CHAPTER TWO: Me When I Lie.

CHAPTER TWO: me when i lie.

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TAGLIST: @sakiimeo @sakuxxi @ilyjxdz @artstaeh @rosas-in-the-garden @k1ttylvr @stilesks @enhagvrl @yourssincerely-mimi @rizzanna-soda @saursoob @haechansbbg @nishislcve @winuvs

How long did ot7 enhypen have a crush on reader before they made a move?

you can find the fic to your request here!! :) thank you for requesting. <3

RUNNIN' OUT OF TIME, TO MAKE YOU LOVE ME...

— how long it took enha to confess to the love of their life. fluff & slight angst. ot7 x gn!reader. requested? yes! wc: 2.0k proof read? no

. . . HEESEUNG (희승)

3 months, 6 days. There was nothing more dreadful than being dragged to a fraternity for a party while your work continued to pile up. You should've been more firm on your decision to stay huddled up in your dorm and attend to your homework like a proactive student, but Jake and his puppy eyes worked overtime to silence your protests. You expected to stay huddled up in the corner all evening and keep a watchful eye on Jake. He was known for not being able to handle his alcohol correctly. What you didn't expect was for someone to approach you.

He introduced himself as 'Heeseung', explaining how he took an interest in you because of how much you stuck out at a rowdy party like this. The two of you unexpectedly bonded over a multitude of things. Your conversation was filled with an endless amount of topics and funny stories from the past; it was as if you two were friends for years. Your exchange had unfortunately been cut short when a drunken Jake crashed into you with wide eyes and a confession that he had to throw up. Heeseung was unintentionally forgotten as you dragged your friend out of the party.

The two of you didn't cross paths for a while until you ran into each other at another party. It became a reoccurring game of Cat & Mouse. Jake would drag you to a party, Heeseung would happily approach you to talk, and then someone would unfortunately drag one of you away to attend to something else. Heeseung enjoyed being the cat, prying more and more information out of you each time the two of you met. He couldn't ignore the blossoming feelings that would expand each time the two of you talked, and he knew that the next time he saw you, he had to confess because he refused to let you slip through his fingers once again.

. . . JAY (제이)

6 months, 1 week, 1 day. Co-parenting a dog you adopted with a man you met very briefly was a lot more fun than you expected it to be. You had been visiting an animal shelter often, frequently going in to check on the dogs and play with them until your attention had to be called somewhere else. You had immediately taken a liking to a small Labrador Retriever, fully expecting to adopt him when you got a more stable income.

But your plan had been completely taken off the rails when, the day you went in and decided to adopt the puppy, another man had already had him in his arms, smiling and talking to a nearby clerk. You didn't mean to make a fuss at him, but you put up a hard fight about not letting him take away the puppy you had wanted for months and planned on getting. The man you've come to know as Jay seemed pretty firm in his stance on not giving the puppy to you until he realized you were just as stubborn as he was, if not even more. Which is where your deal came in, and you became co-parents.

Throughout your time as co-parents, you learned a lot about each other. Your puppy unknowingly made the two of you closer than you could've ever imagined. Making excuses to see each other, getting jealous when one of you spoke about a potential love interest, gazing at each other lovingly when you'd watch them play with the puppy. Everything just felt so normal and peaceful between the two of you, even when you were teetering on the edge of being a romantic couple. Still, there was that lingering sadness the two of you unknowingly shared when neither party took the step into becoming more. That was until you told him about the date you had planned later that evening. Before you could even get your doubts out about even wanting to go, Jay was quick to ask you not to. His reasoning being that he loved you, and it should be him taking you out on dates, not anyone else.

. . . JAKE (제이크)

2 months, 2 weeks, 2 days. He knew a new tenant had moved into the apartment next door, but he never got the opportunity to see them. Leaving early in the morning and arriving home late at night didn't leave much of a window open for him to meet you. But even with the struggle of a packed schedule, he made sure to leave a small gift basket and note on your doorstep to welcome you. Since then, the two of you have started your own form of communication by leaving snacks, flowers, bottles of wine, homemade treats, and letters on each other's doorsteps.

He didn't know what you looked like but he could easily find out. You were so close yet so far, and still, the mystery of who he was communicating with left a lingering desire. He hinted at wanting to see you face-to-face a few times before you finally decided to accept his invitation.

He was elated, to say the least, but nothing could've prepared him to see you standing on his doorstep in all of your glory. The entire night was filled with shy giggles, soft fleeting touches, and affectionate gazes. The romantic evening ending off with you taking each other's phone numbers and a kiss on the cheek as you departed.

jake🫂: I know this is a bit sudden, but I really like you and want to take you out sometime.

jake🫂: There's a new restaurant that just opened up down the street. I've heard they have really good pasta and wine.

jake🫂: I'd like to take you there if you're up for it. :)

. . . SUNGHOON (성훈)

10 months, 3 days. You feel terrible. Gaining a crush on your brother's best friend fills you with vast amounts of guilt, especially when all he does is exist around you. You know you can't date him; your brother has made it more than clear that you're off-limits to his friends and vice versa. So the sudden burst of romantic feelings you gain towards him shocks you. Out of all the men in the world, why did it have to be him?

Drowning in your own self-pity whenever he comes around makes you fail to notice the way he harbors the same feelings for you. He's always checking on you when you decide to do outings together, constantly asking about you and how you're doing with your brother, and drifting closer to you when spaces get too crowded. Sunghoon might've been oblivious to the obviousness of his crush on you, but your brother was not.

Despite having rules and boundaries set in place on not being involved with each other romantically, your brother put his overprotective instincts to the side and slowly started pushing the two of you closer together. He grew tired of the lovesick gazes across the room, as well as the pouting when neither of you could reciprocate your feelings freely. Your brother knew Sunghoon; he was a bit annoying, but his intentions were pure, and if anybody were to date you, he'd prefer it to be someone he trusted. Which is how, on a random Tuesday, you found a nervous Sunghoon shifting foot to foot on your doorstep with a large bouquet of red roses.

. . . SUNOO (선우)

3 months. A new cafe opened up a few minutes away from Sunoo and Jungwon's shared dorm. Sunoo had been begging for Jungwon to go with him after continuously hearing the overwhelming praise it received on the regular. Everyone fawned over the taste of the puff pastries and how delicious their boba was, and Sunoo swore he was going to turn green with envy if he went any longer hearing about other people's experience without giving one to share of his own.

Sunoo anticipated falling in love with the beautifully decorated pastries and cold drinks, not the barista. So when his infatuation became more than just a craving for sugary snacks, he found himself visiting simply because you were there. If you weren't there, he wouldn't bother going. But if you were, he'd spend his entire afternoon sitting close to the counter you worked at, smiling ear to ear and gazing at you adoringly.

Sunoo didn't prolong his confession, when he realized he liked you and wanted to be with you romantically, he was very forward with his advances. He wanted to build a stable friendship before asking you out correctly, just in case you were to reject him he'd still be able to fall back on your friendship and forget about his silly feelings. Although, he knew the possibility of that happening was highly unlikely, considering the fact that you've started to look at him the same way he looks at you,.

. . . JUNGWON (정원)

5 months, 2 weeks, 3 days. Jungwon couldn't help but admire you from afar. Every time you came into his Grandfather's quaint bookstore he'd quickly discard any task at hand and rush to the check-out counter. It overlooked the entire store meaning he could shamelessly observe you as you maneuvered through rows of shelves and other customers that held baskets filled with books.

He wasn't the best at making conversation with you. Always finding a way to screw up his pick-up lines and stumbling over his words after you'd compliment him. There were times he'd feel so defeated after failing to 'woo' you correctly that once you'd leave he'd just sink onto the floor behind the counter and unconsciously pout until his Grandfather or co-worker Ni-ki, found him.

He'd always liked you, ever since you first stepped into the shop, yet he seemed to be the only one completely oblivious to your mutual feelings. Ni-ki would often make light of this by pointing out how frequently you'd visit the bookstore only to browse around for a few minutes, grab the same book once it restocked, and spend double the time talking to him as he checked you out. Not fully knowing if Ni-ki was telling the truth or not, Jungwon still decided to take a leap of faith by slipping his confession into the book you'd always come back for, patiently waiting behind the counter with a bouquet of red roses perched on a stack of books.

. . . NIKI (니키)

1 year, 2 months, 5 days. You didn't understand why your feelings for Ni-ki wouldn't just go away. The two of you met through mutual friends but never got off on the right foot together. You found him to be snarky and annoying while he found you to be stuck-up and prissy. It was truly a mystery on how your friend groups even meshed with all of the different personalities and aesthetics, yet you and Ni-ki seemed to be the only pair that didn't get along.

It seemed like every time you tried to get farther away from each other you'd end up closer than before. There was a brief moment in time when the two of you would just avoid each other as a whole, but then when Ni-ki saw how easily he could get under your skin he found himself picking fights with you any chance he got. Your reactions that were once amusing to him started to become endearing in a way and even attractive.

Him 'disliking' you simply became a facade over the few months of knowing each other. You never understood why he liked to pick on you so much, you also never understood why you started to gain a romantic liking towards him. To block out all of those complicated feelings you started to put up your walls, biting back more aggressively at his teasing remarks until it all became too much. Your friends became tired of your antics and decided to do something about it by shoving the both of you into a nearby room, barricading it from the outside. "until the two of you confess to each other you're gonna stay in there!" .... "confess?"

a/n: was gonna scrap but i wanna post something :)

perm taglist: @jakesangel

masterlist | navi <3

HOW TO GET THE GIRL: A LOVERS GUIDE

CHAPTER NINE: about jiwoo. (1.6k)

WARNINGS: angst, reader is referred to as woman.

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Weeks have gone by since you started tutoring Riki. To say you've started to like him more was a vast understatement. Once you dropped your "cold" act that lasted for a mere 3 sessions, You started to become accustomed to him.

Although you had gone many years without interacting with each other, it felt like the spark you had imagined between you two never left.

The both of you had grown comfortable with each other to the point you started to interact with each other outside of the usual library doors.

At first, it was embarrassing to have your name shouted at the other end of the hallway, however, it turned into a typical routine where instead of keeping your head down and speed-walking away from him to avoid lingering eyes, you'd wave back.

During these study sessions, you learned more and more about him. How he microwaves his strawberries, he has a dog named Bisco, he can play piano, and he has a large fear of bugs that you've sadly had to learn the hard way after he accidentally pushed you aside to run away from a nearby wasp.

Something else you learned about Niki was that his grades did not match up with his knowledge. Sure, he was inconsistent with his attendance and would rarely turn in classwork if any at all, but he was smart and an extremely fast learner.

It had gotten to the point where you'd just set a small bulk of his past-due assignments in front of him and study for your other classes until he finished.

The study sessions quickly turned into more of a hangout. Staying in the library together hours after completing whatever workload had stacked up over the week to share hushed laughter and talk about everything under the sun until the library had to close down for the night.

You'd even go as far as to call him your friend, and so would members of the Newspaper Club.

"You're in a rush." Lily offhandedly mentioned as she typed away on the school's computer. Her posture had straightened at the sound of you hastily packing away your belongings but her eyes refused to stray away from the screen.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I'm supposed to meet up with Riki." you answered before slinging the book bag over your shoulder.

"To do what exactly? It's a Friday and I thought you only tutored him on Sundays." J suddenly butted in, a playful yet accusatory tone to her voice as she suddenly invested herself in the conversation.

"I don't know actually, he asked to meet me at the school gates when our session ended."

"Oh? Is he walking you home? That's pretty cute." Yoon commented, a teasing smile growing on her face. "I don't know why he would, I mean— he's never done it before. So, I don't see why he'd want to do it now." You replied with fake unconcern.

You were being honest when you said you didn't know why Riki had suddenly made this decision to meet you at the school gate, but if it was to start walking you home on a frequent basis, you're 100% sure your knees would give out.

"Did you guys need any more help before I head out?" You suddenly questioned, trying to shift focus away from your last comment.

"Nope, we got it from here. Only thing we have left to do anyway is restock the printer paper." J assured with a small smile before hoisting herself up to sit on a desk.

"Okay, I'll see you guys later then." You quickly replied as you made your way towards the exit,

Lily only hummed in response to your statement before saying "Have fun, don't get into any trouble."

A smile crept onto your face as you resisted the urge to roll your eyes at how much she sounded like a Mom sending her daughter off. "And text us when you make it back home!" Seeun responded, suddenly bordering out of the storage closet with a box filled to the brim with different bulks of paper.

"Okay, Moms, will do."

"About time." Riki groaned out, loud enough for your approaching figure to hear as you made your way into eye view. "Oh, shut up," you said as he pushed himself off of the gates.

"I feel like I've been waiting for forever." He whines as he follows behind your figure. "Yeah, right. Couldn't have been waiting that long since it looks like you went home to drop off your backpack." You pointed out, silently relishing in the feeling of freedom as you got farther and farther away from school grounds.

"I didn't feel like carrying that thing around all day. Plus, it'll be easier to carry yours." He stated nonchalantly.

He reached over to slip your bag off of your shoulders before flinging it across his own, his delicate fingers brushing over your own as he did so. But just as quick as his touch arrived, it was just as quick to leave.

His simple actions shouldn't ruffle you like they do, yet it still happens. You know that when Riki does things like this he never has an underlying intention which makes it all the more pathetic when you feel your stomach brim with butterflies the moment you make skin-to-skin contact with him.

You cleared your throat before wrapping your arms around your stomach, a meek attempt at trying to calm the raging storm of feelings that was happening inside of you.

"So, why did you want to walk me home all of a sudden?" You asked, shifting your gaze around the growing shrubbery to avoid looking in his direction.

"Oh, right. I wanted to ask you something." He shyly uttered, his free hand that wasn't holding your bag made its way to the back of his neck, nervously rubbing it as he looked down at his sneakers.

You glanced in his direction to see that whatever was on his mind had been weighing in on him for a while. "Yeah, what's up?" you asked softly before shifting your gaze forward.

"Um, you're friends with Jiwoo, right?" he asked, out of the corner of your eye you could see him turn towards you. Trying to gauge your reaction and see what you'd say.

It took a moment for the question to fully translate in your mind as if he was speaking a foreign language you had never heard before. Once it did register in your head you couldn't help the shock that overtook your body, nearly making you stumble over your feet.

You opened your mouth to speak but no words came out, it was as if you were a fish out of water. Your mouth had suddenly gone dry and it felt as if you saw the fantasy of your TV romance crashing in front of your eyes. "Yeah, Jiwoo and I are really good friends." You finally managed to push out.

"Why do you ask?" You quickly follow up, your eyebrows unknowingly furrowing.

"I asked because I wanted to know if she was single." He replied, his tone went from nervousness to giddiness in a matter of seconds.

You couldn't turn towards him because you could hear the smile in his voice at the mere mention of her name. You were afraid that if you saw how he beamed at the thought of her that the butterflies that were swarming in your stomach just a few seconds earlier would escape onto the concrete in front of you.

"She's single," you affirmed with a stiff nod.

"Do you think you could set me up with her?" He immediately asked, a hopeful tone in his voice. Each word that came out of his mouth felt like a blow to the gut, killing off each butterfly one by one.

Your head shook 'no' before you could even form the words. "I-...I don't think I could."

"Oh, come on, please?" He suddenly pleaded, turning towards you once again. He wanted you to look at him, whether intentionally or not he knew that if you made eye contact with him you'd fall into his trap just like everyone else.

"Just get one of the basketball players to help. Or one of their cheerleader girlfriends." you tried to reason. "It's not the same," he muttered, tilting his head towards the sky, another whine threatening to come out of his mouth.

"Come on, you'd be the perfect wing-woman. you're good friends with her so it'd be easy and less weird when someone she barely knows tries to set her up with me," he argued, adding onto why he wanted you to set him up with her.

You bit your lip in contemplation. It felt like the obvious answer was 'NO!' but another part of you wanted to agree to set them up. You were happy with the relationship you and Riki had started to build together and you didn't want an elementary crush to get in the way of that.

There was always the lingering possibility that you and him were only ever meant to be friends and nothing more, and maybe, just maybe, Jiwoo was the one for him.

"What do I get out of this?" You quietly asked after the lingering silence.

"Anything you want. If you do this for me I promise I'll pay you back" He swiftly responded before stopping in his tracks, instinctively making you stop alongside him. "Please, just do this for me." He begged, his hands fidgeting with the rings on his fingers as he waited for your answer.

"Fine, I'll help you."

TAGLIST: @sakiimeo @sakuxxi @ilyjxdz @artstaeh @rosas-in-the-garden @k1ttylvr @stilesks @enhagvrl @yourssincerely-mimi @rizzanna-soda @saursoob @haechansbbg @nishislcve @winuvs @kyrojackson @suhiiiies-blog @rikisgeef @soobs-things @jumigurumino @ssukiyakii @baribaaari @eleanorheartschishiya @rikibun @seunghancore @wonik1ss @sheepgardenbahhhh @rksbae @lukesboo @moomis @luvvvash @conwunder @yvjw @bunnbam @eilidiii @riksaes

HOW TO GET THE GIRL: A LOVERS GUIDE

CHAPTER FIVE: incoming facetime from my lilypad🪷 and hoshi reincarnated🐯 (863)

WARNINGS: slight angst if you squint.

◃ previous ep. ⊹ masterlist ⊹ next ▹

Rubbing your hands across your face in distress, you let out your 5th sigh in the past hour.

Your hands tangled themselves in between the strands of your hair, slightly yanking at your scalp to feel some type of relief from the non-stop pounding in your head.

You couldn't decipher if the cause of the relentless pounding was due to stress, or if your heart had made its way up to your brain and was trying to rattle some sense into you.

You didn't remember tutoring being so draining, then again it had been a few months up to a year since you'd last taken the time to sit in a library and actually teach old material to someone. Maybe it was extra vigorous because all you could think about was the underlying issue of your still present feelings or maybe it was just extra taxing because you knew you'd have to take away more of your free-time to sit cooped up in a library with your longtime crush.

You let out a small whine before your eyes trailed over to your cat that sat perched up on your windowsill. You'd do just about anything to trade places with her.

Before you could even think to wallow in more self-pity, your trance was suddenly broken by an insistent buzzing on top of your thigh.

Incoming facetime from my lilypad🪷 and hoshi reincarnated🐯...

An unknowing smile broke onto your face before you clicked on the green, purposely putting your phone up close to your eyes and eyebrows.

As if on cue, the phone connected to show Yoon and Lily in identical poses making the three of you burst into a small laughing fit.

"Whatcha doin?" Yoon asked, dragging her words out as she propped her phone up against her desk to reveal the stack of ignored homework and lit up nintendo switch.

"Setting up my schedule for the next few weeks." You pitifully murmured before propping your phone up against a pillow.

"I don't know why I accepted to tutor him when I already have so much shit to do." You murmured as you sifted through papers of all of your upcoming events.

"Oh, please. We know why.." Lily tittered as her eyes focused on her own task, flipping through the pages of a binder with a highlighter in hand.

You side-eyed the camera for a split second before going back to marking your calendar. "Ha, Ha, Ha." you plainly uttered with a blank face.

"Don't pretend like we're wrong." Lily added, pointing her highlighter at the screen with a fake threatening sneer.

"We've heard the countless love rambles from you to know you'd jump in front of a moving bus if he asked you to." Yoon countered, failing to conceal her giggles at her own comment.

It was hard to deny their claims or even pretend to be annoyed with them when they were saying nothing but the truth. Your last love ramble was only two weeks ago when you were gushing on how gentle you caught him being with a stray cat outside of the school gates.

It was a vast contrast of how rough he presented himself on the basketball court, and to see him be so soft with a vulnerable animal made your heart beat at a pace that you didn't know was humanly possible.

"Speaking of Niki, I have to text him and get his schedule." you haphazardly mumbled before grabbing your phone.

The call was silent for quite some time but it felt as if the air completely shifted when you made that half-off comment. The widened eyes of the duo staring at you went unnoticed as you searched for his contact name.

"YOU HAVE HIS NUMBER?!" Yoon abruptly shouted before yanking her screen closer to her.

"Uh, Yeah. I need it so we can plan out our tutoring sessions." You replied with furrowed eyebrows and wide eyes, slightly confused by the outburst.

"And this is our first time hearing about it?" Lily interjected, gaping at her phone with a faked hurt expression as she rested her hand on her chest.

"I only got it today! What more do you want from me?" You asked lightly, laughing at their played up antics.

Before Yoon could reply, your phone dinged with a text message, and to your surprise, it was Niki himself.

Yoon's next rebuttal was broken with a quick gasp "Oh, shit. Was that him?" she asked, her hand covering her mouth with slightly widened eyes.

"Yes, actually." You answered, unknowingly straightening your posture as your thumb hovered over the text message banner.

"Well, what'd he say?" Lily asked, her binder quickly being discarded as she shifted her focus towards her phone.

"All he said was 'Hi, this is Niki.' With a smiley face attached." you answered as you laid back in your bed, shoving aside the disorganized flurry of papers on your bed to get comfortable.

"Oh my god, he wants you so bad." Yoon immediately interjected.

You could feel your lips spreading into a smile at her words. "Shut up." You murmured, trying your hardest to force down your smile.

"What should I say back?"

TAGLIST: @sakiimeo @sakuxxi @ilyjxdz @artstaeh @rosas-in-the-garden @k1ttylvr @stilesks @enhagvrl @yourssincerely-mimi @rizzanna-soda @saursoob @haechansbbg @nishislcve @winuvs @kyrojackson @suhiiiies-blog @rikisgeef @soobs-things @jumigurumino @ssukiyakii @baribaaari @eleanorheartschishiya @rikibun @seunghancore @wonik1ss

RUNNIN' OUT OF TIME, TO MAKE YOU LOVE ME...

how long it took enha to confess to the love of their life. pairing: ot7 x gn!reader. genre: fluff & slight angst. requested? yes! wc: 2.0k proof read? no

. . . HEESEUNG (희승)

3 months, 6 days. There was nothing more dreadful than being dragged to a fraternity for a party while your work continued to pile up. You should've been more firm on your decision to stay huddled up in your dorm and attend to your homework like a proactive student, but Jake and his puppy eyes worked overtime to silence your protests. You expected to stay huddled up in the corner all evening and keep a watchful eye on Jake. He was known for not being able to handle his alcohol correctly. What you didn't expect was for someone to approach you.

He introduced himself as 'Heeseung', explaining how he took an interest in you because of how much you stuck out at a rowdy party like this. The two of you unexpectedly bonded over a multitude of things. Your conversation was filled with an endless amount of topics and funny stories from the past; it was as if you two were friends for years. Your exchange had unfortunately been cut short when a drunken Jake crashed into you with wide eyes and a confession that he had to throw up. Heeseung was unintentionally forgotten as you dragged your friend out of the party.

The two of you didn't cross paths for a while until you ran into each other at another party. It became a reoccurring game of Cat & Mouse. Jake would drag you to a party, Heeseung would happily approach you to talk, and then someone would unfortunately drag one of you away to attend to something else. Heeseung enjoyed being the cat, prying more and more information out of you each time the two of you met. He couldn't ignore the blossoming feelings that would expand each time the two of you talked, and he knew that the next time he saw you, he had to confess because he refused to let you slip through his fingers once again.

. . . JAY (제이)

6 months, 1 week, 1 day. Co-parenting a dog you adopted with a man you met very briefly was a lot more fun than you expected it to be. You had been visiting an animal shelter often, frequently going in to check on the dogs and play with them until your attention had to be called somewhere else. You had immediately taken a liking to a small Labrador Retriever, fully expecting to adopt him when you got a more stable income.

But your plan had been completely taken off the rails when, the day you went in and decided to adopt the puppy, another man had already had him in his arms, smiling and talking to a nearby clerk. You didn't mean to make a fuss at him, but you put up a hard fight about not letting him take away the puppy you had wanted for months and planned on getting. The man you've come to know as Jay seemed pretty firm in his stance on not giving the puppy to you until he realized you were just as stubborn as he was, if not even more. Which is where your deal came in, and you became co-parents.

Throughout your time as co-parents, you learned a lot about each other. Your puppy unknowingly made the two of you closer than you could've ever imagined. Making excuses to see each other, getting jealous when one of you spoke about a potential love interest, gazing at each other lovingly when you'd watch them play with the puppy. Everything just felt so normal and peaceful between the two of you, even when you were teetering on the edge of being a romantic couple. Still, there was that lingering sadness the two of you unknowingly shared when neither party took the step into becoming more. That was until you told him about the date you had planned later that evening. Before you could even get your doubts out about even wanting to go, Jay was quick to ask you not to. His reasoning being that he loved you, and it should be him taking you out on dates, not anyone else.

. . . JAKE (제이크)

2 months, 2 weeks, 2 days. He knew a new tenant had moved into the apartment next door, but he never got the opportunity to see them. Leaving early in the morning and arriving home late at night didn't leave much of a window open for him to meet you. But even with the struggle of a packed schedule, he made sure to leave a small gift basket and note on your doorstep to welcome you. Since then, the two of you have started your own form of communication by leaving snacks, flowers, bottles of wine, homemade treats, and letters on each other's doorsteps.

He didn't know what you looked like but he could easily find out. You were so close yet so far, and still, the mystery of who he was communicating with left a lingering desire. He hinted at wanting to see you face-to-face a few times before you finally decided to accept his invitation.

He was elated, to say the least, but nothing could've prepared him to see you standing on his doorstep in all of your glory. The entire night was filled with shy giggles, soft fleeting touches, and affectionate gazes. The romantic evening ending off with you taking each other's phone numbers and a kiss on the cheek as you departed.

jake🫂: I know this is a bit sudden, but I really like you and want to take you out sometime.

jake🫂: There's a new restaurant that just opened up down the street. I've heard they have really good pasta and wine.

jake🫂: I'd like to take you there if you're up for it. :)

. . . SUNGHOON (성훈)

10 months, 3 days. You feel terrible. Gaining a crush on your brother's best friend fills you with vast amounts of guilt, especially when all he does is exist around you. You know you can't date him; your brother has made it more than clear that you're off-limits to his friends and vice versa. So the sudden burst of romantic feelings you gain towards him shocks you. Out of all the men in the world, why did it have to be him?

Drowning in your own self-pity whenever he comes around makes you fail to notice the way he harbors the same feelings for you. He's always checking on you when you decide to do outings together, constantly asking about you and how you're doing with your brother, and drifting closer to you when spaces get too crowded. Sunghoon might've been oblivious to the obviousness of his crush on you, but your brother was not.

Despite having rules and boundaries set in place on not being involved with each other romantically, your brother put his overprotective instincts to the side and slowly started pushing the two of you closer together. He grew tired of the lovesick gazes across the room, as well as the pouting when neither of you could reciprocate your feelings freely. Your brother knew Sunghoon; he was a bit annoying, but his intentions were pure, and if anybody were to date you, he'd prefer it to be someone he trusted. Which is how, on a random Tuesday, you found a nervous Sunghoon shifting foot to foot on your doorstep with a large bouquet of red roses.

. . . SUNOO (선우)

3 months. A new cafe opened up a few minutes away from Sunoo and Jungwon's shared dorm. Sunoo had been begging for Jungwon to go with him after continuously hearing the overwhelming praise it received on the regular. Everyone fawned over the taste of the puff pastries and how delicious their boba was, and Sunoo swore he was going to turn green with envy if he went any longer hearing about other people's experience without giving one to share of his own.

Sunoo anticipated falling in love with the beautifully decorated pastries and cold drinks, not the barista. So when his infatuation became more than just a craving for sugary snacks, he found himself visiting simply because you were there. If you weren't there, he wouldn't bother going. But if you were, he'd spend his entire afternoon sitting close to the counter you worked at, smiling ear to ear and gazing at you adoringly.

Sunoo didn't prolong his confession, when he realized he liked you and wanted to be with you romantically, he was very forward with his advances. He wanted to build a stable friendship before asking you out correctly, just in case you were to reject him he'd still be able to fall back on your friendship and forget about his silly feelings. Although, he knew the possibility of that happening was highly unlikely, considering the fact that you've started to look at him the same way he looks at you,.

. . . JUNGWON (정원)

5 months, 2 weeks, 3 days. Jungwon couldn't help but admire you from afar. Every time you came into his Grandfather's quaint bookstore he'd quickly discard any task at hand and rush to the check-out counter. It overlooked the entire store meaning he could shamelessly observe you as you maneuvered through rows of shelves and other customers that held baskets filled with books.

He wasn't the best at making conversation with you. Always finding a way to screw up his pick-up lines and stumbling over his words after you'd compliment him. There were times he'd feel so defeated after failing to 'woo' you correctly that once you'd leave he'd just sink onto the floor behind the counter and unconsciously pout until his Grandfather or co-worker Ni-ki, found him.

He'd always liked you, ever since you first stepped into the shop, yet he seemed to be the only one completely oblivious to your mutual feelings. Ni-ki would often make light of this by pointing out how frequently you'd visit the bookstore only to browse around for a few minutes, grab the same book once it restocked, and spend double the time talking to him as he checked you out. Not fully knowing if Ni-ki was telling the truth or not, Jungwon still decided to take a leap of faith by slipping his confession into the book you'd always come back for, patiently waiting behind the counter with a bouquet of red roses perched on a stack of books.

. . . NIKI (니키)

1 year, 2 months, 5 days. You didn't understand why your feelings for Ni-ki wouldn't just go away. The two of you met through mutual friends but never got off on the right foot together. You found him to be snarky and annoying while he found you to be stuck-up and prissy. It was truly a mystery on how your friend groups even meshed with all of the different personalities and aesthetics, yet you and Ni-ki seemed to be the only pair that didn't get along.

It seemed like every time you tried to get farther away from each other you'd end up closer than before. There was a brief moment in time when the two of you would just avoid each other as a whole, but then when Ni-ki saw how easily he could get under your skin he found himself picking fights with you any chance he got. Your reactions that were once amusing to him started to become endearing in a way and even attractive.

Him 'disliking' you simply became a facade over the few months of knowing each other. You never understood why he liked to pick on you so much, you also never understood why you started to gain a romantic liking towards him. To block out all of those complicated feelings you started to put up your walls, biting back more aggressively at his teasing remarks until it all became too much. Your friends became tired of your antics and decided to do something about it by shoving the both of you into a nearby room, barricading it from the outside. "until the two of you confess to each other you're gonna stay in there!" .... "confess?"

a/n: was gonna scrap but i wanna post something :)

perm taglist: @jakesangel

masterlist | navi <3