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asahicore · 9 months

Text

love calculator - pjh (m)

this work contains smut - minors please do not interact

pairing. best friend!jihoon x fem!reader

synopsis. You were sure that Jihoon only took care of you so well because your brother had tasked him with looking after you when you started university, so you tried not to read too much into his actions until you couldn't deny your increasing sensitivity around your best friend anymore. What you didn't know was Jihoon was going crazy, finding ways to make his feelings for you more obvious than they already were.

genre. f2l, brother's friend, slight childhood friends action, college au, slow burn?, fluff, smut (mutual first time, they do it raw, dirty talking, very soft dom!jihoon)

warnings. jihoon is a menace, jihoon has a hot bod, junkyu is mean to everyone, mc is a bit slow, side romance but i dont actually ship idols i have a life, omegle, ok theres no actual stuff to be warned about its all good in there

word count. 28.2k dont ask me why or how idk either

a/n. there she is... i spent SO much time on her pls love it lots or i'll cry.. it was sm fun writing for jihoon omg i hope u love hoonyn as much as i do !!! @zreamy my dear sweet little zo ty for betareading this and freaking out over jihoon u rock

1K follower trope event - requested by @mosviqu, tysm for requesting and i really hope u enjoy it !!!! - listen to the playlist!

Oddly enough, it was Jihoon’s biceps that first made you think something was wrong with you.

It was the fourth week of the spring semester, that odd in-between when you knew midterms were creeping up but were still far away enough to be ignored. This meant that you could party guilt-free.

The plan for tonight was to pregame at one of those huge uni dorms where ten students shared a kitchen then head to an overpriced club downtown that always had the best music on Friday nights. You didn’t have any classes on Fridays, so you’d headed to Jihoon’s place around four p.m. to get ready together. Usually, that was something you’d do with Minjeong, your roommate, but that weekend, she was away for an excursion with her Geography course.

He was in the shower when you rang the doorbell, so his flatmate let you in, and you made yourself comfortable on his bed while waiting for him. You were so engrossed in the romance Webtoon you’d started that morning that at first, when he came in, you didn’t even look up from your phone.

“Hey, Y/N,” he said casually, unfazed by your sudden appearance in his room. The soft smell of his body wash filled the room, and you noted with smugness that it was the one you had jokingly given him for Christmas after you’d gotten fed up with his strong, ever-present Axe scent.

“Hey, Hoonie. You smell nice. For once.”

He chuckled. “It’s all thanks to you.”

“What would you do without me?” you said with a sigh, then looked up. You shouldn’t have. “Oh.”

The sight you were met with was unlike anything you’d ever seen in real life - Jihoon in all his post-shower half-naked glory, a simple white towel hanging low on his hips. Small beads of water fell from his hair and dripped down his chiseled chest and onto the plush carpet lining his bedroom.

You were pretty sure you’d seen at least five scenes like this in your romance comics.

“Oh?” he parroted.

You squinted your eyes at your friend before turning your attention back to your phone. “You’re naked.”

From the corner of your eye, you saw his grin widen. “I’m wearing a towel.”

“A towel isn’t clothes.” He turned around to rummage through his closet, and you took that opportunity to observe him more closely. This was the first time you saw your friend without a shirt, and you were trying your very hardest to not freak out, but it was a bit hard not to. Who would have known that under his baggy shirts and sweaters, Jihoon was hiding firm abs, broad shoulders, defined back muscles and protruding biceps?

His arms were what really got you, because you felt like you should have noticed them before. You’d already caught yourself staring a little bit too hard at the veins on his hands and forearms during a lecture before, so you could’ve conjectured that the upper part of his arms was well-defined as well. As mesmerizing as the shifting of his shoulder muscles was, what you really couldn’t look away from was the bump that formed his bicep.

“Jihoon, have you always had… arms?”

You had barely even realized you’d said this out loud until Jihoon turned around, a confused look on his face. His lips drew into a smirk when he saw how fixed your gaze on his biceps was.

“No, they just grew recently. Thank you for noticing.”

“No, I mean… arms. Muscles.”

“Oh, these?” he said, flexing his arms and pecking his biceps in such a cheesy way that it snapped you out of your reverie and made you burst into laughter. “I started working on them last year so, yeah, they’ve been around a while.”

“Huh,” you said, then picked your phone up again and resumed your reading. “Well, you should work harder, ‘cause it’s the first time I noticed them.”

Jihoon scoffed. “Don’t act like you weren’t just drooling over my dream bod just seconds ago.”

You looked up, outraged. “I wasn’t drooling, I was observing. And don’t call it a dream bod, that’s gross.”

“My bod is a dream bod.”

“Stop it.”

“Can you look away from my dream bod for a sec? I need to put some pants on.”

“I’m already actively not looking. This dude is way hotter than you, by the way,” you said, waving your phone.

“Let me see him,” Jihoon said, heading towards you after successfully putting a shirt and sweatpants on. Gray sweatpants, you realized with a frown. He took your phone and looked back and forth between the character on the screen and you, an expression of disbelief on his face. “Y/N, this is a two-dimensional fictional character that exists in a fairyland. It hurts my feelings when you call him hotter than me.”

A lip grew on your lips. “Yes, but he has pointy ears and doesn’t refer to his body as a dream bod, so he’s a ten in my books.”

As you spoke, Jihoon lay down on his bed, stretching his arms behind his head and resting it on his palms, looking up at you with a grin. You didn’t know what to make of the sudden flip of your stomach.

“Will I be a ten in your books if I stop calling it a dream bod?”

You laughed. “Dream bod doesn’t even sound real anymore.”

“I don’t think it ever was, to be honest,” Jihoon replied, laughing along. “Or maybe they invented it for me.”

After that riveting discussion, you watched the show you’d been watching together (which, you had been surprised to find, Jihoon had the discipline to not watch ahead for), then finished getting ready. That night out hadn’t been particularly extraordinary. Pre-gaming had been fun and chaotic, but the line at the club had been so long that you’d all sobered up by the time you were inside and none of you felt compelled to pay for six dollar shots. At least the good music and nice DJ that took all of your requests made up for it.

The interesting bit happened on the bus ride back home.

By some miracle, Jihoon had run into some of his friendly course seniors that apparently liked him so much, they decided to pay for all of his drinks. Only an hour after getting into the club, he was nothing short of wasted. In your five months of being at university with him, you’d not once seen him in such a state - disheveled hair (from dancing too hard or from getting his hair ruffled like a cute dog by all of his seniors, you weren’t sure), deep red blush staining his cheeks, forehead, ears and neck, unfocused eyes and constant lopsided grin. When he almost tripped over his own feet during Gimme More by Britney Spears, you knew it was time to go home.

Jihoon was usually the one that had to deal with a drunk you, so you didn’t mind taking care of him this time. It was actually kind of fun, seeing this new side of the person who had become your closest friend in the past months.

Luckily for you, a night bus ran directly from the downtown area you were in to the street you and Jihoon lived on, and you managed to lug him to the bus stop. Getting him onto the bus and into a seat was an arduous task, but you made it, and were enjoying a calm, uneventful ride home until you felt Jihoon’s head drop onto your shoulder. You thought he’d just fallen asleep, but then the unmistakable sound of his voice made itself known to your ears.

“Y/N, Y/N…” Jihoon murmured with a muffled voice, burying his face in the crook of your neck. You tried to ignore the prickly feeling down your spine when his lips moved against your skin.

“Yes, Hoonie?” you asked, a tilt of amusement to your voice. You really had never seen your friend so intoxicated.

He sighed, lifting his head from your shoulder and resting it against the window with a bang. He didn’t even wince at the impact of his head against the glass - the alcohol had apparently rid him of the sensation of pain.

“Don’t call me that,” he mumbled, voice so quiet you had to ask him to repeat himself. “I said don’t call me that!”

You were taken aback by his sudden burst of irritation, but he sounded more like an upset child than anything.

“Call you what? Hoonie?”

“Yes.”

“Why? I’ve always called you that.” You tilted your head at him, but he kept his eyes fixed on the road outside.

“Exactly. You’re the only one who calls me that. Everyone else says Jihoon,” he said, annoyance clear in his voice. It sounded like this had been bothering him for a while, but it was complete news to you. “Can’t you even be bothered to say my full name, or something?”

You chuckled and brushed some hair out of his face. Like an angry cartoon character, he puffed air out of his nose and crossed his arms over his chest. His frown deepened and a blush spread over his face that was already red from the alcohol. “Should I call you Jihoon from now on?” you asked softly.

His reaction was immediate. He whipped around, almost knocking your head with his, a look of total alarm on his face. His eyes were almost teary. “No!” he exclaimed loudly, garnering glares from some of the other passengers in the bus who probably wanted some quiet this late at night. “No,” he repeated, this time more quietly, and turned back to the window.

In slight disbelief, you chuckled again. “What am I supposed to call you, then?”

“Just-” he started, but cut himself off with a sigh. “Just call me whatever.”

A small smile tugged at your lips. “I’ll stick to Hoonie, then.”

He groaned as he lifted his head from the window and let it fall back against your shoulder. The angle must’ve made it highly uncomfortable for his neck, but he didn’t seem to mind. He only stayed still for a few seconds before shifting slightly and burying his face in the dip between your shoulder and your neck once more, then let out a low hum of satisfaction.

“You smell nice,” he mumbled. Your breath caught in your throat. He was too close, his lips were too soft and his breath was too warm against your skin. Your whole body felt hot, like the bus driver had suddenly cranked the heat up and turned the bus into a sauna. “Like almonds,” he added, pressing his nose deeper into the base of your neck and inhaling there.

You tried to laugh, hoping it would dissipate the tension in your body, but it only came out as a choked sound. “It’s my body lotion,” you explained, voice weaker than you’d intended.

“Hm.”

You didn’t know what it was about Jihoon’s proximity that made your head spin so - no one had ever made you feel this way, and the fact that your body was reacting so intensely to someone you had considered your best friend for the past months made it all the more confusing.

��Are you asleep?” you asked him in a small voice after he’d been silent for some minutes.

“Just sleepy,” he murmured, shifting in his seat again. You tried not to shiver at the tickling sensation of his hair against your neck.

A pause. “Jihoon?”

“Don’t call me that.” You smiled, but there was a slight whine to his voice that, for some reason, made your heart ache.

You corrected yourself. “Hoon?”

“Mmh?”

“Why did it bother you that I call you Hoonie, all of a sudden?”

He took so long to answer that you almost thought he hadn’t heard you. “Because… every time you call me that, it makes me love you more,” he answered, voice getting gradually lower until it became a whisper.

Everything seemed to disappear around you. The other passengers, the seat underneath you, the blinking lights and the night sky outside the window. It was just you and Jihoon, his body warm next to yours and the only thing keeping you tethered to Earth.

“Makes you… love… me?” you echoed tentatively.

But no answer came. When you bent your head down to look at Jihoon, it seemed like he had fallen completely asleep, mouth slightly agape and the blush of alcohol still red on his face. You didn’t know what to make of his words, but there was no point asking him about them now. So you let him sleep on your shoulder, only waking him once you were nearing his stop.

Jihoon woke up the next morning with a pounding head and a bruised ego.

He had always prided himself in his ability to drink copious amounts of alcohol and yet only end up tipsy. Sure, it wasn’t exactly good for his body, but it meant that he never had to turn down a drink or watch on the sidelines as his friends did shots, and he could still get home just fine and not wake up with a head-splitting hangover the next day. Unlike you, who started giggling for no reason after one pint of beer and who tore it up on the dancefloor or talked to strangers like you’d been besties for years after two shots of tequila.

It only made his state of the previous night that much more embarrassing. He wished he had your amazing memory-erasing superpowers - but sadly, he didn’t, and what happened in the bus was glued to his brain.

Before he could even lift his head or get a cup of water, his phone rang, the sound invading his ears and splitting his head in two. He slid a thumb across his phone to accept the video call and was greeted by a close-up of Junkyu’s smiling face.

“Rise and shine! I heard someone got their party on last night.”

Jihoon groaned loudly, chucking his phone somewhere on his bed so he didn’t have to see his friend’s face anymore. His was definitely not the face he wanted to see first thing in the morning. Unfortunately for Jihoon, Junkyu had been blessed with an extraordinarily loud voice that still rang clear even when the speakers of Jihoon’s phone were stifled by his blankets.

“Y/N sent me a video of you. You looked ridiculous, man.”

“I hate you. I hate your face, I hate the way you talk, I hate how mean you are to me-”

“I can’t hear you. What was that?”

With another groan and a lot of difficulty, Jihoon raised his upper body and retrieved his phone. “You suck.”

Junkyu’s smile widened. “Well, that’s all from me. Have a glass of water!” he said cheerily before hanging up. Jihoon had never wanted to kill someone so badly.

His murderous feelings softened when he turned his head to find a plastic bottle of water and a headache pill along with a handwritten note on his bedside table. Have this and text me when you wake up! with five hearts at the bottom. It wasn’t signed, but he knew it was from you.

When the two of you met up for brunch sometime later, he kept searching your face and reading into your actions for any sign that what he’d said last night had made you uncomfortable. He’d expected you to be awkward around him, but your attitude almost made him think he’d imagined the whole thing. You joked around with him as usual, as if he hadn’t practically confessed to you last night, and he was desperate to know what might be going through your mind.

Had you forgotten? Had you chalked it up to him being drunk and talking nonsense? Had he had just thought it very hard, and not actually said it out loud? Or, worst of all, had you heard it all and understood him and decided to just ignore it for the sake of your friendship?

Jihoon was going crazy. He could barely taste his chicken and waffles.

The truth was, you just had no idea what to make of his words, and you were scared bringing it up might make things awkward. Jihoon could have forgotten all about it, or he could have meant something entirely different from where your wild, romance-comic-filled imagination went. Save for his tired eyes and groggy voice, he was no different at breakfast than he usually was, so you dropped it.

“Okay, Y/N, I think it’s time for you to go home now.”

Different Friday night, different party. A week had passed and neither of you had mentioned what Jihoon had said on the bus - it wasn’t quite out of your minds just yet, but you’d both separately decided to pretend nothing had happened.

This time, Jihoon had found you in the hallway playing beer pong and downing the cup of beer your opponent had thrown the ball into. Everybody cheered you on as you gulped the cheap liquid down before lifting the empty cup over your head, eyes screwed shut at the unpleasant bitterness in your mouth. Jihoon wasn’t sure why you were playing - you hated beer, and you had one of the worst throws he’d ever seen. But even he, who was supposed to look after you, couldn’t suppress a smile at your attempt and inevitable total fail at scoring a point for your team. Even with all the concentration in the world, the sheer amount of alcohol in your system would’ve made it impossible for you to make it.

Back against the wall and arms crossed over his chest, he watched amusedly as you squinted your eyes at the cups across the table from you, even sticking out your tongue as if that would make your aim any better. After a few tense seconds, you threw the ping-pong ball and hit Lee Jeno right in the chest. You’d giggled at your own failure, letting people pat you on the back for trying and reassure you that it’s okay (even though you really didn’t care) before stumbling right into Jihoon.

As soon as you’d recognized your friend’s face, you’d thrown your arms around his neck and pulled him down into a hug as you yelled his name happily; his hands had come up to your hips and gently pushed your body away from his. Then, he’d said the words you always hated to hear at a party.

“But we just got here!” you cried, the same answer you always gave him when he wanted to leave. You started walking away from him and back into the kitchen for more alcohol. He sighed but was quick to follow you.

“We got here three hours ago. Plus we did pres at Yoshi’s place. You’ve had way more than enough to drink,” he said, snatching a cup you’d just filled with punch from your hands.

“I was gonna drink that!” you complained, leaning against the counter for support.

Jihoon took in your swaying body and your dazed eyes and knew he had to get you home. Any more alcohol and you’d pass out in this stranger’s apartment. Usually, he’d let you drink to your heart’s content and just make sure you got home safe afterwards, but midterms were coming up, and you’d planned on studying the next day - he was just trying to minimize the severity of your hangover.

You mustered your most pitiful expression - to drunk you, there was no way Jihoon could resist your pouty lips and sad eyes. “Do we really have to go?” you asked, and Jihoon had to read your lips because of the loud music.

He smirked, seeing right through your little act. He bent his upper body so that his lips were right next to your ear. “You’ll thank me tomorrow,” he replied, making you drop your fake sad expression.

“I should go say bye to Minjeong and the others first.”

“I’ve already told them we were leaving.”

You rolled his eyes at him and his stupid smile and lifted yourself from the counter, immediately losing your balance. Maybe you had drunk too much. At least Jihoon was there to catch you and prevent you from falling. He tried to put his arm around your shoulder to support you but you stepped away from him and fixed him a pointed look.

“I can still walk, you know.”

Jihoon smiled but said nothing, gesturing at you to go on and walk. You turned around and started making your way out of the place, ignoring Jihoon’s snickers as you bumped into various party-goers and pieces of furniture.

When you reached the front door, you decided that actually, no, you couldn’t walk. Sliding against the wall, you let yourself drop into a crouching position. Your head suddenly felt like it was twice its normal weight and you regretted those last few shots of whatever it was you had drunk.

Jihoon sighed as he lowered himself and grabbed you under your armpits to lift you up. He had never been more thankful for an elevator and a bus stop only a minute’s walk away from where you were. Standing under bright lights in a desert and quiet street, it appeared like an oasis to Jihoon. Whoever’s party this had been, they lived in a really calm part of town. At this time on a Friday night, Jihoon’s street would be teeming with drunk students deciding which bar or club they should head to next.

You had never been more thankful for a bus stop with seats. You plopped yourself down on one of them, resting your head on the glass behind you and tightening your jacket around your shoulders. You closed your eyes, deciding this was the perfect time for a nap.

“Are you cold?” Jihoon asked, his voice keeping you from nodding off. You let out a non-committal hum in response which he wasn’t sure how to interpret. He chuckled and you heard a rustling sound before feeling an added weight on top of your body. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he murmured, then sat by your side.

Next thing you knew, Jihoon was making you stand again, and your feet moved of their own accord as he led you inside the bus. As soon as you were seated, you drifted back off to sleep. You jolted awake when your head drooped over, making you feel like you were falling. You sat up straight and looked around the empty bus, frantically asking Jihoon where you were.

“I’m taking you home,” he answered, laughter clear in his voice.

“Oh, okay,” you mumbled, and closed your eyes once more, falling back asleep in a matter of seconds.

Jihoon watched with a tender smile as your mouth opened slightly and let soft snores escape it. Scooting closer to you, he placed his palm on your cheek and pulled your head towards his shoulder so it could rest there.

“Why do you drink so much if you can’t handle it?” he asked quietly, even though he knew you were already in dreamland.

When you opened your eyes the next morning, you felt like a kid who had fallen asleep in the car on the way home from a distant relative's wedding and mysteriously woken up in their bed. You stretched out your limbs, enjoying the softness and warmth of your sheets covering your body until a headache and pasty mouth hit you like a ton of bricks. It felt like the alcohol had made your brain shrivel inside of your skull - your whole body was screaming for water.

Some kind of miracle had made a large glass of water appear on your bedside table, and you gulped it down in mere seconds. The hour on your phone read 10:24 a.m. - so much for getting up early and going to study at the library.

You’d have rather stayed curled up under your blankets and slept the rest of your hangover off, but some rustling noises from the kitchen (and an intense need to pee) forced you out of the comfort of your bed. You stumbled into the kitchen to find Jihoon placing a pancake atop an already dangerously high stack.

“Hey, Sleeping Beauty,” he greeted you, glancing at you with a smirk on his face as you made your way towards him. You stood behind him and rested your forehead at the base of his neck, as if catching a few last seconds of sleep.

The feeling of your hair against his skin sent shivers down his spine and he hoped his shaky intake of breath had gone unnoticed by you. His pancake was ready and he had to put it on the plate behind him, but as if a cat had fallen asleep in his lap, he couldn’t get himself to move. This was a moment he wanted to cherish - although you never particularly kept your distance from him, he was still always greedy for more of your touch.

“Hey, Hoonie,” you replied in a groggy voice. “Thank you for breakfast,” you said, moving to rest your lower back against the counter next to the stove. He missed you immediately. “And sorry for being a nuisance last night.”

Jihoon smiled at you as he turned to place the pancake on the stack. Then he leaned in slightly and you made sure not to breathe through your mouth so he wouldn’t smell your morning breath.

“You always apologize, and yet who’s dragging you home every single weekend?” he asked with an amused grin that let you know he wasn’t actually bothered by it.

He turned back to his pan and ladled more batter into it, forming a perfectly circular pancake. “Sorry,” you repeated guiltily.

He shook his head. “I’d rather be there and make sure you get home safe. And it’s not like I don’t have fun at those parties.”

A small smile on your lips, you nodded and let his words assuage your guilt. “I’ll make coffee as a token of my gratitude.”

“How kind of you,” Jihoon teased, beaming.

No matter how many times Jihoon reassured you, you still felt bad that he thought it his obligation to do those things for you.

Although you’d only grown closer at the beginning of your first year of university, now six months ago, you and Jihoon had known each other since you were thirteen, and he fourteen. You still remembered his braces, wide boba eyes and round cheeks from your teenage years - when you saw him again five years later, you couldn’t deny your surprise at his much… manlier appearance. Sharper jaw, broader shoulders, taller figure, deeper voice - it was hard to recognize the Jihoon you’d known and the Jihoon in front of you as the same person.

His parents’ job made their family move around a lot - your town had been their fifth home since Jihoon’s birth already. The year and a half they stayed went by far too quickly, and before you knew it, you already had to say goodbye. Jihoon and Junkyu had grown really close in that year, and since you were always in your older brother’s business at that time, you’d developed a liking for your brother’s best friend, too. You liked the way he’d ruffle your hair whenever he came over to your house, the way he remembered strawberry milk was your favorite, and the way he’d wave at you in the school hallways, effectively making you cooler than all of your friends for knowing someone who was in the year above. At the time, you hadn’t known if what you felt for him could be described as a crush - all you knew was that for the rest of high school, you missed him.

When you found out that he had not only come back to South Korea to study, but that he was attending the university of your dreams, you couldn't have been more excited. But you chalked it up to the relief of knowing someone in an otherwise unfamiliar place.

Jihoon had been even more welcoming than you’d expected. He had come to get you at the airport with a big, colorful Welcome Y/N banner, helped you move into your dorm and treated you to a meal the night you arrived in town. Over the following weeks, he’d introduced you to his friends, showed you around campus, and kept inviting you out “so you would know where the good spots were.”

Thanks to him, settling in had been a much less stressful and emotionally exhausting process than you’d expected. But no matter how grateful you were, you couldn’t help but wonder why he was going to these lengths to welcome you.

Somewhere in the town center, there was a square that was extremely popular among skaters for a reason beyond your understanding. But at almost any time of the day and night, you could find people practicing their skating there. You’d just left a bar nearby with Minjeong, Jihoon and his friends, and to an intoxicated you, skating, something you had never attempted before, seemed like the thing to try out right then and there. You ran up to the first skater you found and asked him if he could show you how to ride.

Minjeong had run after you, finding a skater of her own while Jihoon’s friends either watched or talked about something else amongst themselves. Of course, the inevitable happened, and as soon as the skater let you try skating on your own, you’d fallen on your hands and knees. In a flash, Jihoon had been by your side, frantically asking if you were okay and making you show him your palms. They were only grazed, and one of your knees was bleeding very faintly, but Jihoon acted like you’d just broken something. He got you to get on his back so he could carry you to the nearest pharmacy, leaving his friends and Minjeong to wonder what the hell was going on. You tried telling him you were okay and could walk on your own just fine, but he wouldn’t listen.

He’d sat you on the curb in front of the all-night pharmacy and asked you to wait as he got disinfectant and bandages. You watched his face closely as he rubbed medical alcohol on your wounds. A crease had plagued his eyebrows ever since you fell, and he would not stop mumbling something about you needing to be more careful and you’re lucky you didn’t get hurt badly.

You hadn’t realized you were crying until one of your tears fell on Jihoon’s hand, hot against his skin, and he looked up at you with worry, any of his previous frustration with you wiped from his expression.

“Y/N? Why are you crying?” he’d asked, voice soft, as if trying not to scare you.

You sniffled. “Why are you so nice to me?”

His eyes softened and a small smile grew on his lips. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

You couldn’t bring yourself to mirror his smile, and the more you cried, the sadder you felt. Inexplicably, your tears just fell and fell and fell. Under the bright white lights of the pharmacy, in the cold of a particularly chilly September night, Jihoon wrapped an arm around you and let you cry on his shoulder. He didn’t ask any further questions, just waited for you to calm down as he rubbed a hand up and down your back and whispered in your ear that it was okay.

When you thought back on it now, you knew that it had just been the alcohol making you unreasonably emotional - you weren’t actually sad about Jihoon looking after you, if anything, it made you happy. But once you’d started crying, you couldn’t stop.

“I’m just looking out for you,” he’d said once your sniffling had somewhat lessened. You’d leaned back to look at him.

“But why?” you’d whined.

Your frown had deepened as his smile had widened. “Because we’re friends.”

“Is that it?”

“Well, Junkyu also asked me to look after you,” he admitted sheepishly.

You gasped in affront. “He what?!”

“Y/N-”

“So he’s been forcing you to do all of this?” you asked, voice breaking at the end. Your anger had lasted two seconds - you’d gone back to being sad at the thought of Jihoon only being nice to you because your stupid big brother had asked him to.

“No, no, it’s not like that, listen to me-”

“I can’t believe the two of you! I’m not a child-”

“Nobody said you were-”

“So you don’t actually even care-”

“I do!” Jihoon had exclaimed, louder than you’d expected, and it shut you up. “I do,” he repeated, voice softer. His hands were still on your upper arms, and he leaned in closer. “You’re his little sister. Of course he was worried about you leaving home. He just asked me to make sure you don’t get into too much trouble,” he explained, lightly tapping the tip of your nose with his finger.

He sighed, smiling as he watched you try to keep an upset expression on your face. He took the bandages out of the pack he’d just bought and stuck them with caution on your wounds. “But I wouldn’t be doing all of this if I didn’t care, Y/N.” When your eyes met again, you hadn’t known what to make of the look in his. “I missed you, you know.”

Just like that, the ducts behind your eyes filled up again, and large, hot tears streamed down your face as you rested your forehead against Jihoon’s shoulders again. He chuckled at your dramatics but placed a reassuring hand against your hair. “I missed you, too,” you replied between broken sobs.

He’d texted his friends to take Minjeong with them and go on without the two of you, then carried you back to his apartment, which was thankfully only a five-minute walk away.

Ever since that night, you and Jihoon had been inseparable. He continued checking on you consistently, bringing you food and coffee without you even asking and, of course, getting you home safe from nights out.

You were thankful to have a friend like him.

“Pancakes?!” your flatmate exclaimed as soon as she walked through the door, snapping you out of your thoughts.

“Hey, Minjeong,” you and Jihoon greeted in unison.

She was wearing her clothes from last night and her hair was a mess, but she had a bright expression on her face (despite the faint mascara stains underneath her eyes). You narrowed your eyes at her but she made a beeline for the food, completely ignoring you.

“Hot,” she mumbled as she held a pancake between her fingers, but threw a piece in her mouth anyway. “You’re so lucky to have a boyfriend like him, Y/N,” she said around her food.

“Isn’t she?” Jihoon replied before you could say anything.

You rolled your eyes at the pair in front of you and poured a cup of coffee for Minjeong. She referred to Jihoon as your boyfriend so often that you didn’t bother to correct her anymore. “Not my boyfriend. And even so, he’s more like a bodyguard than anything.”

“Being a bodyguard is just one of the many duties of being a boyfriend,” Minjeong declared, easily ignoring you. “Don’t you agree, Jihoon?”

He nodded, a serious look on his face. “Absolutely. I take what I do very seriously.” When his eyes found yours, he shot you a wink. Your frown deepened.

“Anyway, care to share why you’re coming home so late?”

A blush creeped on Minjeong’s cheeks. “Well, Yoshi’s place is quite a ways from here…” she murmured, looking down at her half-eaten pancake.

“Called it!” you yelled, just as Jihoon let out a loud “no” of shock and defeat.

“Next takeaway is on you,” you told Jihoon with a proud smile. In a mature response, he stuck his tongue out at you.

Minjeong frowned at both of you. “You guys bet on this?” she asked, vexed. Jihoon exchanged a look, glanced back at her, and shrugged. “Not cool. I didn’t even know something would happen with him. How did you guess?”

You smiled. “You always go for the cute ones.”

She hummed in agreement, her expression almost a pained one. “He’s just the cutest little thing ever, I couldn’t help myself.” She took a sip of her coffee, cringing at the bitter taste before getting up to fetch sugar and milk.

You sighed at your friend. “You’re gonna break that poor boy’s heart.” You knew Minjeong wasn’t to blame for the boys that got attached to her when she made it clear she wasn’t looking for a relationship - but if it happened to Yoshi, you’d feel guilty. You’d met him in a tutorial for one of your Digital Media courses and he seemed like he wouldn’t hurt a fly. He’d invited you to do pres at his place, and you’d dragged Minjeong and Jihoon along, so they’d met through you. In a way, if Yoshi fell for Minjeong and got hurt, it’d be your fault.

“I told him I didn’t want anything serious,” she said, pouring as much milk as there was coffee in her mug.

“He doesn’t seem like the type to do casual stuff,” Jihoon chimed in as he placed the last pancake on top of the stack. But it was one pancake too many, and the whole stack fell over. Jihoon wasn’t rattled - he placed a few on his plate then rebuilt the stack.

Minjeong ate her last bite of pancake and got up from the stool. “Well, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

“We? This is your problem, babe,” you said.

Minjeong smiled at you, eyes crinkling as she pressed a wet kiss to your cheek. You were sure there was some pancake left on her lips. “You’re such a good friend, Y/N,” she said, making you laugh. Of course you’d help Minjeong if she needed - but you were starting to feel bad for all the hearts she kept breaking. “I’m going back to bed,” she announced. Then, she put her hand next to her mouth as if telling you a secret, but spoke loud enough for Jihoon to hear anyway: “I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night, is all I’ll say.”

Jihoon choked on his food and you let out a groan of disgust, but you both burst into laughter anyway. “I want details later!” you called out.

“You won’t be disappointed,” she said between giggles as she closed her bedroom door behind her.

Just then, your phone buzzed with an incoming video call, Junkyu’s face taking up your screen. “Hey, ugly face,” you greeted, propping your phone up against the milk bottle.

“Hey, stink.”

“Hey, Kyu!” Jihoon called out and took a seat close next to you - you knew he was just trying to squeeze into frame, but the sudden proximity still made your breath catch in your throat for a second.

Your brother’s eyes narrowed. “What are the two of you doing together on a Sunday morning?”

You looked at Jihoon, then back at your screen. “Is there something wrong with Sunday mornings?”

“Not inherently, no…” your brother conceded. “But still.”

You rolled your eyes at him and his meaningless suspiciousness. “We just went to a party together last night and he crashed here afterwards.”

“She was so wasted I had to bring her home. And I made pancakes this morning.”

“Y/N, if you don’t marry this guy, I will,” Junkyu said with all the seriousness in the world, and Jihoon made a kissy face at him.

“What’s up with everyone today?” you sighed. “I’m going to shower. You two have fun.” You knew your brother probably didn’t have much to tell you anyway - he liked calling you for no other reason than to bother you.

“Oh, we will,” Jihoon said with a suggestive tone, and you made a vomiting noise before disappearing into the bathroom.

“When I told you to look after her, I just meant to make sure she doesn’t drink too much or get involved with weirdos. I didn’t mean to make her pancakes on Sunday mornings,” Junkyu teased, a knowing smile on his face.

Jihoon looked down at his place, a small smile growing on his lips as well. “I know, but I like doing those things for her.”

Junkyu let out an odd noise, half out of disgust and half out of annoyance. “I can’t believe you. Just ask her out, already.”

“So you don’t like me at her place on a Sunday morning, but you want me to ask her out?”

Junkyu rolled his eyes (Jihoon thought this was a family trait, at this point). “I’m trying to help you out here, buddy. I know she’s my little sister, but you’re also my best friend,” he started, ignoring Jihoon’s aww, “and I don’t know how much longer I can stand you being in love with her but not making a move.” He paused to sigh. “I know you’re a good guy, so you have my approval, or whatever.”

Jihoon smiled somewhat sadly, picking at his food with his fork. “I appreciate it, Kyu, but I really don’t think she feels the same way.”

“How do you know that? Have you asked her?” Junkyu asked, not even trying to hide his impatience.

“No, but-”

“Do I need to do it for you? Do you want to hide behind my back while I tell my little sister, hey, my friend here has something he wants to tell you? Hey, my friend thinks you’re pretty, do you want to talk to him? Are you a big baby who can’t do anything, Park Jihoon?”

“No, I just-”

“You know, if this were a k-drama and you were the main lead, everybody would get Second Lead Syndrome. Me included. You suck.”

“Supportive as ever, Kyu,” Jihoon said, sighing.

“If you don’t ask her, you’re a bitch. I’m hanging up now,” Junkyu said before Jihoon could get another word in. He just shook his head, chuckling as he dug into his pancakes again.

The two of them had had this conversation about a thousand times, and they always came to the same conclusion: Junkyu thought Jihoon should confess his feelings to you, and Jihoon dismissed the idea, knowing he’d never have the guts to do it. To him, making jokes about being your boyfriend and relentlessly flirting with you was sign enough of his affection for you - you just needed to figure out that he wasn’t actually kidding at all. He was already doing half of the work for you, really.

An hour later, the two of you were sitting on the fifth floor of the library, where nobody ever dared to venture because of its dark corners and maze-like rows of bookshelves. It creeped Jihoon out, but it was your favorite place to study, so on days he couldn’t convince you to go to a nicer spot, he sucked it up and followed you to the table you liked by a window that overlooked the park next to the campus. The window let some light in, but to get there, you had to go through dim hallways that looked like they hadn’t seen a human soul in years. Jihoon didn’t know how you’d found out about it in the first place. It felt like something a fourth-year would keep as a secret, not something a first-year would have discovered in her first months of attending uni.

As he observed your sleeping figure, Jihoon couldn’t help but feel slightly annoyed. You’d gotten about twenty minutes of work done before resting your head atop your crossed arms, claiming you would just take a “power nap.” He couldn’t believe you’d emotionally manipulated him (pouted up at him and gave him puppy eyes - with that look on your face, Jihoon would agree to murdering someone for you) into going to this creepy part of the library only to sleep almost immediately after getting there.

He bent down onto his arms, mirroring your position, and let himself have this moment. Even though he saw you all the time, it wasn’t often that he could shamelessly stare at you and get away with it.

He watched as your shoulders rose and fell to the consistent rhythm of your breathing, as the sunlight pouring in from the window made your eyelashes cast shadows against your cheeks. You looked so peaceful that any trace of his irritation towards you vanished. It wasn’t like he could ever really be mad at you.

Jihoon loved how little you had changed in the years you’d been apart. Of course, you’d grown into your features and didn’t quite look like the thirteen-year-old version of you he’d known, but still, you had the same face and same habits he’d fallen in love with in the first place.

He still remembered the way his heart had swelled when he’d found your face amongst the crowd at the airport, how his whole body had buzzed with excitement at the idea of finally seeing you again after all these years. When you’d received your admission email from your university, the first thing Junkyu had told Jihoon was that he’d better look after you. It wasn’t like he didn’t think you couldn’t handle yourself, but it reassured him, knowing someone he trusted so much would be there to help you adjust to university life, since he couldn’t do it himself.

Jihoon had taken this seriously. Junkyu hadn’t given him any sort of instructions - the picking you up at the airport, introducing you to his friends, making sure you were well-fed and well-caffeinated, that was all him. At first, he tried convincing himself that he was doing this in an old friend, big brother fashion - he knew how close you and Junkyu were, so he fancied himself a sort of Junkyu 2.0 for you to rely on.

It had been when he saw your red, puffy eyes, trembling lips and tear-stained cheeks that he realized his old feelings had resurfaced. After all, don’t they say you never really forget your first love?

Truth be told, that whole night had been a dead giveaway. From the moment you met up at the bar to his little nurse moment in front of the pharmacy, his heart had not stopped racing. He kept checking on you, making sure you were having fun and handling your alcohol, and stuck by your side the whole time, like a bee to a flower.

He remembered standing arms crossed over his chest and observing you with narrowed eyes as you tried out skating. He was telling himself he was just watching in case you got hurt, but he couldn’t ignore the way his stomach twisted with a hot, unpleasant emotion as the skater guided you, hands on your waist. He didn’t like that you held that stranger by his shoulders, relying on him and not Jihoon for support, or that you laughed together like you’d been friends for years. Jihoon was your long-time friend, not this random long-haired, baggy-shirted, vans-wearing loser skater that probably had a name like Mark or something.

When you’d fallen from that skateboard, his heart had dropped in his stomach. He’d been sick with worry that you’d gotten badly hurt, and even upon seeing your barely-grazed palms and knees, he hadn’t been reassured.

Seeing you cry had made him panic like crazy. He tried his best to comfort you, but had no idea whether he was doing a good job. For days after that night, he’d replayed the conversation the two of you had under the lights of the pharmacy.

“Why are you so nice to me?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? I’m just looking out for you.”

“But why?”

“Because we’re friends.”

“Is that it?”

Jihoon hadn’t known whether you meant, is that the only reason, or, are we only friends? But he’d thought the second question was wishful thinking on his part. So he told you about the promise he’d made to Junkyu, and that had somehow made you even more upset. Even though he hadn’t said it outright, he’d thought he had made it clear that he wasn’t only doing this because Junkyu had told him to - he also wanted to be there for you. He did care, more than he wanted to admit.

Over time, his feelings for you had grown far bigger than simple teenage nostalgia - he loved your present self impossibly more than fourteen-year-old Jihoon had loved thirteen-year-old you. He thought he made it obvious - he always made sure to compliment you, remembered your coffee order and favorite dishes from your favorite restaurants, rushed to your side whenever you needed him, and did everything he could think of to support you. Sure, he relentlessly teased you as well, but that was just Jihoon.

If you noticed him, you didn’t show it. He wasn’t sure whether you genuinely didn’t know he wanted you as more than a friend or were playing dumb, but he knew you saw him as something like a second older brother. But Jihoon had come to terms with that - he’d rather be in your life as a friend than not at all.

This was why he was grateful for moments like these, when he could just look at you without you knowing.

After five minutes, Jihoon quietly got up and bravely made his way through the dark hallways and back outside to get you a drink - in case you woke up grumpy from your nap, he knew a matcha latte would appease you. He almost got lost on his way back, but when he found your table again, you were still sleeping. He couldn’t help himself - before rousing you, he snapped a quick picture of your sleeping face, making sure to get the drool pooling at the corner of your lips in frame. The photo went into his Y/N folder, full of pictures and videos he’d both secretly and not-so-secretly taken of you, which, no, wasn’t creepy at all, thank you very much.

When he pressed one drink to your cheek and the other to your forehead, you woke up with a gasp, then immediately winced at the pain in the side of your neck from the uncomfortable sleeping position.

“I wasn’t sure whether you’d want a hot one or an iced one, so I just got both.”

“Ooh, iced, please,” you said. “Thanks, Hoonie.” But before you could grab the drink, he snatched it away.

“No drinking until you get at least one thing done,” he said, a satisfied smirk on his lips.

You frowned. “But the ice will melt and it’ll taste all watery.”

Jihoon didn’t want to give in so easily.

“Hm?” you hummed, tilting your head at him.

Jihoon gave in, handing you your drink with a tut. Seeing your excited grin and hearing your sigh of contentment after taking a sip made it worth it.

About two (surprisingly productive) hours later, your stomach started demanding nourishment, and who were you to deny it? Your hangover was strong that day, and even the pancakes and coffee hadn’t completely rid your mouth of its sour taste. You needed something salty and greasy, so you pitched going to the fried chicken place a few blocks down to Jihoon, who agreed immediately.

On the way there, you tried to recollect some moments from the party yesterday, but quickly realized that not much was coming to mind. Pre-drinks at Yoshi’s were clear in your head, and so was walking to the other party - but the better part of your memories after that were fuzzy or non-existent.

“Hoonie?” you suddenly asked.

“Hm?”

“Did I do anything embarrassing last night?”

Jihoon chuckled. “Not more than usual.”

You groaned and pushed his shoulder, making him laugh even more. “I mean, you just kinda danced like crazy and talked to absolutely anyone. At some point you were gone for like twenty-five minutes, and I found you in the bathroom taking selfies with girls I’d never seen before in my life.”

You pulled out your phone and checked your gallery - indeed, there were about fifty pictures of you and some random girls. “Who are they?” you asked, more to yourself than to Jihoon, in disbelief at how comfortable last-night-you looked with these strangers. “They seem nice enough, I guess.” You laughed with Jihoon before sighing. “Well, that’s not too bad. I’ve done worse things.”

Jihoon made a face as if to say, Yeah, I know, and you rolled your eyes at him. You returned your gaze to the path in front of you, but if you’d kept on looking at Jihoon, you’d have noticed the smirk growing on his lips as a joke formed in his head. After some time, with a shit-eating grin on his face, he broke the silence. “Oh, well, there was also that moment when you confessed your undying love for me, tears streaming down your face, begging on your knees, all the works. That was pretty embarrassing. But I get it.”

It was so ridiculous that you couldn’t help yourself from laughing as you slapped his shoulder. “You wish,” you said between giggles.

I do wish, he immediately thought, but kept it to himself. He laughed instead and could only hope his real thoughts weren’t so obvious.

Two things happened in the fried chicken shop restaurant.

Well, three, if you counted their promotion on their chicken rice cake coleslaw menu, which was your favorite and which Jihoon always chided you for ordering (“Anyone who likes coleslaw is not human”), but in the grand scheme of things, that wasn’t so important.

First, your mom called. Now, this wasn’t anything huge in itself, but it was Jihoon’s behavior that got to you.

You had gotten maybe five words before he snatched the phone from you and lifted it to his ear. “Hi, Mrs Kim!”

You heard a faint but enthusiastic “Hi, Jihoon!” on the other side of the line. They made small talk for a bit, and you couldn’t believe your mom could have forgotten about her only daughter so quickly. You’d dived back into your fried chicken, pretending you didn’t care about whatever it was they were talking so energetically about, until you heard your name on the other end.

Your and Jihoon’s eyes met. A mischievous smile spread across his lips and your gaze hardened. “Yes, well, you know her, she’s a bit of a nuisance, but I’m keeping her out of trouble and all that. I saved her from joining a cult the other day,” he said, and you rolled your eyes at him.

“Oh dear!” you heard your mother exclaim.

“You didn’t save me from anything, I knew what that woman was up to.”

You’d been waiting for Jihoon outside of the movie theater when an older woman approached you. She seemed friendly enough, and you thought she was just a lonely grandma in need of a nice discussion - which it was at first, until it veered towards religion. Next thing you knew, she was telling you stories about the upcoming end of the world and how we had to beg for salvation. You didn’t believe any of it, but you found it captivating, so you stood there listening to her and egging her on until Jihoon showed up and forced you out of there. You thought it’d have been funny if he’d listened along, but knowing Jihoon, a small part of him might have actually believed her and started freaking out.

“I didn’t know you and my mom were so chummy,” you said when the phone call was over. She hadn’t even asked to talk to you again.

“Your mom’s awesome. I can’t believe such a lovely woman gave birth to two gremlins like you and Junkyu. Are you sure you’re not adopted?”

It had seemed like nothing at the time, but when you played the scene over again in your mind that night as you lay in bed, the fact that Jihoon got along with your family filled your heart with an unexpected warmth. It was almost like he was part of the family himself - not in a third child way, but more in a if you brought him home to your family, he’d fit right in, a thought that had made you panic as soon as it’d appeared in your mind. Because why were you thinking of bringing Jihoon home? Why did it make you so happy, knowing he’d be welcomed with open arms?

You shook your head against your pillow, hoping it’d make those thoughts vanish. You reassured yourself by telling yourself that you’d be just as happy bringing a friend like Minjeong home, and that you were sure she’d get along just fine with your brothers and parents.

The other sign had been much more straightforward. You weren’t afraid to eat messily in front of Jihoon, so some honey barbecue sauce had spread over the corner of your lips as you wolfed down one of the wings. As soon as Jihoon started to lean in across the table, you knew you were in trouble.

Not only did he wipe the sauce off your lips with his thumb, but he licked it off of his finger, never breaking eye contact throughout the whole ordeal. Your whole body tensed and you swear you stopped breathing for a second.

It only really lasted maybe five seconds, but felt like hours to you. You glared at him for a bit before diving back into your chicken, hoping you didn’t look as flustered as you felt. But Jihoon and his stupid, proud smirk probably knew what he’d done to you. As if that wasn’t enough already, he even had the audacity to whisper cute under his breath. Your eyes snapped back up to his face, but he just smiled and nodded towards your food, telling you to keep eating.

Over the next week, the word cute refused to leave your mind. You kept replaying that scene over and over - the feeling of Jihoon’s thumb on your lips, the sight of his own lips around his thumb, his gaze through it all. It wasn’t the first time such thoughts of Jihoon plagued you - once, he’d guided you through a crowded club with a hand on your lower back and the way the warmth of his hand against you had made you feel prompted you to ignore him for the rest of the night. Another time, he’d kissed you on the forehead after dropping you off at your apartment and you hadn’t been able to look him in the eyes for the following week.

You took the small but meaningful events of that day as your second sign of your new odd feelings directed towards your best friend, feelings that you didn’t know how to name just yet.

Crazy rich Yoon Jaehyuk was having a pool party at his house, and basically everyone was invited. If you knew about the party, you could go - all Jaehyuk had to do was to tell maybe ten people and let them spread the word. As his partner for an English Linguistics class you had together that semester, you were one of those privileged people who’d known firsthand about the event and had made sure to tell everyone you knew to come. You shouldn’t have been so surprised to find what must’ve already been a hundred people on the front lawn, inside the house and around the pool when you showed up with Jihoon and the rest of your friends there.

Coincidentally, this was when the third sign occurred. Third time’s a charm, as they say, and the events of that night and those following cemented your growing hunch that something really was up.

Pre-drinks at yours and Minjeong’s place had already taken quite a toll on you. Jaehyuk lived at the edge of town, quite a ways from your flat, but the vodka cranberry you’d snuck in on the bus prevented you from sobering up during the long ride. When your group arrived at the party, both you and Minjeong were ready to dance. But before you could rush to wherever the dancefloor was, Jihoon caught you by the wrist, effectively stopping you in your tracks. Your eyes went from his fingers around your wrist to his smiling face, a surprised look on your own.

“We’re gonna head directly to the pool. Don’t drink too much, okay?”

Your lips blossomed with a smile. Typical Jihoon. “Okay.”

The alcohol probably had something to do with it, but a surge of affection for your friend hit you and you stood on your tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek before taking Minjeong’s hand in yours and making a beeline in the direction of the music.

I Gotta Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas was calling your name and you didn’t think to turn around to look at Jihoon, so you missed the way he watched your figure retreating into the mass of drunk students as he tried to commit the warmth of your lips against his cheek to memory.

You and Minjeong made your way to the center of the crowd, shrieking with drunken excitement when you found a group of girls from one of your shared classes there and exchanging very brief pleasantries before falling into the rhythm of one of your all-time favorite party songs. In your humble opinion, no one understood partying like The Black Eyed Peas did.

You only leave the dancefloor on one occasion, which is to take a round of vodka shots with your new best friends for the night - Jihoon had said not to drink too much, not not at all. One of the girls (Yunjin, you thought, but she showed up to class so seldom you weren’t sure) had a trick of pouring a lick of strawberry syrup before the alcohol, so that you wouldn’t be hit with the nail polish remover aftertaste of vodka. You were delighted to find it worked (almost) like magic.

It’s about an hour later when you and Minjeong reach the pool, not quite sober but more so than when you’d arrived at the party. For a pool party, there were definitely less people there than inside the house, maybe due to the fact that it was the end of February and most people didn’t want to risk getting hypothermia from the temperature difference between the heated pool and the cold outside.

The relatively small number of people makes it easy to spot Jihoon, in nothing but his swimming trunks and a towel around his shoulders, sitting on a longchair a dozen or so meters away from you. Something about half-naked Jihoon, you’re not sure what, makes you want to walk over to him and do… you’re not sure what, but Minjeong frantically slapping your arm and whispering your name stops you from doing whatever it was you wanted to do.

“Y/N! Y/N! Yoshi is right there,” she whisper-yelled. Indeed, Yoshi was in the pool, not far from where you stood, playing with his friends you recognized from pre-drinks at his place the other day. Minjeong’s face was redder than you’d ever seen it, and you recalled a conversation you’d had earlier that day.

“Will Yoshi be there?” Minjeong had asked, trying to sound innocent.

You’d looked at your flatmate with an incredulous look on your face. “Yes, he’ll be there, you slut. I thought you never went for a second time?”

She’d shrugged, an unusually shy smile playing on her lips as she looked down at her feet. “I don’t know, we’ll see.”

This was very unlike Minjeong - in your six months of knowing each other, it was the first time you ever saw her even consider getting with someone a second time. You didn’t know what sort of spell this Yoshi guy had cast on your friend, but it must’ve been very effective.

“Go talk to him,” you simply said.

“What?! No way, I can’t- Oh my God, he’s looking at us,” she said, words rushing out of her mouth, “he’s looking right at us, isn’t he?”

You just laughed at your friend and waved at Yoshi who was already waddling towards your edge of the pool. “Hey, Yoshi!” you called excitedly. At the sound of your voice, Jihoon’s head snapped towards you. He wasted no time in yelling your name, motioning for you to come over, so you gestured back that you’d be there in a minute.

“Hey, Y/N!” Yoshi called back with the same tone. “Hey, Minjeong,” he added, tone somewhat quiet, but the blush that grew on his cheeks told you you weren’t the one he was most happy to see.

“Hey, Yoshi,” she said so quietly, you weren’t sure the boy could even hear her.

“Nice to see you guys here,” he said, talking to you but glancing nervously at Minjeong.

“You too!” you replied, and before he could add anything, you placed a hand on your friend’s shoulder. “Well, I’m sure the two of you have a lot to talk about. See you later!”

You grinned innocently at Minjeong as she called your name, eyes wide in panic. She was a big girl, and Yoshi was clearly into her - she could handle herself. Jihoon eyed you amusedly as you made your way towards him.

“Are you setting them up?” he asked when you were within earshot of him.

“I’d be a bad friend if I didn’t at least try. I’ve never seen Minjeong blush over a guy, so this must be serious.”

A few of Jihoon’s friends were hanging out next to him, people that you knew from the many parties you attended together but that you rarely saw outside of drinking contexts. You waved at them before sitting on the deckchair next to Jihoon’s. He pivoted in his seat to face you, seemingly not minding that he’d just turned his back to his friends, then scooched his chair closer to yours so that your knees touched. You rested your palms next to your thighs and kept your gaze down. Something about Jihoon kept you from meeting his eyes, tonight. Maybe it was the half-nakedness.

Jihoon eyed you for a little bit, wondering what was making you so unusually quiet, before looking behind his shoulder to check whether Minjeong had been able to make progress on her own.

“Looks like it’s going well,” he assessed.

You followed his gaze to find Minjeong sitting at the edge of the pool and kicking her legs in the water while Yoshi stood next to her, water up to his belly button. You smiled as they giggled and splashed each other - it was going well, indeed.

“Have you been in the pool yet?” you asked, shifting your gaze to the party-goers playing in the water. The echoes of people talking and water splashing were quite loud, but Jihoon was so close that you didn’t need to raise your voice too much.

“No, I just took my shirt off for the hell of it.”

You had meant to bring your eyes up to his face, you really had - but somewhere on the way, they stopped on his abs, and got stuck there. It was probably a full five seconds before you could look away from the well-defined muscles on his stomach and finally meet his eyes. He didn’t need to say anything - the smirk playing on his lips and the slight surprise in the raise of his brows were enough to tell you he had not missed your stare.

You looked back to the pool, eyebrows slightly creased in shame at having been so obvious. Thankfully, you had brought a drink with you and took a swig of it there. “I wouldn’t put it past you.”

You were trying to ignore the way Jihoon’s eyes burned into the side of your face, the way they followed your every move, but with each passing second, you felt more conscious of them. Not unlike one would try to escape a wasp, you thought that going into the pool might tear Jihoon’s eyes away from you at least for a little bit. It’s not that his gaze made you uncomfortable, like that of a random old man in the street would, but it definitely made you feel… things. Things that you didn’t necessarily want to dive into.

The problem was that, to go into the pool, you’d need to get into your swimsuit. You’d thought ahead and had come already clad into your bikini underneath your clothes, a black, strapless tube dress that was easy to take off so you could jump into the pool at any time. But getting rid of that dress right in front of Jihoon and his watchful eyes was more nerve-wracking than you’d imagined.

You downed the rest of your cup for some liquid courage and shot up from your seat, releasing a deep breath as you did so. You thought it was better to just get it over with than make it last any longer than it needed to. Jihoon’s eyes glinted with amusement as they followed your every move.

“Let’s go back in.”

Your plan had been to lift your dress off of your body and head straight to the pool, but Jihoon’s gaze made you freeze in place after stripping. You couldn’t quite describe it as lustful, or as hungry, because there was a hint of surprise there that softened it. It was like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing and loving it at the same time, if the slowly growing smirk on his lips was anything to go by. Your whole body felt like it was on fire, a fire that made your knees turn to jelly and that rendered you close to breathless.

You let his curious eyes travel your body for a few seconds before clearing your throat. “Do you want a picture or something?” you asked ironically, hoping your voice didn’t sound as shaky as you felt.

His smirk only widened. “No need. The real thing is so much better.”

You tried not to cower under his shameless gaze, instead stood up straighter and stared right back at him. “My eyes are up here, you know.”

“I know,” he replied, but his eyes stayed trained on your body. You watched as they slowly made their way up your legs, took in your stomach and waist, then paused on your chest, which was quickly falling and rising with your shallow breathing. It was only when you scoffed and crossed your arms that he looked at your face.

Still that lopsided smirk on his lips, he stood up and languidly made his way towards you. He came so close that you had to slightly crane your neck to meet his gaze.

Your heart raced as he let a few seconds of silence stretch between the two of you, keeping his eyes locked in yours. “Nice eyes,” he murmured after a pause, the sudden depth of his voice sending a shiver down your spine.

After six months of seeing him almost every day, one would think Jihoon’s flirty personality would not have such an effect on you anymore. And most of the time, it didn’t - even back in the day, he was already fond of teasing you, so usually, him telling you how pretty you looked, patting your head or him tucking stray strands of hairs behind your ear went somewhat unnoticed by you. Or at least, it was easier not to freak out over “small” things like these.

But this was one of the times when you thought he was really pushing it, and you lost the ability to even eye-roll, which was your usual defense against his flirting attacks. You hated to admit, but you just couldn’t pretend it didn’t have an effect on you. You hated it because you knew he was just flirting as a joke, not because he was actually interested or anything of the sort, and you felt stupid that it still did something to you - although you sometimes doubted whether he really was doing it just for fun. You wanted to think he was acting the way he was on purpose, to get a reaction out of you. It’d make you feel less of a fool.

Before you’d even had time to understand the meaning behind his words, he’d already walked away from you and to the pool. When your senses had come back and you spun around, he was already inside the water. He looked like a cute wet puppy with his hair sticking out all around his head, especially when he shook it and let droplets of water fall off his hair and splash around him, and you couldn’t believe this was the same man that had essentially called your tits nice just moments prior.

The raging butterflies in your stomach were your third sign.

You must’ve stared long, because after a while, your eyes met again, and a smile reappeared on his face. An actual smile, this time, not a smirk or anything of the sort. As if nothing had just happened - as if it was absolutely natural for your best friend to practically devour you with his eyes like that.

He waved you over and you noticed Minjeong and Yoshi were with him, seemingly waiting for you as well. When you reached the edge of the pool, someone entered the room with a platter of shots of God knows what, and you immediately reached out for one and downed it. Sambuca, you realized with relief as the sweet liquid burned its way down your throat. That way, if your body kept buzzing the way it had been around Jihoon, you could blame it on the alcohol and nothing else.

Minjeong and Yoshi were already back in their new little world, but Jihoon watched with an amused grin as you measured the temperature of the water with a foot, then, deeming it warm enough, made your way towards your friends. There, the water reached up to your shoulders, and the fact that it got up to just a little bit under Jihoon’s chest only marked your height difference further, which shouldn’t have made you as flustered as it did.

“Didn’t I tell you not to drink too much before going into the water?” Jihoon asked, laughter clear in his voice.

“How about you let me drink as much as I want, and make sure I don’t drown?” you bit back, even though you knew it wasn’t much of a comeback. You had spoken in an irritated tone that, going by the way his smile softened, Jihoon found cute.

“Okay, I will,” he said, and the sweetness in his tone only served to further unnerve you.

If he noticed your annoyance, he didn’t say anything.

You let yourself be convinced to play a game of chicken fight against Minjeong and Yoshi, which (along with that shot of Sambuca) made your competitive streak kick in and allowed you to, at least momentarily, forget about your irritation towards your friend. The reason behind that irritation was something you didn’t even want to think about.

Somehow, you endured the prickling on your skin as Jihoon kept your thighs tightly pressed around his shoulders with two big hands. Even when he squeezed the flesh there or craned his neck to look up at you with those big, round eyes of his, you managed to not let the way your stomach flipped get to your head.

You weren’t sure how you won all three rounds of chicken fight, if it was thanks to Jihoon’s devotion to the gym, or yours to the free weekly Sunday morning pilates class your uni gym offers. It might’ve been down to the level of complicity you and Jihoon had built over the months that Yoshi and Minjeong hadn’t reached yet (if that can even be a factor in chicken fight success) - all you know, is that you do, and that even underwater, Jihoon’s hands burn as they snake their way around your waist, and press your body flush to his in a celebratory hug.

Some time later, you sit at the edge of the pool by yourself, having been deserted by the two lovebirds who not-so-sneakily snuck away under the pretext of getting some drinks, as well as by Jihoon who was called by some friends to join him back in the pool. You were at the level of tipsiness that made you want to self-introspectively sit on your own and people-watch for a little bit.

Until someone broke your peace.

“Hey, Y/N,” you heard a vaguely familiar voice say. Before you could respond, Kim Sunwoo was sitting next to you, a bit too close in your opinion for your level of acquaintance, clad in black swimming trunks that let the band of his Calvin Klein underwear peek through.

He wasn’t half bad-looking, you decided in that instant.

“Oh, hi, Sunwoo,” you replied, smiling as you unquestioningly accepted the drink he offered you and thanked him for it. You peered at the orange liquid and decided it was the right color for alcohol before taking a sip. It being orange vodka didn’t come as much of a surprise. “I didn’t know you knew my name,” you admitted.

You recognized Sunwoo’s face from the Introduction to Literary Theory lecture you’d had last semester, and had learned his name when the lecture had to be online due to the professor falling ill, and he was one of the few brave students who had turned his camera on. With a face like his, you understood where the confidence came from.

Then, one night out on the town with Minjeong and other friends, you’d run into him at the counter of a bar, and had exchanged a few (flirty, if you recalled correctly) words, but not your names, hence the slight confusion.

He chuckled and you watched as two deep dimples appeared on his cheeks. “I did my research before coming here. Sadly, no one knew what kind of drink you liked, so I went for something basic and prayed.”

“This is perfect,” you said, laughing.

“To be perfectly honest,” he starts after a slight pause, “I’ve seen you around campus, and we even saw each other at a bar once, didn’t we?” he asks, and grins when you nod. “I felt stupid for never asking for your name, or your number. So when I saw you sitting here, I thought it must be fate that brought me to this party.”

You had barely registered his words, let alone formed any sort of response in your mind when Jihoon suddenly appeared in front of the two of you, placing a hand right next to your thigh on the pool edge. You hadn’t noticed him swimming your way.

“Hey, Sunwoo. I see you’ve met my girlfriend,” Jihoon blatantly lies as if it was the most natural thing in the world. The shock is apparent on Sunwoo’s face, and if it wasn’t for the sweet, convincing smile Jihoon was looking at you with, you might’ve let your surprise show more.

Sunwoo didn’t know Jihoon like you did, so you didn’t know whether he noticed the tightness in his grin, the challenge in his slightly raised eyebrows, or the general way he was holding himself that screamed Leave. But he must’ve noticed something, because it only took him a few seconds to start nodding slowly and rise from his seat.

For some reason, you stayed quiet, letting the word girlfriend and the way it had rolled off Jihoon’s tongue so easily repeat over and over again in your head. Maybe it was the alcohol, but he had said it so convincingly that you almost questioned whether you actually were Jihoon’s girlfriend. Before you could think any more about it, however, Sunwoo broke the increasingly tense silence.

“My bad, man, I didn’t know she was taken. I’ll leave you two to it, then,” he said with a smile, and that was that.

You watched his retreating figure for a bit, eyebrows creased in confusion, before snapping your head towards Jihoon. Head tilted, he was fixing you with a questioning look, as if to ask, What are you up to?, when he was the one that had just acted strangely.

“What was that all about?” you asked.

Jihoon shrugged. “I chased him away for you. I’ve only heard bad stuff about that guy, like he sleeps with a new girl every weekend and doesn’t treat them right.”

You thought for a second, bottom lip slightly jutting out in concentration. “Well, couldn’t you have told me about his reputation then let me make the decision for myself?”

“I-” Jihoon started but stopped himself. He seemed to mull over your words for a bit, then sighed. “You’re right, I guess I could have, but you’ve been drinking, who knows if you would’ve made the right decision?”

This made you furrow your brows. “So what if I did? Getting drunk and going home with a rando is not unheard of, I would’ve been fine. Just maybe ashamed tomorrow morning.”

A flash of annoyance swept across Jihoon’s features, and your curiosity couldn’t help but be piqued. The two of you had had your fair share of aimless arguments over the months, but he’d never actually gotten cross with you. For some reason, you were suddenly itching to know what angry Jihoon was like.

“I wouldn’t be fine with it, though. I’d hate knowing that I let you go home with a prick like that.”

This wasn’t the first time Jihoon had fended off guys for you during a night out, but to his credit, they weren’t ever guys you wanted to talk to. And, well, admittedly, after learning what he was like, maybe you didn’t want to talk to Sunwoo either, but Jihoon’s protectiveness tonight was bothering you more than it ever had.

You let a silence stretch between the two of you before speaking again. “You- you can’t just do that, you know,” you declared, not meeting his eyes.

“Do what?”

“Act like you just did. Pretending to be my boyfriend just to get a guy away from me.” Jihoon was just staring at you silently, so you felt compelled to add, “You’re not actually my boyfriend, you know.”

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say, because his jaw locked and a coldness you had never seen before appeared in his eyes.

“Aren’t I basically?”

That caught you off guard. Where was this coming from? Jihoon had never entertained the idea of being your boyfriend, ever, so why was he suddenly acting like he was? Like he had always been?

And yet, you found yourself toying with the idea of dating Jihoon once more. The one question that pervaded your thoughts was, would things be so different? You’d never had a boyfriend, so you weren’t sure what they did, but you thought it wouldn’t be too far off from how Jihoon treated you now. Keep you safe, bring you food, buy you random keychains or pencils that reminded him of you, text you throughout the day, compliment you. The only difference would be…

Your eyes drifted down to his lips, and you swore you heard a shaky intake of breath coming from the man right in front of you.

The thought had barely crossed your mind that panic rose in your chest. You could not be thinking about kissing Jihoon. You couldn’t think about him being your boyfriend, either. You weren’t sure why, but your sudden heart palpitations at the mere idea told you that you just couldn’t.

“No, you’re not.” You had wanted to speak firmly, but you feared your voice had come out shakier than intended.

To your surprise, Jihoon scoffed. “So if I went off and started dating someone else, it wouldn’t bother you?” he asked in a disbelieving, almost mocking tone.

“No, it wouldn’t,” you answered, and as soon as the words were out, you knew they were a lie. You scrambled to your feet, suddenly wanting to be away from this conversation and the way it made you feel. “I’ll, um, I’ll head back inside.”

You ignored his call of your name and picked up your dress, hastily sliding it back on as you made your way back towards the living room where most of the action was. You quickly found that it was too loud, too hot, too packed in there. You headed back outside through another door that led to a part of the backyard far from the pool, where people sat in small groups around a big fire, either nursing a drink or passing round a joint, the smell of weed heavy in the air. At least it was quiet here.

You walked around some before spotting Jaehyuk, the man of the house himself, sitting on his lonesome on a swing bench in a dark corner of the garden, looking down despondently into a red solo cup. A couple hours into the party, this was the first time you saw him, you realized. It made you wonder how long he’d been sitting out here on his own.

“Hey, Jaehyuk,” you greeted, catching him by surprise. You took a seat next to him, sliding your hands underneath your thighs to keep them warm.

“Oh, hey, Y/N. Nice that you came.” He mustered a smile for you before taking a swig from his cup and cringing at the taste of what must’ve been alcohol.

“What are you doing out here by yourself?” you asked softly. You were used to cheery, smiley Jaehyuk, and even though you weren’t very close, you couldn’t help but be saddened by seeing your friend in such a state.

Jaehyuk sighed deeply. “The girl I planned this party for isn’t here.”

“The girl you… planned… this party for?” you echoed, and he nodded. “You mean this,” you said, gesturing to the house and backyard full to the brim with people, “is all for one girl?”

He sighed and nodded again, taking another sip from his cup. He tutted at the drink, or maybe at himself for drinking it when he knew how awful it tasted. “I wanted an excuse to see her outside of class.” He chuckled. “I realize now that I might have gone slightly overboard.”

“Just a bit,” you laughed along, watching as a group of stoners cheered at their friend who had found marshmallows and sticks God-knows-where. “It’s not even midnight yet, she might still be coming.”

Jaehyuk shrugged. “I’ve stopped hoping. I think I just need to get into the party and forget about it for tonight.”

You smiled. “Sounds like a plan.”

“What about you, what made you escape out here? The music not to your liking?”

“Are you kidding? This is the Danish alternative pop playlist of my dreams,” you said, earning a chuckle from him. “No, I just…” You realized you didn’t even know how to talk about this. What was making you so upset?

“I got into a bit of a… squabble with my friend, if you will. He-”

“Oh, so it’s a he?” Jaehyuk cut in, a knowing smile on his face.

“No- I mean, yes, he is, but it’s not like that, it’s- it’s…”

“It’s?” he egged on.

“Ugh, fine, it might be like that,” you finally admitted, as much to Jaehyuk as to yourself. Your irritation made him laugh.

“It’s okay, it happens.”

“I didn’t think it would happen to me, though.”

“Why not?”

You sighed. “Just ‘cause… him and I, we’ve known each other for such a long time, it feels weird that things would start changing now.”

“How long have you known each other?”

“We met when we were thirteen and fourteen. Then he moved away and we only met again in September last semester.”

“Did you keep in touch?”

“Not so much. I just heard from him through my brother, they’re much closer.”

“So… what I’m hearing is, you’ve known each other a long time, but you’ve only really become friends since September, right?”

“Right,” you echoed dubitatively, wondering where Jaehyuk was going.

“Y/N, that’s just a bit over six months.”

“...So?”

“So, that’s not nearly as long as you make it out to be. It’s not like you’ve been best friends for years and things are suddenly changing. Six months… aren’t that short, I’ll give you that, but I think it’s a reasonable time for people to get closer as friends and then start developing feelings.”

“Feelings?” you immediately echoed, panic evident in your voice.

Jaehyuk let out something like a chuckle, looking at you like he was figuring out whether you were joking or not. “Is that not what this whole thing is about?”

You dropped your gaze down to your thighs, frowning. “Feelings just sound so serious…”

“They can be, but they don’t have to.” After a few seconds of silence, he noticed your upset expression and nudged your shoulder good-naturedly. “What’s worrying you so much?”

“It’s just confusing. I… It’s not like I’ve been totally indifferent towards him up ‘til now, but there’s something about him lately, especially tonight. It makes me actually wonder about… you know. Whether I want him as a friend or not.” You sighed. “And even if I am feeling… feelings, I don’t know how he sees me. I could still be a sort of little sister in his eyes, for all I know.”

“What makes you think that?”

A small smile grew on your lips as you blew air from your nose. “Junkyu - my older brother - tasked him with looking after me when he learned I was going to attend this university with him. So, while I go crazy trying to figure out why he acts the way he acts and why I feel the way I feel, he might just be keeping a promise to my brother.”

“But have you ever seen him as an older brother?”

“No,” you replied immediately. Your surety almost took you aback. “Jihoon is… Jihoon. He’s definitely not Junkyu.”

Jaehyuk smiled. “Then I don’t think he would see you as a little sister, either. The way you act with a sibling and with a friend, potentially someone you like, is very different. I don’t think there’d be room for question if he treated you as a younger sister, you’d just know. Most guys I know are very obvious when they like someone, me included, so if you’re thinking about this so much just because of the way he acts with you… well, you’re probably onto something.”

“You think?”

“I do.”

You and Jaehyuk stayed outside chatting for a few more minutes until you decided to go back inside for some warmth and a refill of your empty cups. In the kitchen, you ran into some of your classmates, so you joined in their animated discussion on which version of The Sims is better (Asahi offended everyone by saying the mobile app was the best) instead of going looking for Minjeong and Jihoon like you had intended to.

A few minutes later, as your phone buzzed with six consecutive texts from your roommate, you found out where both of them were.

minjeong girl do u know how many bedrooms there are in this goddamn house??!!!! yoshi and i are spending the night here xxx ask jaehyuk if he has a room for u or get home w jihoon whos that girl he’s talkin to in the kitchen btw??? love yaa xxxxxoooo text me if u need anything!! i’ll be busy but i’ll keep my phone on ;)

Usually, you’d have rolled your eyes at the exorbitant amount of x’s and the cheesy winky face, but something else had got your attention. Suddenly stepping away mentally from the conversation (which had turned into an interrogation on Asahi’s suspected addiction to mobile games), you looked around the crowded kitchen until your eyes settled on your culprit.

From where you were, you only had a view of his side profile, just as Minjeong had said, Jihoon was talking to a girl, red solo cup in his hand and stupidly attractive smile on his lips. She was leaning against the wall while he stood in front of her, both looking as relaxed as if they had known each other for years. What was up with all that eye contact? What was making them smile so hard?

You hadn’t realized how hard you were staring until Jaehyuk’s voice broke through your thoughts, asking if you were okay.

“You look like you want to kill someone,” Sumin joked, not knowing she was closer to the truth than she thought.

You tried to laugh it off, saying you were just deeply disturbed by Asahi’s predicament, but you couldn’t keep yourself from glancing back at Jihoon and the girl every thirty seconds. Another girl arrived, and Jihoon shifted to make room for her so that he was now directly facing you. Over the chatter of the kitchen and music booming from the speakers in the living room, you couldn’t hear anything they were saying, but it seemed like Girl #1 was introducing Jihoon to Girl #2, placing a palm on his bicep as she did so. You counted - that hand stayed there for four whole seconds, and when she finally took it off of him, your eyes drifted back to Jihoon’s face.

Jihoon, who was staring right at you. Jihoon, who raised his eyebrows at you as if to say, What about it? while yours were creased in - confusion, anger, you weren’t sure what, but an ugly feeling you weren’t accustomed to. Jihoon, who, you decided, had to know what he was doing, had to know how this was making you feel.

The only thing on your mind was getting out of here and taking Jihoon with you. Without thinking much, you fished your phone out of your sweater pocket, texted Jihoon Let’s go and said bye to your friends, lying that your friend had suddenly asked you to leave.

After a few minutes of waiting by yourself outside in the cold, crouching to maximize body warmth, you started to wonder if Jihoon had decided to not follow you. But when you felt a weight drop on your shoulders, you snapped your head up to find him smiling down at you.

“Where did you get this?” you asked, meaning the blanket he had given you.

“I stole it from the living room.”

“Jihoon,” you scolded.

“You know the guy right? Just give it back to him this week,” he said, lowering himself down to your level. Similarly to your eye contact in the kitchen, you were still frowning while he kept on smiling. “Not like you to want to leave before one a.m.. Is something the matter?” he asked, and you debated whether he was faking his innocence or not.

For about ten seconds, you tried to stay quiet, not wanting to betray your feelings to him. You glared ahead of you, watching your breath form wisps in the late February night air.

But then he called your name so softly, it undid all of your resolve. The sound of it made you sigh.

“Who was that you were talking to?” you finally asked, voice barely above a whisper.

“Hm? That was just Shuhua, she’s a Tawainese exchange student from one of my classes. Then she introduced me to her friend Yuqi.”

You nodded slowly, still not meeting Jihoon’s gaze. “I didn’t know there was a Taiwainese exchange student in one of your classes.”

“Y/N?” The unexpected seriousness with which he had called your name forced you to look at him.

“Hm.”

“I have something to tell you.” He must’ve noticed your sudden inability to speak, so he continued, lowering his head to be at eye-level with you. “There’s a Taiwainese exchange student in one of my classes.”

A smile broke through his serious facade and you had to look away to hide your own growing grin. “You’re stupid,” you said, but it only made Jihoon laugh.

“So is that what this is all about? A little bout of jealousy from my Y/N?”

You didn’t know what to focus on - the fact that he had finally put a name to what you were feeling or the face that he had called you his. It made you frown. “I wasn’t jealous,” you said, aware of how unbelievable you sounded.

“No? Then what made you want to leave so suddenly?”

“I- You-” you started, glaring at Jihoon when he snickered. “How come I can’t talk to guys but it’s okay for you to talk to girls?”

“So you are jealous.”

“No, I just think you’re being unfair. I’m calling you out on your hypocrisy, Hoon. Double standards and all that.”

Jihoon grinned. Had he known that he’d get such a reaction from you after talking to a friend that happened to be a girl, he’d have done it much earlier. And yet you had never had a problem with any of the girls in his usual friend group - if anything, the bunch of you often ganged up against him - so he wondered what was wrong with Shuhua in particular. Was it because you didn’t know her, and misunderstanding could arise?

His smile and eyes softened. No matter how adorable you looked to him right now, he wasn’t one to play games with feelings, his or yours. It was hard enough to make you realize how much he liked you (although he hoped that scene at the pool had made things more apparent), so he wasn’t going to make it even more confusing by letting you think he might like someone else.

Earlier, when he’d asked you if him dating someone else would bother you, and you’d answered no, he hadn’t formed any plan whatsoever to go off and talk to another girl right in front of you. Things just happened in his favor. He’d been talking with a whole group of people in the kitchen, but save for Jennifer, they’d all left for a game of spin the bottle (at their grown college age). Shuhua had a boyfriend back home and he had you, so they both had no interest for it. So it was just the two of them bonding over their love for Taylor Swift’s music when you appeared in the kitchen with Jaehyuk.

Did he also feel a pang of jealousy seeing you with another guy, even though it was just Jaehyuk and he already knew of your friendship? Perhaps, but this wasn’t anything new with Jihoon. He didn’t think he’d be able to get rid of it until he had the surety that you were his, which had felt like a faraway goal until recently. Maybe it was due to his growing boldness or maybe you had managed to piece everything together yourself, but he was sure he’d felt a shift in your attitude towards him lately. There were times you would get shyer than usual, refusing to look him in the eyes; other times, like tonight, you’d defy him, as if trying to prove to both him and yourself you didn’t feel any sort of way towards him. But he hadn’t missed the way your eyes had drifted down to his lips and stayed there for a few seconds, hadn’t missed your panic when things seemed to get too real.

Just like you, although he didn’t know about that, he also found that there was something different about tonight, some tension between the two of you that was bound to explode. The fact that you were both in swimsuits had probably not helped. As soon as he’d seen you in your black tube dress, his imagination had started running wild. The way you casually had a gray zip sweatshirt of his in your room and donned it before leaving your place had made it harder to not just keep you in your apartment while the others went off to the party, and seeing you in your bikini was like the final boss he hadn’t been able to defeat. Keeping his eyes off of you was simply impossible. He wasn’t sure how he had resisted kissing you right then and there, showing everyone who the prettiest girl in the room - hell, at this party - belonged to.

(Jihoon had a bit of a possessive streak.)

Even now that you had somewhat made up, he still felt the changed air around you, like there was no going back from here. No pretending there were no unsaid feelings anymore - at least, that’s how he felt. If you needed the extra push to realize either his feelings, your own, or both, he didn’t mind initiating it. If anything, he had been waiting for it.

So he made sure to clear things up. “I didn’t want you to talk to Sunwoo because I knew he had bad intentions. Or at least selfish ones. Shuhua has a boyfriend, nothing was gonna happen there.”

“Oh, but if she didn’t, something would’ve?”

“No, Y/N. No,” Jihoon said firmly.

“Why not? She’s pretty.” You knew you were being unreasonable at this point, arguing for the sake of arguing, but you couldn’t help yourself.

Jihoon sighed before placing a hand at the top of your head, brushing your hair gently. “I know someone who’s prettier.”

You turned your head slowly to look at him and were met with a sight you forever wanted to keep in your heart. Jihoon was looking down at you, eyes soft and filled with an emotion you wanted to describe as adoration, corners of his lips upturned into a sweet smile. You wanted to reach out and touch his cheek, feel the warmth of his skin under your palm and make sure he was real, but you were too stuck in his gaze to move.

“I actually know the prettiest girl in the world. I’m very lucky.”

You continued staring at each other for a few seconds or maybe a few hours, until he booped your nose and stood up. “Our Uber’s here, pretty girl.”

You took his extended hand in yours and let him help you up, still in a daze as he opened the car door for you and rushed to the other side. You didn’t expect the relief you felt when he took your hand in his again as the Uber started driving. As the driver and him made minimal small talk, you watched out the window, but you couldn’t hear or see anything - you could only focus on Jihoon’s fingers intertwined with yours. Had hand-holding always felt so natural?

Even once you reached your apartment and you had to let go of it to get out of the car, the only thing you wanted was to have it again.

You didn’t notice right away, as you punched in the code for the entrance to your apartment building, that Jihoon had stayed behind on the pavement. A light rain had started and his hair, all curled up from the pool, shone with small beads of water that the streetlights reflected on.

“Aren’t you coming up?” you asked, turning around to face him and leaning against the door so it wouldn’t close.

“Not tonight,” he simply said, and you hesitated to ask him why. Whatever it was, he must have his reason, and you would see him again soon anyway, so you dropped it.

“Okay.” You nodded and hoped you didn’t sound as disappointed as you felt.

You thought that would be it, but then he took a step closer to you, then another, until he was standing right in front of you. The doorstep made you taller so that your eyes were on a parallel with his lips, on which they naturally fell. No matter how confusing tonight might have been, if what you thought was about to happen actually did happen, you knew there was not a cell in your body that would resist it.

Jihoon leaned in closer and closer, until he was right there, and your lips would touch any second - but he leaned to the right, pressing a kiss to the corner of your lips instead. You stood with bated breath as he leaned back, wearing a proud smirk. “Good to know you wouldn’t push me away if I tried to kiss you,” he said, but on this rare occasion, you were speechless.

His smirk softened to a smile as he ruffled your hair. “Good night, Y/N.”

It wasn’t until he had reached the corner, turning around and waving at you to go into your building before disappearing that you snapped out of it and made your way to your apartment. As soon as you’d shut your front door behind you, you realized just how disappointed you felt that Jihoon hadn’t come up like he usually did, how much you missed the reassurance of having him there, even if the two of you were a room apart.

You also realized you didn’t want any walls to separate you anymore.

And there you had it - the signs were too obvious to ignore anymore. The heart flutterings, the thoughts of him invading your mind day and night, the jealousy. The constant longing to be with him.

You were in love with Park Jihoon.

You fell into a deep sleep for about four hours, before waking up with a start.

You were in love with Park Jihoon.

What had seemed like a comforting thought at the time now freaked you out to no end. Park Jihoon was your best friend, your brother’s best friend, someone you’d met so long ago he’d known you during your embarrassing bangs phase of 2015 (BangGate, as your friends from home inappropriately liked to call it).

You were great as friends, sure, but how would you fare if things went further than that? There was no way for you to know other than by trying it firsthand. Did you want to take that leap, and risk falling face first - or chance falling right into his arms?

For some reassurance, you got your laptop out and went to Google. At first, you intended to search some YouTube videos or blog posts about successful best-friends-turned-lovers stories, but something deep inside your brain compelled you to type Omegle in the search bar. Even if it was five a.m. for you, it’d be a reasonable time of the day for people with good relationship advice somewhere, right?

In your interests, you typed love, relationship and advice, hoping this would lead you to your savior. After skipping a few naked men who apparently were into love too, two young girls appeared on your screen who, going off of their accent, were British. They looked about eleven and were doing their nails, not paying attention to their screen. NewJeans was playing in the background.

They were perfect.

“Hey, girls!” you said, cringing at the sound of your own voice.

They raised their heads in unison, looking at you for a second before coming closer to the screen, all wide smiles. One of them had braces with pink elastics. “Hey, girl!”

You decided you had no time to lose, so you directly told them you needed advice with a boy you liked. They nodded vigorously. So you told them everything - from how you and Jihoon had met, to reconnecting in September, to the events of the past few months (including a detailed rundown of what happened at the pool, which they loved). They even insisted on seeing a picture and squealed when you showed them. Your Jihoon really was handsome.

“So? What do you think I should do?” you asked when you were done recounting everything.

“I have this thing I do whenever I fancy someone,” the girl on the right started, while the other one munched on some sour candy. You nodded for her to continue. “It really helps me know if I should keep fancying them or if they’re not worth it. It’s called a compibi- compa- combali- Rosie, what was it again?”

“A compatibility test,” Rosie said, tongue blue from her candy.

“Right, that. It works like magic. Just the other week I thought for sure Leo was the cutest boy in school but then I did the test thing and got forty percent with him and a few days later he was dating Sarah anyway.”

“Sarah is terrible,” Rosie chipped in.

“Oh no!” you exclaimed.

“Yeah, really bad,” the other girl said, nodding. “But then, I did it with Martin and got eighty-six percent and we’ve been dating for ten days now, we have,” she finished proudly.

“That’s amazing.” You didn’t know if it was the lack of sleep or the conviction with which the girl spoke, but you were hooked. “How do I do it?” you asked, although you’d probably done it when you were their age too.

“Oh, it’s easy. You just type the comp- Rosie?”

“Compatibility.”

“That, test on Google and click any one of them and type in your name then his. Any of them will do, I’m sure,” she shrugged, reaching for a candy.

“Okay, let me do it right now. Gimme a sec.” After a few clicks, you’d reached an early 2010s-style website called lovecalculator.com, all pink and cupids shooting their arrows into the sky. You typed in your name, then Jihoon’s, then pressed a shaky finger to the Enter bar.

“Oh my gosh!” you squealed. “We got ninety-nine percent!”

“Oh my gosh!” the girls yelped back, clapping and hugging each other in celebration.

“Girl, you need to go tell him right now,” non-Rosie said firmly.

“Right now,” Rosie echoed.

You pouted. “I can’t, it’s five a.m. right now.”

“You better go later then! You two are meant to be! You’ll last at least like, a month or two.”

“At least.”

After thanking and saying good-bye to your new best friends, you spent a good three minutes staring at the big 99% in bright pink on your screen. This randomly generated number made you so happy that you took a screenshot and printed it out on Minjeong’s printer in the living room, then put it on your fridge for you to admire. You used a magnet Jihoon had gifted you for Christmas - it was a four-cut photobooth picture of you two you’d taken at the Christmas market. You thought you’d only taken the paper version, but he’d made you go get food for the both of you while he bought the magnet version as well.

Your mind at ease, you started heading back to your room, but you ran into someone right as you walked out of the kitchen.

You looked him up and down. Yoshinori was standing in your living room half-naked, looking like a deer caught in headlights.

“H-hey, Y/N,” he said, breaking the silence first. “I’m sorry, I thought you were sleeping…”

“I woke up early,” you replied, unable to keep yourself from smiling at his awkwardness. “What are you doing?”

“Just, um, just getting some water.”

“And you have to come to my apartment to do that?”

“No, I, um- Someone called the cops, so Jaehyuk kicked all of us out.”

“I thought you were in a room somewhere?”

“Yeah, but we went outside to see what was happening, and he saw us, so we had to leave.”

“Right… Well, glad you made it back home safe.” The strangeness of the situation suddenly hit you, and you realized you should probably let the half-naked man get his glass of water and leave. “I’ll go back to my room, then.”

“Oh, right, see you, Y/N. And sorry.”

“No worries!” you said, waving his apology off and scurried off to your bedroom. You plopped into your bed with a satisfied sigh, hugging a plushie Jihoon had won for you at an arcade close to your chest. He really was everywhere.

When you woke up next, sunlight was pouring from the window into your room. You checked your phone - nine a.m.. Not early enough to go to late sleeper Jihoon’s place, but definitely early enough to call your probably still sleeping brother. You had to tell someone about your newfound revelation, and Minjeong next door was either asleep or busy.

Your phone rang with an outgoing call for so long that you thought Junkyu might simply not pick up. “I’m in love with Jihoon,” you blurted out as soon as your brother’s face appeared on screen.

He paused for a second, taking your words in, then yawned and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. “Good morning to you too, Y/N.”

“I’m in love with Jihoon,” you repeated, more insistently.

“I heard you the first time.”

“Well, what do you think?!” you asked, impatience rising. You couldn’t believe your brother could be sarcastic in an emergency like this.

Junkyu frowned. “Uh, congratulations?”

You tutted. “Kyu, I’m serious about this!”

“I know, I can tell,” he said, chuckling. “Are you going to tell him?”

“I think I have to. I think… I think he feels the same way about me, actually.”

Junkyu rolled his eyes. “No shit, Sherlock.”

You paused. “Huh?”

“Everyone and their mom knows he’s in love with you, we were just all waiting for you to see it.”

“Huh?!” Junkyu shrugged. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

Your brother sighed. “Some things in life, you have to figure out on your own, sis. Like taxes.” You just frowned at him. “Well, how did you figure it out?”

“Now that you say it, I guess I should’ve noticed it earlier. But really what happened is I saw him talking to a girl.”

“Put the man in jail!”

“Shut up. And then we talked for a bit, and he didn’t outright say it, but he heavily implied that he… liked me.”

Junkyu scoffed. “That’s an understatement.”

You ignored your brother. “But I don’t know if I should wait for a bit or go tell him now-”

“Y/N. Please, put that man out of his misery and go tell him now.”

“Don’t you think he’d get upset if I confessed first? You know Jihoon, he gets proud about random things like that.”

“Believe me, he won’t care. He’ll just be happy you like him back after all this time.”

You thought for a second, a small smile blooming on your lips. “Does he really like me that much?”

Junkyu sighed. “He’s been harping on about you since we were fourteen. He probably keeps a diary or a boyblog where he just writes about you. Just go get him, girl.”

Your smile grew wider and your heart started beating faster, excitement growing in your stomach at the thought of seeing Jihoon again. “Okay, I will.” You and your brother stared at each other for a second, eyes wide in anticipation, until something struck you.

“Wait… You don’t mind, do you? Your sister and best friend dating?”

“I l-word both of you, so no, I don’t mind. I trust you both enough to not hurt each other. But I’m still your brother, so if that prick does anything to hurt you, I’ll kick his ass, okay?”

“Kyu, he bench-presses your weight as a joke.”

He squinted his eyes at you. “I’ll metaphorically kick his ass, then.”

“And what if I hurt him?”

Junkyu thought for a second. “I’ll… give you the silent treatment for a few days.”

“How scary,” you laughed.

“Anyways, congratulations in advance and all that, but for my mental health please pretend you’re not a couple in front of me and remember that premarital sex is a sin.”

“Will do! Bye, Kyu!”

Right after hanging up with your brother, you texted Jihoon, asking if you could come over. You quickly got ready, doing affirmations in the mirror to calm yourself down, and as soon as your phone pinged with Jihoon’s answer (miss me already?), you were out the door. It was usually a thirteen-minute walk between your and Jihoon’s place, but with the power of love, it only took you eight.

You felt like your body had gone on autopilot - instead of practicing over and over what you would say to him in your head, imagining all the terrible ways it could go or pacing back and forth in front of his apartment building, you just walked, the loud thumping of your heart in your ears drowning everything else out. You’d just get there and get it over with.

Even when you had to wait for seven seconds (you counted) for Jihoon to open the door after you’d rung the doorbell, you didn’t start panicking.

“Hey, Y/N, I just ordered some-”

“I love you.”

“Breakfast… You what?”

“I love you, Hoonie,” you beamed. The relief of letting those words free made tears pool in the corner of your eyes.

Jihoon just stared at you, mouth agape and expression like he couldn’t believe what was hearing. Reaching for your hand, he brought you closer to him and shut the door behind you, eyes never once leaving yours. Then, he pulled you into a hug, one so tight you’d be worried about your blood circulation being cut off if it wasn’t Jihoon’s arms you were in.

“Can you say it again, please?” he asked, nose buried in your hair and voice weak like you’d never heard it before.

You tightened your hold around his waist. “I love you,” you whispered.

“Again?”

“I love you,” you repeated, giggling.

He laughed too, more out of relief than anything. “I love you, too.”

He leaned back and raised his hands to gently cup your face in his palms. The both of you were smiling like idiots from ear to ear, gazing into each other’s eyes. Tears streamed down your cheek and he wiped them away with a thumb before pressing a soft kiss to your forehead.

“Took you long enough,” he said, making you laugh again.

“I know, I’m sorry.”

Jihoon shook his head. “Don’t be. You have no idea how happy I am right now.”

“I’m happy for you guys and all, but could you like, not do this here?” a voice interrupted you. You looked behind Jihoon’s shoulder to find Hyunsuk, one of his roommates, on the living room sofa, watching Brooklyn 99. You hadn’t even noticed him. In his defense, you were declaring your love for each other right next to him in the entrance hallway.

“Oh, right, sorry, Suk. Let’s go into my room,” he said, tugging at your hand.

The both of you burst into giggles as soon as the door shut behind you. Jihoon wasted no time in pulling you into another hug, and it felt like your whole body sighed as you let his warmth engulf you. You cursed yourself for not letting yourself have this earlier. You gently rocked from side to side together, as if slow dancing to a melody only the two of you could hear.

“I guess a little jealousy goes a long way, huh?” Jihoon said after a minute of silence.

“I wasn’t jealous,” you huffed, leaning back so he could see your frown.

“What made you realize your undying love for me, then?”

“I just… I thought we’d be good together. I realized how compatible we are, if you will.”

“Our compatibility? Did you only notice it last night?”

You grinned. “Guess I did,” you answered, just to tease him. Jihoon did not need to know about your love calculator epiphany.

He looked at you like you had hung the stars in the sky. You felt shy under his gaze, but you couldn’t get yourself to look away. “So does that mean we’re… boyfriend and girlfriend now?” he asked, making you burst into laughter. “Don’t make fun of me! It’s important to make things clear,” he complained between giggles.

“Yes, let’s be boyfriend and girlfriend.”

“Awesome,” he replied, then pursed his lips as if debating to say what he wanted to say next. “So, now that we’re boyfriend and girlfriend…”

“Yes, Hoon?”

“Does that mean I can kiss you?” he asked, a small smile playing on his lips that you mirrored.

“Please,” you whispered.

So he did.

When his lips touched yours, it was like a flower that had been waiting for the right moment finally bloomed inside your chest. It felt soft, and comforting, and just right. Like your lips had always meant to meet.

At least, it started out that way. The fabric of Jihoon’s t-shirt bunched up in your hands while his cupped your face tenderly, your lips moving in a slow cadence against each other’s as if you had all the time in the world - and you did. You were both so filled to the brim with excitement that when you pulled away for a breather, you laughed together, foreheads resting against each other.

But then, you raised your hands and threaded your fingers through his hair, tugging on it gently as you deepened the kiss. You probably hadn’t done it on purpose, simply wanting to feel more of Jihoon out of some basic instinct - but it undid something in him.

He slid his hands down the sides of your neck and your shoulders until they reached your arms, pulling on them to have your body closer to his. His hands then continued their journey down to your waist, where they sneaked themselves under your t-shirt. They ran up and up until almost your entire back was exposed to the fresh air in his room, the contrast between that and the fire-hot warmth of Jihoon’s hands against your bare skin making you shiver.

He walked you backwards until the back of your legs hit his mattress, unto which he helped you down gently, somehow not breaking the kiss as he did. One of his hands came to brush hair away from your face, while the other remained on your waist, after some time venturing onto your stomach, a sensitive spot for you that made you sigh into his mouth. He took that opportunity to slide his tongue against yours, yet another new sensation that made your head spin.

This was exceeding any expectations you had ever had for a first kiss. In fact, you had always thought first kisses were messy, awkward things, but this was nothing of the sort - your whole body was on edge, responding to every little movement on Jihoon’s part. Your fingers buzzed with a fizzy electricity that put your brain in a daze. You could do this forever, you thought.

But forever was cut short by the sudden buzz of Jihoon’s phone. Jihoon started, practically leaping off of you and dramatically holding onto his chest when he realized it was just his phone that had interrupted you. The delivery person was calling him to announce their arrival.

Jihoon pressed a kiss to your forehead, took a few steps, then came back to press another kiss, this time to your lips. Your stomach growled loudly while you waited for him, and you realized you still hadn’t eaten today. Add making out to that, you were ready to devour whatever it was Jihoon had ordered.

The smell coming from the paper bag Jihoon held as he entered the room again made you close your eyes in bliss and take a deep whiff. “Johnny’s,” you whispered. “You know me so well.”

Johnny’s was your absolute favorite breakfast place in all of town. It had been opened a few years ago by a graduate of your university who had mastered the art of hangover food. From soups, to hash brown patties, to iced coffee, he knew exactly what it was that students needed after a night out. You could tell he had a lot of experience with that himself. He was kind of like a God amongst the student body of your university.

“Of course I do. I know your order from all of your favorite restaurants, and somehow you only realized yesterday that I was pathetically in love with you.”

You smiled sheepishly, taking a bite of your sausage and egg wrap. “How long are you going to hold this over my head?”

Jihoon grinned brightly. “Until I forget about it.”

“So never?”

“Precisely.”

He put on the next episode of your show, and for the next couple hours, the two of you stayed holed up in his room, cuddling once you were done with your food. Even though you had spent endless time watching shows or movies side by side, neither of you had ever dared initiate physical touch, no matter how much you’d wanted to. He’d been scared you’d pull away from him, and you’d been scared it’d be awkward. You hadn’t realized how much you’d longed for his proximity and warmth until you had it.

Save for his laptop screen, it’d been quiet for a while, and you thought you might fall asleep when Jihoon spoke. “I’m so glad I don’t need to pretend anymore,” he said as one episode finished and the next one started.

“Pretend what?”

“That I’m not desperately in love with you and that every single little thing you do doesn’t drive me insane.”

You giggled. “Does it?”

“Yes,” he whispered, his voice a heavy sigh, almost a groan. There was a slight edge to it, a deeper meaning behind that short yes that had your stomach suddenly feeling very tight.

“Oh,” was all you could answer. You suddenly wondered what you might have done without thinking that had had an effect on Jihoon, just as he’d done to you many times before. You also wondered what sort of effect you may have had on him, what sort of thoughts he may have had about you that he had to keep to himself all this time.

Tentatively, you cocked your head up, only to find he was already looking down at you. The glint in his eyes made your body burn. Just as he started to lean in to reunite your lips, your phone buzzed with many texts in a row. Jihoon closed his eyes in frustration and sighed. “I want to throw both of our phones away,” he said, making you laugh.

minjeong hey pooks idk if ur out somewhere or still sleeping but im going to yoshis placeee he needs some stuff there so we’re going together and i’ll prob spend the night over… we’re like inseparable rn or wtv. anyways dont set the place on fire while i’m gone x

you ok thx for letting me know xx im w my boyfriend rn

Minjeong’s response didn’t even take three seconds to come through.

minjeong HUHHHH??? GIRL ???

you hehe

minjeong park jihoon is one lucky man

you how do u know its him?

minjeong literally who else would it be wait does that mean we’ll go on double dates…

you yeah ur right and pls no

minjeong DOUBLE DATES !! girls night tomorrow night i want all the deeeets have fun having the place all to urselves and rmb to use protection xx

you why is that where ur mind goes first ?? down for girls night tho can we watch teen beach movie

minjeong duhhh

“Teen Beach Movie?” Jihoon said, startling you. You hadn’t realized he’d been reading over your shoulders.

“It’s a good movie,” you mumbled, frowning.

“Right.” He said nothing for a few seconds, but he just couldn’t contain himself. The question was burning his tongue. “Aren’t you on the pill?”

Your head snapped towards him at the sudden question. “Uh, yeah, I am. Why?”

His eyes scanned your face as a smirk grew on his lips. “Then we don’t need to use protection, do we?”

You gulped. Your whole face felt hot - after having just shared your first kiss, you hadn’t expected him to mention sex so easily. Not that you weren’t interested in that, far from it, you were just… nervous.

You turned away from him, unable to sustain his gaze any longer. “I guess not,” you murmured. You had started taking the pill at the beginning of university, mainly to regulate your period and lessen your hormonal acne. The contraceptive part was just a bonus, one you had never imagined would come into handy like this.

Jihoon’s eyes suddenly widened. “Oh, I need to tell Yoshi about this! He’s gonna freak. I hope he won’t be mad he learned it from Minjeong and not me first.”

“Yoshi?” you asked as you watched him reach for his phone on his nightstand.

“Yeah, we’ve been updating each other on our love lives. He’s really into Minjeong, by the way.”

“That’s… strangely wholesome, actually.”

While he typed away, you tilted your head and took the time to appreciate your boyfriend’s features. The round eyes, heart-shaped lips, sharp nose and even sharper jawline. He was so pretty, and now, he was all yours.

Without thinking, you traced a finger along his jaw, liking the feel of it against your skin. When his eyes found yours, you dropped your hand and straightened your head, expression like you’d just been caught red-handed.

“Should we go back to your place? We can pick up food on the way.”

You smiled. “We just ate.”

“And I’m hungry again,” he said, mirroring your smile and pressing a chaste kiss to your lips. Or at least, he had intended it as a chaste kiss, but he found that he couldn’t quite get himself to pull away. “Let’s go,” he said, lips moving against yours as he spoke, but made no move to actually go.

“Let’s go,” you repeated, staying perfectly still. You’re not sure who was the one to cross the millimeters between your lips, but before you knew it, you and Jihoon’s lips were stuck to each other once more. This kiss had none of the gradual intensity of the previous one - right off the bat, the feeling of Jihoon’s lips against yours flooded all of your senses.

Your hands found purchase in his hair while his found their way to your waist once more. With surprising ease, he pulled you to him so that you were straddling his lap. For a second there, you were conscious about how heavy you might be on top of him, but it was all forgotten when he pressed his lips to yours again in a passionate kiss. In this new position, you could press your body close to his, so close you could almost feel his heart beat against yours. He also had easier access to your back than before, and he quickly took advantage of that.

Just like before, he sneaked his hands underneath your t-shirt, making you arch your back against him. He slid a finger underneath your bra strap and pulled away for a second to ask if this was okay. You looked at him - his eyes were darker than you’d ever seen before and his face had lust written all over it. You were sure you looked similar.

“Yeah, it’s okay,” you whispered before diving back into the kiss. One second apart felt like hours to you.

Your breath got shakier as he unclasped your bra. He didn’t do anything right away, settling on brushing his palm up and down your back while your heart raced with anticipation. You were so on edge that you couldn’t even kiss him anymore - you buried your face in his neck, gripping his hair so tightly you were probably hurting him. You didn’t care if he could feel how desperate you were. Then, finally, painfully slowly, one of his hands made its way to your front, and he gently grabbed your breast underneath your bra that was hanging from your shoulders. That was already a foreign sensation in itself, but when he took your nipple between two fingers and pulled on it ever-so-gently, the pleasure that overtook your body was so intense that it made you let out a loud gasp and you pulled away from Jihoon, startled as if you had been shocked by lightning.

“Are you okay?” he asked, breathing heavily, a mix of worry and desire in his eyes.

You nodded, holding onto his shoulders as you tried to make your breathing return to normal. “I’m fine, just… it’s all very new, is all. I’ve never done any of this before.”

Never had a boyfriend, never held hands romantically, never kissed - that was you. Not that you minded, though, since you’d never been interested in anyone and you were happy to do this with Jihoon, whom you trusted more than anyone else.

He smiled softly. “That’s okay. Does it at least feel good?” he asked, low voice making the hairs on your arms stand.

You whined, hiding your face in the dip of his shoulder again. “It does…” you admitted, voice muffled against his skin.

“You know, it’s my first time too,” he said after a while.

You lifted your head to look at him. “Really?”

“Mh-hm. You’re my first girlfriend.” His eyes were full of affection as he gazed at you, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. You giggled. “What’s funny?” he asked softly, pressing a kiss to your jaw.

“We’re each other’s firsts,” you explained. “I think that’s nice.”

Jihoon made his way to your lips, giving them a small peck. “That is nice. And I promise I’ll make you feel so good,” another peck, “you’ll want me to be your last as well.”

You looked at him for a bit, taking in his features that looked even more beautiful to you now that you’d realized your feelings for him, and thought of a life with him. It might have been slightly premature, but you already knew you liked the idea of that.

“Okay,” you said, as if what he had said had been an offer. It made him smile.

“Okay.” He kissed you, softly like you could break underneath his touch. “You’re so cute, you know that?” he asked against your lips, but didn’t leave you time to answer before kissing you again. “Okay, I think we should take a break,” he said after a few minutes. “We can go to your place. And then we’ll have more… privacy.”

You agreed that spending some time not pressed up against Jihoon might help you think straight again. The walk to your apartment was nice and quiet, your interlocked hands swinging back and forth between your two bodies. When you walked past the grocery store, you stopped in your tracks, looking at Jihoon with a smile which he mirrored immediately, even without knowing the reason behind it.

“Should we bake a cake to celebrate our first day together?”

“That’s very cheesy.” His grin widened as he took a step closer to you. “I love it.” He pressed a kiss to your forehead and led you into the store.

The rest of that afternoon was spent baking and decorating the cake. It was a simple vanilla batter, but it took way longer than it should have, because Jihoon first insisted on having a flour fight (which took ages to clean), then on having two cakes and having a competition for whose would be prettier (yours, of course), but you loved every last second of it. It was like a scene out of a movie, and you could not have been more content. To really bring home the cheesiness of it all, you even recorded yourselves blowing out the number one candles of your respective cakes.

The evening came around, and, full of cake and Chinese takeout, you were holed up in bed together, watching the first movie that had popped up on your Netflix recommended. It was too easy, falling asleep in his arms. The combination of his comforting scent and the soft back rubs he was giving you lulled you to sleep like nothing else.

When you woke up next, it was because of a sudden lack of warmth next to you. You lifted your head to find Jihoon opening your bedroom door and heading into the living room. He had just been going to get water, but you didn’t know that.

“Hoon?” you called out, raising yourself to a sitting position on your bed. He immediately turned around, walking back towards you and crouching next to your bed.

“Hm?”

“Aren’t you staying?” you asked, reaching for the hem of his t-shirt sleeve. He looked at your hand before his gaze slowly made its way back up towards your face, a smirk growing on his pretty lips.

“Do you want me to?” he asked back, gazing deep into your eyes. His voice had dropped to a low volume that made it hard to breathe. Initially, you’d just wanted him back by your side, but now all sorts of thoughts were running through your mind.

“Of course. I mean, we’re dating, right?”

In an attempt to lighten the atmosphere, you tried to chuckle, but all laughter died in your throat when your eyes locked with Jihoon’s. You weren’t scared of his intensity - you were scared of the pace at which your desire for him was growing. One inch closer, and you knew you’d be wrapped around his finger.

He leaned closer.

“What are you trying to say?” he asked, tilting his head innocently to the side. Mindlessly, you rubbed your thighs together, searching for some relief for your core that had started to throb of its own accord, but Jihoon was following your every movement and had noticed it. “Are you saying you want to consummate our relationship?” he asked again, a hint of amusement in his voice as he placed his hands on your knee that wasn’t covered by the blanket.

You scoffed and looked away, hoping you didn’t look as flustered as you felt. “Not if you say it like that,” you mumbled.

Jihoon’s eyebrows perked up. “How should I say it, then?” he whispered. His hand slowly brushed along your sides until it reached your waist. Even over your layer of clothing, his touch burned. “You want me to make love to you?”

You kept your gaze fixed on something behind his shoulder, focusing on your breathing that was getting shakier and shakier. He drew the blanket away, leaving your thighs exposed to the chilly air for a second before he splayed his large palms on them, bringing you some warmth but intensifying the throbbing in your core. His hands inched closer and closer to where you most needed them, rubbing over your inner thighs but swerving right before he actually reached your core, setting them on your hip bones instead.

“Or do you want me to fuck you, Y/N?”

He took your chin between two fingers, forcing you to meet his gaze. Your eyes locked for a second before they dropped to his lips, watching the smirk that grew on them. “Guess it’s the latter.”

As soon as your lips touched, you were overwhelmed by the immensity of your desire for him. Your whole body burned in want, in need. You had no idea what to do except hold on tightly to him and hope for the best, hope that he’d know how to guide you through this even if it was new for him as well.

If you thought the kisses you’d shared earlier in the day had been intense, this one was on a whole other level. Your hands grabbed everywhere they could find and his gripped your waist firmly as your tongues danced with each other, resulting in a messy kiss that had your head spinning from lack of air in seconds. And yet, you couldn’t get enough. You kept pulling Jihoon impossibly closer by the hem of his t-shirt until he got frustrated from the layer of clothing between you two and simply took it off, discarding somewhere in your room. He gave you no time to admire his defined chest or abs, because he trapped your lips right away.

He pushed you slowly onto the bed until he was hovering over you, alternating between kissing your lips and your neck, that you were sure would have a couple of purple marks for you to find the next day. Your skin burned wherever he touched it, and it was like a trail of fire had appeared as his hand made its way to your breasts once more, grabbing harshly at the soft flesh there.

The whole time, he had been in some sort of a trance, drunk on your body, on your scent, on the way you were touching him - on the feeling that you finally wanted him as much as he’d wanted you all this time. But when he helped you out of the articles of clothing covering your upper body, and he had you half-naked underneath him, he had to take a double take and remember to take his time instead of just devouring you whole. For both his sake and yours.

So he stopped for a bit, letting himself admire you. He noticed you shifting uncomfortably, so he leaned down again, pressing soft kisses along your cheeks and your jaw. “You really are the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen,” he whispered before kissing you. He then continued his journey down your neck and collarbones until he reached your breast. “Really so beautiful.”

When he took one of your nipples in his mouth, your back arched against him and you let out a loud moan. He couldn’t keep himself from chuckling slightly - he found it adorable how sensitive you were everywhere he touched you. Your moans were like music to his ears.

Nothing had ever felt like this before. As he circled his tongue around your nipple - God knows where he had learned how to do this - it took everything you had to not just scream in pleasure. Even if Minjeong was out, you still had neighbors. Now that you couldn’t grab his t-shirt, you’d switched to his hair, and you were tugging at it so hard you wouldn’t have been surprised if you ripped a clump of it from his head.

Your panties were sticking to your core, all slick with your arousal, and you didn’t know how long you could go on anymore without attention down there.

As if he’d heard your thoughts, Jihoon started making his way down your body once more, trailing kisses all across your ribcage and stomach.

“I’m torn between taking this real slow and making it last as long as possible.” His lips found a sensitive spot on your lower stomach, right next to your hip bone, and he gently bit the skin there, licking it afterwards to offer you some relief. “Or just devouring you now that I finally have you.”

“Jihoon,” you sighed, desperation evident in your voice. “Please, just do something.”

“Like what?” he asked, clearly enjoying your lust-filled state of mind.

“Anything.”

He chuckled, and by the sound of it, you knew he didn’t have anything good in mind. He lowered himself some more until his mouth was positioned right in front of your pussy, and, with no warning, licked a long strip from your hole to your clit over your panties, humming at the taste of your arousal.

“Something like this?” he asked afterwards, but was only met with a whine. He kissed the soft flesh of your inner thighs while you squirmed in his hold.

“Don’t tease me, please…” you begged, and your voice was so weak and genuine that he could only give in.

“Whatever you want, baby,” he obliged, the nickname rolling off of his tongue casually. He had no idea what it did to you.

He helped you out of your underwear, finally getting you fully naked just for him. Jihoon was a man of his words, so not a second was lost before he dived right back into you, licking up the arousal spilling out of you before flicking his tongue at your clit. He held your hips tightly in both of his hands so you couldn’t squirm away from him and ate you out like a man starved. You were so sweet and warm against his tongue, and your taste was worlds more intoxicating than any alcohol he’d ever had. He’d do this forever if you let him.

He noticed quickly that attention to your clit was what got you moaning the loudest, so he alternated between circling his tongue around it and gently sucking at it, sometimes releasing it with a pop just for the hell of it. He slipped a finger easily inside of you, your wetness accommodating him immediately. He couldn’t wait to be inside you - his hard cock was throbbing in the confines of his underwear, but his only concern right now was to make you come undone for him.

When he found that deep spot inside of you, the one that had you gasping in pleasure and moaning his name, he slid a second finger in, and just like that, you were done for. You came apart on his fingers and tongue, a complete moaning mess underneath him, and he lapped up the arousal leaking out of you like it was water.

You’d already thought you were at the peak of pleasure when your orgasm came ripping through you like an avalanche, blindsiding you and making you see bright white stars behind your tightly closed eyelids. Your throat felt dry from all the moaning and heaving you’d been doing. You had to take Jihoon’s face between your hands and gently pull him up yourself, otherwise it seemed like he was happy to keep going, but it was starting to overwhelm you.

Jihoon held you in his arms as you came down from your high. You let out the laughter bubbling in your throat as your breathing returned to normal - not because something was funny, but because you had just felt so ridiculously amazing that you couldn’t help but laugh.

“How was it?” Jihoon asked, a lot shyer than you’d expected.

You lifted your head to look at him, a bright smile on your face even though you felt close to exhausted. “I have a hard time believing that was your first time giving head, Hoon.”

He chuckled. “Very first time, I promise you. I must just have some God-given skills.”

“I’m not even gonna fight you on that, because that was amazing,” you conceded, nuzzling yourself closer to him.

“I’m glad I could do that for you,” he said softly, burying his nose at the top of your head and inhaling there. The scent of your hair was oddly comforting for him.

Before you let yourself drift off to sleep, you started raking your fingernails across his chest and abs, smiling proudly to yourself when you heard him breathe shakily or felt his muscles clench under your touch. He wasn’t saying anything, but you could tell he was holding himself back. “I think,” you started, pressing a kiss to the corner of his jaw, “That you deserve something in return.”

“You don’t-”

You knew Jihoon. He didn’t like it when you insisted on paying for coffee because he’d done it the last time, or when you baked him something because he’d stayed up all night with you studying for a test. He liked taking care of you, but you always had to almost force him to let you take care of him. You wanted your relationship to be fifty-fifty - you wanted to give him as much as he gave you. Even if he would let you, it wasn’t fair to just take and take.

So you insisted. Whatever he was about to say, it died on his tongue as soon as you placed your palm on his erection. It felt hot and hard under your hand, and saying you weren’t slightly intimidated would be a lie, but you wanted to do this. If you were able to give Jihoon half the pleasure he’d given you moments prior, you’d be satisfied.

You rubbed your hand slowly up and down over his clothes. “Really, baby,” he managed to say between shaky breaths, “I didn’t do that to get something in return- Fuck,” he whispered as you hooked your fingers underneath the waistband of his sweatpants, pulling it down his legs so he was only left in his underwear. Under the black fabric, his bulge looked huge, and you gulped at the idea of having it inside you.

“This feels good, right, Hoon?” you asked, steadily getting bolder and pressing slightly harder against his bulge as you continued rubbing it.

“It- it does, but-”

You shut him up by pressing your lips to his. He reciprocated it immediately, almost unconsciously, before moaning into the kiss. “So let me do this for you,” you whispered before ridding him of his underwear.

“Okay,” he said, sighing as you rubbed your hands from his knees along his thighs.

The groan he let out as you took him in your hand sent shivers straight down your spine. You could finally put to use all the knowledge Minjeong had passed on to you over the past few months. You let go of Jihoon’s cock to spit in your hand, the moisture helping you glide your loosely closed fist along his shaft with more ease. Your movements themselves were probably very clumsy, but Jihoon didn’t seem to mind - he moaned shamelessly, head fallen back against the pillows and exposed Adam’s apple bobbing up and down.

Seeing him like this and knowing it was all because of you drove you crazy, and soon, you became greedy for any sign of pleasure from him. You wanted to hear all of his moans, sighs, groans, watch his abs clench tightly and feel him grab your hair, which he did as soon as you flicked your tongue across his tip, already leaking with pre-cum. The endless string of curses and moans that flew from his mouth as you circled your tongue and shallowly bobbed your mouth around him filled you with satisfaction.

“Fuck, just like that, Y/N. You’re doing so fucking well, baby. Making me feel so good.” Those words had been the cherry on top.

Jihoon was of a more-than-decent size, and fitting all of him inside of your mouth was probably a task that would take a few tries to achieve - you still did your best to take as much of him as you could. You massaged his balls with one of your hands, using the other to hold the base of his shaft while you bobbed your head up and down. You did this with increasing speed then let him take control over your pace as his fingers threaded themselves in your hair, guiding your head around him. You didn’t even know if he was doing it on purpose or out of reflex, but you definitely did not mind handing him the reins.

“You’re gonna make me- Fuck, Y/N, I’m gonna cum, sweetheart.” You hummed around his shaft, and that seemed to do him in - with a loud groan, he released his load, hot and sticky inside your mouth. Taken aback by the bitter taste, you lifted your head and only swallowed what you had caught. You took him in your hand again, jerking him off to help him ride out the rest of his high.

You watched him, transfixed by his heaving chest, eyes screwed shut, the beads of sweat pearling across his torso, and the red blush that had spread from his face down to his neck. You’d done this. You’d gotten Jihoon in such a state. You let him rest for a bit as you wiped your hands and his body with a tissue and had a sip of water.

You then pressed a kiss to his cheek, taking the time to admire his smiling face. When he opened his eyes and found yours, you suddenly felt so shy that you returned to your usual cuddling position, head resting against his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around your shoulders and pulled you close to him. You were both smelly and sticky, but you couldn’t care less.

“You did so good, baby. You did such a good job,” he whispered, the praise going right to your heart.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. That was amazing.” He sighed contentedly, then lowered his head to look at you. “You feeling sleepy?”

You shook your head no, a shy smile on your lips.

Jihoon smirked slightly. “You wanna keep going?”

You nodded.

He shifted himself so that his back rested against the headboard. “Come here,” he whispers, pulling you to his lap. You both winced in sensitivity at the feeling of your core right against his softening dick, but you didn’t want to pull apart either. If anything, the small stimulation created a pit in your lower stomach for the second time of the night.

You wrapped your arms lazily around his neck while he rested one of his hands on your hips and used the other one to rub your back. “How are you feeling?” he asked, eyes soft and full of affection.

You pressed a long, gentle kiss to his lips. “Good. Really good,” you said, making him chuckle.

“Good. Me too.”

You made out lazily, lips moving languidly against each other, neither of you in a rush to get anywhere. But after some time, you started to feel Jihoon hardening under you, and when you rocked your hips against him, coating his growing erection with arousal, he groaned. His hands traveled down to your ass, grabbing hard at the skin there as he helped you rock back and forth against him. You started out slowly at first, moaning every time your clit brushed against his tip, but it wasn’t long before you sped things up and lost yourself in pleasure once again. Your arms tightened their hold around his neck and, burying your face in his neck, you pressed your chest flush to his and muffled your moans against his skin, in both pleasure and frustration at having him right against you but not inside.

You suddenly lifted your head, and the look on your face made Jihoon instantly stop. “Is everything okay, baby?”

You nodded, but your worry was still evident in the crease of your brows. “Yeah, I just…” You pouted. “I’m scared it’ll hurt, Hoon.”

Jihoon caressed the side of your cheek with his palm, brushing some hair away from your face. “We don’t have to do this today-”

“No!” you exclaimed, taking the both of you aback. “I want to.”

“Okay.”

“I’m just a little bit nervous.”

“Okay. That’s okay, baby.” One of his hands rubbed reassuring circles into your lower back. “We can go as slow as you want, okay? And we can stop whenever you want. Just let me know. Does that sound good?”

You nodded, taking a deep breath. “Yeah, it does.”

Jihoon smiled and pressed his lips to yours. “Are you ready?”

“Yeah,” you whispered.

He helped you lay on your back against the mattress and hovered over you, propping himself up on one forearm. As he kissed you, he caressed one of your thighs, hand inching closer and closer to your core and making your blood rush with anticipation. Then he finally pressed two fingers to your folds, gathering up some of your arousal

before sliding his digits inside of you. As you gasped out in pleasure, his lips trailed away from your lips and found a new home in your neck.

He scissored his fingers inside of you, stretching you out and getting you ready for him as he murmured words of “you’re doing so well” and “I’ll make you feel good,” as if he wasn’t already. When you seemed relaxed enough, he slid his fingers out of you, smiling at you mischievously while he sucked your arousal off of them. Then, taking his dick by the base, he rubbed his tip along your folds, making your body twitch and loud moans escape your mouth. He pressed a final kiss to your cheek and buried his face in your neck, trying to ground himself too as he slowly started pushing himself inside of you.

His dick was so much bigger than his fingers, and you gripped his hair tightly as you got used to the new sensation. Tears prickled in your eyes, the unexpected stretch making you frown in discomfort. It was a completely different pain to what you were used to, but the overwhelming pleasure mixed with it made it almost welcome.

Jihoon was using all of his self-control to not pound you into tomorrow - your tight pussy was sucking him right in, and it was like his whole body sighed of relief when he bottomed out. He couldn’t believe he was inside you, feeling your walls clench around him and hearing your soft grunts as you got used to him. It was a scene right out of his wet dreams.

“You okay?” he asked, voice muffled against your skin. His voice sounded strained and heavy.

“I’m okay, Hoonie. I just need a minute.”

For that minute, as you breathed shallowly and relaxed around him, Jihoon pressed wet kisses wherever his lips could reach and twirled one of your nipples between two fingers to take your mind off of your pain.

“Take your time. I know I’m big, baby,” he said. You could hear the smirk in his voice.

“No, you’re just right, Hoon. It feels nice now.”

Objectively, Jihoon knew that this was a good thing, and that you had meant in a good way - better for him to fit right inside rather than cause you pain, but a part of his ego had still been hurt by your refutal of his claim. But then you told him he could move, and he forgot all about it.

It took him another superhuman kind of effort to go slow, slowly rolling his hips against yours with a self-control he didn’t know he had. He scanned your face for any signs of discomfort, kissing your small frown in the hope it might go away. He watched as your jaw relaxed and the soft hums escaping your throat turned into moans, as the crease in your eyebrows softened and turned into one of pleasure rather than pain. He allowed his movements to speed up, noting with satisfaction the increasing volume of the noises you were making and the way your fingernails dug into the skin of his shoulders.

He lifted himself on his palms and hooked one of your legs around his hips, the new, deeper angle having you seeing stars. He asked if you were okay again, and when you not only nodded yes, but asked him to go faster, Jihoon had to admit he got a little bit carried away, both in his actions and his words.

Jihoon had a big mouth - you knew it, everyone knew it. What you didn’t know was that he would keep that big mouth even balls-deep inside you.

Maintaining a fast pace, he lowered himself so that his lips tickled your ear as he spoke. “You’re doing so well, baby. Taking my cock like the good girl you are. Isn’t that right? You’re my good girl,” he grunted, punctuating his words with harsh rolls of his hips into yours. You couldn’t even get yourself to answer, that’s how far gone you were, his words going into your one ear and coming out the other. All you could think about was how good it all felt, from his tip repeatedly hitting that delicious spot inside of you to the feeling of his warm, sticky skin against yours. The room smelled of sweat and arousal and was filled with all sorts of noises - your heavy breathing, your moans, your grunts, the wet sound of Jihoon’s dick inside of you.

“Can’t even say anything, can you? Am I making you feel that good, baby?”

You moaned, thinking that should be enough of a yes for him, but you should’ve known better.

“I think you should answer me when I ask you a question, Y/N,” he commanded, slowing his pace down to get you to listen to him.

“Y-yes, it feels so good, Hoon,” you replied, out-of-breath.

“Attagirl,” he whispered, smiling as he bit the lobe of your ear.

You hadn’t even realized you were crying until Jihoon halted in his motions, feeling one of your hot, wet tears on his palm. He was quick to wipe it away, searching for any pain in your features, but you only whined, asking him why he’d stopped.

“Why are you crying, baby? Did I hurt you? Are you okay?” he asked frantically. The worry in his voice only amplified your already overflowing love for him.

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong, I just… God, this is so embarrassing,” you all but sobbed against his skin, realizing that the pleasure had been so overwhelming, tears had started flowing from your eyes.

“No, it’s not.”

You screwed your eyes shut for a second before meeting his gaze again. “I just- it feels so good, Hoon.”

A pause passed as he took a deep breath. “Is that it?”

“It is, I promise. Please, just… let’s keep going, Hoonie. I was so close,” you whined, and Jihoon couldn’t help but chuckle at your desperation. How was it that he still found you so adorable even in such a situation?

“Okay, baby. I’m relieved.” He wiped more of your tears that had fallen, but as soon as he moved inside of you again, taking a minute to return to his previous harsh pace, your tears resumed streaking down your cheeks. Jihoon kissed them, savoring their salty taste on his tongue.

It didn’t take long for the knot in your stomach to become tight again, and with every deep thrust, you felt yourself getting closer and closer to the edge.

“You look so pretty like this, sweetheart. All fucked out for me.”

“Mm. I’m so close, Hoon, gonna- fuck, gonna-”

“You’re gonna cum for me, baby? Gonna cum and make a mess all over my cock?”

“Yes, Hoon, fuck-”

You gasped out loud as his hand found your clit again, using his thumb to rub quick circles into the sensitive bundle of nerves. “Cum for me, sweetheart, show me how good it feels.”

That did it for you. Your second orgasm of the night washed over you, making you release your loudest moan yet. You held on to Jihoon like you might fall apart if you didn’t.

The quick clenching and unclenching of your walls around Jihoon’s dick as he fucked you throughout your high drove him crazy and, soon enough, he came undone himself, hot, white ropes of his cum filling you up. The squelch as he fucked his cum into you, the both of you moaning in overstimulation, was nothing short of pornographic.

Jihoon all but collapsed on top of you, humming as you traced your fingernails up and down his back. You took a few minutes to collect yourselves, and you thought he might have fallen asleep, soft dick still inside you, when he lifted himself up with a sigh and slid out of you. You winced at the loss of his warmth. He pressed a kiss to your forehead and said he’d be back in a sec.

When he entered your room again, he was carrying a towel, a tall glass of water, and leftovers from your takeout earlier. He cleaned you off and asked you how you felt, then you chatted as you ate your food. You could pass out at any moment, but it was nice, talking a little bit after the moment you shared instead of falling asleep straight away.

He almost choked on his water when you asked him where he’d learned to talk so dirty - now that he was out of the moment, his cheeks reddened at the thought of everything he’d told you. “It just comes naturally,” he’d said shyly.

“Do you want anything?” he asked when you were done eating.

You kissed him, smiling against his lips. “I’m all good, Hoon. You?”

He mirrored your smile. “All good, too.”

“I just wanna cuddle and sleep now. I’m spent.”

“Sounds perfect to me,” he whispered. He laid down on his back and you followed, letting him wrap an arm around your shoulder while you rested your head on his chest. He drew you close to him and pulled the blankets over your intertwined bodies. “Is it creepy if I just stare at you for a little bit?”

“Kinda, yeah.”

“But you’re so pretty,” Jihoon pouted.

“I’ll just sleep and pretend I don’t know anything about it.”

“Okay, just don’t panic if you feel a strange but very attractive presence looming over you.”

You snorted. “Noted. Night, Hoon.” You pressed a kiss to his neck and he hummed.

“Night, pretty. Sleep tight.”

When you woke up a few hours later, your room was bathing in the bright yellow glow of the early morning. You and Jihoon had shifted positions in the night and you’d ended up curled up on your side, back to him while he slept on his back, arms sprayed out next to him. It was the feeling of him shifting closer to you and wrapping an arm around your waist that had awoken you, a sudden warmth engulfing your body that made you feel like you might still be dreaming.

But no, it was all very real. From the man behind you, to the events of the previous night, to the dull but not unpleasant ache you felt between your legs. You sighed contentedly, taking his hand in yours and wrapping it tighter around yourself.

Curious to see if he was awake, you turned around after a few minutes and faced him. He seemed pretty passed out until you pressed a soft kiss to his nose, then another to his cheek. His eyebrows creased for a second and his foot moved against yours. He didn’t open his eyes, but he pursed his lips for a kiss. He wasn’t content with just a peck, however, and you found yourself making out with him first thing in the morning, lips full of sleep and cotton-soft like your pillows.

“You have no idea how much I’ve dreamed of this,” he says after a while, keeping his eyes closed, morning voice sending chills down your spine. “Waking up next to you.”

“You have?”

“I have. I don’t know if I should freak out over this and have a party or just be chill about it,” he said, smiling.

“We can have a party.”

“Really?” Jihoon asked, opening his eyes wide, excited like a kid who was just told they were going to Disneyland.

“Sure,” you giggled. “We can invite all of our friends and celebrate our one-week anniversary or something. Minjeong will probably want to plan it.”

He sighed happily. “I’m holding you to that. We’re celebrating.”

After lazing around in bed for a couple hours, going back and forth between chatting while cuddling and making out, your growling stomachs forced you out of your room and into the kitchen.

You and Jihoon noticed it at the same time. It was hard to miss, after all - a bright pink sheet of A4 paper with hearts and little Cupids everywhere right in the middle of the surface of your fridge, but more importantly, your name and Jihoon’s in big bubble letters with 99% in the middle. You wanted to rip it from the surface of your fridge, but the damage had been done - index pointed at the paper, Jihoon turned to you with an incredulous look on his face. You scratched the back of your neck and looked around the kitchen for a way to escape.

“Y/N, what’s this?” Jihoon asked, amusement laced in his voice.

You tried to find some sort of excuse, but to no avail. “This is just, um- you know, just a, uh, just-” The sound of Jihoon’s cackles interrupted you. You looked at him, unimpressed. “Don’t laugh at me. I was stressing out, okay? I needed something to reassure me.”

Jihoon was grinning wide as he pulled you into a hug, one arm around your waist and one hand on the back of your head. “You’re so adorable,” he mused, pressing a kiss to your hair. You wrapped your arms around his middle and nuzzled your nose against his neck, the comforting scent of his skin making you forget about your embarrassment.

He leaned away slightly and took the paper off of the fridge, smiling down at it. “As cute as this is, you don’t need it. I’ll show you everyday that I’m the perfect man for you, okay?”

You mirrored his smile. “Okay.” Even when your lips found each other, you couldn’t stop smiling, giggles escaping from your lips into his. You only laughed harder when he started pressing small kisses all over your face, making sure to not miss a single spot. He pressed a final one to your forehead before resting his against it, both of you closing your eyes and relishing in each other’s presence.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

permanent taglist: @zreamy @sunghoonmybeloved @lalalalawon @sd211 @w3bqrl @raikea10 @wntrnghts @moonlighthoon @4imhry @rikisly @loves0ft @iamliacamila @theboingsuckerasseater9000 @chaechae-23 @baekhyuns-lipchain @hyuckslvr (ask to be removed/added!)

#yg treasure #treasure jihoon #treasure smut #park jihoon smut #treasure x reader #park jihoon x reader #treasure fluff #park jihoon fluff #treasure scenarios #park jihoon scenarios

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chrysbibi · 1 year

Text

Pairing: Art Student!Asahi Hamada x fem!Reader

Genre: College AU, friends to lovers, smut, fluff

Summary: Friends help each other and what better help could you possibly offer than posing nude for Asahi when he can't find a model for his nude painting project?

Word count: 8.8k

Warnings: explicit sexual content, nudity, swearing, fingering, unprotected sex, Asahi and reader are crackheads, Asahi and his longer hair being a threat to humanity

As soon as Asahi walks into the cafe, you can tell that something is wrong. He spots you the moment he pushes open the heavy glass door and immediately heads to your table. You watch him as he rushes towards you, flopping down in the chair in front of you and letting his shoulder bag fall to the floor. You bring your mug of hot chocolate to your lips and carefully sip the thick liquid as Asahi rubs his face with both hands, causing his glasses to be pushed upwards.

"Can I get you something?"

Asahi removes his face from his palms, his glasses falling back into their place as he turns to look at the waitress that was quick to come to his aid.

"Iced Americano please!" Asahi's drawls and the waitress nods, giving him a small smile before leaving.

Your eyes follow the waitress as she gives his order to the barista, only to turn and see Asahi massaging his eyes. He sighs again and pushes his hair back and out of his eyes. You find the action extremely attractive and you mentally thank his morning drowsiness for probably being the cause of his forgotten headband.

"So…" you begin saying as you let your mug down, "...let me guess. Late night painting or Jeongwoo's and Haruto's loud asses kept you up all night." you grin as you rest your chin on your palm.

"Neither!" he groans and leans on his chair, "I have to hand in a painting in three days and I still don't know what to draw!"

"You still don't have a theme?"

At that, Asahi pauses and looks at you before averting his eyes, one hand scratching the back of his neck, "That's not exactly the problem…"

You titl your head and pick up your mug again taking small sips, "Then what is it?"

"Eh…"

This could be the most awkward you have seen Asahi act in a while and Asahi rarely acts awkward. Weird, yes! But, awkward? Not really. You can't help but be curious of what caused him to be so uneasy in front of you as you watch him fidget in his seat.

"I have to draw nude…"

You choke on a mouthful of hot chocolate and quickly set your cup on the table not to spill any of the drink as you are violently coughing. You are gulping down a glass of water and Asahi is furiously blushing when the waitress returns with his coffee.

"One Iced Americano!" she says brightly before reading the room, hastily leaving.

Asahi takes a swallow of coffee as you finally manage to calm down and look at him. A red tint is still visible in his cheeks even though he tries to seem unbothered.

"Nude?"

"Well not nude as in me being nude but yeah…" Asahi finally turns to face you, "Basically, I am having real trouble finding my model."

You stare at him, still unsure of what is the right thing to reply to that and Asahi scratches his neck, tension building up once again. You drum your fingers on your mug and focuse on the cars passing outside the window.

"Did you ask any of the boys?"

"Well, yes and no!" Asahi seems to relax a bit at the slight change of topic as he leans back on his chair, "Jaehyuk would probably agree, but he is visiting his parents this week and I don't think we can videocall this! Then there was an attempt with Haruto and Jeongwoo…"

"An attempt?" you giggle, raising an eyebrow at him now that the mood has lightened.

"Yeah…They said no! A definite no. No second thoughts, no reconsidering. They said that only over their dead bodies they would pose for a nude painting that would be displayed in front of the whole class!" Asahi laughes but then his expression turns a bit bitter, "So, I guess I am failing it."

He shrugs and drinks a bit of coffee, silence falling once more between the two of you. You are whirling the remaing of your hot chocolate with your spoon when the words come out of your mouth.

"I can do it."

Asahi stops moving, his straw still hanging from his lips as he stares at you wide-eyed. You keep swirling your drink, seemingly calm but inside your head there is only chaos. Your heart is beating hard against your chest to the point you think that not only Asahi, but also the people nearby your table can clearly hear it.

Why would you say that? you scream inside your head, barely holding back from hitting yourself or face planting the table.

You raise your eyes and look at him sitting utterly dumbfounded across the table, staring at you like you grew a second head. Well, fuck it now you said it, you can't go back.

"I can model for you."

Oh, God that sounded so wrong!

You just want to hide your face in your hands and stay like that forever. Instead of doing that though, you keep still, waiting for him to turn down your proposal and then you can say that it was just a joke and laugh about it.

"You would do that?"

"Uh…" you are lost for words as Asahi actually sounds excited.

"Are you free tomorrow afternoon?" he asks and you feel like your brain is failing at comprehending what is happening.

"Wait!" you raise your hands in front of you and look at him dead in the eye, "Are we really doing that?"

Now Asahi seems to be the confused one, "Yes?" he furrows his eyebrows, "...No?"

You hesitate and it doesn't go unnoticed by him.

"If you don't want to do it it's fine, you don't have to-"

"No, sorry, I just-" you wave your hand in front of you, "I just-" not going back now, "I will do it, there is no problem." you manage to smile despite the chaos in your mind.

Asahi doesn't seem conviced, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, don't worry. I will pose for you, you will pass your class and everyone will be happy!" you play the laid back card as you lean on your chair and grin at him.

Asahi is still furowing his eyebrows, but seeing you so persistent, he relaxes his muscles and takes a sip of his coffee; his eyes scanning your face for even a hint of regret. But, at this point you have convinced yourself that this is not such a bad idea as you thought of it at first.

This was a terrible idea.

You are sitting alone in Asahi's room wearing only a white robe; his white robe. It isn't the fact that you are in his room that makes you uneasy, nor is the fact that you are mostly naked apart from the robe.

Not that this makes the situation any easier!

It is more the reason why you are in his room, wearing his robe, waiting for him to come inside.

At any moment now, Asahi will come inside and you will remove the robe, letting him paint you naked for one of his classes. Not what you would call an everyday interraction between friends!

You close your eyes, take a deep inhale and then you exhale from the mouth, trying to ease your nerves. Opening your eyes, you attempt to find comfort in the familiar paintings hanging on the wall in front of you, as you have seen them a million times by now. Most of them are Asahi's paintings for some of his university classes, but others were drawn by him in his spare time. You were there for most of the part to see him create these, while others were hanging on his walls way before you two became friends.

Somehow staring at them and the dark blue walls you know so well, makes you forget the reason you are here today and instead you reminisce about the happy times you have spent with Asahi between these four walls. That is until the door opens with a click and Asahi walks in hesitantly; at first not looking at you, but after noticing you are still wearing the robe, he raises his eyes from the floor. He leaves his brushes next to his tall canva and turns to you.

"I am ready."

The words echoe in your ears and you gulp. You wish that he doesn't notice that your hands tremble slightly as you grab the rope of the garment, ready to untie it.

"Uh I-" he tenses and takes a step backwards, averting his stare from you, "I will wait outside. When you are ready call me in!" he basically runs out of the room, banging the door behind him and you are left staring at the closed door wide eyed.

Even in the empty room, your heart keeps pounding against your chest as you let the robe fall to the floor. You quietly fold it and put it aside. You stare at his bed for a moment before gathering the courage and climbing on top of it. His bedsheets are soft and they are smelling exactly like him. You let your hands wander, feeling the smooth fabric, before you mentally slap yourself.

What are you doing?

You retrieve your hand and move around trying to decide on the best pose. You have agreed with Asahi that you will pose in a way that will pretty much cover your intimate parts, so that you won't have to expose yourself to him or his class. Although, you can't deny that as you are trying to find the ideal position, the thought of posing more seductively crosses your mind.

The thought is gone as quickly as it came, considering that Asahi would probably have a heart attack and your friendship would never be able to recover from that! And also because you don't have the guts to try something bold like that.

In the end, you settle with a sitting position; your legs laying on your right side, one thigh slightly higher than the other to cover your genital area while one arm supports your weight and the other hides your breasts. You nervously inhale, easing your breathing as you try to appear calm and collected. You can hear Asahi pacing up and down on ther other side of the door, which makes a new wave of distress wash over you.

"C-Come in."

You curse under your breath for not sounding determined enough, but every thought quickly empties your head as the door opens and Asahi steps in. Even before coming inside the room, his cheeks are painted a light red, his eyes scanning the floor as if he is meticulously searching for something; fortunately missing the way you gulp. He reaches his canva and only then he lifts his eyes to look at you.

If his face had a light blush before, now the blush turns to a vivid red color as blood instantly rushes to his face. You feel your own cheeks heat up, betting that their color matched that of a tomato. Asahi clears his throat and dips a brush in the water next to him, selecting a few paint tubes from his stash.

"We will start now…" he says quietly and begins drawing a rough sketch of you with his pencil.

You stay still as Asahi starts drawing, trying to be as helpful as you can. But every time Asahi leans away from his canva to look at you, taking measurements with the head of his pencil, you feel your throat becoming dry and goosebumps appearing on your skin. That lasts for about 8 hours -short breaks included- and you definitely count them as some of the hardest 8 hours of your life.

You spent all these hours in silence, with a few exceptions while the tension could easily be cut by a knife. Every time you took a break, Asahi would leave the room, letting you stretch and walk around before returning without a word and continuing the painting. Even when you did a lunch break, Asahi and you ate silently, in contrast to your usual bubbly conversations over food.

At some point Asahi set down his brush and looked at you, telling you that he had finished and that you should get dressed. He still wanted to add a few details on the painting, but he said he could do those on himself, eager to end this day. You had quickly gotten dressed and muttered a quiet goodbye to Asahi as you practically run towards the door of his apartment, bumping into Haruto on your way out, but you were too stressed to apologize or even greet him.

As you walk further away from Asahi's shared flat, you recall again the events of the day, getting more and more embarrashed by the minute. You hide your burning cheeks with your hands, feeling how hot they became while wishing that Asahi would pass his class and you would both forget about it.

You stare wide eyed at your cellphone that is ringing; the name of the caller overly familiar. It has been two days since you went to Asahi's place to pose for him and since then you two haven't talked or even texted each other.

But, now he is calling you. And you are freaking out!

"H-Hey…" you pick up the phone and immediately regret it. Maybe you can just end the call and maybe he will think that you actually never answered?

The other line is silent for a bit and for a moment you wonder if you have really accepted the call. Just then, Asahi's voice rings through your ears.

"I got an F."

You freeze. What?

"What?!"

"The professor said that the painting was too constrained…"

What?!

"But…isn't he the one always praising your paintings for their boldness?" you pace up and down on the campus, your moves becoming more nervous as a sinking feeling settles in your chest.

"What are you going to do?" you ask before he has the chance to reply to your previous question.

"I need to make another painting if I don't want to fail the class."

You abruptly stop moving. There you are, standing still in the middle of the campus grounds, gaping like a fish.

"And I need to submit it by the end of the week."

"That's why I called…" you never react and Asahi takes that opportunity to continue, "I need you to pose for me again."

"...If you would like." he adds when he still gets no answer.

"Uh…" you are still processing the situation when he bombards you with the offer and your brain just seems to shut down for a moment.

How would you do this?

Yes, Asahi needs your help, but things were so awkward last time! You hadn't even talked or seen each other for two days because of how absurd the situation was. And now he needs you to do that again!?

You bite your lip and look around you in frustration, as if one of the passing students can save you from this mess.

"Isn't there anybody else who…" you slowly cut your sentence in half, knowing that he wouldn't be asking you this if he had any other choice. You can hear Asahi's nervous breathing from the other side of the line and you feel your throat dry and your heart sink.

You close your eyes and sigh, "Is tomorrow fine with you?"

Once again, you find yourself sitting on Asahi's bed, wearing his robe, waiting for him. You close your eyes and take deep breaths to calm your nerves. How did things turn out like that?!

You shake your head to make the thought go away. You have done this before; you can do it again! You snap your eyes open, determined to make this work this time.

Muffled voices echo behind the door and you recognize them before the door swings open, revealing Jaehyuk and a very flushed Asahi. You bring your hands closer to your body, suddenly feeling a bit exposed as you were not expecting to encounter Jaehyuk.

Jaehyuk however doesn't roam his eyes over your form or act weird upon seeing you. Instead he smiles brightly and tilts his head, happy to see you.

"Hey! I was just telling Asahi that I am heading out, so he should better behave!" he glances at Asahi, who is holding the doorknob and is having the worst time of his life, "If you need anything call me!"

"Yes, okay, bye." Asahi mutters hurriedly, closing the door on Jaehyuk's face.

"Have fun! Bye!" Jaehyuk manages to utter before the door slams shut.

Asahi stands beside it for a moment, his ears red from embarrassment, before he walks behind his canva. He chooses his brushes and colors for the painting, hands slightly shaking from his distress. He rubs his face with one hand, pushing his glasses upwards before they fall back in place and sighs dramatically.

He raises his head to look at you and his eyes widen, "S-Sorry I forgot you have to take off the robe!"

He takes a few steps towards the door, "I will go outside!"

"No, wait!"

Your hands fly in front of you as in to stop him and Asahi halts. He furrows his eyebrows and looks at you baffled. You feel the tension leaving your shoulders as you lower your hands back to your lap.

"I think…" you start, fingers fiddling among them, "...that you should be here while I undress."

Asahi's eyes widen and you panic.

Wrong phrasing you idiot!

"Not in a- I mean that-" you stumble on your words, feeling heat rising to your face and neck.

You take a deep breath and lock your eyes with his, "That sounded very bad."

Asahi nods, "It totally did."

You sigh and scratch your neck nervously, "I meant that, last time you failed exactly because of this!"

Asahi tilts his head to the side, like he is trying to understand your point.

"We were so afraid of facing each other and the situation and- and we just acted so childish!" you run your mouth and now that you started it seems impossible to stop, "It's not like we haven''t seen a naked body before! And you are an artist! You will see hundreds more naked bodies in your life! And- and it's not like I haven't seen myself naked before!"

Okay, maybe you were a bit getting out of hand.

"So, why can't we act like adults and strip naked?! Huh? It doesn't make sense!" you take a breath and point a finger at him, "I will take this robe off and you will decide on the pose and I don't care if I have to model with my legs open or my anus showing, I will do it and you will draw the fuck out of me! Because that's what real friends do!" you finish your mess of a speech, chest heaving as you try to catch your breath.

Asahi looks at you and blinks once, twice, before he bursts out laughing. You feel your cheeks flush, yet scowl at him and cross your arms over your chest.

"What's so funny?"

Asahi has almost doubled over from laughter as he grabs his knees for support. He makes eye contact as his laughter slowly dies out and he straightens up.

"You are right. If we are doing this, we should do it properly."

All of a sudden, he is serious again and that doesn't help with your nerves. At least, the atmosphere has undeniably lighten up.

"Right."

You gulp and hop off the bed, standing before him, with only a few meters separating the two of you. You grab the ends of the rope and pull, untying the robe. Suddenly, all of your previous confidence evaporates in thin air and you feel vulnerable again.

Asahi is watching you with pursed lips, his eyes following your every move. You haven't done anything similar to this before and especially not with Asahi! You have been close since the beginning of your friendship two years ago, but never like that!

Too late to back off now you remind yourself and with a deep breath you push the robe over your shoulders and let it drop to the floor.

Your face is burning up, but you don't stray your gaze from Asahi. He takes a sharp breath and you notice the light tremble in his hands before he closes them in tight fists. You stare at each other for about half a minute, his eyes taking in all of you while yours stay mostly focused on his face. Asahi's face has turned red and he gulps audibly before he looks down.

We should do it properly.

"How should I pose?"

You are surprised at yourself for sounding so calm and Asahi snaps his head towards you, He looks around him then at his canva and then back at you. He is certainly not as unbothered as you.

"Eh…"

He steps behind his canva and stares at it, lost in his thoughts. You wait till he snaps out of it before shyly making his way to you. His face is still red and his eyes are focusing everywhere but on you.

"Lay down so that your head faces the canva and your legs are close to the wall."

You do as he says, lying down on the bed from the side and bending your knees, as there isn't enough space for your legs in this angle. You throw your head back, at the edge of the mattress and look straight at the canva.

"Like that?"

"Uh, kind of, yes." Asahi seems hesitant as he inspects you, "Your knees are nice like that. Can you open them a bit more? And place your left hand at the edge of the bed next to your head?"

You move around, following his instructions and bite your lips as cold air hits your vagina. You can't deny that you feel overexposed; you never imagined you would pose like this, even if you claimed to be comfortable with your legs open. Asahi looks like the confident one now as he guides you and you submit to his requests.

"Uh, can I...?" Asahi cuts his question in half, but you understand what he wants from the way his hands reach towards your body.

"Don't worry. You can touch me."

You look into his eyes as you utter the words and try to keep your blush to a minimum.

"Change whatever you don't like."

Asahi nods after a moment and moves next to you. You watch him as he fixes the position of your hand and then grabs your chin, pushing it a bit higher. His touch is gentle and your eyes meet as he moves your head a bit.

You stare at each other and for a second it feels like there is more to the light touches and long stares. But, then Asahi turns his head away and leans forward to reach your legs.

And it is at that exact moment, when Asahi's lower body is close enough to your face and visible from the angle you are placed, that you notice it. That you notice the bulge in his cotton pants.

Asahi is hard.

Asahi is hard!

Asahi is hard because of you!

You gulp and take deep breaths, but it doesn't stop you from staring at his boner. You feel his hands spread your legs even wider and your pussy clenches around nothing. Your legs slip away from his hold and press together, in an attempt to hide your glistening folds from him. Asahi, thinking you moved out of sole instinct, grabs your knees and pulls your legs apart.

"N-No, wait-" your voice is hoarse, but you are too late.

Asahi's gaze locks with your cunt and he immediately notices the thick liquid oozing of it. His head whirls to face yours and you gape at each other, both of your chests heaving as you breathe hard.

He studies your face and his eyes widen when you glance at his hard on, realization hitting him. You slowly raise your head from the mattress while you mantain eye contact, hundred of thoughts swirling in your head. Now that it came to this, maybe it is finally time to be a bit bold!

You slide your hands over his and slowly, as if testing the waters, you guide them from your knees, towards your pussy. Asahi doesn't resist you, but maybe he is just too stunned to actually react. His eyes just follow your hands, lips pursed and Adam's apple bobbing as he swallows his own saliva. When you pass your mid-thigh though, he pulls slightly away, like he is unsure of what you are about to do.

And for a second you are worried that you took it too far, that you ruined your friendship -or whatever it was that you were having right now- and everything that came with it. But, when you look into his eyes, you see that they have dilated with nothing but lust. You recognize the flicker of worry that passes by them and you squeeze his hands in reassurance.

"I told you. You can touch me."

Asahi's eyes widen and he takes a sharp breath from the mouth. You give him a nod and a small smile and Asahi closes his gaping mouth, clenching his teeth.

That was all Asahi needed to hear.

His eyes are back on the lower part of your body and his hands glide all the way down to your pussy; long fingers catching your inner folds and parting them open. He turns to look at you as two of his fingers massage your pussy, gathering some of your fluids and smoothly move them on top of your clit.

Your mouth opens and a loud moan slips past your lips, as you feel his fingers circle your sensitive bud. The feeling is unreal; the fact that Asahi is the one touching you is unreal! You honestly can't believe this is really happening and it's not just another fantasy of yours, like all the others that you have had these past few months.

Suddenly, two slender fingers slip inside you and you immediately clench around them. His thumb stays on your clit as his fingers lazily fuck you. This time you can't help but throw your head back on the mattress, his hard-on coming into your view again.

In between your moans, you manage to raise your hand and palm him over his pants. The fabric is relatively thin and you can feel all of him under your palm. Asahi let's out a low groan and he curls his fingers inside you, his long digits hitting your walls, making you squirm.

Your hands fly to his belt and try to unbuckle it; a bit of a struggle with your face staring at his crotch upside down. You whine and Asahi actually chuckles. You stop and raise your eyes to look at him, only to find him smiling down at you with that stupid, closed-mouth grin of his.

You furrow your eyebrows in annoyance and tug him towards you by his still-intact-belt. Asahi stumbles forward and you place your lips over his clothed bulge, kissing it softly. His dick twitches against your lips and you grin, your hands lowering to grab his hips as you peck his length.

Asahi's fingers loose speed till they go completely numb inside of you as he stares at you, mind blank of logical thoughts. His left hand moves from your thighs to your neck and then at the back of your head, tangling itself in your hair, but not attempting to pull at it. Yet.

You give him a quick glance, lips curling into a smirk as you leave another kiss over his pants, this time an open mouth one. You can feel Asahi loose his footing for a second before he recovers and slightly massages your head with his thump. Your hands go back to his belt and this time you manage to unbuckle it, without separating your lips from his lower body.

With one swift move you pull his belt and drop it to the floor. Excitement arises inside you and you pull away to unbutton his cotton pants with ease. Your lips are back on him the moment his pants fall lower, revealing his underwear. There is a wet stain where Asahi's tip is located and you push your tongue against it, eyes locking with Asahi's as you tease him.

His eyebrow twitches but he doesn't give you the satisfaction of a grand reaction. Instead, the fingers between your folds start moving again; slowly sliding in and out of you.

You guess two can play this game and Asahi is not handing you the victory that easily.

Fine. If he wants to play, you will play with him.

You yank down his underwear and his dick springs free, hitting his lower belly. Having been friends with Asahi for a while now, you find it a bit weird to be looking at his erected dick while you lie on his bed in the nude. But, maybe weird is just the upside down angle that you are forced to stare at it from!

Asahi's fingers are still moving inside of you, but slower now as not to distract you from the decision up ahead. You strain your neck and tilt your head a bit in order to take a better look at his cock. You don't touch it though.

"You can touch me."

Asahi's voice is hoarse and it makes you look up at him. It's the first time he talked since you started getting handsy.

His cheeks are flushed, a rare sight on his pale skin, while he is gaping at you. His long, black hair is falling messily in front of his eyes and his glasses have fallen a bit lower on his nose as he hasn't bothered pushing them up.

Not breaking eye contact, you push yourself off your current position and stand on his bed with your knees. His hands fall limply by his sides and he doesn't reach out to you, waiting for your next move. You can see the curiosity in Asahi's eyes as you grab the sides of his glasses and put them back on the root of his nose.

You beam with pleasure and Asahi is left staring at you, before his eyes flicker to your lips. Your smile fades as you follow his gaze, lips parting open as you stare at his own mouth. He slightly leans forward, but he doesn't close the distance between you.

You are both still so nervous, it is ridiculous!

You tilt you head to the side and touch his lips with yours in a light peck. None of you move your lips; you just stay still, lips touching each other in a shy peck. You pull back and open your eyes. Asahi keeps his own closed for a bit more, savouring the kiss, before they flutter open.

You look at him and the only thought swirling in your mind is how soft his lips were and how much you want to kiss him again!

You wish he is thinking the same as your hands rise from your sides and you place them on his shoulder. Your touch is gentle, almost feather-light as if you are afraid that if you put more pressure you might scare him away. You tilt your head again and connect your lips with his as tenderly as the first time.

Asahi inhales in your kiss and his palms brush your sides before settling on your love handles. You break the kiss and look at him while mantaining your hold on his shoulders. His fingertips press a bit in your sides and he holds your gaze.

You bite your lip and lean to kiss him again, pushing harder against him. Asahi is taken by surprise and you take advantage of his open mouth to flick your tongue over his bottom lip. You pull back again and it is Asahi's time to surprise you by making the first move. The grip on your love handles tightens and he pulls you closer as he captures your lips.

You become breathless as the kiss becomes more and more heated. You don't expect Asahi to be the kind of guy that bites your lip to make you open your mouth wider for his tongue to slip inside, but today is full of surprises! You nails claw at his shoulder blades while he tugs you tighter against him, nipples pressed hard against his clothed chest.

His glasses slip lower again and when you feel them hit the bridge of your nose, you laugh. You move your face back and try to put them back to their place when he stops you.

"Wait!" he grabs them and places them aside on his nightstand, before turning back to you, "I don't want them to break."

You raise your eyebrows at him and giggle, "Are you afraid I will break them?" you say as you tug at his t-shirt for more emphasis.

"I don't want them getting in the way."

"What way?" you say breathless and tug at his t-shirt again.

You pull harder this time and Asahi tries to steady himself by putting one knee on the bed. But, his pants, that are still pooling on his ankles, make him stumble and fall forward. He manages to put his hands on the mattress and not fall entirely on top of you as you fall with him; hand still gripping his t-shirt.

You stare at each other, chests heaving as the position you find yourselves slowly dawns on you. A deep red blush spreads across Asahi's face and by the heat rising to your face, you are sure you aren't in a better situation.

You open your palm and let go of his blouse, placing your arm back on the bed for better balance. You don't break eye contact with Asahi as you are lifting yourself on your elbows under him, anticipating his reaction. His eyes seem to follow your every move and the atmosphere has changed again.

You wet your lips and you are pleased to see that the gesture has caught Asahi's attention. Slowly, you crawl backwards on the bed, turning towards the headboard and Asahi trails after you. He pushes off his slippers and lets his cotton pants fall to the floor before he gets on the bed, as to prevent another clumsy incident happening.

When your back hits the headboard you bite your lip and wait until Asahi is within reach. You are about to grab his t-shirt and bring his lips to yours when you notice his eyes taking in your form, from head to toe. And just like that, all the confidence inside of you evaporates, leaving you embarrassed again!

You snap your legs closed as his eyes wander between them and you take a sharp breath, "I-"

You don't get to finish your sentence as you rise to your knees, ready to jump off the bed. Maybe this wasn't a good idea. Maybe you shouldn't be doing this! You start doubting the situation and yourself again as your need of flee gets more prominent.

You want this, but why do you keep backing down?!

You have fucking wanted this for so long so why are you now-

Asahi's arms snake around your thighs the moment you attempt to get on your feet and force you back on your knees. You gasp and look down at him, holding you in place and staring at you with a blank look before he turns to look ahead of him. Straight to your pussy!

Your eyes widen and you press your thighs together, harder than before. Asahi looks up at you again and you feel mushy upon seeing his big, dark eyes and red cheeks.

"If you don't want to do this-"

Oh no.

"-then we can stop."

You shake your head. Oh no!

"You don't have to-"

"I want this!" it comes out of your mouth before you can filter it, but as you stare into his surprised expression that slowly turns to a happy one, you don't feel regret.

You realize he also wants this oh so bad and looking at the situation, it's obvious that it's the only thing on your minds right now. So, you stop yourself from hesitating any further and just… give in.

You take a deep breath and relax your shoulders. You slip your hand over his right one and close your fingers around it, steadily guiding it to your cunt. Asahi's gaze follows the movement of your hands before he locks eyes with you.

You think it's cute that he double checks you so many times as you press his palm against your core. Even subtle, you don't fail to notice the sharp inhale he takes the moment he feels your juices run on his hand, making you needier than before.

You seem to not be the only one that is done with hesitating, as Asahi dips his head towards your entrance, lips wrapping around your clit, giving it a soft kiss. You gasp and your whole body shudders from pleasure as one of Asahi's fingers slips past your folds and enters you.

"Asahi!" his name leaves your lips and instantly his eyes run to your face as he moves back to have a better look at you.

You slowly open your eyes and lower your head as you feel the absence of his lips on your clit. Your gaze meets his own as he keeps pumping his finger inside of you, curving it every time he is knuckles-deep inside of you.

Your mouth hangs open in a quiet moan and Asahi's pupils dilate as he slowly speeds up his movements. The change in pace make you take in a sharp breath and open your mouth wider as your hand flies to Asahi's hair, grabbing it for some kind of stability. He keeps his eyes on you even when he inserts a second finger in you and you pull hard at his hair.

You tug his hair back, exposing his neck as his mouth falls open and he pants in ecstacy. For a moment you look into each others eyes while Asahi's fingers keep moving in and out of you and the room is silent apart from your wet sounds.

That is before he slowly moves his head towards your pussy; his eyes still boring on you, your hand still tangled on his black locks. You watch as his mouth opens, tongue darting out, connecting with your clit and you moan his name again; loud and clear as the first time.

This time though, Asahi doesn't let your cry distract him. His free hand rises and grabs on your hip, yanking you closer to his mouth as he flicks your clit with his tongue. The two fingers that are thrusting in and out of your pussy suddenly stop, as he starts curving them inside you, pushing them as deep as he can.

Broken moans and whimpers of his name escape your lips as your grip on his hair tightens. Your thighs start to shake as he keeps hitting that sensitive spot with his fingers. You are sure you are going to cum any minute now and you shut your eyes as you try to concentrate on your release.

A small whine gets caught in the back of your throat as Asahi's mouth leaves your clit for a second time this afternoon, but it is quickly replaced by his thumb. You are not sure what he is trying to do but your mind clears of any thoughts the moment you feel his lips on yours.

You gasp surprised and open your eyes. The sight you find facing you is one you could only have dreamt about; Asahi's face is tinted in a light pink as his soft lips move against yours, his eyes fluttered shut and his eyelids casting long shadows on his upper cheeks. Your eyes remain open as you admire him for the first time up close. But as his hand on your hip raises to cup your cheek gently and his head dips to the side to deepen the kiss, you realize you can't keep your eyelids open any longer.

Your hands wrap around his neck, fingers tangling themselves into the locks at his nape and you drown all of your moans inside his mouth. Asahi can feel every vibration, move and sound you make as his fingers keep fucking you faster and faster till your thighs are trembling violently and your walls are tightening around him.

You are so close now. So close to finally cumming. When he suddenly brings his movements almost to a stop!

You choke on your own saliva at the change of pace as his fingers lazily move inside of you. You buckle your hips in an obvious attempt at stimulation, but Asahi doesn't pick up the speed. Instead he breaks the kiss, getting a good look at your displeased pout and furrowed eyebrows.

You whine and grab his hand in between your legs, trying to make it move when Asahi lowers himself on the bed. Wrapping an arm around your waist, he pulls you down along with him until he is sitting on the bed and you are hovering a few centimeters over him.

You stare at him wide eyed as he pulls you a bit closer. You look down and gasp when you realize he is guiding you so that you are hovering over his erected dick. You look back at him as you breath deeply; this is happening. This is happening!

He ever so slowly lowers you towards him and you shift your knees on either side of him as you move your body down. You halt when the tip of his dick touches your folds and you look at him, only to see his Adam's apple bob and his lips quiver. You don't break eye contact as you start moving again; his dick sliding into your vagina easily with how wet you are.

You sigh and throw your head back when his length is all the way inside of you. You bring your hands to his shoulders when you realize he is still wearing that damn t-shirt while you have been naked for all this time. You fist his t-shirt and tug at it, but Asahi doesn't seem to understand what you are trying to tell him.

"Asahi!" you whine as you tug at his clothing again and he chuckles as he realizes what you are expecting him to do.

You manage to pull his t-shirt over his head with a bit of help from him, but as you do so, you shift your weight as you straddle his hips. You choke a moan as you feel his dick shift inside you and you try to stay still as you toss his blouse across the room.

Asahi notices the way your face crinkles when your hips move forward and he caresses your cheek with his knuckles. You lean on his touch before his other hand finds your face and he cups it with both hands, bringing you closer for a soft kiss. He plants a second kiss to your lips and then a third as his hands leave your cheeks and move down your body, gently brushing your neck, your collarbones, the curve of your breasts, until they settle on your hips again.

You moan against Asahi's mouth as he roll your hips on his before he begins lifting your body up and down. Asahi isn't too big, but that doens't mean he isn't stretching you out nicely; his dick brushing against your walls as he fucks you gently. You take deep breaths from your mouth as you keep your hands on his shoulders, leaning on him for support.

With your eyes tighly shut, you don't notice the hand that heads to your clit until it's too late. You shriek and jump as you are taken by surprise, which results in you dropping on his dick more abruptly than before. Asahi groans loudly as his fingers rub your clit and more blood rushes to your face and neck.

You bring your hips up and sink on his lap roughly, causing another loud groan to leave his lips. Your face breaks into a sly grin as you stare at Asahi, with his head thrown slightly back, eyes closed firmly and mouth gaped before you repeat the vicious movement. When you replicate the movement for a third time, Asahi opens his eyes and stares into your own mischievous ones as you carry on with that pace.

You are both exhaling deeply as you continue fucking him faster and Asahi helps you not lose speed but grabbing your sides and applying more force. You pant harder by every passing minute, but you still refuse to break eye contact with each other. One of your hands speeds to your clit, finally putting some pressure on it after Asahi became busy with helping you at jumping on his dick.

You grimace as you circle your clit and discover it feels more sensitive than before. You press down Asahi's shoulder with your other hand, trying to keep stable and focus more on your clit; the rest of your movements becoming sloppy, letting Asahi take over. He guides you nicely as his gaze lowers to watch the way his dick goes in and out of your tight hole while your fingers stroke your sensitive bud.

"God…" you slightly open your eyes as your attention snaps back to Asahi who mutters more to himself, "...you are beautiful!"

At that, your eyes fully open and Asahi raises his gaze to look at you. Your whole face is burning up from embarrassment and you bite your lips in an attempt to keep your expressions under control. You are expecting Asahi to change the pace or the position you are into or even stop, but instead of doing any of that, he burries his face in the crook of your neck.

Your face is burning as Asahi trails sloppy, wet kisses on your neck; at some spots even pausing and biting your soft flesh. You gasp for air when in combination with the neck kisses, he slips his hands from your hips to your ass, grabbing the skin there and kneading it. You moan and rub your clit faster, as you feel your high coming closer and closer.

Asahi becomes aware of how your walls clasp around his dick and gives your butt cheeks a tight squeeze, triggering a mewl from you. His left hand glides over yours and starts rubbing at your clit vigorously, like a man desperate, while his right arm snakes around your waist. His grip is firm and he leans you a bit backwards as he uses only one arm to move you on his cock, his hips pounding onto yours.

You cry out loud and intertwine your fingers with his hair. Your mouth falls open and you close your eyes as you feel your walls tightening, that familiar knot forming in the pit of your stomach. Asahi's mouth drops to your breasts, kissing the area around your nipples before giving them each a quick bite; pulling with his teeth the second nipple he gets in his mouth.

"Asahi!" you gasp his name as your muscles relax and a warm liquid flows out of your vagina.

You sigh and close your eyes and Asahi lets go of your nipple. He kisses it better and minimizes his movements, loosening up his hold on you and leaving you enough space to calm down from your high.

He pulls out and you glance down between your bodies, where his dick, still red and erected, is standing. You soothe your breathing and wet your lips; and keeping one hand at his nape, you reach down with your other hand, grabbing his shaft and pumping it.

You turn to stare at him as you jerk him off; watching how his expression changes every time you squeeze him a bit more or move slightly faster. It doesn't take long before Asahi's calm demeanor breaks and you feel a thick liquid run down your fingers.

His dick softens in your hand and you close the gap between your faces as you kiss him one more time. The kiss is short yet slow and as you separate you smile sleepishly at him. Asahi stares into your eyes as he moves back a lock of your hair with his fingers. You blush and look down, realizing that you are still sitting on his lap before you crawl back and sit on the bed instead, right in front of him.

Your knees are almost touching his and you fiddle with your fingers, staring at them like they are the most interesting thing in the world. Now that your sexual intercourse came to an end, it's like it finally downs on you what you actually just did with Asahi. What that actually means!

You bring your legs closer to you and bite your thumb nervously as you raise your eyes to meet his. But, to your surprise, Asahi is staring blankly at you like he just had a revelation before he raises his eyes to meet yours and smiles widely.

"That's it!" he exclaims happily and leans forward to give you a chaste kiss.

"Stay here!" he jumps out of the bed and grabs his underwear, hastily putting it on as he runs out of the room.

You stare dumbfounded as the door bangs closed after Asahi and you stay still like he told you to do. On the other side of the door, you can hear noises as well as Haruto's disgusted screech, probably the moment he encounted Asahi at some point in the corridor. You blink and the corners of your mouth tug slightly upwards as you try to stiffle a giggle.

Asahi runs back into the room, bringing a wet towel with him. He takes a seat next to you on the bed and bites his lip, hesitating before he motions to the towel.

"Can I...?"

You raise your eyebrows as his intentions sink in and you smile at him, "I thought that I made it clear that you can touch me."

Asahi blushes at your choice of words before he nods and starts wiping your thighs, cleaning them from any sticky liquids that are staining them. He tries to be as gentle as he can and when he finishes, he looks at you, dark bangs falling over his eyes.

You blush under his stare and he moves his hair out of his line of vision as he looks at you. He opens his mouth, takes a deep breath and closes it immediately after, like he has trouble finding the right words.

He shakes his head and turns to you again, "Will you… pose for me?"

You tilt your head to the side, a bit confused.

"I think I found a pose I like."

"Oh." is all you say, remebering why you came here in the first place.

"Of course!" you give him a toothy grin, "That's why I am here!"

Asahi chuckles and pushes his hair back as he looks the other way. None of you have fully recovered from what just happened between you and that is very much obvious.

He gets up and without putting on any more clothing, he moves to stand behind his canva, glancing at you from time to time as he rearranges his brushes. You smile at him every time your eyes meet and every time he averts his eyes to the floor shyly.

"Can you move to the center of the bed?" Asahi asks you as he points to the center with one of his brushes.

You nod and do as he said, settling in the center and waiting for further instructions. Your eyes meet Asahi's and you hold the gaze for a moment as you smile shyly at each other before Asahi focuses on sharpening his pencil and you look at your open palms on your lap.

Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea in the end you think as you raise your gaze again and meet Asahi's. He blushes and looks at the canva, pretending to be busy with figuring the arrangement of the painting before his gaze locks with yours inevitably.

And he smiles big. And you smile back. And you both avert your eyes.

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junghwcns · 6 months

Text

Always been you

☆ : pairing best friend!junghwan x gn!reader word count 1.2k genre angst , best friends to lovers , non-idol au, fluff at the very end warnings not proofread , uses y/n, junghwan is kind of mean to reader in the beginning, tons of miscommunication/misunderstandings notes this is my first time writing angsty stuff like this so forgive me if it's not the best; req'd

“Hey Hwan, can we talk?” you say as you lightly grab your best friend of several year's wrist to stop him from going up the stairs to class.

“Oh, so now you want to talk?” He coughs out coldly.

“What?” you try your best to control your expression but you can’t help the hurt that briefly flashes in your eyes.

“Are you sure you’re not too busy with your guitar lessons with Jeongwoo? I don’t know, you two seemed really close. Maybe you should go talk to him.” he chides, yanking his wrist out of your grasp. At first, confusion and hurt clouds your mind, making it impossible for you to think about what could’ve made him act like this and then you remember.

“Junghwan… I-” you start to say but Junghwan cuts your explanation short, not wanting to hear about your lessons with Jeongwoo. It was painful enough for him to witness it but for you to tell him about it yourself, he thinks his heart would break in two.

“Forget it. I have to go to class and you should too.” he whispers low enough for you to barely hear him and then he’s gone up the stairs. In your 7 years of being best friends, he’s never acted so cold and distant towards you and now that he has, you never want it to happen again. His few words cut like ice, making you wonder if you did something wrong or if you would ever get a chance to explain yourself.

As the number of weeks since your encounter increases, so does the number of days it’s been since Junghwan last spoke to you. Having been friends for so long, you’ve never gone more than 3 days without talking to him so these weeks have felt like a lifetime of torture. Little do you know, it’s been torture for Junghwan as well. He had finally worked up the courage to tell you how he feels and then he sees you laughing and cuddling up to Jeongwoo? Everyone had convinced him that you liked him back and didn’t just view him as a friend but suddenly, all those words of encouragement turned into lies. How could you view him as more than just a friend if you liked Jeongwoo? He knew he had to get over you and the only way for him to do that was to avoid you at all costs. If he saw your beaming smile or heard the laugh that was music to his ears, he wouldn’t be able to let you go. So he tried his best but all he ended up doing was hurting you and himself in the end.

my y/niee~ ❤️��🩹 can we talk? Read 5:56 pm please? Read 5:56 pm just meet me at our spot on the playground where we first met Read 5:57 pm

hwaniee~ 💟🐶 ok. Read 5:58 pm

When Junghwan sees you, his heart sinks. You have the hood of (his) sweatshirt that you’re wearing pulled over your head to hide your face but he can still see the redness of your cheeks and how your eyes are puffy from crying. All he wants to do is pull you into a hug and apologize but he can’t because if he does, he’ll fall right back into the routine of loving you.

Feeling someone approach you, you look up from your seat on the floor of the playground where you and Junghwan first met all those years ago.

“Junghwan?” you ask into the darkness, only seeing a figure that shares a familiar outline with your best friend. The figure steps into the light from the streetlamps surrounding the playground, revealing themself to be your best friend who is also in the same disheveled state as you.

“Yeah, it’s me. Don’t worry.” His voice cracks a little as it tries to hold back all of the different emotions he feels. You gesture for him and he walks over to take a seat next to you. Once he sits down, both of you start to speak at the same time.

“You go first.” He says, motioning for you to continue what you were about to say.

“No, it’s okay. You can go first.” You whisper awkwardly before you squeak out a small laugh.

“What? Why are you laughing?” He questions but still starts to laugh along with you.

“It's nothing... We’ve just never been this awkward before. It’s kind of funny.” You say as you burst into a full on laugh that’s immediately followed by the sound of Junghwan’s. Once the laughter dies down, you know you have to explain yourself before the tears start to fall again.

“Junghwan… I-”

He cuts you off again, but this time, there’s no anger behind it, only remorse. “No, it’s okay. You don’t have to explain yourself.”

“But I do!” You exclaim, turning away from him to hide your face. “I can’t let you think something that’s not true! When you saw me and Jeongwoo together, he was teaching me the guitar. That part’s true, but it wasn’t because I wanted to get closer to him. We were together because I asked him to help me learn a song on the guitar, a song that was supposed to be a surprise for your birthday. Jeongwoo is only a friend who was helping another friend in need.” You turn back to look at him and see his eyes, full of regret. “The idea that you think I like someone else is tearing me up inside because you’re the one I like, Junghwan. It’s always been you.” You cry out, face full of tears.

“Oh, Y/n. I am so sorry for making you upset. I saw you two laughing together and the thought that maybe you didn’t like me filled my mind.” He sighs and runs his hands through his long, brown hair. “I had finally worked up the courage to tell you how I felt after like 7 years and then I saw you with Jeongwoo and my whole world came crashing down. I avoided you because I knew that in order for me to be happy, I would have to let you go. I am so sorry, Y/N… for everything. For making you cry and for making you think anything other than the truth, which is that I really, really like you. It’s always been you. From day one until now. I’ve never stopped.” he says, wrapping you in a hug. “Are you cold?” he asks, pulling away slightly to look at your face.

Through chattering teeth, you admit, “Just a little bit.” Junghwan laughs but still takes off his coat and places it on your shoulders to protect you from the cold. He offers you a hand to help you up from the floor and never lets go. Not on your walk home, not once you both entered your house and sat on the couch, and not for the rest of the night. You were finally together and he had absolutely no plans to leave.

#junghwcns #junghwan #junghwan imagines #junghwan x reader #so junghwan #so junghwan x reader #treasure scenarios #treasure imagines #treasure yg #treasure angst #junghwan angst #so junghwan angst #treasure x reader #treasure #treasure junghwan

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malereaderpage · 2 years

Text

under the influence || park jihoon

► jihoon x bottom male reader

► smut, cursing, slight arguing, slight violence, male reader is tipsy

► you unexpectedly bump into your ex at a club.

you're tipsy as you dance on the dance floor among all of the sweaty bodies, the loud music blasting through the big speakers. the reason for you wanting to get wasted at a club is because you and your now ex boyfriend had to break up a few months ago, due to him going to study abroad and the both of you knew that long distance wouldn't work out.

little did you know that jihoon has returned earlier and is at the same club you currently are. jihoon has spotted you a while ago but he's keeping his distance. jihoon is waiting for the perfect opportunity to go up to you and steal a few moments from you in a more private room. that opportunity comes sooner than he thought, another guy is all over you and jihoon doesn't like it one bit so he drags you away from him and finds a private room. he closes the door and locks it and faces you. "wait, jihoon?" jihoon nods. you slap him across the face. "do you know how miserable i've been without you!?" you yell at him.

"why didn't you-" you're cut off by jihoon smashing his lips against yours. you stumble backwards and you fall, taking jihoon with you the both of you land on the soft mattress, jihoon's hands hitting the mattress first to avoid putting all his weight on you. jihoon breaks the kiss by kissing your jaw. you've been craving this for months. him, his lips against yours, his touch, his presence, his cologne, his embrace. you are oh so content about this. you begin to breathe heavily as he kisses down your neck, pulling your shirt down to get to your collarbones and suck on them. your hands finds his hair and tangles your fingers in his locks. you are already rock hard.

"jihoon please..." you whisper. he stops for a moment. "please what? use your words love," he says as he kisses your neck. "please fuck me..." you whine. "since you asked so nicely." on his knees, he takes off his jacket. before he takes off his shirt you stop him. he's confused until you take off his shirt for him. his abs full on display for you, you blush and trail his abs. jihoon smirks as he allows you to admire them for a few moments until he takes off your shirt.

he softly push you and you get the hint to lie back down. jihoon hovers over you and starts to kiss you from your chest to your lower stomach. he tugs on your pants and you lift up so he can take it off faster and easier. with your pants discarded, he comes back up and kisses your inner thighs. you gasp as his hand is placed on your covered dick, the briefs annoying you. jihoon can feel the wet patch, the cause being your precum. he removes his hand and finally removes your briefs, freeing your hard. you gasp once again as jihoon wraps his hand around your dick.

he hovers over you and kisses you. your arms wrap around his neck, your hands tugging at his back hair which makes him groan into the kiss and deepen it. he starts to slowly stroke you, you whimper into the kiss. you move your hips for more friction but jihoon stops you by removing his hand from your dick and placing it on your hip to hold you down. you whine. "slow down love...don't worry, i'll make you feel good soon." he reassures you. jihoon goes back down and starts to prep you. it's been months since he's prepped you, let alone anyone. after the break up you couldn't fuck anyone. it felt wrong. you almost allowed someone to fuck you but you chickened out.

you wanted it to be jihoon, you wanted jihoon to utterly destroy you. so for a few moments it felt strange to have a finger inside of you and jihoon did notice. after prepping you and taking off his pants and briefs, jihoon enters you slowly and carefully, your short nails digging into his shoulders. once fully inside he let's out a groan, having to resist the urge to move. he's missed this, missed you under him, a whimpering and squirming mess under him. he's missed everything about you. he feels you relax around him and your grip on his shoulders loosen.

"o-okay, you can move." you tell him. jihoon starts off slow but picks up his pace soon afterwards. you become a moaning mess as he pounds into you. you moan as the pleasure rushes through you. "oh god have i missed this," you choke out, jihoon agreeing with you silently as he continues to focus on going in and out of you. he groans. jihoon loves how your walls feel around him, clenching from time to time as he fucks you.

he moans lowly, a low 'fuck' escaping his lips. he slows down and attacks your lips. you moan into the kiss as he starts to pick up his pace again and you tug at the hair by his nape which makes him grunt into the kiss. jihoon breaks the kiss and focuses on getting you both to reach your climax. "i'm close," you announce. "me too," he pants. you cum all over your belly first, jihoon cumming not long after inside you. he collapses beside you after pulling out. after you both catch your breath, you then talk.

"i thought you were going to be gone for much longer," you say tiredly. he smiles at you. "i got to come home for the holidays. i'm only going back next week." he tells you. "how long have you been here?" you ask him. "got here last night," he answers as he looks at your lips and your heart skips a couple beats as the excitement returns. "why-" cut off once again by jihoon's lips smashing against yours. he pulls back slightly, his thumb running across your bottom lip.

"come back with me." he asks. he meets your gaze, directly making eye contact with him. you could look into his eyes for ages, you'd easily become lost in those eyes. "sure," you answer him. jihoon shows his toothy grin and he kisses you again, this time a much more gentle and passionate kiss.

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goingtreasure · 10 months

Text

whitebeard and the blackbeard's son | p.jw

pairing: park jeongwoo x reader (f)

word count: 8.3k

genre: angst, adventure, slowburn.

warnings: violence, death, toxic relationships, mention of kidnapping.

synopsis: jeongwoo embarked on a quest to prove himself to his father, blackbeard, by attempting to kill his nemesis, whitebeard. however, he was unaware that whitebeard's true identity would completely alter his path.

author's note: after two years since my last update, i'm back! i wrote this fanfiction some months ago and decided to post it now since the reboot is coming (i'm so excited!). i think of this as a origin story for pirate jeongwoo hehe. i hope you enjoy it as much as i did!

author's inspirations: show - our flag means death (max). song - i bet on losing dogs (mitski)

Jeongwoo had finally accomplished it. After years of meticulous research, tracking ships in secret, studying combat skills, habits, and victims, he had gathered almost all the information he needed to defeat Whitebeard, one of the most notorious pirates of the sea. This was his chance to avenge his father and prove himself once and for all.

As the son of Blackbeard, the infamous pirate, Jeongwoo had grown up in a world of ruthlessness and violence. Blackbeard had collected countless enemies and was feared by even the most dangerous pirates. However, when a new pirate named Whitebeard emerged in the Caribbean, he became Blackbeard's worst enemy, taunting him with his name. Determined to confront the newcomer, Blackbeard engaged in a battle at sea.

During the fight, Blackbeard's crew seemed to have the upper hand, but Whitebeard's intelligence and strategic prowess turned the tide. They damaged Blackbeard's ship, disabled his strongest crew members, including Blackbeard himself, and plundered all the treasure. Whitebeard, however, never showed his face or set foot on their ship, maintaining a mysterious identity. Many believed he suffered from a terrible disease that prevented him from engaging in direct combat. Now, Jeongwoo was about to uncover the truth.

Under the guise of trading treasure on a nearby island, Jeongwoo secretly planned his move. He knew that Whitebeard's crew frequently replenished their supplies on a small island to the east. After carefully avoiding attention and hiding in the island's woods for several days, he spotted a large ship docking on the beach. Observing from a distance, he became certain that it was Whitebeard's ship.

Waiting for most of the crew to disembark, Jeongwoo infiltrated the ship, incapacitating anyone who stood in his way. He intended to execute a silent assassination, killing the captain and escaping and leaving behind a letter signed by himself. Jeongwoo was confident that Whitebeard, who never left his room, would be there. However, as he cautiously opened the door, he discovered an empty room, devoid of any presence.

"Where could he be hiding?" Jeongwoo whispered to himself, feeling a mix of relief and unease. This was the moment he had prepared for all his life, yet something felt off.

He scanned the room, filled with disarray—clothes, medicine, and books scattered around. A large world map adorned one wall, while a plush bed covered in fabrics and blankets dominated the center. Suddenly, he noticed a slight movement coming from beneath the blankets—a rhythmic rise and fall. There was no doubt about it; Whitebeard was concealed there.

Jeongwoo steadied his weapon, standing before the bed, prepared to end the man's life. However, a strange feeling compelled him to see the face of his father's greatest adversary before delivering the fatal blow. With trembling hands, he slowly pulled back the blanket, but the sight that greeted him was unexpected.

Instead of Whitebeard, he found a young woman with white hair, dressed in a beige satin dress with long sleeves. The boy was momentarily paralyzed by the sight before him. This innocent girl had been mistaken for the fearsome pirate captain.

"A girl?" he murmured to himself, unintentionally waking you from your slumber. Your eyes opened slowly, leaving him with no chance to hide within the cabin.

"Hello," you greeted, your voice filled with sleepiness.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Jeongwoo asked, his voice filled with surprise, unable to comprehend the calmness in your demeanor despite the danger you were in.

"You seem nervous." you remarked, observing his reaction. “My name is Y/N.”

"I came here for Whitebeard." Jeongwoo stated, trying to make sense of the situation.

A faint smile graced your lips. "Well, then you found him. I'm Whitebeard."

Jeongwoo's heart pounded in his chest as he processed the unexpected revelation before him. The girl with white hair, Y/N, claimed to be Whitebeard—the very person he had intended to kill. The tremor in his hands intensified, betraying his nervousness. He took a step back, struggling to comprehend the truth. It seemed inconceivable that someone so young could hold the title of a feared pirate captain when he himself struggled to gain respect among his own crew.

"You're lying! Where is Whitebeard?" Jeongwoo demanded, unable to accept the reality unfolding before him.

Your laughter filled the cabin, carrying a hint of amusement. "I'm not the lying kind. The truth is, my name was originally intended to be Whitehair, but people misheard it as 'beard' and I went along with it. I must say, I'm quite surprised you managed to reach here without facing punishment from my crew. You must be a formidable pirate."

Jeongwoo's confusion deepened even more, his conviction wavered. He found himself unable to act upon his murderous intent as he looked upon the spirited girl who awaited her fate.

"I don't understand," Jeongwoo stammered, his disbelief evident. His grip on the knife loosened, his hands dropping to his sides. The confusion within him battled against the impulse to carry out his revenge.

Chuckling lightly, you settled onto the bed, examining the young man before you. "I can see why you're surprised. Most people react the same way, especially new crew members. By the way, that's a good choice of weapon you have there. Sharp and effective for breaking bones. Luckily for me, I've been feeling like dying these past few days. So, what are you waiting for?" you asked, your gaze fixed upon him.

"I... I can't do it. You're a woman," Jeongwoo confessed, his voice laced with uncertainty.

A glimmer of curiosity danced in your eyes. "You've never killed a woman before?"

In fact, Jeongwoo had never killed anyone before, regardless of their gender.

From a young age, Blackbeard had trained Jeongwoo to embody his strength and eventually succeed him as captain. However, the weight of taking a life was a burden Jeongwoo couldn't bear. Fear gripped him, rendering him unable to follow in his father's ruthless footsteps. Consequently, Blackbeard became increasingly ashamed of his own son, distancing Jeongwoo from perilous battles and treacherous islands, effectively dismissing any notion of him becoming his successor. The once-promising young pirate had been reduced to a mere kitchen assistant.

The very reason he was driven to prove himself, came from his father's relentless pursuit of molding him into a fearsome assassin of the seas.

The absence of a response made it clear to you that he wasn't a killer. Despite your preference for staying in your room, you had a knack for understanding people through their behavior due to all the books you’ve read. The boy, who was around your age, appeared scared and confused. It had been a long time since you last talked to someone young. It made you question if this was how you were expected to behave. Should you also be afraid of life and death just like him? You wondered what those emotions were like.

"Well, if it makes you feel more at ease, I could take my own life and you can pretend it was you," you suggested, trying to ease his discomfort.

"What? Why? Why would you do that?" Jeongwoo asked, bewildered.

"Why wouldn't I?" you responded with a nonchalant shrug.

Jeongwoo felt like you were toying with him, playing games with his mind.

"Cause... you're Whitebeard! You possess wealth and power beyond imagination," he argued.

"I can understand why you might think that," you replied calmly. "But having everything doesn't guarantee happiness or fulfillment. There are things in life that money and power can't provide."

Your words brought a pause to the conversation as Jeongwoo tried to process this perspective. The idea that there could be something missing from the life of someone as influential as Whitebeard intrigued him.

“For instance, I've never had a pet dog because I’m afraid it might fall into the sea. Why would I live if I can't have a dog?”

Wanting to die because of a dog? It didn't make sense to him. After all, many ships had dogs as companions, and the fear of losing one to the sea seemed excessive and irrational. The boy couldn't help the thought that perhaps you were just a crazy person, he found it difficult to take your words seriously.

You rose from the bed, stepping onto the wooden floor with your bare feet, standing directly in front of Jeongwoo. The boy remained frozen, unable to move in your presence. Your intense gaze made him feel self-conscious.

"Will you do it?" you asked, your voice filled with anticipation.

"No..." Jeongwoo admitted, his voice filled with resignation. "I can't."

"Coward." you snapped, your anger replacing your previous calm demeanor.

Without warning, you forcefully pushed the knife out of Jeongwoo's grip, catching him off guard. A struggle ensued as both of you fought for control of the weapon. You pushed the knife towards your own neck, while Jeongwoo desperately resisted, pushing back.

"Stop it immediately!" Jeongwoo pleaded, his voice filled with fear.

"No! I want to die!" you exclaimed, your voice filled with frustration and despair.

The fight abruptly stopped as you both heard the sound of an explosion coming from outside. The sudden noise caught your attention, momentarily distracting you from the intense struggle and bringing a sense of uncertainty to the room. Momentarily stunned by the unexpected blast, you released your grip on the knife, which clattered to the floor. The urgency of the situation overshadowed your previous conflict as you instinctively turned your attention towards the chaos unfolding outside the cabin.

"The ship is on fire!" one of your crewmates screamed, her voice filled with panic, as she desperately tried to open the door to your room. Despite her efforts, the door remained stubbornly locked.

Jeongwoo's eyes widened in alarm, and he turned to you, searching for answers. But instead of panic, he found you smiling to yourself, a strange gleam in your eyes.

"The ship is on fire," you repeated softly, almost in awe.

Confusion and concern filled Jeongwoo's voice as he asked, "What are you talking about?"

Ignoring his question, you hurriedly rummaged through your belongings, searching for something specific. Your hands found a large box of gunpowder, and without hesitation, you tossed it onto the floor of the room. The contents spilled out, forming a dangerous circle of flammable material.

Realizing what you were about to do, Jeongwoo lunged forward, desperately attempting to stop you. But it was too late. The room was already filled with thick smoke, making it difficult to see and breathe.

A struggle ensued between the two of you, the suffocating smoke clouding your senses and heightening the chaos. You fought against Jeongwoo's attempts to restrain you, pushing him away with a desperate strength fueled by a strange determination.

In the chaos of the struggle, Jeongwoo lost his footing and fell to the floor, his body slumping unconscious. The smoke continued to billow around the room, its suffocating grip tightening with each passing second.

Jeongwoo had made many mistakes in his life, but none compared to the decision to kill Whitebeard. Despite knowing that it could lead to his demise, he had hoped for an honorable death, a valiant battle against one of the revered kings of the sea. Now, he was dead, and his crew would remain in perpetual waiting, unaware of his fate.

However, as Jeongwoo surrendered to the embrace of death, a peculiar sensation washed over him. Instead of the anticipated darkness and stillness, he felt a gentle breeze upon his face, carrying with it the unmistakable scent of the ocean. In the distance, a captivating voice sang a haunting melody, unfamiliar yet oddly comforting. It was not the symphony of death, but something entirely different.

Slowly, Jeongwoo opened his eyes, his surroundings shifting from darkness to a blinding brightness. And there he lay, not in the clutches of death, but on the sandy floor of a beach, safe and unharmed. Beside him sat Y/N, the source of the melody that had captivated his senses.

Confusion and relief washed over Jeongwoo as he struggled to comprehend his current state. "Am I alive?" he questioned, his voice filled with a mix of astonishment and gratitude.

You turned your gaze towards Jeongwoo, a mischievous smile playing on your lips. "No, my friend, we both died and unfortunately, we didn't make it to heaven. Welcome to hell." you joked, adding a playful smirk.

Jeongwoo looked at you, slightly taken aback by your remark.

"No, we're not dead. Well, at least you are not dead," you clarified, your tone now more serious.

As Jeongwoo settled down, his eyes adjusting to the sunlight, he couldn't help but inquire about the fate of your ship. "What happened to your ship?" he asked, evident worry in his voice.

"Oh, it burned down completely. I had to carry you all the way up to the beach cause you refused to wake up." you explained, a tinge of exhaustion in your voice. "My crew already gave up on trying to find me. Whitebeard is finally dead."

The weight of your words lingered in the air, mingling with a sense of irony and regret. Jeongwoo absorbed the gravity of the situation, his thoughts drifting to the consequences of his actions and the unpredictable path that lay before them.

"What are you going to do now?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.

"I don't know," you replied, your eyes tracing the vastness of the ocean. "But I'm happy I'm not really dead. And now you can say that you killed Whitebeard as well.”

Jeongwoo clutched his knees tightly as he contemplated the implications of your words. A mixture of guilt and disbelief washed over him, realizing the weight of his actions and the role he inadvertently played in Whitebeard's demise.

"Can I ask you something?" Jeongwoo said. You nodded, signaling your willingness to answer.

"Your room was full of medicine, what is that for?" he inquired, his eyes reflecting genuine interest.

"Oh, that. I have a weak body, you see. That's why I never actively participated in battles. The medicine I had in my room helped me manage the pain and discomfort that came with it." You maintained a positive demeanor, even when discussing serious matters. "I should've thought about that before I burned my room down. Now I have no access to those medicines anymore."

Jeongwoo listened intently, realizing the extent of your struggles and the sacrifices you had made. It deepened his understanding of who you were beyond the legendary figure of Whitebeard.

"Can I ask you something too?" You said with a hopeful look in your eyes.

"Of course," Jeongwoo replied, curious about your request.

"Could you take me with you on your ship?"

Jeongwoo's eyes widened in surprise. "What?"

"See, I want to experience life as a pirate without being the captain. I've always been sheltered and protected, spending my days confined to that room because my crewmates feared for my safety. I want to be a regular crewmate and see what life is like beyond my previous duties. Please, bring me along to your ship."

Jeongwoo hesitated, taken aback by your request. "I'm sorry, but..."

"Please, I promise I won't be a burden. I was always the brains behind our quests, I can help out if you need it. I'll be good company, and once I find a new place to live, I'll leave, I promise!"

"Y/N," he interrupted, seriousness in his voice tone, "I'm a Blackbeard pirate." He braced himself for your reaction, unsure of how you would take the news.

But instead of being devastated or shocked, you looked at him with a knowing smile. "Oh, I already knew. The moment I laid eyes on your knife, I recognized it. That type of blade is exclusively crafted for Blackbeard's crew. I intentionally left yours in my room to make it look like you're the one who caused my death."

Jeongwoo's eyes widened in surprise, his secret now out in the open. "You knew all along?"

You nodded, a playful glint in your eyes. "I told you I'm smart."

"And you still want to join my father's crew?" Jeongwoo asked, concern etched on his face.

"Father? Oh, that's news to me," you replied with a hint of surprise. "But yes, I do!"

"Listen, if he finds out you're Whitebeard, he might do something drastic. I am his son, but I have no idea what he's capable of." Jeongwoo warned, his worry palpable.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take. After all, I'm already familiar with pain." you said, a tinge of determination in your voice as you alluded to your health condition.

Jeongwoo carefully considered the situation, contemplating his father's nature and your resolute spirit. Finally, he made a decision.

"Alright. You can come with me. I'll help you get the medicines you need and we'll disguise your appearance so that your crewmates won't recognize you if they happen to come across us. Having white hair won't exactly blend in well with my crew."

You listened attentively, ready to fulfill your part in the plan.

"But there's one more thing," Jeongwoo continued. "We will have to convince my crew that I killed you, I mean, Whitebeard. It's crucial to ensure your safety. Can you do that?"

A mischievous smile crossed your face as you accepted the challenge. "Consider it done. Together, we'll weave a convincing tale that even Blackbeard himself won't question."

With an agreement in place, you and Jeongwoo embarked on a journey filled with secrets, transformations, and the unpredictable dynamics of a notorious pirate crew.

The crew of Blackbeard was going about their usual activities. Some pirates diligently cleaned the deck, others sharpened their weapons, and a few studied maps. Amidst this routine, the sharp-eyed navigator, Jaehyuk, spotted a tiny boat approaching their ship. He recognized it instantly—Jeongwoo had returned after two long months.

"Jeongwoo is back on the ship!" Jaehyuk’s voice echoed through the air, grabbing the attention of the sailors.

The crew quickly gathered, eagerly awaiting their comrade's arrival. As Jeongwoo stepped onto the deck, he was warmly embraced by his friends.

"Welcome back, mate!" Jihoon, Blackbeard's trusted right-hand man, exclaimed with joy.

However, Jeongwoo's demeanor betrayed a sense of terror rather than excitement. He surveyed the surroundings, his father conspicuously absent. Soon, he would have to reveal the lie he had planned.

"Where's the captain?" Jeongwoo inquired, his voice tinged with apprehension.

"Blackbeard is in his cabin. We're preparing to dock at a new island." Jihoon responded, noting the unusual behavior displayed by the young pirate. "Is something the matter?"

Without uttering a word, Jeongwoo swiftly made his way towards his father's quarters, leaving Jihoon with unanswered questions.

"Well, look who we have here..." Doyoung, the ship's chef, remarked with a sly grin as he peered down at the boat beside the ship, catching sight of you.

Jeongwoo hesitated for a moment before mustering the courage to knock on his father's door. He did it and Blackbeard's voice boomed from within, "Who is it?"

"It's me, Captain. I'm back." Jeongwoo responded, his voice slightly shaky.

There was a brief pause before Blackbeard granted him entry. Jeongwoo pushed open the door and stepped into the room, which resembled more of an office than a living space. A large desk cluttered with papers and boxes of weapons dominated the room's center.

"Hello, Father," Jeongwoo greeted, standing before the imposing desk. Blackbeard remained engrossed in his maps, not bothering to look up.

"I have something important to tell you," Jeongwoo continued, his voice earnest. "I lied about going to trade treasure. In truth, I've been working on a plan to eliminate a rival captain. And... I succeeded. I killed him and burned his ship, leaving one of our knives as proof. I'm certain the news will reach you soon."

"I understand. But you didn't mention the crucial part," Blackbeard stated, his voice laced with curiosity. He fixed his intense gaze on Jeongwoo, waiting for the revelation. “Whom did you kill?”

Taking a deep breath, Jeongwoo summoned his courage and spoke, his voice tinged with both apprehension and resolve. "I... I killed Whitebeard, sir," he confessed, the weight of his words hanging in the air. The significance of his action was not lost on either of them.

He looked down, awaiting his father's reaction, but to his surprise, Blackbeard remained focused on his maps, seemingly unperturbed by the revelation.

"Father?" Jeongwoo stammered, seeking acknowledgment.

Without looking up, Blackbeard replied with a dismissive tone, "I heard you. If what you say is true, then I will wait for the news to reach me in due time."

"Additionally, I brought someone back with me to the ship. I hope that's not a problem." Jeongwoo said.

"Your guest is your responsibility. Now, return to your usual duties. "

Jeongwoo's heart sank at his father's lack of response. It seemed that his confession had fallen on deaf ears. He couldn't help but wonder what lay behind his father's impassive facade.

After leaving his room, Jeongwoo hurried to the boat to bring you up to his room. However, to his surprise, you were no longer there. His crewmates had already taken the initiative to escort you to Jeongwoo's quarters. As he entered the room, he noticed Doyoung lingering by your side, a flirtatious smirk on his face.

"Here's some clothes from our shortest crewmates. These are men's outfits, but it might fit you for now!" Doyoung said, placing the garments in your hands. He made a subtle move, his hand briefly brushing against yours in a flirtatious manner.

Jeongwoo's annoyance grew as he witnessed Doyoung's advances. It seemed that his friend couldn't resist flirting with any woman he encountered.

"Oh, Jeongwoo. Hi!" Doyoung greeted, his playful tone evident. "Did Jeongwoo tell you he's my assistant?"

"I think that's enough, Doyoung" Jeongwoo interjected, his voice tinged with annoyance.

Noticing the tension, you decided to break the ice. "Hey, how did things go with your father?"

Jeongwoo glanced at Doyoung and then turned to you. "Doyoung, could you excuse us for a moment? I need to talk to Y/N privately."

Doyoung shrugged, his flirtatious demeanor fading slightly. "Sure thing, Jeongwoo. I'll catch up with you later."

As Doyoung left the room, Jeongwoo closed the door behind him, creating a sense of privacy for your conversation.

"Did you tell him?" you asked, your curiosity piqued.

"Yes, I did. But he didn't believe me," Jeongwoo replied, frustration evident in his voice. He paced back and forth within the confines of the small room, trying to process his father's disbelief.

"I see," you nodded, understanding the situation. "Let's not dwell on it for now. It's only a matter of time before news of my... his death spreads throughout the Caribbean."

Jeongwoo sighed, releasing the tension in his brow. "I hope you're right," he murmured, his thoughts preoccupied with the uncertainty of their plan. He shifted gears, changing the topic. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing well," you replied, a hint of a smile playing on your lips. "The medicine we got on the way is helping a lot with the pain. Your crew has been welcoming and friendly."

Jeongwoo's expression softened, glad to hear that you were finding some comfort amidst the unfamiliar surroundings.

He took a better look at you, taking in your changed appearance. The clothes you wore were clearly mismatched and of questionable quality, and your long hair was concealed beneath a knit cap. The shoes on your feet seemed ill-fitting and out of place.

"Once we land on a commercial island, I'll make sure to get you proper clothing," Jeongwoo assured you, his voice filled with determination.

You nodded appreciatively, grateful for his consideration.

"This is my room. It's very small compared to yours, but it's the only one on the ship. At least I have one advantage as the captain's son," Jeongwoo chuckled, a hint of self-deprecating humor in his tone. "You can keep it to yourself."

"Really? But where will you sleep then?" you asked, concerned about his sleeping arrangements.

"With the other crewmates on the deck," he replied nonchalantly.

"Well, if you can sleep on the floor with them, you might as well sleep on the floor here," you suggested.

"I'm fine, don't worry," he assured you.

"Come on, we've been camping together all these past days. There's no difference between that and sharing a room," you reasoned.

"Fine, I'll think about it. But for now, I have to attend to my duties. Stay here, and we can talk later," Jeongwoo said, his attention turning to his responsibilities.

"Your duties as the cook's assistant?" you teased playfully.

"Hey, stop it!" he exclaimed, a faint smile gracing his face as he left you alone in the room.

The rest of the day deviated from your usual routine. In your previous life as Whitebeard, your days were consumed by studying and strategizing. However, in these past few days with Jeongwoo, you had taken on the role of his mentor, teaching him the art of combat and imparting your knowledge. It has been an enjoyable experience for both of you.

Now, with a moment of solitude, you seized the opportunity to remove your knit cap, allowing your hair to cascade freely. As you explored Jeongwoo's belongings, you stumbled upon a knife. Remembering his words from earlier, you made a decision. Determined to embrace this new chapter in your life, you courageously chopped off all of your white, long hair, leaving it shorter than Jeongwoo's own hair. It symbolized a fresh start, a declaration of your commitment to this new identity.

When Jeongwoo returned to invite you to dinner, he was taken aback by your new visual. The sight surprised him, but it also reassured him of your determination and commitment to this new chapter. You informed him that you weren't hungry at the moment, so he kindly brought you a plate of food to enjoy later.

As the night settled in, Jeongwoo made the decision to accept your request to become roommates. He settled himself on the floor while you took the bed, contemplating what the future held in store for both of you.

The next morning, a loud knock on Jeongwoo's door jolted him awake. Doyoung's voice came through, urgently informing him that Blackbeard wanted to see him. Panic surged through Jeongwoo as he realized you were no longer in your bed. He sprang into action, hastily making his way to the deck, anticipating the worst.

To his astonishment, instead of a tense confrontation, he was greeted with lively music and jubilant celebrations. The crewmates were in high spirits, reveling in the festivities.

“He’s awake!” Doyoung called out, drawing everyone's attention.

Blackbeard turned towards his son, his eyes filled with pride and joy. He opened his arms, welcoming him with warmth.

"My son," he said, placing a hand on Jeongwoo's shoulder. "Last night I sent Jihoon to the nearest island to verify the information you shared. He found this." Blackbeard retrieved a newspaper from his coat and handed it to Jeongwoo. The headline read: "Pirate Whitebeard killed by a member of Blackbeard's crew."

Jeongwoo looked up, his confusion deepening as he saw his father's wide grin. "I am proud of you, son." Blackbeard proclaimed, turning to address the rest of the crew. "My son has killed Whitebeard!" His words were met with cheers and applause, filling the air with jubilation.

Jeongwoo stood in disbelief, his emotions swirling. The truth had been accepted, and his father's pride washed away any doubts he had carried. It was a moment of validation and a turning point in his journey as a pirate.

"Where's Y/N?" Jeongwoo inquired, scanning the surroundings.

"Your new companion? She's over there, reading books to the boys!" Blackbeard pointed towards the stairs where you sat, engrossed in storytelling for the crew members. "It's a rare find to have someone so smart and well-read among us!"

Jeongwoo's heart swelled with a mix of emotions as he watched you captivate the crew with your storytelling. Gratitude, pride, and a lingering sense of guilt churned inside him. He had never felt valued by his crew before, and his father had never expressed pride in him until now. The conflicting emotions gnawed at him, but he couldn't deny the happiness that bloomed within.

Doyoung, ever exuberant, nudged Jeongwoo towards the festivities. "Let's celebrate!" he exclaimed, urging him to join the merry chaos unfolding around them.

And so they celebrated, laughter and music filling the air throughout the day. Jeongwoo revealed the joyous atmosphere, savoring the newfound recognition and acceptance. Yet, underneath it all, the weight of his guilt remained, a constant reminder of the choices he had made.

The following day, Jeongwoo found himself relieved of his duties in the kitchen. Blackbeard had a different plan for him - to train his battle skills under the guidance of Jihoon. It was a clear indication that his father saw potential in him beyond being a mere cook's assistant.

Meanwhile, you were slowly carving out your own place on the ship. Your ability to read and your intelligence had garnered respect from the crewmates. You found yourself aiding them with your knowledge, and even Blackbeard himself sought your assistance. In return, you received new clothes more suitable for a female pirate, as well as supplies of medicines and books to feed your thirst for knowledge.

Jeongwoo, too, experienced a transformation. He was bestowed with a new sword, a stylish monocle, and a pirate hat that accentuated his growing stature within the crew. Everything seemed to be falling into place, almost too perfectly.

As the months passed, Jeongwoo vowed to prove himself even more, to earn his place honestly and make his father truly proud. Yet, deep inside, despite the newfound recognition and joy, he couldn't fully embrace it without confronting the truth that simmered beneath the surface.

"Land ahoy!" Jihoon shouted, breaking the silence in the ship.

Blackbeard, standing beside Jeongwoo, turned his attention to his son. "Do you think that's the right island?" he inquired, testing Jeongwoo's knowledge and instincts.

"Yes, sir." Jeongwoo responded confidently, his gaze fixed upon the island ahead.

You, too, recognized the island. It held a special place in your memory, as it was rumored to be the location of an ancient treasure. However, you had never had the opportunity to search for it, as your fellow sailors deemed it too dangerous for you to venture ashore.

“Let me see…” Blackbeard assessed his crew, pondering who should accompany him on this expedition. After a brief pause, he made his decision. "Jihoon, Junghwan, Jeongwoo... and Y/N," he announced. "The four of you will join me. The rest can remain on the ship."

The crew members were taken aback by his decision to bring you, a girl, along on the expedition. They were well aware of the island's dangers, knowing that other pirates might be lurking there. However, despite their surprise, no one dared to intervene or question their captain's choice.

Blackbeard's trusted right-hand man, approached you with a serious expression. "Can you handle a sword?" he inquired, assessing your combat abilities.

"I'm actually better with guns," you replied confidently, recognizing your own strengths.

Jihoon nodded in understanding, reaching into his pocket and retrieving a gun, which he handed to you. "Good choice." he remarked, acknowledging your preference and arming you accordingly.

As you accepted the weapon, a sense of determination washed over you. “Thank you.”

You noticed Jeongwoo stealing glances at you with his familiar anxiousness. Understanding his concern, you nodded reassuringly, silently communicating that you were prepared for the journey ahead.

After the ship docked on the island, the five of you disembarked and ventured into the forest. The dense vegetation made progress difficult, but Blackbeard and the other two crewmates forged a path ahead, diligently following the directions on the map while clearing obstacles along the way. Jeongwoo and you trailed a few steps behind them, engaged in a quiet conversation.

"You should have said you didn't want to come," Jeongwoo voiced his worry.

"Why would I? It sounds like an adventure," you replied with a hint of excitement in your voice.

"But it's dangerous, especially for you." he expressed his concern.

"Don’t underestimate me, Jeongwoo. Despite my limitations, I still possess a wealth of experience." you assured him confidently. "I was once a great fighter before my health condition started to manifest. In the early days of my crew, I always embarked on new adventures.”

Jeongwoo's apprehensive expression softened as he took in your words. He couldn't help but appreciate your bravery and determination, even if it worried him.

"I'm actually glad you came with us..." Jeongwoo admitted. "I don't think i could do it without you."

"Absolutely, we're a team now," you replied. "A crew within the crew!"

The boy couldn't help but think about how different you and Blackbeard were. While you were known for your kindness and care, Blackbeard was renowned for his strength, brusqueness, and his position at the forefront of battles. The juxtaposition of your gentle nature and his fierce demeanor struck a chord with Jeongwoo, prompting him to realize that not every captain had to conform to the same mold.

As you continued your trek through the dense forest, a sudden shift in the atmosphere caught your attention. Your instincts heightened, and you swiftly halted your movement, causing Jeongwoo to turn towards you, a questioning look on his face. With a finger pressed to your lips, you silenced him, your senses alert and focused.

A strange, almost imperceptible sound reached your ears, causing a shiver to run down your spine. It was a sound that didn't belong in the natural rhythm of the forest. Gripping the gun that had been entrusted to you, you prepared yourself for the unexpected.

Breaking the silence with a commanding voice, you called out into the surrounding wilderness "We know you are here! Show yourselves!"

The declaration startled not only Jeongwoo, but also Blackbeard, Jihoon, and Junghwan. They turned their heads, scanning their surroundings with wide eyes, suddenly aware of the imminent threat.

In a matter of moments, the once seemingly tranquil forest came alive with movement. Figures surged from the foliage, surrounding you and your crew in a threatening formation.

"I see you have a map here," one of the enemy pirates jeered, a mocking laugh escaping his lips. "Give me that, big boy," he taunted.

The audacity of the pirate's words sent a ripple of amusement through the crew, as they witnessed someone daring to challenge the infamous their captain. Blackbeard's laughter echoed through the air, a deep, menacing sound that reverberated with power.

Without hesitation, Blackbeard drew his sword and his crewmates followed suit. The clash of steel filled the clearing as the two opposing forces collided in a fierce battle.

You and Jeongwoo fought side by side initially, hwever, the sheer numbers and tenacity of the opposing pirates overwhelmed you. In the chaos of the skirmish, you found yourself pushed back, stumbling and falling to the forest floor. But Jeongwoo remained in his protection, his unwavering loyalty shining through.

The battle raged on. Each swing of a sword, each evasive maneuver, and each determined strike propelled the conflict forward. The forest floor became a battleground, marred by the footprints of those engaged in the struggle.

Despite the enemy's relentless assault, Blackbeard's crew fought with a ferocity and skill that set them apart. The enemy pirates, though formidable, paled in comparison to the experienced warriors under Blackbeard's command.

Finally, the tides of battle began to turn in your favor. The enemy pirates, weakened and disheartened, succumbed to the relentless assault of Blackbeard's crew. The forest grew quiet, the heavy breaths of combatants punctuating the stillness.

As the final enemy pirate fell, defeated and broken, a sense of triumph and relief washed over the clearing. The remaining combatants stood tall, their bodies bruised and bloodied, but their spirits unyielding. Blackbeard's crew had emerged victorious, their reputation for strength and indomitable willpower reaffirmed.

Blackbeard firmly grasped the pirate who had dared to speak insolently before, his powerful hand closing around the young man's neck. Bloodstains marred the defeated boy's battered face, yet he still managed a defiant smile through the pain.

As you struggled to rise from the forest floor, Jeongwoo hurried to your side, concern etched across his features. He noticed that your white hair, previously covered by a knit hat, was now exposed. A sense of urgency filled the air as you frantically searched for the lost hat amidst the sand. Jeongwoo, ever attentive, joined in the search, determined to find it for you.

However, before the hat could be retrieved, Blackbeard's commanding voice broke through the commotion. "Jeongwoo? Come here, son," he beckoned, his grip on the pirate tightening as he pressed him against a nearby tree.

Jeongwoo obeyed, making his way towards his father's imposing figure.

As Jeongwoo stood beside Blackbeard, his father's piercing gaze bore into the captive pirate. Blackbeard's free hand reached into his coat, retrieving a knife adorned with the unmistakable mark of Blackbeard's crew. The knife, reminiscent of the one he had used when he first encountered you.

"Take this knife," Blackbeard commanded, placing it in Jeongwoo's hand. "Let's teach this kid a lesson. Show me exactly what you did to Whitebeard."

Jeongwoo's heart pounded in his chest as the weight of his father's expectations settled upon him. He tightened his grip on the knife, his fingers trembling ever so slightly.

Blackbeard callously dropped the defenseless pirate to the ground, creating a space for his son to reenact a murder that had never occurred. His request bore down on Jeongwoo, leaving him disoriented and unable to think straight. He had never imagined his father would be capable of demanding such a horrific act, yet deep down, he knew he shouldn't have been surprised.

"Go ahead, son," Blackbeard urged, his voice cold and demanding. "Kill this bastard and burn his body afterwards. Show us that you're capable of being my successor."

Jeongwoo stood frozen, his mind in turmoil. Every fiber of his being rebelled against the notion of carrying out his father's command. The weight of the knife in his hand felt like an anchor, dragging him into an abyss of moral conflict.

Time seemed to stand still as a deafening silence enveloped the forest. Blackbeard's frustration boiled over, his anger erupting in a primal scream that reverberated through the air.

"SHOW US!" Blackbeard bellowed, his voice filled with rage and disappointment.

But Jeongwoo couldn't bring himself to carry out such a heinous act. He refused to become a mere pawn in his father's ruthless game, to succumb to the darkness that Blackbeard represented.

"I won't..." Jeongwoo whispered, his voice barely audible.

"What? What the hell did you say?" Blackbeard seethed, his face contorted with anger.

Summoning his courage, Jeongwoo spoke with a newfound strength. "I said I won't kill him!" he declared, his words clear and resolute.

Instantly, his father's fist collided with his face, a brutal punch that sent Jeongwoo sprawling to the ground. The force of the blow reverberated through the air, the sound of impact echoing in the silence that engulfed the scene. The crew stood frozen, their gazes fixed upon the fallen young man, a mixture of shock and disbelief etched upon their faces.

"Enough!" a commanding voice rang out, cutting through the tension. Surprisingly, it was you.

Standing tall and defiant, you aimed your gun directly at Blackbeard himself.

"Put an end to this madness, Blackbeard," you demanded, your voice steady and unwavering. "Your son has made his choice, and you will respect it."

A stunned silence descended upon the forest as all eyes turned to you, the unexpected voice of reason in this chaotic scene.

"Who do you think you are to talk to me like this?" Blackbeard screamed, his voice filled with fury and disbelief.

"Whitebeard..." a voice interjected, joining the tense conversation. It was the defeated pirate whom Jeongwoo had refused to kill. He spoke slowly, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "I've always heard whispers on my island, rumors that a young girl was kidnapped from our church to serve as a scribe on a pirate ship, but instead she became the captain. The girl with the unmistakable white hair. Now I see, my people were right all along.”

The revelation hung in the air, casting a spell of astonishment over the assembled crowd.

Blackbeard's face contorted with a mixture of emotions—shock, denial, and a flicker of recognition. The realization that the formidable Whitebeard, revered as a fierce male pirate, was in fact a kidnapped child who had seized her own destiny.

In that moment, the power dynamics shifted, eroding the foundation of established hierarchies.

As the crew stood frozen in shock at the revelation, the fallen enemies seized the opportunity to strike back. Swiftly, they immobilized Junghwan and Jihoon, their movements deft and calculated. Meanwhile, Jeongwoo remained sprawled on the ground, still recovering from the forceful blow he had received.

Blackbeard regained his senses and unsheathed his sword, charging towards you with lethal intent. His eyes burned with rage and his sword gleamed menacingly in the sunlight. But before he could reach you, a resounding gunshot pierced the air, causing Blackbeard to halt in his tracks.

He clutched his chest, his hand stained with crimson blood, as his body crumpled to the ground.

The source of the gunshot was not you, however; it was the defeated pirate who had found an opportunity for redemption. He had chosen to intervene, taking justice into his own hands.

You rushed to Jeongwoo's side, your hands cradling his face gently as you tried to convey the depth of your emotions. The confusion in his eyes slowly gave way to clarity as the reality of the situation settled upon him.

"Jeongwoo..." you whispered, your voice trembling with a mixture of sadness and compassion.

He looked at you, his gaze filled with uncertainty and searching for answers. "Y/N... What happened to my dad?" he asked, his voice tinged with apprehension.

"Jeongwoo..." you began, your voice catching in your throat as tears welled up in your eyes. "I'm so sorry..."

Before you could finish your sentence, the assassin who had intervened earlier, stood before you, interrupting the somber moment. He addressed you respectfully, seeking confirmation of his suspicions.

"Milady," The boy spoke, his tone filled with reverence. "Was I right? Are you the girl who was kidnapped from Pueblo Esperanza?”

You nodded amidst your tears, acknowledging the truth. "Yes. It is true."

"My name is Haruto. I lived there as well. I think I recall seeing you when I was young. A white-haired girl like is not easy to forget.” He said, extending his hand towards you. "We should leave. Their crew is now aware of our presence, and they'll come searching due to the gunshots. I can guide us to safety."

Your gaze shifted briefly to Jihoon and Junghwan, who were bound and held captive by Haruto's crewmates. Then, your attention returned to Jeongwoo, his expression clouded with conflicting emotions.

"Jeongwoo, please, come with me." you pleaded, tears streaming down your face.

"Did you kill him?" He asked, his mind still confused because of the attack he suffered.

"I didn't kill your father. I never wanted any of this."

Jeongwoo's eyes narrowed as he processed your words, the weight of his own emotions evident. He uttered his thoughts slowly, his words heavy with regret and pain. "I should've killed you first."

The anguish in his voice pierced your heart, and you recoiled as if struck by his words. Desperate to reach him, to bridge the growing chasm between you, you moved your face closer to his, your voice filled with a mix of sorrow and determination.

Desperately, you pleaded with Jeongwoo, tears streaming down your face. "Please, listen to me… I can't do this without you…" you begged, your voice filled with anguish.

But Jeongwoo's response was a soft whisper, barely audible. "Don't touch me."

The weight of his words struck you like a blow, leaving you stunned and heartbroken. Slowly, you rose to your feet, your eyes devoid of any remaining hope or emotion. In that moment, you felt a profound emptiness settle within you.

You turned to Haruto and accepted his outstretched hand. "Don't kill them," you uttered, your voice barely a whisper, but filled with a resolute plea.

Haruto met your gaze, his expression unreadable. "As you wish," he replied, his tone tinged with a mix of understanding and restraint.

As you bid farewell, there was a bittersweet feeling in the air, knowing that your time together had come to an end. And thus, your journey took a different path from Jeongwoo. The circumstances had led you to part ways, each pursuing your own destiny.

After regaining his senses, Jeongwoo found himself confined to his father's bed on the ship. For two weeks, he secluded himself in that room, needing time to process the overwhelming events that had unfolded. Memories and emotions swirled within him as he struggled to come to terms with the loss of his father.

When he finally mustered the strength to step out of the room, the crew's solemn faces confirmed the grim truth—Blackbeard was no longer alive. The weight of grief settled heavily upon Jeongwoo's shoulders, a reminder of the void left by his father's absence.

In the midst of this somber moment, another revelation awaited Jeongwoo. The crew had chosen Jihoon as the new captain, recognizing his strength and leadership qualities. However, Jihoon surprised everyone by stepping down from the position. He declared that Jeongwoo had always been the true successor, even if his father had never explicitly acknowledged it.

Jeongwoo's heart swelled with a mix of emotions — grief for his father's passing, astonishment at Jihoon's unwavering support, and a newfound sense of responsibility. The weight of his heritage and the expectations of the crew now rested upon his shoulders.

For his first order as the new captain, Jeongwoo didn't request weapons or treasure. Instead, he had a different goal in mind. He gathered the crew together and instructed them to bring forth all the maps they had in their possession. It was time to embark on a quest to uncover a specific place, a place of significance.

As the crew members spread out their maps on the deck, Jeongwoo's eyes scanned the collection. He studied each map carefully, searching for a particular name that held deep meaning to him.

"I found it..." Jeongwoo spoke the words aloud, his voice filled with a mix of anticipation and determination. With a steady hand, he traced the outline of a small island on his own map, marking its location.

Pueblo Esperanza, the village you were born in.

You awoke in a cozy bed, the gentle breeze and melodious chirping of birds filling the air around you. As you rose from the bed, the cool touch of the concrete floor greeted your bare feet.

Casting a glance at the mirror, you took in your appearance. Your hair had grown, cascading down to your shoulders, and you wore a comfortable nightgown. With a sense of purpose, you reached into your bag and selected a simple dress, swiftly changing into it. Slipping on a pair of shoes, you completed your morning preparations.

Exiting the room, you made your way to the living room of the house. There, seated at the table, was a woman dressed in a religious outfit. As she patiently waited, a warm smile graced your lips.

"Good morning," you greeted her, your voice filled with genuine kindness.

"Oh, good morning, dear," she responded kindly. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes," you replied. "I'm still adjusting to being on land instead of the ocean, though."

"Well, you better not get too used to it if you plan on returning," she responded, a hint of amusement in her voice. "Haruto seems quite eager to come back to the sea."

You contemplated her words for a moment before expressing your thoughts. "Well, he only came here to visit, but... I still haven't decided if I want to continue my life as a pirate."

The woman nodded with a sense of understanding. "That's perfectly alright, my dear. You are welcome to stay here at the church for as long as you need."

"I appreciate that," you replied, a sense of gratitude in your voice. "I have a feeling that Pueblo Esperanza has many things in store for me."

author's note 2: i'm so sorry about the sad ending T-T... please don't be mad a me haha. i'm thinking about writing a part 2, but i'm still not sure... anyway, i'm sorry again!