Cool Off (Part I)

Cool Off (Part I)

I’m back with a depressing piece that has two parts. Why am I doing this to you, guys? 

I have already saved this in my drafts before I went off Tumblr, hence the decision to push through with it first. 

Don’t worry; I’ll balance it out with more uplifting stories. I’ve done it before, right?

I hope you enjoy despite the possible heavy feeling you might get from this. Poor Johnny, that’s all I can say. But he looks hot in this GIF, so consider this as the calm before the storm. 

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :) 

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Summary: We already know the major challenge that Johnny and Essie had in their relationship, but what if one of them decided that maybe they need a cool off? This is my take on that, with one of them becoming miserable with the other’s decision and disappearance. 

POV: This was written before the lockdown last March and edited just recently, so it’s a 3rd person piece. 

Word count: 1,300 words 

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It was not easy for Johnny to come to the conclusion that Essie wanted. 

“I think it’s for the best,” she whispered, letting go of her hand that was in Johnny’s grip. “We need a break. We have hurt each other in the same way, and we need to think about everything.”

“Isn’t talking about it enough?” he asked with tears in his eyes. “I mean, we have a psychiatrist that we can talk to as well. Or we can get a couple counselor or whatever.” 

“That will be part of the process, but John, I think we should go our separate ways for a while.” Her tone was firm yet gentle, but it registered more like the former for him. 

“But you might leave me for good.” It took him a lot to say that statement, which was evident with his shaky voice. 

“But you did leave me. You entertained an ex-girlfriend and got flirty with her,” Essie’s tone was becoming more serious, and it was scaring him.

“But baby, you cheated on me with my best friend. And I bet you fucked,” he retaliated as he wiped the tears that continued to fall from his eyes. 

“I’m sure you did the same,” she sounded completely cold now. “Why don’t you understand where I’m coming from?” 

“I’m trying, but we can do this together, you know?” Johnny ran his hands through his hair to calm himself, but it did nothing to what he was feeling. 

There was a moment of silence between the (soon-to-be ex-) couple before Essie stood up. “I’m going to pack some of my belongings and return here in a month or two. Please don’t do anything to my stuff. I will let you know when I’ll be back. If you don’t hear anything from me, then that should tell you something.” 

She stormed to her bedroom and slammed the door with such force that made Johnny clutch on his chest. 

This hurt him too much. He really did not want to get back on what Essie did, but there was an opportunity for her to feel what he felt when she cheated on him with Jaehyun. 

However, he wasn’t expecting her reaction to it. She was indifferent and started to distance herself from him again. When he confronted her, she thought that having an indefinite break would help them to think about their actions. 

“Why is it that you’re the one who’s angry at the situation?” He said while facing Essie’s door, tears still streaming down his face. “Even if I wanted to get mad for what you did, I can’t force myself to do so. I don’t know what would happen if I let my rage control me. All I can process is hurt, baby.” 

He didn’t mind if he heard her. The door was still closed but opened when he retreated to his room to cry himself to sleep. 

///

It has been a month, two weeks, and three days that Essie left their apartment. Johnny was trying his best to act his usual cheery self, but all his friends can see his struggle. 

“You don’t have to force yourself to be happy if you aren’t, hyung,” Doyoung said, patting his shoulder. The younger guy, along with Mark and Ten, comforted him after their dinner. They noticed that he was on the verge of tears when he heard one of her favorite songs at the restaurant. 

“But this is too much, man,” the tears spilled again, which Johnny wiped immediately, “I still haven’t heard anything from her. And I don’t know if I’m ready to talk to Jay now.” 

“I can’t believe she would do this,” Ten muttered, rubbing circles on Johnny’s back. “But just let it all out, hyung. I think she had a point that you both needed space.” 

“Maybe it’s time for you to think how you’ve been treating her too,” Mark piped in, who focused his gaze on his shoes.

“I have been nothing but the best boyfriend, Mark Lee,” Johnny snapped, glaring at the younger guy. “I don’t know why she would do this to me when really, we could just talk it out.” 

“Maybe both of you need to reflect on your thoughts and actions first before you talk it out?” Doyoung suggested, one hand rubbing his chin thoughtfully. 

“Yeah, maybe that’s that,” Mark said again, “Maybe that’s where she’s coming from. Collect all your thoughts first before you talk it out. Maybe one of you can say things that you’d regret if you don’t calm yourselves.”

“Think about that, hyung,” Ten whispered, whose hand now squeezed Johnny’s forearm. 

“All I can think about is her. Every time I close my eyes, I see her beautiful face. I wonder where she is right now. Is she staying with Nini or with another friend? I wonder if she’s doing okay. I hope whoever she’s staying with treats her well. I wonder if she’s eating well too. I wonder if she’s not hurting herself. Oh God, I hope she doesn’t. I can’t imagine her bleeding on the floor again,” Johnny was babbling, which his friends let him. 

They stayed the whole night until they were able to calm him down. When they tucked him into bed, the three guys hung out at the couch to share their thoughts on the situation. 

“It’s depressing to see him like that,” Doyoung said quietly, who was now fiddling with his thumbs. “I agree,” Ten said, looking at Johnny’s bedroom door forlornly. 

“I know, but both parties have their faults,” Mark started, “Essie noona confided in me about her affair, and to be honest, I was at a loss on what to do. I never expected her to do that.” 

The other two gasped, looking at each other in shock. “The nerve of that girl!” Ten held onto his chest as he tried his best to calm down. “Wow, I never thought that she would get into an affair, and with Jaehyun too,” Doyoung grumbled, focusing his gaze on the floor. 

“It was a lot to take in, guys,” the youngest of them all continued, “and it was heartbreaking to see them cry a lot. Oh God, I hope I’ll never have another encounter like that.” He looked at the ceiling to help clear his mind from the vivid images he recalled – the blood on her blanket, Johnny’s eyes all red and puffy from crying, and the smoke ring he blew right into his face as he questioned his motives.

“I hope so too, Mark,” Doyoung whispered, patting his friend’s thigh. “But not all relationships are perfect indeed. Let’s take their story as a lesson and hope that we’ll not do this to our partners.”

Ten gave him a thumbs-up before standing up. “Let’s call it a night, shall we?” The other guys nodded and went to their designated rooms – Mark was going to share his with the Thai hyphenate while Doyoung will sleep in Essie’s former bedroom. 

“Are you sure it’s okay for me to sleep here?” The black-haired guy pointed his thumb to the pink door. “Yeah, it’s okay. Any of our rooms become a guest room when one of us is out for a while,” Mark said matter-of-factly. 

“And if Johnny says you sleep there, then you do. Unless…” Ten flashed Doyoung a cheeky smile, which made the older guy flip the bird on him. “Real mature there, Chittaphon!” He hissed, sticking his tongue out in annoyance. 

“Guys, stop. It’s late, and we want Johnny hyung to have a good night’s sleep.” Mark’s statement made his two companions shut up and went straight to their rooms. 

If only they knew that despite being surrounded by his favorite stuffed toys, Johnny couldn’t sleep with Essie still on his mind.

–––

FIN

Intoxicated (Part I)

Since I wrote a lot from @neoculturedrabbles​‘ prompt list, I didn’t expect that I’ll come up with pieces that are connected. 

Hence this mini-series – the title should give you an idea of what you’ll be reading. 

Here’s one of Johnny’s iconic music video moments – who wouldn’t like to drink with this man?!

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :)

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Summary: Aside from what has been mentioned in the introduction, this piece is before Johnny and Essie got together but are already living together as housemates. You know, they’re trying to keep their boundaries as best friends even if they have crushes on each other. 

POV: 3rd person here, peeps. 

Word count: 1,200+ words

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Prompt #8: “Are you stuck?”

“Yes. Help, please.”

Essie arrived at their apartment at quarter to 1 in the morning. She was inebriated after drinking four glasses of craft beer, which had alcohol content above 5% per glass.

As she stumbled into her bedroom after 10 minutes of trying to open their door, she cried in pain when she hit her knee on her bed.

This got Johnny’s attention, who was just browsing the Internet in his room. He took off his earphones (which weren’t noise-canceling) and peeked at Essie’s bedroom to see what happened.

It was convenient that their rooms were across each other, so he could be discreet on checking up on his beloved housemate from time to time.

He saw her sitting on the floor and rubbing her knee absentmindedly. Okay, it looks she has managed herself, he thought before going back to his computer.

A few minutes later, he heard her crying in pain again.

The girl had taken off her boots and jewelry and was about to unravel her hair from the French braid her work seatmate did. However, her hair tie got tangled, and she tugged her hair too hard, making the knot more difficult to take off.

“Ah, the perils of having curly hair!” she bemoaned, one hand still stuck in her hair.

Johnny knocked softly at her door before entering and saw that Essie was whimpering in pain how her hair can be such a pain in the butt.

“Hey, Essie. What’s wrong?” He rushed to her side, one hand rubbing circles on her lower back. “I can’t get this off,” she gestured to her hair tie, “because of my stupid freaking hair.”

“Are you stuck? I mean, your hair tie’s stuck in your hair?” He had to clarify, so he’ll know what to do.

She nodded. “Yes. Help, please,” she whispered, her red and puffy eyes making him soft.

It didn’t take long for Johnny to unravel her braids but then got stuck at the part where her hair got tangled in the hair tie.

“Baby, your hair’s seriously tangled up in it,” he said after careful inspection, “is it okay if I hack it off?”

She nodded again as if she was already used to this outcome. “Sure, I always do that when I get frustrated with things getting stuck in my hair.”

He got a pair of scissors from her desk and painstakingly cut the part that was knotted into her hair tie. As he took off the excess hair from the hair tie, he noticed that she reeked of alcohol.

“Baby, how many did you drink tonight?” She raised four fingers silently. “Well, that’s quite a lot. Were you able to compute the total alcohol by volume of what you drank?”

“Twenty percent,” she mumbled, one hand running through her hair.

“Jesus, Essie! That’s a lot!” He pinched her cheek, which made her yelp in pain for the third time tonight. “I’m sorry! But I needed it! I was thirsty!” She whined, prying off Johnny’s hand on her face.

“Promise me you’re going to drink lots of water and eat healthy for the coming week, okay?” She shook her head and laid down on the bed.

“Aw, come on! You have to,” he pleaded, lying down beside her. “Whatever, dude. Can you get me my makeup remover and some cotton pads?” She croaked, raising her hands in the air as if she can get her items from the ceiling.

He chuckled at her action and did what was told of him. When Essie saw that he got her what she needed, she sat up with her palms open. “Please hand them to me,” she slurred, feeling the aftereffect of the alcohol she consumed once more.

“Nuh-uh,” he whispered, shaking the bottle of her makeup remover and putting some on the cotton pad, “you’re too drunk to even remove your makeup.”

He was the one who dabbed the soaked cotton on her eyelids, and she groaned whenever he applied too much pressure.

“You’re being too harsh, Youngho,” she moaned, trying to get the cotton from his hands. After her fifth attempt to grab it from him, he let her, and she gently patted it on her eye area. “This is how you should do it,” she mumbled.

“I was just trying to help, princess,” he grumbled, rolling his eyes at the supposedly correct way on how to remove eye makeup.

“Thanks anyway, but don’t press it too hard next time.” After a few seconds, she was done and threw the dirty cotton pad on the trash can beside her.

There was a moment of silence – if you count the sound of the air conditioner as noise – between the two before Essie laid down on the bed again.

Johnny did the same and tilted his body to look at her. She was wrecked – her makeup had already faded in patches, her eyes were red and puffy still, and her hair was in careful disarray.

It was a side of her that he didn’t usually see, and deep inside, he appreciated that she was becoming more comfortable showing her vulnerability to him.

It made him fall in love with her more. Not that he will confess to her any time soon, though.

“Stop looking at me,” she broke the silence with her whining, gently pushing him away with her hand. “But you’re so cute,” he cooed, pinching both of her cheeks.

A tickle fight ensued after, with Essie crying in tears at how Johnny knew all her ticklish spots. She was able to make him laugh though by tickling his sides, but he didn’t let her get to another ticklish spot by pinching her cheeks again.

“Stop it!” She cried, gripping his wrist. “Please stop pinching my cheeks. They hurt now.”

He took off his hands on her cheeks and placed them at her back. “Sorry about that, baby. You’re just too cute not to annoy,” he briefly pinched her nose before standing up. “I meant what I said. Remember to hydrate yourself and eat healthy, okay?”

She grunted in response and closed her eyes, processing everything that just happened.

She and Johnny are getting touchier these days, and sometimes, it made her feel things. There was a part of her that wished they were together but knew that it would be impossible.

Eventually, she slept in her work clothes and makeup still on her face. She awoke at eight in the morning, and frantically went to the bathroom to cleanse her face properly.

When she stepped out of her room, he saw Johnny was at the dining table. He looked like a dad scrolling through his phone with one hand while the other held a mug of coffee.

“Hey, Essie baby. Good morning,” he greeted when he saw her approach the table. She gave him a small wave and sat down at the seat beside him where a grande espresso and a chicken fajita roll was waiting for her.

“Got you these,” he said, pushing the food closer to her, “I know you’ve missed it.”

“Yes, I do. Thanks, John,” she said softly, digging into her favorite food from Starbucks with a smile on her face.

She felt so lucky to have a housemate like him and wondered how it would be like if she was his girlfriend.

–––

FIN

JN (Part II)

I’d like to thank everyone who loved the first part of this mini-series, so now I offer you the second part. I’m not sure how many parts this will have; I’ll have to see my archive first. 

As a clue to what you’ll be reading, here’s a GIF of him in his trademark off-duty outfit. Doesn’t he look cozy? And if you’ve noticed, he tends to use that word a lot too.

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :) 

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Summary: Yup, our content for this whole week and possibly into the next ones will still come from my writing based on the prompt list created by @neoculturedrabbles​.

POV: 2nd person for both. 

Word count: 1,600+ words

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Prompt #3: “Is that my hoodie?”

Living with Johnny and Mark means you get to swipe items from each other. If not that, either one of you uses the item of the other.

For example, every time you bring out your sandalwood soap, Johnny and Mark use it. You noticed that it was used when there were remaining bubbles on the soap when it was your turn to take a bath. You wrinkled your nose in annoyance, remembering that Johnny criticized your soap preference.

“Baby, this smells like a man’s soap. Unless you like that, of course,” he told you one time you stepped out of the shower after using a newly-opened bar of sandalwood soap.

“The hell you care, dude. I’ve become used to it, and it helps with my skin conditions,” you grumbled in response before storming back to your room.

To pay back for his bashing and using your soap with no permission, you decided to get one of his million hoodies inside his closet. You were lucky that he didn’t lock his room at all – it was easy to get one of them whenever he was out. Mark was abroad again, and that means you have the apartment all to yourself lately.

You got a light brown hoodie from his closet, which was one of your favorites on him. You tried it on, and you wiggled in delight at how soft and comfortable it was. “This is mine for now, Johnny Suh,” you whispered to no one in particular before leaving his room.

\\\

When he arrived at home late that night, you were lounging in your room in his hoodie and your jogging pants. You were working on your novel again, writing about the back story on one of your characters. As you typed furiously in front of your laptop while listening to a curated playlist to get into the mood, you didn’t notice him enter your room.

As you write about to finish one sentence, you heard someone clear their throat. You looked up and saw the towering form of your housemate, who raised his eyebrow at you.

“Hey,” you greeted briefly before going back to your manuscript.

“Hey yourself,” you heard him through your headphones, “and is that my hoodie?”

You didn’t respond, intent on finishing the sentence you were working on.

“Is that my hoodie you’re wearing?” He asked again, his voice louder (and a bit annoyed) this time.

You took off your headphones and looked at up him again with a smile on your face. “Yeah, it is. It’s mine now,” you said confidently, flashing him your pearly whites.

“Hey, is this your payback for using your soap? Come on! I like that hoodie!” He whined, now sitting beside you and tugging the sleeve of the hoodie you were wearing.

“You have a lot of hoodies, Youngho. You bought what, like 4 or 5 of them in one go? It wouldn’t hurt for you to let go of one,” you muttered, prying his fingers off your arm.

“But that’s one of my favorites! It’s part of my Top 5!”

“Nope, it’s mine now.”

“Essieeeeee!” Johnny tackled you on the bed, and you thwacked him on the head. “Duuuude!” You grumbled, sitting up to put away your laptop on your vanity. “Don’t do that when my laptop is here.”

“And you’re more concerned about your laptop than me?” He fake-sobbed first before tackling you again back to the bed.

What ensued was a hilarious (and a bit awkward) bed wrestling fight – you two were a tangle of limbs on your messy bed.

“Ow!” He cried when he got poked by your plastic hand bookmark that has now escaped the book you were hiding under your bed. “Serves you right for messing with me!” You stuck your tongue out and pushed him off you.

He didn’t let you do that easily – he pinned both your arms and was now on top of you.

“Give back my jacket please, baby,” he purred, giving you his best aegyo even if his face was as flushed as a tomato.

“No, it’s mine. For now, that is. Can’t I borrow it for a week?”

Johnny let go of his hold on you and laid beside you on the bed. “Fine, just for a week. After that, it goes back into my closet.”

“Then I’ll pilfer another one next time,” you snickered, which earned you a pinch on your sides. You glared at him, which he ignored as he continued to pinch you more.

“No, I get to choose which one you’ll get next time,” he said, now tilting his body to face you. “There’s nothing wrong with you wearing my stuff, but you’ve got to ask permission first, okay?”

“But you didn’t ask for my permission when you used my soap!” It was your turn to whine, and he just laughed at your statement.

“Essie, it’s just soap. And I bet you have a truckload of that since you always ask your sister to get you that every time she goes to the States. So please, don’t mind us when you use your soap.”

His words took a moment for you to absorb. “Mark uses it too?!” You were close to hysterics already, making the tall guy laugh harder. “Yeah. As you said, it smells good, and it helps with skin conditions.”

You looked at him for a hot minute and focused your attention on his neck. “I doubt it’s helping you,” you said, pointing at the red mark on his neck. “Your insect bite is still there.”

“Heeeeey!” He swatted your finger away from his neck and held it. “That doesn’t count. But maybe if I use it more…”

“Fine. Let’s call it quits. You can use my soap, and I get to keep this hoodie.”

“No way, Jose! It’s still mine. You can use it for a week, that’s it.”

“But Johnnyyyyy!”

///

Prompt #19: “Hey, babe?”

“Yeah?”

“How much do you love me.” 

Sometimes, you wondered how much Johnny loved you.

Even if you always get into spats now that you’re already in the fourth month of your relationship, he never seemed to hold his anger for long. It was usually him who apologized first, and you forgot what you fought about when he made up with you.

Tonight was a normal night for you – cuddling on the bed watching Netflix, your bedside tables with a bottle of beer each. You wore one of his shirts and a pair of boxer shorts, while he wore a sleeveless shirt and sweatpants. You were watching ‘Money Heist’ on his iPad Pro, and both of your arms were linked around each other’s bodies – yours were on his neck and his were on your waist. You nuzzled your face on his chest, and he responded by kissing the top of your head.

“Did you miss me that much, baby?” He asked, tilting your head to look at him. You were not sure if he was tipsy – his face and ears were flushed.

“Yeah,” you murmured, stealing a peck from his lips, “we’re always so busy during the weekdays that we can only catch up every weekend.”

“I’ll fix my schedule so we can have dinner at least every other day. Sounds good?” It was his turn to peck you on the lips, which you returned with much force.

You paused the episode you were watching and caught up with you intimately with cuddles and kisses. When you pulled away to catch your breath, he pressed your forehead against yours.

“Hey, babe?” You started, looking up at his deep chocolate eyes.

“Yeah?” He tightened his hold around your waist and pecked your forehead.

“How much do you love me?” You cringed inwardly at how saccharine you sounded, but you were curious to know his answer.

“Baby, do I really need to answer that?” He broke his hold on you as he massaged his temple with one of his hands. “Of course, my love for you is limitless! It knows no bounds! It can’t be measured at all.”

“Why do you love me so much?” This time, you sounded as if you were about to cry. You were quite moved with his answer, but you just had to hear more from him.

“Because I just do?” You cocked your head to the side, signaling for him to continue. “There are some questions that don’t need answers because really baby, actions speak louder than words.”

With that, he kissed you again, and you reciprocated with all the love you have.

You were lucky to have a man like him in your life, and you wanted everyone to know of that. Maybe soon, because now he’s all yours for the taking.

“You’re so clingy right now, are you ovulating?” He asked, squeezing your butt. You thwacked him on the shoulder and bit his upper forearm.

He yelped in pain, which motivated you to dig your teeth deeper into his arm. When his scream sounded more girly than yours, you let go.

“You idiot, of course not! I just missed you, that’s all,” you said after wiping the saliva from your mouth. He glared at you for a moment before peppering your faces with kisses.

“And I missed you too. I hope we can have more moments like this every day, baby.”

“Same, love, same,” you whispered, caressing his cheek.

You exchanged more mellifluous words before Johnny decided to continue watching the series you put on hold.

You were back again in your original position, arms wrapped around each other as you watched ‘Money Heist’ in his device.

–––

FIN

an open letter for fanfic readers:

if you follow me, you have probably seen posts i’ve made or reblogged about this topic before. but, talking with a few writer friends, i’ve realized that this is something that is still bothering writers, and even making people feel like giving up on sharing their work. yes, i am once again talking about leaving feedback, comments and reblogging fics.

and yes, it’s ok if you’re tired of me talking about this, i’m tired of doing it too. but imagine this: you have a talent, or maybe you just like doing something a lot, and you decide to share that with people so you do just that. it goes well, people leave likes on your work and you know they must enjoy it, but at the same time no one says anything. they don’t share what they thought, how they felt reading it, the bits they enjoyed and you end up thinking ‘damn, do they actually like what i’m putting out? was it good? where can i improve? what did i get right?’ it’s a weird feeling, because the thing is human beings are highly influenced by their ego and when you’re a creator, feeling like people are not really enjoying or not even knowing how they feel about your work, you can lose your motivation. because why would i put work out if people are not connecting with it?

and i get it, sometimes you don’t know what to say, can’t find the right words to express how you felt reading something. or maybe you’re shy to reblog and leave a comment on the tags. i really get it, that’s why i’m making this post and bellow you’ll find some tips on how to leave comments on fics to help you out on supporting your favorite authors!

and to my writers friends feel free to add anything you’d like to this post!

Keep reading

Soul-searching (Part I)

I’m feeling pretty crummy right now, hence posting a sad piece for tonight. The Mark piece I promised at the end of the previous post will have to wait for a while.

For the first time, I’m sharing one of the few pieces that feature WayV’s Kun, one of my top three guys from the group. If you were curious about who are the other two, it’s Ten and Lucas. But what the heck, I love Xiaojun, Hendery, and Yangyang too!

Here’s a GIF of Kun with blue-gray hair, which I consider to be one of his superior looks. And of course, I want that color too! 

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :)

–––

Summary: If anyone was curious where Essie went to during her cool-off with Johnny, she went to Kun’s. Find out if he was able to help and comfort her or if he made things worse eventually. In short, this piece was supposed to be one thing but ended up as a brain fart. 

POV: 3rd person since this is a recent piece of writing. Like, just a week or two ago. 

Word count: 1,300 + words

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“This isn’t how you take a break from a relationship, Essie,” Kun whispered, avoiding to look at the deflated form of his ‘friend’ who was crying at his doorstep.

“Then what should I do?” She answered back, wiping the tears that have now soaked the collar of her shirt.

“I don’t have the answers to everything, dear. But what we’re doing,” he glanced at her before looking away again, “isn’t going to solve anything. It will make things worse, or it has already become worse.”

“But I’m not coming for you in that sense, dude! I needed someone to talk to.” Essie looked at him intently, hoping that he understood what she meant.

“I know, but I believe I’m not the person for this. Not anymore. Youngho is also a close friend of mine. Both of us know that he gets jealous easily, and for us to be spotted like this will spark speculations among our circle.” The blue-haired guy leaned against the door and sighed, looking at anything than her face.

“So, is that what you think? You care about your reputation than our friendship?” He did not like the way she said it, but he refused to look at her still.

“Essie Park, I value our friendship, whether you believe it or not. That’s why I can’t let us get into this further. I think I’ve already said what you needed to hear. We’ve already done what you wanted to happen. I’m sorry, but please, you have to find the answers to your problems on your own this time.”

With that, he gently closed the door on her face and silently cried as he locked it.

He didn’t expect that she would come to him about her problem with her (sort of ex-) boyfriend. There she was, with a giant duffle bag slung over her shoulder, knocking on his door if she could stay over.

“Why me?” were the first words he blurted after she told him of her story.

“Because you look like someone I can depend on,” she murmured while fiddling with her thumbs.

“I’m flattered that you think that way, but I don’t think that’s just the reason,” he said firmly as he held her wrist.

Even if she was trembling under his touch, he didn’t let go. He looked at her panicked face to see if she was going to tell him more, but he didn’t expect it when she spoke.

“I can’t put into words yet, but I’ll tell you when I’m able to. But please, Kun. I need your help.”

It was her tears that moved him, and he couldn’t help but comfort her with a hug.

She stayed at his apartment for almost a month, and they had long talks over the state of her relationship. He was glad to know more about her since he wasn’t able to the last time he was at her place. Before anyone thinks he wants to get into her pants, that isn’t the case. He isn’t looking for a relationship now because he’s devoted to his career as a musician and producer.

However, as they got to talk more about life, he realized that this felt off. Essie was still in a relationship with Johnny Suh, and if any of his band members found out that she was staying in his place, then news would spread that they are dating. They were part of a tight-knit circle, and Ten is the closest to Johnny among his bandmates.

It was fortunate that none of their common friends visited his place since he was out at the studio most of the time. But whenever he came home, he felt that he had a girlfriend waiting for him. If he was honest with himself, he felt giddy whenever Essie prepared breakfast and dinner for them both before they had their deep talks, and whenever she asked him how his day went after he settled into his pajamas.

There was a moment that he embraced her from the back as she cleaned the dishes one morning. “Hey, what’s up?” She asked, slowly looking at his beaming face.

“Nothing, I just want to share my happiness with you,” he replied, resting his chin on top of her shoulder.

He didn’t let go as she continued to clean the remaining dishes. He even helped her as he held the heavy pots and pans for her to scrub on.

“Kun, you’re awfully being sweet right now. What’s up, really?” she said after she was done, hands on her hips.  

He shoved his hands into his pocket and looked at anywhere than her face. “Maybe I just want to show my appreciation for the things you’ve done for me lately?”

The silence that ensued after felt unbearable to both of them that either one started a makeout session on the couch.

“You had a motive, didn’t you?” Kun asked, still panting from the intensity of their kisses. When she didn’t reply, he tilted her face to look at him. “You want me to love you so you can forget how you’re hurting, is that it?”

This time, her tears didn’t move him. He sat up and moved at the other end of the couch, contemplating on what to say to her.

“I like you, Kun. But I don’t want it to end that way. You’ve been a great help to me, and I mean it.” She said, tucking her knees to her chin.

“Don’t you think you’re leading me on?” His voice was trembling, and she couldn’t tell if it was out of sadness, anger, or a combination of both.

“No, Kun. I don’t want to do that to you or anyone else.”

“But you already did with your other suitors, if you haven’t noticed. You are easily swayed, Essie. If you weren’t like that, then you wouldn’t end up in this situation.”

She let out a shaky breath before responding. “I know, and I’m sorry. You’re the only person right now who has been helping me with this predicament I have.”

“Don’t forget your therapist as well,” he muttered, which elicited a chuckle from the girl. “Yes, and him too. You’re the only two people I have right now who has helped me so much.”

When he saw the sincerity in her eyes, he erased those thoughts and tried his best to act like how he was with her before.

As days passed, he couldn’t. He felt that their dynamic has changed after they kissed. He was touchier and called her ‘dear’ often. She reciprocated his actions, and sometimes they pecked each other on the lips before they went to sleep.

Kun finally snapped out of this honeymoon period after they had sex. Both of them were tipsy from their respective parties, and she smelled so good that it drove him crazy. She could say the same for him, and everything became a blur when he hovered over her naked figure.

The morning after was the most awkward situation they have experienced, and it was only in the evening that he had the guts to cut ties with her.

As the scene from earlier replayed in his mind, Kun became a sobbing mess on the floor. He couldn’t believe that he would like her to that extent and realized that she was dangerous to be with in the long run.

“I wonder how Youngho must feel right now,” he mumbled, looking at the couch that has now been marked with her memories.

Images of her sobbing on one corner and then naked and moaning his name mixed in his mind, which led him to the decision to sell it immediately.

He got a new couch that was more expensive and opulent-looking, hoping that this one will have happier memories than the last.

For now, he will focus on his music and forget that he, like Jeong Jaehyun, had a brief affair with Essie Park.

–––

FIN

JH (Part I)

So, I’m a bit behind my posting schedule. I’m sorry about that; you know how life can get in the way of things. But here we are again, focusing on my NCT 127 bias wrecker – Jeong Jaehyun.

Since he never looks terrible in his outfits and hair color, here’s a pink-haired GIF of Jay for your pleasure. It’s one of my favorite looks on him, and this era started wrecking me towards him. Oops!

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :)

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Summary: Like the previous post, the pieces here were inspired by a prompt list by @neoculturedrabbles​.

POV: 2nd person for the first, 3rd person for the second. 

Word count: 1,400+ words

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Prompt #13: “Is that my towel?”

“…”

“Never mind, I’ll get it later.”

Aside from placing his dirty launder in your hamper, Jaehyun tends to use your stuff too. At first, it didn’t sit well with you, considering your other housemates did that as well. (Johnny and Mark loved using your bath products, especially your sandalwood soap.)

Eventually, after the first week of your stay in his apartment, you got used to it. However, it bothered you (a bit) when you spotted him using your towel.

When he emerged from the bathroom, you saw that your white and blue striped towel was wrapped around his torso. He didn’t mind showing you his abs, erm, torso, and you tried your best to avert your gaze at it. You focused on his face instead – it was a bit obscured from his damp hair. At least that was less distracting than his upper body.

“Is that my towel?” You started, your eyes focused on his face. You couldn’t tell what his reaction was since he shook his head to cover his face more (probably from shame).

He didn’t respond and stood still on his spot.

“Never mind, I’ll get it later. Please dry it off well,” you mumbled, walking away and heading straight to the balcony.

\\\

As you smoked your fourth stick for the day, you heard the balcony door slide open to reveal a fully-clothed Jaehyun about to dry the towel he used.

You immediately put out the cigarette and looked at him place it carefully over the drying rack. “What gives, and you had to use my towel, Jay?” You asked, making yourself comfortable on the patio chair.

“Sorry about that, Essie,” he turned to look at you with an apologetic smile, “but I tend to use the first towel that I see.”

You sighed at his response and stood up. “Next time, I’ll place your towel inside your bedroom, so you don’t use mine.” You patted his shoulder before leaving, but he held your hand to stop you.

“I’m really sorry, dear,” he whispered, looking at you with puppy eyes. You sighed again because you knew what would happen next. “I’ll make it up to you, okay? I’ll treat you to coffee.”

“Okay, fine. You know my usual, right?”

“Yeah, do I need to say it out loud?”

“Nope, I’m confident that you know it by heart.”

Your response got a giggle out of him, and he let go of your hand so you could return inside.

Why must he always bribe you with your favorite things so you can forgive him for his forgetfulness? You thought, wrinkling your nose at the thought of just going along with his plans.

But you like it anyway; you like it when he spoils you like that.

“Shut up, brain,” you mumbled to yourself before settling on the couch with your phone.

///

Prompt #16: “My ex is over there. Can you kiss me?” 

Tonight was a cliché waiting to unfold: Essie was in a house party where she’s bound to see her ex from centuries ago.

The host of the said party was a common friend of theirs but also a friend of her new buddies Johnny, Jaehyun, and Mark to name a few.

The party was to celebrate this friend’s milestone of moving abroad for a job opportunity of a lifetime.

Although the presence of Essie’s ex has not yet been confirmed, there is always a possibility that he will be there.

As she wove her way through the crowd, she noticed that Jaehyun was waving enthusiastically at her from a corner. She spotted that he had a drink on one hand, making her wonder where the hell the drinks could be.

The party wasn’t jam-packed, yet there was already a considerable crowd inside. She rushed through the brunette’s side, who was drinking a glass of red wine.

“Hey Jay,” she greeted, exchanging bisous with him. That was how they always greeted each other, anytime and anywhere. He returned it, his free hand squeezing hers.

“Glad you could come to this party,” he started, before taking a sip from his wine, “I thought I was the only one coming here.”

“Where’s John?” She asked, eyes scanning the room for the tall guy. As her eyes roamed for a moment, she didn’t notice that Jaehyun’s eyes darkened at the mention of his friend.

“He might not come; he had important errands to run,” he said, throwing his head back to disguise the fact that he was miffed with her question.

“Okay then…so let’s try to have fun here then?” Essie held out her other hand to him, which he took, and both of them went to the kitchen to get more drinks.

They chatted over wine and beer before they busted their dance moves with the rest of the crowd near the pool. People cheered for them when they did a spicy couple dance (bordering on dirty dancing) and howled even more when they recreated a pop idol’s famous choreography.

Essie’s carefree attitude didn’t last long after they were done dancing – she spotted her ex from afar talking to a girl in a skimpy outfit.

This prompted her to look at her clothing – a long-sleeved crop top, a pair of harem pants, and combat boots – and groaned when she realized what she was doing. So what if she wasn’t showing off her assets? He wouldn’t come back to her anymore, nor should she let him back in her life.

But before she could turn her eyes away from her ex, he spotted her. Panic was written all over her face as she turned to Jaehyun, who sensed her agitation. The guy wasn’t able to say anything as the words that came out of her mouth surprised him.

“My ex is over there. Can you kiss me?”

He was hesitant to grant her request at first but then realized that it was time to hit two birds with one stone – do what she was told and subtly let her know that he was into her.

So he did and pecked her on the lips.

The girl was surprised at his action but went along with it when he pressed his lips further. The peck didn’t even last a minute, but she hoped that her ex saw it so he wouldn’t dare confront her anymore.

After all, it was she who broke up with him. He had no right to claim her back for the things he did. He should understand that she was moving on just fine.

However, Jaehyun heard her wrong. Since they were in a crowded place where the music was about to ruin their eardrums, what she actually said was: “My ex is over there. Can you hide me?”

Add to that her small and soft voice – it was shocking that most of her friends don’t misunderstand her words…until now.

Essie was expecting that Jaehyun will lead her out of the area and resume their drinking session inside, but life likes to throw curveballs sometimes.

The two were left dumbfounded at what happened. “Jay…why did you kiss me?” The girl asked cautiously.

“You told me to?”

Her eyes widened, and her mouth hung open with his statement.

“No, Jay! I didn’t tell you that! What I said was, can you hide me?”

Ah, he heard all right now. His face warmed up at the realization that he misheard her, and suddenly, he couldn’t look her in the eyes. He covered his face with his hands, mumbling what an idiot he is.

“Oh no, Jay! Please don’t do this to yourself,” Essie whispered, holding him by the shoulders. “You misheard me, it’s fine. I’m not mad with what you did…”

“You liked it?” His answer shocked her again, making her clutch her chest.

“Jeong Jaehyun!” She shook both of his shoulders vigorously, which didn’t bother him at all as he chuckled at her reaction.

“I could do that again if you like.”

It took the girl a moment to respond. “Maybe when I see him near me again, I’ll let you.”

“That’s my girl,” Jaehyun closed the small distance between them by wrapping his arms around her and kissing her forehead. “We can pretend to be together; there’s no one aside from our common friend who knows us here.”

Essie raised an eyebrow at him, wondering where he got his bravado. “You’re awfully bold tonight, sir.”

“It must be the alcohol,” he glanced at the empty beer bottles on top of a nearby table, “shall we get another round, dear?”

“I never thought you’d ask,” she giggled, taking his hand in hers, and together they walked back to the house holding hands.

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FIN