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seunghans return was such an important thing to happen as well. bringing seunghan back showed delusional fans that they couldn't win just because they dont like something. with so many innocent idols being removed from groups, seunghan coming back was so important and was really showing some growth in the kpop industry. but now theyre too scared.

it was too early to decide if seunghan wasn't fit for the group. he had been back for 2 days and hadn't had a single public appearance. if he went to madrid with them, i guarantee this wouldn't have happened as he would have seen the overwhelming amount of support he was getting elsewhere.

sm really is a company that supports bullies. we love you seunghan. riize will always be 7 to me.

BABE WAKE UP SEUNGHAN IS BACK 😭😭😭😭😭😭

SEUNGHAN NOOOOOO 😭

I would just like to give all ot6 briize a warm FUCK YOU and the same goes to SM.

I can’t even begin to explain how hurt I am from the moment I saw Seunghan’s official statement that he would be leaving RIIZE.

You all know what he did wasn’t even a crime and yet SM enables k-briize to so easily control this group and the members like they’re not even human beings. Global fans deserve as much of a say as Korean briize and the fact that they drove Seunghan out of the group despite the members warmly welcoming him back and wanting him, they still claim to “want the best for RIIZE” when all they have wanted was to be reunited as a group of 7 again.

This is just straight up bullying and these so called “briize” don’t even have Riize’s best intentions at heart, this was all just selfish and manipulative because they didn’t like Seunghan. I hope you guys are happy because you’ve destroyed a young man’s dream and possibly the best thing that’s ever happened to him as well.

We love you so much Seunghan, I’m so sorry your company couldn’t even so much as try to protect you and you had to be treated this way, you deserve so much more support and love and I hope you know thousands of us do and always will.

RIIZE is and always will be 7 <3

< petition for seunghan >

i know nobody cares what i specifically have to say about the riize and seunghan situation, but i feel like it’s important to voice my opinion anyways. i find it completely disgusting how sm allows knetz to bully them into listening to their every demand. i find it very disappointing that they announced his return and then allowed knetz to bully him into leaving. 

many kpop companies, but SM especially, have no backbone and fall short when it comes to protecting their idols. think about jonghyun and sulli, who both faced immense amounts of pressure and bullying from knetz. it’s disgusting that, given their history, they don’t do more to protect their idols and the mental health of all their employees. 

seunghan’s return from hiatus was super important, and it was possible that it would have at least slightly changed the industry as a whole. by not bending to the opinions of knetz, SM would have set the precedent that idols are people who are allowed to make mistakes and that knetz do not own these idols. by bringing him back and then having him leave again, this just shows knetz that they can even bully huge companies into doing what they want

so many idols suffer due to the abuse and bullying they face from knetz. if they even make a small mistake, they are subjected to constant bullying and harassment from these ‘fans.’

this was poorly worded and just a super quick way to get my thoughts out, but overall SM is a horrible company who supports delusional knetz who think that they own these kpop idols.

every single bitch who sent and paid for those funeral wreaths in front of sm when seunghan came back, you all have a special place in hell for hating on that man for doing nothing wrong

seunghan officially leaving riize makes my heart hurt and i didn’t even know them like that :( i just cannot fathom that this is all happening because he had a normal dating life prior to becoming an idol

°•I Can't Feel My Face~☆

Synopsis: Rockstar! Heeseung as your boyfriend

Genre: Fluff

Warnings: none

A/N: heeseung covers the weeknd and suddenly mfs don't know how to act (I'm mfs) this is my first time writing a one shot / drabble thing so it's pretty shitty but I wanted to put it out so I can maybe rewrite it later on (if you see typos no you dont)

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Rockstar! Heeseung is a global sensation. His fame is international, his name alone sends shockwaves through the music industry, and he has fans from across the globe who worship the ground he walks on.

Rockstar! Heeseung sells out massive venues in every major city. Fans are captivated by his performances which are a magnetic display of raw sensuality and dark captivating energy

Rockstar! Heeseung has designer brands tripping over their own feet to have him model their product. His face on their advertisements promises sales to skyrocket.

Rockstar! Heeseung is highly sought after both in the industry and by fans everywhere.

Rockstar! Heeseung is also off the market and pathetically shameless about it

Rockstar Boyfriend! Heeseung has been dating you since before his debut

He boasts about you every chance he gets to whoever will listen, his fans, interviewers, hell even the paparazzi that follow him everywhere.

"Heeseung! You did so well today, the energy was insane!"

"Ah, Thank you thank you. My girlfriend was in the crowd with you guys, so you know I had to make it memorable."

"Fans are dying to know what the inspiration behind this album is! Your new album blew straight to the top of the charts upon release and it truly is a masterpiece. So what's the story behind it?"

"Ah, Thank you so much, truly. My girlfriend actually was a big inspiration behind this album-"

"Heeseung! Heeseung! Where are you headed after the show tonight!?"

"I'm going to my girlfriend's!"

His fans (like anyone) know about you and actually find your relationship sooo cute. Often at his shows and fan meets, his fans will actually be the first to bring you up.

"Heeseung, I made this for [name], could you give it to her next time you see her?"

"Of course, She'll love this actually!"

Being famous also means he earns money faster than he can spend it.

That being said he loves buying you stuff, whether you're with him or not.

He could be in a whole different country and he'll see something that he thinks you'd like or would look good on you or something stupid that just reminds him of you and he's already swiping his card.

"Heeseung, you don't have to, this is too expensive for me."

"Which is why I'm buying it, If you like it there's no reason you cant have it, angel"

You will be all over Heeseung's social media and even his YouTube channel, which his management runs.

Heeseungs personal social media is mostly edgy promotional stuff, but he likes posting pictures of you and him together.

His YouTube is primarily for behind-the-scenes chats. Behind-the-scenes photoshoots, music video shoots, and even concert performances.

And you're in majority of these videos because Heeseung tries to bring you literally everywhere with him if you're able to come with him

In an interview he'll gush about how nervous he is to shoot something because you'll be watching from behind the cameras

"You look amazing in this collection. What do you think?"

"Thank you, but I think [name] would look 100 times better in this collection than I do!"

And the editors will add a little note like "Gushing about his girlfriend, [name]"

Hee[name]luvr23: editors thought we were new lol

User27578: if you don't know [name] then do you even know who Heeseung is LMAO

You appear so often that you'll even get your own little interview segment.

"What are my thoughts on today's shoot? I think Heeseung does everything well, his expressions and stage presence is always so intricate. He couldn't possibly mess anything up today, he looks great."

You basically gain your own fanbase from Heeseung without doing anything

Like you have fan accounts and everything Heeseung eats up those edits of you

Backstage moments at concerts are also not free from Heeseung's constant talk about you, cameras present or not.

"Everything's ready for you, we're just waiting to start. Are you ready?"

"Yeah, definitely. Oh by the way, [name] picked out my outfit for tonight. She said it would make me look more rockstar-like. What do we think?"

"Well, she's not wrong."

HeeHee1015: EVERYONE SAY THANK YOU [NAME], GOOD LOOORRDDD

[name]'slovebot: just put [name] on his styling team already HE LOOKS SO GOOD OMFGFDSHWAKJ

Heeseung, being the music prodigy he is, spends a lot of time in the studio with his producer. His music is a hypnotic blend of dark sultry beats and atmospheric melodies that pull his listeners into a world of sensuality and introspection.

His sound is smooth yet edgy, weaving elements of R&B and synth-pop to create tracks exploring themes of love, desire, and inner conflict.

His lyrics cut deep. Filled with vulnerability, seduction, and desire also WHINY ASS HELL.

So what's this cheesy pop boy band love song doing in there?

While a lot of his songs are about you and follow that dark and sultry vibe, he does like to explore other genres of music and make something that's just special for you.

His producers know good and well why there's songs like that sprinkled in his edgy discography.

But that doesn't stop them from asking just to give him a hard time.

"This one really stands out from the other tracks. What's the story here?"

"Oh, it's uh... you know, for [name]. Just felt like I had to sneak it in there. She's on my mind all the time so it only makes sense."

like it's okay we can all see you blushing behind that mic no need to be shy

He also LOVES to sample voicemails and voice messages you send him, he also asks you to come into the studio to record adlibs and/or to be on background vocals.

He thinks your voice is heavenly someone save him

---

Heeseung is hunched in front of his computer in his studio late at night, working on a new track for his album. Your voice plays through his headphones as he's tweaking it to fit into the intro to his song. He's oblivious to your knocks on the door.

You peek through the door and spot your boyfriend, repeatedly clicking his mouse as he works and resting his chin on the palm of his hand. You smile softly and step into the room, shutting the door behind you.

"Boo." You say, slipping heeseungs headphones off his ears. He jumps slightly before smiling and swiveling his chair around towards you.

"Hey, is this my voice?" You ask furrowing your eyebrows as you hear the song blasting from his headphones.

He only grins and pulls you to sit in his lap, "Come listen," You pull the headphones over your ears as Heeseung lets the track play from the beginning. Sure enough, your voice is being played in the intro of his song, muffled because its an old voicemail you had left him, however long ago you dont remember.

"You're really out here sampling anything into your songs." You playfully roll your eyes and slip the headphones off your head and place them on his desk.

"Hey, its not just anything. Your voice totally fits the vibe of this song. And it makes the song more..." He trails off trying to find the right words, while you run your fingers through his hair. It's already tousled and messy from the amount of times he's run his own hands through it. "...more personal. It makes it feel more intimate and real."

"mmm, really?" You hum, a finger trailing from his temple down to trace his jaw. The way Heeseung always weaves pieces of you into his music makes your heart flutter and your heart race.

Heeseung's arms tighten around your waist, trying to bring you impossibly closer. His lips purse into a line as he looks at you with star-filled eyes, something he does when he wants something.

"Hey, I was thinking, actually... could you record a few lines for the backtrack. And maybe you could hum like you just did." He sounds almost breathless when he says the last part, he doesn't mean too but you're so close to him and you look so gorgeous.

"you're ridiculous," You playfully roll your eyes, resting your hands on his shoulders. "It's almost 3 in the morning, Hee. You should go to bed and come back to this tomorrow."

Heeseung is a simple and weak man so who is he to protest. "Okay, how about a kiss in the meantime then?"

---

His friends, love you to death like that's gang, but Jesus Christ if they hear one more thing from Heeseung about you then you're gonna be out of a boyfriend.

Jay: Remember that after party in Tokyo?

Heeseung: Oh yeah, I remember before that [name] and I got lost trying to find this ramen house and ended up walking around the whole city before we found it.

Sunghoon: Bro, we were talking about the party.

Like I said before, Heeseung tries to bring you everywhere.

He gets so excited when he brings you as a plus one to red-carpet events and gets to match outfits with you

Will just about die if you try to step away from him, so reporters can take photos of him.

"What are you doing all the way back there??"

"I'm just giving you space so they can't take photos of you, Hee"

"But I want you up here with me."

pouty and utterly pathetic

and also captured on camera because fans go crazy over Heeseung pouting over you even being 2 steps away from him. Like okay, my turn when?

Your #1 hype boy

Always redirects attention to you when you guys are interviewed at these events

and you're a bit embarrassed because like?? YOU'RE the plus one, HE was invited here lmfao

"Heeseung! You look so good tonight. Who's you're date!?"

"My girlfriend, [name] We're matching tonight but I think she definitely pulls this look off better than me!"

Then he makes you twirl for the camera and the camera will zoom out to show both of you and Heeseungs eyes are GLUED to you and everyone can see the love and adoration in his eyes.

Also super attentive during these events and also when you're out in public with him in general

"Are you good? Are you ready for all of this?"

"Is this okay with you?"

"Let me know if you're uncomfortable, okay?"

"Just say the word and I'll take you home, angel."

Atp I think he's more eager to go home than you are.

If you thought he couldn't be more affectionate than he already is well, [loud incorrect buzzer]

While Heeseung likes to brag and gush about you in public, he tries to keep the PDA minimal.

Behind closed doors is a different story though, good luck lol.

Will be all over you, he'll follow you around the apartment and latch onto you like you'll disappear into thin air

After Heeseungs had a particularly long day, which is pretty much every day with flying to another country and back on some days and having dragging schedules on others, All he wants to do is come home and laze around with his girlfriend

His favorite thing is laying in bed with you at night, whether your both scrolling on your phones, talking, or something else.

He likes that you both can enjoy each other's company without having to do or say anything.

He likes being able to lay on you most of the time, but he's definitely not complaining when you're the one practically lying on top of him.

Sometimes when you fall asleep before him, he'll go live to talk to his fans for a few minutes and he likes to sneakily pan the camera down to his chest where your fast asleep.

No particular reason he just thinks you look cute and likes to flex that he has the most gorgeous girl on the planet lying in bed with him.

[name]luvr: SHES SO CUTIE OMFG

user6738: Heeseung can you gtfo of the way, I'm trying to admire your gf

lowkey fights with his fans over you (all jokes ofc)

"Heeseung will you let [name] know that I saved 100 kittens from a fire today and drove them to new homes in my lambo (I'm 6'2 btw).. okay well I saved 200 kittens, now what?"

"are you 6'2 tho, do not ever let me catch you in the streets br- ow!"

"You're being too loud, Hee"

There must be something in the morning air because he is crazy.

The morning sun filters through the curtains of your apartment. You and Heeseung are still in bed, no plans for the day. You're awake just teetering the edge of sleep and being fully awake

"Do you want anything for breakfast? I could make something"

The thought of you leaving him and the warmth of your bed right now just about kills him because he hugs you closer to his body and buries his face in your neck

"I'd rather just have you right here."

Oh!

"Wow, smooth talker." You playfully roll your eyes

"Only for you."

— Texting loser bf!lee heeseung

Summary

Series of texts loser bf!lee heeseung sends you

Genre

Loser x mean girl, lab partners to lovers, fluff, humour

Warnings

Swearing, mommy & daddy jokes, extreme loser heeseung energy, sorta insecure hee

Belle’s notes

Hope u guys like this one!! Likes, reblogs, and comments r deeply appreciated🫶🏻

── .✦ give me a chance! (maknae line)

pairing: non idol! maknae line x fem! reader

synopsis: how you first met and how they make the first move

genre: bullet points , strangers to lovers , secret pining , fluff , high school au - wc: 1.8k in total - warnings: lowercase intended ! , english is not my first language ! , this is a work of fiction and doesn't reflect the idols in real life ! - author's notes: i had soo much fun making this, if you have ideas for other scenarios feel free to request them and i'll try to make them!

hyung line here !

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𐙚 SUNOO (0.8k)

sunoo is a sunshine

everybody loves him and he’s friends with everybody

everybody except you

okay, it’s not that he ignores you or treats you badly, he just can’t seem to say much to you other than the usual polite greetings when you cross paths

which is very weird, considering he’s super bubbly and extroverted and loves talking to people

and the students in your class notice it too

like, have you done something to him? has he done something to you? what’s the deal between you two?

all questions that you can’t answer either, because you wonder the exact same things

you don’t think it’s about a wrongdoing, since you’ve never said more than a ‘hi’ to each other

and your first encounter wasn’t anything special, either: one day, your teacher simply asked you two to bring some books to another teacher and you just silently obliged

that was the first time you ever greeted each other, but during the task the both of you didn’t say anything else

however, what you don’t know is that for sunoo that day was the best one of the year

when he saw you up close, his heartbeat immediately quickened, like love at first sight

and that’s the reason why that day he didn’t utter a single word to you, he was too busy secretly glancing at you and freaking out in his head about how gorgeous you looked

and that’s pretty much what he’s been doing ever since

that’s why he doesn’t talk to you like he does with everyone else: he’s totally terrified of embarrassing himself in front of you

so then, what changes?

you join the photography club

sunoo loves taking pictures and when he sees you there for the first time he almost lets his camera slip from his hands

ni-ki, one of his best friends and members of the club, starts to not so discreetly glance in your direction, knowing about sunoo’s huge crush on you

“stop looking at her, idiot. she’ll get suspicious.”

“maybe you’ll finally make a move.”

and he does… sort of

ni-ki is able to set him up with you, making him help you out on your first day

and sunoo ends up doing a relatively good job, at least he doesn’t embarrass himself in front of you

but sunoo might have to actually thank his best friend because thanks to him, from that day on you start greeting him in class and in the hallways

but especially, you start hanging out with him during the photography club

and that brings you closer, allowing you two to get to know one another on a deeper level

you are finally warming up to him, he can consider himself your friend and his crush on you is growing exponentially every single day

and on the other hand, you are definitely catching feelings too

i mean, how could you not?

getting to know him on a personal level made you finally understand why everybody loves him that much

it’s just impossible not to

his whole personality is just so sweet and endearing, and he’s a naturally caring and bright person

experiencing all of it in first person made you suddenly open your eyes and realize what kind of amazing guy he truly is

on valentine’s day, he finally decides that he’s going to confess his feelings to you before anyone else can

he can’t risk it

with the help of one of your friends, he decorates your locker with a few pictures of you that he secretly took during the photography club, and also some taken by ni-ki that portray the both of you together

he waits for your reaction a few feet behind you: he can hear you gasp and see you bring a hand to cover your mouth

you are completely overwhelmed and stunned, and after your brain registers what is going on, you turn your head to look around you and finally see him approaching you with a bashful smile, rosy cheeks and a heart-shaped box of chocolates in his hands

“i’ve liked you since the time we brought those books to the math’s teacher. be my valentine?”

you were clearly too stunned to speak and your brain is not working well because the first thing that comes out of your mouth is, “i thought you didn’t like me”

and he can’t help but chuckle

“i mean, you are always so kind and bubbly and friendly with everyone. but you barely ever talked to me, even when we got paired up for that task”

“your beauty intimidated me. i was too scared to approach you, sorry about that..” he scratches his head while you let out an amused giggle that causes his heart to skip a beat

“you’re so silly! and of course i’ll be your valentine!”

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𐙚 JUNGWON (0.5k)

jungwon is the class president and you’re the transferred student

so of course his job is to show you around and help you settle in for the first few days

key words: the first few days

well, apparently jungwon takes a particular liking to you and literally drags you with him everywhere so that you don’t feel alone

you do make friends in your class, but then, as soon as the bell that signals the beginning of lunch break, jungwon is right in front of your desk ready to steal you from them

he also introduces you to his group of friends and you eat lunch all together every day

and it’s very nice of him, you don’t complain

you’re actually very grateful because they’re all great guys and plus jungwon’s presence turned out to be a great help since the very first moment

but you can’t help being a little confused about his behavior

like, he must really, really enjoy your company to act like this

he also tried convincing you to join the student council (because yes, he’s also part of it), but you’re just not very interested in it

which resulted in him pouting at you for a whole day

of course, jungwon has a massive crush on you, but he didn’t realize it immediately

at first, he was really convinced that he just found you cute and very friendly and so he wanted to befriend you

but then, spending all that time together made him finally realize his true feelings

so now, him and his friends are on a mission: help jungwon score a date with you

they literally start excogitating the most intricate plans ever, when in reality he could just simply ask you

because you would say yes in a heartbeat

of course you reciprocate his feelings, i mean, we’re talking about yang jungwon

he’s been the sweetest with you since day one, he helps you with literally everything, often buys stuff for you, he introduced you to his amazing group of friends and he’s just overall the cutest and prettiest guy you’ve ever laid your eyes on

one day, jungwon is walking you home after a study session in the library, something very usual for you two

but then he suddenly asks you if you’re free and you nod

so he takes your hand in his (making you almost melt on the spot) and starts casually walking down the street

a comfortable silence envelopes the two of you until you reach a park full of colorful flowers

you watch the place in awe and jungwon can’t help but adoringly stare at you

you then turn around towards him and catch him looking at you

by now you’re too curious to hold yourself back and you ask him why he took you there

and he very smoothly replies, “i wanted to show you a place as beautiful as you” and he’s just so cute and adorable and flustered and nervous while saying that

but when he sees your equally flustered reaction, he finds the courage to finally confess to you

and of course you confess your feelings as well

needless to say, you two become the cutest and most sickening couple in your grade

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𐙚 NI-KI (0.5k)

so, ni-ki is that kid that sits at the back of the classroom, he’s quiet but very loud with his friends

he doesn’t pay much attention during lessons, but somehow always manages to pass everything

you, on the other hand, are one of the best students, but if there’s something that you totally can’t stand, that is definitely gym class

no matter how hard you try, you’re just not a sporty person

and everyone in your class kinda knows it

like, the amount of times you had to go to the infirmary in just one semester is insane

so, of course ni-ki has noticed your clumsiness and lack of athleticism as well and he can’t help but find it rather cute

and his friends often catch him adoringly smile at you from a distance and they start teasing him every single time

actually, at least half of the class knows about his little crush on you

and they also know about your admiration for him

during gym class, you always gawk at him from afar too, but out of amazement

he’s just good at everything and makes it look so easy

plus, he just looks so effortless and cool

so, the only ones who still haven’t realized the mutual pining are literally you two

but the perfect opportunity comes when you accidentally tackle him to the ground while doing sprints

what happened was that you got distracted and literally ran in his direction

but when you noticed it, it was too late and even if you tried to slow down, you still crushed into him

so you two disastrously fell to the ground, you on top of him

and that explains why you’re now in the infirmary, both of you with a pack of ice on your foreheads

you’re so embarrassed that you can’t even look at him and you keep apologizing with your gaze glued to the floor

and he finds you so freaking adorable that he can’t stop smiling

he then gathers the courage to lightly put his hand on your chin, so that you can finally look at him

you’re just staring at him wide eyed and with a very visible blush on your cheeks and he swears his heart is about to explode in his chest

“stop apologizing, you’re already forgiven”

“are you really not mad?”

“how could i? you’re too adorable.”

bro really wants to send you to the hospital today

you’re literally a blushing mess and he keeps giggling and looking at you with that soft gaze

you honestly just want to scream and melt on the floor

and since it’s still not enough for him, he’s like, “you know what? if you really want to make it up to me, then let’s go out. on a date”

at this point your brain is not even functioning anymore and you just nod by default without having processed yet what he’s actually just told you

and he notices it and adds it to the list of the most endearing things you do

oh, he’s definitely down bad

but it’s okay, because you’re the exact same

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likes, comments and reblogs are always appreciated !

© 2024 all rights reserved to user whjluv

♯┆Boyfriend .ᐟ ★ NSH.R

「𖦹Containsᵎᵎ」 Boyfriend Headcanons, Kissing, bathing together, pet names, princess treatment if you squint, Skinship, Love Language, mentions of arguments

「𖦹Word countᵎᵎ」 1.3k

「𖦹Voice messageᵎᵎ」 Looks familiar? It's a reupload from my former blog with added/changed content

𖦹 He keeps a polaroid picture of you and him in his wallet , a picture Jake had taken. It was a bit blurry but the polaroid picture clearly showed the two of you hugging in the Airport, his hands cupping your cheeks with his lips pressed against your forehead , your eyes closed as your smile got captured by the polaroid camera. The picture was taken when he had to leave the country for a concert.

𖦹 Whenever you're out of your bedroom , he'd steal a quick glance at the door to make sure you were out of reach of your bedroom before he'd turn to look at your plushies, punching each and every single one of it. You're supposed to be cuddling him , not your plushies while he's staying over for the night :(

𖦹 Talking about plushies, he always gifts you plushies before he goes on tour and sprays them with his cologne. As cringe as it was for him , he even got a custom plushie made with a button that would play a recording of him singing when pressed so you could fall asleep to him singing whenever you're struggling to fall asleep or miss his singing.

𖦹 He knows that you're capable of doing it by yourself , but he always ties your shoelaces for you. And if you get new shoes ,he'd lace them for your so your shoelaces wouldn't be too long and possible cause you to trip in case they come undone. He's looking out for you like that but he'd playfully and teasingly complain about having to tie your shoelaces with an dramatic sigh but will fight you if you try to tie them by yourself.

𖦹 Sidewalk rule , whenever the two of you are walking outside , he'd make sure that you're walking on the inside of the sidewalk while he's on the outside. If he notice that you're walking on the side closer to the street , he'll grab your wrist and move you on the safer side. Another thing he does is holding your hand while crossing the street, even if his hands are carrying something, he'll find a way.

𖦹The more the relationship progresses , he'll open up more with things he was to shy to say or hesitant to do like ; inviting you to take a bath with him or asking if he can join you while you're taking a bath. In his opinion , it'll deepen your relationship and trust. Plus , bathing with others is more fun and he'd love to help you wash your back and hair. He likes how intimate/romantic it is and it takes a deep level of trust for him to initiate it. (and he loves to make bubble towers on your head just for the giggles)

𖦹 He really likes kissing , but not in public. In public , he'd rather just leave a chaste kiss on your cheeks or forehead . Behind closed doors or in Private, he'll literally chase your lips with his and get the kiss he wanted. He's the type to tilt your chin up while you're doing something , turning your face to his before kissing you while his other hand holding your waist. Oh and be prepared to get bruised lips because he loves to playfully bite your bottom lip.

𖦹 He often goes straight to your place after work , just wanting to be in your presence because your presence alone gives him more energy. To him , you're a walking ray of sunshine that even on his gloomiest day , you'll make it so much less gloomy by just being around him. In conclusion , you're his source of energy and never fail to make him more energetic.

𖦹 He tries , he really does try, but he'll never learn the arts of styling your hair without making knots in it. He sometimes mindlessly braids your hair and cringe when he notices that he put a knot in your hair , letting go of it and pretending that it totally wasn't his doing.

𖦹 Another thing he loves doing is napping on you , his head on your tummy and his arm and leg lazily thrown over your body, practically trapping you under him and you won't be getting out until he wakes up again. Better pray that you don't have to use the toilet , his grip while he sleeps is no joke especially when you move a little.

𖦹 He also loves leaving random kisses on your nape , your neck , your shoulder , your collarbones, your tummy, everywhere. He just likes showering you in kisses , especially since it always makes you giggle when it tickles , a sound he treasures close to his heart.

𖦹 Arguments don't happen a lot but they do happen ,mostly when he's really stressed out or frustrated but he'd rather beat himself up then let that out on you. But when you're being stubborn , he will use his big boy voice on you but apologize while using it, explaining what is bothering him and that he needs a bit of time for himself to cool off because he doesn't want to lash out on you by accident. Now if the roles were reversed , he'd offer for you to talk about it and if you'll refuse to , he'll leave you alone until you've cooled off. He'd never want to have an actually huge argument with you , so he'd rather have you or him cool down first before properly talking about it.

𖦹 He'd randomly sends you memes throughout the day or show you silly videos while saying "that's us" and it could be two rats running around on a train station. He's like a cat leaving a dead lizard at your doorstep to show his affection just with memes.

𖦹 He teases you a lot , more because of your height even if you're just a cm shorter, he'd still be taller than you. He'll purposely move your stuff on higher shelves if you're a lot shorter than him , but if you're around the same height , he'd teasingly hold whatever you need up in the air above his head.

𖦹 You're the only one allowed to see his vulnerable side , he doesn't like crying in front of others or letting his tears out, but he feels safe with you especially if he misses his family because you're his second home. At first , he will try to turn away from you but once you wrap your arms around him , he's practically glued to you and sobbing into your shoulder.

𖦹 Matching items , it's a bit cliché but he loves matching items with you especially when he's away from you , because it makes him feel connected with you , as if a part of you is with him in that moment. He may or may not have also bought those bracelets you can tap on and the other would vibrate.

𖦹 Talking about matching items , he also loves to match clothes and take mirror selfies with you. He would absolutely adore it if you wear his clothes , calling you his "mini me" and making you try to act like him. Not only does he like to match clothes , he also likes to match subtle things such as ; jewelry , keychains, phone charms , phone cases , socks , you name it.

𖦹 Please ask him to teach you how to dance or to teach you one of their choreographs , he will be over the moon and more than happy to teach you. Dancing is his passion after all and he'd be more than happy to share his passion with you. Would definitely sneak a lot of kisses in between or make you flustered on purpose.

i don't know if you've seen the clip of jay talking bad about his visuals again, but what do we think about his s/o making sure he knows how handsome and pretty he is?

he talks about his visuals so bad so often 🙁

~🧸

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ WHAT I SEE IN YOU - JAY

contents. jay is insecure about his looks and you find a way to prove him otherwise tags. established relationship, insecurity on jay's part, fluff, suggestive if you squint but not really, my note. i'm really trying hard to get back into writing i SWEAR, also if you're reading this i probably posted a face reveal library.

it’s late. the kind of late where the world outside is quiet, the stars are hidden behind clouds, and the soft hum of the heater fills the apartment with a soothing warmth. you’ve both spent the day together—nothing special, just a lazy day indoors, cuddling up, watching movies, and laughing at dumb jokes only the two of you understand.

you’re sitting on the couch now, legs tangled together as you scroll through your phone. jay is beside you, lying down with his head resting on your lap. you’ve been absentmindedly running your fingers through his hair, and he seems relaxed—content, even. but then, you hear it. that sigh. it’s soft, but it’s there, filled with just the right amount of frustration to make you pause.

“what’s wrong?” you ask gently, not taking your eyes off your phone yet.

he doesn’t respond immediately, and you think maybe he’s just lost in thought. but then, there it is again—the sigh, heavier this time.

you finally look down, and you notice he’s scrolling through his own phone, staring at something a little too hard, his brow furrowed in that way it does when he’s deep in his own head. he’s chewing on his bottom lip too, which is another sign something’s bothering him. you frown and tilt your head to get a better look.

“babe,” you say a little firmer this time, your fingers stilling in his hair. “talk to me. what’s going on?”

jay’s quiet for a moment before he huffs out a humorless laugh, dropping his phone on his chest and rubbing a hand over his face. “it’s nothing,” he mutters, but the tension in his voice says otherwise.

you raise a brow. “you’re really bad at lying, you know that?”

he groans, dragging his hand down his face before covering his eyes with his forearm, almost as if he’s trying to hide from you. “it’s just… stupid stuff,” he mumbles. “don’t worry about it.”

you bite your lip, unsure of how to proceed. you know he doesn’t like talking about his insecurities, but you also know that if you don’t get him to open up, he’ll just let it fester inside until it explodes later. so, you take a deep breath and decide to push a little further.

“it’s not stupid if it’s bothering you,” you say softly, your fingers returning to their gentle motions in his hair. “come on, talk to me. what’s on your mind?”

he stays quiet for a few moments, and just when you think he’s going to brush it off again, he speaks—barely above a whisper.

“it’s just… i don’t get it.”

“get what?”

he shifts, uncovering his eyes and sitting up, pulling his knees up to his chest. he doesn’t look at you, instead focusing on the wall ahead as he speaks.

“people are always saying things about how i look. how i’m ‘handsome’ or ‘pretty’ or whatever, but… i don’t see it.” he laughs again, bitter and self-deprecating. “i look in the mirror and all i see are flaws. i see a crooked nose, or my lips are too thin, or my eyes are too small. i see all the things that people don’t point out, and i just… i don’t get it.”

your heart aches hearing him talk like this. you’ve always known jay struggled with his self-image sometimes, but hearing it laid out so plainly hurts more than you expected. you’ve never understood how he couldn’t see what you see when you look at him—how he couldn’t see just how breathtaking he really is.

“jay…” you murmur, reaching out to gently cup his cheek. he doesn’t pull away, but he still won’t meet your eyes. “you’re so much more than what you see in the mirror.”

he lets out a hollow laugh, finally turning to look at you, his eyes filled with doubt. “yeah? well, what if what i see is all i can focus on?”

you sigh, moving closer to him on the couch. your hands trail down from his cheek to his jaw, your fingers tracing the sharp line of it as you speak. “then i’ll just have to make sure you see what i see.”

he raises a brow, a hint of curiosity breaking through the gloom. “and what is it that you see?”

you smile softly, leaning in so your faces are just inches apart. “i see someone who is so incredibly beautiful, inside and out. i see someone whose smile lights up my entire world. i see eyes that hold galaxies in them, a nose that fits perfectly in the crook of my neck when we hug, and lips that—” you pause, your thumb brushing over his bottom lip, “—that i can never stop kissing.”

he blushes at your words, his eyes flickering down to your lips for a brief moment before meeting your gaze again. “you’re just saying that,” he mutters, though the tension in his voice has softened just a little.

you shake your head. “i’m not. i mean every word.” you move your hands down to his chest, resting them there as you lean in closer. “you are, without a doubt, the most handsome and the most pretty person i’ve ever seen. and i’m not just talking about looks. i’m talking about you. everything about you.”

jay swallows hard, his eyes darting away again, but you can tell your words are starting to sink in. he’s always been so hard on himself, always his own worst critic. but you’ve seen him at his best and at his worst, and to you, he’s always been perfect.

“i don’t know how to believe that,” he admits quietly, his voice barely audible now. “i look at myself and all i can think is, ‘why does anyone even think i’m attractive?’”

you frown, your heart clenching at how deep his insecurities run. but instead of letting it weigh you down, you decide to take a different approach. if words alone won’t work, then maybe actions will.

you shift, swinging your leg over his lap until you’re straddling him. jay looks surprised by the sudden movement, his hands instinctively coming up to rest on your hips, but he doesn’t push you away. if anything, he seems a little flustered by the sudden proximity.

“w-what are you doing?” he stammers, his face heating up.

you smile down at him, brushing a few stray strands of hair away from his forehead. “showing you how much i love every part of you.”

before he can protest, you lean in and press a soft kiss to his forehead, lingering there for a moment. “your forehead,” you murmur against his skin, “where all your brilliant ideas come from.”

you move down, kissing the space between his brows. “your eyebrows, even when they’re furrowed in frustration, are adorable.”

jay’s breath hitches, but he doesn’t stop you. you continue, your lips brushing over the tip of his nose. “your nose, which, by the way, is perfectly straight and cute.”

he lets out a small laugh at that, his hands tightening slightly on your hips. “it’s not—”

“shhh,” you interrupt, kissing the side of his nose again for emphasis. “no arguing.”

you move to his cheeks next, pressing soft kisses to both sides. “your cheeks, which are so soft, even when you pout.”

he’s blushing now, his eyes fluttering shut as he lets you continue. you smile at how relaxed he’s becoming, your heart swelling with affection for him. you move lower, pressing a kiss to the corner of his lips.

“your lips,” you whisper, brushing your thumb over them again. “the same lips i can’t get enough of. soft, warm, perfect.” you lean in and capture his lips in a gentle kiss, slow and deliberate, as if you’re trying to pour every ounce of your love into him.

jay kisses you back, his grip on your hips tightening, but he doesn’t rush it. when you finally pull back, his eyes are half-lidded, his breath a little heavier than before. “you don’t have to do all this,” he mumbles, though there’s no conviction behind his words.

you smile, running your hands through his hair again. “i want to. because i love you, and i want you to see what i see.”

he bites his lip, looking up at you with a mix of affection and vulnerability. “i don’t deserve you.”

you roll your eyes playfully, leaning in to kiss his forehead again. “you deserve the world, jay. and i’m going to make sure you believe that, even if it takes forever.”

he chuckles, his hands sliding up your sides to rest on your waist. “you’re stubborn, you know that?”

“mm, i prefer ‘determined,’” you tease, leaning down to kiss him again, this time with a little more heat behind it.

jay responds immediately, pulling you closer, and for a moment, the weight of his insecurities melts away. it’s just the two of you, wrapped up in each other, and nothing else matters.

when you finally pull back, both of you are breathing a little heavier, your foreheads resting against each other. jay’s eyes are soft, a little dazed, but there’s a small smile playing at the corners of his lips. “you’re really

determined to make me believe all of this, huh?” he murmurs, his voice low and a little breathless.

you grin, brushing your nose against his in a soft, teasing gesture. “i told you, i’m not stopping until you do.”

his hands slip from your waist to your back, pulling you just a little closer, and the warmth between you is intoxicating. but more than the physical closeness, there’s something deeper, more profound in the way he’s looking at you now. you can see the flicker of doubt still lingering in his eyes, but there’s also something else. something softer, like maybe—just maybe—he’s starting to believe you.

“it’s hard, you know,” he admits, his voice barely above a whisper. “to shake off everything i’ve told myself for so long. i’ve always been... hard on myself. it’s like my brain just focuses on the bad parts, the parts that don’t look right.”

you nod, your fingers tracing lazy circles on his chest as you listen. you’ve heard this from him before in bits and pieces, but this is the most open he’s been about it. and while it breaks your heart that he feels this way, it also makes you want to hold him even tighter, to show him that he’s so much more than just his appearance.

“i get that,” you say softly, leaning your cheek against his. “we’re all our own worst critics, right? but that’s why i’m here. to remind you of everything you don’t see. and not just because of how you look.” you pull back a little, locking eyes with him. “because you’re kind. and you’re funny, even when you’re not trying to be. you work hard, and you care so much about the people around you. those are the things that make you truly beautiful, jay.”

his breath hitches slightly, and he looks at you with a vulnerability that makes your heart clench. “you really mean that, don’t you?”

you nod, your hand slipping up to cup his cheek again, your thumb brushing over his skin. “every word. i’ve never been more sure of anything.”

for a moment, he just stares at you, his eyes searching yours as if he’s trying to find some trace of doubt, something that would make him believe you don’t mean what you’re saying. but you do. you mean every single word, and you’re going to make sure he knows it.

he sighs, a soft, shaky exhale, and leans into your touch, closing his eyes for a brief moment. “i don’t know how i got so lucky,” he murmurs, his voice thick with emotion.

you chuckle, your thumb still caressing his cheek. “you make your own luck, jay. and besides, i think i’m the lucky one here.”

he opens his eyes again, and this time, there’s something lighter in his gaze. a small smile tugs at his lips—genuine, soft, and so incredibly him. “you really know how to make a guy feel special, you know that?”

you grin, leaning down to press a quick kiss to his lips. “good. because you are special.”

he laughs softly, and for the first time since this conversation started, it’s a real laugh—one that fills the room with warmth and lightness. “you’re really not gonna let this go, huh?”

“never,” you say firmly, resting your forehead against his. “you’re stuck with me and my endless compliments forever.”

jay’s arms tighten around you, his hands moving up and down your back in a slow, soothing motion. “that doesn’t sound so bad,” he admits, his voice barely above a whisper. “actually, it sounds... kinda perfect.”

you smile, leaning in to kiss him again, your lips lingering on his as the warmth between you two deepens. there’s no rush, no urgency—just the steady rhythm of your breaths, the soft press of your lips against his, and the quiet understanding that you’re both exactly where you need to be.

when you finally pull back, jay looks at you with that same soft expression, his eyes filled with something you can only describe as pure affection. it’s a look you’ve seen before, but somehow, it feels different now—like maybe, just maybe, he’s starting to see himself the way you see him.

“i don’t deserve you,” he says again, though this time there’s no sadness behind it. just awe.

you roll your eyes playfully, brushing your nose against his. “we’ve been over this. you deserve everything. and i’m going to keep reminding you of that until you believe it.”

he smiles, and it’s the kind of smile that makes your heart skip a beat. “i guess i’ll just have to get used to it, then.”

“good,” you say, your voice soft and full of affection. “because i’m not going anywhere.”

jay pulls you closer, pressing his lips to your forehead in a gentle kiss, and you can feel the steady beat of his heart against your chest. “thank you,” he murmurs, his voice barely audible. “for... for everything. for always knowing what to say. for always being there.”

you smile, resting your head against his chest, your fingers tracing patterns on his skin. “i’ll always be here, jay. always.”

for a while, the two of you just sit there, wrapped up in each other, the quiet hum of the room surrounding you like a comforting blanket. it’s peaceful, the kind of peace that comes from being with someone who knows you, who understands you in ways no one else does.

eventually, jay breaks the silence, his voice soft and a little hesitant. “hey.”

“yeah?”

he shifts a little, his hands sliding down to your hips again as he looks up at you, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “so... when you said you can’t get enough of my lips...”

you raise a brow, smirking down at him. “oh? what about it?”

his lips curl into a grin, and there’s a teasing edge to his voice as he leans in closer. “i think you missed a few spots earlier.”

you laugh, rolling your eyes but leaning in nonetheless. “oh, really? care to point them out?”

jay’s grin widens, and he tilts his head slightly, his eyes flickering down to your lips before meeting your gaze again. “well, i could, but... i think i’d rather show you.”

before you can respond, he’s pulling you down, his lips capturing yours in a kiss that’s much more heated than before. it’s slow, deliberate, and you can feel the way he’s pouring everything into it—the lingering doubt, the affection, the gratitude. his hands slide up your back, pulling you even closer, and you can’t help but melt into him, your own hands tangling in his hair as you kiss him back just as eagerly.

when you finally pull apart, both of you are breathless, your foreheads resting against each other as you try to catch your breath. jay’s eyes are half-lidded, a soft smile playing at his lips as he looks up at you.

“okay,” he murmurs, his voice low and a little hoarse. “maybe i’m starting to believe you.”

you laugh, your heart swelling with warmth and love for this beautiful, complicated, wonderful man. “good,” you whisper, pressing one last kiss to his lips. “because you’re perfect, jay. and you always will be.”

he doesn’t argue this time. instead, he just smiles, his hands still holding you close, and in that moment, you know that even if it takes time, even if he still has his doubts, he’s starting to see himself the way you do.

and that’s all you could ever ask for.

permanent taglist. @astratlantis @jongseongfile @vousty @greentulip

all rights reserved @hyuchuus 2024.

cuteness aggression

lhs x reader ᯓ★ fluff/angst ᯓ★ cussing/torture mentioned

song rec: IDK UHHH hey hey by tws? no reason except thats what stuck in my head right now

my note: i wrote this ages ago at 3 am just because and it was originally meant to be apart of boyfie hee texts but i liked it enough to make it a standalone/oneshot. HEESEUNG IS SO CUTE OH MY GOD (also belift let enhypen fucking rest you bitches)

ps. i added the rest later bc i felt like it so deal with it lmfao

back to the shelves!!

@k-labels | @illuminated-oceannet | @k-films | @kstrucknet

taglist: open

@weird-bookworm @kikohao @nerezza123 @minyoungieee

୨୧ ❛ ENHYPEN HYUNG LINE REACTION WHEN YOU CALL THEM A PETNAME IN FRONT OF THEIR MEMBERS

﹙ 𝓹𝐥𝐨𝐭 ♡𝓹𝐫é𝐜𝐢𝐬 enha hyung line x fem!r. 𖥔fluff, headcanons ot7 works one shot wordcount` 700. 𓈃 ◌⠀⠀˖ 𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐕𝐄 𓏵⠀

𝐋𝐄𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐔𝐍𝐆 (이희승)

heeseung’s eyes widen in surprise when you casually call him “baby” in front of the other members. his cheeks immediately flush a soft pink as he glances around, hoping no one heard. unfortunately, sunghoon smirks and jake lets out a teasing whistle, while jungwon raises an eyebrow in amusement. "did you just...?" heeseung stammers, scratching the back of his neck, trying to play it cool but clearly flustered. you smile sweetly at him, completely unbothered. “what? you are my baby,” you tease, making him groan softly in embarrassment. "not in front of the guys," he mutters, voice low, though the shy smile tugging at his lips betrays his true feelings. despite the teasing, you can tell he secretly loves it. the other members keep poking fun at him, but heeseung just leans in closer to you, whispering, “you’re lucky i love you.”

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐉𝐀𝐘 (박종성)

jay freezes for a second when you call him “love” in front of the members. his ears turn a little red, but he quickly recovers, trying to play it off coolly. "did you just call him love?" sunoo snickers, and niki grins widely. jay shoots them a half-hearted glare but can’t hide the small, proud smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “what? she’s allowed to,” he says, trying to sound nonchalant, but there’s a hint of softness in his voice. you giggle, leaning closer to him, “you like it, don’t you, love?” his face turns even redder, and he sighs, covering his face with his hand, but you catch the way his eyes sparkle behind them. “maybe,” he mutters under his breath, clearly enjoying the attention despite his embarrassment. the members keep teasing him, but jay just wraps an arm around you, pulling you closer as if to say he doesn’t mind at all.

𝐒𝐈𝐌 𝐉𝐀𝐊𝐄 (심재윤)

jake’s eyes light up instantly when you casually call him “baby” in front of the members. he flashes you his signature bright smile, completely unfazed, but the guys aren’t about to let it slide. “baby, huh?” sunghoon teases, raising an eyebrow, while heeseung lets out a playful laugh. jake just grins wider, clearly loving the attention. “yeah, what about it?” he says confidently, giving you a quick wink that makes your heart flutter. you can’t help but giggle at how easily he handles the teasing. “so cheesy,” jungwon chuckles, shaking his head. jake shrugs, wrapping an arm around your shoulder and pulling you closer. “i don’t care, i like it,” he says, his voice warm and genuine. you blush at his boldness, and despite the teasing, the other members smile at how happy he looks, knowing he’s completely smitten.

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐍 (박성훈)

sunghoon freezes the moment you call him “babe” in front of the members, his eyes going wide as he processes what just happened. jay is the first to snicker, followed by niki, who barely holds back a laugh. “did you just call him babe?” sunoo teases, a grin spreading across his face. sunghoon’s ears turn bright red, and he stammers, “wh-what? no—i mean, yes, but…” he’s clearly flustered, trying to avoid the members’ teasing looks, but you can see the hint of a shy smile forming. “you don’t like it?” you ask innocently, leaning closer. he glances at you, cheeks still flushed, and mutters, “i didn’t say that.” despite the embarrassment, he softly bumps his shoulder against yours, as if to let you know he secretly enjoys it. the members continue to tease him, but sunghoon stays close to you, trying to hide his blush but clearly loving every second of it.

Happy Valentines Day - Y.J

P: Yang Jungwon X fem!reader

Genre: Fluff - Tooth rotting Fluff, jealousy if you squint

Synopsis: Valentines day with Jungwon as your bf

♡♡

You wake up to the soft warmth of the late morning sun spilling through your curtains, casting a golden glow across your room. Stretching lazily, you reach for your phone on the nightstand, rubbing the last traces of sleep from your eyes. The screen lights up as you unlock it, and your heart skips a beat when you see a new message waiting for you.

It's from Jungwon, your boyfriend.

“Good morning! Happy Valentine’s Day, baby! I love you!”

A smile spreads across your face, the familiar warmth of his words wrapping around you like a hug. You can almost hear his voice, soft and sweet, as you tap a reply.

“Good morning! Happy Valentine’s Day, love! I love you too 🫶”

You hit send, feeling a wave of happiness wash over you. Even though he’s not with you right now, his message feels like he’s right beside you, making this quiet morning feel just a little more special.

Your phone buzzes again almost immediately, another message from Jungwon lighting up the screen.

“Be ready in an hour. I have a surprise for you.”

When the doorbell rings right on time, your heart skips a beat. You open the door to find Jungwon standing there, a radiant smile on his face. He's holding a beautiful bouquet of red roses in one hand and an adorable teddy bear in the other. But what catches your eye the most is the large poster he's holding, the words written in bold, colourful letters:

Excitement flutters in your stomach as you jump out of bed, suddenly wide awake. You rush through your morning routine, your mind racing with possibilities. After picking out your favorite outfit and making sure every detail is perfect, you check the time. Just a few more minutes until he arrives.

"Will you be my Valentine?"

Your eyes fill with happy tears as you look up at him. He steps closer, placing the flowers and teddy bear in your arms before wrapping you in a warm hug.

"I know it's cheesy," he says, his voice soft and full of love, "but I wanted to make today special for you."

You laugh, wiping away a tear. "It's perfect," you say, your heart swelling with joy. "Of course, I'll be your Valentine."

He pulls back just enough to look into your eyes, his smile widening. "Great, because I have the whole day planned out. Ready to go?"

You nod eagerly, slipping your hand into his as you step outside. The day is just beginning, but with Jungwon by your side, you know it's going to be unforgettable.

Jungwon leads you to his car, still holding your hand, and opens the door for you like the gentleman he is. You climb in, clutching the roses and teddy bear to your chest, feeling giddy. He hops into the driver’s seat, throwing you a quick smile before starting the car.

“You’re going to love the first stop,” he says, eyes twinkling with excitement.

As Jungwon starts the engine, you rummage through your bag, feeling a rush of anticipation. You had been waiting for this moment all week—the perfect surprise for him.

“Hey, before we hit the road, I have something for you,” you say, your voice bubbling with excitement.

He turns to you, curiosity dancing in his eyes. “For me? What is it?”

You pull out a neatly wrapped gift—a small white bag that you had carefully decorated with little doodles and hearts. You hand it to him, unable to suppress your smile.

When he finally pulls out the white baggy hoodie, his eyes widen in surprise. It’s soft and cozy, and what catches his attention is the unique design—your kiss marks splattered playfully across the front in various shades of pink.

“Open it!” you urge, watching as he takes the bag, his fingers gently tearing through the wrapping paper.

“Baby! Did you make this?” he asks, his voice a mixture of disbelief and delight.

“I did! My lips got so sore after making all those kisses, but I thought it would be a cute gift,” you explain, feeling a blush creep across your cheeks.

With a swift motion, he pulls off his sweater, revealing a simple T-shirt beneath. You can’t help but admire his physique for a moment before he slides the hoodie over his head. It swallows him slightly, but the sight is undeniably adorable.

“I love it, babe! So much so that I’m gonna wear it now!” he declares, a wide grin spreading across his face.

“How do I look?” he asks, turning to you with a playful tilt of his head.

“You look handsome as always!” you respond, your heart fluttering at the sight of him. The hoodie fits him perfectly, accentuating his charm while still showcasing your affectionate gesture.

Without thinking, he leans in and captures your lips in a gentle kiss, one that speaks of his appreciation and affection. You melt into the moment, feeling the warmth of his body next to yours and the soft fabric of the hoodie brushing against your skin.

He beams at your compliment, his cheeks flushing slightly. In that moment, everything feels perfect—just you and him.

When you pull away, he chuckles, his smile infectious. “I think I’m going to wear this all day.”

You laugh, nodding in agreement. “Good! It’s a reminder of me, and I want you to feel my love with you everywhere you go.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll wear it every chance I get,” he promises, giving you one last quick peck before shifting back into driving mode.

As the car pulls away, the two of you chat easily, like always. Even though it’s Valentine’s Day and there's a certain sweetness in the air, being with Jungwon is comfortable. There’s no pressure, just the effortless joy of being together.

After a short drive, he pulls into a quiet park, the trees lining the path swaying gently in the breeze. The sun is high now, warming the crisp February air. You step out, Jungwon by your side, guiding you along the path. The peacefulness of the park feels perfect, but then you spot something in the distance.

A beautiful blanket is spread out under a large oak tree, covered with all your favorite foods. There are neatly arranged sandwiches, fruit, a bottle of sparkling juice, and—your favorite—a plate of homemade sweets that look suspiciously like they’ve been made by Jungwon.

A picnic.

“You did all this?” you ask, eyes wide in disbelief.

He grins sheepishly. “I may have had some help with the setup, but yeah, I wanted to make this Valentine’s Day special.”

Jungwon leads you over to the blanket and you both sit down, the air filled with the scent of roses and freshly made food. You can’t help but lean into him, resting your head on his shoulder for a moment.

Your heart swells even more as you take in the thoughtful details, from the carefully chosen food to the way the spot was tucked away in a quiet corner of the park.

"This is perfect," you murmur softly, feeling the warmth of the sun.

He chuckles and presses a soft kiss to the top of your head. "I'm glad you think so, because this isn't even the best part."

You sit up, looking at him curiously. "There's more?"

He reaches into the picnic basket and pulls out a small box, his smile turning a little shy. Opening it, he reveals a delicate silver bracelet with a tiny charm—a heart, engraved with both your initials.

“I wanted to get you something you could keep with you, even when we’re not together,” Jungwon says, his voice quieter now, filled with sincerity.

You look at the bracelet, then back at him, your heart racing. "It's beautiful, Jungwon."

He takes your hand and gently fastens the bracelet around your wrist, his fingers brushing against your skin. The moment feels intimate, like time has slowed down just for the two of you.

“There,” he says softly, admiring the way it looks on you. “Now you’ll always have a little piece of me with you.”

As the afternoon rolls on, the picnic nearly finished, Jungwon suddenly reaches into the basket again, his eyes glinting mischievously. “Okay, don’t laugh,” he says, pulling out a box and setting it in front of you.

You smile, feeling overwhelmed by how much thought he’s put into everything. “I don’t need the bracelet to feel that,” you say, leaning in to kiss him softly. "You're always with me."

♡♡

You raise an eyebrow, curious. “What’s this?”

“Something fun. Open it.”

You carefully lift the lid, revealing an assortment of art supplies—colored markers, scissors, glitter glue, and a stack of construction paper in different shades of pink and red. You can’t help but giggle, feeling a wave of playful excitement.

“Arts and crafts?” you ask, grinning.

“Yup,” he says, popping the ‘p’ and looking ridiculously proud of himself. “I thought it would be fun to make some DIY Valentine’s Day cards. Something we can keep.”

Your heart melts at his thoughtfulness. “You really thought of everything, didn’t you?”

Jungwon laughs, pulling out a sheet of red paper and folding it in half. “Of course! Now, let’s see who can make the better Valentine card.”

Challenge accepted, you think. Grabbing a pink sheet of paper and a handful of markers, you dive in, the two of you working side by side, teasing each other as you draw hearts, write silly messages, and add way too much glitter. Laughter fills the space around you, mixing with the warmth of the sun and the soft rustling of the park's trees.

Jungwon leans over, sneakily trying to peek at your card. “Let me see! You can’t be done already.”

After a few more minutes, you both exchange cards, laughing as you see each other’s designs. His card is full of hearts and a little doodle of the two of you, while yours is filled with cute notes and inside jokes. You hold up his card and grin. “This is adorable.”

You cover it with your hand, pretending to be secretive. “Not yet! You’ll have to wait.”

As you set the cards aside, Jungwon’s face lights up again, and he reaches into the picnic basket one more time. This time, he pulls out a small tray of perfectly ripe strawberries and a little container of melted chocolate.

He chuckles. “I had a good model to draw from.”

You gasp in delight. “Jungwon, no way! You even brought strawberries and chocolate?”

“I know how much you love them,” he says, popping open the container of chocolate and dipping a strawberry into it. “Here,” he says, holding it out to you.

Jungwon leans back, watching you with a soft smile on his face. “I’m glad you’re having a good time.”

You take a bite, the sweetness of the strawberry and the richness of the chocolate melting together perfectly. “This is amazing,” you mumble between bites.

You meet his eyes, the warmth and affection in his gaze making your heart flutter all over again. "How could I not? This is the best Valentine’s Day I’ve ever had."

He reaches for another strawberry, this time taking a bite himself before offering you the rest. “Well, I wanted it to be special. You deserve that.”

You share the strawberries, your fingers sticky with chocolate as you laugh and feed each other.

As the last strawberry is devoured and you both wipe your sticky fingers on the picnic napkins, Jungwon sits back, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. The soft rustling of leaves in the breeze, mixed with the distant hum of nature, makes the world feel like it belongs to just the two of you.

“So,” he says, standing up and offering you his hand. “Ready for the next part of the day?”

You raise an eyebrow, curious but already excited. “There’s more?”

Once everything is packed, he leads you back to his car, and you climb in, the air between you buzzing with anticipation. Jungwon turns the key in the ignition and pulls out of the park, giving you that teasing smile again. “You’re going to love this next spot.”

“Of course there’s more,” he chuckles, pulling you up and gathering the remnants of the picnic. “We’ve still got a whole Valentine’s Day ahead of us.”

As he drives, you watch the world outside the window change from suburban streets to something more urban. After about twenty minutes, he pulls up to a spot you recognize instantly—a charming botanical garden that you’d been wanting to visit for ages.

“Surprise,” he says, parking the car with a grin.

You gasp, eyes wide with excitement. “The botanical gardens? How did you know?”

“I’ve heard you mention it a few times,” he says, hopping out of the car and coming around to open your door. “I thought it’d be the perfect place to visit on a day like today.”

As you stroll through the garden, hand in hand, the two of you pause every now and then to admire the different flowers. Jungwon stops to point out some of the more unique plants, making little comments and jokes that keep you smiling.

You step out and take his hand, and together you enter the garden. Immediately, you’re greeted by the sight of vibrant flowers, lush greenery, and winding paths that lead through stunning landscapes. The air smells sweet and fresh, and the sound of trickling fountains in the distance adds to the peaceful atmosphere.

At one point, you pass through an archway covered in ivy, leading to a secluded section of the garden where a large fountain sits in the center, the water sparkling under the fading light. Jungwon pulls you closer, his arm draped around your waist as you both sit on the edge of the fountain, watching the water ripple and shimmer.

“This place is beautiful,” you murmur, leaning your head on his shoulder.

“It really is,” he agrees, his voice soft. “But you’re still the most beautiful thing here.”

You roll your eyes playfully, but your heart skips a beat at his words. Before you can respond, Jungwon stands up, holding out his hand again. “C’mon, there’s one more thing I want to show you.”

Curious, you take his hand and follow him further into the garden until you reach a small glass greenhouse. Inside, the air is warm, filled with the heady scent of exotic flowers and the soft hum of nature. Jungwon pushes open the door, leading you inside, and your eyes widen as you take in the sight.

The greenhouse is filled with delicate orchids, rare tropical plants, and hanging vines. A small path weaves through the space, leading to a cozy bench tucked away in the corner.

“Jungwon,” you whisper, touched by the gesture. “You planned all of this?”

You walk over to the bench, admiring the flowers as you sit down. He joins you, wrapping his arm around your waist, pulling you close. The soft light filtering through the glass roof casts a warm glow over everything, and for a moment, you both sit in comfortable silence, surrounded by the beauty of the greenhouse.

He shrugs, a little sheepish. “I wanted today to feel special, from start to finish.”

“Thank you,” you say quietly, looking up at him with a smile. “This day… it’s been everything I could’ve asked for.”

After spending a little more time in the greenhouse, enjoying the peace and quiet, you leave the botanical gardens as the sky turns a light shade of orange. But Jungwon isn’t done yet. As the two of you get back into the car, he shoots you a quick grin. “Ready for the next part of our day?” he asks, his eyes twinkling with excitement.

Jungwon leans in, brushing a soft kiss against your forehead. “Anything for you.”

You sit up, curious but eager, “There’s more?”

He laughs, “Of course there’s more! This is just the beginning.”

After a short drive, Jungwon pulls up to the first surprise: an adorable little café that you’ve been dying to visit for ages. The fairy lights wrapped around the entrance glow warmly, making the place look magical in the early evening light. The windows are fogged up, and inside, you can see people sitting at cozy tables, sipping coffee and enjoying decadent desserts.

He parks and turns to you with a grin. “I know you’ve been wanting to come here, so I made us a reservation.”

Your heart swells. “You remembered!”

“Of course I did. How could I forget? You’ve been talking about this place for weeks.”

After finishing the croissants, Jungwon leans forward, a glint in his eye. “Alright, ready for the next stop?”

He leads you inside, where you’re greeted with the smell of freshly brewed coffee and sweet pastries. The hostess leads you to a corner table by the window, where the two of you can see the twinkling city lights outside. As soon as you sit down, Jungwon orders your favorite hot drink and a plate of chocolate-covered croissants.

The two of you settle into the cozy atmosphere, talking and laughing over the warm drinks. The conversation flows easily, as it always does with him, and you find yourself lost in the moment, completely at peace.

♡♡

You raise an eyebrow, intrigued. “ More?”

“Just you wait,” he says with a wink, standing up and helping you with your coat.

You’re back in the car, the city lights reflecting off the glass as Jungwon drives you to your next destination. You look out the window, wondering what he could have planned next. Soon, he pulls into a quiet street lined with quaint little shops, all closed for the night—except for one. A warm glow spills out from the windows of a tiny art studio, its sign twinkling under the streetlights.

When you step inside, you’re greeted by the smell of paint and fresh canvas. The room is filled with easels and paint supplies, and at the center of it all is a table reserved just for the two of you. There’s a soft, calming music playing in the background, and the instructor welcomes you both with a warm smile.

“We’re doing a paint and sip class?” you ask, eyes wide with surprise.

Jungwon nods, smiling. “I figured we could make some art together, especially after our little arts and crafts session earlier. Plus, I know you love trying new things.”

Jungwon’s tongue sticks out slightly in concentration as he paints, and you can’t help but giggle at how focused he is. “What?” he asks, looking at you with a playful smile.

The instructor hands you each a canvas, a palette of paints, and a glass of sparkling juice. You sit side by side, brushes in hand, as the instructor gives gentle guidance on what to paint. The two of you start with a simple idea—a sunset—but it quickly turns into something more personal. You add little details that remind you of each other: inside jokes, tiny symbols of your favorite memories, even a little doodle of the teddy bear he gave you earlier.

“You’re so cute when you’re concentrating,” you tease, leaning over to nudge his shoulder.

He laughs and dips his brush into some paint, making a quick swipe across your canvas. “Hey!”

After thanking the instructor and leaving the studio, Jungwon loads your paintings carefully into the car before turning to you with a soft smile. “One last stop.”

You gasp, feigning shock, and dip your own brush into paint, swiping a playful line across his. Before you know it, you’re both giggling like kids, splashing tiny bits of paint on each other’s canvases, but eventually, you settle back down and finish your masterpieces. By the end of the session, you’re both proud of what you’ve created.

The final destination turns out to be a rooftop garden overlooking the city skyline. The air is crisp, the stars twinkling brightly above as he takes your hand and leads you up the stairs. When you reach the top, your breath catches in your throat.

Candles are scattered around, their soft glow illuminating a small table set up with blankets and pillows. There’s no one else around—just you, Jungwon, and the endless stretch of stars above. A small portable speaker plays your favorite song in the background.

Jungwon pulls you into a gentle embrace, swaying with you to the music. “I wanted to end the night somewhere special. Somewhere quiet, just us.”

You wrap your arms around him, resting your head against his chest as the two of you sway slowly under the stars. “You’ve outdone yourself,” you whisper, your heart overflowing with love.

He smiles down at you, his eyes soft and full of warmth. “I just wanted to make today perfect. You mean the world to me.”

You pull back slightly, gazing up at him, your heart fluttering. “It’s more than perfect. I’ll never forget this day.”

He leans down, pressing a gentle kiss to your lips. “Neither will I.”

As the gentle hum of the night surrounds you, you find yourself lost in Jungwon’s gaze, the moment feeling incredibly intimate and precious. You caress his cheek softly, your thumb brushing over his skin, feeling the warmth radiating from him. His dimple pops out as he blushes, an adorable shade of pink painting his cheeks, making your heart flutter even more.

“I really do love you, you know,” you whisper, the words flowing from your heart like a sweet melody.

His eyes widen slightly, a mix of surprise and joy illuminating his face. “I love you too,” he replies, his voice almost a breathless whisper, the sincerity in his tone wrapping around you like a warm embrace.

You can’t help but smile at him, your heart swelling with affection. “I mean it. You make every day brighter, and I’m so grateful to have you in my life.”

The words hang in the air, heavy with meaning and promise. You nod, your heart racing as you hold his gaze.

Jungwon leans into your touch, his eyes softening even more. “You’re my everything. I never want to lose this… us.”

He brings his hand up to cover yours, still resting on his cheek, and you feel an overwhelming sense of love wash over you. “No matter what happens, I want you to know that I’ll always be here for you,” he says, his voice steady and full of conviction.

“Always,” you affirm, a smile spreading across your face.

Bonus!!!

The soft glow of the TV screen flickered across the room as you settled into the couch, Yang—the plushie Jungwon had gifted you for valentines —snuggled comfortably in your arms. You glanced around the room, the familiar faces of Jungwon’s friends surrounding you. Sunghoon sat to your left, his focus fixed on the game, while Jay was on your right, equally engrossed.

The sounds of the boys laughing and cheering filled the air, but despite the lively atmosphere, you felt your eyelids growing heavy. You hadn’t slept well the previous night, a mix of excitement and nerves keeping you awake. You fought to keep your eyes open, but the warm, cozy embrace of the couch combined with the rhythmic sounds of the game made it harder and harder.

“Are you okay?” Sunghoon asked, glancing over at you, concern etching his features.

“Just a bit tired,” you replied, stifling a yawn.

Jay chuckled softly. “You should’ve taken a nap before coming over. You look like you could use one.”

You didn’t notice when Heeseung quietly picked you up, carefully cradling you in his arms as he made his way to a vacant guest room in the house. He laid you down gently on the soft bed, tucking Yang beside you. Your grip instinctively tightened around the plushie, pulling it close to your chest.

You gave him a small smile, but the effort was too much. Before you knew it, your eyes fluttered closed, and you succumbed to the pull of sleep, the sounds of the game fading into a gentle background hum.

Time passed, and you remained blissfully unaware of the world around you, lost in a peaceful dream. You didn’t hear Jungwon arrive, nor did you notice the way he paused at the door, taking in the sight of you sleeping peacefully.

“Look at her,” Jungwon muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing slightly at the sight. He felt a twinge of frustration—that plushie wasn’t him.

The moment felt surreal as he stepped into the room, a small smile creeping onto his face at the sight of you curled up with Yang. But then a wave of jealousy washed over him, stirring an unfamiliar feeling in his chest.

Why was Yang getting all the cuddles?

Jake, who had followed Jungwon into the room, nudged him with a knowing smile. “You bought it for her, Won. If it really means that much, take its place.”

Sunoo, standing a bit behind Jake, added softly, “Yeah, she wouldn’t mind if you swapped places for a bit.”

Jungwon’s gaze shifted back to you, taking in the peaceful expression on your face. You looked so content, clutching Yang like it was the most comforting thing in the world. He felt a mix of warmth and possessiveness at the sight, his heart softening as he walked closer.

“Maybe you’re right,” he said quietly, a smirk forming on his lips as he knelt beside the bed. Gently, he reached out and moved Yang just enough so he could slip into your space without waking you.

He settled next to you, wrapping his arms around you and resting his chin on your head. The moment he made contact, you instinctively nuzzled closer, sighing contentedly. Jungwon chuckled softly, realizing that, even in your sleep, you craved his warmth.

“Guess she loves me more,” he whispered, his heart swelling with affection.

With a satisfied sigh, Jungwon closed his eyes, letting himself relax as he held you close, feeling as if everything was just as it should be. Yang may have been the plushie that kept you company, but he knew he’d always be the one you truly cherished—and that thought filled him with joy.

It was clear as day that Jungwon belonged right there next to you, sharing the warmth of your love.

♡♡

a/n: OMGGG! Thank you all for the rise in popularity for my Ni-ki fic!! I never expected it to blow up overnight. xD Truly happy!

jealousy, jealousy — nrk.

trope. established relationship. overprotective / jealousy au.

synopsis. nishimura riki is stubborn and hard-headed, yet not even a fight can stop him from making sure no one bothers his girlfriend. who knew jealousy could look so good on riki? (2.1k words)

note. here’s to anon who requested for me to write jealous aus! realized i’ve never actually tried writing it before :0 the song btw has nothing to do w the fic. just stole the title

There’s nothing more unsettling than seeing you trying to talk to Nishimura Riki who is actively making it a point to avoid looking or speaking to you, despite being in the same vehicle.

Especially when you’re saying, gently, “Riki, I’m really sorry.”

Riki couldn’t bring himself to look at you. He was understandably upset, and there was an insistent voice in his head that told him to give you the silent treatment. Your boyfriend had the right to be annoyed – especially when he had spent hours prior in the day waiting for you at your favorite ice cream parlor.

It wasn’t like you had meant to stand him up on your date. You had been called back late by your teacher, and you had forgotten to inform Riki especially when your mind was a sea of responsibilities you had to tend to. And on most days, Riki would understand and forgive you in a heartbeat – even offer to help you with your workload.

He always said it was a stupid reason to be upset with, and it was in hindsight. However, it’s been a really long time since you’d last been on a date together.

With his dance competitions and your constant strive to keep your scholarship, the both of you were understandably busy. Spotting free time on both of your schedules was rare and you took every chance at spending time together when it happened.

Today was one of those days, and the plan was that you’d go on an ice cream date (just the two of you) before going to one of Jay’s famous parties. It didn’t help that Riki was particularly clingy today after having lost a spot in the Top 3 of his recent competition. He just wanted to be with you, to bask in your comfort, and to hold you in his arms as a reminder that there was always next time.

And you had accidentally robbed him of that. So, Nishimura Riki was upset with you.

“Riki–” You begin.

“Don’t.” He cut you off before you could even continue. “I don’t really want to talk to you right now.”

He surprised himself with how cold he spoke to you, guilt instantly settling in, but it was too late to take back his words. Besides, you knew never to take it to heart when Riki was upset. You’d just have to try again tomorrow, when he’d have enough time to calm himself down. So, you simply grow quiet as he pulls up the driveway of your shared friend’s house.

The night air is cold when you step out of the car, and you visibly shrug at the sudden coolness in contrast to the heat you had felt in the silence between you and your boyfriend. It’s only now that Riki allows himself to look at you. His gaze follows the gentle shaking of your shoulders and the clattering of your teeth as you wrap your arms around yourself in an attempt to warm yourself.

While he was angry, Riki was not a cruel boyfriend. Shrugging his jacket off, he places it on your shoulders gently, helping you adjust your arms in its sleeves to make sure that in the chill of the night and the air-conditioned party, you would not feel cold.

Before you can thank him, he starts walking for the door.

Poor Sunoo is unaware of the fight when you pull both of you in for a hug, bouncing in conversation and being greeted by an awkward string of responses from the both of you. He only understands the situation when you and Riki walk separate ways upon entering the party.

The music is unbearably loud, and Riki is the first one to go meet up with his friends. You walk the opposite direction in hopes of seeing a friend.

Truthfully, you did not want to be in this party right now. It was only ever fun when you were Riki, popping out an ankle biter or two as you’d make fun of the drunk teenagers around you. Time always stretched in meaningful ways when you were with him, blurred by silly dancing and excusing yourselves to pull pranks on your friends.

“(Name)!” You spot Felix, a good friend of Jake, approaching you with a smile on his face. He gives you a side hug, immediately noticing the lack of your boyfriend by your side. “Where’s Riki?” You return the warm smile at the boy, politely acknowledging him. You don’t really want to tell him you weren’t with Riki because you had a fight, so you settle with a little white lie.

“He’s downstairs. I’m looking for a friend.” Felix nods his head, patting your head before he’s called by Hyunjin. “Well, I’ll leave you to it. I’ll see you around!” With one last tap on the shoulder, Felix heads towards the direction of his friend, leaving you to walk around by yourself again.

You grow more anxious upon not spotting a single close friend in the party after roaming around the house for a good fifteen minutes. Then again, Jay’s space was huge and it’d be impossible to look through every space and crevice in search of a friend.

You had hoped maybe Yuna or Yunjin were around so you could pass time through conversation and gossip. However, fate doesn’t hand you luck tonight.

On the other side of the party, Riki is seated with his friends – Sunghoon and Jake joking around with a beer in hand as they chat about their recent flings, Sunoo off to dance with friends, Heeseung and Jay busying themselves to make sure the partygoers were accommodated with enough food and drinks, and Jungwon who is concerned why his friend is awfully quiet tonight with the absence of your usual figure next to him.

“Where’s (name)?” Jungwon starts.

“We had a fight.” Riki’s response is pointed as he glances at Jungwon before going back to people-watching. It’s like he doesn’t want to say it. Riki hates fighting with you – and while it was normal to occasionally fight in healthy relationships, it didn’t mean Riki hated it any less. However, he was stubborn and hardheaded, and that insistent voice has not left his head.

“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that.” Jungwon blinks, unsure of how to respond. He wasn’t sure if Riki wanted him to keep pushing at the topic or not. Going for the safe option, Jungwon keeps his mouth shut as he excuses himself to go help Jay and Heeseung.

While heading for the kitchen, Jungwon spots you seated on another couch in the living room, scrolling through your phone. Next to you is Chaewon who looks like she’s in a peaceful slumber despite the loud music and the crowd of people.

When you catch sight of the boy, he waves at you politely before he disappears into the crowd.

You hum to yourself. You suppose you should just leave in a bit after Chaewon wakes up. Besides, it wasn’t really a bother having her lean her head on your shoulder, and you didn’t really want to wake her to leave the party you had just joined.

You’re less fortunate with the man seated on your left.

He had been trying to talk to you the whole time you were looking for a friend (after Felix had left your side), and he had sat down next to you the moment you grew tired.

When Jungwon disappears, the boy next to you perks up and starts quizzing you on your name, which school you went to, what year you were in. He honestly seemed friendly, noticing your lack of mood for the party and attempting to lighten it up a little. But, you did not feel like answering him.

Perhaps he was trying to make a friend, but you were too preoccupied on how you were going to apologize to Riki tomorrow. And, he was being a little too creepy about not leaving you alone.

He tries asking you open-ended questions, tries to be quirky by asking conversation-inducing questions, but you really had nothing to say that might be of interest to him.

“You look like you aren’t enjoying yourself.” You’re ripped out of your thoughts at his constant efforts at a conversation, and when you start to feel properly awkward, you feel his arm slide behind you, dangling on the couch and inching impossibly closer to you. Maybe he wasn’t trying to make a friend after all.

You silently pray in your head for Chaewon to wake up so you could peel yourself away from the situation.

You stutter over your own words, trying to think of a way to tell him you really weren’t in the mood to have a conversation with a stranger, and you’re sure Riki wasn’t too big of a fan of someone else trying to be touchy with you.

While you appreciated his efforts at trying to make you enjoy yourself, you can’t help but think that he had ulterior motives, and you were sure your boyfriend wouldn’t appreciate that.

Was the oversized jacket you’re wearing not clue enough that you had a boyfriend?

“Yo, who’s that next to (name)?” Riki’s ears perk up at the mention of your name, back straightening as he tries to listen in on Jake and Sunghoon’s conversation.

“Riki, I think someone’s trying to chat your girlfriend up.” Sunghoon looks behind him to look at Riki who has grown intimidatingly silent at his comment. Motioning over to where you’re seated, Riki pushes himself off from the couch, peering over in search of his girlfriend in the crowd.

Jake and Sunghoon were right. In his view, he spots a stupid looking boy trying to impress you – and you were clearly not having it. Riki feels his head start to ache and his fists clench by his side. He grips his phone tighter, knuckles turning white at the sight that greets him.

The icy grip of jealousy that seeps through his veins is overwhelming. You’re smiling politely at the boy, and Riki knows you’re trying to think of a million ways to get away from the situation. He doesn’t understand why he feels jealous. It’s not like you even wanted to talk to that boy.

Then it clicks. Maybe that’s why. Because here you were, seated with some boy who has his hand on your shoulder when it should’ve been him. And all of this is happening just because he was upset at you for your lack of communication from a while ago.

Nishimura Riki couldn’t take it anymore.

Locked and loaded behind gritted teeth and popping veins on his neck, he makes his way through the crowd, stopping right in front of you and the cause of his annoyance. “The fuck do you think you’re doing?” Riki glares down at the boy beside you. “That’s my girlfriend, so get your hands off her.”

The sight of Riki is enough to send bullets of sweat down the boy’s forehead. With a newfound fear, the boy straightens up from his seat, pulling his arm off of you before raising it in defeat. “Dude, my bad. She was here alone, how should I have known she had a boyfriend?”

“Go fuck yourself.” Riki’s face flashes in your direction and his features soften at a ridiculously fast pace. He reaches out to take your hand in his before gently tugging you off of the couch, apologizing to Chaewon in the process while he takes you outside.

Riki pulls you in for a hug. He doesn’t care how upset he was with you, he needed to make sure you were okay. With his hand running through your back and his lips pressed on top of your head, he feels his mood instantly lighten.

He pulls away, brushing your hair off your face before asking quietly, “Are you okay?”

You thought about it for a second before nodding your head, smiling gratefully at him. You know he was upset with you (he might still be), and Riki tended to be stubborn and hardheaded when it came to arguments. It was just nice to know that even then, he always had your back. Even if he was angry or upset or annoyed, you knew you could always count on him to be there for you.

“You wanna go home?”

You nod your head, scooting closer to him. He knows that you just need him so he takes your hand in his, leading you over to where he had parked the car. “Maybe some ice cream to make it up to you?”

“Okay. I’m still upset, by the way.”

“I know. I love you.”

“...Love you too.”

── ❝ ꒰ 𝐼𝑇’𝒮 𝑆𝑂 𝒮𝑊𝐸𝐸𝑇 ៸ 𝐾𝑁𝒪𝑊𝐼𝑁𝒢 𝑇𝐻𝒜𝑇 𝒴𝒪𝒰 𝐿𝑂𝑉𝐸 𝑀𝐸 .ᐟㅤ ៸៸﹙ 박성훈 ﹚ ᶻ𐰁

GENRE ៸៸ established relationship ៸ oneshot ﹔ SYPNOSIS┆in which your cold boyfriend suddenly acts clingy and affectionate in the morning .ᐟㅤ ꒰ WORD COUNT﹕1083 ꒱── 𝓦ARNING(S) not proofread ៸ cutie hoon ៸ pet names ៸ . ݁ ✦ ݁ . ⊱ LIBRARY . . . ﹕LUNA 💭 — it’s been a while!! i missed being on here sm im cryinggg schools been so tough ૮(˶╥︿╥)ა ˖ ݁𖥔 ݁˖

YOU WOKE UP TO A WARMTH YOU’RE NOT USED TO FEELING SO EARLY IN THE MORNING.

it’s comforting but so unfamiliar—as your eyes slowly flutter open, you realize that someone’s arms are wrapped securely around you, holding you close and coddling you as if you were a giant plushie.

the room is still dimly lit, the curtains drawn, but the soft sunrise of the early morning light seeps through, just enough for you to see the messy hair and familiar features of your boyfriend—park sunghoon.

sunghoon isn’t usually like this—he’s not the type to show his affection so openly.

he’s reserved, sometimes distant, always keeping his emotions carefully guarded behind his cold and icy demeanor.

so waking up like this, feeling his body pressed so intimately against yours, his face nuzzled into the crook of your neck, sends a rush of warmth and butterflies through you.

it’s as if he’s silently begging you not to move, as if he’s afraid you might slip away.

you tried shifting just a little, testing to see if you can turn over and look at him properly, but his grip only tightened in response, almost instinctively. ─── 𝘔𝘖𝘙𝘌 𝘜𝘕𝘋𝘌𝘙 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘊𝘜𝘛 .ᐟㅤ

his arms are firm around you, his breath steady and soft against your skin, and you can’t help but smile, even though you’re still a little—very confused.

“hoon?” you whisper, voice soft and gentle, not wanting to break the warmth of the moment.

you tilted your head with a pout to try and get a glimpse of his face, and you can see his eyes are still closed, his brows no longer furrowed in that typical stern way of his.

instead, he looks peaceful, maybe even vulnerable.

he doesn’t say anything at first, he just lets out a small sigh as his eyes blink open, the usual sharpness softened by exhaustion.

he looks at you for a moment, his gaze lingering on your delicate features, and it almost takes your breath away how different he seems—how unguarded.

“is everything okay, hoon?” you ask, your voice barely above a whisper, your eyes searching his, it’s unlike him to be this close, to be this... needy.

he doesn’t answer immediately, and for a second, you think he might just close his eyes again, retreat back into the comfort of silence and sleep.

but instead, he shifts a little, burying his face deeper into your neck, his lips brushing against your skin as he speaks, his voice shy and quiet.

“i just... i don’t say it enough,” he murmurs, his words barely audible to your ears.

“i don’t say it at all, actually. but i love you.”

his confession is soft, almost hesitant, like he’s afraid of how you’ll react. it catches you off guard, and for a moment, you forget how to breathe.

sunghoon, who rarely lets his emotions show, is telling you he loves you—it’s as if all those guarded looks and hesitant touches have finally found their voice, their body.

you feel his arms tighten slightly, his heart beating steadily against your back, and it makes your own heart explode with warmth.

letting out a soft a breath, your lips transforming into a gentle smile.

you turn your body just enough to face him, bringing your hand up to cup his cheek.

his eyes are half-lidded, watching you, nervousness radiating off of him.

you can tell that it took a lot for him to say those words—he’s always shown his love through actions rather than declarations.

“sunghoon...” you whisper, your thumb brushing gently along his cheekbone.

“you don’t have to say it for me to know, you know that?”

his gaze drops onto the covers for a second, as if he was unsure, but you lift his chin slightly, making him meet your eyes.

“you’ve always shown me you love me,” you continue, your voice filled with warmth.

“the way you remember the smallest things about me—like how you always make sure my favorite snack is stocked or how you know just when i need some space and when i need you close, or when i’ve had a horrible day and you rent my favourite movies on overpriced subscriptions.”

you see his expression soften, his eyes holding a glimmer of something more tender, and it makes your heart swell even more—if possible.

you lean in, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. “i love you too, hoon,” you whisper against his skin.

“i always have and will. your actions have always told me everything i needed to know.”

he stays silent for a moment, and you feel him relax against you, his forehead resting against yours.

there’s a hint of a grin tugging at his lips, his eyes closing as if he’s savoring your words, your presence.

his arms pull you even closer, if that’s even possible, and you feel his breath against your skin, warm and steady.

“you’re too good to me, pretty..” he mumbles, his voice muffled slightly by your proximity.

“i know i’m not the best at showing it... but i’ll keep trying. for you.”

your heart flutters at his words, and you shake your head slightly, smiling.

“you’re perfect just the way you are,” you say softly, wrapping your arms around his neck.

“i don’t need grand gestures. just you, like this, is always going to be enough.”

he looks at you, his eyes holding a softness that’s usually hidden behind his icy expression.

his lips stretch into a small, shy smile, and he leans in, pressing a gentle kiss to your lips.

it’s sweet and soft, filled with all the words he hasn’t said, and it makes your heart flutter in your chest.

when he pulls back, he rests his forehead against yours again, his eyes closing as he lets out a content sigh.

“i love you,” he repeats, the words sounding more confident this time, as if he’s finally allowing himself to believe in them.

“i love you too,” you reply, your fingers threading through his hair, holding him close.

you both fall into a comfortable silence, the morning sun slowly brightening the room, but neither of you wanted to make any move to let go.

for once, sunghoon isn’t afraid to show how much he cares, and you can feel it in every gentle touch, every soft breath.

it’s a side of him you’ve always known was there, hidden beneath his coldness, and now, wrapped up in his arms, you feel like the luckiest person in the world to witness it.

© won4kiss 2024

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៸៸ ❝ PLEASE REBLoG AND LiKE .ᐟㅤ 💌

good graces / yang jungwon

where you are yang jungwon's first girlfriend, leading you to constantly remind him on the things he should do and should not do. reminding him to stay in your good graces. Boy it's not that complicated genre fluff, est. relationship, new relationship, clueless wonie

yang jungwon had always been calm, composed, and confident when it came to leading his group or making decisions, but being in a relationship? that was entirely new territory for him. you, his first girlfriend, had quickly realized that while jungwon was sweet and kind, he was very inexperienced. it didn’t take long before you found yourself gently reminding him about the little things he should or shouldn’t do, ensuring he stayed on track to be the best boyfriend he could be.

“okay, jungwon, remember—when we’re out, no hugging every single person you meet!” you said, poking his cheek playfully as the two of you walked hand in hand through the park. jungwon chuckled, his eyes squinting in that adorable way you loved.

“but i’m just being friendly!” he protested, grinning at you. “it’s not like i’m—”

“too friendly,” you interrupted with a teasing smile. “there’s friendly, and then there’s you giving a bear hug to every girl we meet.”

jungwon blinked, clearly realizing he might have been overdoing it a little. “oh… was that bad?”

you couldn’t help but laugh. “it’s not bad, wonnie, it’s just… some people might misunderstand, and i’m pretty sure i don’t want to fight off every girl in the neighborhood because they think you’re available.”

he nodded, a sheepish smile appearing on his face. “got it. no more bear hugs.”

but despite the little reminders, jungwon was still learning. one time, the two of you were sitting at a cafe, enjoying a cozy date when a group of girls from his class spotted him. jungwon, ever the polite and friendly guy, waved them over. you watched with a mixture of amusement and mild concern as he casually engaged in conversation with them, all while you sat quietly beside him.

“jungwon…” you muttered under your breath as one of the girls leaned a little too close to him, laughing at something he said. he glanced at you, clueless as always, before turning back to the girls.

“oh, right! this is my girlfriend, yn!” jungwon suddenly introduced you, making the girls blink in surprise.

“girlfriend?” one of them echoed, clearly taken aback. you could see the realization hit jungwon like a ton of bricks as he finally noticed the tension in the air.

“um… we should get going, right?” he said quickly, standing up and grabbing your hand.

as soon as you left the cafe, jungwon sighed and looked at you apologetically. “did i mess up again?”

“just a little,” you teased, squeezing his hand. “you’ll get the hang of it eventually. i mean, you don’t have to announce that i’m your girlfriend every time. just maybe don’t give them a reason to wonder, okay?”

jungwon smiled bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck. “i’ll try harder. i promise.”

there were also cute, innocent moments where jungwon was just trying too hard to be the perfect boyfriend. like the time he spent three hours trying to bake you cookies because he wanted to surprise you. when you arrived at his dorm, the kitchen was a disaster zone—flour everywhere, chocolate smears on the counter, and jungwon covered in what you could only assume was a mix of cookie dough and regret.

“surprise?” he said, holding up a plate of oddly shaped cookies.

you burst into laughter, unable to contain it. “oh my god, what happened here?”

jungwon pouted, looking down at his ‘masterpiece.’ “i just wanted to do something nice for you… but i think i need more practice.”

you took one of the cookies, biting into it despite its appearance. “hmm, not bad,” you said, trying to stifle a laugh. “but maybe next time, let’s try baking together?”

“deal,” jungwon agreed, his face brightening.

despite his little mishaps, you couldn’t help but find them endearing. it wasn’t about jungwon being perfect, but about how hard he tried. even when he messed up, he was always eager to learn, always wanting to make you happy.

one night, after a long day, you both collapsed onto his couch, exhausted but content. jungwon snuggled up next to you, resting his head on your shoulder.

“thanks for being patient with me,” he murmured softly. “i know i still have a lot to learn.”

you smiled, running your fingers through his hair. “you’re doing great, wonnie. and besides, it’s kinda fun teaching you.”

“uh, yn?” he asked hesitantly, eyes shifting from you to the screen and back again.

“yeah?” you replied, not really paying attention, focused on the movie.

“so… am i supposed to put my arm around you now? or is that only in the movies?” he whispered, clearly overthinking the whole situation.

you couldn’t help but giggle, loving how clueless he was. “you don’t have to, jungwon, but you can if you want.”

his cheeks flushed pink as he slowly, awkwardly draped his arm over your shoulders, pulling you close. “how’s this? is this okay?”

“perfect,” you murmured, snuggling into him. despite his nervousness, he let out a relieved sigh, clearly pleased that he’d managed to get it right.

another memorable moment happened when jungwon tried to impress you with his "boyfriend skills" at an arcade. you’d suggested going for a fun day out, and jungwon, being the competitive person he is, immediately decided he was going to win you something from the claw machine.

“watch this,” he said confidently, inserting the coins and cracking his knuckles. “i’m gonna win you that teddy bear.”

you watched with an amused smile as he attempted—and failed—three times in a row. the claw kept slipping off the bear, and jungwon’s face grew more and more determined each time. after his fifth try, you couldn’t help but tease him.

“so… are you winning it for me today or should we come back next week?” you grinned.

jungwon shot you a playful glare but couldn’t hide his smile. “i’ll get it, just you wait.”

he finally managed to hook the bear on the sixth try, and he turned to you with a proud smile, holding the prize up triumphantly. “see? i told you i’d win it!”

you clapped, pretending to be overjoyed. “wow, my hero! six times the charm, huh?”

he rolled his eyes but handed you the bear with a grin. “hey, i still won it, didn’t i?”

but despite all his adorable efforts to be the perfect boyfriend, jungwon still found himself in hot water from time to time—usually because he was just a bit too friendly. like the time you both went to a classmate’s party, and one of his female classmates kept chatting him up. jungwon, being the polite guy he was, didn’t think much of it, but you noticed the girl was a little too eager to be close to him.

“jungwon,” you said under your breath, tugging at his sleeve. “maybe tone it down a little?”

he blinked at you in confusion. “tone what down?”

“you’re being too nice again,” you replied, nodding toward the girl, who was still lingering nearby.

jungwon’s eyes widened in realization. “oh… i didn’t even notice.” he then wrapped an arm around your waist, pulling you close. “sorry, i’ll be more careful.”

you couldn’t stay mad at him. it wasn’t like he meant to do it—he just had a natural charm that made people gravitate toward him, even when he wasn’t trying.

there was another time when jungwon tried to surprise you with a cute text, but it didn’t exactly go as planned. it was your first anniversary as a couple, and you were expecting something sweet from him. instead, you received a message that made you burst out laughing:

jungwon: "happy first adversary, baby!"

you quickly texted him back: "uh, wonnie… you mean anniversary?"

his response came quickly, followed by a series of embarrassed emojis: "omg, i meant anniversary. ignore that please."

when you met him later that day, you couldn’t resist teasing him about it. “adversary, huh? are we enemies now?”

jungwon groaned, his cheeks bright red as he buried his face in his hands. “please don’t bring that up again. i was nervous!”

you grinned, patting his head. “don’t worry, it was cute. i love my ‘adversary.’”

“stop it,” he whined, but the smile on his face told you he wasn’t really upset.

and of course, there were all the little moments where jungwon was simply too clueless for his own good. like the time he tried to surprise you by cooking dinner but ended up setting off the smoke alarm instead.

you’d rushed over to his dorm when you received a panicked call from him, only to find jungwon waving a towel at the smoke alarm, coughing and laughing at himself. “so… maybe cooking’s not my thing,” he admitted sheepishly as you opened the windows to let out the smoke.

“you think?” you teased, unable to stop giggling.

he pouted, but there was a twinkle in his eyes. “hey, at least i tried. it’s the thought that counts, right?”

you shook your head, wrapping your arms around him. “yes, it is. but maybe next time, let’s just order takeout.”

jungwon let out a relieved laugh, hugging you back tightly. “deal. no more setting off alarms.”

as your relationship with jungwon continued, it became clear that he was growing more comfortable with the dynamics of being a boyfriend, though the cute little slip-ups kept happening. but that was part of the charm—watching him learn, adapt, and still manage to mess up in the most endearing ways.

one weekend, you and jungwon had plans for a picnic date in the park. it was a sunny day, and he was eager to show off his newfound cooking skills after the infamous smoke alarm incident. he had insisted on preparing all the food himself, and although you were a little skeptical, you were excited to see what he came up with.

you arrived at the park, and jungwon was already setting up the picnic blanket under a big oak tree, the basket of food placed neatly in the center. you smiled as you walked over, admiring how cute and eager he looked.

“hey, chef wonnie!” you called out, teasing him a little. “what did you cook up this time? no fire alarms, i hope.”

jungwon grinned, standing up to greet you with a quick hug. “no fire alarms this time, i promise. i made sandwiches… and something special.”

you raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “something special?”

he opened the basket, pulling out a small container and handing it to you. “open it.”

you took the container, curious, and popped the lid open to reveal… a heart-shaped rice ball. you blinked, surprised by how cute it was.

“you made this?” you asked, looking at him with wide eyes.

jungwon scratched the back of his neck, a little shy. “yeah. i thought it’d be cute, you know… since you’re always saying i should do more romantic stuff.”

you couldn’t help but laugh softly, touched by the effort he’d put in. “it’s adorable, jungwon. i love it.”

“really?” his eyes lit up, clearly relieved. “i wasn’t sure if it was too cheesy.”

“it’s cheesy, but in the best way possible,” you assured him, leaning over to give him a peck on the cheek. “you’re getting better at this boyfriend thing.”

he puffed out his chest proudly. “well, i do have the best teacher.”

the two of you sat down on the blanket, enjoying the food and each other’s company. it was peaceful, with the sun shining and a light breeze rustling the trees. you couldn’t remember the last time you felt so content.

after a while, jungwon pulled out his phone and started playing some music, soft and relaxing. you leaned your head on his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around you, and for a moment, everything felt perfect.

“hey,” jungwon suddenly said, breaking the comfortable silence.

“yeah?” you replied, tilting your head up to look at him.

he hesitated for a second, then said, “i’ve been thinking… i wanna be better at this.”

“better at what?”

“you know, being your boyfriend,” he admitted, his voice soft but serious. “i know i mess up a lot, and i’m still figuring things out, but i really want to make you happy.”

your heart melted at his words. “jungwon, you’re already doing an amazing job. you don’t have to be perfect.”

“i know, but…” he trailed off, looking down at you with those wide, sincere eyes. “i love you, and i want to keep getting better for you.”

you smiled, your heart swelling with affection. “i love you too, jungwon. and honestly, the fact that you’re trying so hard is more than enough for me.”

jungwon’s face softened, and he leaned down to press a gentle kiss to your forehead. “i’ll keep trying, okay? for you.”

“and i’ll keep helping you,” you teased, poking his side.

he laughed, grabbing your hand and holding it tightly. “deal.”

later that day, as you walked home together, hand in hand, jungwon spotted a couple walking in front of you. the guy wrapped his arm around the girl’s waist, pulling her closer, and you could practically see the gears turning in jungwon’s head.

without saying a word, he mimicked the couple, wrapping his arm around your waist and pulling you in a little awkwardly. you chuckled, glancing up at him.

“what are you doing?” you asked, amused.

“being a good boyfriend,” he replied with a determined look on his face, though you could see the shy smile tugging at his lips.

you smiled, leaning into him. “you’re such a dork.”

“but i’m your dork,” he shot back, a playful glint in his eyes.

you laughed, shaking your head. “can’t argue with that.”

as you continued walking, jungwon suddenly stopped, pulling you to a halt too. you looked at him, confused.

“what’s up?” you asked.

he looked down at you, a hint of nervousness in his expression. “i… i wanna say it.”

“say what?”

“i love you,” he said quietly, his voice soft but full of sincerity. “i don’t think i say it enough, and i want you to know.”

your heart fluttered at his words. “i love you too, jungwon.”

he smiled, looking relieved, and pulled you into a tight hug. you stood there for a moment, wrapped in each other’s arms, the world around you fading away. it was just you and him, and in that moment, everything felt right.

“you’re doing great, jungwon,” you whispered into his shoulder. “you really are.”

he chuckled, his breath tickling your ear. “thanks… i’m learning from the best.”

you pulled back slightly to look at him, grinning. “yeah, you are.”

he laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners, and leaned down to press a soft kiss to your lips. “i’ll keep getting better,” he promised.

“i know you will,” you replied, your heart full of warmth.

and as you walked the rest of the way home, hand in hand, you couldn’t help but think that even though jungwon was still new to this whole relationship thing, he was already perfect in your eyes.

the matchmatic 3000 | jake sim

✰ summary: simp, i mean, sim jaeyun is a hopeless romantic. a cursed hopeless romantic, he would say, doomed to exist as just your friend, nothing more. but when his genius (read: nerdy) best friend creates a highly accurate matchmaking app for the university, jake is ready to bribe, beg, and possibly sell his soul to make sure he gets paired with you. plan a? hack the system. plan b? there is no plan b. to jake, being delulu is the solulu, and he's all in.

✰ pairing: jake sim x y/n [ft. bestfriends!jay & heeseung]

✰ genre: fluff, comedy | college!au, matchmaking!au, friendstolovers!au, pining, pining, pining heh

✰ contains: honestly, just crack. i had too much fun with the humor in this one i think, whoops! lots of awkward tension, slow burn, pining, more pining, cute kithes (~￣³￣)~, reader is oblivious beyond saving, but no actual warnings other than maybe one or two cuss words i think!

✰ wc: ...19k (i swear this wasn't intentional...once again, i had too much fun) 

✰ a/n: it's finally done! i'm nervvy because i haven't posted a fic in almost three years now,,,but i randomly got inspo one day after seeing a tiktok about a matchmaking questionnare and now here we are! i loved writing these characters, it was so much fun,,,but i also don't know how to feel abt the whole thing so i hope people enjoy this !! :’)) ૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ♡

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。..・。.・゜✭・.・

Simply put, Jake Sim is a simp. His name should honestly be legally changed from Sim Jae-yun to Simp Jae-yun at this point. 

Jake doesn’t fall often, but when he does, he hits the ground with the force of a malfunctioning rocket ship. Once in the third grade, a girl gave him a Hello Kitty bandage after he face-planted off the playground swings. Cute, right? Well, Jake was so smitten, he spent the next week sliding his prized dino chicken nuggets across the lunch table like they were some ancient currency to win her over.  

Did it work? Sort of. Did she eat all his nuggets without ever looking back? Absolutely.  

But this? With you? This is different.  

Jake would give up more than just his room-temp mystery-meat pterodactyls for you. He thinks he’d willingly cat-sit twelve cats—despite his strong dislike for cats. He thinks he’d voluntarily train for the national triathlon—despite always getting winded walking up the two flights of stairs to get to his apartment. He’d probably let you have the last Supreme pizza slice, which for Jake, is basically like offering you his soul on a silver platter. 

Forget falling—Jake didn’t just trip, no. He plummeted into a cartoon-style pit, the kind covered with leaves spread over the top like some dollar-store disguise. He’s still down there, metaphorically flailing around like a maniac while you’re chilling up above, completely unaware that you Tom & Jerry-ed his heart. 

In hindsight, Jake hopelessly pining for you was about as inevitable as a rom-com misunderstanding. The second his childhood best friend Grace—aka your college best friend and roommate—introduced you guys during freshman year orientation, Jake was hit with the biggest, dumbest case of whiplash known to mankind. 

You were so confident, so outgoing, so unapologetically you. You were like sunshine, and Jake was just there, squinting and hoping he wouldn't spontaneously combust into a thousand ashes from simply staring at you. 

But, as with all classic tropes (and pining fanfics), Jake knows that mixing friend groups and love interests is a recipe for disaster. And not just any disaster—a culinary trainwreck. Worse than whatever recipe the dining hall uses to make their sad excuse for tacos. Like, is it beef? Is it tofu? Who knows, and honestly, I don't think anyone wants to know.  

Anyways, that brings us to today: a couple years later, with Jake still mooning over his friend. His feelings remain the best-kept secret in the history of best-kept secrets—well, if secrets were meant to be as obvious as a neon sign in a blackout. 

In fact, Jake’s attempts at subtlety are about as smooth as a drunk giraffe on roller skates. Whenever you walk into the room, it’s like someone hits the ‘shutdown’ button on his brain. One second, he’s cracking jokes and holding conversations just fine, the next? Boom. Total system failure. You can almost hear the Windows XP error sound the moment you catch him off guard with a smile.

It’s not that Jake can’t talk to you—he’s your friend, after all. But the second he catches your sweet laugh or smile and his feelings come rolling in and the butterflies come out? Well, that’s when words start slipping through his fingers like sand, and his once confident banter turns into a cautious game of verbal Jenga. 

His brilliant solution?

Simple: stick to safe topics and keep it light. Foolproof, right? Well, if your idea of foolproof includes missed opportunities and enough internal cringe to fuel a thousand regret-filled 3am thoughts.

Luckily for him, you’ve gone all these years mistaking his massive, raging, hormonal crush on you as part of his ‘friendly, sweet, soft-spoken boy’ personality. And Jake? He’ll take that over an awkward-confession-which-may-lead-to-a-crash-and-burn-outcome any day. 

Honestly, who wouldn’t? Jake thinks as he glances at you from across the lunch table, currently laughing at one of Jay’s terrible puns. Yep, being friends with you is totally fine… totally fine… totally fine.

Jake’s totally fine.

Jake is totally not one more bad-Jay-pun away from writing tragic love haikus in his Notes app and forming a backstory about his unrequited feelings.

As if right on cue, Jay cracks a banana-physics joke (because, obviously, Jay is an expert in theoretical physics despite never having taken a class), and while everyone else is laughing, Jake’s over here, contemplating the meaning of life:

Her laugh echoes bright, I’m lost, no GPS found, Help, I’m still simping.

Jake stares down at his phone, horrified. Did he seriously just… haiku his feelings? Help. Is this what rock-bottom looks like?

"Alright listen up you peasants," Heeseung clears his throat dramatically as he suddenly approaches the group's lunch table located outside on campus grounds, interrupting Jake's poetic inner melodrama. "Your savior has arrived."  

“This better be good, Hee. The last time you said that, you tried to convince us that you could drink five Red Bulls, pull an all-nighter, and still pass that chem exam,” you smirk questionably. 

Heeseung points at you. “And I did pass.” 

“You got a 61%,” Grace says, not even looking up from her phone. 

“That’s still passing!” Heeseung declares, full of confidence. “Anyway, this time is different. I’ve been working on something life-changing.” 

Jake shoots a glance in your direction before quickly looking away. He wants to say something witty, something that could make you laugh, but his brain is like, nah bro, not today. Instead, he nervously fidgets with the sleeve of his hoodie. Since when was there a hole there?

“Life-changing?” Jay leans back in his chair, arms crossed, wearing his usual smirk. “What, are you finally going to start that YouTube channel where you rank ramen brands?” 

Heeseung rolls his eyes as he takes a seat, “First of all, that channel is coming. But no, this is better. Way better. I’ve created…” 

He pauses for dramatic effect, looking at everyone and drumming his fingers against the table,“…a matchmaking algorithm.” 

You burst out laughing, breaking the silence of the table, “What? Like a dating app?” 

“Is this about to be Tinder, but, like, nerdy?” Grace raises an eyebrow, intrigued but skeptical. 

“Not quite. It’s a scientific, algorithm-based matching system, designed to pair people based on compatibility and mutual interests. And, lucky for you all, I’m testing it out on campus,” Heeseung grins, completely unbothered. 

Jake’s heart skips a beat. Matchmaking? His mind first immediately goes to you. And then, downright panic. What if this robot thing pairs you with someone else? Oh god, what if it pairs you with, like, Jay, and he has to watch you guys flirt non-stop while he sits in the corner like a sad, dying houseplant? (mental note: water your houseplants when you get back to your dorm, jake!)

“Didn’t you also say it was ‘scientific’ when you ate an entire pack of Mentos and then drank Coke?” Grace’s brows furrow at the boy.

Heeseung scoffs at her dramatically. “That was for science. This is for love.” 

You lean forward into the table, clearly interested.

“So you’re saying this app will scientifically find me a soulmate?” Your eyes light up and Jake’s heart skips a second beat as they happen to make eye contact with him as you say that. Please let that soulmate be me. Please. “What’s the catch? You’re not the type to just… help people find 'love' for free.” 

Heeseung shrugs, pretending to be modest, “Not true! I’m doing this purely out of the goodness of my heart.” 

Jay coughs, "Cap.” 

“Okay, fine,” Heeseung admits, “it’s for a coding competition. The winner gets a year’s worth of free ramen from that noodle place near the dorms.” 

Grace’s jaw drops. “You mean Noodle Nirvana? The one with the spicy miso?” 

“Precisely, the one with the spicy miso," Heeseung nods proudly. 

You let out a giggle, “So you’re telling me, you’ve created a love machine just so you can hoard ramen?” 

“Correction,” Heeseung says, raising a finger, “I’ve created a highly advanced matchmaking algorithm to bring people together and also hoard ramen.” 

“Good enough” you shrug, raising your iced coffee in a mock toast to your nerdy friend. “Sign me up.” 

Oh no. Jake's heart skips a third beat (someone get him an ambulance please). Oh god, you're most definitely going to get matched up with someone else. And if that happens, bye-bye to the 12 black cats he’s already mentally prepared to care for. Bye-bye triathlon training.  

But on the other hand...this could be Jake's golden opportunity—that is if somehow the universe decides to play nice and matches you with him. This could be his chance, his moment, his... immediate descent into chaos. 

"Can your app match me with that cute barista that works at the campus boba shop every Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 12pm to 5pm?" Jay's eyes sparkle with curiosity and excitement.  

Heeseung gives Jay a look that says he’s one step away from calling campus security. "First of all, that’s borderline stalker territory. Second, no. It doesn’t work that way."

"So..there's no way you can influence the results at all? It's purely the robot’s doing?" you cock your head at Heeseung. 

"Again, it's an algorithm! Not a robot," he then shrugs, "and I’m above bribery. Unless, of course, you’ve got a worthy offer."

"ooOoOh, corruption? Me likey," Jay’s eyebrows shoot up in mischief, "I'm in. Where do I sign up?" 

“Already done, my friends. Check your emails," Heeseung pulls out his phone and points at it.  

Jake’s phone buzzes at that moment, and when he opens it, the email is sitting at the top of his inbox. He’s never been more nervous to open an email in his life. Well, except maybe his college acceptance letter. Or his professor’s recent feedback on his History of Modern Warfare essay. 

You tap your screen and start reading the email out loud:

Subject: [IMPORTANT SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENT]  Hello there awesome students & fellow single-tons, Have you ever looked around campus and thought, ‘Wow, everyone here is either taken, weird, or impossible to talk to?’ Well, I’m here to save you from the trenches of singleness with...*drumroll please*  THE MATCHMATIC 3000  — the university's very own matchmaking algorithm!  How does it work you ask? Simple.  1. Download the app from the link in this email (no, it's not a scam or a virus, I promise).   2. Enter your name and student ID (for verification purposes only – no catfishing allowed!)   3. Answer a bunch of super fun questions that might make you question your life choices but will definitely help MatchMatic 3000 find your perfect match!  Once you’re done, the app will work its algorithmic magic to pair you with someone who’s probably just as confused about life as you are but is at least willing to share similar pizza toppings with you. The results will be sent out after a few days of algorithmic wizardry! Why am I doing this, you ask? Because who doesn’t love a good matchmaking fiasco? It’s like throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks, except instead of pasta, it’s your love life. And hey, if it doesn’t work out, at least you’ll have some hilarious stories to tell your future therapist!  (Please don't bill me for your therapy bill. I'm broke.) It’s scientifically programmed, which means it’s flawless. Trust me, I’m very smart. Sign up now, and may your love life finally flourish. If it doesn’t, well, you can’t say I didn’t try. Questions will be released tomorrow, so sign up today before you catch a serious case of FOMO when all the cool kids start using the app ;) Sincerely, your friendly Campus Cupid,   Lee Heeseung <3  *Disclaimer: The university, nor I, takes no responsibility for any romantic entanglements, awkward encounters, or sudden realizations that you might be better off single. Please use the MatchMatic 3000 responsibly.* 

You look up, trying to hold in your laughter, “Heeseung, what the hell is this?” 

Everyone around the table bursts into muffled giggles as they take in the sight of a 240fps gif of Heeseung’s head superimposed onto a sparkly cupid’s body, dramatically shooting an arrow into the abyss of their screens.

"It's called marketing, Y/N. You wouldn't understand,” Heeseung says unbothered. 

“You really called yourself campus cupid,” Grace manages to get out, laughing so hard she’s practically wheezing.

“I said what I said,” Heeseung replies, puffing out his chest like a self-proclaimed genius. “And it’s true. I am your cupid. My algorithm is perfect. You guys are just haters. Just wait until I go viral and become rich and famous. Jake, you support me, right?"

Jake, who hasn’t uttered a peep in maybe a century, suddenly finds himself put on the spot. Oh no, I’ve been radio silent. They probably think I’m plotting my grand escape or something.

You turn towards Jake, waiting for his response and with a smile on your face, which is enough to send him into a decade long coma he thinks. 

“Uh... yeah, for sure. Whatever it takes for that ramen, right?” he blurts out, awkwardly throwing in a finger gun for good measure.

Nailed it.

"Jakey here is too sweet to disagree with you, Hee, “ you look up at him, flashing him a soft, teasing smile. 

And that’s it. Jake’s soul exits stage left. 

He nearly chokes on his own saliva at the casual way you let the pet name roll off your tongue. It’s as if you’ve just handed him a ticket to a new dimension where 'Jakey' is a thing and he’s suddenly the happiest (and only) person on the planet.

Jakey, you called him Jakey. His mind takes an ad-break as he tries to recover. Is this…flirting? Is this how normal people flirt? Or are you just trying to send him into cardiac arrest for fun?

Either way, Jake’s officially malfunctioning. He deduces you’re just being your typical, outgoing self—completely oblivious to the heart palpitations your simple actions send to Jake’s heart. How can someone be so effortlessly charming yet unaware of the chaotic consequences? 

“Y-Yeah, totally, sorry man,” he croaks out, praying to all higher powers above that this brief interaction is over. Heeseung's love machine may be flawless, but Jake? He’s barely functional.

Jake stares at the floor, trying to process this entire ordeal, as the rest of the table returns to their everyday conversation. This is happening. This is real. He needs to find a way to get matched with you, or else he can kiss Salt and Pepper (two of the twelve cats he’s already mentally named and is now emotionally invested in) goodbye. He glances over at you, who’s already—bless your curiosity—downloading the app. 

Jake gulps. He’s doomed. 

Today's the day. Jake’s internal doomsday. 

Also known as, MatchMatic-3000-launches-it's-questions-day. 

To the group's surprise, Heeseung’s love machine has gone viral across campus—it’s been the buzz of the school since his mass email blast 24 hours ago. 

“Alright gang, let’s see if this app is as magical as Heeseung’s ego claims!” you declare, your eyes sparkling with excitement as you join everyone at the usual lunch table outside.

Jake, sitting beside you, is staring at his phone like it holds the secrets of the universe. 

“I’m just hoping it matches me with someone who understands the sacred bond between a man and his video game console,” he mutters, sneakily glancing at your screen to see if you’re answering questions about your favorite video games. Because obviously, that’s the secret to his heart. 

You’re too engrossed in the questions on your phone to notice his subtle mission.

“Even better,” you say without looking up, “I hope it matches me with someone who’ll actually play video games with me.”

Then, you look up and throw him a quick wink. Casual. Effortless. But to Jake? It’s like being a victim of a hit and run to the heart. 

He’s definitely as red as his Asian Flush after two shots of soju. Maybe three.

Jay suddenly chimes in, “What if the app pairs us with people who have weird hobbies? Like, what if I get matched with someone who collects miniature spoons or lives in a house made entirely of cheese?” 

Grace snickers at the overly dramatic boy. “Jay, I think you’d thrive in a cheese house. You’ve already mastered the art of cheesy puns.”

Jake, still staring at his phone, suddenly gets an epiphany, “Wait, do you think it can match you with someone who’s just as obsessed with obscure internet memes as I am?”

You let out a giggle towards his direction, amused by his question, which makes Jake realize that he said that out loud. Well, if he made you laugh, that's a win in his book.

Heeseung, noticing Jake’s moment of glory, nods. 

“Oh, definitely. You might end up with someone who can appreciate a well-timed ‘Doge’ meme or has a shrine dedicated to Rickrolling."

“These questions are so random! A black cat or a golden retriever? What does that even mean?” you exclaim suddenly, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. 

“Excuse me, it’s all about the science of psychology, Y/N—” Heeseung stabs his fork into his pasta with an almost theatrical flair, “—the algorithm needs to understand your deepest preferences. It’s not about cats or dogs; it’s about what your choices say about your soul.”

Jay, munching on his questionable-looking dining hall taco, grins. “So, basically, the app’s trying to figure out if we’re more ‘moody cat person’ or ‘happy-go-lucky dog lover.’ Got it.”

Jake’s thumb hovers nervously over his screen as he reaches the same question himself. His eyes dart back to your screen but can’t seem to make out what you’ve selected. You’re biting your lip in concentration, and Jake’s brain glitches for a second because, wow, how can someone look so cute answering stupid personality questions?

Heeseung notices Jake’s expression from across the table and leans back in his chair with a knowing smirk. “Jake, you look like you’re solving world hunger over there. What’s the deal? Just pick whatever, man.” 

“I’m—I’m just being thorough, okay? This app’s gonna decide my entire love life. No pressure or anything,” Jake shifts uncomfortably, his face heating up.  

Jay snorts, stuffing yet another taco in his mouth, "Jake’s acting like the app’s about to determine the rest of his life. Just chill, man. You’ll get paired with someone. Even if it’s someone who only eats purple foods or, I don’t know, makes miniatures of their exes.” 

"Y/N's definitely getting paired with someone awesome," Grace teases, nudging you playfully from your other side. "Someone tall, athletic, probably knows how to cook gourmet meals."  

Jake internally winces at the description. Tall? He's definitely 6 feet...on a good day...with the right shoes. Athletic? Jake plays soccer! Well..played. In, like, middle school. Gourmet meals? He considers dino nuggets a gourmet meal so...he's practically a Michelin-star chef.  

You laugh at Grace's comment, shaking your head, "Honestly, I'm just hoping for someone who doesn't ghost me after three texts. Low bar, I know."  

Jake swallows besides you. Three texts. Got it. Don't ghost her, even if you do forget what words are in her presence.  

Suddenly, you look up from your phone and turn to lock eyes with Jake. "What did you put Jake? Black cat or golden retriever?"  

Jake freezes. Oh no, is this a test? This is definitely a test. He panics for a split second while his brain scrambles for the lobe that contains actual, cohesive, vocabulary.

"Uh, golden retriever. Definitely," he blurts out, voice higher than usual. "Golden retrievers are...loyal. And fun. Kinda like...you?" The last part slips out before he can stop himself.  

The table goes silent. Jay chokes on his suspicious taco. Grace's eyebrows shoot up in amusement. Heeseung stares at Jake like he's watching the most entertaining drama unfold right in front of him. 

You blink at Jake, then follow it with a soft giggle. "You're comparing me to a dog now?"  

Jake goes bright red, stammering as he's viciously shaking his head, "No—I mean—not like that! I just meant—"  

But you're still laughing next to him, he can feel your shoulders happily shaking against his, and while he's completely mortified, he can't help but feel the tiniest flicker of hope. At least you're laughing with him, not at him. Right? Right?  

"Did anyone consider the fact that we might get matched up with one another?" Jay changes the topic as he wipes the remaining taco shell crumbs off his mouth.

Jake notices the look of pure horror plastered on both you and Grace's faces.  

"Ew," you pretend to gag, while Grace laughs next to you. "Hard pass. You've got the same level of commitment as a first grader has with finishing their homework, and Heeseung’s definitely gonna end up marrying a computer. Plankton and Karen style. I think I'd rather date a Roomba. And you know I hate Roombas."  

Jake can't help the smile tugging at his lips. He knows you're joking, but hearing you rule out the other two makes him feel just a little better. But then...wait.  

You didn't say anything about Jake. What if you’ve already ruled Jake out, too? Not even a contender against Jay and Heeseung? The panic sets in as he thinks oh god, maybe she sees me like an actual Roomba—just following her around, waiting for crumbs of affection. 

Heeseung feigns hurt by dramatically clutching his heart. "Oh no. I'm so heartbroken," he deadpans.  

"I'd date you, Hee, don't worry," Jay winks, and without missing a beat, Heeseung blows him an exaggerated air kiss. "Thanks, babe." 

Jake, still lost in his thoughts, wonders if he’s been friend-zoned so hard he’s transcended into actual appliance territory, right next to the Roombas.

Everyone's laughing over Heeseung and Jay's antics, while Jake here is spiraling into a full-on existential crisis over accepting his fate as the Roomba of your heart. 

Is this my life now? I'm a...self-cleaning vacuum?

Jake comes to a realization the next morning: he can’t just settle for being the human equivalent of a non-sentient vacuum in your life. He needs to take action—and he needs to do it fast. Especially before the algorithm matches you with some 6-foot-tall, athletic, five-star chef who probably wakes up with flawless skin and has a perfectly curated Spotify playlist.  

Jake’s brain scrambles for ideas, as he stares hopelessly at the blank essay document on his laptop titled: "History of Modern Warfare (with revisions)" His essay can wait. World War II may have been a big deal, but this? This is you. Only the most important thing to walk this earth (in Jake's eyes, at least).  

What would a normal human being do? Grow a pair, march right up to you, and say something charming (probably, Jake wouldn't know). But Jake? Jake knows there’s a higher chance of him learning to speak fluent French in the next 24 hours than actually telling you how he feels.

Because that would require practice—in front of a mirror, at least five times a day, for three days straight. And by then, the matches will already be out, and you'll be swept off your feet by some handsome demigod in human form.  

Jake sighs as he tries to type at least one sentence of his essay, hoping it will distract him from his lingering thoughts of you. Your smile, your laughter, your wink, your voice saying ‘Jakey’... 

“The Battle of Normandy marked a significant turning point…” 

Jake frowns. Turning point. Oh, great. That’s exactly what Jake’s waiting for—a turning point with you. Except his 'battle plan' is to let Heeseung’s love algorithm do the work for him. Yeah, sure. Because nothing says romantic courage like leaving your fate up to a glorified love machine. 

Jake groans at the screen. He tries to type more, but his brain is already spiraling into worst-case scenarios. What if you get matched with someone who can bench-press a refrigerator? Or worse—someone who actually knows how to emotionally open up to you?

Frustrated, Jake slams his laptop shut, earning dirty glares from the students studying quietly around him in the library. His essay is long forgotten at this point. Who cares about The Battle of Normandy when his entire (nonexistent) love life is crumbling right in front of him?  

He pulls at his hair in sheer desperation, searching for answers, any answers, to this disaster. Think, Jake, think! 

Wait. 

That's it.  

Answers. He needs answers! Not the kind that would magically fix his social dysfunction around you. No, not those—that’s way beyond saving.

But your answers. The ones you put into The Matchmatic 3000. If Jake could somehow get a hold of those, he could match his responses to yours perfectly. Then BAM! Instant match. One foot in the door. Then maybe, just maybe, you'd stop seeing him as some automated dust-sucker. 

A smile forms across Jake's face. Pure genius (self-proclaimed, of course).  

Yes, this is the solution to all his problems. Well, except for the crippling anxiety and social awkwardness part. But one thing at a time, right? 

Now he just needs your answers.  

And possibly a therapist.  

“Jake! What's wrong?" Grace appears at Jake's table tucked away in the back of the library, her hair frazzled and disheveled from her sprint across campus as a result of Jake's ‘SOS’ text.

Jake is sitting at the table, hands folded, looking perfectly intact, totally not at all in an ‘SOS’ situation, and has a small smile on his face as he looks up at his best friend. 

“I figured it out!”

"You better tell me you just figured out time travel or the cure for world hunger, because I just full-on sprinted across campus thinking you got your laptop stolen or, heaven forbid, you got your hand trapped in the printer again,” Grace's eyes narrow as she takes a seat across from him. 

"I told you not to mention that again! It was an honest mistake," Jake's eyes widen, afraid people around them heard about Jake's embarrassingly tragic battle with the library’s printer. "But no, it's even better than that. It's kinda...off the books though."

Grace blinks back at him. "How off the books? Like...'help me hide the body' off the books, or 'expose the secret recipe to the dining hall's mysterious tacos' off the books?”

Jake glances around to make sure no one's eavesdropping, then lowers his voice, "More like...'help me get Y/N's answers to the Matchmatic 3000' off the books?"

There's a beat of silence as Grace struggles to process the absurdity of what she just heard.  

“Wait, hold up. You want me to help you cheat the dating app?”

Jake nods fervently, if not a little desperately. 

"It's not cheating! Call it...strategic alignment. I need to make sure I match with her. That's the only way I could ever get a chance, and you're the only one who can help me!"

Grace leans in from across the table, clearly in disbelief, yet amused, "So let me get this straight...you want me to somehow get her answers, so you can change yours to match hers, in hopes that Hee's magical AI or whatever pairs you two together?"

Jake attempts to give her his best 'please help me' puppy eyes, but it's clear he's more of a lost kitten right now.

"And you're asking me to get my hands dirty...why exactly?" She smirks at the fidgety Jake, finding his over-the-top desperation for you both amusing and oddly endearing.

"Uh..because you're my best friend, duh. And also, you're the closest to her—if Jay and Hee found out, they'd never let me live it down! And Jay would probably make a TikTok about it just to watch me die from embarrassment," Jake rambles, hoping he can convince the seemingly unimpressed girl in front of him.

“Uh-huh," Grace raises an eyebrow. "And what’s in it for me? Sure, I'm your best friend, but I'm also her friend and ever-so-loyal roommate. You're asking for a lot here, bud."

Jake looks flustered for a moment, as if he hadn’t really thought about that part. 

“Uh, well, I could—um—maybe buy you coffee for a week? Or, I don’t know, do your physics thesis project you've been avoiding."

Grace pretends to consider his offer for a second, but the second he mentions the ‘physics thesis project’, her decision is instantly made.

"Fine," she sighs, leaning back in her chair. "But just so you know, if this goes sideways, I was never here."

Jake smiles like he just won the lottery. Salt & Pepper, here I come!

"But also…," Grace begins, looking right at Jake, making him squirm. Not in a cute Y/N-noticed-me type of squirm, but the oh-no-I'm-about-to-get-lectured kind. "Take my advice, Jake. Stop being a wuss."

Jake's grin falters at his friend's sudden, but painfully true, words.

Grace leans in, her voice serious, "I mean, you can't just hide behind an app and hope for the best. If you really want a shot with Y/N, you need to actually, I don’t know, tell her your feelings? She's not some untouchable goddess who's going to smite you for shooting their shot." 

Jake winces. "But what if she's not interested? What if I make it weird? What if—"

"Jake," Grace's voice cuts through his spiraling thoughts. "You won't know unless you try! And you're a great guy, but how would Y/N know that if you don't open yourself up more? Seriously, what's the worst that could happen?"

"Uh. Spontaneous combustion? If I look her in the eyes for longer than 5 seconds, I just might implode. Or, you know, cease to exist," Jake deadpans, his hands gesturing wildly to emphasize his impending doom.

Grace snorts at her poor, poor friend, clearly amused by his romantic spiral. "Okay, first, no one's ever died from eye contact, buddy. Second, I'm not saying you should storm out there and go ask for her hand in marriage or anything—please, don't do that. I'm just saying, just at least try talking to her more maybe.” Baby steps, Grace thinks, baby steps. 

Jake blinks. She's right. Of course she's right. He can’t let some algorithm control his entire love life, no matter how advanced or magical Heeseung claims it is.

Grace, seeing Jake's gears slowly turning, throws him a lifeline: “Alright, fine. If it makes you feel better, she may or may not have called you cute once. Better?"

Jake freezes. His eyes widen like a deer caught in headlights. Cute? You called him cute? All the oxygen leaves his lungs, and he’s pretty sure he’s about to pass out right here in the library. 

"Wait, what?"

"Don’t get too excited," Grace smirks, clearly enjoying watching Jake short-circuit. "She said it in passing. Once."

Jake, now on the verge of a mental breakdown, blurts out, "Like, ‘aw-that-puppy-is-cute’ cute? Or like, ‘he’s-so-cute-I-wanna-kiss-him’ cute? I need specifics, Grace!"

Grace’s grin widens, watching her friend spiral into oblivion. "Jake, you’re overthinking it again. Relax. Just take the win."

"Grace, please, I'm begging you. On a scale from 'puppy' to 'kiss', where do I stand?!" Jake's eyes are practically bugging out of his head at this point. 

Grace rolls her eyes, but her teasing smile doesn't falter. "If you keep freaking out like this, you’re gonna drop down to 'awkward goldfish' cute real quick." 

"I’m doomed,” Jake groans, burying his face in his hands. 

Grace pats his back with mock sympathy. "Yep. But at least she'll think you're cute while doing it."

Jake peeks at her through his fingers. “You think she meant 'kiss' cute?”

"Finish your plan first, lover boy. Then we’ll talk."

Jake can’t help the ridiculous smile growing on his face.

Kiss cute, he decides. It has to be. 

You think if you have to read one more sentence about human anatomy, you might actually cry. You sigh as you close your textbook and push it aside to reside with the unnecessary amount of highlighters scattered on the café table between you and Grace.

"I hate this. I hate the circulatory system. Why do I even need to know what the ‘superior vena cava’ is," you groan as you take a sip of what's left of your watered down iced matcha.

Grace hums in front of you as her eyes continually scan the textbook, desperate to absorb just enough information to survive tomorrow's anatomy quiz.

"Because it keeps you alive, Y/N. Duh," Grace jokes as her eyes stay peeled to her textbook.

"Screw that," you scoff. "I don't need the circulatory system to keep me alive. I just need caffeine and BTS's entire discography pumped through my veins to live."

Grace finally glances up, giving you an amused side-eye at your usual dramatic flair, before she remembers she has an important mission at hand: 

Operation Jake & Y/N. 

Grace slams her textbook closed with a dramatic thud to show she's finished studying (she's not). 

"Sooo...speaking of circulatory systems and...hearts and...stuff—did you ever finish filling out the questions for Hee's love app thingy?"

You, oblivious to the sudden change in topic, shrug as you fish your straw around your plastic cup, hoping to find more drops of watery matcha to savor. 

"Yeah, I finished it the other day. It took me forever though. Like, why does it need to know if I'd rather have a personal trainer who can only teach me interpretive dance versus a personal chef who can only cook cereal? I swear Hee was on some drugs or something while creating those questions."

"Not drugs, probably an unhealthy amount of caffeine and ramen though," Grace snorts, still trying to play it cool.

"Caffeine is a drug, doofus," you say pointedly, right before you get a smack in the forehead by Grace's crumbled up straw wrapper.

"Whatever," Grace laughs. "Hey I'm curious—what did you put for your answers? Wanna compare? See how similar we are?" Grace's leg is bouncing under the table, trying to keep up the ‘smooth’ façade, hoping you won't find her sudden interest weird.

"Sure, why not?" you nonchalantly agree, not thinking twice about the random request.

Grace blinks in surprise. That was...way easier than expected. She was ready to prepare some elaborate excuse, like ‘I need your answers to match you up with my desperate best friend who's head over heels for you!’

Oh wait. That part is real. You get the gist.

"Unless...," you pause suddenly. Uh oh. "Unless you're going to sell my answers to some mad scientist and they try to make an evil clone of me to take over the world and end up framing me and I'll have to clear my name in a dramatic world-televised court trial."

Grace blinks, before rolling her eyes, as her nervous heartbeat returns to a normal rate. 

“You're so goddamn weird sometimes.” 

You beam at your friend, clearly amused at yourself, as you scroll through your answers and send screenshots to Grace without a second thought. "Sent! Oh, and send me yours—I wanna know what you put for 'Stuck in a room with Shrek for 24 hours' versus 'Fight 100 duck-sized horses.'"

“Oh, vibe with Shrek, 100%,” Grace answers without skipping a beat, earning an agreeing high five from you.

Grace is ecstatic. This was so much easier than she thought. Not only does this mean her desperate best friend will finally get his shot with you (which also means she won’t have to hear his dramatic overthinking questions about whether you sharing a sandwich with him was a cosmic sign or just a sandwich), but it also guarantees her a week of free coffee and an A+ in physics for this semester.

She quickly types out a quick message to Jake as you're still distracted by your now near empty matcha cup:

Grace [1:26PM]: "mission accomplished. prepare for epic matchmaking success and a lifetime supply of guilt-free caffeine. for me, ofc"

Grace leans back in satisfaction, practically tasting the sweet (and caffeinated) taste of victory. She's done her end of Mission Impossible, and now it's up to Jake to do...well, whatever Jake does in these situations.

Her phone buzzes with a reply from Jake:

Jake [1:28PM]: THANK YOU!!! also...not a lifetime supply...just a week. don't get it twisted"

"Look, all I'm saying is," you declare, leaning back on the couch, "if all five of us pitch in, we could most definitely rob a bank." 

What had started as a group study session two hours ago in your and Grace's apartment has, as usual, turned into your friend group's typical day of hanging out: wildly imagining scenarios so far removed from reality that there’s absolutely no chance you’d end up in them—but entertaining the idea anyway, because what else are you going to do when you're supposed to be studying?

Grace snickers from beside you, "Yeah, and with your stealth skills, we'd get caught in about three business seconds. You literally screamed when I dropped that piece of paper yesterday."

"It startled me! Gravity's such a scary concept, okay?" You huff, arms crossed. Jake, sitting on your other side, fights back the slight grin growing on his face as he watches you scrunch your face in that way he secretly finds unfairly cute, even if it is over your fear of inanimate objects. So weirdly adorable.

Heeseung, sitting cross-legged on the floor from across the couch, raises an eyebrow, “Y/N, do you even know how banks work?”

“She’s got the spirit. I’d give her a solid 7/10 for enthusiasm. Execution, though? Negative two,” Jay says as crosses his arms with a grin from beside Heeseung. 

You grab and throw a couch pillow at him, which he dodges with ease, sticking out his tongue. Jake instinctively shifts closer to you, to your oblivion, like he’s ready to shield you from any incoming retaliation missiles.

“What, and you’d be the brains of the operation? Mr. ‘I forgot my own phone password for two days?’” You fire back.

Jay shrugs, unfazed, “Hey, no need to bring up the past. We all make mistakes.”

“Yeah,” Jake finally chimes in, hoping you will notice how smooth he sounds, “but not all of us text our own phone ‘Why won’t you let me in?’ while the password is literally ‘1234.’”

Everyone laughs, except Jay, who gasps and points dramatically at Jake, “Betrayal. How dare you?”

“It’s public knowledge, bro. You told everyone,” Jake raises his hands in defense, but his eyes keep flickering back to you, wondering if your sweet laughter is because of him this time. And call him delusional, but he really thinks it is. You throw your head back from laughing so hard, at some point your hand graces Jake’s knee next to yours to stabilize yourself. 

It’s no secret—well, at least not to Grace—that Jake’s newfound confidence around you is all thanks to that one tiny lifeline Grace threw him: you called him cute once. Just once. And now, Jake’s running with it, holding on for dear life, and convincing himself that maybe, just maybe, you think about him the same way he thinks about you. Maybe. 

“I told you all in confidence! That was a moment of weakness!” Jay crosses his arms, looking like a child who just got scolded at. “I trusted you people.”

Grace, grabbing a handful of popcorn from the coffee table, pouts at Jay, “And that, my friend, was your first mistake.” 

“Et tu, Grace?” Jay gasps, clutching his chest like he’s been personally victimized by the betrayal of his closest friends. Well…he was. 

Heeseung, shaking his head, cuts in, “Okay, but if we’re robbing a bank, I’m in charge. I’m the only one here with any common sense.” 

You frown, “What do you mean? I have common sense! I brushed my teeth today and everything!”

Jake watches you with a soft smile, finding even your exaggerated outrage so weirdly adorable.

Grace bursts out laughing, “Y/N, sweetie, that’s basic hygiene, not common sense. But good job. We’re all proud of you.”

Jake, clearly riding his boost of confidence from earning that one (1) laugh from you, decides to add in and nods, looking completely serious, “Honestly, I think we should celebrate that. Maybe get you a gold sticker or something.” 

“You guys are bullies,” you mutter, sinking into the couch, but you're laughing too. Jake tries to hide how melted he feels when you laugh like that—all bright and simply, you.

“It's nothing personal, Y/N,” Heeseung adds, smirking, "but you can't easily get startled by inanimate objects and claim you have common sense."

Jay snickers, pointing at you, “Remember that time you thought the vacuum was attacking you?”

You shoot him a glare, debating on throwing yet another couch pillow at him, “It moved on its own, okay? That’s suspicious.”

"The Roomba was doing its job. You nearly declared war on the thing," Grace, mouth full of popcorn, can't defend you on this one.

Jake, on the other hand, feels compelled to defend you, even if he knows it’s ridiculous. You know, since he could relate to the whole impending-mental-doom-by-a-Roomba thing, "The Roomba was being weird that day.”

Jay side-eyes Jake, “Oh, so now you’re on Team Roomba Conspiracy? That’s rich.”

That is rich, considering Jake nearly signed up for therapy just days ago after having an existential crisis about being recruited to join your arch-nemesis—Roombas. Now here he was, ready to go to battle for your anti-automated-dust-sucker stance.

Jake shrugs, refusing to make eye contact with anyone, suddenly hyper-aware of your attention on him, “I just think we shouldn’t dismiss Y/N’s concerns so quickly.”

You turn to him with the softest smile he's seen in the history of smiles—one that fully knocks the breath right out of him. 

“Aw thank you, Jake! Someone around here finally gets it,” you momentarily rest your head on his shoulder for two fleeting seconds—short enough to show your appreciation but long enough to utterly dismantle the boy’s composure. 

He’s frozen. Brain empty, no thoughts…except for the scent of your shampoo rushing his senses. He’s not sure if he’s about to pass out or propose.

“Simp,” Jay mutters under his breath, just loud enough for Jake to hear. Jake shoots him a warning look, making Jay’s smirk grow wider. 

Grace, still giggling at the memory of you running away from a Roomba, then turns to Heeseung with a curious grin, "Speaking of concerns, how's the app going? When are we gonna find out who's paired with who?"

Heeseung immediately groans, frustratingly running a hand through his hair, "It's...going, alright. Some people are weird, man. I don't even know how to process some of these answers."

"Really? How so?" You perk up at this, interested. 

Heeseung sighs as he pulls his phone out of his pocket, "Okay, look at this—someone put 'ramen' as an answer for what they're looking for in a partner."

Jay snorts, "Sounds like something you’d put, honestly. You should match yourself up with them!"

"And this person," Heeseung continues, scrolling and displaying his phone to the rest of the group, "just answered 'vibes' to every single question. Every. One. What does that even mean?!"

Everyone shrugs around the coffee table in confusion as the exasperated boy dramatically tosses his phone to the side like it personally offended him.

"Anyways. I should be done tonight, so hopefully the matches get released tomorrow," he reveals, to everyone's excitement.

"Ohmygosh, tomorrow?" Grace claps her hands lightly. "I can't wait, I hope I get paired with someone who, like, is secretly Spiderman or something. You know, someone with substance."

"I'm nervous, what if I get a total weirdo?" You mutter, eyes widening at the thought.

Jake thinks to himself: as long as he gets paired with you, he doesn't mind being a total weirdo. He'll be your total weirdo. He'll dye his hair neon rainbow, start collecting Russian nesting dolls, and live in a treehouse if that's what it takes.

"Y/N," Jay speaks up, cocking his head out from the bag of potato chips he's currently annihilating, "if anything, you're gonna be the weird one in whatever relationship you end up in."

You instinctively reach for another pillow to throw at him, but Jake is faster, shielding his arms around you, "Okay, okay, let's be nice. I'm sure Y/N will end up with someone perfectly normal, and anyone who ends up with Y/N will not find her weird at all." 

That's because Jake better be the one that ends up with you. And he definitely doesn't think you're weird. Well maybe a little. In an endearing way.

And hopefully, in your eyes, he's normal. Or not—it's all the same to him, as long as he's the one by your side. 

All the steps are set in stone. Now, he just needs the algorithm to do its thing and simply match you two together—which is bound to happen, given Jake is practically a Y/N 2.0 after copying all your answers. If this doesn't work, then the universe is officially out to get him. 

Yes. Everything will happen according to plan.

It has to.  

Nothing goes according to plan.  

Jake's eyes dart in panic between Grace's look of confusion and your phone screen, currently displaying to the rest of the lunch table your so-called soulmate's name, which, surprise surprise—it's not Jake.

Instead, it reads:  

Match: Park Sunghoon 

You shrug as you glance up from your phone, completely unaware of the Tom and Jerry hole Jake is crawling back down right now, "I think he's that new transfer student. I've seen him around in my psychology class, he's kinda cute!"  

Jake's heart sinks deeper than he thought was humanly possible. Cute? Like 'puppy' cute or 'kiss' cute? Oh god, his worst nightmare is coming true. He's about to be banished back to the sad category of 'automated vacuums' in your heart, left to raise 12 kittens on his own.  

Jay frowns, crossing his arm, "No fair, I haven't gotten my match yet, and Y/N gets the cute new kid? This is rigged."  

Heeseung smirks, leaning back in his chair like some algorithm god, "Patience, child. The results are rolling out throughout the entire day. I added that feature for the 'element of surprise.'" 

Grace, meanwhile, subtly leans towards Jake while everyone else rambles over your match, "Looks like the universe hates you."  

"I can't believe it didn't work. It doesn't make any sense, it has to be broken or something,” Jake says, visibly upset, trying his very best to not dig himself a grave right then and there in the middle of the university's quad.  

Grace shrugs, feeling confusion on behalf of her best friend as well, "At least you can say you tried. Maybe the universe is trying to hint at you to actually talk to her and get into a relationship the normal, organic way."  

"Yeah, yeah," he mumbles. But Jake is too perplexed to listen to Grace's—very, very, valid—logic right now. 

Jake's thoughts spiral faster than a malfunctioning Roomba trapped in a corner, repeatedly slamming into the same wall with no hope of escape. Honestly, Jake wishes there was a wall around him right now to repeatedly slam his head into. Maybe that way the delulu in him—the one that convinced him he could hack his way into your heart—can finally escape his brain.  

His brain is short-circuiting in panic, bouncing between the reality of his failure and the absolute tragedy that Sunghoon—the cute transfer student (you probably think he's kiss-cute too) is about to waltz in and steal his entire future. Jake can already picture Sunghoon effortlessly holding all twelve hypothetical kittens, while Jake is left alone with nothing but his shattered dreams. 

Before Jake can imagine another over dramatic scenario in his head of you and Sunghoon that would make him physically rip out his own heart and stomp all over it, Grace's phone suddenly pings.

"You've got to be kidding me."  

Everyone turns to look at her, as Grace glances up from her phone, the look of pure horror on her face.  

Grace slowly turns her phone around for everyone to see, and there, in bold letters, sits:

Match: Park Jongseong  

A beat of silence (or as Grace would call it, moment of silence for the fallen. The fallen being Grace), then... 

“HA!” Jay cackles, pointing at her. “Sucks to be you.” 

"Oh, you think this is funny, Park?" Grace glares at him, and at everyone else for giggling at the absurd match. "I would literally rather match with my chemistry TA who wears socks with sandals."  

Heeseung perks up, clearly overly amused at the match drama ensuing around the table, "Wait, that chem TA's not that bad lowkey..."  

Grace throws him a look, "Hee, this isn't about Steve the TA! This is about my life being ruined in real time!"  

Jake tunes in and scoffs, so shocked at his friend's statement, he forgot the setting they're all in, "Your life being ruined? What about mine?"  

Jake quickly silences himself after he realizes what he just said..and in front of you. 

"What about your life getting ruined, Jake? Did you get your match yet?" You look up at him from across the table, curious who could possibly have Jake in such shambles (Ironic, isn't it?). 

"Err—no, not yet. What I mean is..uhh," Jake stammers, his remaining brain cells (which isn't many at this point) trying to muster up the best lie they could to cover himself. "My life would totally be ruined if Grace and Jay end up together because...uhh..because I'd totally have to third-wheel them all the time!"  

Yes, that's good Jake. Good job, good job.  

You seem to be convinced enough by the excuse, your eyes suddenly widening in fear.

"Oh god, you're so right! This means Jay's gonna be over at our apartment all the time now. He'll probably never leave,” you visibly shudder.

Grace gestures wildly at the entire table in disbelief, "You guys! What in the world makes you think Jay and I are going to end up together just because some love algorithm thinks we're good for each other? No offense, Hee."  

Jay, on the other hand, reclines back in his chair, looking entirely too smug for someone who just got called out as a last-choice match, "Hey, the algorithm knows what's up. Maybe this is fate, Grace. This could be fun." He points between the two of them, as if sealing a deal.  

"Fun?! Wrestling a bear made entirely of thorns sounds more fun," Grace physically recoils, like she just touched something soggy in the sink's drain, her expression sending the whole table into laughter. 

"Honestly, I see it. Can't fight the science," you speak up, throwing a knowing look at Grace before Jay gives you an appreciative high-five from across the table.  

Grace snaps her head towards you and gasps, "Traitor! How dare you—you better sleep with your door locked tonight or I swear—"  

"ALL I'm saying is—" you raise your hands in defense, interjecting before Grace can vow to eliminate you and your future lineage from the face of this planet, "—I think it’s kind of sweet you matched with someone you actually know, you know? I mean, I wish I got paired with a close friend. I’ve always believed in the friend-to-significant-other pipeline." 

Friend to significant other? Jake's internal monologue screeches to a halt. Y/N, I'm right here! I could be the one, not Sunghoon! That could be us!

Then, as if you could read his thoughts, your gaze meets Jake’s for just a beat too long, lingering in that space where words usually get lost. Jake swears your expression softens for half a second before you casually shift your focus back on Grace. His brain is officially overheating. Was that a hint? Was it? 

Oh my god. She’s totally hinting at me.

Or—no, wait. Maybe he's reading into it again. Maybe he's so deep into this 'delulu' life that now every sentence feels like it's tailor-made just for him. 

Yeah, that has to be it. Definitely the latter, right? Right. 

Heeseung perks up from his seat, pointing at Grace, "See? She's right. Trust the science. And the friendship! But mostly the science. Science doesn’t mess up, man. It must've sensed some... undercurrents between you and Jay." 

Grace looks like she’s about to leap across the table and strangle Heeseung with his own hoodie strings, but Jay interrupts with a wide grin. 

"Yeah, undercurrents, Gracey-poo. We’re destined." 

You lose it, breaking into uncontrollable laughter as Grace pretends to dry heave at the sound of the pet name. 

"And just like that," she says, dramatically standing up from her seat, "I think that’s my cue to leave. If I hear Jay call me ‘Gracey-poo’ again, I’m going to bleach my ears." 

The entire table is still laughing while Grace makes her swift escape to her next class. You finally manage to catch your breath, turning to Jake with a small smile (which also casually happens to send his brain into overdrive. No big deal, really). 

"I'm excited to see who you get paired with, Jake! I bet she's amazing."  

Jake feels his heart sink a little, but he forces a casual smile. No one is as amazing as you though (cheesy, but painfully true).

Trying to cover his disappointment, Jake shrugs, "I don’t know... I’m not really that into this whole matchmaking thing anyway." He leans back, feigning nonchalance. "I don’t think I’ll actually do anything with whoever I get matched with." 

Jake can’t tell if the small breath you let out is in relief or if, once again, he’s feeding his delusional part of his brain that’s been working overtime. 

But before he can overthink it, you raise an eyebrow, teasing him, "What? You’re not even curious? What if it’s someone perfect for you?" 

Jake laughs awkwardly, desperately trying to keep his cool. It would be perfect if it was you. But instead, he blurts out, "Yeah, maybe they’ll match me with my future laundry partner. Who knows?" Laundry? Really, Jake? 

"That would be a miracle," Heeseung looks up from his phone, gesturing towards Jake, "this guy never does his laundry."  

Jake shoots him a sharp look, "Not true! I just need...some motivation.." 

"Motivation from your future girlfriend?" Jay chimes in, raising an eyebrow. "That's gotta be a new low, dude."  

You nudge Jake's arm from across the table, grinning, "Hey, maybe the algorithm’s just that good. It knows you need a laundry-loving girlfriend in your life." 

Jake snorts, playing along, but his thoughts are a mess. Laundry-loving girlfriend? Nah, Jake needs you as his girlfriend—no question about it.

As you turn your attention back to your phone, the smile fades from Jake’s face, just for a second. His eyes linger on you longer than he means to, before he leans his head on his hand, pretending to care about whatever random TikTok Heeseung is showing him right now.  

But the video’s a blur. All Jake can focus on is how wrong everything feels. This isn’t how it was supposed to go. You were supposed to be his match. You are his match. He knows it.  

Forget laundry-doing-girlfriends or algorithm-approved pairings. If the app really knew what Jake needed, it would’ve led him straight to you. 

And honestly, Jake’s pretty sure he’s smarter than the sleep-deprived, ramen-fueled algorithm Heeseung cooked up. So yeah, screw the love machine. 

If the app won’t do it for him, then it’s time he takes matters into his own hands. 

(About time.)

“Please please please pleeeeease!” Jake’s trailing behind Heeseung throughout their shared living room like a toddler whose candy got snatched, but way more desperate.

Yeah, uh, this is Jake's idea of taking matters into his own hands.  

This is officially the billionth time Heeseung’s heard this in the past 24 hours. At least this time Jake managed to wait until Heeseung was out of the shower and fully clothed before launching into his regularly programmed meltdown. Progress, right? 

“Jake! You do realize what you’re asking me, right? You sound insane.” Heeseung's patience is thinner than the cup ramen noodles he’s survived on for the past week. He takes a seat on their couch, before pointedly looking at his desperate roommate. “You’re being ridiculously dramatic.” 

Jake scoffs, like the mature adult he is. “YOUR FACE is being ridiculously dramatic.” Yup. Like the mature adult he is.  

Heeseung came out to the living room in hopes of being able to catch up on the latest episode of The Bachelor, but to no avail, as the younger boy was waiting to catch him all day (not that Heeseung was actively avoiding Jake or anything, no definitely not). But instead of screaming at the TV in frustration at the bachelor's terrible decisions, here he was, staring at Jake, silently contemplating how many years in prison throwing him off their apartment's balcony would cost him. 

Three? Maybe four? Would it be worth it? Possibly. 

“All you gotta do,” Jake begins to launch his TED Talk, “is send out a mass email to all your participants and be like, ‘Oh noooo, the AI or robot or magical unicorn or whatever messed up!’ Then you just re-release the answers, but this time, pair me with Y/N, bada-bing bada-boom. Easy peasy.” 

Heeseung stares blankly. Honestly, prison doesn’t sound that bad. 

“First off, it’s not a robot. It’s an algorithm,” Heeseung says for the seventy-millionth time, contemplating launching his side career as a 'broken record'. “Second, if people found out it ‘messed up,’ my reputation would be in shambles. Can you imagine all the couples who met their match, only to find out it was a giant, steaming load of—” 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Jake waves him off, deploying his best attempt (key word: attempt) at puppy-dog eyes. “But what about my soulmate?” 

Heeseung groans and rubs his temples, “Jake, if she’s really your soulmate, maybe try telling her how you feel like a normal human being instead of begging me to rewrite reality?” 

Jake pauses, then, in true Jake fashion, says: “Yeah, but like...nah.” 

Heeseung looks at Jake, who is now staring at him with the intensity of someone waiting for a miracle, “You really don’t see how unhinged this sounds, do you?” 

Jake blinks. 

“I mean, yeah, but, like, what if it works? I’m just saying, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. Wayne Gretzky said that.” 

Heeseung rolls his eyes so hard he’s pretty sure he saw his past life flash by, “Did Wayne Gretzky also say, ‘Be a total weirdo and bother your friend to break all ethical codes and rig an algorithm because you’re too chicken to tell a girl you like her?’” 

Jake shrugs. “He might’ve. We don’t know his whole catalog of wisdom.” 

“I’m begging you—just talk to her. Or, I dunno, send her a meme on Instagram or something. Do anything other than harass me. Please.” 

Jake's face scrunches up like Heeseung just suggested he swim with sharks. “A meme? Really? Do I look like some kind of loser who communicates through memes? I’ll have you know I’m a very mature adu—” 

SMACK! 

A flying sock lands squarely on Jake’s head. He blinks, confused, as Jay strolls in from his room and plops next to Heeseung, looking way too pleased with himself, “Dude, you’re begging like a guy who just got ghosted by an ATM. Have some dignity.” 

“You’re not helping,” Jake glares, throwing the sock back at Jay. 

Jay, with the wisdom only a seasoned disaster like him can possess, shrugs, “Honestly, Heeseung, just rerun the thing. I’m pretty sure the universe would implode if this dude doesn’t get matched with Y/N. And frankly, I don’t want to deal with that level of cosmic drama.” 

“Jay, not you too,” Heeseung pinches the bridge of his nose as he realizes he needs to find a new spot to watch his show from now on. 

Jay raises his hands in mock surrender, “Hey, man, I’m just looking out for you. If Jake doesn’t get his way, he’ll never shut up. You’re one day away from him showing up at your room's door with a PowerPoint presentation. Think of your sanity. Plus, we all live together which means I have to see the presentation too. Think of my sanity.” 

“PowerPoint, huh? I could probably whip something up. Maybe add some pie charts and bar graphs,” Jake, clearly inspired, mutters to himself.  

Heeseung stares at the ceiling, wondering if this is his villain origin story (it most definitely is). “There’s absolutely no way I’m risking the integrity of my algorithm just because you can’t grow a backbone.”

Jake’s face falls, but Jay’s wheels are already turning on behalf of his friend, Mr. Simp, “Hold up, hold up. Hee, think about it. There’s gotta be something you want. I mean, everyone’s got a price, right?” 

Heeseung raises an eyebrow, still annoyed, yet intrigued. What? A good deal is a good deal.

“And what exactly do you think I want, Jay?” 

Jay flashes a grin that screams mischief. 

“We know you’ve been grinding on this algorithm for weeks, man. Barely sleeping. Barely eating,” Jay narrows his eyes in dramatic fashion, as though he’s about to uncover a deep secret. “You’re like two ramen packets away from full-on malnutrition. Sad really.” 

“Yeah, bro. We care about you. You need... balance. Maybe a reward for all your hard work?” Jake suddenly adds, nodding vigorously, picking up on Jay's scheming. 

Heeseung stares at them blankly, “Are you bribing me with...food?” 

“Not just any food,” Jake adds, gesturing dramatically. “Free food. Unlimited food from anywhere, for a month. On me. You’ll never have to eat those mystery meat tacos from the dining hall ever again.” 

Jay interjects, pointing at Jake, "Hey, I'll have you know, those tacos are actually quite good! You just have to deal with the initial frequent toilet trips when you first try them..." 

Heeseung’s resolve flickers for a moment. His stomach growls at the mere thought of having actual, edible food (for free!) that isn’t microwavable...or whatever they put in those tacos. 

Jake, sensing weakness, presses on, “AND… AND! I’ll do all your laundry. One month. No questions asked. I’ll even iron your shirts.” 

Jay, impressed by Jake's bargaining methods, nods his head along as if to convince the skeptical Heeseung, hoping to save himself from also having to hear Jake's consistent whining around the apartment any longer.  

Heeseung narrows his eyes. “I don’t iron my shirts.” 

“I’ll iron them anyway. Luxury service.” 

A pause. Heeseung’s brain is doing some serious mental gymnastics. On one hand, his precious algorithm. On the other… food that didn’t come from a vending machine and clean clothes that weren’t dug out of his laundry basket which is somewhere in the abyss that is his closet right now. 

Jay nudges him, whispering like he's the devil on Heeseung's left shoulder, “Think about it, man. What’s more important? Some random algorithm, or free pizza from that one place around the corner every day?” 

“I swear, if this comes back to bite me..,” Heeseung sighs, rubbing his temples but already thinking about the mouth-watering cheesy goodness he could be having every day.

“So, you’ll do it?!” Jake’s eyes suddenly light up with hope, reflecting the picture-perfect image of a golden retriever right now. 

“Fine,” Heeseung glares at him, feeling the last of his integrity slip away. “But if anyone asks, you never heard this from me. And I expect my meals hot and my laundry folded.”

Jake gleams and practically starts bouncing off their living room's walls. “Yes! Yes! You won’t regret this! I mean, you probably will, but thank you!” 

Heeseung shakes his head, regretting every life choice that led to this moment. Jay claps him on the back. “See? Was that so hard? Now you can live like a king for a whole month. I’d call that a win.” 

“A king with a crumbling empire,” Heeseung sighs.  

“Y/N, here I come!” Jake’s already halfway out their apartment's front door, with no destination in sight—just overjoyed with excitement that he feels he could run ten laps around campus right now (plot twist: he doesn't—he ends up running down the stairs just to get winded and comes right back up to the apartment). 

As Jake sprints off, Heeseung groans, “I’ve made a terrible mistake, haven’t I?” 

"Nah," Jay shrugs, already opening his phone. "Probably.” 

Heeseung realizes he, indeed, made a terrible mistake when he looks up from his phone at lunch the next day and sees a particular you, storming up to the table.

Once you reach the table, you thrust your phone into his face, the ‘rematch’ email, that Heeseung had sent out only a few minutes ago, on display:  

Subject [SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENT] : MatchMatic 3000 Oopsie Alert  Hello there, awesome students & fellow singletons,  Sooo...this is awkward. Despite weeks of blood, sweat, and ramen going into the creation of the Matchmatic 3000, it appears that a tiny part of the code had a full-on meltdown 🤖💔  As a result, some of the matches you received earlier this week were... well... not exactly what the love gods (or the code) intended. But hey, don’t panic! Not everyone’s match was wrong, just a small handful (I swear, please don’t come for me!).   I truly apologize for the mix-up, and I’m already back at my desk (and caffeine-mixed-with-ramen-fueled) fixing it.  The correct matches will be sent out ASAP—right after I double, triple, and quadruple check that this algorithm doesn’t throw another tantrum.  Thanks for your patience, and please don’t hunt me down! 🙏 I promise I’ll do better next time... or, at the very least, make sure the matches don’t require emergency therapy sessions.  Your (struggling) Campus Cupid,   Lee Heeseung,   Creator of the Slightly Dysfunctional Love Algorithm™ 💘 

”What happened to ‘Oh, the science is never wrong! I’m very smart, trust me, I’m King Romantic Algorithm!’” You mock in your best Heeseung impression, earning amused looks from everyone around the table—well, everyone except Heeseung. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Heeseung groans, holding up his hands defensively. Heeseung still can’t believe he’s apologizing for absolutely no reason, except for the looming fact that his hopelessly-in-love-with-you roommate is making him. “I swear, it must’ve been all the sleep deprivation. Maybe the algorithm glitched somewhere between my tenth cup of ramen and a power nap.” 

Heeseung shoots a knowing side glance towards Jake without anyone noticing, and Jake looks anywhere but at the older boy, avoiding eye contact at all costs.  

Jay raises an eyebrow as he chews on his sandwich, “Honestly, I’m not mad about it. I was still holding out hope for that cute boba barista.” 

“Excuse me?” Grace smacks Jay’s arm without hesitation from beside him. “What’s wrong with being matched with me?” 

Jay blinks at her in disbelief. 

“You literally said you’d rather wrestle a bear made of thorns than go out with me.” 

“Yeah, but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t want to go out with me,” Grace mutters, crossing her arms as Jay chuckles and nudges her back. 

“I don’t have time for your boba barista fantasies, Jay,” you grumble, feeling clearly annoyed over the rematch debacle.

Jake, sitting across from you, has been…well characteristically quiet, probably because he’s still trying to figure out how to comfort you without feeling a pang of guilt for being the reason you’re frustrated. But he gives it a shot anyway, turning to you with a cautious, almost-too-casual smile.  

“Are you really that upset over the rematch, Y/N?” His voice gentle, almost laced with concern, you would think. 

You glance up at him, instantly feeling less annoyed…for some reason. Jake’s always had this weird ability to calm you down without even trying. Maybe it was just his soft and steady demeanor that made you feel the need to match his. You take a deep breath, smoothing out the sharp edges of your mood before you speak.  

“It’s not that I was desperate to be with Sunghoon,” you start, your voice softer now. “I don’t know…I guess it was just kinda exciting and meeting someone new is always fun, you know? I think I’ve just been wanting something new or different in my life.”  

You trail off, and when you meet Jake's eyes again, you catch the way he's nodding along, completely absorbed in what you're saying. His attentiveness is cute, it makes something flutter in your chest—an unfamiliar warmth. You, a little curious, let the feeling linger, before quickly brushing it aside. 

But Jake? He feels that warmth too, though for him, it’s coupled with a twinge of jealousy. He's bothered. The thought of you seeking something ‘new’ with someone else twists in his chest, but he hides it with a smile, determined not to let you see how much it bothers him. 

“Well,” Jake begins, voice light but with a subtle undertone of something more you pick up on and you wonder what it is. “Maybe it’s a good thing. The rematch, I mean. It’s like a second chance. Everything happens for a reason, right? Maybe Sunghoon’s secretly a serial heartbreaker…or into collecting voodoo dolls or something.” 

You laugh, his humor breaking through any of your remaining frustration, and you raise an eyebrow at him. 

“You sound awfully optimistic about this,” you tease, trying to figure out if there’s something more to his words. Was there? Probably not, you deduce. Definitely not.  

Jake’s heart stutters, wondering if he's been caught red-handed. He fights the urge to panic and instead flashes you a cheesy grin and that somehow makes your stomach flip, though you can't exactly figure out why. 

“Just saying, it could be a blessing in disguise,” he shrugs, his tone playful but sincere. “Maybe this time, it’ll match you with someone who’s right in front of you.” 

Your breath catches as you take in his words quite literally. He’s just speaking metaphorically, right? But when your eyes meet again, there’s something in the way he looks at you—something that makes your heart skip a beat.  

For a moment, you don't know why, but you feel vulnerable in front of Jake. Jake, of all people. He’s always been sweet, always been there, but right now, the way he’s looking at you feels different. Maybe it's the way he's talking to you like you two are the only people at the table, like everything you're saying is heard and understood, and you feel seen amidst all the chaos. Like he’s seeing you in a way you’ve never quite noticed before. And it sends warmth radiating through you, mixing with the confusion already swirling in your chest. 

You blink and shake your head, you're overthinking. Jake is just being Jake—kind, supportive, and always ready to listen. That's just who he is. That's all.  

So why can you still feel his lingering gaze on you even as the conversation moves on? And why does it make you feel...something? Shy? Nervous? Excited? Maybe all of the above.  

Grace suddenly claps her hands together, breaking you out of your confusion, “Well, I think this whole rematch thing is the universe giving me a shot at a real love story,” she announces dramatically.  

“Right, because nothing says ‘romance’ like a computer’s ruling,” Jay rolls his eyes.  

Grace glares at him, “Maybe it’ll match me with someone who’s not emotionally unavailable for once.” 

You laugh at your friends' banter, but your thoughts are still stuck on Jake's words, and all you can think about is the possibility of getting paired with Jake. You feel a fluttering sensation at that thought, and as if you were afraid he could read your mind, you try to sneak a glance at him, only to catch him looking at you at the exact same moment. His eyes quickly dart away, making the interaction short enough to avoid any awkwardness but still long enough for you to catch the same gentle, almost longing expression, on his soft features.  

Your heart skips. 

Feeling exposed, you clear your throat, trying to break the silent tension you’re sure only you’re feeling. 

“Anyway,” you say, forcing a smile, “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. I’m sure it’ll all work out in the end.” 

Your friends all nod and murmur in agreement at your statement, but your heart lingers on Jake. You can't help but glance back at him, your mind refusing to shake this unfamiliar feeling of...something—maybe the slightest flicker of hope—that you match with him. 

And maybe, just maybe, you wouldn't mind that at all.  

And for Jake, well, there’s only one version of ‘everything working out at the end,’ and it's simple, really—it's you. And for him, that’s the only ending that matters. 

Maybe Jake bit off a little more than he could chew this time. 

Sure, we’ve established that Jake’s inner simp—Jake Simp—is willing to do just about anything to end up with you. Training for a triathlon? Done. Cat-sitting twelve cats? He’d do it, no questions asked. So, naturally, promising Grace a week’s worth of iced coffee deliveries, finishing her physics poster, funding Heeseung’s meals and doing all his laundry for a month didn’t seem that bad in comparison. 

That was, until now—when he's speed-walking across campus, juggling an iced matcha latte (with two pumps of chai, because of course), a dry-cleaning bag with freshly ironed clothes, and a trifold poster board tucked precariously under his armpit, praying the drink doesn’t melt before he gets it to Grace.

Jake hastily rounds the corner by the library, barely keeping his balance when— 

Smack. 

Jake runs straight into someone, thankfully only sacrificing a few drops of the matcha as he stumbles, trying to keep everything from falling out of his grasp.

"Woah! Easy," an oddly familiar voice says, and when Jake looks up, he's met with your adorably amused expression. Of course it's you.

“Y/N!” Jake nearly chokes on his words, trying to steady himself. “I—uh, didn’t see you there.”

You laugh softly, your eyes flicking over everything in Jake's hold. 

"Is that a...physics project? I thought you took that class last year." 

Jake stalls, trying to recollect himself and somehow explain why he's running around campus with a trifold poster, (at this point, half-melted) iced matcha, and someone's else's dry cleaning, all over trying to end up with you. Because, yeah, there's really no way to explain that. But then...wait.

"I did take it last semester," he says, eyebrows raised. "You remember that?"

Now you're the one seemingly flustered, as if you're the one that just ran into their crush, sweating beads over running a million of chores. 

You think your face is as red as a beet right now, well, at least it feels like it. 

"Uh—yeah, I guess I did," you give a sheepish smile, nervously tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear, and Jake thinks he's about to faint from lightheadedness right then and there.

"Plus, you were always talking about how the professor went on tangents about wormholes...but you would secretly enjoy them because you always swore you could survive getting sucked through one, remember?" 

Jake’s heart skips at the way you're ever so casually recalling these details that even he didn't remember. He doesn't know which one takes the leaderboard, you calling him ‘Jakey’, or this.

"Wow," he breathes, unable to hide the smile spreading across his face. "I didn't think you’d notice all that. I thought I was just rambling half the time and the group would nod along to just be nice."

You shrug, looking up at the boy in front of you while trying to play it off casually, even though your heart feels like it's about to break free from your ribcage. 

"Well, I guess I’ve just always remembered the stuff you talked about. It’s...kind of hard not to when you go on about it with that excited look on your face,” you quickly clamp your mouth and your eyes widen as you realize what you just said out loud. Yup, there goes your heart—broken out of your ribcage, running wild and free.

Jake blinks, mentally putting this interaction at the top of the leaderboard, for sure. 

"Wait, seriously?" Jake's eyes widen as he asks with his voice softer now, as if he's not entirely sure he heard you right. He shifts the matcha latte in his hand, trying to ignore the way his heart just did a little flip at your words.

You're mentally kicking yourself for blurting that out loud, what is going on with you? You swallow hard, feeling trapped in the moment. 

"I mean...yeah," you admit, your voice even quieter now, feeling the gaze of his eyes on you, as you fiddle with the strap of your bag. 

"You get really into the stuff you care about, and it's kind of cute. In, like, a wholesome way," you quickly add, feeling even more heat suddenly rush to your face, "it's just...you know...cute." 

You trail off as you realize you said cute twice but Jake's smile just widens even more at that, and suddenly the mountain of things he's carrying feels a teensy bit lighter. 

"So you think it's cute, huh?" 

Jake feels a newfound confidence, noticing how you're not your typical outspoken self, in fact, you almost look nervous around him. This is his delusion speaking right? Have you always been paying attention to him this way and he's been too blindsided to see it? Regardless, for whatever reason—delusion or not—in this moment, Jake feels a little more out of his comfort zone in front of you. 

"I didn't say that! I said wholesome!" Your eyes dart up to meet his as you protest, but the flustered look on your face betrays you and Jake thinks he could definitely soar to the moon right now.

Jake, still smiling, shifts his weight, and without thinking, takes a small step closer. 

"You totally did," his eyes peer teasingly at you and he doesn't know how he's still breathing, let alone talking, with you looking up at him, like that. "Guess I’ll have to keep talking about stuff I care about, then."

You try to muster something witty back, but the way he’s looking at you—and the way he’s talking to you—is making it so incredibly hard to focus on anything but the fluttering in your chest. 

"Yeah I guess you do," you smile back at him, noticing the lack of space between you two all of the sudden. You've never seen this side of Jake, and you can't help but enjoy it...the banter, the flirty glances, the way he makes you feel—

You clear your throat, snapping yourself back into reality, "So..what is with the project poster and…dry-cleaning?" Your eyes go back to everything he's juggling to avoid further eye contact, grateful for the distraction to give you a chance to catch your breath and regain your composure.

"Oh, this? You know, just doing my daily round of favors for Grace, Heeseung, and the rest of the world apparently," Jake chuckles, more so to himself, at how ridiculous of a situation he really did get himself in. 

You smile, your heart warming at the thought. Jake's always been this way—kind, thoughtful, always helping the people he cares about. Well…in reality, he technically is doing this for someone he cares about…you. 

"Damn, guess I should ask for the same treatment then, huh?" You tilt your head, lips quirking into a grin, eyes lit up.

Typically, that look on your face would have Jake in absolute shambles and he'd probably want to curl up into a turtle shell for life. But whatever cosmic forces that orchestrated this recent shift between you two had given him a much-needed confidence boost.

"I mean, I'd totally do that for you, if that's what you're asking," he leans in with another playful smirk on his face, "anytime."  

Your breath catches, the butterflies in your stomach fighting to escape. 

"Oh? Even if it means running across campus with an iced latte in one hand and my dirty laundry in the other?"  

“For you? Yeah. No problem.” 

For a second, you don’t respond, just watching him with a curious, unreadable expression that always drives him crazy. Now, Jake feels like he might actually pass out from how intensely you’re looking at him. 

Finally, you smile. “I'll hold you to that, Jakey.” 

Jake freezes. It's like you know exactly what that name does to him. 

You giggle, clearly amused at the way he stumbles over a reaction and quickly add, "Anyway, I'll leave you to it! Grace is gonna kill you for bringing over a watered-down matcha. But I'll see you later tonight for movie night, right?"  

Jake suddenly remembers the long-awaited (it was planned one day ago) movie night the group set for tonight, and he gets excited at the idea of seeing you again in just a few hours. 

"Definitely, I'll save you a seat?" 

"Mmm," you nod as you start walking away slowly, still facing him, basking in the way he's watching you. "See you later, Jakey!" 

You finally turn and stroll away, thankful your back is to him now so he can't see how your smile is growing wider than you thought was possible.  

On the other hand, Jake blinks, eyes on you as you walk away, still trying to process what just happened. Confidence or not, you always have the last word. But that doesn’t matter. 

One thing is for sure—Jake Simp is in full throttle, and he’d happily run across campus a hundred times, coffee and laundry in hand, if it means hearing you say his name like that again. 

Not that Jake’s been counting down the hours until movie night or anything—no, definitely not—but it’s been approximately five hours since he ran into you, and—if he’s being honest—about four and a half of those hours were spent thinking about how he’ll be seeing you again. The other 30 minutes? Well, they were spent explaining to Grace why her matcha was delivered watered down, which was a scolding he’d rather forget about. 

Needless to say, he's even more excited than usual to see you tonight, for no particular reason. But after your last interaction, Jake feels closer to you than ever before. There’s a tiny flicker of hope, but he keeps reminding himself not to get ahead of himself. After all, he’s only recently mastered the art of saying more than one sentence to you without hyperventilating. Baby steps. 

Jake’s eyes scan the coffee table of the living room, mentally checking off all the important snacks (important as in your favorite ones, of course).  

"What vibe are we going for tonight?" Heeseung calls out from the couch, as he flips through the Netflix homepage on their TV. "Horror or coming-of-age rom-com?" 

Jake grimaces, "Please, no horror. I’m still having nightmares from the last movie night." He shudders at the memory. 

"Dude," Jay strolls into the room, chuckling, "Coraline is a kids movie!" 

"A scary kids movie! That thing should be rated at least PG-13!" Jake protests, while still scanning the room to ensure everything’s perfectly set up. Snacks, check. Drinks, check. Your favorite blanket neatly folded on the seat he’s reserved for you? Check. 

As if right on cue, a knock sounds at the door, and Jay casually starts, "I got it!"—but because Jake's Spidey senses (aka Y/N-senses) are sure it's you at the door, he's already sprinting and launches to the door, parkour style, slightly nudging Jay out the way and making it to the door before him—all in a second's time. 

"It’s okay! I got it!" Jake blurts, a bit too breathlessly, leaving Jay with a mixed look of disbelief that quickly morphs into amused pity. 

"Oookayyy," Jay drawls, turning to Heeseung with a knowing look, clearly entertained by their roommate. "He’s officially lost it." 

Jake takes a breath and quickly runs a hand through his hair in an attempt to not look disheveled, before pulling open the door. 

"Y/N. Hi." 

"Jake. Hi," you smile up at him, dressed in what you would call your "comfy movie night outfit"—but what Jake would call Met Gala worthy. He's pretty sure you could wear a paper bag and it'd be Met Gala worthy. 

For a split second, Jake’s brain malfunctions as he stalls at the door. The moment he’s been daydreaming about in his head for the last five hours is happening, but now that it’s here, he has zero idea what to do. Think, Jake, think! 

"Congrats, you’re the first one here!" he blurts, mentally face-palming as soon as the words leave his mouth. 

You giggle as you step inside, "Well, that would make sense, since you guys live here, and Grace is always late to everything. But thanks, Jakey, I’ll take it." 

You turn to grin at the boy once more, and he's officially a goner. RIP.  

"Oh—right," Jake stifles a sheepish grin as he rubs the back of his neck, shooting Jay and Heeseung a death glare as they're both silently roasting him with their eyes.  

"Hi boys," you greet the others as you step into the living room, eyes immediately going to the table lined with snacks. "Wow, you guys really went all out!" 

"Hiii Y/N," Heeseung and Jay say in perfect unison. You give them a raised brow, but shrug it off, too used to their weird behavior to question it. 

"Sooo, which seat is mine?" You excitedly turn back to Jake, scanning the available spots.  

"That one! Best seat in the house, guaranteed,” Jake practically beams, heart pitter-pattering as he's pointing to the cushion right next to his favorite spot. 

"Oh really? What makes it the best?" you ask, plopping down and curling up instantly into the cushion, which makes Jake wonder how much more his heart can truly take before it spontaneously implodes on itself. 

“It comes with your favorite blanket and easy access to the snacks. All your favorites, by the way," 

Jake slides into the seat beside you, keeping his voice cool.  

He’s very proud of himself for that one. After all, he did scour three different stores near campus for watermelon Sour Patch and strawberry Pocky. 

Jay butts in, grinning like the devil himself, "And the fact that you’re sitting next to Jake makes it extra special, right, Jakey?"

"Oh? Is that so?" You tilt your head, feigning innocence, although you've always known that the middle seat cushion has always been Jake's sacred seat on movie nights. 

"He’s...joking. I can sit anywhere! I just, uh... think this seat happens to have the best angle of the TV." Jake’s heart is definitely about to combust. 

Smooth, Jake. Real smooth. 

You smile and place a hand on Jake’s knee, patting it lightly, "I trust you, Jake. I’m already enjoying this seat more than you know." 

Jake swallows thickly, his body going rigid under your warm hand briefly against his skin. He thinks if he tries to say anything else, it'll come out sounding like a goose giving birth to fifty eggs. 

From Jake’s other side, Heeseung chimes in, obliviously saving his hopeless roommate, "So, Y/N—horror or rom-com tonight?"

"Horror!" you gasp excitedly, eyes widening immediately, "I need those jump scares to make me feel something, you know?" 

Jay breaks out in a coughing fit, nearly choking on his sudden laughter, while Jake shoots him yet another death glare.  

“Y/N, I completely agree with you! Any objections anyone?” Jay announces almost animatedly, leaving you slightly confused but, once again, unfazed by your friend’s weirdness. 

"Nope, none from me. Jake?" Heeseung raises a brow, also trying not to laugh himself. 

Jake looks at you, seeing how excited you are, and yep—he’s screwed. More nightmares for him, it seems. 

"Nope! I’m...totally down for horror." 

You lightly clap your hands in excitement, making Jake realize that, yeah, the nightmares are probably worth it if it means seeing you this happy. 

As you reach over for a snack, Jay mouths the word "SIMP" at Jake. Jake responds with an eye roll, but yeah, Jay’s not wrong. 

~~~ 

The movie is only 20 minutes in when you frown looking at the coffee table, “How is it possible we’re out of snacks already?”  

“I blame Grace for showing up late. I got hungry, okay?” Jay says, pointing at her. Grace responds by smacking the back of his head. “Ouch.” 

Heeseung pauses the movie. “Vending machine run, anyone?” 

“Jake and Y/N, go! Perfect candidates,” Jay suggests without skipping a beat, rubbing the back of his head from the provoked attack.  

You raise an eyebrow at Jake, feeling your heart race a little faster. You're trying to play it cool but the thought of having a moment alone with him sends a buzz through you. It's the kind of opportunity you didn't realize you were hoping for—wait, were you? You have no idea. But what you do know is that being around Jake has felt different lately, in a good way. There's something about his presence that makes you want to be near him more and more. It's confusing, whatever this is, but all you can admit to yourself right now is, feelings or not, you want this time with him.  

Jake opens his mouth to respond, but doesn’t manage to get anything out before you quickly grab his hand and pull him toward the door. 

“Okay! Be back in a few!” you call back to the group, trying to sound casual. 

Inside, you’re freaking out just a little. Or a lot. Definitely a lot. The feeling of his hand in yours is warm, almost comforting, but there’s...something that you swear is there. It just feels right.  

Jake follows behind you down the hall, and you can feel the warmth of his hand lingering even as you let go. You sneak a glance at him, and for some reason, he just seems... different. You've always found Jake cute. That's not news. But this—this is different, this isn't your typical ‘oh he's cute’ feeling...but you can't pinpoint what it is either. You shake the thought off.  

"Soo…" you start, looking up at him from the corner of your eye. Your heart pounds a little louder, and you hope he can’t hear it over the sound of your sneakers hitting the hallway tiles. He’s just so cute standing there, slightly awkward, but making it work. How can someone look this adorable just existing? 

“Sorry for dragging you out like that. I hope you don't mind,” you finally say as you both step into the elevator. You try to sound casual, but the slight bubble in your throat betrays you.  

“Oh—no, not at all. I totally wanted to...go with you...” Jake says, and then he quickly adds, “I mean, you're practically saving me from all the jump scares.” 

You laugh softly after a beat of silence, raising an eyebrow as the elevator doors open. “I thought you said you didn’t mind horror movies?” 

“Well,” Jake hesitates, but then says quietly, “how could I say no when you were that excited to watch one?” 

You blink, feeling your breath catch for a second. Did he just—? You look up at him, searching his expression, but all you see is that sweet smile of his, and your mind goes a little fuzzy, trying to piece together what that meant. 

You roll the thought around for a second before giving him a playful nudge. 

“Wow, who knew Jake Sim was such a people pleaser?” You’re teasing, but there’s an unfamiliar giddiness in your chest when he simply grins at you in response.  

As you step into the vending machine room, a soft hum fills the space. You glance at Jake again—he's studying the snack options with a small, focused frown, and you can’t help but smile. Why is everything he does so...frustratedly cute? 

Eventually, he sighs, giving up on his snack mission, and leans casually against the machine. Meanwhile, you're slightly bent down, continuing to mentally analyze the shelves, but you're hyper-aware of the fact that his eyes are definitely on you. And because you can feel the heat from his gaze, you swear you're turning ten shades redder by the second.  

“Are you gonna help me pick out snacks, or are you just gonna keep staring at me like that?” you ask, trying to sound casual, even though your brain's in overdrive. Your eyes stay glued to the snack shelves, anything to avoid the tension of locking eyes with him right now. 

“Hmmm,” you can hear the teasing smirk in his voice, and it sends a spark through you. “Nah, you can handle the snacks. I’m perfectly okay where I am.” 

You roll your eyes playfully, but your pulse quickens. Punching in the numbers for a random snack, you slide a dollar into the machine, stalling a little before you finally stand up and look up at him. “Oh, are you?” 

You don’t expect him to be this close when you're fully standing up. The space between you shrinks, and suddenly, you can almost feel his breath on your skin. Your pulse thumps loudly in your ears as you try your best to swallow the lump in your throat.  

“Still perfectly okay?” The words come out softer than you intended, almost a whisper. You’re holding his gaze now, neither of you wanting to break it. You swear you could probably hear a pin drop if it wasn't for your loud heartbeat right now.  

Jake swallows, and for a split second, you see him hesitate. His eyes flicker down to your lips, and that simple, unintentional move makes your breath hitch. You could lean in right now—close the gap between you—and you wonder if he’s thinking the same thing. Maybe you're hoping he's thinking the same thing. 

But then Jake chuckles, breaking the silence with his soft laugh that makes your stomach flip for maybe the hundredth time tonight. 

“I, uh… yeah, I’m still okay,” he says, though his voice exposes just how not okay he actually is. You see the faintest blush creeping up his neck, and it’s endearing—so much so that you almost forget you were nervous too.  

You swear you can sense him shuffle just a little bit closer and you're subconsciously wanting to lean into the feeling... 

Plop! 

The sound of the bag of chips landing at the bottom of the machine breaks whatever moment you thought was forming between you two.  

You blink. Jake blinks. 

For a split second, the two of you just stare at each other, wide-eyed, before Jake is the first to snap out of it. His hand quickly goes to rake through his hair, his eyes darting anywhere but yours, and the flush on his cheeks is unmistakable. It almost matches the heat you feel creeping up your own face. 

You can’t tell if you’re more relieved or disappointed that the moment broke so abruptly. You can't tell anything at this point, if you're being honest.  

“Uh—um,” you clear your throat, reaching for the snack like it’s the most important thing in the world. “I hope you like sour cream and onion chips!” 

You hold up the bag with a nervous laugh, trying to shake off the tension in the air. Jake just gives you this soft, searching smile, like he's trying to figure out what just happened—or maybe he's wondering if you felt it too. 

The way his eyes are so gentle, so open, makes your stomach flutter, and because you think you might actually crumble if he keeps looking at you like that for a second longer, you break eye contact to immediately turn back to the vending machine, hoping the heat in your face isn’t as obvious as it feels. 

“What other snacks do you think they’d like?” you hum, trying to sound casual, but inside you’re mentally screaming at yourself for not just going for it earlier. Great going, Y/N. 

From the corner of your eye, you catch Jake letting out a small exhale before he chuckles softly. 

“Honestly, as long as it has sugar, I think everyone will be happy,” he says, and you instantly feel yourself relax, his lightheartedness simmering the tension a bit.

"Hmmm... sour cream and onion and sugar. Got it," you punch in a few more random numbers into the machine, feeding it your remaining cash. "Looks like we’ve hit all the major food groups for today. Nutritionists everywhere will be so proud." 

The air between you both feels a lot lighter now, but there’s still a lingering warmth under your skin—a little too flustered to fully shake it off. You wonder if Jake is feeling the same, but if he is, he seems to be handling it way better than you are. Of course he would be. Cool, calm, collected Jake. (Also ironic, isn't it?)  

"Honestly, we should just unplug the machine and rob the whole thing," Jake playfully adds as you grab the last snack from the bottom slot. "You already know Jay’s gonna inhale all of these the second we walk back in." 

"You’re so right. I say next time, Operation 'Y/N and Jake versus the vending machine' needs to happen,” you laugh, feeling a little more like yourself again. 

"Oh, so what I'm hearing is there’s gonna be a next time?" Jake raises an eyebrow as the two of you start heading back to the elevator. "Count me in." 

You instinctively roll your eyes at how annoyingly smooth he was being, but you can't help the giddy smile growing on your face as a result of his words. As you two stand side by side to each other in the elevator, there's a new quiet that's settled and it's...nice. It's not awkward, just...heavier than before. As if there's a shared secret between you—something you both know but aren't ready to speak aloud just yet. But it's there—just for the two of you to mutually share in comfortable silence.  

Before you reach the apartment, you feel a light tug on your sleeve, and you stop. Looking up, you see Jake holding onto the corner of your sleeve, his expression...soft. Like, too soft. And for a moment, you swear time just stops. If he was on a mission to officially kill you, he can officially say mission accomplished.  

"Y/N, I—" he hesitates, his voice quieter again, like he's about to say something serious, and your heart picks up speed again. But then he stops himself, his grip loosening.  

You blink up at him, wanting him to continue so bad, but also unsure if you're ready of what might come next. 

"Mmm?" you hum, almost afraid to say anything louder. 

Jake bites the inside of his cheek, looking like he’s at war with himself. He finally lets go of your sleeve and gives you a small smile. 

"Sorry, it’s...nothing. Just... you look really nice tonight." 

The sudden, sincere comment catches you off guard, and you feel that familiar warmth rush to your face once again.  

"Oh," you manage to squeak out, because apparently, that's all you're capable of in the moment as your heart is spiraling. "Thanks, Jakey."  

You smile and look down at where his hand just was on your sleeve, and you almost want to reach out and grab his hand again, just to see if it'll feel as warm as it did earlier. Why do you want to reach out so bad?  

Jake's eyes flicker to yours, and for a split second, you swear there's a flicker of something in his eyes—something vulnerable—but then, just as quickly, his gaze shifts to the apartment door behind you, and he clears his throat.  

"Yeah," he says almost breathlessly. "Sorry, we should...probably go in. They probably think we got lost or something at this point."  

You finally let out a breath and snap yourself back in reality from staring at him. 

"Right, yeah. Wouldn’t want them sending a search party," you joke, though your brain’s still fuzzy from the million thoughts and feelings swirling around. 

As Jake unlocks the door, you can’t help but wonder if whatever just happened between you two was all in your head. But it can’t be, right? That feeling had to be real... Right? 

You step inside, and your friends’ commentary barely registers. It’s all background noise compared to the whirlpool of emotions screaming inside you. You sit back down on the couch, and so does Jake, in his seat next to yours.  

And while the movie plays for the rest of the night, you can't seem to focus on anything but the memory of everything that's happened tonight. That and the feeling of Jake’s arm resting right up against yours.  

You’re doomed. 

Jake has never been more confused in his entire life, like, ever. The past few days for him have been more confusing than that one semester he took Postmodern Interpretations of the Emoji Language and actually had to write a ten-page paper on the laughing emoji (don't judge, he had to fulfill his last two elective credits somehow).  

Life has been an absolute whirlwind for Jake—mainly due to the fact that his emotions have been spinning out of control. And to top it off, today’s the long-awaited rematch day.  

Normally, Jake would be a complete wreck by now, bouncing his leg under the table or fidgeting with his phone, but today? Today, he's nervous in a completely different way. The kind of nerves you get when you already know what's about to happen… but after everything that’s gone down lately, he thinks there’s something more between the two of you. And it has nothing to do with Heeseung’s so-called love algorithm. 

At least, he hopes there’s something between you two. Unless—oh god—he’s been totally delusional this whole time, and you’ve just been nice, and Jake’s fully lost it. Perfect, that’s exactly what he needs right now, on top of everything else. But the scariest part? In just a few moments, when the app refreshes and pairs you two together, Jake's going to have to face whatever's been simmering between you both—whether he's ready for it or not.  

And as if Heeseung could read his trembling thoughts, he breaks the silence at the lunch table, "Are you guys ready?"  

Grace and Jay's heads are nodding so fast for Heeseung to just push the 'send' button already, Jake thinks they look like bobbleheads. But when he glances over at you, you don't seem nearly as eager. Which is...weird. Considering how only a couple days ago, you were fired up about the rematch. But now? You look almost...conflicted?  

Jake's eyes linger on you for a second longer, taking in the way you're biting your lip, clearly deep in your thoughts. He can't help but find the sight of you zoned out like that so ridiculously adorable.  

"Y/N?" He nudges you gently. "You good?"  

"Huh?" You blink, snapping out of your daydream. "Oh, yeah. Sorry, Just...thinking, I guess."  

"You'll be fine, Y/N!" Grace chimes in, ever the optimist. "I bet you're gonna love whoever your match is!"  

Well, gee, Jake really, really, hopes so. If not, the last few days will have been a very confusing rollercoaster of emotional whiplash. 

"Right," Jake agrees, trying to act normal, though his voice sounds a little too tight. "Everything's going to be fine." Please, please let everything be fine.  

Jake can tell you're hesitant about something—you open your mouth like you want to say something, but then just as quickly, you press your lips closed again. If Jake didn't think you were the most precious being in the world, you could say you look like a fish out of water right now.

"Hypothetically speaking," you slowly speak up, eyes flicking up to your friends. "What would you do if...let's say you started catching feelings for someone...but then the app might pair you with someone else?" You pause, swallowing hard. 

"Hypothetically…of course.”

Grace raises an eyebrow. Heeseung freezes mid-bite. And Jake? Well, let's just say his heart is already running a mile into the marathon. Hypothetical? Feelings? That has to be about him, right? What were the chances?  

Jay lets out a snort. "Lucky for you, in a hypothetical situation, you do absolutely nothing. Cause it's...you know, hypothetical."  

"Yeah, you're right. Forget I said anything." You wave your hand, brushing it off, but Jake notices a blush growing across your face. "Okay, Hee! Let's get this over with."  

Jake's mind is spinning. What could you have possibly meant by that? That had to be about him...right? Because that is all he's ever wanted, all he's been pining for. But at the same time...it's too good to be true, so Jake refuses to believe it. He can't get his hopes up—not yet.

"Okayyyy," Heeseung's still lifting an eyebrow at your odd behavior before he clears his throat, “everyone ready?”  

Jay and Grace drum the table in anticipation, and Jake? Jake's pretty sure he's going to throw up. 

Heeseung taps his screen, and the table collectively holds its breath. Then, all at once, everyone’s phones light up. 

Grace and Jay scramble to grab their phones first and Jake thinks he's actually developing an incurable case of heart failure.  

“WHAT?” Grace shrieks before she whips around to Jay with wide eyes. “I got you, AGAIN!”  

Jay, unbothered, raises his hands defensively, “What can I say? It’s science, Gracey-poo.”  

"Sure. Science," Grace rolls her eyes so hard it's a wonder they don't get stuck. "Like how you scientifically forgot how to text me back after last night's study sesh?"  

Before Grace can verbally throttle Jay, Jake's entire focus narrows in on you, and how your phone is still face down on the table. You haven't even touched it.

The suspense is killing him, especially knowing his name is going to be on your screen. And if it's not? Well, then the end. End of fanfic. Cue the end credits.  

You, on the other hand, are staring intently at the Grace v. Jay debacle, as if focusing hard enough on other people's life issues will prevent the existential crisis you're about to have. Honestly, your phone could've exploded into a million pieces next to you and you'd still be pretending to care more about anything else.  

Because honestly? You couldn't care less about whoever Heeseung's magical powers paired you with—you're more focused on whatever's been going on between you and Jake. Or at least, you hope, there’s something happening between you and Jake. Unless, oh god, he's just being nice, and you've fully lost it. Please, please don't tell me I've lost it.  

"Y/N! Jake! Who did you guys get?" Grace turns towards the two of you, breaking the both of you out of your respective spirals. 

"Right, yeah. Um—okay. Let's see,” you let out a shaky laugh as your hands fidget in your lap before they finally reach for your phone, as Jake does the same next to you.  

You take a breath, click on the daunting email notification on your screen, and finally look down.  

You blink down at your phone. You squeeze your eyes to make sure they’re not deceiving you.  

Match: Sim Jae-yun  

Your brain is absolutely jumbled beyond saving, you seem to have forgotten how to breathe, and your stomach feels like it was just turned inside out. You don’t know what’s happening, is this what dying feels like?

You blink once. Twice. And maybe a third time just to make extra, extra sure.  

Suddenly, the whole room seems to slow down, like you're watching a replay of your life recently at 0.5 speed. All the moments between you and Jake flash by: the vending machine run, the shared glances, the oddly adorable way he got flustered over you calling him 'Jakey.' But you don't have time to fully process everything because the fact is:  

You’ve just been matched with Jake. Jake.  

You finally look up, heart racing, and try to see if Jake's opened his notification yet, but his face is still too normal at whatever he's looking at on his phone. Or, more accurately, he's pretending to be normal, because the tips of his ears are a little too red for someone who's ‘chill’ (he's most definitely not chill, right now).  

"So, uh..." Jake's voice finally comes out quiet, his gaze slowly meeting yours, and it makes you feel like you two are the only ones at this table. Scratch that, in this world. "Did you open yours?"

"Yeah,” you nod, trying to act nonchalant, “I did.”

Jake lets out a soft chuckle, the faintest smile tugging at the corner of his lips. 

"Same here."

The way he says it—soft, like he’s addressing the shared secret between the two of you—makes the air feel warmer. Or maybe it’s just you overheating. Get it together, Y/N.

Grace, across the table, catches the tension happening in front of her, her eyes darting back and forth like she's watching a slow motion scene of a k-drama unfold in real time. Then—

“Oh my god,” she gasps loudly, before violently clapping a hand over her mouth. 

Her eyes fill with excitement and just as quickly, she jumps up, grabbing both Jay and Heeseung by the back of their shirts and yanking them to their feet. 

“We’re getting boba! Be right back!”  

Heeseung’s brows scrunch. “Wait, what? I don’t even wan—“  

“Too bad! We’re going.”  

And just like that, you’re left alone with Jake next to you—and his flaming red ears that could probably power a small country. 

“So…” Jake clears his throat, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as he finally turns to look at you.  

“So..,” you softly say, your fingers tapping nervously on the edge of the table, hoping he'll say something, anything. 

"So," Jake repeats for the third time, followed by an awkward chuckle. “Uh...what do we...do now?”  

You blink.

“Do now?”  

Jake’s eyes dart to yours, and for a second, you think he’s about to up and bolt from the table. 

“I mean, like, uh...we’re…well, I don’t know, is there something to do now..? Or not do? That’s okay too! I have no idea. I’m just—wow. Sorry.”  

You smile endearingly at him before breaking out into laughter as your heart does a little Olympics routine. How were you this oblivious before?  

“Jake,” you say between laughs, catching your breath as you instantly feel eased by him. "It's okay. I've been thinking...I—" 

You mentally high-five yourself and give yourself a pep talk for what you're about to say. Please, for the love of all things holy, don't let me be wrong about this.

"I can't stop thinking about you," you say, voice quiet, but steady. "It's like you've taken over my brain, Jake, and it's driving me crazy. And I don't know—I don't know if it's just me or if everything I've been sensing between us is real, but I think my brain might explode if I didn't tell you. Plus, I was terrified the Matchmatic would pair you with someone else and I had lost my chance."  

You finally feel like the weight of the world has been lifted off your shoulders, but when you look at Jake? He's gone. Eyes wide, looking like a malfunctioning robot. His mouth opens and closes, and you're 110% sure he's about to glitch out of existence right in front of you.  

"Wow."  

You blink. Wow? That's it? Is this a good wow or a wow-she's-crazy wow? Naturally, you think it’s the latter, so you mentally prepare yourself to fake your death and move to Norway.  

But before you're about to flee the scene and start your new life as a mountain goat herder, Jake's eyes lock on yours, filled with the softest, most fond expression you've ever seen.  

"Y/N, I like you. A lot. And I have for, like...forever, I think." His voice is quiet, but his shoulders are more relaxed the more he looks at you. "I didn't think you'd feel the same way. You know, because we're friends and all." 

Your smile grows impossibly wide as you nudge his shoulder playfully with yours. 

"Well, surprise surprise, you're wrong."  

Jake chuckles, now fully facing you, his face flushed from wearing his heart on his sleeve. But for you? He thinks he’s about to stand on this lunch table and scream his feelings into a megaphone. 

"So...maybe we could try out this 'more-than-friends' thing?" you suggest, finding it hard to form a coherent sentence without sounding like a fifth grader. But Jake? Jake thinks seeing you stumbling your words over talking to him, for once, is the cutest sight ever. "I mean, unless you don't want—"  

"Oh, I definitely want to!" Jake practically launches himself forward, his smile so big you wish you could keep a mental image of it forever.

You laugh, suddenly feeling lighter. "Okay, then. Let's do it."  

"Here's to doing it!" Jake echoes, his voice warm and soft as he moves closer to you, finding it hard to resist just simply being in your close presence. Then, his eyes widen and he clears his throat, "I mean, not like do it, do it—wait, but not saying that I wouldn't—oh god—"  

Your giggles are uncontrollable once again as you watch Jake's face turn into the deepest shade of red you've ever seen. Without even thinking, you reach for his hand, seeking stability, as if he's a magnet drawing you in and you can't resist the pull of his warmth.

You finally take a breath, calming yourself down as Jake's eyes flicker down to your intertwined fingers, and his smile softens into something that makes your heart so full.  

For a moment, neither of you say anything, just letting the weight of everything finally settle, your hand resting under his in between you two. Then, Jake's thumb brushes softly over your knuckles, and he looks up at you with that newfound confidence that somehow makes him even more irresistible.  

“So…now what?” Jake's corners of his mouth twitch into a smile as he subconsciously leans in closer than before, and this time, you know there's no way you're backing out. 

A playful smile tugs at your lips as your eyes flicker between his soft brown eyes and his mouth. 

“Well, I mean…you still owe me from the vending machine.”  

Jake freezes. He blinks in confusion, and you're pretty sure you can hear the whirrr of his brain rebooting right in front of you.  

“Oh, you mean for the snacks? How much do I owe you? I can Venmo you, or, uh, buy you more snacks?” he stammers, completely caught off guard by your random comment, especially when he thought this was the moment. But, you know...priorities, I guess?  

Now you freeze, blinking at him before you let out a giggle that surprises even you. Seriously? You reach out and gently cup his adorably confused face.  

"Jake, you lovable dork," you say, shaking your head, unable to stop the giggles bubbling up. "Not what I meant."  

Jake doesn't even get the chance to respond (and honestly, he doesn't know if he could even form words right now, not with you so close, holding his face so gently). Before either of you even know it, you lean up and close the gap, your lips softly pressing against his.  

Jake freezes for a heartbeat. Or maybe two. He's unsure if he's even still breathing (is oxygen even necessary at a time like this?). But then, instinctively, his hands find their way to your waist, and he's gently pulling you closer on the table bench, as if he's afraid to let you slip away. He's pretty sure the world hit pause, and all that existed was the softness of your touch, the sweet warmth of your lips, and the faint vanilla scent of your shampoo that's doing a great job at scrambling his brain right now.  

He tries to stay cool—he really does—but his lips curve into a smile against yours, and he can't help but think, well, this is it. This is peak life. I've peaked. This? This just knocked anything else right off the leaderboard of his best life moments. 

It’s short. It’s sweet. It’s everything you didn’t know you needed and everything Jake’s been dreaming about.

He's savoring every little moment, every little movement guided by you, feeling like he's on cloud infinity, before you pull away, a soft pink blush growing on your entire face.

You lean your head back slightly to look at him, the warmth of the moment still lingering between you. Jake’s eyes are wide, his cheeks flushed, but there’s a soft, almost dazed smile playing on his lips, like he’s still processing.

"W-wow," he stammers, his voice barely above a whisper as he's trying to process if he's actually alive or in a sugar-induced dream. 

"Yeah," you breathe out, smiling as you gently run your thumb across his cheek, enjoying the way his face heats up even more under your touch. 

"So...," you say playfully after a beat of silence, leaning in so close that you're sure you’d be kissing him all over again if it wasn’t for your self-control, "do I still get my snacks?"

Jake laughs, officially breaking the heavy tension. He drops his head on your shoulder, completely and utterly overwhelmed by the pure sensation of you, but in the best way possible.  

"You can have all the snacks you want," he mumbles into your shoulder, his voice muffled but filled with so much affection that you think you might actually burst with joy. "Take my whole bank account while you're at it. Take whatever you want."  

You can't help but laugh as you wrap your arms around his neck, tugging him even closer to you. 

"You're ridiculous, Sim Jae-yun." 

"I know," he admits, voice still muffled into your shoulder. "But I'm your ridiculous, algorithm-proven match, right?"  

Jake feels your laughter from under him. "Mmmhmm, Jakey. 100% mine. Algorithm or not."  

You feel his smile grow against your shoulder as your arms squeeze him tighter. The perfect moment settles and you think you could die happy right now. For the first time in days, everything feels right.

But then, Jake pulls back just slightly, still under your hold, his eyebrows furrowing like he's about to say something very important.  

"Wait—" he raises his eyebrows at you.

 "—does this mean you never saw me as a Roomba?"  

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。..・。.・゜✭・.・

epilogue: 

“If your next words are that you’re Spider-Man,” you say, your head nestled in Jake’s lap as you absentmindedly watch the TV, “then congratulations, you’re officially the world’s coolest boyfriend ever.”

Jake lets out a soft laugh, his fingers gently playing with the ends of your hair. It’s movie night—a rare, private one this time, much to your friends' annoyance. No horror films tonight (thank god, because Jake still hasn’t fully recovered from the last one), but honestly, the movie has long been forgotten. The moment Jake blurted out that he had something ‘dire’ to tell you, all plotlines flew out the window. 

You told him, unless it's about a sudden worldwide ramen shortage or that he's secretly a bug-themed superhero, then it could definitely wait until after the movie. 

But Jake had shook his head, claiming no, it’s like…life-changing important. 

Which is why you’re here now, his lap a perfect pillow, waiting for him to speak. He looks down at you, and you finally catch the serious gleam in his eyes. Oh wait, he’s actually being serious. 

“No, unfortunately, I don’t have Spidey senses,” he laughs nervously, gently nudging you up until you’re sitting face to face on the couch. “I do think I’ve developed Y/N senses, though.” 

“Oh? What are your Y/N senses telling you now?” you raise an eyebrow, smirking. 

“Um… that you hopefully won’t be mad at me?” Jake’s voice wavers slightly, hands fiddling with yours, and your playful smile fades just a little, confusion and worry taking over your face. 

“Oh. Okay. What’s up?” You straighten up, fully turning toward him, sitting crisscrossed.

Jake hesitates, looking down at your intertwined fingers, and takes a deep breath.

“Well, remember the Matchmatic thingy from a few months ago?” 

“Mmhm,” you hum, studying his expression. 

“So… um…I may or may not have done something…to make sure you got matched with me,” Jake’s eyes immediately squeeze shut, bracing for impact, like he’s expecting an explosion, or worse, your wrath. 

There’s a beat of silence. And then— 

You burst into laughter. Full-on, head-thrown-back, shoulders-shaking laughter. You drop your head back into Jake’s lap, your cackles muffled by his hoodie, while Jake sits frozen, staring at you like you’ve grown two heads. 

“I—uh… I’m confused?” He stares down at you, unsure if you’re about to pull a full-on Joker moment. 

“Jakey,” you coo, your laughter softening into giggles as you sit back up and cradle his cheeks. “You are so adorable. You really thought I didn’t know?” 

Jake blinks. 

“Wait, what?” 

“I knew.” You grin, watching as his brain seems to stall for a second. 

“…You knew?” 

You nod, leaning back on your hands. 

“Yeah, I knew. I mean, I kind of just put two and two together after we started dating. And Hee? He's a genius, no way he messed up the first way around,” you roll your eyes playfully. 

“But the thing is, Jake… the algorithm didn’t make me like you. I already did.” You reach forward and tap his forehead lightly, preciously smiling at how utterly stunned he looks. 

“You—wait, what?” Jake’s mind is catching up at the speed of 3G internet. 

“Yeah,” you laugh again, softer this time.  

He’s still staring at you, wide-eyed, like you just casually told him you're moving to the moon tomorrow. Honestly, he looks like his entire world just got flipped upside down, but in the best way possible, of course.  

“So…you’re not mad?” 

"Nope."  

"And you still wanna be with me?"  

"Yup."  

"And you're not just saying that because I buy you all the snacks you want?"  

"Nope."  

"Oh thank god," Jake exhales dramatically, hand flying to his chest like he barely survived a life-threatening situation. He looks at you with the softest, dopiest smile that makes you feel like you're staring at a puppy in a rom-com. "Because you are, hands down, the most perfect person for me. Like, ever."  

"You are so cute, Jakey," you scrunch your nose at him before leaning up to plant a quick kiss on his blushing cheek, which only makes his ears turn an even deeper shade of red.  

But before you can pull away, he's already frowning playfully.  

"Wait, wait—one more question." 

"Mhm?" 

"Cute as in 'kiss' cute or 'puppy' cute?"

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。..・。.・゜✭・.・

the end! i hope you guys liked it ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

m.list here!

tagged: @climbingmandevillas @byeoltual @junhuiste-ficrec

cue all the tags now...

❦ I'm gonna cherish you - OT7

(synopsis) ᥫ᭡. cuddles with enhypen ❦

ot7 idol!enhypen x fem!reader ᥫ᭡. fluff fluff fluff !!! ᥫ᭡. cuddles ᥫ᭡. kissing, petnames ᥫ᭡. wc 926

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𝑳𝒆𝒆 𝑯𝒆𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒖𝒏𝒈 - 이희승

it was a lazy morning with just you and your boyfriend, basking in the morning sunlight. you had both just woken up a little bit ago and were just enjoying each other's presence. heeseung's arm was wrapped around your waist, pulling you closer to him, and his other arm was gently playing with your hair. he was humming his group's latest comeback with his honey-like voice which comforted you very much. "my baby's so pretty, hm?" he whispered, planting a kiss on your jawline. "seungie's prettier" you giggle, already knowing where this is going to lead you. "no! baby's prettier!" he would shake his head, with his eyebrows scrunched together to make a point. "okay okay! you win!" you smile, slowly kissing his lips. you and him cherished these soft moments together so so much.

𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝑱𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒔𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒈 - 박종성

after a long day of dance practice, the only thing jay wants to do is hold you in his arms and just forget about all the problems in the world. you had been waiting for him at home, knowing that he would just want to wash up and then rest. so, you prepared his skincare routine for him so it would be super quick and easy and then he could spend more time with you in his arms. finally lying down, he gently pulled you closer to him, and you tucked your face in between his head and his shoulder, giving him access to play with your hair. "thank you doll. for just being with me after long days" he would say softly. looking up at him, you gave him a small kiss on the lips reassuring him that this was the least you could do for him. "all i want if for you to be happy jongie. i love you so much!" you smile, closing your eyes. "i love you too doll" and the two of you drift off in each other's arms.

𝑺𝒊𝒎 𝑱𝒂𝒆𝒚𝒖𝒏 - 심재윤

"ynnie!!! i'm homeee!" you hear your boyfriend announce. "jakey!!! i've prepared our movie and the blanket!" you and your boyfriend loved to watch movies and cuddle. it was just your guy's thing! after he washed up, he joined you on the couch, spreading the blanket over the two of you. "hi baby" he smiled, finally adjusting in his spot and looking at you. "hi jakey. it's nice to have you home" you smiled back, kissing his nose slightly. he slid his arm under you waist and pulled you closer to him. you rested your head on his chest, now being able to relax to the sound of his heartbeat. you slowly started to drift off, but before you did, you head jake whisper, "i love you."

𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝑺𝒖𝒏𝒈𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒏 - 박성훈

recently, sunghoon and his members just started their tour and sunghoon decided to bring you along. after concerts, sunghoon loved being able to come back to the hotel and just hold you in his arms. "you did so amazing today hoonie" you praised, snuggling closer to sunghoon. "thank you angel, it was alllll for you" he winked, pressing a kiss to your forehead. he provided a comforting warmth and you wished you two would never have to leave. his arms were wrapped around your frame, as the two of you soaked in each other's presence. he planted a few more kisses around your face before saying, "thank you for everything my angel. i love you so much" "i love you more hoonie"

𝑲𝒊𝒎 𝑺𝒖𝒏𝒐𝒐 - 김선우

sunoo loves being able to just sneak you into the hybe building and in between his schedule, cuddle you. for instance, he just finished vocal practice and went to go get you so the two of you could cuddle for 30 minutes before he had to go record some stuff. their practice room had a couch and that's the place the two of you went most. the other members weren't bothered by it and it was private enough to give you two the space you needed. his arms wrapped around your waist, hugging your back. sunoo absolutely loved taking short naps just like that with you in his arms. even though it was short, it was sunoo's and your's favorite part of the day.

𝒀𝒂𝒏𝒈 𝑱𝒖𝒏𝒈𝒘𝒐𝒏 - 양정원

being the leader of 6 other guys can be very tiring, so that's where you come in! your like jungwon's personal charger. he cuddles you when he needs to re-charge and you just get lots of cuddles! it's a win-win for the both of you. not to mention, jungwon get's to see his pretty girlfriend way more often now. he loves just holding you close to him whether it's sitting or lying down together. he lets you ramble on about random things, enjoying listening to your voice and what you've been up to lately. "thank you jagi, for being my personal charger" he smiles, kissing your cheek.

𝑵𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒓𝒂 𝑹𝒊𝒌𝒊 - 西村 力

our maknae here does not like to show his clingy side in front of other people, with the exception of you and maybe his members. so when you two cuddle, it's usually at the end of the day, in the privacy of one's room. his tall frame would cover yours, but in a comforting way. it was like he was shielding you from the world with his arms wrapped around your body, tracing little patterns with his finger on either your arm, leg, back, or stomach. he loved letting you know that he was there for you. "thank you princess" he would mumble in his low voice. "for what?" you asked, curiously looking at him. "for loving me like this" gosh, what was this boy doing to you?

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ownjcwk someone please give me this type of love 😭 this genuinely had me smiling and giggling like crazy when i was writing this. sorry it was so late! i had so much hw to do but i really wanted to write this prompt so yeah! likes, feedback, and re-blogs are so appreciated! <3

⚘. Perm taglist: @vmpivory, @yuvany

TOUCH / clingy boyfriend

enhypen ｡｡ when your boyfriend is clingy

n : f!r / 1082 𝑤𝘰𝑟𝑑𝑠 . . . 𝓬 — 𝗈𝗇𝗍𝖾𝗇𝗍 ⨾ kissing skinship fluff ⟢ 𝖼𝖺𝗍𝖺𝗅𝘰𝗀𝗎𝖾

( 𝗋𝖾𝖻𝗅𝘰𝗀𝗌 ♥︎ 𝖼𝗅𝑖𝖼𝗄 )

LEE HEESEUNG

“i want you to stay here forever”

you both were lounging on the couch, once again watching the notebook. almost like a tradition at this point.

heeseung couldn’t even bring himself to complain about how boring it was, catching himself watching the way you’d marvel at how great the movie was for the nth time. his eyes roaming over your face, imprinting every detail in its wake.

subconsciously, heeseung’s figure leans against yours, his hand coming up to cup your face. in the midst of confusion you turn your head towards him, the ghost of a smile on your lips.

heeseung, who’s spent the whole movie trying to catch your attention, finds himself flustered from holding your adoring gaze. burying his head on your shoulder right after, trying to hide the big smile and blushing ears. his hands sliding down to rest at your waist comfortably.

“just stay here for a moment” hee mumbles, feeling your body shift, his arms tightening slightly around your hips.

PARK JONGSEONG

“20 more minutes”

that was the cycle you and your boyfriend has been in for the past half hour. earlier you told him you had plans with a few friends. he seemed to be fine hours ago but just by the hour mark when you had to start getting ready, the way he held you and the way his eyes settled on you really made you rethink.

“i have to get ready” you state, attempting to pull away from the grip.

“why do you have to go today? why not tomorrow.” he whines, his arm sliding around your waist for a steadier grip. face burying just by the slope of your neck, his warm breath fanning the spot just below your ear.

you just realized how close he was to you.

“jay..”

placing a soft, but firm kiss to the shell of your ear, he whispers, “please, baby”

SIM JAEYUN

you didn’t know what to do.

standing around in a function your friend dragged you to just to end up sitting alone at a table was not ideal. especially when you’d rather be doing other things right now like being at home with your boyfriend.

unfortunately, you were stuck here and he was stuck in another city with his friends so you had no excuse to avoid the event this time.

“how’s busan?” you asked your boyfriend through the phone.

“oh you know, it’s quite fun here. how about you? didn’t you say you’re going to an event with gigi?”

“yeah, i’m at it right now, we were just talking to someone a few minutes ago. it’s really fun!” you lied, but if you didn’t he would’ve nagged. so there was really no better option.

“really? you don’t seem like you’re having fun” that call came from just by your ear. and not the one covered by your phone. turning around, your boyfriend was adorned in a slick suit, his head tilted playfully. “missed me?”

PARK SUNGHOON

“hello?” you picked up the phone, your voice raspy and half awake.

“babe, i found this new game we could try out later” you immediately recognized the voice even through your state.

“hoon?”

“yes, baby?”

you stay silent. the words died down in your mouth at how softly he spoke the petname. you knew he’s had an abnormal sleep schedule, due to tiring schedules and other hindrance.

he’s spoke to you about it (although with enough convincing) and you promised to let him annoy you at whatever time of the night it was. he wouldn’t tell you why, but the excitement in his eyes made you regret nothing.

so you smile, “what was the game-“

“i love your voice” your boyfriend blurt.

at your increased silence, sunghoon hurried to explain himself.

“i didn’t know how to tell you back then, but i really like your voice. it puts me to sleep… and i’m sorry for waking you up every night for the past week, it’s just.. you sound really cute sleepy.”

well, now you were definitely awake.

KIM SUNOO

“don’t you have a meeting to attend to?”

just about two hours ago you met up with your boyfriend, just to pick up your cat from his flat. barely interacting enough, unfortunately your schedule was packed and you had a class soon.

he told you he had a meeting when you said you’d come back to his apartment after class, so you both had to wait until tomorrow in hopes your schedules won’t clash again.

but now here he stood just beside you, casually browsing the lettuce aisle in the supermarket after grabbing your shopping cart from behind.

he looked back at you, as you stood there looking dumbfounded at him.

“what? i have my priorities”

YANG JUNGWON

lazy mornings are your favorite. okay, well, lazy saturday mornings are heaven. waking up to your sleepy boyfriend and cooking up a small breakfast for yourself. it was a great feeling.

to add to that, your boyfriend sneaking up behind you from the back. maybe that was what perfectly described heaven.

“you smell good” your boyfriend hummed, arms tight around your waist, chin propped on your shoulder.

“good morning to you, too” you chuckle. “what do you want for breakfast? we should go to that-“

“can we sleep in today?” he mumbled lazily, already starting to drag you back to the bedroom, “just wanna be with you right now” he rasps.

NISHIMURA RIKI

“come on, my hands are cold”

you didn’t get it. didn’t understand how often his hands had gotten cold throughout the entire night and why.

he’s asked you to hold his hands before dinner and you just assumed he was really cold, but really it was only september and there was barely a chill to the weather.

“it’s not even cold out” you reply and look back once you realize your boyfriend was not by your side. a pout lined his lips, he resembled a duck, really. which in turn made you chuckle at how adorable he looked right now.

the little steps he took to finally get to you, and the way he intertwined his hands to yours once he was a distance away from you. all of it made you involuntarily smile.

“your hands are just warm, i guess” he adds, looking away. when you chuckle and rub his knuckles, continuing to skip down the road, you missed the way his eyes looked at you and maybe the way his ears went red too.

juni : how we feel about the new layout? i’ve got a few more posts ready for you all, and a new posting schedule as well yay!

☁︎ . , PERSONAL CUDDLE BUDDY , P.SH !

PAIRING: boyfriend ! sunghoon × girlfriend ! afab reader. SYNOPSIS: when you can't help but want to stay closer to your boyfriend even when the electricity goes off. GENRE: fluff, drabble. WARNING(S): kisses, cuddling, not proofread, pure fluff. WORD COUNT: 570. [NAV] [MASTERLIST] [MINI SERIES]

♫︎ REBLOGS + FEEDBACKS ARE ALWAYS APPRECIATED

“Sunghoon,” you whispered softly, nudging him as the room suddenly plunged into darkness, the sound of the thunderstorm raging outside filling the air.

He stirred, his voice groggy but tender. “Did the power go out again?” He couldn’t see you, but he could hear the faint worry in your voice.

“Yeah…” you mumbled, your fingers clutching the edge of his shirt.

He shifted closer, his warmth instantly wrapping around you like a protective cocoon. “Are you scared?” His voice was soft, and before you could answer, he slipped an arm around your waist, pulling you snug against his chest. The faint scent of him and the steady rhythm of his breathing were enough to calm your nerves.

“Not when I’m with you,” you murmured, burying your face in the safety of his embrace, your forehead pressed against his heartbeat. The storm outside seemed distant now, and the darkness wasn’t so overwhelming.

His fingers brushed through your hair soothingly, his lips grazing the top of your head. “I’m not going anywhere, okay?” he whispered, his voice a gentle promise.

In his arms, the storm could rage on, but all you felt was his warmth, his presence, and the peace that came with it.

As the storm rumbled outside, you felt the tension in your body slowly dissolve in Sunghoon's embrace. His arm tightened around you, anchoring you against him, and you could feel the reassuring thump of his heart beneath your cheek.

“Do you want to move a bit?” he suggested softly, a hint of a smile in his voice. “I think we’d both feel better if we were a little closer.”

With a gentle tug, he shifted you both into a more comfortable position, your bodies nestled together like pieces of a puzzle. You turned slightly, facing him, and found his eyes glimmering in the faint light that flickered through the window.

“Perfect,” he whispered, his breath warm against your skin.

You settled into the curve of his body, feeling his warmth seep into you, making the chilly air outside seem like a distant memory. The weight of his arm across your shoulders felt like a protective shield, and you instinctively curled up closer, tucking your head under his chin.

“Is this okay?” he asked, his voice soft, as he adjusted his hold to make sure you were comfortable.

“More than okay,” you replied, feeling a wave of comfort wash over you. The rhythmic sound of his breathing began to lull you into a sense of serenity. You closed your eyes, feeling utterly safe in his arms.

With every passing moment, the storm outside became a mere backdrop to the warmth that enveloped you both. Sunghoon brushed a lock of hair from your forehead and pressed a gentle kiss there, igniting a warmth that spread through your entire being.

“Just us against the world,” he murmured, and you couldn’t help but smile at the thought. The chaos outside faded further away as you snuggled deeper into his embrace, both of you cocooned in a world where only comfort and warmth existed.

In that moment, it felt like the storm was a faraway whisper, and all that mattered was this closeness, this sense of belonging, and the gentle rise and fall of his chest beneath your cheek. Time slipped away as you both surrendered to the cozy cocoon of each other's presence, finding solace in the simplest act of being together.

© senascoop | tumblr

Nishimura Riki was born on December 9 2005, making him 18 years old as of this year.

I find it baffling that I’m stumbling over people older than 20 years that created tumblr smut blogs centered on him and liking/creating sexual content of him before he even turned 18.

there should not be any sexual content of him on any platform especially from before his 18th birthday (apparently 226 works on ao3 currently that I’ve seen from another source).

‧₊˚ 🧷 When you’re not here 911 calling - OT7

(synopsis) ࣪ ִֶָ☾. when enhypen is clingy ~❀

ot7 enhypen x fem!reader ִֶָ☾. tooth-rotting fluff, crack ִֶָ☾. clingy enha ִֶָ☾. kisses, petnames ִֶָ☾. wc 720

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆⋆˖⁺‧₊☽

𝑳𝒆𝒆 𝑯𝒆𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒖𝒏𝒈 - 이희승

ring...ring...ring...ri- "hello? seungie what's wrong?" you had just left 10 minutes ago to grab some groceries to cook dinner when all of the sudden, you get a call from your boyfriend. "baby? are you done yet? i miss you" your heart melted at the cute, sulky tone of your boyfriend on the other line and you could just envision his pouty face. letting out a soft chuckle, you pay the cashier and head out of the store. "i'm walking home now you big baby" you laugh, adjusting your shopping bag onto your shoulder. "yay!!" heeseung cheered. "you've been gone for agesss" he whined. sure he was a big baby trapped inside of a 23 year old man's body, but he was your big baby.

𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝑱𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒔𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒈 - 박종성

"ynnieee" you heard your boyfriend whine. you set down your pen and walked over to the couch where jay was currently snuggled into. "i miss you" he frowns and oh does it melt your heart. "awww by jongie missed me? i was just 5 feet away in the other room silly!" you giggle, sitting down next to him on the couch. without warning, he wraps his arms around you, pulling you down next to him and planting a big, fat smooch on your forehead. "shhh, it's cuddle time with my princess"

𝑺𝒊𝒎 𝑱𝒂𝒆𝒚𝒖𝒏 - 심재윤

“jaeyun??? jaeyun are you okay??” you called out frantically after receiving a distressing message from your boyfriend that read: “come back quick pls. i need you here right now” so you turned your car around immediately and sped back home just to find your boyfriend greeting you—perfectly fine— at the door. “hi baby! you came back!” he giggled, his puppy smile showing. “yah! sim jaeyun! what is this?” you yelled, holding up the message on your phone. “ohhhh that! i just missed you!” he smiled. “why you little-” it was safe to say that you loved your very clingy boyfriend very much.

𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝑺𝒖𝒏𝒈𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒏 - 박성훈

you had just woken up to your alarm and you were about to get up and ready for the day when a pair of arms pulled you back down. “nooo please don’t leave” a sleepy voiced mumbled from behind you. “more cuddles please” sunghoon asked as he nuzzled his head into your neck. “aigoo hoonie, how can i say no to you” you smiled, giving in to his ask. it was rare for sunghoon to be this clingy so how could you deny him his cuddles? you would never do such a thing anyway.

𝑲𝒊𝒎 𝑺𝒖𝒏𝒐𝒐 - 김선우

“yah! where are you my ynnie???” sunoo yelled out. you had left precisely 6 minutes and 24 seconds ago and sunoo was already calling you back. all you needed to do was finish the cookies but somebody was a bit too clingy today (it’s okay you didn’t mind one bit) and needed you with him 24/7. “cominggg” you giggle at your boyfriend’s clingy actions. walking into his bedroom, he immediately lights up when he sees you. “yay ! you’re here!!!” he then proceeds to tackle you onto the bed, securing his arms around you to make sure you can’t leave him. you always loved when sunoo got clingy.

𝒀𝒂𝒏𝒈 𝑱𝒖𝒏𝒈𝒘𝒐𝒏 - 양정원

we all know that jungwon has his times of being this adorable little cat. so it wasn’t shocking when you felt a pair of arms wrap around your waste and small kisses being gently placed on your neck. “hi wonnie” you smile, knowing he was feeling clingy today. “mm, come cuddle please, pretty” the small whisper of his voice melted your heart and you just couldn’t say no to such a cutie! he took your hand and led you to the couch where he already had a movie and a warm blanket ready for the two of you. “ta-da! now you can’t escape me!”

𝑵𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒓𝒂 𝑹𝒊𝒌𝒊 - 西村 力

ni-ki didn’t like showing physical affection in public, but he was a big baby behind closed doors. “babyyyy” he whined, trying to get you to comeback and give him more kisses. “pleaseeeee, i’m dying here without youuu” you playfully rolled your eyes as you walked back into your bedroom where your boyfriend was waiting. “now, kisses please” he sat up straight and smiled to you. gosh he was so cute. “whatever you say my big baby” you were so glad that he felt safe enough with you to show this side of himself to you and only you.

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hiii! i’m back from the dead!! this made me giggle a whole bunch and while writing ni-ki’s, i just had that image of him making heart fingers for jake (iykyk) anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this and i’ll be back to posting every day if i can! <333

⚘. Perm taglist: @vmpivory