against his sheets so he was careful not to pull on it too hard.
Unlike his previous actions while tickling you, his pets were gentle and had you nuzzling into him almost immediately. Your head pushed against his hand and your cheek rubbed against his chest. Seungkwan had still been a bit stiff when he first laid down, but he also seemed to relax as he felt you melt against him.
“You’re really snuggling up there,” he pointed out as he twirled a strand of your hair between his fingers.
“Is that a bad thing?” you asked.
“Not at,” he assured, “I just didn’t expect it since we never really spent time together before.”
“I like cuddles, and you’re pretty good at them so I can’t complain,” you stated. Seungkwan stayed silent at that, but you decided not to comment on it. Though you did maneuver yourself just enough so that you could look up at him and see his expression. His cheeks were red and his bottom lip was pulled between his teeth as he locked eyes with you. Deciding to test your luck and what you learned from Joshua earlier, you leaned up just enough to press a kiss to his jaw before curling back up. Seungkwan's breath hitched and he had to keep himself from jumping and knocking you off of him. He was obviously taken aback by your actions and you couldn’t tell if that was a good thing or not.
“I…what was that?” he questioned after a moment of trying to regain himself. The question had you whimpering and curling up a bit, wondering if you had made a mistake.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“What? Oh no not at all,” he quickly reassured you, “I just didn’t expect it that’s all. I didn’t realize you were this affectionate.” You didn’t answer him, keeping your gaze down at his chest which he obviously noticed. Seungkwan sighed and shifted slightly, tapping on your shoulder until you looked at him, “I can’t speak for the other guys obviously but you can be as affectionate with me as you want okay? I may get startled a bit at first but I promise you I like it just as much.” You tilted your head a bit as you listened, blinking softly at him as you tried to process what he was saying.
“Are you sure?” you asked, still trying to wrap your head around the fact that they were okay with this attention from you. If you had tried to initiate anything like this with your previous owners, they would have thrown you off of them in a heartbeat. The fact that not just one of the guys, but a majority of them allowed you to curl up with them on a daily basis was a welcomed change, but you still needed to get used to this.
“Hey I know I joke around a lot but I promise I’m not actually mean!” Seungkwan exclaimed with a pout, “unless it’s to the guys but that’s not the point. You’re different so whenever you want my attention you just tell me okay? Besides I didn’t get to spend much time with you since Soonyoung keeps hogging all of your attention so I have a lot to make up for.” As if to prove his point, he sat up enough that he could pull you into a hug, placing multiple quick kisses on both of your cheeks before letting you go and laying back down. You giggled at the attention and playfully pushed him off of you, allowing him to pull you down so you were laying on his chest again.
By this point a third of the movie he was playing had passed but neither of you were paying attention to what was happening. Instead it served as background noise as the two of you cuddled up with each other, just enjoying the warmth and love of the moment. You closed your eyes to focus on his scent and heartbeat and eventually ended up falling asleep on his chest. Seungkwan had noticed the moment you dozed off, continuing to pet and watch you for a little bit. He half debated turning off the movie so you could rest quietly but he was too afraid of waking you up to move. Instead he decided to finish the movie by himself while you slept, letting it turn off by itself as he held onto you and slowly began to drift off himself. The feeling of you curled up on his chest and the soft rumbling noise you made as you slept relaxing the male more than he thought was even possible.
The two of you were woken up a few hours later by a giggling Jeonghan, the male shaking you hard enough to wake both you and Seungkwan.
“Well good morning sleepy heads,” he cooed as you both opened your eyes, “sorry to wake you but dinner is ready. Everyone else is already eating so I would hurry up if you want food.” You groaned softly as you sat up, taking a moment to stretch and properly wake up. Jeonghan couldn’t help but laugh at how you looked, half asleep with your shirt and hair a complete mess. It was an adorable sight and, if you were more awake, he probably would have shaken you with how cute you were. Seungkwan sat up behind you after a moment, looking almost identical to you.
“We’ll be done in just a moment,” he muttered, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Jeonghan huffed a bit and shook his head.
“Alright, don’t take too long then or you know Mingyu will steal your food,” he teased, leaving the room so you and Seungkwan could have a moment. The second the door closed you felt the other males arms around you, pulling you against him as he hid his face in your neck.
“I know that probably wasn’t the most fun way to spend your day, but that was nice. We should do this again sometime,” he muttered against your shoulder. You couldn’t help the wide smile that made its way onto your face as you nodded.
“We definitely should.”
Dinner went by in a blur, half of the members having already left while the others stayed to question how the day went. Jeonghan had mentioned something about them having drawn the names of the next two members but you hadn’t been able to pay attention since Soonyoung and Seungkwan had started bickering the second the younger had sat down. You only had enough time to finish your meal before Soonyoung was literally picking you up and carrying you away from the table. All you could do was wave goodbye to the guys as Seungkwan shouted at the man carrying you for hogging all of your attention. If Soonyoung had been listening though, he didn’t make it known as his movements never faltered.
You soon found yourself sitting in the middle of your bed, freshly showered and dressed in your pajamas as you waited for Soonyoung to finish getting ready for bed. Given you had just woken up from your nap with Seungkwan, you weren’t really that tired. Instead of curling up like you usually did, you found yourself playing games on his phone and thinking back on the day you had. There were quite a few moments that stuck out to you, but your thoughts were occupied with how the guys had reacted to kisses. It was honestly new territory for you so you really didn’t understand how this worked or why they had reacted the way they did. Of course you weren’t naive and knew that it was an act between people who loved each other, but you didn’t know if that applied here. Did the guys love you? Did they all want affection for you like this? Were you pushing your boundaries now? Honestly you had no idea, and you hated how much the thought weighed on you.
“I know that look, what are you thinking about?” looking up from the phone, you saw Soonyoung looking down at you with a concerned gaze. His hair was still wet from his shower and he had changed into his pajamas, the water dripping from his bangs and making dark spots on his shoulders. You bit at your lip as you tried to think of how to explain your thought to him, shrinking down with a defeated sigh.
“You love me, right?” you asked. Soonyoungs eyes widened at the question, staring down at you in a mix of pain and shock.
“Of course I do,” he exclaimed as he climbed onto the bed beside you, “I’ll always love you, as will many of the guys. Why would you ask that?” He placed his hand on your shoulder as he asked, giving it a gentle squeeze to try and comfort you.
“It’s dumb but, when you love someone you give them kisses, right?” the question felt worse now that you finally asked, but there was no taking it back now. Soonyoung was extremely confused by the question, opening and closing his mouth a few times as he tried to think of what to say. You quickly took advantage of his silence to explain to him, “It’s just that Joshua had asked about kisses and then when I gave one to Seungkwan he seemed startled so I was worried I may not be doing it right.” It all started to make sense to Soonyoung now, the male letting out a soft “oh” of realization.
“Did they say they didn’t like the kisses?” he asked, to which you shook your head. “Well then you didn’t do anything wrong. Kisses are something you give to people you care about. Yes, as long as you both enjoy it you aren’t doing anything wrong.” You felt relieved as he said that, starting to like the idea of using kisses to show your appreciation to the boys.
“Do you like kisses then?” you asked, making him laugh.
“I love kisses, and I would love kisses from you even more,” he assured, pressing a kiss to your forehead to prove his point. His lips lingered against your skin for much longer than the other two, going back in for a second one before suddenly pulling away. The room went quiet and you watched as something changed in Soonyoungs expression before he returned his attention to you. “Y/N, have you ever had a proper kiss before?”
“A proper kiss?” he nodded softly at your question.
“Those are the kisses you give to people you really love,” he explained, “would you like me to show you?” You had a good idea of what he was talking about, biting your lip again as you slowly nodded. Soonyoung smiled softly and copied your action, nodding as his hand reached out to cup your cheek. His thumb stroked your skin as the other hand moved to grab one of your own. He took a moment to analyze your expression, searching for any signs of discomfort before moving in and connecting your lips. You exhaled sharply at the contact but quickly relaxed, doing your best to copy his movements. Your hand gripped his and your other went to rest on the back of his neck, letting your eyes close to enjoy the sensation. This kiss was way different than the others, Soonyoungs lips still soft but also a bit more firm. Your senses were overwhelmed by him and yet you didn’t want to pull away. He was the one who finally broke away from the kiss, placing one last peck to your lips before backing up completely and smiling shyly.
“How was that?” he asked, letting go of your cheek to rub at the back of his neck.
“I loved it,” you responded immediately, causing his smile to widen.
“I did too,” he giggled softly before glancing at the clock, “now what do you say we get into bed. I know you’re not tired so you can use my phone more as long as you plug it up before falling asleep.” You wordlessly agreed, grabbing the mobile device and climbing onto your side of the bed, Soonyoung getting in as well and hugging you from behind. “Goodnight Y/N,” he whispered with one last kiss to your cheek, causing you to curl up a bit.
“Goodnight Soonyoung.” As you felt him slowly relax and drift off you allowed yourself to think about your current circumstance. It was fascinating to think that just a few days ago you probably would have shied away from everyone still, but now it felt like you were becoming part of the family. You were still unsure of what the future held but one thing was for sure, you were really excited to get close with the rest of the members.
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title: Pomegranates
pairing: prince!Wonwoo x princess!reader
genre: angst, star-crossed lovers au, royal au, suggestive
warnings: nudity, implied smut, cheating, puking, eating, mentions of not eating, slut shaming (if you find any more, please let me know!!)
synopsis: You, a princess from a doomed kingdom, have been arranged to be married to an heir of a much more prosperous kingdom. However, when you first visit them, you realize that you would much rather be with the heir's younger brother.
wordcount: 13.8k
taglist: @enhacolor, @shuabby1994, @junhui-recs, @dkakapizzaboy, @just-here-to-read-01, @loviehan, @userjunhuii, @novalpha, @bubblymoon, @aaniag, @d0nghyuck, @fantasy2wonderland, @seunghancore, @woozixo, @niktwazny303, @lllucere, @uniq-tastic, @wonwoospartyhat, @stariightjoyy, @hyneyedfiz, @cali-snow, @pearlygraysky, @crazywittysassy, @yeosayang
rating: 18+
request: Really craving to read angsty. No ideas in mind but I want to see betrayal and kill my insides (and cry inside) Can you surprise me? My favorite member is Wonwoo :)
a/n: the ending was @strawberryya's idea, so you have to blame her for that pain... the rest is my fault
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The castle halls were empty, and the furniture that was left were covered with white sheets. Your heeled shoes echoed through the tall corridors as you walked across the marble floors. A kingdom once beautiful, once prosperous, now turned into dust in front of your very eyes. While growing up, your father always spoke of how his kingdom will one time be yours. But you no longer wanted this.
"Your Majesty, your carriage is here." Your chambermaid came up beside you.
"Do I have to go?" you said, only half sarcastically.
"I'm afraid so, my Lady." She nodded. "But I will be with you every step of the way."
Most of the servants in the castle had left because you simply did not have the means to keep them around. Nevertheless, you had insisted on keeping Eunji around. She was the closest thing you had to a best friend, after all.
"I wish my father could be here..." You sighed as you followed after Eunji.
"We all wish he could be here." She nodded solemnly. "I think he would be very proud of your decision."
The Prince of the neighboring kingdom had offered his hand in marriage, despite your empire being in ruins after your father's sudden death. Everyone was joyous over the occasion, except you. There had never been enough time for you to think of marriage or love in any capacity, but you knew that you didn't just want to do it for an advantage. However, Eunji was right - your father would have been proud. He had repeatedly told you that he trusted you to be a good ruler and to do what is right for the people. This was right for the people, so at least you had one reason you could justify the situation with.
The ride there was long and treacherous, nothing like you had ever experienced before. You frequently used to ride horseback with your father, much to your mother's dismay. To see you sitting pretty in one of your finest gowns in a carriage brought her the utmost delight. It wasn't like you hadn't ever dreamed of doing these things, but you never found yourself doing so.
"You really do look lovely, darling," she said.
She was a kind soul, your mother, but she never understood you much. It wasn't her fault, of course, and after your father's passing, she had tried to accommodate more to your needs, as had you to her.
"You've said that already, mother," you said whilst giving her a small smile.
"Oh, I know..." She sighed. "I'm just restless..."
Of course, she was restless. If she weren't restless it would provoke you even further. However, you knew she wasn't solely restless. She was excited. She was excited because you had picked your clothes yourself without her having to ask you to wear something nice. That only happened on extraordinarily special occasions, although you must admit it felt nice to look pretty.
"... thank you.", you looked out the window to avoid her sympathetic smile.
The moment you told her of your plans to marry, she cried tears of joy. Partly because she was so happy for you. Furthermore, because she knew the kingdom would be saved. Outside the window, autumn had begun to take its toll on the poor trees. No longer green, they had taken on an orange color. Although it was beautiful, you knew that in a few weeks the orange would turn brown and that the trees' destinies were to turn into lifeless husks of the beautiful bloom that spring had brought them. Nobody questions the cruel cycle of the seasons because we have grown attached to them, it is the natural way of things.
However, the seasons are purely a transaction. If it is true, as the ancients say, that every spring Persephone leaves Hades' side in the Underworld, then it is a trade between the King of the Underworld and the human race. We get to live with Persephone's beauty for half a year, and then we experience the same cold that Hades feels once his Queen leaves his side. The tale is tragic and has been adapted into many forms of storytelling. But, nobody ever asks how Persephone feels. Her body is used by both the people and the man she loves as pristine goods. She is torn: should she stay with the man she loves or should she help her people? This compromise between Hades and the people may seem like an acceptable prospect, however, every winter people are still hurting, and every spring Hades cries tears of sorrow and loneliness. The agreement brings equal pleasure for both parties, but it also brings equal pain. And let's not forget the Queen, who hurts no matter what she does.
"We're almost here, darling," your mother interrupts your thoughts, and you are forced to drag your attention away from the trees.
"Indeed we are," you hummed as you saw the castle, your new home, in the distance.
The castle had a homely look with many rounded corners. It gave you the impression that it wanted to look less intimidating than it was. Yet the towers still stood tall, and the large windows seemed to glare back at you - like the soul speaks through the eyes of a person. Your new family was inside, waiting for you in the King's throne room.
"Are you ready, my darling?" Your mother came up beside you.
"Certainly." You nodded, keeping your gaze fixated on the mesmerizing marble structure.
The large wooden doors opened for you as you walked up the steps, and, even inside, it seemed lovely. If you could, you would've taken a moment to appreciate the amount of art on the walls, not to mention the mural on the roof. There was no time. You could only walk past it. You came to a second large wooden door. You heard your name being presented on the other side. When the doors opened, you were almost blinded. Not only did the room have big ceiling windows decorated with golden arches, but the room was also almost entirely filled with mirrors on the walls. Instinctively, you straightened your back as soon as you saw your reflection. In front of you sat King Jeon, lonely on his golden throne. You thought of Hades again and that maybe this is just what he looked like. The man was huge, much bigger than you had ever imagined, and had a large grey beard. His crown sat perfectly on his head. From it, his grey hair was cascading down his shoulders. Once you were just a few feet away from him, you courtesied and bowed in respect. The King stood up from his throne and walked toward you. Never had you imagined that he would reach his hand out for you to try to shake it. Yet, he did, and you took his hand in yours. His hand was calloused and felt as if it was as large as your entire forearm.
"My condolences for your father´s passing, Princess," he said with a sincerity and kindness that you would never have expected from his appearance.
His voice was deep and burly, and it reminded you of thunder. As you peered up at him, you couldn't believe his size. You had never seen a person this tall before.
"Thank you, your Majesty," you said, trying to keep your voice strong.
"I am glad that such a strong woman such as yourself could take over his place," he said. "Your father spoke very highly of you whenever we met."
"He spoke highly of you as well, your Majesty." You smiled at him, politely yet genuinely.
"That's very kind of you to say." His smile was also surprisingly kind. "Now, I'm sure that you're hungry, I'll show you to the dining hall and then I'll have the servants show you to your rooms. We can talk of business tomorrow."
The King gave you another warm smile and nodded to your mother as a greeting. You had never gotten to experience what it was like to live as a ruler. Instead, you had always found yourself in the position your mother was in now - ignored until the last seconds of the meeting. Still, your mother's smile shined brightly at you when you turned to follow the King out of his throne room. As you left you caught a glimpse of yourself in one of the mirrors that surrounded you. Deep dark circles framed your eyes, you could hardly recognize yourself. Now you understood why the King wanted to take the business part of your first meeting in the morning.
You and your mother ate by yourselves. The rest of the Jeon family was already fast asleep, the King told you. As soon as you finished eating you were led to your room. When you tried asking for Eunji, they told you that she had taken her place in the servants' quarters already. They asked if they should wake her for you, but you declined and let another servant undress you for the night.
Your room was round, much like the architecture outside. It must be in one of the many towers, you took a mental note to ask for a guide of the castle's many rooms as soon as possible. The bed was in the middle of the room, and there was a small vanity table prepared for you, as well as a wardrobe and a partition wall for you to get dressed behind. The room's wallpaper gave the illusion of looking like velvet, and the dark red color accommodates nicely with the golden details. Most importantly, at one end of the room, there was a door leading to a balcony that overlooked the garden. Outside the glass doors, you saw the most peculiar thing: flowers in bloom during autumn. The servant took off your outer layers for you and was about to leave you to take care of the rest yourself, leaving your nightgown on the bed.
"Excuse me..." you said before they could leave. "How can there be flowers in bloom in the garden? It's late autumn already."
"These flowers last until the frost starts to come in. The Queen likes to keep as much color in her garden for as long as she can," one of the servant explained.
"Oh... thank you," you said. "You may leave now."
The servant bowed and left you alone. You approached the glass doors, more of the flowers appearing in front of you. They had a vibrant purple and magenta color. It was late, but you just had to take a closer look. You opened the doors to the balcony and stepped out. It was cold, and the wind flew right through the thin material of your dress. Without the extra layers, the cold was much more prominent. But you didn't mind, instead, you leaned a bit further over the edge of the balcony to look closer at the flowers.
"Maybe Persephone left a piece of herself in this garden..." You sighed.
"You should go back inside," you heard a voice say from below you.
You quickly backed away from the balcony with a small shriek. It had merely surprised you to hear a voice in the dark, you weren't necessarily scared. In fact, you were intrigued - so you approached the edge again. In the garden stood a tall man with dark black hair. He was wearing all black: black pants, a black nightshirt, and black shoes. Of course you hadn't seen him.
"Who are you?" you asked, "Why are you outside my window?"
"I didn't mean to be outside your window," he said, ignoring your first question. "I like to visit the garden when the moon is out."
You looked up, seeing a slither of a moon there. A new moon. It didn't bring much light, but it was enough to look over the garden - especially combined with the light coming from the candles in your room. Looking back at the man, you smiled.
"So you visit the garden every night?" you asked.
"Only when there is a moon," he answered.
"Then I will see you again soon," you said.
"You might." He spoke wearily. "Is that something you would like?"
"I would. You seem mysterious. I like mysteries."
He let out a laugh, and you thought that you could hear the bells ringing. Like a silver spoon softly striking a crystal glass, that's what his laugh made you feel. Elegant and light. You wanted oh so desperately to hear it again.
"I heard you speak of Persephone before. Are you interested in Greek mythology?" he asked.
"Only a little," you said truthfully. "I had a few books about it as a child. The story of Persephone stuck out to me."
"It's a bit romantic, I suppose."
"It's tragic," you corrected him.
"How is it tragic?" he asked with an amused smile. "Because of the kidnapping?"
"Well, even if we look past the kidnapping it is still tragic," you said. "She doesn't get to choose. Ever. The most she got to choose was when she ate the pomegranate. Other than that, it is decided for her that she has to travel between worlds. It is tragic because every autumn and spring she has to leave something important to her."
"Isn't it the best option? For both Hades and the people?"
"No." You shake your head. "I would've wanted to choose one of the two. Either having to give up my dearest, or to give up my people. Otherwise, I would have to go through the same pain every time I have to leave. While also, may I add, knowing that they are in pain as well."
"You would damn the world to an eternal winter to be with someone you love? Or break someone's heart to give the people eternal spring?" His eyebrows furrowed. "Isn't it selfish?"
"What isn't selfish?" You laughed, not because it was particularly funny but because it felt like such an obvious answer. "Every action we take is selfish, whether we realize it or not."
"How depressing of a thought," he said. "You don't think people can do selfless good?"
"I think people can try," you said. "Trying is wonderful, in fact, but I don't think anyone can ever succeed."
"You have a peculiar mind," the man muttered with a small smile playing on his lips.
"So I have been told," you said. "... do you know the name of these flowers?"
"It's Phlox." He leaned down and picked a flower from the bushes, "It's a Greek word, actually. It means flame."
You watched as he looked around, and then took a sprung up your balcony. It wasn't high up from the ground, so he easily climbed up just enough to hand you the flower he had picked. You leaned over the edge of the marble railing, looking down at him. Now that you could see him better, you took time to appreciate his sculpted features and piercing eyes.
"Thank you," you mumbled and accepted the flower.
"My Lady." He bowed his head slightly before jumping down. "I wish you a good night's sleep."
"Goodnight," you said and watched as the stranger walked away, back into the castle.
When you woke up the morning after it was because someone was pulling your blinds aside, allowing the sun to rudely startle you awake.
"Good morning, Princess," Eunji greeted as cheerily as ever.
"Good morning..." You sighed. "Did you sleep well?"
"I slept very well, my Lady." She smiled brightly at you. "They are all so nice here. We had a wonderful time at breakfast. Oh, and speaking of breakfast. The King has called you to come eat breakfast with them. The entire family will be there this time."
"Right..." You groaned and sat up. "Did I bring any good gowns for this occasion?"
"You certainly did, my Lady." Eunji happily walked over to your dresser and pulled out a light blue dress with poofy sleeves. "This is quite romantic, is it not? Perfect for your first time meeting the Prince."
The Prince. Prince Jeon Sungho. Your future husband. A sigh escaped your lips at the thought... and your mind couldn't help but drift to the man from the other night. What if it was Sungho? He never said his name, and with his beauty, he could definitely be a prince. You straightened your back and turned to Eunji with a polite expression on your face.
"I'll use that one then," you said and got out of bed.
Seeing the castle in the daylight further gave you the impression that it was built to look welcoming. The windows were big, now with the daylight they no longer looked hollow, and the walls were light in color. It was such a drastic difference from the man you had seen last night. If it truly was the Prince, then he was a walking contradiction.
Eunji only left your side once you made it to the door of the dining room. When the doors open your nose was flooded with an amazing smell. Fresh bread, vanilla, and all kinds of fruity smells - anything that would make your mouth water. You were starving.
"Ah, Princess Y/N, you made it," the King said from his place at the end of the table.
"I'm sorry for my late arrival," you said and made your way to an empty seat.
Before you could sit down, a man in front of you stood up. For a moment you thought it was the man from last night, but his eyes were different - they weren't as piercing - and he had a wider jaw. And unlike the man from last night, his hair was perfectly slicked back.
"I am Prince Sungho, my Princess," he said softly. "I am pleased to make your acquaintance."
"It is very good to meet you, Prince Sungho," you said and tried your best not to seem disappointed.
The two of you bowed your heads as you sat down. His eyes were constantly on you, you could feel them practically burning into your skin. You didn't return his gaze. It wasn't because he wasn't handsome enough, he was very handsome, but he wasn't the man from last night. It made you question who the stranger truly was.
"Sungho has suggested that we go out for a ride after breakfast," the Queen piped up. "Hopefully, my other son will be able to join us then."
"You have another son?" your mother, who was seated next to you, asked.
"Oh yes, we do," the King said with a proud smile. "He's a bit more bashful than his brother, so he didn't join us for breakfast. Although, if you ask him - he will say that he was feeling sick."
"Do you think that a ride would be agreeable, Lady Y/N?" Sungho asked you.
His eyes were still burning into you, and it was almost difficult to return his gaze. Yet you forced yourself to do so with a pleasant smile. Now wasn't the time to make enemies with sly remarks.
"Oh, yes. I think that sounds lovely." You nodded.
The second son of the Jeon family was nowhere to be seen when you got to the stables. You had changed into more appropriate clothing for riding, which Sungho took note of.
"So it's not just the clothes that make my Lady so beautiful," he said with a charming smile.
"I guess not." You looked down at your clothes and then back up at him. "Thank you, Prince Sungho."
The Prince was handsome, kind, and loved to hear your opinion on many different topics. You found yourself drawn to him because of this. During the ride he showed great gentlemanship, helping you on and off your horse, and he matched his riding pace to fit yours. He was all a woman could ever dream of... yet you found yourself thinking of the mystery man from last night. The way his piercing gaze seemed to look into your soul, or the way his fingertips touched your hand when he gave you that flower that was still on your bedside table. You had thoroughly enjoyed the banter the two of you made, and not in the same way you could appreciate the way the Prince spoke.
Once the evening came you were excited to see him again. However, during the day dark clouds had started coming in over the horizon. It was raining heavily and the moon was nowhere in sight. You remembered his words: "I like to visit the garden when the moon is out". A sigh escaped your lips as you sat down on your bed.
"Is everything alright, my Lady?" Eunji asked.
"Oh, I'm just fine..." You turned to her with a sudden need to tell someone about the handsome stranger. "Could you... perhaps keep a secret for me, Eunji?"
"Of course, my Lady."
She sat down on the bed beside you, as she had many nights before this. Eunji was as close as you had to a friend, and you always told her everything. You trusted her, and you had to tell someone of the man.
"Yesterday evening I was out on the balcony...", you paused and looked at her, "I saw this man there... dark hair, tall... handsome."
The rain started pouring outside as you told Eunji of the man. A constant smile was on Eunji's lips, clearly happy about you speaking of a potential love interest. It wasn't something you had done in the past, as you never bothered with it before. You thought you had your whole life ahead of you to deal with romance.
"I thought it might be the Prince," you said which only made Eunji's smile grow wider. "... but it wasn't. While they were similar, he just... it wasn't the same."
"Oh..." Her smile quickly faded. "I shouldn't advise you to have affections toward anyone but the Prince... but you seem very intrigued by this mysterious gentleman."
"I am, but it won't get in the way of my marriage. I promise." You let out a breath that you hadn't realized you had been holding in, "I have gone too far to screw this up for a man I met once."
Your eyes wandered to the window, where the rain was still falling heavily. Eunji put her hand on top of yours, showing her support silently.
"I just needed to tell someone of what had happened." You look back at her with a warm smile. "I cannot tell you how happy I am that you would listen."
"Of course, my Lady," she said.
"I probably just got excited to talk to someone," you reassured yourself. "There's not much else to it."
Eunji left your side to blow out all the candles in your room. You thanked her and bid her goodnight before she left. Laying in your bed, listening to the rainfall, and praying that you would never see the man again.
The doors to the dining room opened and you stepped inside. Unlike the day before, you were fairly early. Only the King, the Queen, and your mother were in the room.
"Good morning," you said as you walked insid. "If I may, I would like to start presenting ideas of what we could do for the kingdom's-"
The door opened yet again. You turned around expecting your arranged fiancé but were met with another familiar face. The stranger from the garden. He looked at you, and you could tell he recognized you, but he kept quiet.
"Ah, finally!" the Queen stood up and motioned for the man in front of you. "This is my second son, Prince Wonwoo. Wonwoo, darling, this is Princess Y/N - your brother's fiancé."
Your mouth fell into a small "o" shape as you looked between the two. Without hesitation, Wonwoo's face fell into a polite smile as he reached to shake your hand. Unlike just a second ago, there was no recognition for you in his eyes.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, my Lady," he said and kissed the back of your hand. "I'm sorry I wasn't here to greet you before, I wasn't feeling well. Although, I am in much better condition now."
You could hear the King chuckle behind you, supposedly at the fact that Wonwoo claimed that he was ill. His hand was warm in yours, and you wish he hadn't let go just yet.
"The pleasure's all mine, your Majesty," you said and hoped that you didn't look all too flustered, "You missed a very nice ride yesterday."
"So I have heard," he said. "My brother told me all about it."
As if on cue, the door opened again and Prince Sungho stepped in. Everyone greeted him a good morning, and you sadly had to watch Wonwoo walk away. He sat on the other side of the table, diagonally from you.
"So you wanted to speak of plans, Y/N," the King said suddenly. "Please, do enlighten me."
During breakfast you told the King of the plans you had to make your kingdom blossom once again, which would in turn help their kingdom after your marriage was set in stone. Wonwoo's eyes were on you at all times, and whenever you would glance over at him you would stumble over your words. You didn't mean to, there was just something about him that made your heart race.
As soon as breakfast ended, Wonwoo was out the door. You didn't even have time to say goodbye. Sungho was quick to step in front of you, hindering you from following the younger prince.
"I heard nobody's given you a tour of the castle yet." He held out his arm to you. "May I have the honor of doing so myself?"
You looked back at your mother, who was giving you a supportive smile, then back at Sungho. His eyes were much warmer than his brother's. At the thought of Wonwoo, you glanced over to the door he left through. Maybe you would see him again if you took this tour.
"You may." You nodded and met his eyes once again.
"You've seen the throne room," he said as you walked through the mirror-filled room.
"Why the mirrors, if I may ask?" you said.
"It makes the room look bigger." He looked around. "I suppose one could also always know who's behind one's back with these mirrors."
A hum echoed from your mouth as you looked around. Sungho had been showing you around the castle. A quick visit to the servant's quarters, a look into the kitchen, the garden, the King's study, the drawing room, and many many staircases. Now you were back where you had started your story in this castle.
"Would you like to see the ballroom?" he asked and placed his hand over yours, which was still hanging on his arm.
"I would love to." You gave him a polite smile.
The two of you walked across the King's throne room and through a grand door. In there was a big round room, the biggest room in the castle you were sure. The roof was tall and painted with beautiful images of angels and knights and other such things that one would paint on a ceiling. Surrounding the area were big pillars, on which leaned a smaller balcony of sorts. There was a small staircase to go up there.
"It's gorgeous," you said. "I can only imagine the festivities you could hold in here."
"Does my Lady like dancing?" Sungho asked.
"I do." You nodded. "Although I won't say I'm very good at it."
"Nonsense." Sungho chuckled. "I'm sure you're as good as you are beautiful."
You only smiled at him, for you had nothing to say back.
"This is the room furthest from the garden and your room in the West wing," he commented. "So if there is a ball you can be sure that you will get the least amount of disturbance."
"What else is in the West wing?" you asked.
"Well, there's the library." He pondered for a bit. "There's not much else in the West wing. We call it the quiet wing for a reason. That's why it's the best bedroom in the castle."
"You have a library in the West wing?" You almost gaped at him.
"Yes of course." He nodded. "Would you like me to show you?"
"I would like that very much, your Majesty."
As you walked through the corridors together you tried mapping all the rooms out in your head. On one end there was your room, and this supposed library you had only just heard about, and on the other end was the ballroom. Outside the ballroom seemed to be another garden, or a labyrinth of sorts, which you were told could lead you to the West wing's garden. How, you couldn't understand quite yet. The servants' hall was under the dining room area, which was accessed through a well-hidden door. The King's throne room was quite central to the castle, and in the North wing were most of the bedrooms.
When you reached the library, Sungho opened the door for you. You basically flew into the room. Books were filling all of the bookshelves, which were as tall as the entire walls.
"I take it that you like this room," he said with a chuckle.
"Oh, more than any other room," you said silently and walked up to one of the bookshelves to look at the books.
Rustling was heard from beside you, and you snapped your head in the direction of the noise. Wonwoo walked out from behind one of the bookshelves. He bowed his head at you.
"It's my favorite room too," he said quietly with a peculiar smile. "Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you, I was just looking for a book."
He held up a purple book. The young prince looked as handsome as ever. His hair was messy, but pushed away from his eyes, and his clothes weren't exactly smooth down either. Nevertheless, Prince Wonwoo looked like a dream - like a man from one of the fairytales you used to read as a child, or at least he looked like you had always imagined them to look. You could only stare at him with wide eyes, at a loss for all words. Surely he must find you absolutely idiotic.
"It's alright, brother," Sungho answered for you. "We are just looking around the castle."
"Ah... then you've been in the ballroom, I suppose." He looked back at you. "It's really beautiful."
"It certainly is," you managed to get out.
Wonwoo was smiling at you, but his eyes were still so piercing. You couldn't read him whatsoever. He excused himself and left the room. You had to force yourself to not look after him as he stepped away. Once you heard the door close, you turned to Sungho with a bright, plastered on smile and asked him to keep showing you around.
Later that evening, you got ready for bed. When Eunji had left, you practically leaped out on the balcony in nothing but your silky, pale pink nightgown. The moon was out, and you could hear someone whistling. You opened the glass doors, hearing it much clearer now. Your heart started racing as you stepped out onto the cold stone.
"The Lady returns," he said as you walked out. "I thought I had frightened you the other night."
"The moon wasn't out yesterday," you replied. "I thought you wouldn't be here."
"I left once the rain started pouring down," he said casually. "So you're the Princess, huh?"
"I would have told you, but you wouldn't tell me who you were," you said as you leaned against the marble. "Prince Wonwoo."
He finally looked at you, only to quickly look away again. There was a small smile playing on his lips, and his ears had turned an adorable shade of pink.
"You should put something else on." He took a deep breath. "It's not proper... and you're going to catch a cold."
"I'm not staying out here for long." You shrugged with a teasing smile.
"You're not?" He glanced at you, a slightly worried tone in his voice.
Oh. This isn't good. Your heart was pounding in your chest now. The little power of the conversation you felt like you had was now completely gone.
"I mean..." You sighed, "I shouldn't be out here so late at night. You should go inside too."
He looked at you and everything around you just seemed to disappear. Only he was still there, and as he started approaching the balcony, much like the other night, you didn't utter a word to stop him. As he neared you hoped that he could finally close the gap filled with meaningless air between you. His hands gripped the edge of the balcony, right in between where your hands were resting. When he pulled himself up you stood face to face. You had never been this close to him before. He smelled of lavender and something dark and woody. His eyes were still strictly looking into yours, piercing through your soul. He opened his mouth to speak, and you looked down at his lips.
"I do not wish to cause you mental turmoil, but I must tell you that the moment I laid eyes on you that night I thought you were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen." He spoke quietly and sincerely, as if he was afraid to say it any louder. "And if the situation had been different I wouldn't hesitate to try to win your affection. I waited for you in the rain last night, wishing that I could get another glimpse of you, to hear your voice again."
You sucked in a sharp breath and looked back into his eyes. His beautiful brown eyes. There was something so thrilling about having him so near, about him confessing his undying attraction to you. Your head was completely fogged up, you didn't know what you were doing, but your hands cupped his face and kissed him. He tasted sweet and reinvigorated, it reminded you of a lemon pie - the tart energizing flavor that never seemed to leave your mouth. His lips were soft and moved against yours with a slow, burning passion. Your hands traveled down to his collar, just to try to bring him a bit closer. But Wonwoo pulled away, his face one of horror as if he had just found something so very wrong.
"We shouldn't be doing this..." he murmured. "I am so terribly sorry."
You tried to stop him, to grab him, and tell him that no one had to know; anything to get him close to you again. He didn't listen. With fleeting footsteps, he left the garden. You looked over at the flowers. The weather had started growing colder, and with it came the frost. Much like you, the purple flowers in the garden had started withering away.
The next morning you asked Eunji to get you breakfast in bed and to tell the household that you weren't feeling well. You couldn't bare to come across Wonwoo again. Even if you looked past your embarrassment, you didn't want to see him again knowing that you could never hold him as you had last night.
After breakfast, you put on a robe over your nightgown and made your way to the library. The weather was beautiful today, and you heard from Eunji that the family was going out for a walk in the nearby forest. That meant the castle was yours to wander in theory, but you only wanted to visit the library. As you walked in there, your eyes immediately landed on a singular book laying on a table. There was a couch near the table, and you took a seat and started reading. It wasn't anything interesting, only a book about some old war, but it was enough to distract you.
The door to the library opened and you locked eyes with Wonwoo. Your eyes widened as you quickly pulled your robe tighter around your chest. One of his hands was still on the door handle, the other one hanging by his side. You watched his hand grip around nothing before letting his fingers fall. Neither of you spoke, you only watched each other. Footsteps echoed outside the door, and you heard your name being called by someone. Wonwoo ran to you, pulling you aside and in between two bookshelves. You were shielded from the view from the door. Wonwoo's arms were tightly wrapped around your waist, your chest pressed against his. Still, neither of you spoke. You looked up at him with big, worried eyes. He swallowed and looked away from you. The library door opened.
"My Lady? Are you in there?" It was Sungho. "... strange. Brother? Are you in here?"
Wonwoo shut his eyes tightly in annoyance. Of course, his brother had seen him walk in here. He motioned for you to stay quiet, and left you alone to greet his brother.
"I'm right here." He cleared his throat. "But I haven't seen the Princess."
"Her chambermaid said she would be here..." Sungho trailed off. "Maybe she was mistaken. If you see her, please tell her that I'm looking for her."
"Of course."
The library door shut. You were left feeling breathless. For a moment, you didn't dare move - the thought of meeting Sungho's eyes after his brother had just lied for you was enough to make you shiver. After a deep breath, you stepped out from in between the bookcases. When you turned around Wonwoo was right in front of you again.
"Do you always parade yourself around in such indecent clothing?" he hissed at you.
"Excuse me? You forget yourself," you answered quickly.
"What? Did you think I would walk in here and take you on the couch? Is that what you wanted?" Wonwoo's eyes were fiery, but you couldn't tell if it was out of anger or lust. "Is that why you're in nothing but your nightgown yet again?"
"I was informed that everyone had left the castle," you said sternly. "I wouldn't go out of my room otherwise, especially not like this."
Wonwoo quieted down, clearly flustered by his earlier assumption. You were left feeling like your heart would beat out of your chest. Truly, you didn't know what had happened to you. Any logic left in you had flown out the window, now replaced with attraction for the man in front of you.
"... about last night-" you started but you were quickly cut off by Wonwoo.
"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." He grabbed your hand, and his touch sent magic running through your veins. "As I said if the situation was different..."
His eyes trailed down your face to your lips, then down your neck, to your collar bones, until they ended at your exposed chest when he reminded himself to look you back in the eye.
"My Lord-"
"I am not a Lord," he murmured and cradled your cheek in his palm.
"My Prince..." You leaned into his touch.
"Just call me Wonwoo," he said. "Let's stop with the formalities. I don't want to be a prince with you."
His hand was so warm and soft. You pressed your hand to the back of his, just to bring it even closer to your cheek. As you peered up at him through your lashes you saw how his breathing hitched. Sadly, you had to let go of him. Your hands removed the one that he held to your cheek, and you dropped your arms back to your sides.
"Prince Wonwoo..." you said despite his request. "I think you're right. This can't be. Besides, isn't it foolish to act on feelings toward a person you've only just met?"
"I suppose..." Wonwoo looked away from you to hide his disappointment. "But I do not feel like I have only just met you, Princess."
"It does not make it any less wrong," you murmured.
His gaze returned to meet yours. Fireworks set off in your stomach, and you wanted to touch him again. You wished you had never made him let go. This couldn't possibly be wrong if it felt so good.
"Let's be good friends," you managed to say.
"I think I can manage." He smiled.
Oh, his smile was so wonderful. It made you feel like you were taking in a fresh breath of air during a chilly summer morning. You wanted to reach up and touch his face, cup his cheek, and gently swipe your thumb over his cheekbone. Every fiber of your being told you to lean in and kiss him, everything except your principles.
"To good friends." You held out your hand for him to shake.
"Good friends." He took it.
Autumn passed, and in came winter. Most nights you would sit by a big fireplace in the drawing room. The only big problem with the Quiet wing was its lack of places to put fires. Whenever you would go to sleep, you would put on at least two layers of clothing and have extra blankets. The balcony was always closed now, though you had many times thought of visiting Wonwoo out there. He was acting normally around you, although you could feel him watching you when he thought you couldn't notice. Your method was working out just fine.
Snowy days pass and you grow closer to Prince Sungho. One evening you're sitting in the drawing room, in front of the fireplace, when he walks in. You watch as he approaches you. It's only the two of you in the room. He seems nervous.
"I really am embarrassed that your room doesn't have proper heating," he said for what must have been the hundredth time. "The offer of changing rooms still stands, whenever you want to."
"You're too kind, Prince Sungho." You smile at him before turning back to the fire. "But I quite like my room, and it's not all that horrible... I also have a reason to come in here every evening, where I may see you."
The Prince was surprised by your flirtatious advances, as he always was. You patted on the couch right next to you, asking him to sit down. At this point, you know just what to say and do to make him weak in the knees. Which you had been using to your advantage. With the attention of a man such as Prince Sungho, you cannot possibly begin to think about Wonwoo. Even if it didn't feel real, even if it all felt like you were playing pretend with your fiancé.
"I have loved to have you here," the Prince said as he sat down. "Truly, it has been a gift."
"I have loved to be here," you responded.
"... but I have yet to do the thing that I promised." He pulled out a small box from his pocket. "I know that I've offered my hand in marriage to you already, but I want it to be official. I want everyone to know."
He opens the box and reveals a diamond ring. With his slim fingers, he picks it up. You smile widely and put your hand in his. His eyes ask you for your permission, and you nod. Slowly, he pushes the ring onto your left ring finger.
"It's beautiful," you hum and watch the diamond sparkle in the light of the fire.
"It's one of a kind," he muses. "Just like you."
You can't help but think of Wonwoo. How his eyes sparkled just like this diamond the night he had kissed you. But when you look up at the man in front of you, it's not Wonwoo, and you have to face reality.
"We should start planning for the wedding," you muttered.
"Soon, my love." He holds your face in his hands. "I want to celebrate you first. We shall throw a ball in your honor."
"My honor?"
"In honor of our official engagement, then." He gave you a toothy smile, the kind of boyish smile that would make any girl swoon. "After that, I will give you all the resources to plan a wedding... I'll find the best people in the land."
You wondered what Sungho truly knew about you. How could he be so infatuated with a person whom he's only spoken to in person for a few months? How can he promise you everything when you still see a stranger when you look at him? You thanked him and stood up from your place by the fireplace. He looked up at you with admiration, something that you cannot give back to him.
"I think I will go to my chambers, it's late," you said.
"Sleep well, my Lady." Sungho watched you as you left the room.
After a few weeks, an entire ball had been planned and executed. It was the day of the big night. The evening would start with the King announcing your official engagement, and let the guests celebrate with a night full of wine and dancing. A group of maids had brought you a dress, a present from the Queen. The corset top sat tightly on your torso. The sweetheart neckline accentuated your collarbone area and the puffy, short sleeves gave it a romantic look. Flower prints in lace covered the top elegantly and subtly, which contrasted the many chiffon layers of the skirt. At first glance, the dress looked white, but it was in fact a light lilac color. As the maids helped you put it on, one of them gave you a note from the Queen herself.
I heard you liked the purple flowers in my garden, so this will suit you well.
Your body froze. Only two people knew of your fondness of the garden: Eunji and Wonwoo. If Eunji had told her, she would've asked you first. Maybe the Queen had asked her not to tell, to make it a surprise... but if Wonwoo had said something it would be suspicious. Either way, you couldn't be worrying about this now.
"Everything is done, Princess," one of the maids said in a soft-spoken tone.
"Thank you." You did your best to smile at her.
When you looked at yourself in the mirror, you felt like crying. You should be jumping with glee at this moment in your life, but you couldn't bring yourself to do it. A night which was supposed to be about your engagement to the Prince, and so far you had spent most of it worrying about another man. You knew he would be there, and your mind had immediately wandered to what he would think of you - if he would find you beautiful. This was all so wrong.
They announced your name before you entered the ballroom. Whispers and gasps echoed through the large room as you walked towards the King and his oldest son. The King offered you his hand, which you took, and let him guide you to hold Sungho's hand. You looked out over the crowd, meeting star-struck and emotional faces. More importantly, you met Wonwoo's piercing gaze. As the King held a short speech in the engagement's honor, you never looked away from Wonwoo. Unlike his brother, he was wearing all black. His suit was lined with golden details, and a few golden rings adorned his fingers. He had a cape hanging over one shoulder, and he wore a pair of well-polished boots. In a crowd full of white-clad people, he stood out like a sore thumb. You wanted to tease him about dressing wrong for the occasion, but that would be too close to flirting.
"That is why I am happy to announce the engagement of my oldest son, Prince Sungho, and the lovely Princess Y/N. You have my blessing, and I know that this union will be a wonderful one." The King brought you back to your senses as he mentioned your name. "To the happy couple! Let's celebrate!"
"Would you like to dance, my Lady?" Sungho whispered in your ear as the two of you walked out on the dancefloor.
You're already leading me there, it would just be awkward to say no now...
"I would love to." You put on your best smile and got into position.
The crowd watched as you danced. After a minute, others joined in but you saw Wonwoo still leaning against one of the pillars. You locked eyes, and you couldn't look away.
"You seem distracted, my Lady," Sungho said.
"Oh, I'm just... as I've told you, I'm not very good at dancing. I guess I'm just nervous." You looked back at him.
"Don't worry, when you're in my hands you're safe."
"I'm sure." You nodded and looked past him again, but now Wonwoo was gone.
The song ended, and Sungho eventually left your side to talk to some of his friends. You were left standing alone in a corner. Now that the announcement had been made and people had paraded you around, nobody seemed to care where you went. A sigh escaped your lips as you relaxed against the cold wall.
"Tired already?" Someone appeared beside you.
When you saw him your eyes widened, and you felt your cheeks grow warm. Wonwoo had looked good from afar, but this close he was truly a sight to behold.
"It's alright, I also usually keep to myself at these kinds of things," he added.
"My fiancé just left me to talk to other people, and there's no one for me to speak with," you explained.
"You can talk to me." He gave you a delicate smile.
"... it's not weird for you?" you murmured.
"Of course it is. But not a day goes by where my life is normal or goes my way. You get used to it." He held out his hand to you. "Am I worthy enough to dance with you, Princess?"
"People will see." you looked out over the ballroom, nobody had seen you just yet.
"Then they will see two people dancing, two friends, nothing more." He took your hand and put it on his shoulder. "You just think they will talk because you want there to be more to it."
Wonwoo's put his hand on your waist, and with his other hand, he grabbed yours. The two of you swayed in the shadows, out of view from anyone else. Being in his arms made you feel safe, like you could truly rest. When the song ended he let go of you but kept holding your hand. He bent down and placed a gentle kiss on the back of your hand.
"Thank you, Princess," he said and took a step away from you.
"You're a wonderful dancer." You let out a giggle, a genuine laugh bubbling up from your stomach for the first time in a while. "You must be a favorite amongst the ladies."
"Oh, definitely..." he said sarcastically. "Especially the married ones."
If it weren't for the fact that your fiancé was approaching, you would've landed a soft smack on his arm. Wonwoo took another step back and greeted his brother.
"I'm glad you two get along so well." Sungho placed an arm around your waist.
"Oh, he's a swell conversationalist," you said and internally cringed at your words of choice.
"Really?" Sungho's eyebrows shot up. "I've never thought of you as the chatty type, brother."
"I have my moments," Wonwoo replied, keeping his eyes on you. "But I should go. I hope you have a good rest of your night."
The rest of the night went rather smoothly. You were introduced to many people and danced with even more. From time to time you would catch a glimpse of Wonwoo, but not nearly enough for your liking. When the clock struck midnight, you realized that people weren't leaving yet. You asked Sungho when it was time to end, and he responded that it usually goes on until dawn. When you heard that you excused yourself and said that you would be leaving for your chambers early. Sungho bid you goodnight, and reassured you that leaving early was no issue at all. If it weren't for the many distractions you faced, you might have actually been able to fall in love with him.
You took the shortcut through the King's throne room, knowing that everyone else would be trying to leave through the ballroom's main entrance. In the mirror-filled room, you caught your reflection. Your hair was in complete disarray, and your face had taken on a flustered color. Slowly, you approached one of the many mirrors. The dress was still beautiful, and you reminded yourself to thank the Queen for the gift as soon as you could. The door behind you opened, startling you, and when you looked through the mirror's reflection you saw Wonwoo.
"It's only me," he said, as if that made it any better, and closed the door.
His footsteps were slow, almost cautious. It was as if he was giving you time to tell him to stop. You didn't say a word, you couldn't as your throat had dried up within a matter of seconds as you laid eyes on him. Wonwoo approached you. He had the same flustered look on his face as you did. It must have been the wine. It must have also been the wine that made you want him so. And, yes, it must have been the wine that made Wonwoo wrap his arms around your waist from behind. His large figure easily engulfed you, and you leaned into his embrace. Wonwoo put his head on your shoulder and looked into your eyes through the mirror.
"I have been watching you all night, my love," he whispered, his speech slightly slurred.
One of his hands pushed away the hair from the shoulder his chin was leaning on. His fingertips grazed your neck, making you shudder. It was difficult to keep your eyes open when everything Wonwoo did felt so wonderful.
"I have seen you watching," you mumbled. "I was looking for you as well."
In a moment of pure bliss, his lips met your neck. A peck, that turned into two and then three. They were leading up from the crook of your neck to your jaw.
"You must be the most intoxicating goddess I have ever had the honor of being in the presence of," he mumbled against your skin, "Have you seduced me, my Princess?"
His Princess.
"What if I have?" You smile at him through the mirror.
He looked back at you with a smile, and a gaze that you couldn't read. Wonwoo's words lingered in the air as he pressed a final kiss right behind your ear.
"I would have to tell your husband." He took his lips away from your skin, much to your dismay.
"He's not my husband yet." You sighed. "Let me take part in my freedom for a while longer."
He guided your face, with his pointer finger and thumb on your chin, to look at him. Wonwoo held the galaxy in his eyes, and the only reason you could ever look away was to glance at his lips - and it was only for a short moment, as seeing his eyes on you, and only you, was the most euphoric feeling you had ever felt.
"I wish to have a taste of you, my love," he murmured, his eyes filled with lust. "Will you allow me the delight of feeling your lips against mine again?"
You didn't respond, instead, you pressed your lips to his greedily. Your body turned around to fully face him, and you pressed your chest against his. He pulled away to look around the room, and a paranoid feeling entered your chest.
"Someone could see us," he said.
"My chambers are far away from the ballroom." You took his face in your hands and place another kiss on his lips.
"I have heard that your chambers are freezing during this time of year," he muttered against your lips.
"Don't worry, I will warm you up." You smiled and grabbed his hand.
The two of you ran as fast as you could through the castle halls. His hand never left yours. You were lucky that nobody seemed to be around because you had a hard time keeping quiet. Laughs spilled out of your lips every other second. From time to time, you would stop and slip into a dark corner to embrace him and feel his lips on yours again.
When you reached your chambers, you locked the door behind you. Wonwoo's hands stayed on you every second and you adored the attention. With every step toward your bed, he placed another kiss on your skin. You were utterly drunk off of his contact with your body. Which is why a whine escaped your lips when he let you go. You sat down on the bed, both sleeves of your dress having had slipped down.
"Tell me to leave now if you truly do not want me, my love." He was panting, his hands trembling ever so slightly. "I will not hold myself back if we go any further."
"Please..." You grabbed his hand. "Have your way with me."
The very next morning you woke up to a sharp knock on your door. You stirred in your sleep, your hand touching a naked body beside you. Wonwoo was fast asleep beside you. A gasp escaped your lips as you pulled the covers up to cover your bare chest.
"Your Majesty!" Another sharp knock echoed through the wooden door as Eunji's shrill voice shocked you awake. "I have to get you ready for breakfast!"
"Just give me a second, Eunji!" you shouted back.
Your voice woke up Wonwoo, who grabbed your waist to hold you closer. He was completely unaware of the situation you were in. If it hadn't been for the situation you found yourself in, you would've loved to stay tangled in Wonwoo's web for the entire morning. However, now was sadly not the time. In a hushed voice, you whispered to him that he had to get out of bed. With a grumpy look, he got up and gathered his clothes off the floor. Another knock scared you, and you ended up pushing him behind the partition wall. You put on your nightgown and walked over to the door, hoping that you didn't look like a flustered mess.
"My apologies, Eunji." You smiled at her when you opened the door. "I was very tired from the ball last night..."
"I understand that my Lady, but you shouldn't lock your door when you know I don't have a key," she explained with a worried look.
"I know, I know... I just wanted to be safe, you know with so many people around," you lied right through your teeth.
"Well, we don't have time to chat. Let's get you ready!" Eunji pushed inside your room and walked over to the wardrobe.
You could see Wonwoo's feet under the small gap in the partition wall. Panic set in as you realized what a catastrophe this could end in. Eunji handed you your slip dress and told you to put it on. In a state of panic, you went behind the partition wall and stood in front of Wonwoo so that his feet wouldn't be visible anymore. A sleepy smile was painted on his lips, and it was hard to surpress your own smile at the sight. He had only managed to put on his pants, his shirt still hanging from his hands. With an annoyed sigh, you took it from him and started pushing it over his head.
"Are you okay back there, my Lady?" Eunji asked as Wonwoo put his arms through the sleeves.
"Oh, I'm just... feeling a bit sick from the wine," you stammered out.
Wonwoo's arms wrapped around you as soon as he had put on his shirt, and your heart almost leapt out of your throat as you heard him lovingly sigh in your ear.
"Well, if you need help I can-"
"No!" you yelled. "No, thank you. I don't need help."
The young Prince let out a soft chuckle, only loud enough for you to hear. You only grew more flustered at his teasing.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm just feeling... self-conscious." You shut your eyes tight. "Could you please put the dress on the bed for me? I'll do the rest by myself."
"Oh, my Lady, you have nothing to be embarrassed about," Eunji assured you. "But if you wish for me to leave, then I shall. I'll be outside the door in case you do end up needing my services."
"Thank you, Eunji." Your breath hitched as you felt Wonwoo's hands grab at your hips.
The door opened and closed, and as soon as it was shut Wonwoo pressed his lips to yours. You put your hands on his chest and smiled against the kiss, pulling away slightly to look at him.
"You're impossible," you murmured softly.
He leaned his forehead against yours and looked deep into your eyes. A chill sent down your spine as Wonwoo started caressing your back. The warm glow of the morning sun filled the room and you found yourself feeling so unbelievably lucky.
"Last night..." he whispered, "Do you regret it?"
"I wish I would have done it sooner," you admitted. "But now I must force you to leave, I'm sure people are looking for you."
"They can keep searching forever..." he muttered and kissed you again.
"People will grow suspicious." You pulled away with a chuckle. "And as much as I'd love to keep kissing you forever, I have enough common sense to know it won't last."
"Let me at least help you get dressed." His hands went to the hem of your short nightgown. "We don't want to keep your maid waiting."
"I'll let you help with the dress she picked out for me," you said and pushed him out of the partition wall.
Your hands worked quickly to take off the nightgown and put on the slip dress. When you walked out you caught Wonwoo feeling the blue velvet material of your dress between his fingers, as if he was studying it carefully. When he noticed you, he handed you the dress. The buttons in the back had already been undone, so all you had to do was step into it and pull the long sleeves over your arms. He motioned for you to turn around. Once your back faced him, Wonwoo slowly worked on buttoning the back of your dress. His lips pressed to the still bare skin where your neck met your back. The dress' collar was high, hiding whatever blemishes that were left from last night's activities.
"Leave the last few unbuttoned..." you whispered, "It'll be more believable that I couldn't reach."
Wonwoo hummed and took his hands away from you. Turning around, you stood face to face with the most lovestruck man you have ever seen. His smile was warm and inviting, creating small lines by his nose, and despite how wonderful this smile was you wanted to kiss it off his lips so badly. And in the beautiful morning glow, his eyes resembled portals of light that you would gladly dive into without questioning what could be on the other side.
"I'll miss you every second you aren't by my side," he said.
"Can we see each other tonight again?" you asked.
"Of course."
Another harsh knock on the door, followed by a kind yet alarming voice that told you to please hurry up.
"Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts," you responded to Eunji, but didn't look away from Wonwoo.
He walked over to the balcony door and opened it. You followed closer, leaning over the railing of the balcony as he climbed down. Before he could leave, he pulled himself up just enough to kiss you again.
"Goodbye, my love," he whispered.
"I'll see you soon," you said and watched him disappear behind the castle walls.
Yet another knock on your door. It made you laugh this time. You hurried inside and closed the door to the balcony. As you straightened out your dress, the door was impatiently pushed open.
"I'm terribly sorry, Eunji," you said. "I couldn't get the last few buttons done."
"You should've called for my help." She sighed. "The Queen has asked for your presence at breakfast to discuss wedding plans."
The wedding. You felt your heart sink. How could you have forgotten about the wedding? One of your hands steadied you against your bed frame, while you held the other one to your stomach.
"Are you alright, my Lady?" Eunji asked as she finished buttoning you up.
"Just nervous..." You took a deep breath.
The wedding had a date. A month after the first day of spring, just to give enough time for preparations. You wished for winter to never end. Persephone could gladly stay by Hades' side, you didn't care. Even though the wedding was all anyone talked about, you hadn't accepted fate just yet. That's why, every night, you would drown your sorrows with the kisses of your lover. Every morning you woke up at dawn to spend more time with him before he had to leave. And when he eventually did have to leave, you could feel your heart getting ripped apart inside your chest.
The constant ache only worsened when you were around Prince Sungho, as guilt had started plaguing you whenever you saw him. The Prince would take you out on rides in the forest, on promenades in the gardens, and he even took you on a boat ride once or twice. All of these exceptional experiences, and yet your favorite moments in the castle were those in your bed laying next to Wonwoo.
As spring approached, you grew more reckless. The constant need of being near Wonwoo only grew stronger, and you did everything you could to keep him by your side.
One evening, when you knew that Wonwoo would be going out for a ride, you walked all alone to the stables to meet him. The snow had started melting away, but you tried not to think about it. Nevertheless, it was still very cold outside and not warm enough for anything to have grown. The warmth of the stables welcomed you quickly, as you walked across the floors to where Wonwoo's favorite horse stood. Just as you were about to turn the corner, Wonwoo peeked out from the small room. A smile spread across his lips as soon as he laid his eyes on you.
"Is anyone else here?" you whispered and looked around.
"Only me," he said and put his arms around your waist. "You must be freezing. Why would you walk outside without a coat?"
"I didn't think to get it." Your arms wrapped around his neck. "And I was in a hurry to see you before you left."
"I was going to go see you tonight, after my ride," he explained with a grin.
"It would be too long of a wait."
"You're so impatient."
One of his hands cupped your cheek and brought you in for a loving kiss. He was so warm, it spread through you as if you were drinking a hot cup of tea. You wanted to melt into him and nest in his chest, to always keep his warmth around you.
"We could run away, you know," he murmured against your lips. "Spring is approaching, there's not much time left..."
"I don't want to think about it..." You put your hands on his chest to create some distance between him and you.
"Y/N, this is the first time we've ever been alone outside of your chambers." He sighed. "When you share your chambers with... someone else, we won't be able to see each other like that."
"We can find a way," you argued.
"We could run away, my love," he said. "We would only bring what was necessary, and we could take two horses. Then we wouldn't have to worry about hiding anymore."
You took a deep breath, leaning your forehead against Wonwoo's chest. While part of you wanted to run away, there was still a big part of you that knew that you had a duty to your people. And that part needed to stay.
"No." You shook your head. "I can't just abandon my kingdom."
Tears pricked the corners of your eyes. You grabbed at his shirt, partly because you were trying to make him stay close to you, but you also didn't want him to see you cry. As your first sob rocked through your body he didn't try to pull you away, he only held you closer. One of his hands soothingly caressed your back, while the other held onto the back of your head.
"I hate it," you sobbed. "I hate it so much."
Wonwoo kept quiet but held you even closer. The stables were so unbelievably quiet, that you had forgotten you were even there. But the door opened, making the two of you quickly separate. Tears were still streaming down your face, and there was nothing Wonwoo could do to comfort you. You whispered goodbye and quickly made your way out of the stables.
After that encounter, you didn't stop meeting in public. Whenever no one else was around, you would take the chance to embrace each other. On this particular day, it was the library. This wretched, cursed day.
"Your chambers are just around the corner," Wonwoo mumbled against your lips. "We could go there."
The two of you were laying on the couch, you on top of him. Your heart felt so full, that you didn't want to move. So, you shook your head at his suggestion and kissed him again. His strong arms held you tightly against his body. Your hands were in his hair, trying to pull him closer to you. It was dark outside, so a few candles were lit around you.
"I love you," you murmured. "I truly do."
"I love you too." He smiled at your confession.
"I wish spring never comes..." You sighed and put your head on his chest.
Wonwoo put his hand along your jawline and brought you back up to face him. His eyes were serious, almost stern - instead of intimidating you, it only made you melt further into him.
"Don't mention spring," he said. "Just forget about it for a moment. For me, my love."
"For you? I'll do anything." You grinned and pressed your lips to his again.
The door swung open and your heart sank to the floor at the sound. When you looked up, you met the eyes of your fiancé. His first worried look turned into sadness, which transformed into anger. Eunji came up behind him with a horrified look on her face, somehow it was both disappointed and apologetic. You got off Wonwoo and fell off the couch in the process, Wonwoo sat up and helped you to your feet.
"What is this?" Sungho asked angrily. "Your chambermaid was worried sick about you, and here you are whoring yourself out for my brother!"
"It's not what it looks like, please-" you tried to plea but he interrupted you.
"I invite you into my home, I promise you all the riches in the land, and this is what you do to me?" He gasped.
"Brother, it's not her fault-"
"Oh, so this is your doing?" Sungho scoffed. "You can't have the throne so you decide to steal my future wife?"
"Please, forgive me, my Prince." You got down on your knees in front of him, "I promise you, this will never happen again. I will marry you when spring comes, we can just forget about all of this."
Sungho only looked down at you, with so much hatred in his eyes. He looked between you and Wonwoo, studying the situation. Suddenly, you felt him grab your hair and pull you up to your feet. You could hear Wonwoo's protests behind you, but you tried not to think of it.
"Don't beg for me," he hissed. "I want you to beg him to never come near you again. Show me that you're only loyal to me."
He turned you around to face Wonwoo. His eyes were full of tears and he seemed to be completely speechless. Your bottom lip quivered. What if you had just run away with him? Everything would've been okay now. You could've lived your life out with him in a small cottage in the middle of nowhere, where no one knew who you were.
"Please, never come near me again," you sobbed out, "I don't ever want to see you again."
"Do you hear that brother?" Sungho taunted. "She doesn't want to see you again. So I suggest you pack up and go on a little trip. If you don't want this... mistake to go public, you will leave the castle until the wedding. You will not see her again until we are wed."
Wonwoo didn't break eye contact with you. It felt like his eyes were telling you that it was all okay. That, despite having said a most horrible thing to him, he still loved you and that he understood your situation. He stood up and walked out of the room, bumping into his older brother's shoulder as he did so. Sungho let go of the grip on your hair and you fell to your knees once again.
"Get her to her chambers, maid," he said to Eunji. "I have other business to attend to."
Eunji rushed to your side and held your trembling body in your arms the best she could. She kept on whispering apologies between her cursing about how you could have been so reckless.
"Princess Y/N," Sungho said from the doorway. "I am doing you a favor. Do not forget this, as I will not forget what you have done."
He walked out of the library and slammed the door behind him. As his footsteps faded, you felt your body lose its strength. You could no longer sit, let alone stand. Eunji had to bring in more maids to help carry you to your bed.
Heartbreak comes in many forms, sometimes physical. You were sick in bed for days, not daring to eating a thing. People grew worried, asking how the wedding would take place if the Princess wasn't well. They only thought you had an illness, not that your heart had been broken into a million pieces. So they treated it like any other illness. Only Eunji was allowed to visit you, that is what you had requested. Although you heard voices outside of your room many times. Most of the time it was your mother, and she was usually crying. Eunji tried to reassure everyone that you just needed to rest and that the sickness would leave your body eventually. One night, she was sitting by your bedside and washing your body with a cloth. You hadn't been able to move, which meant you couldn't bathe.
"I'm hungry," you breathed out between chapped lips.
Eunji went into a frenzy as soon as she heard the words. You had pushed away any food that she had brought you, so your hunger was very welcomed. She put you back down against the pillows and put away her rag and bucket.
"What would you like to eat, my Lady?" she asked with happy tears prickling in her eyes.
"Pomegranates," you whispered and looked over to the balcony. "I want pomegranates."
"Oh... then I shall get you pomegranates, my Lady." She hurried out the room and shouted down the corridor about the news.
The people were static, and people from all over brought you pomegranates. It was hard to get ahold of at this time of year, but people managed. If anyone knew what you had done, you wondered if they would be so keen on trying to please you. It didn't matter now. Soon enough, Eunji brought you a platter of pomegranates. They were displayed nicely, why you didn't know. There were a few sliced pomegranates, as well as a few whole ones, but most importantly there was a bowl of only pomegranate seeds.
"Here you go, my Lady." Eunji sat the platter down in front of you.
"Leave," you whispered.
Eunji nodded and quickly gathered herself and left. You stared at the red fruit in front of you. Persephone ate six of the twelve pomegranate seeds she was given and it gave her six months in the Underworld. With a trembling hand, you took the wooden spoon in the bowl and pushed many pomegranate seeds past your lips. It wasn't enough. You put the spoon away and grabbed a handful of pomegranate seeds from the bowl and shoved them into your mouth. The fruit's juices poured down from the corners of your lips, but you did nothing to stop it. You took more of the seeds and kept shoving them down your throat. The noises that came out of you were disgusting. Gasps and gulps and gargles, but it was drowned out by your thoughts. If you ate enough it would give you an eternity with Wonwoo.
The bowl was empty and, with desperate hands, you clawed at the sliced pomegranates. You ate the white meat around it if you couldn't get the seeds out, and when you finished those you tried to open the whole fruits. You were too weak to even try. He had to be by the balcony now, he had to. You pushed the platter away from you and ripped off the bed sheets. Delirious and quivering, you walked over to the balcony and pulled aside the blinds that were covering the glass door. It was day, but he had to be there already. You opened the door and felt the cold wind against your sweaty body. After finally getting out, you leaned over the railing. He was nowhere to be seen. You desperately looked around, feeling warm tears stream down your face. Eventually, your eyes fell on the tree beside the balcony. Small little green buds had started growing on the otherwise brows twigs. Spring is here.
"No..." Your voice was hoarse "No, no, no..."
You walked over to the tree, it's branches hanging over the balcony, and tried to pull all of the buds off, getting your hand cut open on the sharp branches in the process. A sob came out of your throat as you kept repeating that one word. No. This couldn't be happening. It couldn't be spring already. You stumbled back and looked down at your scathing hand. Blood poured out of all the cuts and you felt sick. You hurled forward, blood-red vomit spewing out of you. All of the pomegranates escaped your stomach. They were rejecting you. There was no savior who could help you now. Everything around you went dark as you fell to the stone floors.
When you woke up you were in bed again, and your body felt much lighter. A man you had never seen before was sitting beside you. Eunji, who was sitting on your other side, explained that he was a physician and was treating you for your illness. He had been feeding you liquids to get your strength back, which was why you felt so much better.
"You are allergic to pomegranates," he explained in an emotionless tone. "I'm guessing you've had one before, but because of the large intake you had a much bigger reaction. If you eat just a little it wouldn't be very noticeable, maybe a slight itch."
"How..." You cleared your throat. "How long was I out?"
"A few days." Eunji said. "Since you've been rapidly getting better, preparations for the wedding have started. They want your opinion on a lot of things... but if you would rather not see anyone, you can tell me and I'll deliver the message."
All hope was out. You had given up.
"No... I'll meet them..."
In a matter of weeks, the wedding was upon you. It was the night before, and you were in your bed. Preparing for your wedding had kept you so preoccupied that you hadn't thought of anything else. Therefore, the knock on your balcony door surprised you. When you looked over you met the eyes of Wonwoo, and your heart broke all over again. You pushed aside your blanket and walked over to the door. Wonwoo embraced you as soon as he could, but you didn't reciprocate.
"I've missed you," he whispered.
"When did you get back?" you asked.
"About an hour ago," he replied. "Listen, I know that last time I asked this of you, you declined... but this time I have a plan."
"Are you asking me to run away with you?" you murmured as he pulled away from you.
"Tomorrow night," he said. "There's a boat by the docks, I'm supposed to go alone. We'll be on a different continent."
"You're leaving? Why now?" you cupped his face in his hands.
"My brother convinced my father that I should try being on my own for a while." He sighed. "He gave me a chance to visit another kingdom we have a treaty with. Once we're there, we can go wherever we want - and nobody will know until it's too late."
"... I don't know if I can choose," you admit softly.
You blamed everyone in the story of Persephone and Hades for giving her such a horrible fate, but maybe it wasn't so bad after all. Oh, how you wished for a compromise now.
"The boat leaves tomorrow night." Wonwoo cupped your cheek in his palm. "I won't force you to do anything, and I'm not trying to convince you to go with me... I'm just giving you another chance."
With that, he leaned down and kissed you. It was soft and sweet. You had longed to kiss him again, but still you felt so heartbroken. He whispered goodbye before disappearing into the night, you knew you wouldn't get another chance to see him before the ceremony.
On the day of the wedding, you could help but cry. Out of anger, sadness, and out of uncertainty. Anger because your father left you to take care of his mess all by yourself. Sadness because you didn't love the man you were about to marry. And uncertainty because you had no idea what choices you would make tonight.
People around you comforted you by saying that it was normal to feel nervous on the big day. You asked to be left alone with Eunji, and for her to do the rest of the preparations for you. She was silent as she was dressing you, and she only spoke up when she had started taking care of your hair.
"I feel guilty, my Lady," she said.
"About what?" you said between sniffles.
"About that day in the library." She frowned at you in the mirror. "I truly just thought you had gone missing."
"It's my fault as well," you assured her. "I guess I should have told you."
She laughed and put a comforting hand on your shoulder, you put your hand on top of hers. The two of you looked at each other with warm smiles, like old friends do.
"I would have liked to know," she eventually said.
"And I was dying to tell someone," you admitted. "I'm sorry for not telling you."
"No, no... you did what you thought was best," she argued and after some time added, "... was he good to you, my Lady?"
You turned around in your chair and gave her a mischievous smile. Eunji raised her eyebrows and you nodded. Without speaking a single word, the two of you had told so much. Both of you busted out laughing. Despite the sorrow you felt over everything you had done, there was something so delightful in telling Eunji of your escapades.
"How did you do it?" she asked between giggles.
"He snuck in through the balcony most nights," you admitted. "Oh, and he was so nice... I've never met anyone like him. He's quiet and reserved, but when he does speak he always knows what to say."
"Not to mention, he's very handsome," Eunji added, and the two of you broke out into fits of giggles again.
This is what you wanted your wedding to be. You wanted to be able to giggle about what a handsome and charming man your future husband was. In the midst of your laughter, you broke out crying again.
"Oh, my Lady-" Eunji quickly grabbed tissues from the table. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have spoken about it."
"He asked me to run away with him," you whispered. "Tonight. By boat. We'd go to another country, he said."
"But the wedding-"
"I know, I know!" you whaled. "I don't know what to do!"
"My Lady, I don't know much about love." Eunji crouched down in front of you. "But I can see it on your face, you truly love that man. That is something that no one can take away from you. If you decide to go or not... I won't judge you for it. I just hope you follow your heart. Do what you think is right."
You nodded and took the tissue she offered to wipe away your tears.
The ceremony went fairly quickly. You were lucky you had a veil because you couldn't help but cry once again, even if Eunji had given you a good speech beforehand. Wonwoo was in the crowd, you knew that, but you had no idea where since you didn't dare look. You had made up your mind, or so you thought.
You weren't going to leave with him, not at first at least. During the festivities held afterward, you watched as your now husband held speeches and talked to his peers. He wasn't your person. You knew that, and you were sure that the entire world could see that as well. So, when no one was looking you snuck out into the night. It was already late, and Wonwoo had left an hour earlier. But you just had to take this chance. You couldn't stay with Sungho for the rest of your life.
The white dress turned green and brown from you running through the mud. You had fallen down many times, and you were sure your legs were entirely scratched up. It didn't matter now, you would be with your love forever.
When you reached the docks there was no boat. If you squinted enough, you could see a ship in the distance - it was sailing away from you. You screamed, shouted, yelled, and ran as far as the coast would let you. But to no avail. The boat was gone. Wonwoo was gone. For how long, you didn't know. It was time to accept fate. Betrayed and tired, you made your way back to the castle. You had to ask Eunji for another dress.
Years flew by, and you got along rather well with your husband. You didn't love him, and you never learned to, but you did love the children he gave you. Three children: two boys and the youngest was a girl. They lived in ignorance, along with everyone else in the castle. Only you, Eunji, and Sungho knew of what happened in the past. You tried to forget. But when the King died one night while in his bed, you knew that you had to face your history.
He came by boat, just like he had left. The years had taken a toll on him, but he wasn't any less beautiful. You wanted to embrace him but held yourself back by holding your arms so hard that your nails dug into your flesh. Wonwoo was only there for the funeral, then he would leave again. You tried not to think about it, or to see him as a stranger, but it was much too difficult.
The children loved him. Wonwoo was great with kids, reminding you that there was so much that you hadn't had the chance to find out about him.
After dinner, you excused yourself to go to the garden. The Queen had let you have it, knowing how much you loved to spend your free time there. Even if you hadn't expected it, you were very pleased when Wonwoo had come after you. Without a word, the two of you embraced, hidden by a large tree and the many purple Phlox. It was the middle of summer, so the green leaves obscured you well.
"I've missed you, so much," he breathed out.
"Wonwoo..." You pulled away from him. "I want you to know that I tried to go with you that night. The... the boat had left before I got to it. I was prepared to leave my life here for you... but I can't do that anymore."
"I know... I know, my love." He cupped your cheek in his palm. "It's okay. I'm happy for you. You've done so well."
You put your hand on top of his and leaned into his touch. In the distance, you heard a child shouting for you. Another sigh escaped your lips, and you did your best to hold back the tears that threatened to spill out of the corner of your eye.
"I have to go," you whispered out with a sob stuck in your throat. "But you should know that a day never passes where I don't think of you."
You walked away from him, stopping mid-step when he called your name. You shut your eyes tight, as if it would help you shield yourself from him, and you didn't dare turn around.
"I never married," he admitted. "I haven't been able to move on from you."
His words broke you, and a cry escaped your lips. You didn't turn around, you couldn't turn around now. Instead, you wiped away your tears and followed the voice of your child calling your name.
#seventeenweeklynet#seventeenweeklyarticle#seventeen weekly net#seventeen x y/n#seventeen x you#seventeen imagines#seventeen x reader#wonwoo#jeon wonwoo#jeon wonwoo angst#wonu#jeon wonu#wonwoo svt#wonwoo scenarios#wonwoo oneshot#seventeen oneshot#wonwoo x reader#wonwoo x y/n#wonwoo fluff
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[05:26 pm]
I was walking towards the university gate absent-mindedly, I was just missing Seungcheol, it’s been two weeks since I last saw him and I know he busy that’s why I can’t tell him to come and meet me whenever I miss him everytime. Being a student makes me busy but working makes him busier and I don’t want him to overwork. I wish I could just go to his apartment and cuddle with him.
My classes were over and I looked at the surrounding, I didn’t feel like going to dorm right now, I wanted to get lost somewhere and I really missed him. Either I wanted to be with him or wanted to be alone. I even ditched my friends, because I wasn’t feeling good. I know they are my friends and they want to go and have some fun roaming around but not today, it wasn’t my day. I was fine in morning but I don’t know what happened during classes or after classes. I felt something was wrong and I had this urge to cry.
And this cold weather wasn’t helping at all, well winters are depressing at times. I had this urge to either roam around alone right now or go and cry in his arms. And since I can’t do the second one because he might be at work right now or might be busy so I decide to do the first thing.
I came out of the university gate and I felt like my mind was clouded.
My phone started ringing and my mind was battling whether I should look at the caller id or not and then when I took out my phone from my pocket, I looked at the caller id, I was surprised because I didn’t expect this.
I was hesitant a bit but then picked up the call, “Hey~” his voice almost teared up, I swore at that time, if he tells me one more word then I would start crying my eyes out right now, “look infront of you” my eyes were getting teary, “huh?” that’s all I could say.
I felt like I was hallucinating for a second because I saw him waving at me wearing my favorite blue hoodie. I started walking gripping my phone tight on my hand, I was taking slow steps and then suddenly I fastened my pace. I still couldn’t believe he was standing there and smiling at me, I ran to him and threw myself in his arms, I hugged him tight and he lifted me in the air.
I couldn’t care less about the stares we were getting because of me, I missed him so much. My tears started falling, because I was so overwhelmed, “I missed you so much”
“I missed you too my love”
“Thankyou for coming today and surprising me” I couldn’t describe how happy I was became he came to see me.
Author’s Note:
After getting into a new university as a post grad student, I got so busy and I miss writing so much ;_;
And at times I crave for hugs and miss my friends who are in different cities ;_; also I hope whoever reads feels better and since it’s still winters, sending you warm hugs 💕
#caratwritersclub#seventeenweeklyarticle#kpop#seventeen#seungcheol#drabbles#seungcheol drabble#fluff#svt#scoups svt#scoups#seventeen scoups#scoups fluff#university#seventeen x reader#svt scoups#kpop imagines#seventeen imagine#seventeen scenarios#seventeen imagines#choi seungcheol
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chapter two : falling for him
pairing: ceo!wonwoo x fem!reader
genre: fake dating to lovers, mutual pining
warnings: language, full lowercase post, drinking, suggestive themes
word count: 3.4k
series masterlist
note: please do not copy my works, reblogs and notes are appreciated.
an: sorry i took so long to do this !! i hope you guys enjoy this chapter !!
synopsis: having to work at a 'jeon' company was already stressful as it was, what about dating the ceo, jeon wonwoo? what would happen in this unexpected situation? would both of you come out as enemies? friends? lovers? unexpected situations occur, and you two would have to encounter them together.
a vibration on the couch pulled him away from his train of thoughts, following the noise to under a cushion, he carefully lifts your head off his lap, as he sighs in relief. he lifts the cushion up looking at the contact name 'oppa💘🦭' wonwoo accepts the call with a visible frown on his face.
"hello sunshine!! how are you? is work still stressful for you last i called you, you ranted about your mean boss?" the unknown person comments. wonwoo wastes no time in asking "who are you." "i should be the one asking, who are you? why are you holding my angel's phone?" "nevermind bye." "don't you hang up on me-"
sighing, wonwoo walks to one of the rooms, coming back with a blanket in his arms. he places it over you before going into the guest room and going to sleep.
you woke up from the sound of your alarm, finding yourself in a big fluffy blanket from your room. 'wonwoo must've put this here...didn't think he'll be such a gentleman,' you thought to yourself. switching on your phone to look at your notifications as your eyes go wide when you saw the missed calls from your brother. 9 missed calls and 23 texts ranging from 'WHO IS THAT MAN' 'DO YOU WANT ME TO COME THERE RIGHT NOW' 'actually i can't its an hours drive BUT STILL.'
quickly dialing his number, he responds after 3 rings. "OH MY GOD ARE YOU OKAY? DID YOU HAVE A MAN OVER LAST NIGHT?" "OH MY GOD SEOKMIN STOP SCREAMING ITS FUCKING 8 IN THE MORNING." "oh... heh sorry...." "yes i had a guy over why?" "well maybe he answered my call and i got protective," "HE DID WHAT?" "well look who's screaming now," you could feel his mischievous smirk at the other side of the line. "sorry seokmin i'll call you back, love you oppa."
going to find wonwoo, you storm to the bedroom but you are met with a note on the door. 'hey y/n, i had to attend to something so i left first, see you at the office.' rolling your eyes you quickly shower and throw on any decent outfit you found. you had to get to the bottom of this.
trying to compose yourself before going for wonwoo, you quickly enter a taxi and go to your office. but luck didn't seem to be on your side that day. met with a charge of $40 and a grumpy driver. adding on to that, jae happened to reach at the same time, following you all the way to the lift. "soo where are you headed?" opening your mouth, only needing to say one word for him to shut up "boyfriend." he awkwardly shifts from left leg to the right. 'since when did elevator rides get this long...?' you thought to yourself. the lift reached his level after an eternity, "well, see you later then..." he dashed out of the lift before you could mutter a response back.
reaching the level which wonwoo worked on, it was more tense than your level. a shiver went up your spine as you walked past the other workers. they were all quietly typing away on their keyboards, and there was minimum communication. you turned the corner and saw hansol arranging papers. his face lit up as he saw your presence. "hey miss y/n! thank god you are here, wonwoo is rather colder than usual today, he did not talk to me at all, he only walked into his office right after he arrived. since you're here, could you figure out what is wrong with him? and perhaps cheer him up too? hope i'm not asking for much! thank you!" trying to hold up a genuine smile, you nodded, and proceeded to knock on the door.
a faint "come in" could be heard as you slowly turn back as hansol mouths a 'good luck', two thumbs up as he scrunches his nose. you turn back to the door and enter. wonwoo is seated at his desk, glasses perched up on his nose like how you saw him for the first time. however, his eyebrows were furrowed, a worried look in his eyes as he tried to work.
"oh y/n..." "wonwoo." "hopefully you saw my message, hope you are okay with that-" "cut the small talk, you know what i am here for. with all due respect, we must still respect each other's boundaries. being my 'boyfriend' does not mean that you can answer any of my calls." "does that mean you are hiding something y/n? you could have already told me that you were dating somebody, it would have been easier from the start." scoffing, you shake you head. "maybe if you'd not jump to conclusions and listen. the person who called, he is my brother, don't get any ideas alright? rather than this conversation getting heated, i think we both need some space." with that, you stormed out of the room.
hansol looked at you, "kinda got a hint...you didn't shut the door all the way so i could hear a tad bit of the conversation, hope you are going to be okay," hansol gives you a grin as you wave, walking off to do your work. you walked back to your desk with more forceful steps, plopping yourself on the seat before replying to your emails. you were close to screaming at him, thankfully you didn't. you did not even want to think about it at that point.
you could not be bothered with the looks of others as they throw at you already, nor the comments they throw at you. "oh i bet she tricked him so she could get in his pants." "ugh...i thought jeon wonwoo would have better taste." and the list of comments goes on... you could simply roll your eyes at their boldness to make such remarks so loudly, its as if they want you to hear. well, you got yourself into this mess. no way wonwoo was going to let you break of the agreement anytime sooner and jae would just pounce at you the second he got the news that you 'broke up.' gosh....this is too complicated and stressful.
grabbing your wallet and phone to go for your lunch, you'd ask hansol but you don't want to risk getting in contact with wonwoo again. so....lunch alone it is..... strolling to the lift, placing your airpods in your ears-mostly to not hear the chatter of the others. a certain blue-headed guy interrupted your 'alone time' you raised your eyebrows at him as his hands signalled to take off your airpods. "are you y/n? the supposed girlfriend of jeon wonwoo?" your jaw clenched as you forcefully let out a "yes." "oh..my.GOD...YOU'RE SO PRETTY! oh how rude of me, i haven't even introduced myself." using his hand to hit his mouth as he nagged himself you could make out the words 'how could you forget common curtsey' and the rest of the words were scrambled. he finally faces you. "i am boo seungkwan, i work in the office of jeon wonwoo so you might not see me often since i'm always piled up in that paperwork...but hi!" you felt the sides of your lips curl up at his character. "you probably know me already don't you? its nice to meet you," seungkwan lets out a bright smile. you reach out your hand for him to shake but he throws his arm around your shoulder, "well, i see you're alone for lunch aren't ya? my best friend is busy and can't go with me today soo lets go together!"
you were at the usual barbeque place with seungkwan. both of you just glued to your seat at this point. according to seungkwan, he knows all sorts of drama and can gossip with literally anybody. somehow all the news would go to him and he would spill it to anybody-on the condition that they buy him an iced americano. which was actually fair to you. he's actually a really good listener too? you were telling him everything about your 'relationship' with wonwoo...except the part where its all fake. you really did not want to talk about anything related to wonwoo at the moment. but seungkwan somehow managed make you spill most of the information.
his eyes bulging and eyebrows raised and mouth trying to gasp as he eats his piece of meat you explained, he would add in comments from time to time like "never thought mr jeon would do that..." "NO WAY HOW COULD HE?" "i refuse to believe whatever you are telling me right now." you could only close your eyes and nod.
you two headed back when you saw your other colleagues going out of the door, the bell leaving a 'ding' noise with every swing which always annoyed you. grabbing his coat in one hand and holding the door open with the other, you held a grin and thanked him before concluding your conversation.
walking into your office building, you bid your goodbyes to seungkwan,"it was nice talking to you, hope to do this more often!" seungkwan chirps. nodding your head and waving, he gives one final wave before turning around and leaving. the smile from your face practically vanished from your face when you saw wonwoo in the distance looking at you with a raised eyebrow before walking over to you, hands in pockets like his usual stance.
you talked to yourself in your mind trying to get yourself out of the position you were in. 'no. no i do not want this day to get possibly worse ugh move your legs please y/n. yes that eyebrow raise is hot as fuck but please cooperate with me this time.' cursing wonwoo's long legs, you could swear he teleported right in front of you. "can we talk." you shook your head and turned around. "are you fucking serious? our colleagues are watching and you decide to act like a child to get more rumors?" he says under his breath. only then you realize the amount of eyes that are on the two of you. "follow me." wonwoo starts walking at that stupid pace which is too fast for you, "could you slow down and actually look like you care for your 'girlfriend'?" you said at a voice only audible for him to hear.
hearing a sigh from him and deciding to ignore it, he slows down before following him to a spare meeting room.
"come over to my house after work." he says, hands returning to his sides after closing the door. he leans against the door, looking at you with his usual blank look. "um what?" your face heating up at the possibility of- "don't get any ideas." wonwoo breaks your imaginative bubble above you. "i simply just want to have dinner to make up for what happened earlier." crossing your arms, you look back at him right in his eyes, "fine." he nods before an awkward silence fills the room.
you break the silence, "soo what are you going to do about the rumors of us? uh i mean like not i heard any its just that there might be people not believing us dating." "not like i care about them, they won't dare to open their mouth in front of me anyways." you frown at his answer, "but there are still girls trying to get you to sleep with them, please tell me you see those girls with the tight fitting dresses..." wonwoo's lips curled up into a smirk, "well ms jealous, would you rather me make out infront of them with you? or or how about i go and chain you to me the whole day to show them you are 'mine'."
wonwoo leans onto the table, getting closer to you. you place both of your palms on the table too, your faces only inches apart. "well, i'd not mind that....sir." "tsk don't play with me, you know i won't mind." with that, he shakes his head and leaves the room. you really didn't understand... you don't like jeon wonwoo but why does he make you feel such things... there's no time to think about these things... nevermind.
timeskip
when you were packing your stuff into your bag, after finishing all your assignments, you got a message.
6:47pm
wonwoo: i'm waiting in the carpark.
y/n: okay let me pack my stuff first
you quickly go into the lift and descend to the carpark level. you see his car already waiting at the drop of point. wonwoo was holding the steering wheel with one arm and the other was hitting the gear with his index finger at a constant pace. you open the door and wonwoo gives you a nod in acknowledgement before heading off to his house
you could say yourself, you were impressed. wonwoo's house looked wayy more expensive that you thought it will but it had a minimalist interior, most of his furniture in black and white. wonwoo walked over to you, helping you take off your coat and place it on the rack. "oh thank you," you mumble. wonwoo darts his eyes left to the right before saying "uhm i invited you to dinner but i may have forgotten that my personal chef was unwell..." "oh that's fine" you reply, "i mean you can just cook right?" "um...about that, i can't." "WHAAT??" "shut up, don't rub the fact in even more." "well, do you have any alternatives?" wonwoo raises his eyebrows at you, "of course i do. JISOO COME HERE." a certain brown haired man peeks his head at the hallway before walking towards the two of you.
"yes sir? how can i help you?" "could you bring me my 'no chef situation' food?" "yes, sure thing sir." with that jisoo walks away and in less than two minutes, he comes back holding....a pair of cup noodle packets?? "i really thought you would have some 'jeon wonwoo expensive' food as a backup?" "zip it, i'm a human too okay? i need some instant noodles sometimes." you fall back onto the couch, waiting for the noodles to finish cooking.
"oh shit i almost forgot" wonwoo quickly got up to his feet and walked off somewhere. he comes back with a bouquet of roses with a feint blush dusted across his cheeks. his head slightly turned to the side, not being able to look into your eyes. you look at the flowers in his hands in awe, "thank you so much wonwoo," "hope you accept my gift as an apology" he stutters out. you grab the flowers in your hand and delicately place them beside your noodles on the table.
you two take your cups full of noddle's and start eating them. you decide to get to know him even more. "so although our get to know each other session got cut off last time, tell me more about you." "you really do? i have a real shitty past to be honest." - "well, at least you have me as an outlet to get rid of all that pent up stress." "alright."
wonwoo sighs before he continues, both of "i had to become the ceo of this company when i was barely 18, my father decided to pass it on because my grandfather got ill and my father had to take care of him. by the way, i’m sorry if i bore you because i really suck at all of this. so my father just threw all the work at me with no guidance whatsoever but just to be his 'slave' and make sure the company does well. luckily i had hansol who was there from day 1, he helped me with my work and mistakes although being almost as clueless as i was. but its just that i did not realize that it would mean i would be busy so often. from back to back meetings and with phone calls at any time of the day, there is always some sort of stress when in my position. guess nobody was there for me to help me with my struggles."
you speak up, "no, don't say that wonwoo i'm here okay? just give me a ring anytime you want to talk about anything, don't worry although i'm your fake girlfriend, i will make sure you know you are not alone in this.
there’s a moment of silence before wonwoo goes and gives you the warmest hug. you were speechless. you slowly come to the realization and wrap your arms around his too. "thank you..for being there for me.." wonwoo says in almost an inaudible whisper. he slowly returns back to his normal position on the couch. you both continue eating, "well... wanna watch something...? i'm choosing though, no more sci-fi please."
reaching for the remote, and going to netflix, you see the show '50 shades of grey' at the recently played show column. your eyes go wide before turning to him. "what? i'm a man too okay? i'm mature enough for these things and i heard it's a good show." "no i’m just shocked you watched this for the first time ONLY NOW??" he gives you a frown, "i’m sorry i don't have much time to watch a show and possibly get horny and jerk off?" you roll your eyes and settle on the show puss in boots.
"y'know, puss reminds me of you." you comment. he squints his eyes at that, trying to find any sort of relevance. "how?" he inquires. "well, maybe because you look like a cat too. you're charming like him too." wonwoo gave you a smug look "well, tell me more." "that's for another day, lets play something shall we?" he sighs, "well do you have any board games here?" "uh well..." wonwoo scratches his head-"so i may only have uno..." "eh that'll do." you say.
wonwoo walks over and opens one of the drawers. he pulls out the deck and you grab it from his arms. splitting the cards and shuffling them with ease. "you know the rules don't you?" "please i am not that boring to not know how to play this game." you let out a chuckle. you deal the cards, 7 each. an idea pops into your head. "well, how about we do drinking and uno. get your stash of liquour out hm? " you tell wonwoo. "didn't know you drunk." wonwoo blankly says before walking off and coming back with four bottles of soju in his hands. "what's your tolerance?" he asks you. "uhm one and a half maybe?" he scoffs at that. "you?" you shoot back. "three." - "wow show off." "you asked me, i respond."
"plus..two." wonwoo joyfully says. "no you plus two!" you answer, "plus another two...HAHAHAHA" wonwoo triumphs "plus....four!" you exclaim, "nooo...YOU plus....uh FOUR!!!" wonwoo rejoices. "awh man.. thought i got you.." you start to sob in your hand, the other picking up eight cards. you didn't care that you two were tipsy, anyways the day after was a saturday so who cares? you were nearly gone and wonwoo was still quite stable compared to you. "skip your turn, its mine ! and uno! so... hah plus another four and I WIN IN YOUR FACE AHAHA," wonwoo cheers. "you must've cheated! you are so mean." you say with a huff.
"alright alright time for you to sleep missy. i'll bring you to the guest room" wonwoo grabs your arms and picks you up bridal style and carries you up the stairs. "goodnght y/n" wonwoo says with a small smile on his face after he places you on the bed. "goodnight y/n" he says. "tuck me in." "ugh….fine.." "can't you sleep here with me?" you ask, grabbing his arm. "no i won't, let me go." "fine. go then..just when i thought i liked you." wonwoo's body stiffens at that. "goodnight, you are just drunk." wonwoo quickly strides out of the room before closing the door in a haste. he decided he'll bring this up when the time was right... but he couldn't help his heart from racing when he heard that.
taglist: @dinosbestie @odetoyeonjun @sdoulc @sunggasm @cersti-mo0 @itsveronicaxxx
@seventeenstanner @butterfliesinthenightsky @monmarguerite
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Brewing Love — LSM
The clumsy, newly hired barista honestly sucks at his job. But there's actually a good reason why he's either breaking the coffee machine or forgetting recipes?
【ˢⱽᵀ ᴹᵃˢᵗᵉʳˡⁱˢᵗ || ᴹᵃˢᵗᵉʳᵖᵒˢᵗ】
💞 🄿🄰🄸🅁🄸🄽🄶: Lee Seokmin x reader
📚 🄶🄴🄽🅁🄴: Fluff, Very teeny tiny angst, Coffee Shop/Barista!au
🌟 🅁🄰🅃🄸🄽🄶: G
💬 ⓌⒸ: 4.8k
⚠️ 🅆🄰🅁🄽🄸🄽🄶🅂: Food/Non-alcoholic beverages, Reader has anger issues tbh lol, Not much really lmk if I need to add anything — I really tried to make it gn! as possible so I hope I didn't miss anything :D
💫(っ ◔◡◔)っɛƖ۷'ʂ ŋơɬɛʂ 💕:
requested by the darling miss @chogiwapadada for what I presume is in celebration of 1k on this blog 😏 I don't know if this was a request truly meant for you lmao I think you sent it bc you know it would torture me fjskdf but I finally got it done... anyways, mwah this video lives in my head rent-free thx bestie wife I hope you enjoy it 💖☕
It's just like your brother to leave you to fend for yourself.
You had made Joshua swear up and down to you in person that he would never leave the quaint coffee shop he'd opened last year near the local campus unattended and unsupervised. You'd collected written assurance that he would give you fair warning if he needed your assistance. All you'd asked was at least a week's notice. You were a busy person!
Seungkwan would never let Joshua do you dirty like this. But your best friend was in Jeju now, as he always was during this time of year to see family. Meaning there would be no one to operate the coffee shop during its busiest season, the second month of the fall semester.
Joshua knew this. Seungkwan's been the 'best' to your 'friend' for decades.
One to two people was enough to keep disgruntled students and surly professors semi-satisfied with their daily (or hourly) orders of much-needed caffeine. Joshua was always in the back, filling in between Seungkwan's generous shift hours or whenever it got busy — or at least that's where he was supposed to be.
Right now, Joshua must be enjoying himself on the white sands of some remote beach. Watching the sun sparkle across aqua blue waves as the tide rushes in to kiss his toes, sea breeze whipping back the black locks of his hair, one arm wrapped snugly around the shoulders of his partner.
You're happy for him. Truly. You did not want him to feel any bad vibes on his special vacation.
Still — that didn't eliminate the fact that you hoped he would stub his toe on a rock as you glare at his sloppy, scribbled signature on the written agreement that ended up doing you no good.
You're well aware that he and his significant other had decided on a small, private wedding. You were the one who happily lent your assistance in helping them prepare it. The celebration was quiet and tiny in contrast to the radiant display of love and affection they had toward one another. A reason why they had been debating on whether or not they would go somewhere extravagant instead for their honeymoon.
You slam a glass a little too harshly on the counter. Of course, you'd advocated that they should! Duh! You just didn't think Joshua would send a lame text message, having already booked a flight and halfway out of the country by the time you read it in the morning. That was Joshua's escape mechanism to avoid the wrath of your anger as you scrambled to get to the coffee shop and open it before the regulars in a more foul mood than you decided to riot.
Smart and stupid.
AKA Joshua Hong, your beloved brother.
The door to the storage room bangs open and you hear a worried gasp of your name before two hands are wrapping around your own, trying to gently pry your fingers from around the glass. You let out an angry huff of air that causes your hair to fly up but release the death grip on the glass and let yourself be fussed over.
"I thought you had broken something!"
"What, like you do?"
It's fascinating to watch the blush creep up along Seokmin's neck to his ears and finally color the roundness of his cheeks. The soft trace of his fingers over yours intently checking for any signs of injury is equally as heartwarming as him trying to defend himself.
"That… that was… an accident."
You raise an eyebrow. "Are you saying I was trying to break something on purpose?"
"N-no! I was just worried you might've hurt yourself."
"I'm fine and so is this glass. Now get back to what you were doing, our afternoon rush will be hitting soon."
Like a scolded puppy, you can practically see figurative dog ears drooping as Seokmin hunches his broad shoulders and slinks back to the storage room. Despite being thousands of miles away, Seungkwan pulled through with helpful information that he knew someone who was looking for a part-time job. Of course, your best friend who was a reliable worker fully understood additional assistance was needed during the month and a half that Joshua was gone. Unfortunately, he had underestimated just how clumsy Seokmin was.
Although he was sweet and ready to learn immediately upon being hired, you swear it only added more work to your plate to train him. It also didn't help that his charming good looks caused an influx of customers to flock to the shop, very unsubtly to steal glances and shoot their shots with the new barista. Even you could admit that watching Seokmin's arms flex as he operated the large coffee machines, the bright sparkle in his eyes that matched his brilliant smile, and his shy but endearing nature were all very healing for the soul.
But you were also a witness to the horrifying scene of him almost breaking the great coffee contraption that cost nearly triple the amount that students paid for tuition at the campus. If you had been a cat, all your fur would've been poofed out when you hissed in shock at the unnaturally loud clank that echoed over the calm background music when he'd pushed down a lever too hard.
The future flashed before your eyes at that moment.
A furious, caffeine-deprived mob banging outside your door. Seungkwan complaining about his puffy face after crying for weeks. A perplexed Joshua divorced merely a month after marriage because now he's swimming in debt. Loan sharks dirtying your name and preventing you from ever getting a new job to pay for repairs and all other extraneous bills. You and Joshua are homeless, branded as criminals on the run.
Okay, maybe that was a little dramatic.
But you've poured a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and money into this place and that darn machine — none of which you technically even own. It's your brother's pride and joy just as much as it became yours, a comforting place to visit on your days off that you are more than happy to assist when it all comes down to it.
Even now, you're eyeing Seokmin suspiciously as he very gently lowers the lever to start the process and shoots you a sheepish smile. Everything turned out alright in the end. But you had to spend an extra two hours last week examining the components closely with your new hire cringing but giving you pouty, pleading gazes in the hopes that you wouldn't fire him on the spot.
Of course, you didn't. You even brewed him your signature blend to ensure that the machine was operating as it should and as additional compensation for the extra time he stayed. Plus, you needed his help. Whether you liked him or not.
You did like him, though.
"Um, can you help me finish this latte?"
You jump. Lost in your thoughts, you're unaware of Seokmin's sudden presence as he whispers in your ear, minty breath warm as it fans against the side of your face.
"Uh, yeah. Sure."
Even though he did things like this, yes. You somehow still really did like Seokmin.
He's good at acting oblivious to the curious, questioning stares of the customers waiting at the counter and you do your best to ignore them as well. Peeking over his shoulder, you talk him through it as your nervous system relaxes because of the refreshing scent that surrounds him.
You don't know how to describe it but Seokmin smells like sunshine. Maybe because he is the sun itself.
"And you know what's next?"
"Wait, don't tell me." His eyebrows scrunch as he closes his eyes in thought, mumbling what he's already done to remind himself.
"You've added almost all of the ingredients."
"Right. Cinnamon, vanilla extract, syrup… the coffee of course. Uh…"
"Milk."
"Yes," he puts down a finger as he counts, "the milk… Oh! The milk!" Smacking his forehead lightly, he grabs one of the containers that he'd frothed a portion of the milk in earlier. "Duh, how could I forget that again?"
"You're doing better each time."
You're taken aback when you pat him encouragingly and he turns, not even flinching at how close his face is to yours. "All thanks to you."
You blanch at his sparkly, grateful eyes and quickly shuffle to the counter. The woman waiting for her order is giggling as you approach and you choose to ignore it.
"Would you like whipped cream?"
"I do like sweet things," she slyly says and takes it from your grasp, laser-focused on the man behind you. "Care to top me off, Sugar?"
You follow her expectant gaze only to find Seokmin not even paying attention. His back is turned and he's humming happily to himself as he cleans up the used utensils and straightens the dishes.
"Um… excuse me, darling?"
"I think she wants whipped cream," you say. Or something… someone… else runs across your mind only to blink when the tube is dangled in front of your face. "Huh?"
"Said you needed it, right?" Seokmin waves it back and forth until you take it from him and goes right back to what he was doing with a bounce in his step. "Let me know if I can grab anything else for you!"
The woman is boring holes into the side of your head as you stare at his back flabbergasted for a few seconds before snapping out of it. Meeting her narrowed eyes, you put on your best customer service smile and squeeze the whipped cream dispenser to top off her latte.
"Could I get you anythi — "
"Hah! No. Thank. You."
She flounces out as if she's a damaged diva not even waiting for you to finish and you shrug, wiping up the wasted drops of liquid heavy cream. Losing a customer who has a bad attitude is no skin off your back.
"What was her issue? She was kinda rude."
"And here I thought you weren't paying attention."
"Of course I was. She asked for whipped cream, she got whipped cream. No reason to cut you off like that when she got what she wanted."
"But she didn't."
"What?"
You turn around with a knowing smirk and lean against the counter when Seokmin tilts his head in confusion. "She didn't get your attention."
He rolls his eyes. "That's ridiculous."
"Are you single?"
"Uh… wh-why do you ask?"
It's amusing how his demeanor changes so quickly, once again flustered after being snarky for merely two seconds.
"Sorry, I'm not trying to pry. You don't have to tell me, what I mean is that, if you are single it's okay if you wish to spark a connection with a customer. Nobody's going to fire you for that, we're chill about it. That's how my brother met his partner after all."
"I… I don't — "
"I'm not saying you have to, like if you already have someone special you're also free to invite them over if you want 'cause you know Kwannie does that all — "
"I'm single!"
You blink at his abrupt outburst. "Okay. I wanted to make sure you're comfortable here. As long as you don't break my coffee machine, you can do what you want."
"I just," he runs a hand through his hair, "it's… it's nothing you have to worry about."
Seokmin looks so devastatingly serious — almost upset — that your body moves before you realize it, playfully dispensing a dollop of whipped cream on the tip of his nose. It's comical how his eyes cross in confusion to stare at it in utter astonishment that you can't help but let out a tiny snort.
He recovers from the shock faster than you think. Thumb scooping the cream off with lightning speed before he cradles your cheek and chin, smearing it across your bottom lip with a gentle swipe.
You've heard detailed stories from your friends, and even sickenly from your brother, about the legendary sparks that fly in moments with someone you deem special. But no one ever talks about the absolute stillness. How everything seems to fade away and it feels like it's just you and Seokmin in the world. In that moment.
Staring into his warm, dark-brown eyes that hold galaxies. Holding your breath when his gaze drifts down to watch how your tongue pokes out to lick up a tiny bit of the whipped cream. Right where his thumb hovers above your lips. How his eyes dart back up to yours, leaning in just a smidgeon before the sound of someone irritably clearing their throat shatters the spell.
"How quaint."
You leap away from Seokmin's grasp, scowling at the new arrival who lazily adjusts his barely-tied tie, only causing it to look messier. Yet, it somehow makes the local populace drool over him even more.
"Yoon Jeonghan."
He laughs at the way you hiss his name, unfazed by your venomous tone. "That's now Professor Yoon to you, sweetcheeks."
"Gross. I doubt any students can take you seriously."
"Does Shua know his sibling isn't looking after the shop and customers but flirt — "
"Josh knows his place is well taken care of because I'm here, isn't that why you told him to take off?" You interrupt with a pointed tone, raising your eyebrows. "What do you want, the usual?"
Jeonghan rolls his eyes. "You're acting like their elopement was my idea."
"And it wasn't? Can't fool me, Mr. Yoon."
"Not always. But I'm not lying, it really wasn't me. You know Joshua is much more mischievous than he lets on."
"Yeah, tell me about it. He's had a bad influence ever since he was young."
"Ouch. Are you sure you're not talking about yourself?"
The cardboard coffee container is nearly crushed by your grip as you hand it to him. "If your conscience stings you must be feeling guilty, unlike me."
You hear a snort off to your side and side-eye where Seokmin is trying to hold back his laughter at the bantering while he fusses with another recipe. His cheeks are still flushed, ears adorably tinged red and you bite your lip.
"Ahem. Sometime today, preferably."
Jeonghan's additional cough snaps you out of your trance, glaring at your brother's best friend as if you weren't caught red-handed. Again.
"Here. Your order."
He delicately picks up the cup, a stark contrast to your aggressive movements. "Thank you, my dear barista. A one out of ten experience as usual."
If you could, you'd flip him off as he turns his back to leave like you normally do. But 'professional' times call for 'professional' behavior and you've already made a fool of yourself enough today.
"Go ahead and post your opinion online as promised! Then you'll see how irrelevant it really is!"
That doesn't stop you from having the last word when the bell jingles and Jeonghan graciously responds with a middle finger once he's fully stepped out the door. A sigh of irritation escapes and you tap your nails irritably on top of the counter. Maybe you can speak to your friend Seungcheol in administration and find out how in the world that menace managed to get employed.
You don't actually dislike your brother's best friend. He just grates on every single one of the few nerves you have left.
Seokmin sidles up to you. "Hey, do you have some time tonight?"
"Why? Want to go over some more things?"
"That would be nice, yeah."
"Sure." You shrug in agreement. It's not like you had any big plans. "Let's see if we can survive through this mob first, though. Seems like classes have let out for common hour — oh, wait!"
He freezes, wide-eyed. It's your turn to grasp his sharp jawline in one hand, bringing his face closer to yours. Ignoring the way he nervously licks his lips and how his eyelashes flutter as he rapidly blinks, you take a napkin and wipe the sticky remnants of white still left on his nose.
"Sorry," you murmur, "you had… there was just… a little… "
"Thank you." Seokmin's hand covers yours pressed against his cheek before you can move away. You're forced to meet his gaze head-on, unable to look anywhere else. "Thanks for taking care of me."
"O-of c-course!" You curse yourself for stuttering like an idiot. "I m-mean I have to take care of you, what kind of person do you think I am?"
It's Seokmin's turn to take the first step back but he does it with a calmness that almost seems calculated if it weren't for his embarrassed giggle that sounds abnormal being two pitches higher than usual. Shamelessly he winks at you, pretending like the heat that's been burning in his cheeks hasn't spread down to even his arms.
"A very sweet one."
You try to hide your shy smile behind a frown, sarcasm, and the chatter of customers coming in. "Well, duh!"
Time flies when the coffee shop is bustling. The lines do not let up and somehow, Seokmin helps keep up decently without any terrible disasters befalling. Just as the sun begins to sink below the horizon and cast off the distinct glow of golden hour rays, you happily flip the 'closed' sign to display on the door.
Stretching, the feelings of relief at the end of the day are briefly interrupted by Jeonghan walking by on his way home and you rightfully get your vindication. Two middle fingers and a big grin. Gestures he doesn't fail to kindly return.
Your neck prickles and warms slightly when you go back inside and find Seokmin grinning at you as he leans on the counter, forearms nicely on display. The frothy glass placed between them allows you to ogle his arms without it being too obvious.
"You like it, huh?"
"Huh? Like what?"
"Messing with Jeonghan." A playful smile is on his lips, almost a smirk like he knows.
"Well, yeah. We've known each other since we've been in diapers so it's easy to give him crap."
"Ever had a crush on him?"
You put your hands on your hips. "What's this? Revenge for earlier?"
"Depends on what you're referring to." His eyes sparkle. "And maybe your answer."
"Why does this feel like a test?"
"Maybe it is."
"You're a piece of work!" You exclaim, eyebrows twitching at the next words that come out of his mouth.
"As much work as Jeonghan?"
"No, Hannie's something else, for sure. Now, you… you're just… I don't know… difficult."
"You wound me, you really do." Seokmin shakes his head with a smile. "All I did was ask a simple question but it seems like getting to the answer's more difficult than I am."
"What do you get out of knowing?"
"I don't know… wingman privileges?"
You choke on air. "Are you trying to set us up?"
"If that's what you want. Your answer, then?"
"No, thank you," you say emphatically with your entire chest and he beams.
"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" He gestures to one of the tables and you take a seat with a huff.
"You know I could cut your pay out of spite."
"Yeah, but you're not going to."
"You're right, as long as this drink isn't poisoned." You stare dubiously at the beverage placed in front of you and he whines.
"The last one wasn't that bad!"
"No, but… it wasn't good either. Oh? What's this?"
Tonight, it's not just a drink Seokmin has whipped up. A pretty little fruit cake on a plate is accompanied by it and you poke it questioningly with the fork he also hands to you.
"I made it."
"You did?" You eye it and poke it again. "Well, it's awfully squishy for something made out of plastic."
He whines again, this time your name. "I'm serious! Just try it."
You relent, of course. You've already established the terms ahead of time in case you get sick from something he's made. Not that you have, but it's always good to be prepared for the worst case scenario.
Gingerly, you take a tiny bite. Eyes unwittingly lighting up in enjoyment at the taste of one of your favorite sweets and the way the fluffy dessert melts on your tongue. Absolutely deli —
"It's good, isn't it?"
"Just say you bought it."
"Wha — ?"
"You can't fool me. Clearly this cake is store bought."
"I… " Seokmin tilts his head. "Okay, you got me… you enjoyed it though, right?"
"It's a very appreciated treat, thank you. Where did you buy it?"
"Um, got it from a local bakery. I think they just opened so I'm glad it tasted good."
"Oh, nearby?"
He twiddles with his thumbs. "Uh, p-perhaps I can take you…?"
It is at this moment you heavily weigh your options in a decision-making split second. Grabbing the drink you haven't touched yet, you gather up the confidence you didn't even know you could summon around him.
"A date?"
Seokmin's entire body twitches as he mildly chokes on his saliva. His downturned gaze shoots up to meet yours before returning to the very, incredibly, interesting mark on the table.
"Um…"
"Is it? Are you asking me on a date?"
"W-would you… g-go with me? I mean t-to the place."
You raise your glass in his direction, a smile growing on your lips. "I would like to meet the professional baker who made this cake… "
He bites his lip. "Are you teasing me?"
"Not necessarily."
"Then?"
"If your drink concoctions meet my expectations, then we can go… on a date?"
The poor man looks like he might die on the spot. "You're definitely making fun of me."
"Am not." Even with your mischievous banter, the answer is clear when you slightly grimace after taking a sip. "Why does this taste a bit off?"
"I don't know…"
"I think you added too much syrup. Did you remember to divide it evenly?"
He shrugs. "I think so?"
Sighing, you stand up and gesture for him to follow you around back. "Let's go over the basics again. I can't believe you're still so bad at this."
"Maybe I don't have a good teacher." Seokmin's hands fly up in defense when you whirl around. "I'm kind of over here struggling to wrap my head around if you're asking me out or if you're tricking me into thinking I asked you out."
"Use that lovely brain power of yours to retain the correct measurements this time to succeed. If you want to go on a date, that is."
"I'll do my best."
Seokmin's grand declaration is encouraging but every single fancy drink he prepares for you flops and you're starting to consider that maybe this was his subtle way to reject the date offer. You're mildly insulted, to say the least. But in all honesty, you don't have time to dwell on it, let alone even have time for one anyways.
It's a relief when Seungkwan returns, granting you some well-deserved days off to return to your normal routine. By the time you've finally caught up with things and find time to drop by the coffee shop again, it's been a little over a week. Joshua's flight landed the night before as well, meaning your dashing brother would be well within choking range soon.
Your best friend greets you at the front with a tight hug and large bag of souvenirs as promised. You ask him about his visit and he chats animatedly about the rest of the Boo family he hasn't seen since last year.
"You know I was worried that you didn't get any rest before coming to work but it seems like things are going smoothly."
The atmosphere is peaceful and quiet, the midday lull leaving the shop empty and Seugnkwan's as bubbly as ever. In fact, he rolls his eyes at you and clicks his tongue.
"I got a ton of rest, silly. And Seok's a great help."
"Yeah, he's not too bad. I just feel bad that you have to manage everything as soon as you got back."
"Aw, you gotta chill out, bestie. Seriously, we have a pro on our hands."
"I know you're more than capable — "
"Not me, I'm talking about Seokmin obviously!"
"What?"
Seungkwan babbles on while you're left flabbergasted. "You know it's incredible, really. He's already whipped up a whole bunch of new drinks and now that we're going to be adding pastries to the menu, he wants to kickstart them by launching a holiday theme! Something fruity because — "
"Whoa, whoa… what are you even ta — "
"Spilling all of my trade secrets already, Kwan?"
You turn around at the voice but you're not even focused on the man speaking who's suddenly shrouded in mystery but glaring daggers at the one with his arm wrapped around Seokmin's shoulders.
"Joshua Hong!"
"Behold!" Your brother raises his tanned arms to the ceiling. "We have acquired brand new bold and raw talent!"
"Don't think I won't kick your butt because there are people around!"
"Lovely to see you too, dear!"
Seungkwan rushes to hold you back when you take a threatening step towards his boss. "I understand your feelings but can we please call a truce for now!"
"I demand an explanation."
"Of course," Joshua nods, "you have my eternal gratification for various reasons but especially because you convinced the Lee Seokmin to come to the dark side."
"You know I want to hear about something else so what are you talking about, Kwannie picked him? And the 'dark side'? This isn't a cult!"
"Well, yeah but it wasn't until he found out that you — "
Seokmin interrupts Joshua with a hacking fit causing the two other men to look at him in concern. Your eyebrow twitches.
"Clearly there are many things going on that I don't understand." Whether it was intentional or not, you didn't like it.
"It's not like that, it's just — "
"Seokmin's the son of the family that owns that famous bakery in town," Seungkwan supplies helpfully, the only one with a tiny bit of common sense. "He's been scouted by tons of places since he decided to start out on his own but he's agreed to set up shop here."
Your mouth drops at this new information. "What?"
Joshua's arms wrap around the younger man's shoulders again. "Isn't this exciting? It's going to bolster our sales so much!"
When your eyes meet Seokmin's, he winces. "I wasn't trying to hide anyth — "
"If you didn't want to go on a date so bad, you could've just told me."
It slips out of your mouth before you can even think and everyone, including yourself, freezes. Realizing what you said, you swear under your breath, getting ready to bolt away from the scene immediately. But as usual, Seokmin's one step faster. He gently grabs your wrist, spinning you to face him again.
"I swear it was nothing like that! I…. I ended up delaying things because I was nervous."
"Why? There was — well, at least I thought — there was… I don't know… something between us?" Your other hand covers your face. "I can't believe you're making me say this in front of my brother and friend!"
He sucks in a harsh breath. "How do you think I feel? And I'm sorry, I didn't… I was just being stupid. I wanted to… liked spending more time with you but I was unsure of what Joshua might think of me."
"He could give two rats less about a single thing."
"True dat," your brother chimes in.
"You see how he runs this coffee shop… or rather the lack of. No responsibility."
"Hey!"
While Seungkwan hushes your brother, Seokmin takes both of your hands in his. "I'm sorry. Really. C-can I please make it up to you? Maybe o-over some cake and coffee? I'll explain whatever you want."
You chew on your lip, the warmth of his grip and pleading gaze causing you to rock back and forth on your heels. "Are you asking me on a date, Lee Seokmin?"
He catches onto your teasing tone and squeezes your hands. "If you'd be okay with that…"
—
Seokmin still is bad at making drinks. Even if he's improved and follows the recipe correctly, they still taste awfully bland. Neither you nor Joshua nor Seungkwan can figure it out but it's okay because that's where you come in. His grandiose ideas are brewed into fruition by your very own talents and that's why you stick around.
Or perhaps the delicious little desserts and pastries prettily displayed on the counter are another motivation. Definitely getting to test-taste every single one before it's put on the menu is certainly a bonus.
And maybe… just maybe… It's the smiley man whose kindness is baked into each one of the tasty treats that becomes the real reason you stop by every day. Just like how everybody comes for their daily fix of caffeine, you cannot go without your daily fix of love from and for your very own Lee Seokmin.
dokyeomblr September 2022: Brewing Love ©
#ezralia-writes#ezralia-creates#requests#writing-reqs#caratwritersclub#seventeen#dokyeom x reader#dk x reader#seokmin x reader#lee seokmin x reader#dokyeom fluff#seventeen fluff#svt fluff#kwritersworldnet#kvanity#svt#dokyeom#dk#seokmin#seventeenweeklyarticle
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us and the corner of the library.
synopsis ; wonwoo is your childhood friends, you and him likes to read a book in the book store near your house but he is suddenly move from the city. after long time, you meet him again.
pairing ; gn!reader + jeon wonwoo
genre ; fluff
notes ; mentioned childhood friends-to-lovers, You might find this story a little long-winded, I'm not a native english speaker so if my writing has many mistakes or inaccurate words, please understand and give advice so that I can develop better.
as usually, you are going to the library alone to read some book or just take a nap at 1 pm before the second class session begin. you lean your shoulders against the chair hoping that all your tiredness will transfer to the chair quickly but the reality is not.
you start to throw your head back and slowly close your eyes enjoying the soothing silence. “okay, I'll close my eyes for ten minutes and then I'll look for a new book to read,” you mumble and say to yourself. but still five minutes in, the sound of footsteps and the creak of a chair being pulled makes you wake up but you keep your eyes closed.
the smell of wood perfume spreads to your sense of smell. smelling it, feeling it, feel more comfortable to close your eyes and go to sleep. suddenly you think of one person who has the same distinctive smell. "haha, no way," you reassure yourself. "but what if it's really him?" your mind begin to fight with each other, fighting to convince yourself who wins.
you slowly open your eyes and return your head back to normal position. taking a few breaths but your heartbeat is getting faster, like you're getting ready to run a race.
you see a man sitting leaning against a bookshelf, carrying a book in his hand. he doesn't look forward, he just stares down at the book he's taking.
“who is that? i do not ever seen him before, is he a student in the next building? if so, why did he come all the way here?” your head is very noisy right now just because of her presence. you try your best to stop thinking about who she is, even try to divert your mind to a book that you read but all your efforts are in vain.
the sound of footsteps can be heard walking towards you, trying your hardest to look natural so that you won't be caught fighting with yourself.
"excuse me, can I sit here?" his heavy voice echoes throughout the room but feels soft to the ears. you just nodded your head in response without looking at him. "thanks," he replies.
you cleared your throat, “so, who are you?” no answer coming out from him. “are you a student here too?” your voice gets quieter at the end. your eyes try to steal a glance at him, as he smiles slightly. “yeah,” his eyes meet yours as the answer escaped his lips.
unconsciously you hands covered your mouth in surprise at his presence. “for god’s sake, jeon wonwoo??” slowly your right eye feels something dropping, a tear. tears of happiness, not sadness.
he close his book. “yeah, hai ? how’s life?”
you smirk. “bad as you leaving.”
“is that bad?”
“guess by yourself.”
he is laughing softly at there, put his books aside so he can get a little closer to you. “i’m sorry,” his hand slowly reaching yours, he move his thumb gently along your back of hand, trying to make you a little calmer.
“i hate you,” you said with a bitter laugh. “where have you been?” his other hand tries to wipe away your tears, “yeah, you should guessed it yourself.”
you tilt your head, asking what’s the meaning in silence. “family issue,” he said. you gasp shocked, “don’t worry, I’m okay now.” you exhaling a sigh of relief is like releasing a burden that has been held for years and it turns into the biggest smile you ever do—after he leaving.
time flies so fast, it’s half past two in the afternoon, half an hour until your second session class starts and you have to rush to class. “Omg, i have to go now.”
he tilts his head, “where?”. your hands stop neatly arranging the book you’re reading and stare at him, “class. don’t you have any class today?” he shook his head, you rolls your eyes. “glad to hear that, take your time."
his hand gently pulls your hand when you are about to stand up, “what?” you gaze at him. wonwoo—who is pulls your hand—had no idea what is he doing right now, “can I go with you?” his eyes stare at you straight but pleadingly.
you look him in the eye. “where?”
“your class?”
“no, you can’t jeon wonwoo.”
“why?”
you rolls your eyes. “my teacher would kill you.”
his eyes opened wide after hearing your words. “if you want, you can wait for me here or in the indoor garden,” you trying to give him another options.
“okay, I will wait you at the indoor garden.” he answering with full of enthusiasm.
he also stands up and packs up the books he picked up earlier. after he is done with it, his hand grasped yours gently, giving it a comforting touch.
you huffs, "you'll have to tell me everything, from when you left the house until now."
he grunted, "it's too much, I can't do it."
"I didn't say everything has to be told now did I?" you looks up at him and grinned then Wonwoo realized that immediately. he chuckled then patted your head lightly, "nice try."
you and wonwoo walked out of the library hand in hand with a little laughter, "come back tomorrow?" you ask.
"Yes, I'm always here." He answering with a very shady smile. "But I'd never see you," you mutter thoughtfully.
Wonwoo ruffles your hair playfully as he laughs, "That's because you're always sleeping."
realizing your cheeks and face were flushed, you quickly turned your face away from him then snorted in annoyance as if sulking and left him behind you. he yelled while catching up with you with his merry laughter.
you point your little finger in front of him, "promise not to leave me again?" he frowned, and didn't move.
from that moment onwards, wonwoo and you always met at the library and sometimes went home together.
"oh okay", just as you were about to pull your finger back, wonwoo linked his little finger to yours. "promise."
Wonwoo smiles so wide that his neat rows of teeth are exposed, and your chest feels tight like it's filled with millions of butterflies that suddenly want to swarm out of there.
#seventeen#svt imagines#svt scenarios#wonwoo#wonwoo x reader#wonwoo fic#wonwoo fluff#fic writing#jeon wonwoo#seventeenweeklyarticle#svt fic#seventeen x reader
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Darling
Jeon Wonwoo x fem!Reader
Genre: fluff with a hint of anxiety.
Final Word Count: 9k
Warnings: mildly suggestive content. drinking/alcohol mentions. (mentions of having children.)
[Series: Serenity Street 17] Your boyfriend’s been trying to propose to you all week, but he’s starting to wonder if he should wait until you’ve settled into your new apartment.
[DAY 1, FRIDAY]
Tucked in the deepest crevices of his pocket, the ring weighted heavy. It was hidden in a small green velvet box, waiting for its time to shine on your finger, just like he was waiting for the right moment to present it to you.
The ring seemed to get heavier the more in love he fell – or so he had found. But the timing was never right. But maybe this week he could finally break out of this circle and propose like he’d been daydreaming for so long.
“Wonwoo!” your voice called his attention away from the ring. He hummed and feigned a smile that would soon become genuine. You let out a helpless laugh and pointed to the pile of cardboard boxes waiting in the back of your car. “Aren’t you going to help? What? Am I the only one moving?”
He laughed at your words before taking the large box from your hands, much to your evident annoyance. “I’m here, I’m here.”
“You seem so distant lately,” you mumbled and picked up a different box before turning to the front door. You let out a deep breath as you stared up at the menacing six-story building.
“Come on then, slowpoke,” he told you through laughter, already halfway up the first stairs. “The apartment’s not gonna fill itself.”
“If we just hired a moving company, it would,” you bit back and followed after him nonetheless.
Wonwoo, having waited for you at the top of the first stairs, offered scoff. “I’m the only moving company you need, sweetheart.”
You pretended to throw up in your mouth as you passed him by and did your best to run up to the second floor. You would soon realise your mistake, leaning against the railing on the third floor, out of breath.
Once Wonwoo, always the slow and steady one, reached you, you whined, “Why did we choose the sixth floor? It’s too far.”
“You wanted a nice view of the river,” he retorted before nudging you. “Do you want to give me your box?”
“I can handle it.”
His eyes narrowed. “Liar.”
You offered him a glare and instead of making him cower, it only served to make his heart grow fonder. The ring felt even heavier than before as he couldn’t help but smile at your expression.
But proposing on the stairs while you’re both out of breath wouldn’t be very romantic, would it? The ring would have to wait a little longer, he decided, and smiled a little wider.
You grumbled when he leaned over to press a kiss to your cheek.
“Come on now,” he encouraged sweetly, “we’re already halfway there.”
“Do we really have to carry all this stuff up the stairs?” you whined but followed him the best you could. He wondered if you were aware of the way his eyes darted back over to you every time you let out a slightly louder gasp for air.
Wonwoo fought a laugh. “We can always just leave all our stuff in the van and carry one box a day. Whatever suits you best, darling, but I do warn you that it will probably take closer to three years than three days that way.”
“Always the smartass,” you grumbled under your breath but he pretended not to hear.
“The fourth floor!” he cheered right then, smiling brightly at you as he danced under the large number 4 sign on the wall. “Just a bit more to go!”
As you were about to respond with a sarcastic remark, a new voice joined the conversation and Wonwoo knew right then that his proposal would have to wait another day.
“Hi! Are you guys the new renters of 6B?”
Wonwoo nodded, his eyes fixating on the cheerful guy coming up to them from the hallway. “Yeah, that’s us.”
“Finally!” The man clapped his hands together, a wide smile on his face. “We’ve all been so excited to meet you guys! I’m Seungkwan!” He reached out his hand to shake Wonwoo’s but quickly realised the two of you had more important things to use the hands for. With an awkward smile, he retracted his hand. “I live in 4B. It’s so nice to finally meet you.”
“I’m Wonwoo and this is my fi– partner, (Y/n),” your boyfriend introduced right after, cursing in his head at the smallest slip-up and praying you didn’t notice.
Thankfully, you seemed unaware of his mistake. Seungkwan, on the other hand, gave him a knowing look and a teasing smile. “Right,” he trailed off with a nod before clapping his hands together again. “Do you need help moving?”
“Yes!”
“No,” Wonwoo tried to argue but you were faster and far more enthusiastic than him. To be honest, he probably would’ve succumbed to your wish within minutes anyway. It was easier to just give up now. He sighed softly. “Yeah, I guess we do need some help.”
He glanced towards the metal doors in the wall across from the staircase. “We were told there was an elevator but it didn’t seem to work just now.”
“Oh, that old thing?” Seungkwan visibly shuddered. “You’re better off pretending it’s not there. It’s always either broken or leaving people stranded inside. Just ask Junhui and Jihyeon.”
Before Wonwoo or you could ask who those were, Seungkwan gasped. “Right, I was supposed to get you some help with the boxes. How many people do you need? Three? Four? Seven? Ten?”
“I–” You shared confused looks. “I guess three would be fine?” you finally decided.
“Alright, I’ll go find someone to help.” Seungkwan nodded and began counting on his fingers. “Yeah, I can find someone. Three people.”
“You could be one,” Wonwoo offered with a short laugh.
Seungkwan waved his idea off. “No, no, I have work in like half an hour. I was just on my way. Alright, I guess I’ll go and find…” He began his descent down the stairs all the while mumbling, “Joshua, Mingyu and Jihoon, maybe… Jihoon’s definitely home.”
Wonwoo and you stood in silence for a moment before sharing a laugh and continuing your journey up the stairs.
“Do you think this is one of those buildings where everyone knows everyone and they have little dinners and game nights together?” you wondered.
“From the sound of that guy, it definitely is,” Wonwoo concluded. He could only hope they wouldn’t take his introverted nature as a personal offence.
Perhaps the conversation on the fourth floor served as a much needed break because the sixth floor came into view very quickly after that.
Upon reaching the rooftop, you practically dropped your box and slumped against your boyfriend’s back. “That… That was pure torture.”
“We still have twenty boxes to go, darling,” he told you softly as he leaned over to kiss your head. “Do you need a break?”
You considered for a moment. “No, we’re already here,” you eventually decided and pushed yourself back upright, picking up your box again. Just a few more steps and you would be in your new home.
“Come on then,” he laughed. “Let’s go take a look. I think there was a bed there.”
“There’d better be a bed or I might scream.”
“Then I hope the walls are thick.”
You snorted and followed him to the door. “Guess we’ll find out soon enough.”
As you reached into your pocket for the keys, loud voices sounded over from the staircase. You froze in your spot, eyes darting over to Wonwoo.
“These must be the guys Seungkwan sent over to help,” he guessed and turned to greet them.
Instead of three mean, five came, a woman in tow. The tallest of them offered a wide smile and a wave to the pair of you. “Hi, are you the new renters?”
“Depends. Who’s asking?” Wonwoo joked before nodding. “I’m Wonwoo. This is (Y/n).”
“Well, I’m Mingyu from 1A,” the tall man introduced, practically waltzing over to you, “and these are my neighbour Jihoon, Joshua from 3A, and Junhui and Vernon. Jun and Vernon live in 6A, so I guess they’re your neighbours.”
“They’re a bit shy though,” the woman told you with a mischievous smile. “Don’t mind it too much when they run away when you try to say ‘hi’.”
Joshua snorted. “I think you’re just scary to them.”
“I’m Jina, by the way,” the woman introduced after rolling her eyes at the man’s remark. “I’m this weird guy’s roommate. Not really by choice.”
“I sure hope you two have a better relationship than they do,” Jihoon told you with a chuckle.
“So, where do you need us?” Vernon wondered. “I assume you locked your van so we can’t really…”
As Wonwoo was about to volunteer, you had the exact same idea and spoke up, “I’ll come downstairs and unlock it for you guys. Wonwoo, you can handle it up here alone, right?”
You handed him the apartment keys before he could protest, so he just nodded for now. At least Jina went with you so you wouldn’t be alone, he told himself with a sigh as he unlocked the door.
Upon placing the things down on the living room floor, he sighed and reached into his pocket. His fingers wrapped around the velvet box before bringing it out.
“Guess you’ll have to wait another day,” he whispered, admiring the ring and all it would stand for. Soon. He’ll just have to be patient.
[DAY 2, SATURDAY]
His forced his eyes open with a low groan. The sun was too bright and he didn’t like it at all.
He also didn’t like the way you were trying to wriggle out of his embrace in bed.
“Stay still,” he mumbled and tightened his hold just enough to keep you there. He knew he was too stubborn for his own good every morning, but he told himself he could afford to be a little selfish from time to time. He closed his eyes in preparation for more sleep.
When you made another attempt to leave him, he groaned and tightened his hold once again, a bit tighter this time. You let out a laugh at his affection and he felt a smile tug at his lips at the sound – he loved hearing your laughter.
“Wonwoo, darling,” you whispered as you turned in his arms to face him, “we need to get up eventually. It’s already almost noon.”
He grunted. “We have time. The boxes aren’t going anywhere.”
“That’s exactly why we need to wake up.” You laughed once again, at your own joke this time. “The boxes aren’t going anywhere and it’s driving me insane.”
“Darling, if I don’t get to sleep and hold you for a little longer, I will be the one going insane.”
His words seemed to do the trick and you stopped protesting for the time being. You just lied there, in his arms in your shared new apartment, right where you belonged, and he didn’t remember ever feelings so complete before.
The thought of proposing came once again, urgently ringing in the back of his mind. This was the perfect moment he realised. Almost on instinct, his hand began reaching for his pocket – only to realise he wasn’t wearing his pants and the ring was on the other side of the bed, on the chair where his pants were.
Still, better with a ring in reach and in the perfect moment than not at all. He cleared his throat. His hand was already running up and down your arm as if to feel your closer.
“Darling, will you–”
“Okay, wake up,” you interrupted and his eyes flew right open at the sound. You laughed at his expression before pressing a kiss to his cheek and sitting up. “Come on now, we have stuff to unpack and a bedroom to decorate and the living room is a mess and– What do you want for breakfast? I think we have some eggs in the fridge.”
He was dumbfounded. Still, he swallowed back his annoyance and nodded. “I think there were some eggs and Mingyu brought us some tomatoes and bread too.”
“Oh!” You cheered. “Looks like we have a plan for breakfast.” Your gentle slap against his bicep stung only the tiniest bit. “ Wake up now, or else we’ll really be moving in for three years in a row.”
Begrudgingly, he sat up and stretched. “Fine, but you owe me twenty kisses in the evening.”
“For what?” you wondered while pulling on your clothes.
“Just because.”
You clicked your tongue. “And to think I almost made you breakfast in bed.”
Feeling playful all of a sudden, he immediately lied back down. You stared at him in astonishment as he joked, “You still can.”
“Get up!” You reached for a pillow to hit him with, smiling at the sound of his laughter. “You’re in charge of setting the table now.”
“Fine, fine,” he laughed still and finally climbed out of bed.
He wondered if you felt a similar sense of fondness as you watched him brush a hand through his messy hair and rub the sleep out of his eyes. His own heart always skipped two beats in a row at the sight of you doing the same – just like today.
Unable to contain his adoration, he wrapped himself around you once again, standing up this time. You let out an annoyed breath as his arms tightened around your waist and his chin rested against your head.
“You’re insufferable.”
He hummed and kissed your cheek. “Only for you, darling.” Then he found himself pouting as you turned your head further away. “What? No kiss good morning?”
“Morning breath.”
“I don’t mind,” he joked and left another kiss on your cheek. “But alright, I’ll be lenient and raise your debt to thirty kisses.”
You gasped accusingly. “You little–”
“Thirty five,” he sang and detached from you to pull on his shirt. “Do you want to make it forty?”
“Do you want to make breakfast on your own?” you shot right back and he grimaced at the thought, his nose scrunching as if he could smell the burnt toast already.
He sighed softly, a little theatrically even as his shoulders slumped just a little. “Fine. I suppose I can lower your debt to twenty-five kisses.”
“I can live with that,” you laughed and gave him a kiss on the cheek before scurrying out of the bedroom.
Once again he felt the urge to go down on one knee and just utter those words that had been itching in his throat all this time. He sighed: proposing in the middle of haphazardly thrown cardboard boxes and plastic bags wouldn’t be very romantic, would it?
He didn’t even place the velvet box in his pocket this day, but he wondered how much longer he could wait. Soon, he told himself. One day.
[DAY 3, SUNDAY]
Wonwoo liked to think he was efficient. That’s why he brought you to the closest paint store the day after you declared you wanted to paint the tired yellow bedroom walls. He was incredibly glad the landlords – represented by their son, Jihoon – had given you full permission to renovate and decorate the apartment to your own vision (“Just as long as you keep the walls up and don’t burn anything,” Jihoon had sternly told you).
Making you happy was the best feeling in the world and he would do just about anything to experience it time and time again. His heart practically sang as he waited for you to pick out a colour you liked (and though he threw in a judgement here and there, he already knew he would love whatever colour you chose).
“You seem excited,” he told you when you asked him why he was staring at you instead of being helpful. “It’s cute.”
You rolled your eyes. “Of course you’d think I’m cute while stressing over whether to paint the walls beige or lilac.”
“Have you considered having an accent wall?” the staff helpfully offered and Wonwoo was sure he would be the at the receiving end of your annoyed glances for the rest of the day – after all, how could your genius boyfriend miss a possibility so obvious? But maybe, he thought, you would stop glaring at him when he paid for the paint and the supplies from his own bank account.
You called for his attention again as he reminded himself to be strong and not give in to your passive aggressive stares no matter how adorable he thought they were. “What do you think, Wonwoo?”
“Hm?”
He laughed at the way you dramatically rolled your eyes and shook your head. “Do you just take me to shops to stare at me? Is that your way of window shopping?”
“No, I just think you’re very cute when you’re excited about buying paint,” he told you with a smile before focusing on the task at hand. “What do you need?”
“For the accent wall, do you want green or red?”
“My computer has red lights,” he responded with a small shrug, “so red would look nice, I think.”
“Oh, right, we still have to set up your computer and the whole wi-fi thing,” you realised before slumping a little and patting his arm in a comforting manner. “I guess you must miss your games a lot.”
He shook his head, a sweet smile on his face. “You’re more than enough for me, darling.”
You frowned and looked at him; he felt like you could see right through him and into his pocket where the ring still waited. He hoped he was just paranoid.
“What’s up with you lately?” you wondered all of a sudden, the frown still persistent. “You’re not usually this cheesy.”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess moving into the new apartment has made me… more appreciative of who I came here with?”
“Can you be appreciative in some other way?” you joked and held the paint cards up for him to see. “For example, you could help me pick a colour.”
“I already gave my suggestion.”
“I’m double-checking.”
His eyes narrowed as realisation hit. “You want the green, don’t you?”
“It would go well with my plants,” you told him shamelessly.
“You mean the one cactus you’ve managed to keep alive all these years?” he teased and you immediately scowled.
“Who knows, maybe I’ll get more plants and keep them alive this time!” you argued. “I’ve done some research, and I think I found a few that would look really cool and wouldn’t die so easily.”
He smiled widely at the thought. “If you manage to keep any more plants alive, I’ll have to marry you on the spot.”
“I’ll hold you to that promise.”
Once you finally decided on a colour (a sage green that you were adamant matched the undertones of your cactus), all that was left to do was go home, move the bed and some furniture out of your bedroom, and start painting. Why you had to do all of that in one single day confused him a little, but he reminded himself that the faster you make this place feel like home, the faster he could get down on one knee and finally propose in peace.
During the second step of said plan, Wonwoo really wondered if he should ask one of the neighbours for help. Vernon had seemed friendly enough, right?
“Why is this drawer so damn heavy?” you gasped out while pushing it with your entire body.
Wonwoo couldn’t even laugh because he was struggling almost as much. “Maybe it’s made of lead or something?”
“Maybe we should get that checked.”
And once the drawer – the final obstacle – was out, the painting would begin. Except, just as one would expect, exhaustion took over. Wonwoo laughed fondly as you fell into the bed, now located in the smack middle of the living room temporarily, and pretended to snore.
“We’re not going to get those walls painted at this rate, sweetheart,” he told you but laid down next to you nonetheless, resting his head on your chest.
You hummed. “Just a short nap and then we’ll finish.”
Before he could utter another word, you were off to dreamland. Wonwoo soon followed.
[DAY 4, MONDAY]
You never did get around to painting the bedroom walls on Sunday. The nap lasted far longer than either of you anticipated.
Painting it on Monday morning or during the day was out of the question though because of work.
“Why don’t they provide vacation time to people who are moving?” you wondered as Wonwoo led you out of the car at the end of the work day. He held your hand tightly in his, mind set on getting back home as quickly as possible. “Seriously, this is torture.”
“I did suggest moving when we get our vacations in three months,” he told you with a sigh though he felt anything but annoyance. He smiled when he opened the front door of the apartment building and let you inside.
You whined. “But then this apartment would’ve been off the market and we would’ve been stuck with some weird building that has a view of the nearest skyscraper or something.”
“Maybe a building that has working elevators?” Wonwoo laughed at his own joke as the two of you passed the notorious metal doors in the hallway.
“You know,” you sighed, “I did expect to have a working elevator when we got this sixth floor apartment.”
“You’re out of luck then,” Jihoon’s melodious voice carried through the first floor hallway, from near the noticeboard, followed by the sound of shuffling slippers. “The maintenance men came by today and said they’re waiting for a specific part.”
“And how long’s that going to take?” you voiced the question the both of you were thinking of.
Jihoon cringed. “Just… Don’t get your hopes up for another… Month or so.”
“Oh, great.” You offered Wonwoo a sarcastic smile. “Guess we’d better put off furniture shopping for a while.”
“Yeah, you guys have fun with that,” the landlords’ son nodded and headed back to his own apartment.
“It must be nice living on the first floor,” Wonwoo couldn’t help but mumble in envy as the two of you continued climbing up the stairs.
You hummed in agreement, desperately trying to keep your breathing under control even as it became more and more difficult with every passing step.
When you got to the fourth floor, you slumped against the railing and reached your arm out towards Wonwoo in a dramatic manner. “I can’t go on much further… Save yourself, my love.”
Wonwoo held back a laugh and reached out for you just the same. “No, my love. We must keep going. Stay with me, my beloved.”
“I cannot.” You slumped further down, now sitting on the floor. “I’ll meet you in another life, my beloved…”
As you gave your best re-enactment of a dying princess, Wonwoo couldn’t help but giggle. He leaned down to pat your shoulder. “So, I suppose I’ll have to paint and decorate the bedroom on my own then?”
Your eyes snapped open, glaring at him. You suddenly felt as though bursting with life. “I swear, if you paint the accent wall red–”
“I am so painting it red,” he joked with the most serious look you’ve ever seen him give you.
“Nope.” You pushed yourself to your feet and brushed off any dust. “I am legally obligated to not let you do that.”
“But why?” he whined playfully when you grabbed his arm and began dragging him up the stairs. “I want red…”
“It would clash with my cactus, baby.”
He pouted. “But there are house plants that have red on their leaves. I think it would look cool.”
You didn’t budge.
Honestly, Wonwoo didn’t even mind that you wanted the green wall. He was just joking around to see it you’d cave at all. Actually, now that he thought about it…
“Won’t the green clash with my computer’s lights though?”
You froze mid-step. You just stood there like that for a minute. Well, maybe not a full minute, but just long enough to make Wonwoo wonder if he was witnessing a glitch in reality. Then, you turned back to him and sighed. “Tell you what: if you let me paint the bedroom walls green and beige, I will let you choose the colours for the other room.”
He beamed and you couldn’t hold back a laugh as he squeezed your arm with glee.
“What do you want to do with the other room anyway?” he wondered when you finally reached your apartment and sat down on the couch. “Office space? Gym?”
You seemed a little awkward all of a sudden. Growing concerned at your silence, he nudged your shoulder.
“You’re the one that wanted a two-bedroom apartment,” he reminded you softly, “so I want to know what you’re thinking of, darling.”
“I was thinking,” you finally slowly uttered, “a spare room for now and then one day… maybe…”
As he waited for you to drag out the words, he felt a smile tugging at his lips. If he knew you even half as well as he thought he did, he would have to propose now.
You nervously chewed on your lip before lifting your gaze to him. “Maybe a nursery, one day?”
A smile appeared on his face at moment’s notice. “I love that idea.”
“Right?” You sighed in relief and smiled as well. “Maybe not yet. We’re not even married yet so–”
He reached towards his pocket. This was it. He could make it a reality. One step closer.
“Or!” You clapped your hands so suddenly and loudly that the velvet box slipped out of his grasp and back into the depths of his pocket. “We could get a cat to practice. You like cats, right? Think about it! You can remodel the room to be the cat’s room for now and a few years, probably. It’ll be great!”
Wonwoo opened his mouth, his fingers finally wrapping around the box again. It was now or–
“Okay, get dressed,” you slapped his arm playfully and jumped up to head towards the where you’d placed your casual clothes last night. “We have a lot of painting to do today. I want to sleep in our bedroom by the end of the week.”
And just like that… Wonwoo sighed deeply and nodded. “Right. Let’s do that.”
[DAY 5, TUESDAY]
Wonwoo liked Tuesdays. He liked them because his company liked to have shorter work days on Tuesdays. He could come home barely an hour after the usual lunch, head light and a smile on his face at the thought of a nap or maybe even a gaming session.
He wasn’t particularly fond of the way you refused to let him pick you up from work on Tuesday evenings. After learning his Tuesdays were shorter, you had insisted that he use all of his free time to relax rather than worrying about you. You were, after all, all grown and independent and could find your way home.
“I could come and pick you up,” he had once again suggested in the morning as he shrugged on his cardigan. “It’s not a big deal.”
You had just rolled your eyes and patted his head. “I’ll be fine. I’m a big girl, Wonwoo.”
“At least take the car,” he had insisted, placing the keys into your palm before you could protest. “I don’t trust you alone on public transportation in the evenings.”
“How is me taking the metro in this area worse than me walking home back in our old area? you had wondered with a laugh but taken the keys nevertheless.
“It was a way shorter distance,” he had pointed out before pressing a kiss to your nose. “I just want you to be safe, darling.”
“My prince charming.” You had glanced at the clock on the wall. “But if you want to catch the bus, you might want to hurry a little.”
And so he survived Tuesday on a light heart, knowing you’d be safe and get home on your own. (The knowledge did not stop him from asking you to text him when you started your way home, but he told himself these were baby steps.)
When he got home, he habitually checked if the ring was where he’d last left it. It was still safe in the pocket of his sweatpants. He smiled as he glanced at the shiny ring. “Maybe tonight...”
Instead of worrying about it, he decided to occupy himself with something else. It was a little lonely setting up his computer and a proper router to use instead of his phone’s wi-fi hotspot the two of you had been operating on, but he managed.
Barely two hours later, his old gaming set-up was up and ready on a make-shift desk in the spare bedroom. When you finally came into the apartment in the evening, you found him gaming away for the first time in a week.
You laughed at the sight. “Wow, you must have really missed gaming. I thought you’d come greet me with a hug or something, but no, you’re playing.”
Slipping his headphones off of one ear, he turned to offer you a smile before turning back to the screen. “Welcome home, baby. Love you.”
“Right, right,” you joked and placed a kiss on his cheek. “I guess I don’t have to worry about finding something to keep you occupied tonight.”
Turning to you again, he raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
“I saw some of the girls that live in the building – Jina introduced us – and they’ve invited me to go out on a little girls’ night with them,” you told him, eyeing him as if to check if he’s okay with it, even though the both of you knew you had made up your mind already.
He smiled brightly. You wouldn’t even realise it was a mask to cover his disappointment – his plans of a proposal over dinner were once again going down the drain. “That’s sweet of them. What are you going to wear?”
You laughed. “Why does it matter?”
“Well, you see,” he started, pulling you into his lap slowly, “if you decide to wear a certain dress of yours, I might have to lock the doors and keep you here with me. Preferably in the bed.”
You pretended to think. “You mean the red one?”
He nodded curtly. “I’d have to hide the keys.”
“Or do you mean the black one, with the lace at the–”
He groaned at the thought and hid his face in the crook of your neck. “Just say you don’t want to go out, please.”
“No, I do want to go out!” You laughed gleefully and kissed his cheeks. “I just like the way your ears turn bright red when–”
“And here I was trying to be a good boyfriend and support you in finding a nice outfit to wear to a night out with your new friends,” he interrupted dramatically while pushing your squealing self off his lap. “You’re hopeless.”
“Hopelessly in love with you,” you declared and pressed a sweet kiss to his lips. “I’ll be back around midnight, probably.”
“Do you need me to come pick you up?” he offered, eyes gleaming at the thought of witnessing your drunken form. He always did love how chatty and sweet you became when alcohol was involved. “You can just text me if you need me to.”
You nodded. “I know. I know the drill, baby. I’ll let you know.”
You left barely an hour later, sparing him only another sweet kiss and a smile as you waved goodbye and headed out to meet Jina and the others. He remained at his desk, phone expectantly placed against the monitor so he could immediately see if you called or texted.
As the hands of the clock reached well past midnight, a ring of the doorbell pulls his attention instead. He stumbled over to the door to find you propped against the shoulder of a disgruntled Joshua, another girl – Jina – hanging onto his back like a koala and babbling under her breath as he stood there.
“This one’s yours, I believe,” the neighbour said with a smile and gently nudged you towards Wonwoo who could only laugh in surprise.
“What happened?” Wonwoo leaned down to to your slumped and sleepy form to catch your gaze. “You were supposed to text me, remember?”
“Wonwoo!” you cheered instead, suddenly recognising him.
Your boyfriend offered Joshua a confused look. The latter sighed. “Jina sort of butt-dialled me. I don’t think they wanted to leave the club yet, but I could barely make sense of what they were saying so I figured I’d better get them home before it’s too late.”
“Well, thank you.” Wonwoo smiled as Joshua, groaning under the weight of his drunk babbling roommate, nodded and walked away.
Without another word, Wonwoo locked the door behind him and led you over to the bed.
“Did you have fun, darling?”
You nodded and let him remove your shoes. “The girls are so great. Did you know Hyesoo is an artist?”
He hadn’t even known there was a Hyesoo in the building but he smiled and nodded anyways. He picked up a discarded black t-shirt – one of his own, as he realised upon closer inspection – and held it out to you. “You must have drunk a lot. Can you put this on by yourself?”
You grabbed the shirt with a pout and nodded, determined to prove you were worthy. As you began to struggled out of your clothes, Wonwoo chuckled and headed towards the kitchen. “I’ll get you some water and a snack. Do you want apple slices or a granola bar, darling?”
“Apple sounds nice,” you mused, only partly paying attention to the conversation at hand because you were too busy figuring out the dark sorcery of the t-shirt. “I like apples.”
“I know you do,” he whispered and watched you in amusement.
“You know what else I like?” you called out once you managed to pull on the t-shirt.
He hummed. “What else do you like then?”
“You.” You smiled brightly. “I like you, Jeon Wonwoo.”
“I like you too, darling,” he laughed and handed you a small bowl full of apple slices as well as a bottle of water.
Looking close to tears, you pouted at his words. Wonwoo had forgotten how emotional you could be when you were drunk. “Only like?”
He shook his head and kissed your forehead. “I love you, darling.”
You beamed once again, the beginnings of tears disappearing at a moment’s notice. “I love you too, Wonwoo. So, so, so, so–” you began counting on your fingers, “–so, so so so–”
“That’s a lot of ‘so’s.” He grinned.
“–so, so so sooooo much!” You finished with a dramatic intake of air. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” he agreed once again and began tucking you under the blanket, making sure to cover your feet first so you wouldn’t catch a cold.
“No, you don’t understand, Jeon Wonwoo!” you protested and reached out to hold him by the shoulders so you could stare him deep in the eye. “I love you.”
He nodded, as patient as ever. “I understand.”
“No, you don’t,” you argued, crossing your arms over your chest as you went on a tangent. “I love how handsome you are and how your eyes shine when you talk about video games or when you read a good book– and– and I love the way your ears turn red when you’re shy– and I love your voice when you read me a passage from your book and–”
“Okay, okay,” he tried to shush you but you were having none of it. His ears began turning red once again as you continued.
“I love you considerate you are and how you always take care of me and– I love, love, love it when you tuck me into bed when I’m a little tipsy – which, by the way, I am not right now. I am perfectly sober!”
He decided to settle down in the bed as well. Maybe a good cuddle would calm you down before you’d climb out of bed to take out your laptop and start putting together a PowerPoint presentation to prove your point.
But you seemed to have no intention of stopping. “I love how you smile when you think I’m being cute– See! You’re doing it right now!” You giggled at the sight and kissed his lips, a little less graceful than usual, but successful nonetheless. “And I also love your kisses and your hugs and– Oh, and don’t get me started on your cuddles!”
As you continued your little lecture, Wonwoo wondered if maybe this was the perfect moment he’d been waiting for all this time. But as you began dozing off on his shoulder, your own words tiring you out and the alcohol working its magic all at once, he put the thought away.
“I’ll propose soon, I promise,” he whispered against the crown of your head once your quiet snores began sounding. “Soon. When you can remember it.”
[DAY 6: WEDNESDAY]
“So, baby, I’ve been thinking–” you started the moment you picked up the paint roller in the evening after work. You were still only halfway done with painting the bedroom that Wonwoo now realised was far bigger than either of you had grasped before this project.
He snorted. “That’s never a good start.”
You clicked your tongue and flicked some beige paint right at his back. “You are awful, honestly.”
“Is that what you’ve been thinking?” he gasped and flicked some paint right back at you, prompting a laugh.
“No,” you told him, “but I was going to ask you what kind of a cat you’d like, but now I’m not going to!” You stuck out your tongue at him.
“You really want to get a cat?” he wondered with a smile.
In his happy little daze, he barely had the mind capacity to realise he was about five millimetres from leaning against the freshly painted wall. He let out a sound of surprise and stood up straight again, craning his neck to check what had happened to his shirt. You laughed loudly at the sight, folding over at the force of your giggles.
The tinge of annoyance he felt was quickly overpowered by fondness. Maybe today would be the day?
“Okay, okay,” you finally gasped out, “so what kind of cat?”
“I’d be happy with any,” he told you honestly. “As long as we raise it together.”
You hummed in thought. “What if we get a grumpy old one?”
“The kind that hates everyone?”
“The kind that hates everyone but us,” you corrected and continued painting the wall, “because we’ll be great cat parents and the cat will just adore us.”
The ring felt heavier than it had ever before. Except… it didn’t weight anything at all. Frowning, he reached into his pockets. He let out a sigh.
“You okay?” you wondered, concerned at his suddenly sullen behaviour.
He put on a smile and nodded. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
After all, how was he supposed to say that he was disappointed he couldn’t propose yet because he had put his ring in the pocket of his coat to make sure nothing would happen to it as you painted the bedroom walls?
“Are you sure?” you reached over to hold his hand. He felt a little better at the gesture, though his heart hurt that he’d have to wait a little longer and let this moment pass by.
He smiled a little wider for your sake and pressed his lips to yours. You giggled into the kiss and his smile was quickly fuelled by joy rather than need.
“So, about that cat?” he started again, raising an eyebrow. “I want a black cat.”
“Oh!” You perked up at the thought. “Yes! I agree. Like, completely black right? With shiny eyes.” He nodded. “Our own little adorable void. I love it already.”
He couldn’t find the words to tell you how excited he was for what the future had in store. He glanced out the door, wondering if it was worth it to slip into the hallway and back into the room to get the ring and make his dream come true.
“We should probably remodel and decorate the spare room for them,” you pointed out after a moment of thought just as he was about to come to a decision. “You wanted a red accent wall, right?”
Feeling a little dumb that you even remembered, he nodded. You beamed at him, completely forgetting the wet and sticky paint roller in your hand as you widely gestured around the room.
“Imagine how cute it would look! I room with a red wall, or maybe two– I’m thinking burgundy but I don’t know if it would go with your computer lights.”
You paused for a moment, tilting your head in the way Wonwoo always found so endearing. “You can keep your computer there and when they fix the elevator, we can get you a new desk and some cat towers, and then– Oh my god, it would look so cute if we got a black cat and they had a little playroom in the spare room!”
Wonwoo decided right then than he didn’t want to interrupt your fantasy. He smiled and nodded along as you made plans for the cat you didn’t even have yet. He couldn’t wait.
[DAY 7: THURSDAY]
“Baby,” you called softly at 7 am, stroking his hair so gently that he wondered if he was maybe imagining it, “we have to wake up.”
He was awake, but refused to open his eyes. Maybe if he tried hard enough, he could fall back asleep and the responsibilities of the day would not find him. You let out a laugh as he burrowed further under the blankets.
“Wonwoo, we’re going to be late to work at this rate,” you told him.
He grumbled and slowly removed the blanket that was covering his face. He opened one eye. “It’s not my fault someone decided to window-shop cat toys and towers and kittens until 2 am last night.”
“Okay, in my defence,” you started, “you were just as excited as I was, baby.”
“I won’t deny that.”
“Good, at least we’re on the same page then. But seriously,” you patted his chest, “we have to get up and find something to eat.”
“Five more–”
“Five more minutes turns into five more hours very easily with you, Wonwoo.”
He pouted. “It is what I deserve for finishing the walls yesterday. We might be able to move back into the bedroom tomorrow.”
“Speaking of the bedroom–”
He could practically smell the newest remodelling idea baking in your head. He squeezed his eyes a little more shut as if the action would make your thoughts avoid him.
“We don’t have to, but I kind of want to put up some new bookshelves and maybe paint the ceiling as well.”
He sighed deeply as his (mildly delusional) plan failed. His eyes opened to stare at you in disbelief. “Green again?”
“It’s a pretty colour!”
“I demand full rights to remodel the spare room and half of the living room,” he told you sternly.
Your eyes narrowed in thought. “Depends. Can I get more plants for the bedroom window and shelves?”
“Wouldn’t it be better to just get some fake plants? I’ll feel bad if you kill another plant,” he suggested while climbing out of bed and searching for his clothes.
“You speak as if I torture them on purpose.”
“You might as well.”
You rolled your eyes. “Arrest me, officer. I have commited a cardinal sin by loving house plants.”
He laughed and reached over to hug you from the back. He kissed the spot behind your ear. “Let’s just get some of those fake vines or something. They’ll last longer.”
“It’s not the same, baby!” you whined and rested back against his chest. “They feel dead.”
“As opposed to the actual plants that will probably–”
“And to think I was going to ask if you wanted to have a nice date night tomorrow,” you scoffed and tried to leave his embrace.
Now it was his turn to whine. “No, darling, I didn’t mean it–”
“Just because I’m offering a romantic dinner and a movie night?” you joked. “Wish I had known you were so easy to win over when we first started dating.”
He laughed. “I think you figured it out pretty fast though. You had me wrapped around your finger by the third date.”
“Sometimes my own power scares me.”
You laughed as you walked out of his embrace and began searching for your blouse. All the while, Wonwoo began making a plan.
Tomorrow could be his chance. During dinner? After dinner? While watching the movie? He still had so much to figure out.
[DAY 8: FRIDAY]
Wonwoo felt a little dizzy the whole day, from waking up to taking you home after work. His hands kept shaking even as he helped you put away the groceries, to the point where you asked him if he was okay.
He put on a smile and nodded. “Just some tremors again, I guess.”
“Do you want me to turn the heating up?”
“No, it’s okay. It’s not bad. I’ll just find a warmer sweater,” he told you and kissed your cheek before brushing past you.
You offered him a worried glance, habitually still heading over to the thermostat to set the temperature a few degrees higher. You knew him better than anyone and he should’ve known by now to not hide his struggles from you – you always found out one way or another.
He let out a shaky breath as he began rummaging the boxes for his favourite brown sweater – the soft one you had gifted him on your first Christmas together. He pulled it on as soon as he found it. Habitually, he reached towards his pocket. But the ring wasn’t there today.
Trying to keep his anxiety under control, he searched the pockets of the pants he’d worn the day before. Of course it was in there, waiting for him and for this evening. He clutched the box tightly and swiftly placed it in his pocket – tonight it wasn’t there just in case. It was there to be revealed and used.
Once he returned to the kitchen, dressed in a warm sweater, his round glasses perched on his nose, you offered him a smile. “Do you want to help with dinner?”
He struggled to keep his voice steady. “I can try.”
“Great,” you handed him a bowl of salad and spring onions. “Wash these for me, why don’t you? I’ll get started on the dessert.”
He nodded and headed to the sink. As he carefully washed the vegetables, his mind once again wondered to the small velvet box waiting in his pocket. He wasn’t going to miss his chance tonight.
But he still waited for the chance. The perfect moment. Maybe he shouldn’t have. Maybe he should’ve blurted out those four words already at breakfast on Saturday.
The burden of the proposal rested on his shoulders the entire time you ate and chatted away. Everything about the evening was perfect so far and he couldn’t help but worry his words wouldn’t be perfect enough to fit. Maybe he should wait another day or two? But the ring might as well have been screaming at him at this point.
The food was perfect, just like everything you ever made for him (though you gladly would’ve argued). The candles on the table and the kdrama soundtrack playlist you had put on only added to the atmosphere. You had put so much effort into making this evening perfect for the both of you. His anxiety was flaring.
You seemed a little more talkative and giggly than usual, he still managed to note. A part of him wondered if you could sense his nervousness and were reacting accordingly. Maybe this was your attempt to reassure him of his decision.
“That was delicious,” he finally spoke, his voice a little hoarse from the way he had barely managed to speak two full sentences between eating. His throat was so clammed up that he feared he wouldn’t be able to say those words he’d been wanting to say for so long.
You beamed. “That’s because I’m the superior chef in this apartment.”
He nodded appreciatively, unable to hold back a smile at the way you seemed more cheerful than usual. He wished he could shake the nerves and join you in your joy.
“Do you want to start the movie and we can eat dessert while watching, or do you want to try the dessert now?” you asked him as he helped you clean the table.
He hesitated, thinking of the ring in his pocket. “Actually–”
“Oh, we should definitely eat the dessert while we’re watching the movie,” you suddenly decided. “I always get hungry during movies.”
He nodded and closed his mouth again.
Once you were settled down on the couch, the tv already playing the opening credits of the movie you had picked out for the occasion (honestly, he wasn’t even sure what this movie was about; his nerves had a tendency to make him a little aloof, so he only hoped it was something romantic).
You cuddled close into his side and he suddenly forgot there was a movie playing at all. You were the best view he could have asked for.
“Are you sure you’re okay, Wonwoo?” you asked him softly, looking straight at him. “You seem so quiet today.”
“I was just about to say the opposite about you,” he joked and poked your cheek. “You’re so chatty today that it’s hard to get a word in.”
You laughed. “I guess you’re right. But you’d tell me if something was wrong, right?”
“Of course.”
You let out a deep breath, eyes suddenly a little unfocused as you leaned out of his embrace. “I do hope so, because I’m about to do something a little stupid.”
Why did his heart rate pick up like he’d just run a marathon? What did you mean by ‘a little stupid’? You weren’t about to break up with him like this, right? No. You wouldn’t.
He tried to reassure himself as you seemed to gather your courage for something. His fingers wrapped around the little box in his pocket and he took a deep breath. Maybe he should just–
“I love you. Marry me, Jeon Wonwoo.”
His heart stopped. He swore it stopped and froze before heating up and beating at ten times its usual speed.
“W- What?”
You cleared your throat and reached for something in your pocket. When he broke out of his daze, he realised you held out a red velvet box. You opened it to reveal a ring.
“I’m asking you to marry, Jeon Wonwoo,” you repeated yourself with a hint of a smile on your lips as his jaw dropped. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you and I just couldn’t wait any more, so I–”
Were there tears in his eyes? He wasn’t even afraid to admit that yes, there were actual tears in his eyes, waiting to trail down his cheek at all of the joy and relief he felt.
Glancing away from you to gather some courage, he took a deep breath, gripping the box in his pocket. When he turned back to you, you looked a little concerned at his reaction, so he put on a smile. He put on a bright smile and told you, “On one condition.”
You blinked at him. “Is it that you get to remodel the spare bedroom? Because I already told you–”
It was now or never. Definitely now. He lifted his hand out of his pocket and held out the little green velvet box, opening it with his shaky hands. You gasped.
The two rings sat there, in the boxes on your palms, facing each other as if they were the ones considering marriage.
“I’ll marry you if you agree to marry me first,” he finally managed to say between choking on his joyous tears.
You found yourself joining him in crying. Unable to find the words to say, you nodded enthusiastically – frantically, even. “Of course! Yes, yes!”
Before he could respond with the same words, you threw yourself into his arms. “God, I love you so freaking much, Jeon Wonwoo.”
He laughed through his tears. “Enough to marry me?”
“Absolutely, yes,” you whispered into his neck. He took the chance to slip the ring out of the green velvet box and onto your finger. It fit perfectly (“Just like us,” he mumbled under his breath but you were too busy crying to hear).
When you felt the cold metal against your skin, you suddenly leaned back and brushed away your tears before putting on a serious face again. “What about you? Will you marry me then?”
He laughed a little louder. “I think that’s a given.”
“I want to hear you say it,” you demanded, but you were only half-serious.
“Yes,” he finally told you, “yes, I will marry you.”
You cheered at the words and leaned back into him, this time with the intention to kiss the breath out of him. You were overjoyed, as was he.
All of this time. This entire week he had been waiting for this moment, to get down on one knee. He never knew you had the exact same intention.
When you finally pulled away again and rested your forehead against his own, he felt an unfamiliar weight on his finger. He glanced down – you had managed to slip the ring onto his finger when he was too busy being breathless.
“I can’t wait to start introducing you to others as my fiancé,” you told him with a laugh.
“We can always invited Vernon and Junhui over to celebrate,” he joked but you grimaced and shook your head.
“Maybe tomorrow. Tonight it’s just us.”
“I love you, darling,” he whispered before kissing you once again.
And now he had the ring to prove his love for you, and your love for him.
NOTE: and so we start off the series! i am excited and terrified at the same time and I hope that this fic didn’t disappoint you guys too much... also, idk whose fic comes out next or when, so you’ll have to be patient, i guess?
#seventeenweeklyarticle#wonwoo scenarios#wonwoo x reader#seventeen scenarios#svt scenarios#jeon wonwoo scenarios#seventeen x reader#.avy writes
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roads diverged || h.js
pairing: joshua hong x reader
warnings: super self-indulgent. some crying, life decisions, joshua is my comfort member
word count: 759
summary: life is full of diverging roads, but it's okay as long as joshua's walking beside you
a/n: i'm definitely projecting lol. instead of crying for 3 hours, i decided to cry for 1 hour and write this for 2 hours :) problem solved
main masterlist
It’s not that you’re particularly a neat freak, but you’re pretty sure you read somewhere that cleaning your living space can help clear your mind.
It isn’t until you’re on your knees on the bathroom tile at 2 am, scrubbing between tiles with a pink toothbrush and a dream that you finally question the scientific validity of that Buzzfeed article. You let out a huff and pull the rubber gloves off your hands and throw them down onto the floor.
“Damn,” you hear a hoarse voice call from the bathroom door. “What did those gloves do to you?”
“Shua,” his name comes out as if you’re surprised at the shakiness in your own voice. Once he hears it too, his smirk falls into a frown and his eyebrows come together in concern. In the next instant, he’s on his knees beside you, pulling you into his arms.
“What’s wrong angel?” he whispers against your hair, rubbing his arms soothingly down your back.
His question is all it takes for the dam to break and not long after, the sleeve of Joshua’s light blue pajama shirt is soaked with tears. He shushes you as he pulls you tighter against him, and he wishes he could lift whatever burden was weighing you down.
It takes a minute before you can finally give him an answer. “Do you remember that really weird thing I asked you about a few weeks ago?” you managed to get out between hiccups.
He pulls away and shifts his hands down to hold yours. “Yeah,” he nods. “When you were reading that Robert Frost poem and you asked what happens if you don’t like the road less traveled and you want to go back and take the other one?”
You nod back at him, pulling your lip between your teeth to fight back the tears. “Yeah… that.”
“What about it?” he asks quietly, prodding you to continue.
“I think I’m going to quit my job,” you answered, unable to fight the second wave of tears.
“Oh, honey,” he began, his hands instinctively coming up to your face to wipe away the streams of tears. “What brought this on? I thought you liked your job.”
“I do,” you answer. “Well, I did. I’m not so sure anymore.”
“What changed?”
“I don’t know,” you confess, dropping your head into your hands. “It’s just not… I just feel like I’m stuck, you know? Like what if I missed out on something better because I’m afraid of leaving something that’s familiar?”
Joshua hums thoughtfully, choosing his words before he continues. “That’s something I wish I knew the answer to,” he sighs and lifts your chin to look at him. He hates seeing you sad, but even more so knowing that this isn’t a problem he can fix for you. “But just think, honey, if you didn’t walk down this path, we wouldn’t have met.”
You nod and break out a small smile that mirrors his. “Yeah,” you agree. “That is pretty great.”
“See?” he continues. “I think you know, no matter which path you take, it’ll be lined with good things and bad things, and that’s okay.”
“I know, I know,” you affirm. “But I like it better when you tell me.”
Joshua lets out a chuckle before standing and holding his hand out to you. “I’ll keep telling you if you finally come to bed with me,” he offers and you take it, gathering your cleaning supplies into your free arm and setting them onto the counter.
Once you’ve both finally settled into bed, Joshua shuts off the lamp on the bedside table and pulls you flush against his chest. His fingers trace circles up and down your arms as you listen to the steadiness of his heartbeat.
“As I promised,” he began. “There’s gonna be lots of diverging paths, you know? Lots of different ways to go. And they won’t always be as scenic as the ones before, or as neatly paved, or as—”
You playfully swat at his chest and smile at the rumble of laughter in his chest. “I get it,” you prod.
“My point is,” he drags out the last syllable, tilting his neck down to smile at you before yawning. “No matter which path you end up taking, I’ll be walking right next to you, holding your hand.” True to his word, he pulls your free hand into his before bringing it up to press a light kiss against your palm. “And every step is going to take us exactly where we need to go.”
taglist: @yksthings @iamxelia @coveyland @xuimhao
#caratwritersclub#seventeenweeklyarticle#joshua hong#joshua hong x reader#joshua x reader#seventeen fluff#joshua hong fluff#joshua fluff#seventeen × reader#seventeen angst#seventeen imagine#ioshua honq imagine#svt ioshua#seventeen joshua fluff#hong jisoo#hong jisoo x reader
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bedtime tea
member — bf!minghao x gn reader
genre — fluff, comfort
word count — 1k
warnings — none i don’t think, just hao being so sweet :3
notes — requested by anon — i admit i had a little bit of a hard time writing this because i can picture it so clearly in my head but the words just. wouldn’t come. he’s so soft and cozy words can’t describe him lol! also this isn’t a birthday post but i am posting it on his birthday so, happy birthday to hao :) enjoy!
one reblog = one bedtime story
"tea's ready, sweetheart."
the bedroom door opens with a squeak, revealing minghao standing in his robe and slippers, carrying two steaming mugs of tea.
you set your phone down on the nightstand as he holds one mug out to you, and you take it, giving him a warm smile. “thank you, baby.”
he’s made it one of your bedtime traditions to bring you a mug of chamomile tea every night, citing some health benefits he read about, but you know he secretly just likes to cuddle before you go to sleep. the tea does make you sleepy, but the feeling of him beside you is what you like best.
he takes his glasses off and folds them, placing them in one of the drawers in the nightstand. you always tease him about wearing glasses despite not needing them, but he just likes the way he looks in them.
you scoot over in bed to make room for him as he pulls back the covers, gripping your mug tightly so it doesn’t spill.
he grabs the book he’s currently reading from the drawer and settles in, drawing the comforter up around his waist and opening up the pages. the bookmark you made him for christmas one year falls out and he picks it up, carefully tucking it into the back of the book.
you move closer to him, snuggling into his side. “will you read to me, hao?”
he glances over at you. “of course,” he smiles.
he starts reading in a hushed voice as you take small sips from your tea. the little intonations in his voice as he reads make you smile. his voice is one of your favorite things to listen to. reading, singing, laughing, anything. there’s so much comfort in his voice you can’t help but want to hear his speak all the time.
before long you feel yourself begin to nod off, your eyes slowly falling shut and your body starting to relax as waves of drowsiness wash over you.
at just the right moment minghao looks over and catches you, your mouth open slightly and your fingers falling from the handle, and he grabs your half-full mug of tea from your hand before it tips and spills all over the bed.
he reaches over and places the mug on the nightstand on his side of the bed, making a note to empty and wash it in the morning. he gently slides your head off of his shoulder and onto your pillow as he pulls the covers up to your neck, tucking you in.
he closes his book and sets it aside before sliding out from under the blankets as quietly as he can so he doesn’t disturb you.
“hao?” your sleepy voice calls out softly.
he turns around, seeing you laying on your side facing him. your eyes have opened, just barely enough to peek through your lashes to find where he’s gone.
“come back,” you murmur. you may be falling asleep, but you can tell when his gentle presence isn’t beside you anymore.
he smiles. “just turning off the light, sweetheart.”
you settle in, letting your eyes close again. “mmhm.”
he pauses, watching you for a moment, taking in your soft features under the dim light of the bedroom lamp. the gentle way the covers rise and fall with each breath, the way your hair lays across your face, the way your lips stay just barely parted. the way you look so perfect in the bed you share with him every night, with sleep on the verge of overtaking you but still you wait so patiently for him to come back so you can fall asleep with him next to you.
you whine quietly, bringing his attention back to you and reminding him that you’re there waiting. he flicks off the light and crosses the room, slipping off his robe and laying it across the bench at the end of the bed.
you hum as he pulls the cover back, sliding back into the sheets and getting comfortable. beneath the covers your hand grabs at him, blindly searching for his arm to hold onto. he rolls over onto his side to face you, sneaking his arm around your body.
half-asleep, you sigh contentedly. your hand finds his and you play with his fingers, slowly tracing his knuckles and feeling the weight of his slender fingers holding onto your waist.
“goodnight, darling,” he whispers.
you mumble in reply, not awake enough to form proper words but enough to acknowledge him. he scoots closer to you, pressing your front against his chest and holding you close. you get cold when you sleep, and he’s more than happy to warm you up.
it always takes him longer to fall asleep, but he likes to use the time to admire your sleeping form. even through the dark he can barely make out the lines of your body, but he still loves to think about you and all the good you’ve brought into his life. night is the best time he likes to meditate, just laying quietly with you next to him, taking the moment to reflect. it’s a lot of trust to put in someone, he thinks, letting them see your unconscious figure at the most vulnerable time of your day. he’s just happy you chose him to be the one to see you.
thank you for reading, i hope you enjoyed! if you liked this, reblog or leave an ask or a comment, it shows me you enjoyed this so i know to write more like this in the future!
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join my taglist here!
#seventeenweeklyarticle#🌃 : june.writes#minghao fluff#svt fluff#seventeen fluff#the8 fluff#minghao scenarios#minghao imagines#the8 imagines#the8 scenarios#svt scenarios#svt imagines#minghao x y/n#minghao x you#minghao x reader#the8 x y/n#the8 x reader#seventeen the8#svt the8#seventeen scenarios#seventeen imagines#seventeen minghao#minghao fic#xu minghao#m: minghao#g: seventeen#c: fluff
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to build a home
pairing: jihoon x gn!reader
rating: T (for swearing)
wc: 3.7k
summary: on the train ride back to meet jihoon's parents in person for the first time, you realize you don't really know what it's like to have a childhood home — at least, not in the sense that most people seem to have. but it's okay, because you've found a home in jihoon instead.
warnings: talks about divorce (reader's parents)
tags: fluff, this is so sappy guys, kind of emotional hurt/comfort, soonhoon best frienemies (they’re ride or die dw their friendship is just based on mutual teasing lol), vaguely implied asexual reader, a truly excessive amount of handholding, i really made jihoon into a hand-holding fiend and i'm Not Sorry
a/n: this might be one of the most self-indulgent things i've ever written since reader's experiences are 100% based off of my own lmao. also i can't believe i wrote almost 4k of them just talking on a train, like??? wow. also also, i listened to sleeping at last's cover of i'm gonna be (500 miles) on repeat while writing so i recommend giving it a listen for the Vibes haha
Jihoon was nervous.
Not in a bad way, of course. But he was taking you back home to stay with his parents for the next four days and they would be meeting you in person for the first time and he was nervous.
Soonyoung, the bastard, could definitely tell and had made it his mission to embarrass the hell out of him until the last possible second.
It was only supposed to be Seungcheol and Minghao dropping the two of you off at the train station, but Soonyoung had physically crammed himself into the backseat between you and Jihoon and refused to let go of either of you until you’d reached the train station. Even then, you had to physically pry him off of Jihoon and promise to tell Jihoon’s parents that Soonyoung loved them and missed them and—
“—make sure to take lots of pictures of all his cringey old anime posters!”
Soonyoung’s insistence is only diminished by the effort he’s exerting not to be forcefully dragged back into the car by a disgruntled Minghao. Jihoon knows Soonyoung’s being even more of a handful for his sake, and Jihoon is both filled with love and also the desire to strangle his best friend with his bare hands.
Minghao is able to get him mostly back in the car, Seungcheol watching on with a slightly fond but mostly concerned smile, but before they can get the door closed, Soonyoung claws his way back to the doorframe to tell you, “Also, his mom keeps all of his baby pictures in a bunch of photo books by the—”
“And that’s enough from you,” Jihoon interrupts, forcefully shoving Soonyoung back into the car by the face, Soonyoung screeching with poorly disguised glee, and slams the car door shut.
Jihoon waves at Seungcheol who he can see laughing through the glass as he pulls away from the curb, leaving the two of you standing with your suitcases.
He hears you giggling, and turns around to face you with a sigh. “Ignore him.”
You give a thoughtful hum, drawing it out as you grab the handle of your suitcase and wait for Jihoon to grab his and start walking with you through the station.
“No, I don’t think I will,” you finally decide, a mischievous grin tugging at the corners of your mouth.
Jihoon groans, tilting his head back as if to ask the universe why me?
“Why,” you continue, “embarrassed about your Nami posters?”
Like Soonyoung, Jihoon knows you’re just teasing, and he falls into your easy banter with a smile threatening to tug at the corners of his mouth.
He glares at you half-heartedly. “It’s poster, singular. And no, I’m not embarrassed,” he adds as you both make your way across the platform and into the closest empty train car (the only benefit of leaving at the ass-crack of dawn). “Why would I ever be embarrassed about Nami? She’s badass.” He grunts as he stands on his toes and lifts his luggage to store on the overhead rack and then reaches out to take yours as well. “Plus, you’re one to talk, with your weird shrimp god poster—“
And this argument is familiar, too. He can’t help but smirk as you roll your eyes in exasperation and slide into the seat next to the window.
“It’s shrimp heaven,” you exclaim, “we’ve been over this.”
Jihoon just shakes his head, and he knows he sounds more than a little besotted when he says, “You listen to the weirdest shit.”
You give him a Look that manages to be both deadpan and undeniably fond, and no one except a few untitled projects saved on his external hard drive knows exactly how much he adores that particular look. “I am aware, yes, thank you.”
While this is the first time the two of you are traveling back to where Jihoon grew up, it is not the first time the two of you have traveled together. There’s a well-worn ease to the way your shoulders draw together like magnets, Jihoon offering up one of his earbuds as he balances his iPad across your joined knees.
It had scared him, the first time he felt himself leaning into your presence without a second thought — as easy and unthinkingly familiar as pulling on his favorite hoodie when he’s cold or the sound of his keys clinking against the countertop every night when he gets home. He’d never been one to seek out physical affection before, not unless he was desperate. But now he can’t help but feel like a flower seeking out the sun whenever he’s with you.
He leans his head against yours as he asks, “Want to watch some Bonobono?”
“Yeah,” you reply with a happy hum.
Jihoon presses play without further ado, and the two of you settle in for the next few hours.
You get through a few episodes quickly before taking a quick snack break, and it’s only a few minutes into the next episode that Jihoon notices you aren’t really paying attention. He turns his head where it's resting on your shoulder to get a better look at your profile, but he’s not able to see much since you have your own head turned to look out the window.
He finishes the episode and gets halfway through the next one, glancing over at you every few minutes, before deciding it’s time for him to check in.
Starting conversations is still not one of his strong suits, but he’s discovered interesting ways to wiggle himself into them, mainly by tricking you into getting the ball rolling for him. It’s in these moments that he channels his inner Soonyoung (he is taking this train of thought to his grave, mind you) and asks himself “How would cat-me ask for attention in this moment?” (Again, taking this train of thought to the fucking grave.)
So Jihoon leans away from you just enough for him to be able to turn slightly in his seat and gently plonk his head against your shoulder. When he gets no reaction, he does it again. And again, before doing it one more time as your turn to look at him with an amused smile. “Hi? You having fun, there?”
“Yep,” he says, popping the “p”. “The funnest.”
You snort and shake your head at him. “Okay, babe.” You turn your attention back out the window and Jihoon frowns.
With a quiet huff, he plonks his head on your shoulder once again, pushing in with his forehead and rubbing it back and forth against your sweater.
You start giggling — and god, it’s still one of his favorite sounds, he doesn’t think he’ll ever get tired of hearing it — and you turn to look at him again with a single eyebrow raised. “Yes, Jihoonie?”
He moves so his temple is resting on your shoulder and he can look at you properly. “You okay?” he asks, lighthearted and warm. “You’ve been staring out the window for a while, missed the last couple of episodes.”
You blink, a little surprised, and look down at the iPad still balanced between the two of you. “Oh, yeah, I’m fine, sorry.” You give him a smile and shrug the shoulder he’s leaning on. “Just thinking.”
The automatic retort of “oh, dangerous” is on the tip of his tongue, but he holds it back with a small frown. He’s never liked when you apologize unnecessarily, but he knows it’s something you’ve been working on, so he decides not to bring attention to it this time.
“What about?” he asks instead.
You’ve turned your attention back to Bonobono at this point, and you respond with a distracted “Hm?”
Jihoon pokes your temple with one finger. “What’re you thinking about?”
“Oh.” You look at him, considering, and then you huff out a short laugh as you reach over to pause the video. “You actually,” you tell him, tucking the iPad into your lap as you turn in your seat to face him fully.
That was not what Jihoon was expecting. “Me?”
“Yep,” you say, popping the “p” just like he did earlier. “Your bedroom, more specifically.”
That was definitely not what Jihoon was expecting. Both of his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “My bedroom…” he trails off, voice dry and seeming to ask, are you really implying what I think you’re implying?
Your expression morphs into one of disgust so quickly Jihoon barks out a startled laugh. “Ew, no, don’t look at me like that, that’s not what I meant.”
Jihoon lets out a few of his own giggles as he asks, “What did you mean, then?”
He almost coos at the adorable way you pout as you cross your arms in faux anger. “Ugh, no I’m not telling you anymore if you’re just gonna tease me.”
“Aw come on,” he cajoles, reaching out to pry your crossed arms apart. “I only tease those who deserve it.”
You roll your eyes even as you let him pull your hands into his own. “Tell that to Soonyoung.”
“Are you kidding? He deserves it just for existing.”
You lift one of your conjoined hands to awkwardly point at him. “I’m gonna tell him you said that.”
Jihoon narrows his eyes. “Good. He needs the reminder.”
You fold over as you snort, falling into Jihoon’s space for a moment before you straighten back up with a beaming smile. “You’re such a terrible friend, Lee Jihoon.”
Closing his eyes, he nods solemnly. “I am aware of this, yes. It is my curse.”
“Oh my god,” you laugh, making him smack himself in the shoulder with your still joined hands. “You can be such a dramatic little shit sometimes.” There’s a glint in your eyes that tells Jihoon you’re about to say something purely because you know it’ll rile him up, and he’s proven right when the next words out of your mouth are, “Soonyoung must be rubbing off on you.”
Jihoon’s jaw drops in offended horror. “You’d better take that back right now, I swear to god, y/n—” He doesn’t give you a chance to respond as he untangles your fingers and digs them mercilessly into your sides.
You squeal at the onslaught and try your best to deflect, but Jihoon’s relentless and you’ve always been extremely ticklish, so it’s only a few moments later that you’re choking out through strained laughter, “Yield! Yield! Fuck, I yield, you absolute ass!”
Jihoon glares at you as he stops and generously lets you trap his fingers in your hold. “Take it back.”
“Yes, I take it back, geez,” you pant. He’s pretty sure he hears you follow it up with a near silent “Why are both of you so insane?”
He raises an eyebrow. “What was that?” He wiggles his fingers pointedly.
“Nothing,” you say quickly, glaring at him half-heartedly before rolling your eyes. “Absolutely nothing.”
“Good,” he smirks, wiggling his fingers again, but this time so he can lace them once again with yours. He brings each of your hands up to his face and kisses your knuckles before bringing them back down to his lap and letting himself drink you in.
You’re looking at him with something teetering the edge between incredulous and fond and over-the-moon, and Jihoon thinks he probably looks like a smitten fool just based on the way his cheeks ache and his ears feel like they’re on fire.
He’s come to love moments like these, where the both of you take a moment to just… take each other in — to simply exist in each other’s presence and soak it all in like sponges. And he doesn’t know if he’ll ever be able to put into words exactly what it feels like to look and be looked at like this. To see and be seen.
Jihoon doesn’t try to find the words this time, just lets himself bask in your glow with a soft smile.
After a few moments, he brings himself to break the ambient quiet of the train. “Hey,” he murmurs.
Your response is as soft and quiet as the smile you tuck into the corner of your mouth. “Hi.”
He stares at you for another moment before saying, “You never ended up telling me, y’know.”
“Telling you what?”
“What you were thinking about earlier.” He starts idly rubbing his thumbs across the skin of your hands, tracing gentle arcs with the pads of his thumbs.
“Oh.” You scrunch up your face a little before smoothing it out with a small shrug. “Eh, it wasn’t anything important.”
“Hmm.” Something tells him it probably is something important — to you, at least. And even if it isn’t, he still wants to know. “Tell me anyway?”
You tilt your head and look at him with a confused sort of amused smile. “Why do you wanna know so bad?”
Because I’m highkey obsessed with you and always want to learn more about you and how you think, is what he doesn’t say. At least, not out loud and not right now. He knows it’d probably fluster you and he doesn’t want to distract you from answering any more than he already has. (And maybe he’s still struggling with saying his sappy thoughts directly to your face instead of hoarding them in various notebooks, but that’s a problem for future Jihoon to work through.)
“Just curious,” he murmurs with a shrug. “And we still have a couple of hours left on the train.”
You stare at him for a moment like you don’t quite believe him and are trying to find the lie somewhere on his face. But eventually you mutter, “Okay.” You take in a deep breath and let it out slowly through your nose. “Well,” you start, after a moment of collecting your thoughts. “I said I was thinking about your bedroom, right?”
“Mhm.”
“Okay, so.” You purse your lips as you tighten your hold on Jihoon’s fingers, just for a moment, before loosening your grip with a quiet exhale. “I was mostly just trying to imagine what that’s like.”
Jihoon blinks at you. “...What having a bedroom is like?” His tone comes across more deadpan than he means, confusion flattening his question into more of a statement.
“No, no,” you shake your head. “What having a childhood bedroom is like.”
Jihoon blinks again, furrowing his brows. “...I don’t understand.”
“God, I’m not explaining this right,” you mutter, chewing on your lip in obvious thought. “Okay, so like… You know how in movies and books and stuff, a lot of times there’s this— trope, I guess, where a character goes back home and stays in their childhood bedroom and it’s like a glimpse into their past? A lot of times for comedic reasons?”
Jihoon slowly nods his head. “Yeah, I know what you’re talking about.”
“Yeah, well.” You give a self-conscious little half-shrug that makes Jihoon’s chest hurt for some reason. “I was wondering what that’s like. Like…” You trail off for a moment, gaze drifting off to the side and focusing on the middle-distance. Jihoon forces himself to wait patiently as you try to find the words you need to explain, his thumbs continuing their silent metronome across your skin.
“What— what’s it like to have lived your entire childhood in the same house?” you start, gaze still locked somewhere off to the side. “To have the same four walls watch you go from toddler to kid to preteen to moody teenager and then reluctant adult? And to know those same walls are still watching you grow up.” You give a wistful little sigh and focus back on Jihoon with a crooked smile. “I’m trying to imagine what that’s like. Hadn’t realized how much of a foreign concept it was to me until I really started thinking about it,” you finish with a small huff.
During your whole little spiel, you hadn’t sounded sad or bitter or anything other than genuinely curious, but it still pokes at that little ache in Jihoon’s heart. He knows your parents divorced when you were young, and there’s a part of him that wishes you could have had the perfect childhood he knows doesn’t actually exist. He also knows you’re not one to really talk about yourself or your past, so he’s grateful for the vulnerability you’re sharing with him in this moment. Softly, he encourages you to share more with him. “You went back and forth between your parents a lot, right?”
“Oh, god yeah,” you laugh. “And not only that, but my mom could never stay in one place either. Growing up, I think my dad only moved like… four times? But my mom moved… uh.” Your brows furrow deeply for a moment. “Hang on, I need to think this out.”
Jihoon almost whines when you detangle your fingers from his, but manages to turn it into a pretty convincing cough. (It’s actually not at all convincing, but luckily you’re too preoccupied to properly clown him for it.) He watches you mutter to yourself with a small pout and then he looks back down at your hands like he can make them hold his if he just stares hard enough. Your fingers extend one by one as you count, and his pout falls away as one fist and then the other blooms fully. And then one fist closes again, leaving a single finger standing.
“So… eleven? Eleven times.”
He’d known you’d moved at least a few times as a kid, but… “Holy shit.”
“Yeah.”
Gently, he reaches out to hold your hands again. Squeezes. “And how often did you go back and forth?”
“Oh, god. That was a mess, too.” You’re laughing, but that ache in his chest keeps spreading, digging deeper. “We had different schedules that would change like— every few months. We did three days on, three days off, alternating sundays; we did two days on, two days off, with alternating weekends; at one point we even did every other weekday with alternating weekends… it was insane. Looking back, it seems even more insane.”
“Jesus.” He can’t even begin to imagine what that must’ve been like — almost constantly being on the move. Especially as a kid. “How old were you when they split again?”
“Five.”
“Jesus.”
“Yeah.” You sigh, long and gusty. It doesn’t sound sad, at least, just tired. Maybe a little bit like release. Then you send a small, amused smile in his direction. “So you can kinda see why the whole “childhood bedroom” thing is such a foreign concept to me, right?”
He can see why. And it aches. “Yeah,” he breathes.
Some of that ache must show on his face because you gently scold him, “Hey, don’t look like that.” You untangle your fingers once again to cup both of his cheeks, thumbs pressing into the corners of his mouth and smoothing out his unconscious frown.
You look at him, soft and warm and so full of love Jihoon’s breath catches in his chest. And then you adjust your grip so you’re pinching his cheeks, and you wiggle his face a little bit. “This wasn’t supposed to be a sad thing, Hoonie. Just a “we had vastly different experiences” kind of thing.” You stop pinching his cheeks and go back to simply holding his face between your palms. “Like, I know it helped me understand the concept of “home is where the heart is,” yanno?”
And, oh. Oh, Jihoon is so very head-over-heels in love with you. He can feel that love pooling and swelling inside him, curling up between his ribs and tickling the tips of his fingers as reaches up to cover your hands with his.
“Hmm.” His mouth moves before his brain can catch up. “And where is your heart, y/n?” he breathes.
For one infinite moment suspended in time, you and Jihoon are the only two people to exist. The world around him disappears as your eyes bore into his, and Jihoon gets to watch something in them soften, melt — pool into something that looks a lot like love as you turn your hands to let go of his cheeks and hold his fingers instead.
You bring his hands to hover in front of his face, and you roll your lips between your teeth like you’re trying to hold back a smile. What you’re trying to say finally clicks in Jihoon’s mind when you glance down at his hands and then back up at him with a raised eyebrow.
All of the blood in his body rushes directly to his face and ears so quickly that Jihoon thinks he might burst into flames.
“Nooooooooo,” he whines, hiding his blazing blush behind your entwined hands and ignoring the way you’re outright laughing at him now. He lowers your hands just enough so that he can glare at you from over the tops of your knuckles. “How are you able to say the cheesiest things without actually saying anything? I can’t stand you.”
“Then sit,” you giggle, like the absolutely adorable little shit you are.
Jihoon growls in frustrated adoration before licking the back of your hands in retaliation.
You screech and try to yank your hands back, but he’s the stronger one between the two of you and he refuses to let go. “Lee Jihoon, you animal, what is wrong with you?!”
“Vengence,” is all he mutters.
You splutter. “Vengence for what?”
He continues to half-heartedly glare at you as he brings your hands down and presses them to the left side of his chest. Vaguely, he wonders if you can feel the way his heart is pounding against his ribs. “For stealing my heart,” he pouts.
The sound that comes out of your mouth reminds him of a dying seal, and that’s how Jihoon knows it’s over for him — because he’s never heard a more endearing sound in his entire life and he thinks that maybe he’d do anything to hear it over and over again.
You continue to tease each other back and forth, your love for each other a steady undertow, and Jihoon realizes that while they may be heading back to the house he grew up in, it’s not home in the same sense any more.
Not when he looks at you and his heart sings a steady home, home, home inside his chest.
The thought doesn’t scare him nearly as much as he thinks it should.
Home, home, home.
He likes the sound of that.
#woozi fluff#woozi fanfic#woozi x you#woozi x reader#woozi x y/n#svt fic#svt fanfic#jihoon x you#jihoon x reader#seventeenweeklyarticle#I FINALLY FINISHED IT IT'S FINALLY DONE AAAHHHHHHHHH#and now i have to scramble to get ready to donate hgfghdhgghj#HOPE Y'ALL ENJOY#also if y'all get the mbmbam reference in there i'll love u forever#savv writes#savv fics
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Horanghae Chapter 3
Story Summary: Everyone knows that Soonyoung loves tigers. The term Horanghae literally means “I tiger you”. Needless to say, the Seventeen members shouldn’t have been as surprised as they were the night he came home with a very timid white tiger curled against him.
Chapter Summary: After getting adjusted the boys have to go back to work which leaves you in a bit of an awkward position.
Pairing: Hoshi-centric, Seventeen x White Tiger hybrid reader.
Rating: PG
Genre: Fluff, Mild Angst
Word Count: 5.3k
Chapter Warnings: Mentions of anxiety and insecurities. Bit of a heavier chapter so slight feels.
AN: This is a slightly shorter and more heavy chapter leading up to individual interactions with the members. Feel free to let me know who you would like to see interact with reader first! Images used in header are not mine. All written work is 100% my own, editors and beta readers will be credited as needed. Do not copy, translate, or repost my work onto other sites without my permission
Previous Chapter . . . Next Chapter
Horanghae Masterlist
The first thing you noticed when you woke up was that you were alone in your shared room. A bit of an odd occurrence as you almost always woke up in Soonyoungs company, whether it be waking up with him curled against you or playing something on his phone as he waited for you to wake up. However, instead of waking up to pets and his familiar smile you woke up to harsh sunlight and an empty bed. With a sigh you took a moment to stretch and snuggle against your pillow before forcing yourself to sit up. Even though Soonyoung was gone his scent was still strong on his side of the bed which proved a great comfort as you focused on waking yourself up. The clock on your bedside table told you it was still semi early so maybe he just went to get breakfast, at least that's what you told yourself as you shuffled out from under the covers. Taking a moment to stretch and brush your bangs out of your face with one last yawn, you stumbled to the door and made your way out into the hallway.
You didn’t hear the usual commotion from the guys which worried you a bit as you stumbled into the living room, suspicions being confirmed when no one was there. Granted it was still fairly early but even by now someone should have been up, right? You couldn’t help but begin to panic a bit as you made your way to the kitchen to once again find no one there, though the few dishes in the sink told you that someone had been up and left before you woke up. You felt a whimper rise up from the back of your throat out of instinct and tucked your tail behind your legs as you made your way through the whole dorm trying to find one of the guys. No one in the kitchen, no one in the living room, no one in the office or any of the spare rooms, and after searching the few rooms you were allowed to go in, you quickly concluded that no one was home. You felt panic start to build up as you sighed and made your way back to your room. Maybe they just had to run out for a bit and forgot to tell you or you just missed the memo? That’s what you told yourself as you looked around the room for any note from Soonyoung.
The longer you looked the more you felt yourself begin to worry that you had been left behind. Realistically you knew it was unlikely that they would abandon you in their own home but your past was enough to trick you into believing that was the case. What other explanation was there for them all to leave and not tell you. After a couple minutes you gave up your search for any indication of where they were and whimpered as you curled up on the couch. Hugging one of the pillows close to your chest you took a deep breath and tried to calm yourself. Every slight noise had your ear twitching only to deflate again when you couldn’t pick up the sound or scent of any of the guys. You found yourself counting the seconds much like you had done at the shelter, hiding on the couch curled around the pillow as you waited for any indication that the guys were home.
Thankfully you weren’t stuck waiting too long as a few more minutes went by before you heard voices and the front door unlocking. Perking up, you waited for the door to open before squealing and throwing yourself at the first one who walked through the door, who just so happened to be Jeonghan. The male in question let out a noise of surprise from the sudden weight before chuckling and hugging you back.
“Well someone missed us,” he teased, rubbing your head and pulling you to the side so the other members could walk in. You could only whimper in response as you nuzzled into his neck, tightening your hold when he tried to let you go. The members that were still in the living room gave you both a puzzled look which made Jeonghan look down at you concerned, “Hey, hey, what’s wrong Y/N?” It took him a moment to pry you away enough so he could actually hear you properly, grabbing your chin to make you look up at him. The worry in his eyes made you feel relieved that he cared but also bad that you overreacted, causing you to tear up a bit as you spoke.
“I woke up and no one was here,” you muttered with a soft sniffle, “I know you wouldn’t leave me like that but when I couldn’t find anyone I panicked and thought you abandoned me.” You heard mutterings from the others and quickly buried your head back into Jeonghan's neck, trying to muffle your soft whimpers and enjoying his presence. He sighed softly and hugged you tighter against him, resting his head on top of yours and swaying softly.
“Silly Kitty we would never leave you like that,” he cooed while still holding you, “our break ends in a few days so we had to go to a meeting at our company, that’s all.” You felt another presence behind you, which you quickly recognized as Joshua, who placed his hand on your shoulder.
“We thought Soonyoung would tell you where we were going beforehand. Judging by your reaction though, I’m guessing he didn’t?” you shook your head softly which made the other male sigh, “I’m sorry Y/N, I promise the next time we have to leave suddenly we’ll make sure you’re aware.” There was a moment of silence before he spoke up again, “Though we are going to be gone more often now that we are working again so that’s probably something we need to talk about.”
“We can do that later though,” Jeonghan argued, “the others aren’t here yet and I think we’ve scared the poor thing enough today.” Rubbing his cheek against your head he chuckled a bit and led you over to the couch, “Come on Y/N, why don’t we snuggle a bit while we wait for everyone else to come back?” You were more than happy to oblige as you guys adjusted so Jeonghan was laying on his back with you snuggled against his chest. Joshua chuckled a bit and excused himself to his room, ruffling your hair as he walked past.
Your mini cuddle session lasted a little over an hour before more of the members made their way home and you were greeted by a frantic Soonyoung. The male practically plowed past the others when he saw you, kneeling in front of the couch and squishing your cheeks with a pout.
“I’m so so so sorry for scaring you. I thought since it was early we’d be home before we woke up. I'm so sorry!” he whined. Jeonghan huffed a bit at the youngers overdramatic apology but you were too focused on the affection to care. A sound resembling a giggle and purring noise rumbled in the back of your throat as you leaned your face against his hand once he loosened his grip a bit.
“It’s okay Soonyoung I understand,” you assured, moving away from Jeonghan so you could hug him. He gladly returned the embrace and rubbed your back softly before someone clearing their throat got your attention.
“You’re acting like you almost killed her or something, we were only gone a few hours,” Jihoon mused. He was still in the process of taking his jacket off but took a moment to give you guys a questioning glance. Seungcheol was next to him and shaking his head a bit at Soonyoungs behavior.
“We’re going to be gone a lot longer soon enough so she needs to get used to being alone anyways,” he reminded. Something about his tone seemed a bit harsh to you and made you shy away a bit, letting go of Soonyoung to curl up on the other side of the couch.
“Ah why do you guys have to ruin all the fun,” Jeonghan whined as he sat up, “we already agreed we would discuss this at dinner. Why do you have to bring the mood down now? You ruined our moment!” Seungcheol merely shrugged as he made his way to the kitchen, Jihoon not too far behind him, leaving you, Jeonghan, and Soonyoung in the living room. “He’s just stressed out with work Y/N don’t worry,” Jeonghan cooed when he sensed your unease. You wanted to believe him, but given how distant he had been since you got there you were starting to question whether or not he actually liked you. There were a few members actually that seemed to not be the most fond of you but you tried to blow it off as growing pains and adjusting to your new home. Though the way everyone was acting today was starting to make you feel like that may not actually be the case.
“Y/N, you okay?” Soonyoung waved his hand in front of you to catch your attention, startling you a bit as you hadn’t realized you were spaced out. Your ears pressed back against your head and you sighed a bit before nodding.
“Yeah I’m okay, just thinking,” though you could tell by the look on their faces that they didn’t believe you. Soonyoung looked like he was about to say something but you cut him off by standing up and stretching. “I’m still a little tired so I think I’m going to go take a nap,” you muttered, brushing past him and making your way back to your room. You could hear shuffling and feel their eyes on you, but neither one made an effort to follow you which you appreciated for the time. Letting out what felt like the millionth sigh, you stepped into the room and closed the door before crawling back into bed. You took a moment to adjust your pillows and curled up around your plush before burying yourself under the covers and closing your eyes, hoping to rest for a few more hours.
This time when you woke up, Soonyoung was right beside you. His hand was gently brushing through your hair while he was occupied with something on his phone. Feeling you move under his hand, he glanced over and smiled softly at you.
“Sleep well?” he asked softly, to which you nodded as you turned to look over at him properly.
“I suppose,” you replied with a yawn. Soonyoung chuckled softly and started playing with your hair again and making you nuzzle against his hand, “How long was I asleep?”
“Not too long,” Soonyoung assured, “about an hour since I got back up here I would say. Jeonghan-hyung came in a few times as well to check up on you but you were still asleep and he didn’t want to wake you.” You hummed in acknowledgement and pouted a bit as you moved to rest your head on his thigh. Soonyoung adjusted slightly so the position wasn’t awkward before returning to petting you, slowly moving his hand from your head to your back where he gave you gentle scratches. “Are you okay?” he asked after a moment, “you seemed really upset earlier. Are you still worried about us leaving you?” He sounded almost guilty when he asked the question which made you whine a bit as you shook your head, rolling over so you could look up at him.
“No it’s not that,” you said, “I mean yeah I’m kind of upset that you guys are going to be gone but it’s true I’ll have to get used to it.” Soonyoung wasn’t looking at you but you could see his lips and cheeks puff out as he pouted at your words. From the angle you were laying at he looked a bit silly and you had to bite your lip to keep from giggling.
“We’re not going to be gone forever,” he muttered, “we may be home less when we have to promote or do concerts but we won’t just leave you. Also I’m sure if we’re going to be working a lot or leaving for tour that we can bring you along so you won’t be lonely I promise.” You hummed softly and glanced away from him as you tried to process your thoughts.
“Wouldn’t that be annoying though? Having me around you guys all of the time I mean?” you asked. Now Soonyoung was looking at you properly as he gave you a look that bordered on confusion and possibly offended.
“What?!” he exclaimed, “why would you ever think you’d be annoying?” You debated answering, not wanting to cause an argument, but quickly gave in to his pleading look.
“It’s just that…” you cut yourself off with a sigh, “I know some of you guys like having me around and I love spending time with you but…it feels like some of the others hate me being here. I don’t want to cause a burden if I’m not wanted, you know?” Soonyoung was silent for a while, making you worried that you had said something wrong. Before you could think of a way to fix the situation you were pulled into a sitting position and into a tight hug.
“Y/N why didn’t you say anything?” he whined, “this is your home too, you would never be a burden to any of us. Who is it that made you feel that way?”
“It’s not that big of a deal,” you backtracked as you tried to pull away from his embrace a bit, “it just seems like some of the guys would rather avoid me that’s all.” Soonyoung sighed and let go of the hug enough to look at you but kept his hands on your arms so you couldn’t move away.
“Kitty, listen to me okay? We do want you here and we want to spend time with you, this was not just my decision, you know. Some of the guys just need a bit more time to open up to you, that’s all but I’m sure they’ll warm up soon. If you ever feel like this again though you need to say something, we don’t want you feeling unwanted in your own home, deal?” You puffed out your cheek as a rebuttal came to mind but he tightened his hold on you to steal your attention back. It was clear he wasn’t going to acknowledge whatever argument you had so you bit at your bottom lip and nodded.
“Okay okay I promise I’ll tell you next time,” you assured, which seemed to be enough for the male in front of you.
“Good girl,” he cooed with a smile, lifting a hand to ruffle your hair softly. You only stayed like that for a second though before he was letting you go and moving to leave the room. You blinked at him in confusion to which he chuckled and gave you a reassuring smile, “I need to go talk to one of the guys real quick, nothing major. I should be back in a little bit so just wait for me here and we can watch a movie when I get back okay?” Soonyoung waited for you to nod at him before leaving the room, closing the door softly and leaving you alone to your thoughts yet again. Your ears perked up as you followed the sound of his footsteps a little bit down the hallway into what you guessed was Jihoons room before it went silent again. Given the exchange you just had, you were a little bit curious about what he suddenly had to do but you knew better than trying to spy. As stealthy as you tried to be, the chance of you getting caught by one of the guys was way too high to risk it. Exhaling softly you rolled back onto your stomach and propped yourself up on your pillow as you waited for Soonyoung to return, scrolling through the TV to find a movie you wanted to watch.
Though your curiosity would soon get the better of you as it seemed everyone knew about what Soonyoung had said aside from you. He had come back to the room nearly half an hour after leaving you and acted like nothing happened as he snuggled up beside you to watch the movie you chose. Any time you tried to ask what happened he would simply shush you or direct your attention somewhere else to change the topic. It didn’t help much that all of the other members seemed to know as well judging by the looks you got when you finally decided to go out of hiding. Some of them looked a bit concerned while others just had the expression of “I know something you don’t and I’m not going to tell what.” It was a bit frustrating being the only one out of the loop but you tried your best to ignore it. Everyone kept muttering things about “later” and “dinner” so all you could do for now was hope you could get your answer by then. Otherwise, at the rate things were going, you might end up exploding from curiosity and frustration before it even got that late.
“Hello?” you jumped a bit in shock as you finally noticed the figure that was standing right in front of you, clearly trying to get your attention as he was waving his hand in front of you. You had made your way out to the living room so Soonyoung could go work out for a bit, and curled up in your corner. Though you had been so lost in thought trying to think about what was going on that you hadn’t realized you weren’t alone anymore. Jun laughed a bit and shook his head as he bent down to be closer to your height, “Well someone definitely seems out of it. I thought I would have wasted away before you finally noticed me.” You huffed out a small laugh at his teasing before rubbing your eyes softly.
“Sorry I’m just thinking, did you need something?” you asked. The male in question tilted his head to the side before moving to sit next to you.
“Not really I just thought you looked lonely over here,” he explained, “so, want to tell me what’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?” Jun gently flicked at your forehead which made you huff and flinch back a bit, only resulting in more laughter from him.
“It’s nothing,” you brushed him off.
“Well if you’re so in thought that you’re able to ignore me then it’s clearly not nothing so try again, what’s wrong?” It felt nice to know that he cared but, given the situation at hand, you couldn’t help but find the persistence a bit annoying.
“I figured you would already know, everyone else seems to,” you muttered as you cast your gaze to the floor. Jun blinked at you in confusion for a moment before suddenly making a face of realization.
“Oh I see, that’s what’s got you all upset,” he was sympathetic for a moment before shaking his head and nudging you playfully, “relax silly it’s nothing bad. You’re going to get yourself all worked up for nothing.”
“If it’s nothing then why won’t anyone tell me?” you argued, “everyone just keeps staring at me and it feels weird.”
“You’re a white tiger Baobao, of course people are going to stare at you.” You shot him a glare which made him throw his hands up in a fake surrender, “but seriously don’t stress yourself out too much okay? We wanted to discuss a few things tonight anyways when everyone is together but all that changed is Soonyoung had a new idea. No ones telling you about it because we want to make sure everyone else is on board before bringing it up to you, that’s all. No point bringing up a suggestion if someone’s going to back out yeah?” You didn’t know if you trusted what he was saying but you also knew there was no reason not to. The reasoning made sense and no one had ever lied to you thus far so you decided to believe him and not push the topic any further.
“Alright,” you whispered, returning your gaze to the floor. Jun sighed and reached out to rest a hand on your shoulder.
“Relax okay? You’re going to give yourself a heart attack if you keep overthinking. Just wait a few more hours and everything will make sense.” He took advantage of his grip on your shoulder to shake you slightly until you were smiling and agreeing with him.
“Okay I will I promise!” you whined, reaching out to pull his hand off of you.
“There’s that smile, I was wondering where it went,” Jun cooed. He grabbed your cheeks and squished them a bit with a smile of his own. One last pinch just to make you giggle and he was excusing himself to go back to his room, inviting you to join him if you wanted company before dinner. You pondered the thought for a moment before deciding to stay curled up in your corner a bit so you could really think over everything that had happened that day.
Dinner finally came and you were practically bouncing in your seat as you waited for everyone to gather. You didn’t know whether it was good or bad still but you were anxious to finally know what everyone was talking about. There were a few moments of random chatter as everyone got their food and sat down before it was time to address the elephant in the room. You could see some of the guys shuffle around and side-eye each other before Jihoon sighed and decided to speak up.
“So Y/N,” he stated, “Hyung tells us that you still don’t feel welcome by some of us, is that right?” You could feel some of the others tense up from how blunt he was and you were no different. Your ears pressed back against your head as you glanced down at the table wondering if you could run away fast enough. Why did Soonyoung have to say anything? Better yet, why did you say anything knowing he would run and tell the others? You briefly heard Jihoon huff before Joshua spoke.
“You’re not in trouble, don't worry, if anyones in trouble it’s us for making you uncomfortable,” he assured. The gentle tone of his voice made you relax a bit as you glanced up shyly at the guys. Joshua, who was sitting a few seats down from where you were, smiled at you encouragingly which prompted you to finally say something.
“It’s not that I’m uncomfortable,” you clarified in almost a whisper, “it’s just that, I can tell that not everyone here likes me and I feel like I’m annoying you guys by being here. Especially since you said you have to go back to work and I don’t want to get in the way.” There was a mixture of hushed murmurs and sighs as the guys glanced between each other. It was obvious that no one knew what to say and you once again wondered if you should just excuse yourself. Maybe if you just focused your dinner they would drop the topic and worry about something else. Or, better yet, that they would forget this conversation happened all together. The sound of Seungcheol clearing his throat silenced most of the group and halted you from slipping out of your chair. He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a moment to collect his thoughts before letting out a soft sigh.
“Clearly we didn’t fully think a few things through,” he muttered, mostly to himself but you still heard it. His words made you curl up a bit thinking he was talking about no longer wanting you but he didn’t let you speculate for long. “Look Y/N I feel like I should be the first one to apologize for not making you feel welcome. It’s not that we don’t want you here, it's just that your arrival was so sudden we didn’t really have time to plan things out. Especially now because we have to go back to work and unless we work it out with our management to bring you along you’re going to be home alone a lot. We work very demanding hours for practice and have to travel a lot for tours and other events. If that’s the case and you can’t come along that’s going to be very tricky for you. Do you understand what I’m saying?” You pouted a bit at the thought of always being alone but nodded anyway. “That being said,” Seungcheol continued, “having you here was a mutual agreement and it’s not fair to exclude you. There will be rules to follow if it happens but I’m willing to talk with our management about letting you come to work with us. However, before that happens we need to make sure you are on the same page with all of us.” It took you a second to process what he was trying to say exactly, tilting your head and blinking up at him softly. He couldn’t help but chuckle softly before nodding his head towards Soonyoung, the younger smiling as he pulled out a hat.
“We need to get you comfortable with everyone and what better way to do that than to spend time with all of us individually!” he explained. There were a few glances passed between the guys as he shook the hat, little bits of paper rattling inside, “We don’t have enough time for you to spend a full day with all of us before work but we were thinking about you spending time with two to three of us a day. That gives you a few hours one on one with all of us which will hopefully ease any tension between us.” Now you realized what everyone was thinking about earlier and it all started to make sense. You supposed Soonyoung ran around pitching the idea to everyone while you were distracted and that’s why they were all staring at you. There was no way everyone agreed to this immediately, if they did at all.
“Everyone is already on board with the idea,” Jeonghan assured, as if he read your mind, “this would be good for everyone to get to know you better. Of course if you’re not comfortable we won’t do it, it may be overwhelming to be with all of us in such a short time span.” You did have to admit he was right, the thought of spending time with all of them one on one was a bit scary. Then again, they were doing this for you and you knew you wouldn’t be the only one out of your comfort zone. With the thoughts still battling in your mind you nodded softly.
“If you guys think it’s a good idea then I’m willing to try it,” you agreed. The guys smiled and Soonyoung giggled a bit as he shook the hat again.
“I already wrote down everyone's name and put it in here. Starting tonight we will draw two names, the first one will spend the morning with you and the second will spend the evening. One day we will probably need to draw three names but we’ll figure that out when we get there,” he explained.
“Wait, why would we need three members one day?” Mingyu asked, “excluding you, there's 12 of us.”
“Because Soonyoung added his name in as well,” Jun responded with a chuckle. The male in question smiled sheepishly as they all gave him questioning looks.
“You spend the most time with Y/N, why would you need to be part of this?” Jihoon asked.
“Because I want one on one time with her as well!” Soonyoung argued.
“You two literally share a room you get one on one time with her everyday!” the younger argued back, “if you add your name in you’re just taking time away from one of the other members which defeats the whole purpose of everyone bonding with her.” Soonyoung deflated a bit and looked down before hugging the hat close to his chest. Whether Jihoon was right or not it was clear he didn’t want to remove his name.
“Why don’t you just remove your name now and go last, whatever time is left over before the meeting you can spend taking her out if it means that much to you?” Minghao suggested. The others nodded in agreement and Soonyoung groaned softly as he fished through the hat to find his name.
“Let’s finish dinner before drawing names though,” Seungcheol intervened, “I’m still hungry and I have to call management after this anyways to set up another meeting so we can do it then.” There was a silent agreement as the hat was set aside and everyone returned their focus to their food. You had mostly lost your appetite so you only picked at what was on your plate before offering the rest of it to Jeonghan saying you were full. As everyone was starting to clear away their plates, Soonyoung once again pulled out the hat of names. Seungcheol excused himself to call management before it got too late and some of the others decided to call it a night, saying just to text them if their name happened to be drawn. You wanted to slip away and go curl up in bed but curiosity kept you, along with the remaining members, in your seat.
“Don’t be nervous Y/N,” Soonyoung cooed once he noticed the way you were sitting, “this is supposed to be fun, we don’t want to scare you.”
“I know I know,” you assured with a sigh, “I guess I’m just overthinking.” You pouted and rested your head against the table, cheek pressed against the cool wood as you glanced towards the hat. You felt someone running their hands through your hair in an attempt to comfort you but you didn’t have the energy to acknowledge them as you were focused on the name. You didn’t know why you were scared of spending a day with one of the other guys but there was that uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach that this wouldn’t go well.
“We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” Joshua assured.
“No it’s fine,” you promised, “this is necessary for all of us.”
“Let’s hurry up and figure this out,” Jun whined, “I’m tired and want to go to bed.”
“Alright, alright,” Soonyoung muttered as he shook up the hat. The papers rattled inside as he shuffled them around with his hand a bit before drawing the first name. You perked up along with the others as he unfolded the paper and glanced over at you. “Okay Y/N, the first person you will be spending time with is…”
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title: The Most Precious Thing
pairing: nurse!jeonghan x surgeon!reader
genre: hospital au, fluff, secret relationship
warnings: medical talk (tumors, brain biopsy, potential cancer), mentions of food/not having time to eat, stress
synopsis: you and jeondhan had been dating for a few months. since you worked at the same hospital, you decided to keep it a secret so as to not complicate things with your colleagues. however, during a moment of weakness, one of them figures you out.
wordcount: 3.6k
taglist: @enhacolor, @shuabby1994, @junhui-recs, @dkakapizzaboy, @just-here-to-read-01, @loviehan, @userjunhuii, @novalpha, @bubblymoon, @aaniag, @d0nghyuck, @fantasy2wonderland, @seunghancore, @woozixo, @niktwazny303, @lllucere, @uniq-tastic, @wonwoospartyhat, @stariightjoyy, @hyneyedfiz, @cali-snow, @pearlygraysky, @crazywittysassy, @yeosayang
rating: PG 13
request: nurse!jeonghan x surgeon!reader with prompt 2 and 53 (requested by @tfmingyu)
prompts:
2. "i like the way your hand fits in mine"
53. "do you believe in soulmates?"
a/n: after a very long time of keeping this request in my drafts, and after many major changes to the story - it's finally here! i'm sorry for taking so long!!
join my taglist
masterlists
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"You have another appointment you need to look at, Doctor Y/L/N," Jeonghan said as you walked past, enunciating your title in a slightly mocking manner.
"Remind me of that later, nurse Yoon," you answered and doing the same to him. "I have a patient waiting for examination results."
Jeonghan took the file from your hands and looked at it while walking beside you. He let out a few hums and eventually gave it back to you. You looked at him with an arched brow, questioning if he really understood what it said.
"I understood about half of it." He nodded. "Checks out."
"The patient has a brain tumor." You sighed. "We need to do a brain biopsy... and I have to tell them, which is stressing me out."
The two of you walked into the elevator and you pressed the button for the third floor. Jeonghan wasn't sure why he had followed you, he technically had to be on the first floor at this moment. Today was luckily a slow day, a near impossible occurrence - but he was lucky. The doors closed, and the elevator quickly moved up.
"You're stressed about telling them and not doing the surgery?" He scoffed. "Every day you surprise me more."
The elevator dinged, signaling that you had arrived on the third floor. Before the doors could open, Jeonghan leaned down and placed a quick kiss on your cheek. You looked over at him with wide eyes, but you had no time to scold him for kissing you at work - the doors were already open.
"Good luck with that patient!" he said in a sing-song voice.
"You're not coming with me?" you asked as you walked outside the elevator, trying to act normal.
"Oh no, I have to be at reception." He gave you a Cheshire-cat grin as the doors closed.
Another sigh escaped your lips, but you couldn't help but smile. He was always risky, even if you tried to convince him to not be suspicious while at work. The two of you had started dating a few months ago. Meeting at a hospital doesn't seem very romantic, but Jeonghan was surprisingly good at making any situation into a sweet one. You had told him to keep things secret, while he didn't care either way. His carefree look on life did get on your nerves at times, but you looked past it for how good he was to you otherwise. Like now. He could see your stress from a mile away and went with you as far as he could go to try to cheer you up. It was cute. He was cute.
After telling your patient the news and explaining what you would need to do, they obviously freaked out a bit. They hadn't come in expecting a brain tumor, and now you were telling them that you had to make a small insition in their skull and take a sample of the said tumor to see if it was cancerous. Like any surgery, it didn't come without any risks, and you of course had to tell them that. After being a bit sympathetic you left, a tension headache already starting to affect you. As you walked through the corridor you started feeling a bit dizzy and stumbled to the wall to hold yourself up.
"Y/L/N?" a familiar voice said.
A pair of strong hands held you up. When you looked beside you a colleague of yours stood beside you. Choi Seungcheol, you were in the same undergrad class but ended up specializing in different areas. You in general surgery, and him in oncology. It was mere chance that you had ended up working at the same hospital. When you told your friends, they dreamily answered that it must be fate - to which you responded with that the cute doctor was involved with someone else, much to their dismay.
"Oh, Choi I actually need to speak with you..." You breathed out. "I just need to sit down for a bit..."
"Let's focus on you first. Have you had time to eat anything today?" he asked as he led you to the elevator.
"I'm fine... listen, I'm about to do a brain biopsy," you explained weakly as you watched him push the button for the first floor, "I'm pretty sure it's a cancerous tumor, it makes sense with the patient's other symptoms. I just want your opinion on something-"
"Y/L/N, did you eat today?" he asked again, ignoring what you were saying.
He was still holding you up, which you were incredibly thankful for because your legs felt like they were about to give out. With your right hand, you steadied yourself against the railing in the elevator which let him loosen his grip on you.
"I ate around ten AM.", you said, "I've been working since, I didn't have time to get lunch."
It was only a little bit of a lie since you wouldn't qualify the thing you ate as your meal. It wasn't enough to keep you satisfied for the rest of the day, and therefore, not sufficient. What dr. Choi didn't know, he couldn't criticize you for.
"Then we'll get you something to eat," Choi put simply, "After that, I'll give you my opinion on your case."
The elevator doors opened, and the two of you walked out. Dr. Choi sat you down on one of the waiting chairs and went over to the vending machine. You watched as he fed the machine some cash and pushed on some buttons, bending down to pick up the item as it fell down the machine. Soon enough, the doctor came back to you with a energy bar.
"Just to get your blood sugar up," he said and handed it to you.
"Y/N?" From a distance, you could see that Jeonghan was running up to you.
You cringed at his usage of your first name. It wasn't professional, which is why you wanted to avoid it. The man beside you raised his brows at the use of your first name. Clearly it surprised Doctor Choi a bit which only made you feel worse. Jeonghan finally arrived at your side, his eyes full of worry at the sight of your slumped form.
"Are you alright? You look sick," he crouched down in front of you.
"They just need to eat a bit," Choi chimed in. "Then they'll be just fine."
"You haven't been eating?" Jeonghan ignored the fact that your colleague just said you'll be fine.
"I didn't have the time, nurse Yoon," you said sternly. "I'll be fine, it's not a big deal."
"Not a big deal? You should give yourself time to eat." He sighed.
"Well, thank you for your medical advice," you said sarcastically. "But as I said, I didn't have the time. I have patients that need my help."
"I'm going to give you two some space..." Seungcheol interrupted. "Come over to my office when you can Y/N, I'll look over the case."
You were about to stop him from leaving, but Jeonghan grabbing your hands distracted you. You looked over at him, forgetting that you still had to consult dr. Choi on a myriad of things. Jeonghan had a serious look on his face as he sat down beside you.
"Why don't you have time to eat?" he asked. "You should at least be able to eat some sort of energy bar while in between places."
"I didn't have anything on me." You sighed and rested your head against your palm. "I'm sorry for being angry... you didn't do anything wrong."
"I know that, sweetheart." He chuckled and threw an arm around your shoulders. "When does your shift end? Do you think you can get off early if it's for health reasons?"
"I just need to eat a bit, Jeonghan, I'm not sick." You looked up at him with a thankful gaze.
"Oh, I know..." He smiled. "But nobody else does."
"I'm not going to lie to anyone!" You laughed, a sense of relief flooding your systems at how carefree you could be around him.
Usually, you would've told him to keep his hands to himself, but it felt so nice to have him take care of you. So damn it all, you thought as you leaned your head on his shoulder. For once you let your walls down at work, and you just hoped nobody would see.
"Come to me when you're done for the day," he said. "We can go get take out and I can stay the night at your place to make sure that you'll actually get to sleep."
"That sounds nice." You nodded and sat up. "Now I need to talk to Dr. Choi about my patient, though."
"Go get some better food at the cafeteria first." Jeonghan grabbed your hand before you could walk away. "Just a sandwich and some water, it doesn't have to be anything big."
You nodded and stayed there in front of him. He was smiling brightly up at you, and you just couldn't walk away - mostly because he was still holding your hand. You tried to discreetly signal for him to let go of your hand, but he didn't get it. He didn't get it, or he was pretending to be oblivious. As much as you loved him, he could be infuriating at times.
"Jeonghan," you whispered. "Why are you still holding my hand?"
"Because I like the way your hand fits in mine," he teased. "What? You want me to let go?"
All you did was let out yet another sigh, but Jeonghan gave in and let go of your hand anyway. He liked to tease you, but he wasn't about to start driving you insane when you're this stressed out. No, that would be saved for occasions where he would actually enjoy watching you get flustered. You said goodbye and were on your merry way to the cafeteria, unaware of how your boyfriend's gaze lingered on you until you were out of sight.
By the time your shift ended you felt like your legs were about to give out from under you. However, when you made your way to the reception all of the stress washed off your body, like taking a cold shower after a hot workout, as soon as you saw Jeonghan. He smiled at you, and you nodded to him.
You walked out alone and sat down in the passenger seat of Jeonghan's car. Luckily, you had taken the bus today, which meant that Jeonghan could drive you home. A few minutes passed, and he joined you in the driver's seat.
"What do you want to eat?" he asked as he put on his seat belt and started the car.
"I'll go for anything right now, just let me put some greasy food in my mouth." You groaned dramatically.
"Coming right up," Jeonghan chuckled.
The couch felt so unbelievably soft. Never had you considered your very own couch to be this great of a buy, but considering how comfortable you were right now it might be the best thing you had ever bought in your entire life. All of the credit couldn't go to the couch, of course, because some of it also had to go to Jeonghan. You were snuggled up on his chest, your legs laying in between his, and his arms wrapped around you. A warm blanket was laying over the two of you. On the coffee table stood two boxes of empty Chinese take-out, the closest thing you could find to the hospital.
"You're not falling asleep on me, are you?" Jeonghan muttered, despite him also being half asleep.
"I think I might be." You shifted so that you could meet his gaze. "Weren't you going to make sure I got a good night's sleep?"
"I don't think this is the optimal place for sleeping," he retorted with a smile.
"Well, I think it is." You put your forehead against his chest. "You're such a good pillow, baby, don't worry."
"Come on, angel, let's get you to bed." Jeonghan chuckled and helped you sit up.
He walked with you to the bathroom, where you brushed your teeth together. There were two toothbrushes in your restroom: one was yours, and the spare one was for Jeonghan whenever he would come over. It was always a nice reminder for you when he wasn't there because it was the story behind the toothbrush that made it so special.
It was about the fifth time that Jeonghan had stayed over, and he had forgotten his toothbrush, which was an honest mistake but still very annoying. You didn't have any extra toothbrushes at home, so the two of you had to go to the nearest store and buy some. Earlier that week, your car had broken down and it was raining heavily outside without any sign of stopping. Both of you were determined to get that toothbrush so, while holding the hoods of your jackets over your head, you ran through the rain all the way to the store. When you got home, with a toothbrush and some extra toothpaste in a plastic bag, you couldn't help but burst out laughing. With anyone else, this occurrence would infuriate you because how can someone forget a toothbrush? However, it wasn't just some person, it was Jeonghan, and it made you realize that you'd do anything with him.
"What are you looking at?", Jeonghan managed to get out, despite the toothpaste in his mouth.
You hadn't realized that you had been staring at him through the mirror. He wore a sly grin on his lips, as he always did when he caught you doing something that he could use to potentially fluster you. You just shook your head with a small smile and kept on brushing your teeth. When you turned your attention to your reflection in the mirror, Jeonghan spat out the toothpaste he had in the sink and washed his toothbrush. His arms snuck around your waist and he peppered a bunch of kisses on your cheek.
"You have toothpaste on your mouth! Stop!" you shrieked, followed by a laugh.
"Tell me why you were staring at me!" He grinned.
"It was nothing!" you whined, but he only started attacking your neck instead. "Stop it! You're getting toothpaste all over me..."
He stopped, leaning his temple against yours as he met your eyes through the mirror. You washed your toothbrush and wiped off the toothpaste he had gotten all over you, then wiped off the toothpaste from the corners of Jeonghan's mouth.
"I hate you," you grumbled.
"I love you too." He grinned.
The two of you waddled out of the bathroom, turning off the lights as you left, Jeonghan still holding onto you. It had started raining outside, like the day you had gotten drenched in search of a toothbrush. As you got into bed, Jeonghan crawling in beside you, you kept thinking about that day. It all crashed down upon you, a sort of enlightenment, as he looked lovingly at you.
"Do you believe in soulmates?" you asked softly.
"I don't know." He said as he brought you closer into his arms. "I guess I've never thought about it."
The rain kept on falling outside, creating a melodic sound against the rooftop and your windows. You put your head on his chest to avoid eye contact. It was all too embarrassing to act like this. Not that Jeonghan made you feel like you couldn't, he was an affectionate guy, but you just weren't the type to act like that. Never had you been the type to say it first, but there had to be a first time for everything.
"Because I kind of think..." you muttered, "I kind of think I might've found one."
"A soulmate?"
"Mhm..."
"Who?"
You went quiet. It was a hard thing to say. Now you wished you hadn't said anything, to begin with. If you hadn't, you would've been asleep by now.
"You," you finally whispered out, barely audible.
Now it was Jeonghan's turn to be quiet. Your entire body ached with anticipation, and you wish he would just say something to break the tension already. He didn't. He pulled you even closer to him, so impossibly close.
"A nurse and a surgeon being soulmates..." he muttered. "It definitely sounds like a cliché... I'm down for it."
It wasn't quite what you had meant, but Jeonghan knew that. He knew you wouldn't be able to say what you actually wanted to, that you would try to say it metaphorically just in case he didn't feel the same, and that you wanted him to play along. Of course, he wouldn't do that. He wanted to hear it from your lips, if you were comfortable enough around him you would.
"That's not...", you sighed because you knew that he knew, "I love you, Jeonghan."
His hands went to the back of your head, gently patting it. His lips met your forehead to place a kiss there, and you felt him smiling.
"I love you too, Y/N.", he said.
The next morning you woke up with no one beside you. Your alarm clock had woken you up, but the sunrise shining through the windows did the trick too. You were in a complete daze as you walked out to your kitchen to make your breakfast before you had to storm off to work.
"Good morning, pretty," a smooth voice echoed through your head, and you almost thought that you were still dreaming.
"You got out of bed before me?" you said as you rubbed your eyes.
"Yeah." He brought you a sandwich and forced it into your hands. "I made you breakfast, and I prepared you a lunch."
There was a box laying on the counter and a water bottle standing beside it. You looked between the lunchbox and your boyfriend, and you felt yourself start to tear up. Maybe it was because you were still tired, or maybe it was just because you didn't expect the sweet action. You wrapped your arms around Jeonghans middle and hugged him tightly.
"Thank you," you said.
"You can thank me by eating it later today. When is the biopsy scheduled for?" he asked.
"It's right before lunch." You pulled away from him and pretended to rub your eyes again to dry away any tears that might be there.
"Eat it right after the biopsy then," he said. "Now, let's hurry up. We have to go get ready."
Quick footsteps made their way through the corridor. You were in a hurry to see Doctor Choi. He had looked over your notes last week, but now you actually had results he could look over. You didn't want to screw this up, this month had already been hell and if you could just get one thing perfectly done you'd feel satisfied.
"Hope I'm not interrupting anything," you said as you walked into his office and put your papers on his desk. "Could you take a look at these for me?"
Seungcheol picked up the papers and looked through them, reading them thoroughly. His eyebrows were furrowed in concentration, but his expression made you nervous. You had a bad habit of always biting your nails when you got nervous.
"It looks good, I think it's like you said before." He nodded and looked up to you with a comforting smile. "Biopsy went well?"
"It was just fine..." You sighed.
"Do you want to have a seat?" he asked and motioned for the chair in front of his desk.
"Actually, yeah I would love that." You sat down and immediately slumped over ever so slightly. "I've been running around all over the place, my legs are tired."
Dr. Choi nodded as he looked through a few papers. He was very clearly just trying to find something to keep himself busy with, to stall something he actually wanted to bring up.
"So..." He suddenly had a curious smile on his lips. "You're dating a nurse?"
"What?" You almost jumped out of your seat.
"Yoon Jeonghan, no?" He grinned.
"Did he tell you? I swear to god, I will-"
"He didn't," Choi interrupted. "I just guessed. Thanks for confirming it."
Your eyes shut tight as you leaned your head back and groaned. The secret was bound to be revealed at some point, but you didn't want it to happen just yet. Being surrounded by a bunch of smart doctors wasn't optimal for keeping things hidden.
"You're cute together," he commented. "He clearly cares a lot for you... although you should definitely tell him to lay off while at work if you're trying to be inconspicuous."
"I've tried." A laugh escaped your lips.
There was a pause, a moment of complete silence between you. Seungcheol seemed to be inspecting you in some way, at least it seemed like it when it felt like his eyes were staring into your soul.
"Take care of him well, Dr. Y/L/N," he said and stood up. "I wouldn't be able to see him go through another heartbreak."
"You're friends?" Your eyebrows shot up. "And neither of you told me?"
"It wasn't neccessary, but now that I finally know you're together I think you should know," he said with a still friendly smile. "As I said, he clearly cares about you if he was willing to keep this from me. So please... don't hurt him."
There was something in his eyes that made you curious. He knew something about Jeonghan's past that you didn't. You weren't exactly planning on breaking Jeonghan's heart, so it didn't really matter - but seeing how deeply Seungcheol cared really made you want to know.
"I won't." You nodded.
"Thank you, I'm sure you won't... I just like to be safe, I guess." He motioned for the door to his office. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to do some work."
"Oh, of course." You got up and walked over to the door. "You won't... tell anyone, will you?"
"Of course not, Y/N." He gave you one last smile before you closed the door behind you.
Your brain raked with many ideas of what could have happened in the past. Clearly, it was a bad relationship but you were curious as to what exactly happened. As if on cue, Jeonghan walked around the corner.
"Doctor Y/N!" He smiled brightly before looking around himself.
"Nurse Yoon," you greeted with a small giggle as you watched him try to see if the coast was clear.
"I made you a lunch this morning." He handed you a brown paper bag. "You haven't already eaten, have you?"
"I haven't." You grinned and accepted his bag, "Thank you."
It had become a normal thing for him to make you lunches, and you weren't complaining. They were just simple sandwiches for the most part, but it was still special to you.
"Could I... get a kiss as a payment for being such a good boyfriend?" he asked with a sly smile.
"And here I was, thinking you were making me food out of the kindness in your heart." You jokingly put a hand over your chest to fake being offended.
He didn't have much time to respond, since you pressed a quick kiss to his lips. His eyes looked love-drunk when you pulled away. You were starting to understand why Doctor Choi was being careful. Jeonghan was probably the most precious person you had ever met. He may be a trickster, a mischievous little devil, but once you peeled away that layer there was nothing but tenderness in his actions. Everything he did, he did delicately and with a warm heart. Perhaps that's why he made such a good nurse. You smiled at the thought, and Jeonghan's eyebrows knitted together.
"You're staring at me like that again," he muttered. "I wish I could look inside your brain."
"Oh trust me, that's my job - you don't want to do that," you joked, successfully making Jeonghan chuckle.
"I'll see you tonight?" He smiled as he slowly started walking away, his back turned against the way he was walking.
"Of course," you said. "I wouldn't dream of missing it."
His smile widened, finally turning away and walking to wherever he needed to be. You watched him leave, not having the strength to look away.
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