Under His Watchful Gaze

under his watchful gaze

↖ navigation: ateez masterlist || main masterlist 

pairing: mingi x gn! reader

↬ tags: implied that mingi and reader are childhood friends (about why they are roommates now the author herself isn't too sure just roll with it), you can assume reader and mingi are going to the same school, mingi is 3 years older than reader in this one

summary: you have a guardian angel that watches you while you sleep. that's mingi

word count: 807 words

a/n: can't put any labels on what mingi is to the reader because the agenda of this fic changed course MULTIPLE times, the bonus scene will explain a bit of the backstory (it was only added because the story wouldn't have made sense without the backstory)

a loud knock on mingi's door grabbed his attention and he swivels around in his chair to face you. he removes his headphones, game paused in the background. you stood shyly by his doorframe, greeting him all while clad in cozy sleepwear, "hey mingi, i'm not disturbing you right?"

he shakes his head, "no, what's up?" you waved your hands in front of you, "oh, uhm. i just wanted to tell you that if you're going to play games, could you tone it down a bit? i'm gonna head to bed now, i've got an early class tomorrow." you shoot him a half grimace half smile at the mention of your class.

unfortunately for him, his friends were counting on him to tank a match. he clears his throat and gave you a curt nod.

"yeah, i'll try. have a good rest." he bids you goodbye and his door closes with a whoosh, mechanism clicking shut. mingi tears his gaze away from the door and returns his focus back to the game.

"mingi what's taking you so long?!" he rolls his eyes at the way his gaming mates hollered at him.

"my bad. someone was talking to me. let's go for another round?" mingi cracks his knuckles, before poising them over his keyboard.

"that's the spirit! one more win!"

-----

"ah damn we almost got that team!" mingi groans, rubbing his eyes. "yeah no shot. we nearly got obliterated! if mingi didn't advise us to defend our base i think we would have lost more." his teammates chatter idly, agreeing to take a quick bio-break. mingi stretched his legs out, and wonders if you were asleep now.

picking up his phone, he notices that you sent him a message on social media just a second ago. a second chime signals a new message and he clicks on the notification.

just a bunch of animal reels from this evening...and wait, why were you online?

mingi shoots you a quick text, somewhat apologetic.

mingi: was i too loud?

a small grin appears on his face when he spots that familiar green dot beside your profile icon. you were still awake. awake and purposely avoiding his texts.

mingi: ahem.

mingi: excuse me, but i thought you said you were going to sleep 2 hours ago??

you: well uhm...i couldn't sleep ;-;

mingi: come to my room?

-----

a while later he hears his door open and he turns to look at your tired form, "you seriously need to sleep, like now." he knows you can't quip back at him for he had no classes the next day. he removes his headphones on one side to hear you better.

"well! i just can't, what about it?" you leaned against the ajar door, crossing your arms in front of you. mingi couldn't help but burst out laughing at how you were pouting, clearly annoyed for not being able to sleep.

"why didn't you just come and sleep in my bed, just like last time?" he pats the empty bed behind him and you flushed, sputtering, "i...i mean! it's not...it's not like we're kids again or whatever." you locked your hands behind you, averting your gaze.

"mingi? hey! we're gonna start another round." his friend's voice called out through his left ear and he unmutes himself to speak, "give me 5 minutes." in one swift motion, he gets out of his chair and drags you into his room, pushing you down onto his bed all while ignoring your protests.

you huffed, mumbling under your breath, "it's so embarrassing that you still have to coddle me to bed at this age." you surprisingly let mingi tuck you in, pulling the covers to your shoulders. he takes your phone from you, earning him yet another eye roll from you.

"can't stand you being grumpy the next day, so you better rest now. if your bed doesn't work, then my bed it is." he dims the bedside lamp, the only source of light being his monitor in the room. he squats down beside you and you flipped to your side to gaze at him. he locks eyes with you, a wry smile growing on his face.

"are you afraid i'm gonna let the whole world know that you can't sleep without me around? silly twerp. get some proper rest, not some half-assed 3 hour sleep on a school day." you reached out from under the covers to flick his forehead, accepting your fate. mingi knew you couldn't say no either.

"fine. goodnight mingi."

-----

mingi keeps one side of his headphones on, occasionally hearing you toss and turn in his bed. he mutes himself for the rest of the rounds, choosing to text his teammates in-game instead. mingi switches to the quieter keyboard and mouse to avoid waking you up. in the end he couldn't focus for long--not when you were in the same space as him-- and quits the game.

"i'll go off first. see you all same time tomorrow?" chimes of "sure thing" and "see you" came from his fellow gamers and he logged off. mingi ambles over to you, lying down beside you. he stares at you intently, every rise and fall of your chest under his covers made him happy knowing you were getting rest.

"look who's sound asleep now huh." he murmured under his breath, warm hand gingerly carding through your hair and you stirred from his touch. he hides his pleased chuckle behind his other hand when he realizes that you were nuzzling into his touch, seemingly unresponsive after that sudden movement.

"goodnight to you too."

-----

bonus:

10 year old mingi was shaken awake from his sleep and blearily he reaches out to switch on his bedside lamp.

"w-what..." mingi glances in your direction as you perched at the end of his bed, your half-lidded eyes meeting his barely opened ones. you fiddled with the ends of his blanket, "i can't sleep. mommy and daddy are talking loudly again."

he sighs, opening his blanket for you to crawl in. you slipped into the space beside him, and he drapes the blanket over you. "don't kick me or i'll push you off the bed." mingi threatens jokingly. he flicks off the light and the two of you lay down in silence, the hum of the ceiling fan the only things both of you could hear.

"i'm sorry." you whispered. even though mingi's eyes were closed shut, he can feel your intense stare through his lids. "what are you sorry for? auntie and uncle were nice enough to take care of me until my parents come back from their trip. so it is also my duty to take care of you when they can't." mingi doesn't know if you understood what that loaded statement meant, but you seemed satisfied at the fact that he was beside you and that was all that mattered to the 7 year old you.

he gently pats you, and you fell asleep under his care.

@ppumeonae-bigvibe 's work ; likes and reblogs are appreciated <3

the severity of you

↖ navigation: nct masterlist || main masterlist

pairing: best friend! jisung x gn! reader

↬ tags: friends to lovers trope!, jisung and reader being in different classes but are good friends, confession! (hehe that makes me so giddy with love)

summary: you were the most important person in jisung's life, even before he knew it.

word count: 802 words

a/n: nctdream coming to singapore!! CRYYY

jisung's clutched his phone tightly in his hand, eyes wavering at your last seen a few hours ago. the incessant chatter from his group of friends became background noise as he refreshed the chat again.

the rumor that someone from your class had gotten into an accident spread far and wide through the campus hadn't gone unnoticed by jisung. by the time he realizes you didn't reply to his text that morning, nothing sat right with him the rest of the day.

it wasn't like you to drop off the radar like that...was it you? were you the one mentioned in the rumor?

fear bubbles up from within him and he pressed a clenched fist towards his forehead.

"jisung, are you okay? you don't look that good."

he decides it wasn't worth staying in class: he wasn't going to be able to pay attention, not when all of it was on worrying about your well-being. he grabs his bag, swinging it hurriedly over his shoulders as he stands abruptly.

"woah, woah calm down big guy. what's going on?"

he lets out a choked exhale, tears stinging the back of his eyes, "i...i don't even know..." he grips his bag strap, much like fear gripping his entire being like a vice. jisung shook his head.

"i got to go." he stands abruptly, ignoring the multiple pair of eyes staring at him and the shouts of his friends telling him to come back.

he sprints out of the classroom without further explanation, out of school and towards your home, a place he knows by heart. he hears a distant wail of an ambulance and he picks up the pace, running towards your residence.

he hasn't even told you that he loved you yet.

the frenzied thoughts that ran through his mind became a jumbled mess.

from the first moment you told him you liked him a lot with such sincerity in your eyes, he's always had a soft spot for you. to think, all the times where you stood by him unwavering, whenever something happened to him you would always somehow be there for him...despite him never answering that very question.

and now that you weren't here, he's so afraid he's going to lose you.

breathless, he arrives at your doorstep and with shaking hands he knocks on your door.

"please...please be there..." he leans heavily against it, holding back another wave of tears. the chime of the door unlocking resounded and his gaze lands on you.

"jisung...what are you doing here?" you reached out for him and he grasped your wrist, pulling you in. all the breath was knocked out of him as he exhales, whispering right next to your ear, "you're okay." jisung firmly embraced you, head resting against your shoulder.

you peered up at him, gently fingers lightly wiping away the stray tears rolling down his face. "i thought you were in an accident and came running over." you softly hushed jisung, cupping his face in your hands, "i'm just feeling under the weather, and i just woke up to your hundred messages." you held up your phone, showing him the notifications from him. "i'm fine jisung, really."

he nods, the steady thump-thump of your heartbeat radiating from you calmed him down.

"i missed you. please, don't just disappear on me like that..." jisung felt his throat tighten, "i...didn't get the chance to answer you that time. i realized, i've come love you too, from the very beginning."

you stared at him, incredulous, as you hid your smile behind your hand. laughing, you beamed at him and he felt his heart freeze for a second.

"it's so good to know that the person i like finally replied me. dummy, did you know how long i waited for your response?"

"thank you for waiting for me, for choosing to be by me even when i couldn't ascertain my feelings." jisung hugs you again and you chuckle in his hold, "silly boy, don't cry now. i'm with you always, yeah?"

"yeah."

--- several months ago---

"yah! park jisung! i really really like you!

jisung sputtered at your sudden confession, coughing as he regained his composure. you had stood before his desk, hands pressed against the edge of the table as you leaned towards his seated form.

the curtains lining the windows fluttered in the wind and he paused to take a real good look at you.

"i like you." you repeated, eyes sparkling.

"oh." he shrugged his shoulders, returning his attention back to his textbook.

"i'm going to keep liking you no matter what. i'll be waiting for your answer, even if it's not today, tomorrow or the day after. i wanna know what's your response." you spun around, high-tailing it out of the empty classroom.

"whatever. you're weird." he mumbles, a smile tugging on his lips.

@ppumeonae-bigvibe 's work ; likes and reblogs are appreciated <3

⋆·˚ ༘ * gyuscoffee’s weekly reads .*. ⋆

april - week 4 | return to reading list

ᯓᡣ𐭩 CHOI SEUNGCHEOL, S.COUPS

"whatever" by @waldau

౨ৎ seungcheol x gn!reader ᡣ𐭩 fluff, comfort | 1.8k words | established relationship ➶ you're stressed out and seungcheol wants to know what's really bothering you.

"gym crush" by @haoboutyou

౨ৎ seungcheol x fem!reader ᡣ𐭩 fluff | 1.2k words | strangers to lovers ➶ while working out with soonyoung, you get acquainted with seungcheol.

“call out my name” by @dearlyjun

౨ৎ seungcheol x fem!reader ᡣ𐭩 smut | 1.8k words | established relationship ➶ your ex boyfriend can't seem to stop texting you lately; wouldn't want to make your current boyfriend angry would you?

ᯓᡣ𐭩 YOON JEONGHAN

untitled , sequel by @wqnwoos

౨ৎ jeonghan x reader ᡣ𐭩 fluff | friends to lovers ➶ jeonghan thinks that having you as his roommate is possibly one of the best and worst things that’s happened to him.

"hidden secret" by @beomboomboom

౨ৎ jeonghan x reader ᡣ𐭩 fluff | 0.9k words | fwb to lovers ➶ in which the one secret jeonghan never wanted to reveal got revealed in the worst way possible.

ᯓᡣ𐭩 HONG JISOO, JOSHUA

“petty” by @synthetickitsune

౨ৎ joshua x reader ᡣ𐭩 fluff, angst | 2.3k words | established relationship ➶ joshua can be a bit petty when he's tired and feels wronged. even if he's at fault all along.

ᯓᡣ𐭩 KWON SOONYOUNG, HOSHI

"warm you up" by @pinklemonadeflav

౨ৎ hoshi x fem!reader ᡣ𐭩 smut | 1.0k words | established relationship ➶ hoshi's way of apologizing for stealing the blanket while you were asleep.

"falling for you (literally)" @beomboomboom

౨ৎ hoshi x reader ᡣ𐭩 fluff | 0.8k words | best friends to lovers ➶ you never would've thought that helping a drunk soonyoung go home would lead to him falling for you both literally and figuratively.

ᯓᡣ𐭩 JEON WONWOO

“for you, i’ll wait” by @ppumeonae-bigvibe

౨ৎ wonwoo x gn!reader ᡣ𐭩 fluff | 0.9k words | established relationship ➶ just like this, everyday he will wait for you, always.

"up to you" by @number1mingyustan

౨ৎ wonwoo x fem!reader ᡣ𐭩 fluff, smut | 3.0k words | established relationship ➶ wonwoo cheats in mario kart and makes it up to you.

“zip it, strip it” by @wifeyoozi

౨ৎ wonwoo x fem!reader ᡣ𐭩 smut | 2.2k words | best friends/roommates to lovers ➶ wonwoo can't stand his roommate's progressively slutty online shipped clothes anymore.

ᯓᡣ𐭩 LEE SEOKMIN, DOKYEOM

"shut up (don't)" by @gyuswhore

౨ৎ dokyeom x gn!reader ᡣ𐭩 smut | 2.7k words | established relationship ➶ you get into an argument with a tired seokmin.

ᯓᡣ𐭩 KIM MINGYU

“wish you were here” by @thedensworld

౨ৎ mingyu x gn!reader ᡣ𐭩 comfort | 1.5k words | established relationship ➶ sometimes, mingyu was miles away from you and he couldn't hold you. he was okay, 'till you called him and and he heard you sobbed.

“first fuck” by @nachojaehyun

౨ৎ mingyu x fem!reader ᡣ𐭩 smut | | co workers to lovers ➶ fucking on the first date may not be acceptable for many, but when your date was that hot and signing the cheque at the end of the night, who were you to refuse having him in your bed?

ᯓᡣ𐭩 BOO SEUNGKWAN

“sleeping beauty” by @wheeboo

౨ৎ seungkwan x gn!reader ᡣ𐭩 fluff | 1.6k words | established relationship ➶ in which you fall asleep on your boyfriend’s lap.

"sleep is the best medicine" by @slytherinshua

౨ৎ seungkwan x fem!reader ᡣ𐭩 fluff | 1.4k words | established relationship ➶ seungkwan takes care of you while you're sick.

ᯓᡣ𐭩 CHWE HANSOL, VERNON

“whatever you say, bro” by @bookyeom

౨ৎ vernon x gn!reader ᡣ𐭩 fluff | 1.2k words | best friends to lovers ➶ when you keep calling vernon “bro”, despite your feelings for him.

untitled by @hannieehaee

౨ৎ vernon x afab!reader ᡣ𐭩 fluff, smut | 1.8k words | established relationship ➶ none of your friends believe that you and vernon are finally dating.

ᯓᡣ𐭩 LEE CHAN, DINO

"serendipity" by @snwprl

౨ৎ dino x fem!reader ᡣ𐭩 fluff | 1.6k words | best friends to lovers ➶ "where do you see yourself in the next ten years?", "hmm, maybe i'll be a famous astronaut" chan chuckled and asked. "that's cool, but what if... what if i was with you?"

ᯓᡣ𐭩 SEVENTEEN REACTS TO

kissing them on their cheek for the first time by @elllisaaa

kissing them to shut up by @nonuify

asking to leave lipstick stains on their face by @gi4hao

what dating them feels like by @mingtinys

giving them the silent treatment when they forget something by @waldau

౨ৎ featuring all members: choi seungcheol, yoon jeonghan, hong jisoo, wen junhui, kwon soonyoung, jeon wonwoo, lee jihoon, lee seokmin, kim mingyu, xu minghao, boo seungkwan, chwe hansol, and lee chan.

falling asleep on them by @snwprl

౨ৎ featuring the ‘95 line: choi seungcheol, yoon jeonghan, and hong jisoo

all credits go to the respective authors, i do not claim to have written these posts. if you would like your writing removed, please send me a message and i will have it erased immediately.

sleepy affections

:｡･:*:･ﾟ’★ welcome to the EN-sanctuary! ,｡･:*:･ﾟ’☆ 

↖ navigation: enhypen masterlist || main masterlist 

↖ support this series: en-sanctuary masterlist

↬ summary: en-sanctuary's reaction to yejun being sleepy

『 h e e s e u n g  🐁』  

heeseung would probably be reading a book, all whilst yejun is curled up in between his legs scrolling through her socials on a mundane weekday afternoon

might not even notice how tired she is until her head lolls back, phone in her hand going slack

“yejun?” and...silence but heeseung readjusts her so she is not craning her neck in anyway

heeseung can’t see her face, but it immediately puts a smile to his face knowing that she was comfortable around him to completely relax in his presence 

book forgotten, he might even wrap his arms around yejun and just take a short nap like that: cuddling her

would stay in that position till he needs to get up or when she gets up

『 s u n g h o o n 🐇』  

sunghoon would probably be making his way back from grabbing a cup of water at 3am in the morning (you have no idea how refreshing water taste in the middle of the night) when he spots yejun at her desk

silently stands by the door as yejun’s gaze is all unfocused and her hands have ceased to type into whatever editing she is doing (sunghoon knows for sure because he could still here yejun typing and mumbling away from his bedroom right before he fell asleep)

finally decides to break the silence by going into the room and just promptly dragging her out of her slump, not forgetting to switch off everything before leaving the room

“you’re not falling asleep at your desk”

winds up in his bed sleeping the rest of the night away 

『 j a y 🐈 』

jay would probably be closing up the store where he’s working part time at and finds yejun waiting patiently at the bench outside the shop

boy is all excited and hurries to switch off the lights but when he finally stands in front of her, a (stupid, cute, utterly breathtaking, akjsdhasd) grin on his face at her dozing off

“yejun, wake up. let’s go home.”

jay would totally pretend to make a big fuss out of it, but in the end willingly carries yejun on his back 

finds it cute that she’s lightly snoring and will for sure tease her about it when she wakes up

doesn’t admit it but he is an absolute sucker for such intimate moments

『 j a k e 🐕 』

jake would be recounting his day to her as soon as yejun makes herself comfortable in his bed 

this lovely puppy is just too hyped up in telling the best parts of his day he somewhat fails to notice how dog-tired (pun intended) yejun is

poor yejun just presses a hand over jake’s lips and hushes him, effectively stopping him mid-ramble about whether the chicken came first or the egg

“let me just...close my eyes...” proceeds to bury herself under jake’s blanket, a common occurrence

jake’s now amused (and much quieter) as yejun lays still beside him in the bed they’re sharing, eyelids fluttering close

『 s u n o o 🦊 』

sunoo would be watching a movie (that yejun promises she’d try to be awake this time round), hands busying with grabbing chips from the bag in front of him

out of the corner of his eyes, he’s keeping tabs on whether yejun’s staying true to her words (because doctor strange is hot and sunoo just wants someone to fawn over the character)

sunoo also isnt surprised when she starts curling up into herself, head automatically landing in his lap

“you are going to fall asleep right, noona?” “no, i was just getting comfortable.”

sunoo still teasingly laughs at yejun’s sleeping form because he’s the only one left watching a movie he’s watched multiple times

『 j u n g w o n 🐈 』

jungwon is perceptive in a way he knows when yejun’s tired, especially so after taking a drowsy cough syrup 

“come on off to bed noona.” “you’re babying me, i can see it”

jungwon is practically herding yejun into any bed (read: his bed) tucking her in, then quickly closing the blinds and doors before lying beside her

he’s gazing at her as yejun does the same, though sleep is apparent in her eyes 

finds it funny that yejun’s resisting sleep whenever jungwon’s around her (but that’s really because yejun’s protective of the maknae line, wanting to show her strong side)

unconsciously, jungwon’s rubbing her shoulder, helping her sleep better and it does work 

『 n i k i 🐆』

niki would be at the back of the car with yejun, the gentle shaking of the car making him awake more than he’d like

niki liked car ride trips when he could daydream, but he likes it better with yejun because he knew how she had a tendency to take cat naps (HAHA cat naps-) when she travels

and that to niki MEANS time to take whatever unglams and send them into group chat for fun 

okay but for real, niki would pull yejun closer to him and would stay awake until the two of them reaches their destination 

@ppumeonae-bigvibe's work ; likes and reblogs are appreciated !

"i'm your boyfriend after all."

↖ navigation: seventeen masterlist || main masterlist

pairing: bf! vernon x gn! reader

↬ tags: vernon being a little sulky, this piece is for my strong + independent people who just needs to realize that if your lover is doing things for you it is out of love and not duty

summary: a hug and a kiss is all he needs to be comforted. and a promise to let him do all the manly things from now on.

word count: 579 words

a/n: lowkey personal experience because im a girl's girl, im always telling them to leave it to me, and i just forget men naturally just have more strength-

a/n again: i thought today (20th) was the 21st...and i was rushing through it...nevermind...

vernon didn't even register he was frowning until you let go of his hands, choosing to worriedly wring them behind your back.

"i...is it because of what happened earlier...?" vernon glances at you, his gaze already telling you the answer to your question. you averted his stare, hands coming up to rub your face sheepishly.

to say that he was upset was an exaggeration, but to say that he wasn't hurt was an understatement. vernon pauses mid-walk, standing before you, and his thoughts came spiling out in a mumbled mess, "i know you are absolutely able to do all these things yourself, so would it kill you to let me do these romantic things for you?"

—-

vernon perks up at the sight of your untied shoelaces, catching your attention.

"oh! shoelaces!"

he was preparing to get down on one knee to sweetly tie it up for you, but you leaned against him, bringing your left foot up to lace it into a double knot. you smiled at him, "thanks for pointing it out. let's go!" you walked ahead, with him trailing behind you like a defeated little puppy. he stares dejectedly at the missed opportunity to be chivalric.

"i was gonna do it for you..." he lightly grumbled under his breath.

—-

vernon watches carefully, as you scrolled through the combined shopping list. he rests his weight against the cart as you put items into it. “is that a discount?” you pointed to the big neon yellow sign on the highest row and his eyes light up, matching your equally excited expression. “shall we get that?”

vernon detaches himself from the cart’s handle, about to reach up to grab that bag of snacks only for you to tiptoe and with fumbling fingers you nudged the box so that it falls directly into the cart. you nearly lost your balance but he swiftly stretches out his hand to support you. vernon internally groans, another missed opportunity.

—-

he spins around, sulking. he couldn't help it: he isn't mad at you, just disappointed that you maybe hadn't trust him enough to let your guard down around him. or much less let him do things for you.

you didn't even let him hold the grocery bags when you were struggling, saying that you could hold it and it was a "piece of cake".

he hears you put the bags of groceries down and you hugged from behind. "a hug."

you nudged him to face you and you tip-toed, pressing a kiss to his face, "and a kiss.”

you cupped his face in your hands, effectively trapping him. his eyes were focused on your features, on the way you were so incredibly close to him. he felt his cheeks heating up: he really couldn't stay mad at you for long.

closing your arms around his frame, you softly whispered, "i didn't forget. you told me before, if you were upset, i should hold you because you are someone who needs my comfort too."

his throat closes up at your heartfelt words. he finally embraces you, his chin resting atop of your head. you pat his back, as a form of apology.

“i want to do all these things because i love you. i know you can do them, but now that i’m here, would you rely on me? i'm your boyfriend after all."

vernon grabs the grocery bags from the ground, smiling when your face turns a light pink.

"mhm. my lover."

@ppumeonae-bigvibe 's work ; likes and reblogs are appreciated <3

"then...can i love you now?"

↖ navigation: enhypen masterlist || main masterlist

pairing: childhood younger brother! jungwon x childhood older sister! reader

↬ tags: childhood neighbours troupe, age gap mentioned (i was thinking of a 5 to 7 year age gap since that would make sense for the setting ive created), reader is a working individual with jungwon as a student, heeseung mentioned to be reader's boyfriend

summary: "i'll hold my breath as i wait for your answer, i'll leave it up to you. tell me whether it's yes or no: baby, love me or leave me tonight" - taken from day6 love me or leave me

word count: 928 words

a/n: it was only after i gave it a title that i realized it was greatly inspired after love me or leave me by day6 the line "do you even love me now?" (bomb ahh song) ++ i hope i was able to convey the yearning of an unrequited love and dabble in some age gap factor...

i don't suppose this piece of mine is gonna do well but i wanted to pour out a little of my own experience...i did want to write a backstory but mmm i shall leave it for now,,

ever since jungwon met you, he's never took his eyes off you. attached to your hip, he developed a big fat crush on you, his nuna* (older sister in korean). this crush was something he thought he would outgrow, but to no avail his developing feelings never went away, lasting for as long as he knew you for.

jungwon was that little neighbor boy that always asked you to marry him. now that he is all grown up, he wistfully hopes he has a chance with you, even though you never spared him a second glance: treating him just like a younger brother.

he snaps out of his thoughts when you playfully ruffled his hair, the affectionate gesture causing him to be hyperaware of your presence. it was after hours and jungwon had came over to your workplace to fetch you so that the two of you could go home together. he was waiting for you at the lobby, eyes trained on you the moment you stepped out of the lift.

"jungwon-ah, are you okay? shall we go home?" he faintly blushed under your attention, nodding his head.

home, huh? he wishes that you would visit your hometown more often. in all technicality, you two have been neighbors for the longest time; both your parents and his being best friends meant that you two naturally grew up together. having each other in the other's house wasn't uncommon too, you being best friends with his older sister meant he got to see you around.

"i'm good. oh, and this is for you, nuna." he sticks out a paper bag and you received it gratefully, a beam on your face. he tames his expression, deciding to give you a cheekily smile to hide how fast his heart was beating.

you huffed, laughing at his playful smirk, "isn't this my favorite? my jungwonie is all grown up now. you didn't spend too much on this right?"

he had started working a part-time job at a cafe near your office, since his school term was officially over and he was waiting for the next semester to start. what you didn't know was that jungwon practically begged the store owner to let him work here so he could see you more frequently.

not that you needed to know.

"it's okay, it wasn't much. i just..." know how much you like these pastries to not want to treat you to something. in fact he knew your favorite order down to the exact combination you like your drinks and dessert.

he bites back the rest of the sentence, lamely finishing with a "i thought you might want some". it wasn't entirely the truth since he was the one that saved it for you.

lighthearted chatter bounced back and forth, you asking about his plans for the next semester of school and him being curious about what you do at work.

"nuna, what happened to heeseung hyung? i haven't seen him in a while..." jungwon suddenly blurted out, catching you unaware. the casual breeze was deafening and the silence from you made him apologize profusely, "ah...uh...sorry nuna, i was..."

"it's just...heeseung wants to breakup. things weren't working out." you mumbled soullessly, and jungwon was torn between being sorry for your loss and being happy that you were single now. you took a look at him, a wry smile on your face, "don't stare at me like that. you resemble a rain-drenched kitty."

under the dim street lights, jungwon realizes how small you looked. he remembers how he always relied on you, always choosing to unapologetically stick to you like a little bugger.

you're his role model and especially when jungwon was sad it was you whom he seeked: jungwon wished that he could have protected you from this failed relationship and heartbreak.

jungwon remembered when he attended your university graduation a year back: you had shyly introduced heeseung to your family and jungwon just had to be there to witness how easily heeseung fit in. to say he was envious was an understatement.

out of jealousy, he dragged you to one side with the excuse to take a picture with you: a heartfelt yet desperate 'i still like you very much, nuna' leaving his lips. you didn't know how to respond to him so jungwon hastily turned around, congratulating you again before disappearing on you. he didn't like that heeseung guy: the vibes were all...wrong.

he didn't want to see your expression, much less hear what you have to say. he knew he didn't stand a chance then when age was a factor, but now...

"nuna, if heeseung hyung can't love you, then...can i love you now?"

silence blanketed the two of you after his proclamation, his persistent gaze met with your hesitant ones.

"jungwon-ah…" you started but he cut you off, his heart pounding in his chest.

"please, nuna! don't tell me...i'm not old enough or i deserve someone else my age. i still want you very much, and i'll never stop loving you even after all that." jungwon exhales, pouring his heart unto you.

mixed emotions that flashed through your eyes and you stood there, the no-longer small jungwon a grown up in your eyes.

"one chance."

he widened his eyes at your words: a sliver of an opportunity given to him. reaching out to grab your hand, sincerity zings through him and he pulls you into a hug, afraid that you would spot the unshed tears in his eyes.

"i'll show you that i can love you better than anyone you've been with."

@ppumeonae-bigvibe 's work ; likes and reblogs are appreciated <3