This Was So Cute! Very Heart Warming.

This was so cute! Very heart warming.

𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐲

ji changmin x gn!reader

1.3k words, est. relationship au, hurt/comfort, minor fluff but more angst?, a bit of silliness, mentions of work pressures, neck kisses, intimacy, mentions of playful biting, pretty much not beta'd or proofread (past my bedtime; written in an hour)

a/n: @kimsohn saw some of the goofiness first <3 ily (*breathes in deeply* idk what im doing guys. anyways, this belongs in the category labeled "i get yappy and sappy when im existentially exhausted")

In the dark, the clock on top of the oven screamed “3:22AM” in angry, red light. You stumbled past it, vision blurry and footsteps as quiet as you could make them against the hardwood. Your bones ached to the marrow and you could feel the blood throbbing violently in your skull; you could not sleep.

It had been three hours of tossing and turning before you completely gave up and slipped out into the kitchen. Usually, it wasn't too difficult for you to fall asleep, but alas, there would always be exceptions.

You managed to find the opened bag of tangerines on the kitchen counter, the orange, wiry mesh already torn from the last person who'd grabbed one to snack on. As your eyes grew accustomed to the dark, you dug your nail into its skin and began to peel it open.

Through your daze, you just barely registered the sound of the bedroom door opening—footsteps followed after and came closer; they weren't trying to stay quiet like you were, as there wasn't any reason to anymore. Hands patted you down from your shoulders to your arms until they could settle comfortably around your waist; his body slid flush against your back like a puzzle piece, still warm from being in bed. Hair tickled the underside of your jaw as he nestled his chin into the crook of your shoulder, the ghost of his breath fanning across your skin like a caress, relieved.

“Did I wake you?” You murmured, forcing yourself awake a little as you felt him lean more of his weight against you.

A low hum. “Bed got cold.”

The corners of your mouth tilted upward as you stuck a piece of fruit into your mouth—it was summer; the bed couldn't have been cold. Juice spilled over your tongue in a comfortingly sweet tang, and you went for another. “Sorry, love. Do you want some?” You asked, holding onto a piece of tangerine.

“Mm-mm,” Changmin hummed, shaking his head with a slight movement. You felt his arms give your body a squeeze. “Are you okay?” He asked, voice small.

You shoveled the remainder of the tangerine half into your mouth, hands reaching for another one to keep yourself busy as you chewed, then swallowed. “Tired.”

“Is it the thing?”

Just the thought of the thing—the project you were given charge of at work—made you wish the ground would swallow you up. Your hands stilled on the orange.

The project was the first you were given a manager role for, as they thought it appropriate because you came up with the idea, but it seemed to only be an excuse to overload you with every Herculean task they could think of. You were practically chained to your cubicle desk until day's end, only leaving to go to the bathroom and attend another god forsaken meeting. Where home was supposed to be for rest, you were often slumped over the dining table, stressing yourself silver.

The thought of Monday… no, you couldn't think of Monday. You'd gone so long working on this thing—how could they make you loathe an idea that you proposed?

At your lack of an answer, there came a small breath against your neck. His thumb gently rubbed your side back and forth, the ebb and flow of the tide. “I'm sorry, baby. I know it doesn't mean much, but I'm proud of you.”

“It does mean something,” you countered quietly, and moved one of your hands to place it over his that rested over your stomach. “I'm just—I hate it here sometimes.”

The two of you seemed to sigh at once, your chests raising up then deflating in tandem. It made the knots in your shoulders loosen for just a moment, and you could release some of the strain keeping you tight and awake.

“One more,” he coaxed lowly. “In—”

You both slowly pulled air up through your nose to fill the caverns in your chests.

“—Out.”

As all things came and went, so too did this breath.

“Good,” he murmured, his lips pressing something sweet against your throat.

You were too tired to cry, but you might have just then. Sometimes it was just a project, but other times it was everything to you. It was born from your two hands, your brains, your back, your bones. Plenty of blood, sweat, and tears had seeped into every proposal and presentation, but you could never tell if it was enough. Would it ever be enough?

Changmin's head shifted as you snuck another piece of orange past your lips. “Remember,” he said, “when we were in college, and I let you text girls on my Hinge?”

Your mouth sweetened into a smile at the memory. “It was only because I let you text the guy who'd given me his number.”

“He was so lame—he clearly just wanted you to go see that new Stephen King movie so he could hold your hand.” You could feel him roll his eyes in the dark, though his voice remained syrupy with sleep.

You held back a snort. “That's the point, hon. If I remember correctly, the pick-up lines I used on those girls actually worked.”

“Crazy.”

Now it was your turn to roll your eyes. You chewed on the next piece of fruit, swallowing it down before speaking again. “At least one of us has game.”

You felt the light pressure of his teeth against your shoulder, and you let out a surprised laugh. You didn't jerk away though—awfully used to your partner's strange language of affection—but you did push back against his forehead in lighthearted reprimand. “We talked about the biting.”

“Yeah, and you said you liked it.”

It was a good thing you didn't have fruit in your mouth. You warmed the slice of orange in your palm as you let the heat leave your cheeks and your neck. He could undoubtedly feel how flushed you were, and he seemed to preen at it.

“Gotcha,” he said smugly, and the smile on his lips molded against your skin as he left a kiss behind your ear. He nuzzled his nose there, too, fingers dancing along your side.

“I love you,” he said next. These words were quiet again. “I hate seeing you like this.”

You knew he meant the state he found you in—hunched over in the dark, eyes glazed over, and dread thrashing in your ears to fill the silence. The laughter that lit up your face just now had been his doing, his attempt at easing all of that burden.

You laid your head against his. “I love you, too.” You hated feeling this way, but some things had to be done. You had to see this one through, and you would.

“Don't run yourself ragged for this,” he said, as if reading your mind. “Can't let you lose yourself.”

The corners of your eyes prickled, your vision going blurry again. Your chewing slowed and you finished the last of the orange in your hands to clear the way for him to grab your fingers to intertwine them with his. He rocked your bodies slowly, dreamily—he was the gentle swaying of the waves beneath the raft you laid upon—and he was keeping you above water.

“Senior year of high school—” a miniscule break in his own voice, “—when college decisions came out… you didn't speak for so long, didn't eat. It was so quiet, and I—I didn't know how to help you.” Back then, the two of you were only labeled as best friends; you still hadn't decided if what you had back then was what you had now, but it was love in some form of the word and feeling. You supposed in every phase of knowing Ji Changmin, what you felt for him was love. “Can I help you now, please? How can I help you?”

You sucked in a breath and it came out trembling. “I'm just tired.”

“Yeah.”

“Just—that’s all. Just be here with me.”

You could feel his slight nod that turned into a tuck into your shoulder. Your pulse fluttered beneath the brush of his lips, his hands tightening around you. (I'm not going anywhere, not without you.)

In a night quickly dissolving into daylight, he held you and held you and held you.

tbz m.list

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attention, please !

𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞(𝐬): 𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐟𝐟, 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭, 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐨𝐫, 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬 (𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩), 𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝, 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐮 (𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐚)

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠(𝐬): 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫!𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐭. 𝐣𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐮𝐧𝐠, 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 (𝐢𝐯𝐞)

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 𝟏𝟎.𝟕𝐤 (𝐢 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭'𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝)

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠(𝐬): 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩, 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 (𝐞𝐱: 𝐣𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐰)

𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: 𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐦. 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐦, 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐦-- 𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐦. 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐞; 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐧𝐨 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞. 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨 𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐦. 𝐛𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐝, 𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐣𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐦, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞.

𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞: 𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐰, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐣𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐰𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐬𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭!! 𝐢 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢'𝐦 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬!! 𝐢 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐮𝐲𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐬 𝐢 𝐝𝐨 <𝟑. 𝐨𝐛𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐧𝐡𝐚'𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞! 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐨 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥. 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨, 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢'𝐦 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞! 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐨 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐣𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐰𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐜, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐭. 𝐢𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐨 𝐬𝐨 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞.

𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭: @yunhoswrldddd @aubaee @kim2005bomi

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sunghoon was never one to get rejected. he was the most handsome guy on campus, after all. he was charming and handsome, and people would come watch your university team play hockey just to see him. who else would they come see? (well, maybe some of them came to see his best friend heeseung, but sunghoon chose to believe everyone came to see him.)

all his life, sunghoon had always gotten what he wanted, the person that he liked at the time or whatever expensive item he eyed in the store window. being the handsome son of a ceo had its perks. 

so you can imagine the shock that shot through sunghoon when you were the first person in his life to tell him no. 

he had talked to you all night at one of yeonjun’s parties after noticing you in his class earlier that week. he remembered talking to his best friend heeseung about you, and the bet that soon followed after; if he could get you to fall for him, heeseung would have to do sunghoon’s laundry for a month. but if sunghoon lost, he would have to give heeseung $500. 

of course, $500 was pocket change for sunghoon, but he was never one to turn down a bet– especially one he knew he would win. and plus, not doing laundry for a month (especially during hockey season), was a blessing if sunghoon had ever seen one. 

sunghoon had observed you beforehand; you were cute, quiet, timid. you sat in class and took your notes like the good little girl you were, and even though sunghoon pretended not to notice, he saw you glancing at him throughout class.

he believed that it would have been easy to get you to follow him upstairs, to spend the night with him and fall in love with him like every other girl he hooked up with. 

he would soon find out that this was not easy at all. 

when he reached for your hand, you instead drew back. you didn’t jump into his arms the first chance you got. you didn’t even lean in for a kiss. 

you instead told him, “sorry, i’m not interested.” 

you weren’t interested in park sunghoon? 

he was the son of a ceo, he was handsome, he was charming, he was funny, and he chose to flirt with you all night yet you still weren’t interested? were you not stealing glances at sunghoon during class after all? if you weren’t looking at him, what else would you be looking at? surely there was nothing else interesting enough to look at. unless you were taking glances at the clock that was hung up on the wall behind him. and was that pity on your face? 

there was an awkward silence that fell upon you as sunghoon tried to compose himself. 

sunghoon had never lost his cool, and he definitely had never been rejected before. this seemed even more obvious to you as he nervously chuckled, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment. 

the tips of his ears started to turn pink as sunghoon opened his mouth to make up some sort of excuse, anything to get rid of this awkward atmosphere. anything to redeem himself and his reputation. 

before he could come up with anything, you muttered “it was nice talking to you,” with an awkward smile and bowed your head politely, before weaving through the crowd of bodies dancing together.  

sunghoon watched as you walked away, approaching a boy in one of his other classes. his eyes narrowed as he saw you talking to jake sim, your smile bright and face slightly flushed. 

“hey sunghoon,” a familiar voice yelled over the loud music. heeseung was making his way over, a red solo cup in hand. he stumbled a bit on the way over, regaining his balance with the help of a girl on the dance floor. 

finally making his way over, he leaned against the wall next to sunghoon, taking a sip of his drink. 

“what happened to the girl you said you were gonna make fall in love with you?” he teased, his words slightly slurred. his breath reeked of alcohol. 

“ew heeseung, how much did you drink?” sunghoon grimaced, pushing heeseung’s face away from his. “she said she wasn’t interested.”

sunghoon had mumbled the last part, too embarrassed to say it loud enough for anyone to hear. the music blasting throughout the house was (thankfully) loud enough to drown sunghoon’s voice out, leaving a confused look on heeseung’s face. “she what? i can’t hear you, the music’s too loud!”

“i’ll tell you in the morning,” sunghoon replied. he didn’t want to have this conversation with a drunk heeseung. 

“who’s that guy?” sunghoon instead asked, feigning ignorance. he nodded his head at jake sim who still had your every bit of attention as he talked, which only annoyed sunghoon more. when sunghoon talked to you, you seemed like you were waiting for someone to show up. 

seems like now i know who it was, sunghoon thought bitterly.

“who, jake?” heeseung asked. 

“jake? is he american?” sunghoon replied. 

“no, australian,” heeseung responded, ignoring the scoff in sunghoon’s voice. “korean-australian to be exact.”

“he’s a cool guy, hoon,” heeseung continued, noticing the sour expression on his friend’s face. “he got in with a soccer scholarship, was the class president at his high school, got the highest grades, and from what i heard, he still does. i’ve hung out with him and his friends once, they’re really cool.”

“well who is he friends with?” sunghoon snapped. 

“jay, and some freshman named jungwon.”

sunghoon said nothing in response, watching as riki came to talk to heeseung, dragging him over to the dance floor. 

sunghoon bitterly took a sip of his drink, watching you once again as you talked to jake. he was now handing you a drink, a smile on his face as he said something, causing you to laugh. 

sunghoon couldn’t quite put his finger on the feeling he felt, watching as jake made you laugh. sunghoon wanted to be the one to do that, to make you laugh and smile and flutter your eyelashes.

it seemed like jake could feel his gaze on them, glancing over at sunghoon and nodding his head in greeting. sunghoon chose to ignore him, and chugged the rest of his drink before he went to get sunoo and heeseung to tell them it was time they went home to their apartment. 

—-----

monday morning, sunghoon was ready to go to his first class of the day. his first class was at 8 in the morning, which was usually not a good thing, but as he sat in his usual seat, a row behind jake, he found himself picking the boy in front of him apart. 

what did this boy have that he didn’t? what made you blush and giggle in ways that sunghoon apparently couldn’t do for you? 

sure, jake could speak fluent english with that stupid accent of his, and he can get the best grades in the class and play soccer. but sunghoon could do all of those things if he really tried! 

he could hire a tutor to teach him english and he could be fluent in a month if he really put his mind to it! sunghoon could be studious like him! he could get good grades and become top of his class in no time.

as if the timing couldn’t get any better, his professor placed a piece of paper on the table in front of him, mouth downturned into a frown.

a feeling of dread filled sunghoon as he picked up his paper, seeing a bright red 65 at the top of the page. he just barely passed. 

“what did you get?” jake whispered to the girl sitting beside him. her face turned a slight pink as she blushed. she was so obviously into him.

“just an 85, what about you?” 

jake showed her his paper with a wide smile, a bright red 98 on his paper. “if you need help with anything let me know, i don’t mind studying together!” 

if sunghoon said this, he would’ve sounded like he was flirting. but when jake said it, it sounded like he meant it. he seemed so earnest, so nice. 

the girl’s face reddened even more as she nodded her head before turning her attention back to the front, fixing her hair so that her hair was pushed back behind her ear. 

sunghoon watched in disbelief. 

sunghoon felt annoyed as he thought of you. why did he care so much about what you thought of him, anyway? you were just one girl out of hundreds that he could flirt with. 

but his thoughts kept drifting to you, your smile as you looked up at jake at the party, your head thrown back in laughter at something he said. how pretty you looked that night with all the jewelry you wore. 

he jolted out of his thoughts as he heard students packing their things up, signaling the end of class. he shook his head at his previous thoughts, chalking them up to just wanting to win his bet with heeseung. 

sunghoon hastily grabbed his things and threw them in his bag to leave before jake did. 

he knew it was immature, to make everything a one-sided competition with the boy, but he couldn’t help it as he speed-walked out of the class, even though his next class wasn’t until 11. 

—-------

you sat in your usual seat for your class at 11 am, taking out your laptop and supplies for the lesson ahead. 

you hated this class and cursed whoever invented it. you hated how it seemed like when you were in this class the minutes would just drag on and on and on. 

you glanced to your left as you heard someone take the seat next to you, a familiar cologne drifting in the air. it was none other than park sunghoon, his hair and clothes styled to perfection per usual, pulling a notebook out of his bag. 

you looked at him quizzically, wondering why he was sitting next to you. you knew he usually sat in the back so that your professor wouldn’t be able to notice him on his phone. not that you paid attention to him, of course. or so you said. 

you didn’t go out of your way to pay attention to every single thing sunghoon did, but you couldn’t say you weren’t the tiniest bit interested in him. maybe you would’ve been crushing on him instead of jake if he weren’t such a player. 

“you wouldn’t happen to have a pen i could borrow, do you?” sunghoon whispered to you, snapping you out of your thoughts. 

“yeah, here,” you handed him a pen from your pencil case. you tried to turn your attention back to the lecture but couldn’t help from stealing a couple of looks at sunghoon. 

your gaze worked its way down from the top of his head to his beautiful side profile, to the perfect angle of his jawline, and then eventually to the notebook in front of him. 

it was empty. it was opened to the first page and it was completely empty.

 not a single note was taken, and you were almost quite certain that he hadn’t even opened the book before today. you were halfway through the semester and it was like sunghoon wasn’t even in your class. 

he looked so confused at everything that your professor was saying that you felt a little bit bad for him. not too bad though. that’s what he deserved for worrying more about partying and girls than his academics. 

your class came to an end quicker than it usually seemed, with you rushing to leave with the other students in your class. “hey, y/n, wait up!” you turned to see sunghoon speed walking to catch up with you, hair slightly frazzled and only one strap of his backpack on.  

“hey sunghoon, what’s up?” you replied nonchalantly, hoping he wouldn’t bring up yeonjun’s party. you had hoped that he was just drunk, that you were just there and he forgot all about you rejecting him. but why else would he sit next to you in class? you had nothing in common with the boy in front of you. 

with his pretty boy features, shiny hair, and designer clothes he was almost your complete opposite. with how much you’ve been studying you were sure that the bags under your eyes weren’t hard to spot, and you couldn’t remember the last time you washed the sweater you were wearing right now. 

“about yeonjun’s party,” sunghoon started. 

“oh yea, yeonjun’s party! crazy night am i right?” you cut him off, starting to walk towards the direction of your dorm. 

“yeah no for sure it was a blast,” he chuckled awkwardly, keeping pace with you as you walked. “i just wanted to apologize, i think i came off a bit too strong.” 

you glanced over at him, hoping he wasn’t looking at you. of course, with your luck, you made eye contact with him, your face starting to feel hot as you felt his gaze continue. 

you composed yourself, standing up a bit straighter, “sunghoon, i meant what i said. i’m sorry, but i’m really not interested.” with an awkward smile and a bow, for the second time within two days, you were walking away from sunghoon’s advances.

“come on y/n one date, i’m begging,” you heard him shout after you. 

“never gonna happen sunghoon!” you replied, without even turning around to look back. 

—-------

sunghoon was hurt to say the least. or, well his ego was hurt. there was no way you weren’t into him. so sunghoon would have to be persistent, no big deal. but in order to do so, he would have to go to greater lengths than he ever had before.

“jungwon! over here!” sunghoon waved the boy over to where he was sitting in the cafe he was at.

the young boy looked over quizzically before he started to make his way over, “um, hi?” 

sunghoon had never cared for the younger boy, but he knew that yang jungwon was his ticket to a date with y/n. jungwon was her best friend, and he remembered that heeseung said the boy was also friends with jake. this was the best strategic thought sunghoon could’ve ever come up with. 

“why don’t you take a seat? let’s catch up! i haven’t seen you since high school, you’ve gotten so tall!” 

“we never talked in high school.” jungwon deadpanned. “what do you actually want sunghoon?” 

sunghoon sighed, “it’s y/n. i have this big crush on her, and she’s done nothing but reject my advances. i need help winning her over.” sunghoon internally cringed at his own sigh, hoping it didn’t sound too dramatic or too obvious that he didn’t mean the words he said. 

with a quizzical expression, jungwon finally took a seat, his interest piqued. hook, line, and sinker sunghoon thought. this will be a piece of cake. 

“are you sure we’re thinking of the same y/n? she just seems…” jungwon paused, trying to piece his words together in a polite way. “...a little too good for you.” 

“she is too good for me which is why i’m trying to win her over. jungwon PLEASE, i need your help.” sunghoon pleaded, his hands held together. “i need to know what she likes, what she dislikes, her hopes and dreams her everything PLEASE, I’M BEGGING.”

jungwon cringed at the volume of sunghoon’s voice, feelings the eyes of the strangers around him. “if i say yes, will you shut up?”

—-------

as you walked to your seat you realized that there was something sitting on your desk. glancing around, you noticed sunghoon sitting in the seat next to yours with a bright smile on his face. 

“good morning gorgeous!” he exclaimed. 

“oh shut up,” feeling your face heat up as you took your seat and examined the drink in front of you. it was a full cup of iced coffee, and from the looks of it, it was your usual coffee order. 

“i got that for you on the way here,” sunghoon said sheepishly, hand rubbing the back of his neck. “i asked your friend jungwon what you liked, and he told me that you like iced coffee so i figured i’d grab you one.” 

“oh… well thank you,” you replied, taking a tentative sip. you weren’t going to lie, it was sweet of him to reach out to jungwon and to get you coffee. you don’t think anyone other than your friends ever bought coffee for you. surely, not your cheating ex boyfriend, you thought bitterly. 

 your eyes widened slightly as you took that first sip; he had gotten your order down to how much sugar you liked and with extra caramel. 

sunghoon watched as you sipped on your drink, throwing a smile your way in response to your thank you. i’ve got her exactly where i want her, he thought, turning his attention back to the professor. 

as the class went by, sunghoon tried his best to stay awake, feeling his eyelids getting droopy. he had been up all night trying to decide which date he would take you on. even now he was thinking of how pretty you’d look, and how good you smell, and how pretty your smile was, and oh no why did his heart beat a little faster at the thought of you?

he was suddenly wide awake and extremely cautious about how loud his heart was beating when he looked over at you. he shook his head at his thoughts, reminding himself that this was just a bet he wanted to win. he was just confusing real feelings with fake ones. that had to be the only reason why he thought about your (hypothetical) date so much. right? 

as your class came to an end, sunghoon started to pack up his things, as your professor announced, “guys please don’t forget to study for our upcoming midterm exam next friday! i wish you all good luck with your studies!” 

sunghoon felt a his heart drop to his stomach. what exam? since when did they have an exam? he racked his brain trying to remember your professor say anything about an exam prior to this day. 

he had a faint memory of her saying something about an exam while he was scrolling through tiktok on his phone last week. oh i’m cooked, sunghoon thought. 

“hey, did you maybe wanna study together?” he heard you ask. he was so grateful that you offered to study that he thought he heard angels singing. “it’s just that on monday i couldn’t help but glance over and saw your notebook was empty, and i wanted to repay you for the coffee today.” 

sunghoon felt his face heat up from embarrassment. instead of admitting his embarrassment though, he instead said, “yeah of course you were paying attention to me, you want me so bad.”

“yea, nevermind about the studying then, fend for yourself,” you deadpanned, grabbing your bag. 

“wait, sorry i was just kidding, please help me study, i need help desperately,” sunghoon pleaded, grabbing onto your wrist before you could walk off. 

you ignored the tingles that were sent throughout your body from the physical touch and replied, “fine. meet me at the library at 3 today. i’ll be in one of the study rooms.” 

you walked away before he could say anything else, knowing if he flirted with you again, you might just fold. sure, he never would want a serious relationship with you of all people, but damn was that man good looking. 

you let your thoughts drift towards sunghoon as you made your way to your dorm. you thought of the coffee you were holding in your hand, and his hand around yours. you thought of his pretty smile and how tall he was, before you pushed those thoughts away. he quite literally did the bare minimum and you were blushing over that? he’d have to try harder to gain your attention (not that he didn’t have it already, you realized with embarrassment).

as you arrived at your dorm, you let yourself in with your key, seeing a familiar figure sitting at your desk. “hey jungwon.” 

“hey, wonyoung let me in before she left for class,” he mentioned your roommate, just barely glancing up from his phone as you set your coffee on the desk he was sitting at. 

 “you stopped to get coffee on the way here?” jungwon asked.

“no, sunghoon actually got it for me,” you replied nonchalantly, absentmindedly twirling the ends of your hair around your finger. 

“sunghoon? he was asking me about you the other day. is there anything going on between you two?” jungwon asked suggestively, nudging you lightly with his shoulder. 

“no? kinda? i mean, it was sweet of him to ask you about my coffee order i guess, and he’s definitely not an ugly guy, and then there’s also jake, but i mean i don’t know,” you answered honestly. your thoughts were so scrambled you felt like you were talking in circles. “i just don’t wanna be another one of those girls that he messes with for a month and then moves onto the next.”

jungwon nodded his head solemnly in response, “yeah when he asked me about you i was definitely very skeptical because of what we’ve heard of him, but he wanted to know about you like really bad so i don’t know. technically you don’t really have to take him too serious either, you know. you’re young, pretty and single, you should flirt around a bit! you can’t put all your eggs in one basket with jake.”

“ugh i know,” you groaned as you laid on your bed with a slight thump. “it’s like that guy’s oblivious to everything. you know, i asked him if he wanted to go out for dinner, and i show up to the restaurant and he brought jay with him! like i did my hair and makeup all nice and i put on my prettiest outfit and instead of being on a date i'm third wheeling him and jay!"

"yeah jake might be a little… slow. but i mean other than that he's the perfect package, right?" jungwon asked, turning in his seat so he was facing you. 

"honestly i don't even know anymore, i feel like i'm going crazy. all i've thought of today was sunghoon, and i'm seeing him later to study, jungwon what am i gonna do?"

"oh no you got it bad," jungwon sighed. 

"please don't say that i think i'll have to throw myself off a cliff."

"oh don't say that, he seemed like he genuinely wanted to get to know you when i was talking to him," jungwon shrugged. "he practically begged me for info on you."

"i don't know, i'll just see how it goes, play it by ear. i'll keep you updated," you sighed. 

—-------

you had been waiting for sunghoon for 20 minutes now and he still hasn't shown. you didn't have his number and you certainly didn't know his socials so you didn't have any way to text him. 

you felt a little humiliated as you started to pack your things up. why would sunghoon actually be taking this class serious? of course he didn’t care about this class, you felt stupid for even thinking so. 

you knew deep down this wasn’t about studying for an exam for a gen ed class. you knew you were hurt because a tiny part of you was excited to see sunghoon. as obnoxious as the boy was, he was very easy on the eyes. and in some small way, you felt like if he took this seriously maybe he'd take you seriously as well.

you might have been reading too much into it though.

just as you had zipped your bag up, sunghoon rushed into the study room, his hair messed up like he just woke up from bed. 

"sorry i'm late, i took a nap and my alarm didn't go off and i've never been to this side of the library so i had a bit of a hard time finding where you were," he apologized. 

"sunghoon if you didn't wanna study with me that's fine but if that's the case can you just tell me beforehand so that you don't waste my time?" you snapped. "if you don't wanna take your studies seriously then i really can’t help you."

"i am taking this seriously!" he exclaimed frantically, worried you'd leave. "i really am sorry i swear, i really really need your help please, y/n." 

you felt your heart flutter as you heard your name escape his lips. "fine, but you better pay attention or i'm never helping you again."

"thank you so much," he sighed in relief. "i'm not gonna lie, i haven't been paying attention at all in that class and i need all the help i can get."

"yeah, i can tell," you replied, before you could think your words through. "not saying you're dumb or anything i just noticed how you were on your phone like all the time."

"oh so you did notice me?" sunghoon asked, an eyebrow raised in question. "i don't know y/n, sounds to me like you're in love with me."

"whatever," you replied, choosing to ignore his comments as you pulled your notes out. "alright, we've got a week until our midterm, so we've gotta lock in if you wanna pass."

of course, that was easier said than done. 

sunghoon couldn't focus on the material when you were sitting right next to him, with your pretty hair and pretty smile and pretty lips and god did he wanna kiss you right then and there. 

"sunghoon? are you paying attention?" 

"yea of course," he answered, picking up his pen to pretend he knew what you were talking about. 

you narrowed your eyes but shrugged it off. you had been there for 2 hours, and sunghoon felt like it was going nowhere. it wasn't your fault though, it was his. 

it was like all he could think about was you. he had never ever felt this way about anyone. i'm going insane, he thought. 

"alright, so that wraps up the first three chapters. she'll be testing us on only chapters 1-5 so you're lucky. i'd recommend reviewing what we went over together just in case and we can meet up on monday if you want?" you asked. 

"yea no of course," sunghoon answered. "actually why don't i give you my number," he muttered, scribbling his number down on a sheet of paper. 

he ripped it off and handed it to you with a grin. "thanks for everything today y/n, you're a lifesaver."

"yeah, you're welcome," you replied quickly, looking away before he realized just how nervous you were. 

of course, he didn't notice though. he was worried that you would notice how nervous he was. and worried about teaching himself chapters 1-3 since he was being an idiot and wasn't paying attention. 

"i'll just uh text you when i get back to my dorm." you gave him a little smile and a wave before you left. 

thinking about sunghoon once again, you suddenly couldn't wait until monday.

—-------

friday you arrived at your class with sunghoon, a slight skip in your step. you sat in your usual seat, slightly awaiting his arrival (not that you’d ever tell him). as the start of class started to near, you found yourself looking for sunghoon, wondering where he was. 

you thought of texting him, picking up your phone to ask him where he was, but suddenly stopped yourself. no, you were not going to fold. you barely knew sunghoon, and just because he bought you coffee once doesn’t mean anything. 

just as your professor was getting started, you heard the door open, glancing over to see sunghoon hastily walk over to the seat beside you, two cups of coffee in hand. 

“sorry i was running late, i went to grab coffee for us and it was crazy busy at the cafe,” he whispered as he started to take his notes out. 

he handed you your cup, your exact order sitting before you. “sunghoon, you really didn’t have to.” 

he was now searching his bag for a pen, a pencil, hell even a highlighter to write his notes with. he had never cared for this class, but for some reason he wanted to impress you. “yeah yeah, i know i’m the greatest, do you have a pen by any chance?” 

“oh wow look at you sunghoon, i don’t think i’ve ever seen you care about this class so much,” you grinned, handing him a pencil from your bag. “but seriously, thanks. you don’t have to buy me coffee everyday.”

“it’s no biggie, we’re friends, aren’t we?” sunghoon smiled at you. he usually said this to girls to get in their pants, but with you, he meant it. he found himself wanting to be sincere and honest whenever he was with you. “and plus, you’re a saint for helping me study.”

he wanted to throw up with how sickeningly sweet you made him feel. 

“sure,” you replied, turning back to the lecture. 

you didn’t believe sunghoon. he may be pretty, but not pretty enough for you believe everything he said. he reminded you of your ex– willing to say and do anything to get what he wanted. sure, sunghoon hadn’t done anything bad to you, yet. you weren’t quite sure what sunghoon wanted, but you weren’t going to be one of his victims. you refused to be. 

“hey do you want to get dinner tonight? give us a break from studying?” he whispered. 

“dinner? oh how forward of you sunghoon, if i didn’t know any better, i’d say you liked me,” you chuckled, not bothering to look up from the notes you were taking.

“who said i didn’t?”

you turned your head to see he was already looking at you, a small smile on his face. he had to be lying, you deduced. he hadn’t even known your name three weeks ago and it’s not like the class you were in was huge. there was maybe less than 30 kids present. 

sunghoon himself felt a little nervous as the words slipped. he wasn’t sure why though. sunghoon had been in this situation millions of times, and he was always successful in getting what he wanted, so why the hell were you making him nervous?

“yeah whatever,” you shrugged him off. “if you like me so much, pick me up at 8.” 

“it’s a date.”

he was so quick with his flirtatious responses. too quick, you thought. that’s how you know he’s done this countless times. “whatever sunghoon, don’t make it weird, we’re just friends.”

“right…” he trailed off. friends? he pretty much asked you on a date and you friendzoned him? of course sunghoon could just stop pursuing you, but oh how he liked a challenge (and your smile and perfume and your laugh and the sound of your voice). 

you on the other hand, could feel your palms starting to sweat as you thought of your (somewhat?) date with sunghoon. what were you going to wear, where would you go to eat, what did he want with you, was this even a real date?

—--------

sitting at your local thai restaurant, silence surrounded you and sunghoon as you sipped on your thai tea. you had spent the past hour getting to know each other, talking about your classes, your friends, your families. you talked about your favorite movies, foods, music. at this point, you felt like you knew everything about him. you were the only people left in the restaurant, your food waiting to be boxed up.

“hi, i’ll take the check,” you said to your server as they dropped off some to-go boxes. 

“oh, it was already taken care of.”

you shot a betrayed look at sunghoon as your server walked away, telling you to have a nice night! “sunghoon, i told you i’d take care of the bill,” you huffed, packing up your food. 

“this is a date, y/n. a date that i asked you on, i’m not gonna let you pay,” sunghoon responded, as if this were obvious. “you can pay for our next date.”

“whatever,” you replied, trying to hide the small smile creeping on your face. 

“oh, so this is a date?” sunghoon asked, eyebrow raised. 

“i didn’t say that.”

“okay but you didn’t deny it when i called it that.”

you chose to ignore what he said. 

“and you didn’t say no when i brought up a second one?”

“oh in your dreams, hoon.”

hoon? you were already on a nickname basis? sunghoon thought. hearing his name come from your mouth had to be the most beautiful thing he ever heard. 

“come on, let me take you out again,” he pleaded, pouting. you sat for a moment in thought. 

“i’ll think about it.” 

“how come you don’t have a boyfriend already?” sunghoon asked. 

“not trying to say you’re like undateable or anything,” he rambled after he glanced up at you. “i just mean, a girl as great as you, i don’t see how you aren’t taken already.”

a minute passed, and then two as you tried to figure out if you wanted to dive into your baggage with the boy sitting in front of you. you decided that sunghoon really wasn’t as bad as you thought. not a bad enough person to make fun of you, at least.

“yea well, with a cheating ex boyfriend, it’s kinda hard for me to get back into dating. now i just feel like every guy i meet is gonna fuck me over somehow, you know? it’s just hard to find someone new when the last time i fell in love, i got my heart stomped on.” 

sunghoon let your words process in his mind, watching as you swirled the straw in your cup around, almost absentmindedly as you sat in thought. you hated feeling vulnerable. you don’t think you told anyone but jungwon about your ex. as you glanced up at sunghoon, you saw his gaze soften. 

“i get that,” he responded. “i was also cheated on.”

you looked at him quizzically, because who was dumb enough to cheat on park sunghoon? sure, he was a little annoying and cocky sometimes, and he was a player. but he seemed nice and funny, and he was rich and good looking. he was almost the complete package. if anything, you expected him to be the cheater. 

you immediately felt guilty after that thought, feeling that maybe you had judged sunghoon too soon.

“yea it was back in high school and um,” he paused, trying to gather his thoughts. you waited patiently as he did so, taking a sip of your drink. 

“she was my everything at the time. i mean, i know i was in high school, but i thought i would like, end up marrying her,” he continued with a dry chuckle. “but then i found out she was hooking up with some guy from a different school. i caught them at a party she thought i couldn’t go to. i know dating around is a horrible way to cope with heartbreak, but i can’t get my heart broken again if i break the other person’s heart first, right?” 

you sat in silence for a bit. you started to feel a bond start to form between the two of you as you let what he said sink in. maybe sunghoon was right about how dating around wasn’t good, but at least he’s self aware! he just didn’t want to get hurt, and in a way, didn’t that make him like you?

you reached your hand across the table to hold onto his out of comfort, sending tingles throughout his body as he looked up at you,“i’m sorry, hoon. it sucks, i know. and thanks for sharing this with me. you can always talk to me about anything anytime, okay?”

a small smile formed on his face as he looked at you; so caring, so understanding, so perfect. 

“hey, y/n, sunghoon!” you heard a familiar voice exclaim. you could recognize that voice from anywhere, you realized as you turned to see jake making his way towards you. jungwon followed behind him, eyebrows raised at the sight of you and sunghoon together outside of a school setting. you quickly retracted your hand from his, fixing your hair, tucking your hair behind your ears. 

this didn’t go unnoticed by sunghoon, who felt a twinge of jealousy. just when he thought he had make a break through, here comes jake.

“what a coincidence bumping into you guys!” jake smiled. “i didn’t know you guys knew each other.” 

“oh yea, it seems like you know each other very well,” jungwon replied suggestively. you had never wanted to beat jungwon up so bad in your entire life. “are you guys here on a date?”

“no.”

“yes.” 

you and sunghoon both answered at the same time. you could feel sunghoon’s betrayed gaze on you as your face started to warm up. “no, we’re not on a date, we’ve just been studying so much we figured we’d get some dinner as a reward. as friends. because that’s what sunghoon and i are, just friends.” 

you felt your face get even warmer as you rambled on, wishing someone would stop you from talking. 

“oh okay!” jake exclaimed. “well jungwon and i were just picking up some food, and we were gonna head to my apartment if you guys wanted to stop by after your dinner? we’re doing a movie night.”

you glanced over at sunghoon, taking a second to try to decipher what he was thinking. you could tell he was upset that you said you weren’t on a date, but to be fair, was this even really a date? you were still trying to figure that out yourself.

“uh, no thanks jake. sunghoon and i are probably going out for dessert after this,” you replied. 

sunghoon’s head snapped up. you were saying no to hanging out with jake?

you on the other hand, had remembered what jungwon had told you earlier this week– how you shouldn’t put all of your eggs in jake’s basket. jungwon seemed to remember this as well as he gave you a smile and a small thumbs up. you only smiled and shook your head in response. 

being with sunghoon tonight just felt so right. in every way possible. you wanted to see where this would lead. sunghoon didn’t seem as bad as everyone else painted him out to be. 

“oh well that’s alright, there’s always some other time,” jake replied. “we’ll get going then, see you later guys!”

you waved the duo goodbye and waited until they were out of earshot before you turned to sunghoon. “so, wanna get ice cream or something? i’ll pay this time.”

“no, it’s okay,” sunghoon shook his head in response. “i think i’m just gonna go home, go to bed early.”

was that hurt that you saw on his face?

“hoon, i’m sorry-,”

“no, it’s okay,” he replied. “this wasn’t a date anyways, right? no hard feelings at all.”

there were hard feelings, you could tell. “i’ll drive you back to your dorm.”

as hurt as sunghoon was, he wasn’t going to let you walk home alone in the middle of the night. 

the car ride was quick. you felt like the drive home was faster than the drive to the restaurant, but you weren’t sure if it was because sunghoon didn’t want to be in the same space as you, or if you were simply overthinking.

there was a tense silence surrounding you as he pulled into your dorm building parking lot. “thanks for tonight hoon, i had fun,” you finally said as he put his car into park. “i guess i’ll see you monday? so that we can go over chapters 4 and 5?” 

your heart raced at the thought of seeing him again, your fingers moving to fiddle with the little charm you had hanging off your tote bag. you were nervous. you hadn’t even left his car yet and you were already getting excited to see him again. 

“i actually think i’ll be okay,” sunghoon responded, avoiding eye contact with you. “i’ll just see you in class.”

“oh,” you replied. you felt a wave of disappointment hit you as you unbuckled your seatbelt. “well then i’ll see you around.” 

sunghoon watched to make sure you got inside safely before backing out of his parking spot, driving back in the direction of his apartment. 

he felt like maybe he was acting a bit overdramatic, but he couldn’t help the hurt he felt when you were flirting with him not even two minutes before jake showed up, and then you wanted to act like you were nothing more than study buddies. or in your words, just friends! he was vulnerable with you, and he felt like maybe there was something between you now.

apparently not, he thought bitterly.

sunghoon knew he shouldn’t feel so hurt, because at the end of the day, he didn’t have the best intentions when he approached you at yeonjun’s party. he felt guilt wash over him as he remembered what you said about your ex, and then thought of the bet he had made with heeseung.

maybe this was a bad idea after all, he thought. sunghoon had never cared for any of the girls he met before you, and now suddenly you were all he cared about; he wore his nicest clothes when he knew he’d see you, spray his fancy cologne, do his hair extra nice. he’d even went out of his way every morning to get you his favorite coffee even though your favorite cafe was in the opposite direction of your school. 

oh, sunghoon had it bad. 

—--------

sunghoon had been avoiding you since your (sorta) date. you still weren’t even sure what it was, you just knew that being with him was fun. he was nicer than you thought he’d be, and he was really funny. to say you were surprised was an understatement. you had even had the same taste in music and movies. it felt like he was you in another body.

monday had rolled by and just as sunghoon said, he didn’t show up to the library. he didn’t even sit next to you in class earlier that day. you had tried to wave him over to take the seat next you, tried to catch up with him in the halls, but he had just avoided your gaze and sped-walked away. 

of course, any kind of rejection would hurt, but you took a hard blow to this especially. you weren’t sure why. you didn’t know sunghoon for long, but you never felt so close to someone in such a short span of time. you don’t think you’ve felt this way since your ex.

thursday, you sat in your usual spot at the library, doing some last minute cramming for your midterm the next day. it was late at night, and you had been studying for hours on end. you decided you studied enough, and that there was only so much you could do, as you started to pack your laptop and notebooks into your bag. 

“hey,” you heard a familiar voice say in front of you. 

you looked up and saw sunghoon, out of breath. 

“hey.”

“sorry, give me a second, i ran here from your dorm.”

“how’d you know i’d be here?” you asked as you put your bag on. 

“your roommate told me where you were after i wouldn’t stop knocking on your door. and i knew the library closed soon and i just needed to see you now, before i regret not saying this.” 

“hoon, the library’s open all night now, they changed the hours like a month ago. what did you need to say-,”

“i’m sorry about how our date ended,” he cut you off. 

“okay wait, i’m not sorry for being hurt,” he backtracked. “but i am sorry about how i handled it. i just haven’t been on a serious date in a long time. so when you were talking to jake, i got jealous and i was hurt that you said that we were just friends, when to me it felt like we had something more. i should’ve told you then, like an adult, instead of icing you out, and i’m sorry.”

you felt guilt wash over you as you remembered how you acted, “hoon i’m really-,” 

“wait, let me finish first, please,” he interrupted yet again. you only nodded in response as he continued. “i was wondering why i was so hurt, and it dawned on me that i like you, a lot more than i thought i would. i think you’re funny, and one of the smartest and nicest people in the world if you would offer to tutor an idiot like me. i think you’re the only person i’ve wanted to take serious since high school, and i just hope that maybe you felt the same way?” 

he searched your face for a sign, any indication that you felt the same way. your expression was unreadable, still processing everything sunghoon had just said. 

at this point, everyone else in the library had left. a minute had passed, then two before sunghoon sighed. “it’s alright, you don’t have to give me an answer now.” he turned to do the walk of shame, already feeling the tips of his ears turning pink. well at least i went for it.

“wait,” you called after him, grabbing onto his wrist. he turned back around to face you, your face heating up as you continued. “i’m sorry for the way i acted. i was being an idiot. i think that night was the most fun i’ve had in a while, and i don’t think i’ve ever been so comfortable with someone who wasn’t jungwon. i just panicked when jake and jungwon saw us together, and i am so so sorry. i’m sorry if i made you feel like i was leading you on.” 

you don’t think you ever felt your heart beat so fast, and you really hoped your hands weren’t sweaty. you’ve never felt so nervous in your life, and you felt terrible for how you made sunghoon feel. you felt like the guilt was going to eat you alive if he didn’t forgive you. 

“it’s alright, i forgive you,” sunghoon smiled, much to your relief. god, his smile was perfect. 

“good,” you smiled, a sigh of relief escaping your lips. 

“you didn’t tell me if you felt the same way,” sunghoon responded.

you interlocked your fingers with his, hoping your hands weren’t as clammy as you thought they were, “i thought it was obvious.”

“apparently not obvious enough,” sunghoon grinned. 

—--------

it had been six months since that day and you were the happiest girl in the world. sunghoon was everything you ever wanted in a partner. nice, smart, funny. not only did he treat you well, but he also treated your family well. visiting your parents with him, he always helped clean up after dinner, always brought a bouquet of flowers for your mother, always helped your dad with anything he needed. 

everything was perfect. you even thought you were falling in love with him. you didn’t tell sunghoon this just yet though, out of fear that he didn’t feel the same way. 

you decided tonight would be the night though. after a night out with friends you were spending the night at sunghoon’s apartment, and that was when you would tell him, in the comfort of his home. to you, it didn’t have to be a big proclamation, it didn’t have to be at some fancy dinner or at some fancy event. to you, it was all about the little things, and as long as you were with sunghoon, nothing else mattered. 

so here you were, laughing at some joke heeseung had just made. the night was coming to an end, the rest of your friends had already left, leaving you and sunghoon alone with heeseung in his apartment. 

this wasn’t the first time you had hung out with sunghoon’s friends. they were all nice and funny, despite their horrendous reputations around campus. you found that just like sunghoon, they grew on you over time.

“you ready to go, my love?” sunghoon asked you. 

“yea, i just need to run to the bathroom before we go,” you answered, giving his hand a little squeeze before getting up. 

once heeseung heard the bathroom door close, he pretended to gag. “god, you guys are so gross.” 

“whatever,” sunghoon rolled his eyes. “i think you’re just jealous.”

these past six months have been the best of sunghoon’s life. he didn’t think he was even capable of being this happy. he loved you; every single thing about you. you were the sun that he revolved around and the air that he breathed. you were his everything. 

“so when are you gonna dump her?” heeseung asked, snapping sunghoon out of his thoughts of you. heeseung asked this so casually, as if he didn’t just ask when sunghoon would break up with the love of his life. 

“what are you talking about?”

“dude, do you not remember how this whole thing even started?” heeseung chuckled. “i thought you were just with her for our bet.”

“no that’s not-,”

“you won, by the way. honestly, i was scared you’d bring the bet back up, but now that hockey’s over i don’t think i’ll mind doing your laundry too much.” heeseung cut him off. “she is completely in love with you. like, she looks like she’d do anything for you man. now that you’ve won, you can just dump her. wasn’t that what you were gonna do anyways?”

sunghoon heard heeseung’s front door open and close, the sound of rapid footsteps following it immediately after. 

you had heard what heeseung had said. 

“fuck,” sunghoon muttered. he raced to grab his things and to follow after you, ignoring whatever else heeseung had to say. nothing else in the world mattered now, because how the fuck was sunghoon going to explain this to you?

you, on the other hand, felt like an idiot. of course park sunghoon wasn’t actually into you. of course you were a bet because what other reason could there be? you weren’t some fabulous daughter of a ceo, you weren’t a division one athlete, you weren’t even top of your class. nothing about you stood out, so why would he want to be with you of all people? 

“y/n please,” you heard sunghoon shout after you. you chose to ignore him, hearing rapid footsteps as he jogged to catch up to you, “y/n, stop please.” 

his hand wrapped around your wrist. you hated that even now, your heart fluttered as you heard your name leave his mouth, butterflies in your stomach at the physical contact of his hand around yours. 

“i know you’re mad at me, but let me drive you home.”

“i’d rather walk then get in a car with you, park sunghoon,” you snapped, snatching your hand out of his. he shrinked at the sound of his full name coming out of your mouth. you hadn’t called him that since before your first date. 

it started to drizzle at this point, and you weren’t sure if what you felt on your face was the rain or your own tears. 

“you’re so full of yourself. all you know is how to manipulate and hook up with whoever throws themself at you. you’re nothing but a pathetic loser who doesn’t know how to love because no one’s ever loved you.”

“but i thought you loved me,” he breathed, his eyes searching yours. of course, this wasn’t something that was spoken upfront. it was never confirmed by you, but you didn’t need to say it. he just knew that you loved him because he loved you. he was desperate now, eyes searching all over your face for some sort of confirmation, a small smile, a nod, anything, that indicated that you loved him. 

a wave of deja vu washed over the two of you, the moment almost exactly mirroring your moment at the library; the lingering touches, the desperate gazes. that was one of the happiest days of your life, and now you didn’t even know if sunghoon meant what he said that day or if he was just saying what you wanted to hear. how the fuck did the two of year get here?

“i don’t love you sunghoon. i never did and i never will. you’re an idiot if you think i’d love someone like you.”

you felt sick to your stomach. you didn’t mean what you were saying. it was like you couldn’t stop the words coming from your mouth, like you weren’t even in control of your own body. the words escaped your mouth so fast you couldn’t even process what you were saying. you couldn’t even register the guilt you were feeling until you took in sunghoon’s hurt expression; eyes wide with tears, nose starting to turn red and stuffy. 

“oh,” he replied, so softly that you could barely hear him. 

he sounded so small now, a stark contrast to how he seemed; tall, confident, outspoken. now he was like a lost little boy, and your heart physically felt like it was hurting knowing you were the one that made him feel this way.

it had started pouring by this point. you were gonna get sick if you stayed out in the rain, sunghoon thought. even when you were tearing his heart out, all he could think of was you. all he cared about was you. 

“i see how it is then, y/n,” he started to back away from you, eyes searching yours once again, giving you one final chance to take back what you said. he thought you had loved him, and he was so so sure he felt the same, because why else did it feel like his heart was being stepped on? why else did he feel like jumping off the face of the earth? why else did he feel so hurt?

“sunghoon i didn’t-,”

“yes you did,” he cut you off. “you meant all of it. and you were right. all i do is manipulate and hook up with people, but you? you are- were,” he corrected himself, taking a deep breath between words.  “you were the realest relationship i’ve ever had.” 

you took a deep breath as you felt yourself start to sob, your vision blurring as sunghoon continued, “i shouldn’t have made that stupid bet with heeseung, and i apologize for that. what we had might have started off fake, but trust me when i say that somewhere along the line, i really did fall for you. it was like one day you were suddenly everywhere; you’re the earth that keeps me grounded, you’re in every love song i listen to and you’re the air that i breathe. you’re my everything, y/n.”

you were never one to cry, but now you were bawling your eyes out, wanting so so desperately to tell sunghoon that you felt the same way, that he was your everything, that he was the only person for you, that he wasn’t perfect, but perfect for you. that he was made for you and you were made for him and that you forgave him and you loved him and all you wanted to do was be with him.

but how could you believe him? after what you found out tonight how could you know he wasn’t just lying to your face again? you felt like your head was spinning and you had a thousand thoughts running through your mind at once. you wanted to hug him, kiss his tears away, tell him that you loved him, that everything will be fixed and everything will be okay. 

instead of doing so, you stood your ground.

 “goodbye sunghoon.”

sunghoon let you walk away, despite the fact that he felt like he was dying. your goodbye sounded so final, you were slipping away and sunghoon was going to let you. he was letting you walk away because he loved you. god, he loved you more than the moon loved the stars and more than romeo had loved juliet. he loved you so much that he realized that he wasn’t good for you. that in order for you to be happy, he would have to disappear from your life. 

which is exactly what he did. 

—--------

a month had passed, and jungwon was begging you to go to yeonjun’s end of the year party.

you had kept to yourself after the breakup, focusing on your studies, basically living at the library now. you avoided heeseung and sunghoon, and everytime you had heard one of their names being mentioned by your peers, you simply tuned it out, not wanting to hear if sunghoon had already moved on or not. 

you were still not over sunghoon. it hurt hearing his name, hurt seeing old pictures of you two together, even thinking about him ruined the remainder of your day. you knew you were supposed to be mad at him. he lied to you, he betrayed your trust, he dated you for a bet. all of this made you feel guilty for missing him. 

you missed waking up next to him, you missed taking his dog on walks together. you missed visiting your parents together (who you didn’t have the heart to tell that you and sunghoon were no longer dating), you missed going out to that thai restaurant every friday night, and you missed fighting with him over who would pay the bill. you missed the way he looked at you, the way he’d play with your hair until you fell asleep. you missed his everything. 

yet here jungwon was, dragging you out of your dorm after finally convincing you to go to yeonjun’s party. “you know what they say! the only way to get over somebody is to hook up with somebody else.”

“i doubt i’m going home with anyone tonight,” you scoffed as you arrived to yeonjun’s house, the sound of music being heard through the front door. “you know i suck at having one night stands.”

“even if you don’t, i just want you to have fun,” jungwon replied earnestly. “i haven’t seen you happy in a while. you deserve to be.” 

you felt tears prick your eyes at his kind words, which you blinked away, “whatever, let’s just get to partying!”

an hour in, and you were already regretting your decision to come. you had lost jungwon somewhere in the crowd, and you didn’t have the energy to look around for him. yeonjun’s house was so big that there was no way you could find jungwon on your first try. 

you instead opted to explore the house you were in until you stumbled upon a bedroom which was (thankfully) empty. 

this is probably yeonjun’s room, you thought as you sat on the edge of his bed, making sure you didn’t mess up his sheets. as you looked around at the decor yeonjun had hung up on his walls, you heard the door open. 

your eyes met sunghoon’s and it was almost like the wind got knocked out of you. you didn’t need to look at the rest of him to know it was him. you knew his eyes from anywhere.

breaking eye contact, you studied the rest of him. he looked as good as ever, not a single hair out of place. 

“hey,” you said lamely, watching as his face sunk as he looked at you. ouch. “i can leave if you want, if you’re like, looking to hook up with someone or something.” those words physically pained you to say. leaving a room you were hiding in first so that your ex boyfriend could hook up with someone else? it sounded pathetic.

you started to grab your drink and your bag before sunghoon stopped you. “no it’s okay, i just needed to get away from the party and i was just spooked to see you. i didn’t think i’d see you again. and plus, i haven’t been seeing anyone since us.” 

us. you felt your heart squeeze a bit at the single word. you were so sure that sunghoon would start seeing other people after your breakup, and you felt like a loser for rotting in bed while you assumed he was out with other people. 

“oh,” you muttered.

you sat in silence for a bit, with you sat on the edge of the bed, and sunghoon stood by the door, looking as if he’d leave whenever you wanted him to.

“you can come sit if you want,” you patted the bed beside you. “there’s enough room for both of us.”

sunghoon raised his eyebrow in question but didn’t hesitate to sit beside you, his familiar cologne hitting you. 

“hoon, i miss you.”

sunghoon wasn’t sure if you meant what you were saying or if you had one too many drinks. he didn’t want to get his hopes up. 

“are you sure you haven’t had too much to drink?” he chuckled dryly.

“no, this is just sprite, i didn’t wanna get too drunk, i have a final i still need to study for,” you responded. 

the awkward tension sitting between the two of you made you want to jump out a window. things were never awkward between you and sunghoon before and you hated that it was awkward now. fuck, why isn’t he saying anything? you thought. does he not miss me? this is so embarrassing. 

before you could stop yourself, just like the night of your break up, you suddenly started talking faster than your brain could process.

“i’m sorry for what i said the last time we saw each other. i was hurt and i also felt betrayed that you would do that to me because i loved you and you knew about my ex, so it kinda felt like a slap to the face,” you rambled. “but i miss you. there hasn’t been a day that i haven’t missed you, hoon.”

sunghoon didn’t know what to say. he felt like he was dreaming. you missed him?

“you loved me?” sunghoon asked instead, not believing his ears. he needed to hear you say it again, needed to hear those three words fall from your lips one more time. he needed this reassurance that his feelings were reciprocated.  

“i still love you, i think. it’s just hard for me to fall for you again when things ended the way they did,” you continued. “hoon, if we do this again, i need you to be honest with me. about everything.”

he slowly inched his hands toward yours, scared that if he moved too fast you’d leave. when he saw you weren’t moving away, he grasped your hands in his, the feeling of your hands interlocked was the feeling he had missed most of all. 

“i promise things will be different this time,” he said earnestly, his eyes searching yours for any sort of uncertainty at the words he spoke. “i meant every single thing i said that night. i love you y/n, with every fiber of my being. i know we can’t immediately go back to the way things were, but i will do everything i can to gain your trust back. i’ll get on my knees right now and start begging if i have to.”

“well that doesn’t seem like a bad idea,” you teased. “do you really love me?” 

“i thought it was obvious.”

“apparently not obvious enough.”

Love enemies to lovers!

♡ 𝑳𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝑴𝒚 𝑩𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 ♡

𝑃𝑎𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔: Lee Minho x fem!reader 𝑆𝑦𝑛𝑜𝑝𝑠𝑖𝑠: When you thought it was finally your time to shine, fate plays against you by pairing you with the person you hate the most, making you have to work together to win a dance competition. 𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑟𝑒: Slow burn, rivals/enemies to lovers 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡: 11k (damn it, sorry) 𝑾𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒖𝒕

N/A: Sorry for the wait, but here it is at last. I'm actually really proud of this, it's my longest work so far so if you like it please reblog it, that would help me a lot. I thought of making this a sort of mini series of the kind of love you would have with the other members, so look out for news soon.

masterlist II tag list

This content NOT is for minors!!!

This is merely entertainment, this does not represent any real person.

It is forbidden to copy or translate my work.

English NO is my first language.

𝑾𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔: Mention of anxiety attacks (if you are sensitive don't read it) Insults, nicknames: (darling) ,unprotected sex (don't do it), semi-public sex, oral sex, fingering. (I'm sorry if I forgot something) A little bit of angust if you squint your eyes.

Dancing was everything to you, ever since you could remember you knew you were destined to shine on stage, although it wasn't always easy. Over the years you had to do many things, you gave up many others and even lost relationships with important people to pursue your dreams, you worked very hard to get into a prestigious academy and when you finally did you worked even harder to make a name for yourself in the industry, but it was harder than you thought, but still you weren't willing to give up.

You trained for a long time, so much that sometimes you forgot the hours you spent in the practice room, but when your name was among the highest positions you felt that everything was worth it, but there were times when you felt the opposite, no matter how much you concentrated and dedicated time sometimes it wasn't enough, that's why you were determined to win this competition.

When you heard your name you took a breath and ignored all the looks from your classmates and went on stage. The pressure in your chest increased with each step, but you continued walking until you reached the center and looked up to try to see the judges, but with the light reflecting off you it was impossible to know where they were.

You got into position, raised your arms, stretched your legs and stood on your toes.

The music resonated loudly throughout the place, but only you could feel it running through your veins as you danced, it was as if it entered your body and took control of it. You felt like you were in another place when you danced, you felt like for a moment everything else ceased to exist and there was only room for the music.

You gave every part of yourself to that dance and when the music finally stopped you were aware of your heart beating strongly. You opened your eyes and you were back on stage. Your breathing was accelerated and your feet hurt, but you could only smile as you tried to recover.

“Thank you very much” you gave a small bow, giving way to the nerves that invaded your body and you left the stage to wait for the judges’ final decision. The other people waited just as anxiously as they watched the number of participants getting smaller and smaller.

You stayed to look at the others, but none of them was better than the last, many fell or made mistakes because of their nerves and that only made you feel more confident for a moment, until you saw him.

Lee Minho.

He was new, but he earned the teachers’ recognition easily, something that bothered you since it took you several years for the teacher to even remember your name, but after finding out that his family was rich and had enough money to buy a place anywhere it only made your hatred towards him grow.

You always avoided him wherever you went and if you met him by mistake you just ignored him, you couldn’t stand people like him, crushing the effort and time of others just for a little money.

Still, what bothered you the most about him was that despite everything he did pretty well. When it was his turn, people crowded behind the curtains to watch him and you rolled your eyes, but you didn't leave.

“He's amazing” you heard someone say “he's sure to get the lead role” you sighed heavily and turned to see the person who said that comment in your presence and he just lowered his head when your eyes met.

The music started playing through the speakers and he made the first move. You knew the choreography by heart, you had seen him practice over and over again. His movements were delicate and he had perfect control over his body, his arms moved to the beat of the music and his feet marked his steps with harmony.

Lee Minho had a unique glow among everyone, he stood out among the rest with his simplicity and fluid movements, in addition, he was tall, with a sharp face and full lips, but his gaze was cold and calculating. It was like Minho was born with a natural talent that made him steal the attention in any room he entered and that, too, bothered you.

You peeked your head out a little and saw how everyone was lost appreciating his dance, a small part inside you knew it, knew that all your effort had been for nothing (again) and it was all because of him. You walked away from the place with a cloud of ideas in your head and you felt a pressure in your chest and labored breathing, you looked around but your vision began to get blurry.

“Shit” you whispered trying to find a lonely place because you knew what was coming.

You tried to control yourself, but every second that passed was worse. Your hands began to shake and you felt an invisible pressure surround your body, but you let out a small sigh of relief when you saw the bathroom door.

You ran and checked that there was no one there before closing the door and collapsing on the floor. There was no air left and you felt like you could faint at any moment.

You closed your eyes and tried to control your tears, but you knew it was impossible with all those thoughts tormenting you, so you let the sorrow envelop you.

When you came out of the bathroom again, everyone was gathered to hear the judges' decision. Despite your swollen eyes and red nose, you walked among everyone with your head held high and noticed Minho in the distance along with two other people, but you sat far away from the rest, where the shadows would hide you a little.

Everyone was nervous and you could feel the uncertainty in the environment, you just wanted all this to end so you could breathe.

The judges approached where everyone was gathered and the room was filled with absolute silence, everyone was holding hands or praying in their heads to be chosen, but everyone knew that only one could have the lead role.

“First of all we want to thank you for participating in this competition, you have all done amazing” you rolled your eyes, you didn’t have time to listen to a whole sermon, you just wanted to hear your name or leave that place “but after discussing it for a while we have made an important decision” everyone in the room had stopped breathing and you could see some of them closing their eyes.

You hated the wait, the silence was eating you up inside and everything around you seemed to shrink, people seemed to have disappeared and you were alone, there was no one who could help you with the pressure that was taking over you, you were cursing in your mind until suddenly between the fog of thoughts you heard your name.

Everyone turned to look at you and a few applauded, but most just sighed tiredly from the defeat. “Please come forward.” You were still dizzy, but as best you could, you stood up and walked past the judges. The weight of your body vanished when you saw everyone on the other side and you knew it had all been worth it.

You dared to look at them one by one, but when you met Minho’s gaze, you stopped to savor the victory. Minho just narrowed his eyes and smiled. You felt a shiver run through your body when he looked you up and down.

“Please don’t be discouraged,” said one of the judges. “We have something new for this occasion.” The people again became agitated and the whispers became louder and louder. “This time we have decided to give the opportunity to two people.”

“What?!” Your voice wasn't the only one that echoed through the place, everyone was surprised by the new announcement and you didn't know how to react, this had been your chance to shine and now you'll have to share it? People were once again in an uproar and the whispers were getting louder, but your mind could only think of the worst.

“We want to implement a new dynamic” said another of the judges present to calm the people “so the other person will be…” people were once again in an uproar, you closed your eyes praying for a miracle but then you heard it “Lee Minho”

You heard some people sigh, others applaud and shout, but in your mind there was only room for one thought as you saw Minho's triumphant smile approaching. You wanted to run, scream, throw yourself through the window and run away from here, but your feet didn't move, you were static with a lost look while Minho stood next to you.

“It will be a pleasure to work with you, darling,” he whispered to you while the judges were still saying something that you couldn't understand while your heart was pounding hard in your chest wanting to get out, the only thing you wanted at this moment was to wake up from this nightmare.

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You had prepared yourself hours before for this moment, you had arrived about 10 minutes ago, but you couldn't even raise your hand to knock knowing that on the other side was your worst nightmare. You breathed a few more times and counted in your head to do it, but the right moment never seemed to come.

"Damn it" you whispered trying again, you closed your eyes and tried to breathe calmly "one… Two…"

"Just do it" You opened your eyes and turned to that unknown voice, but you would have preferred not to.

Minho was in the hallway leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and a backpack on his shoulders.

"How long have you been there?"

"The same amount of time you've been trying to knock on that door" you sighed and for a moment you felt embarrassed "it's not that hard, you know?"

You weren't going to talk to him if it wasn't necessary and after the small humiliation you finally decided to open the door. The room was empty and you got worried when you heard footsteps behind you, but you didn't turn around to look at him.

You threw your stuff in a corner and sat on the floor, you knew the teacher wouldn't be long in coming so you decided to start stretching.

Out of the corner of your eye you noticed Minho in the other corner of the room, his gaze on you was heavy and although you tried to ignore it something inside you made you want to look at him, dare him.

You dared to look at him in the mirror and held his gaze, no words were needed to read the anger in his eyes, you knew he would have preferred to keep the spot for himself too, but you wouldn't give him the satisfaction of giving up your spot just because of his presence.

Before you could say or do anything, the teacher entered the room and began giving them orders. You took a breath and silently prayed that you could survive the rest of the day.

“That’s it” you dropped to the floor as soon as the teacher turned around and walked out the door. You didn’t expect her to be more strict than in class, your feet hurt and your whole body felt tense, but according to her this was nothing more than stretching.

“I don’t understand why they chose you” Minho said suddenly starting his game to annoy you, but you ignored him knowing that it would annoy him more “anyone would do it better than you” you pressed your lips together to hold back the words, but you were starting to feel that little flame inside you start to burn

“Then why aren’t they here?” you answered, unable to hold it in and grabbed your things to leave before you lost control.

You left the room as quickly as possible and ran down the stairs to enter the classroom, where the atmosphere was no better than being alone with Minho. You knew there was hate and envy floating in the air, but you ignored it. You always knew that sometimes people hid their true intentions and you were terrified of hanging out with the wrong person, which is why you preferred to be alone.

The class wasn't the best either and you just left there as soon as your day was over. The way home was long, but you preferred to walk to clear your mind a little, but when you got there you just sighed because you knew no one would welcome you.

Sometimes you just wanted someone to talk to you a little, to accompany you to dinner or to invite you out at night, but all you had was an old cat that only meowed when he saw you arrive, but even so you were all you had and you loved him.

You picked him up in your arms and stroked his head as you threw your things away to head to the kitchen.

“Did you miss me?” the cat purred and you let him go to leave him food that he thanked you for by meowing before eating.

Your night routine was nothing special, eating, bathing, watching your favorite series and going to bed leaving a space in the bed for your cat. You looked at the window and sighed wondering if all your decisions in the past were the best idea, you used to have friends, you got the best grades in university and your parents had been proud of you once. You turned over in bed when you felt your cat and hugged him trying to hold back your tears.

“Do you love me?” the cat meowed and you burst into tears feeling an emptiness in your chest.

You had pursued your dreams, but at what cost?

You had lost everything.

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The next day wasn't any better than the day before, or the next, or the next. The whole week you found yourself stuck in a routine between having to endure seeing Minho's face every day, having to endure the hateful looks of your classmates, and your boring routine at home.

The days didn't seem to get any better and when the teacher finally decided on the choreography they would present you were a little happy.

"Okay, now we'll start the real classes" the teacher proceeded to explain that she had been analyzing them to see their strengths and weaknesses, she made some recommendations and then proceeded to show them the dance floor while she performed each one's part separately. You memorized all the steps you could and went over them in your head "your turn"

You didn't turn to look at Minho and you stood in the center of the dance floor waiting for the music to start playing, but when you felt Minho stand behind you and place a hand on your waist you looked at him in the mirror. He didn't look down and you tensed up a little taking a step forward, but he grabbed you and came close to your ear.

“Don't look at me, darling, I wasn't the one who put the steps”

“Don't call me that” Minho just smiled and before you could say anything else the music started and you just rolled your eyes and focused on dancing.

The times you had to interact with Minho your body would get tense and you couldn't stand to look at him, you looked away somewhere else and just focused on doing it right on your own. The teacher corrected the mistakes and they repeated the choreography over and over again, but that didn't make the experience of dancing with Minho any better.

“Again”

You held back a sigh and closed your eyes, your head was starting to hurt. You got into position and took a breath to endure it all again, even though your legs were burning from the effort you were making.

You felt a look and looked up only to see Minho squinting, you hated the way he looked at you, as if you were a sculpture he didn't understand and tried to decipher, as if his gaze could make him see beyond your head and be able to see your thoughts.

“Stop looking at me”

“You're shaking” you gritted your teeth and just looked away “are you scared?”

The music started to play and you moved to the side following the steps, but when you were close to him again you couldn't stay quiet.

“Scared? Of what exactly?” Minho took your hand and you stood on your toes on one foot while he spun you around “of you?”

“Yes” You rolled your eyes at the same time he let go and you continued dancing until you were facing him.

“Don’t make me laugh” Minho grabbed you by the waist and you let your weight fall back while stretching your arms “I feel nothing for you but hate” you heard a dry laugh

“It must be hard, right?” you raised your eyebrows, but you didn’t stop dancing around him while the music was still playing “I can’t feel hate for you” you missed a step because of his words and you only heard the teacher’s voice in the distance while your thoughts were scrambling in your head, what did that mean?

“You lie”

“I don’t” he said when you crossed in front of him and when you were in front of him again for a second to gain momentum and jump you heard him “the only thing I feel for you is pity”

His words echoed in your mind, you didn’t notice how close the floor was and you stumbled. You fell to your knees, but you didn’t try to get up. His words affected you more than you thought and it made you burn inside

“Get up girl, this isn’t over” the teacher’s voice made you look up, but then someone interrupted in the room “take a break” she said before leaving them

You looked at the floor as Minho’s words echoed over and over in your head. You wanted to throw yourself at him, hit him, yell at him, but instead you just closed your eyes and tried to think of something else.

“You’re pathetic” you looked up, but you didn’t care much until he spoke again “you haven’t done anything to deserve the position”

You wouldn’t let that go unnoticed, he could have said anything else and you would get angry, but he didn’t know all the effort and sacrifice you had made to get here and you wouldn’t let him say that lightly. You stood up and closed the distance, you pushed his chest, but his crooked smile only made you want to hit him with all your might.

"You're nobody to say that," you pointed a finger at his chest as he raised his hands, "you know nothing."

"Do you think that with your miserable efforts you'll reach the top?" The rage inside you was spilling out everywhere and there was nothing that could stop it.

"I've worked hard to be here…" your voice cracked a little, but you continued "But of course, you wouldn't understand… after all, your place was already bought from the beginning" the words were left floating in the air and you noticed how his smile faded, his eyes were two burning black points that would burn the world if they could, but you stayed there, burning with him.

Minho couldn't stand being around you, everything about you made him ignite the anger inside him, your mere presence in the room bothered him, since he saw you dance for the first time he knew it immediately, you were that kind of person that bothered him more than anything in the world, that kind of deluded person that risks everything for their dreams.

“Your efforts are of no use here, darling,” he said suddenly, you clenched the shirt in your fists as he held your hands, “you are pathetic wherever you go,” his voice was filled with hate and you could see it in his eyes, “why don’t you do everyone a favor and go back to where you belong? To that filthy little place…”

His words were choked off before you could allow him to continue, you had freed yourself from his grip and left a mark on his cheek. You weren’t going to let him continue talking badly about you, you had enough with having to share the position, you wouldn’t let him insult you in any other way.

Your eyes were burning and you didn’t know how to speak, so you just pushed him away and got out of there, you ran through the hallways with a pressure in your chest that you already knew. You opened the first door you found and locked yourself in one of the empty rooms before falling again.

You touched your chest and tried to take a breath, but you knew it was useless, that lonely and empty feeling had made itself present and you knew you couldn't do anything to stop it. You stifled a scream deep inside yourself when you remembered his words, everything around you faded away and you let yourself be carried away to the depths of that feeling.

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The hatred for Minho did nothing but grow from that day on, you didn't speak to him if he spoke to you at all and you didn't even bother to look at him anymore. Plus, you were fighting the inner voice in your head that screamed all your doubts about your future.

You had so many other things to think about, like for example the choreography you were dancing, but with everything else you couldn't think clearly and you were making too many mistakes, so much so that the teacher had left a while ago, but Minho insisted on continuing and you simply agreed almost without realizing it.

"To the right" you heard before colliding with Minho "don't you know where your right is?" you rolled your eyes and sighed, you no longer had the spirit to continue doing this, your body was tired and your mind scrambled with a thousand thoughts. Plus, you weren't going to put up with Minho's insults.

You walked around the room and grabbed your things, but before you left the room Minho crossed your path. You looked up angrily and sighed.

“Get away”

“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked as you stepped aside and he did the same “this isn’t over”

“It’s over for me” once again he blocked your path and you gritted your teeth

“No” you closed your eyes tired of all this

“I won’t say it again” you warned him pointing your finger at his chest, but that didn’t seem to intimidate him

“You’re not taking this seriously”

“As if that matters to you” you said with venom in every word “after this you can continue as if nothing happened” Minho let out a sigh

“You think so?” you hesitated to answer him for a moment, you didn’t know what he meant, but it seemed like there was something else behind his words, but right now you didn’t care.

“Move” Minho blocked your way again and you were starting to get annoyed again

“We have to do this”

“What if I don’t want to do this? What are you going to do?” Minho stood there and you threw things aside, you pushed his body but he didn’t move “Why are you even doing this? You’ve never had to fight for what you want” you said feeling like everything you had kept inside was starting to emerge “I’m tired of doing everything just for nothing” you said almost like a confession while you were still trying to push him away

“Do you think you’re the only one who has problems?”

“Of course not, but…” you took a breath, this was absurd “do you even know everything I had to go through to get here? Of course not, you don’t know shit” you took a breath and threw out your words before he did it first “I had to give up a good life, with a good career, where I was sure I would make tons of money, I had friends until I found out they were just idiots” your voice started to break as you remembered everything, but you needed to continue, keeping everything to yourself for so long consumed you and you just let it out like a bomb that had been activated and couldn’t be stopped “my parents… they decided to act like I didn’t exist because this path wouldn’t take me anywhere and when I tried to prove them wrong… you appear…” you hit his chest and bowed your head shedding your tears.

Minho had remained silent, he felt uncomfortable and didn’t know what to say or do, he just stood there watching you break down little by little and your eyes spilled the sea of ​​tears that you had held back for so long.

He didn't want to say it and he wasn't going to, but a part of him knew how you felt, he knew that feeling and when you looked up at him he could see it, he could see the emptiness in your eyes and the loneliness inside you, but he couldn't do anything but look at you.

After coming back to reality you realized that you were crying in front of Minho, shame took over you and you just pushed him with all your strength and ran down the hall, you needed to get away from that place, you needed to get away from Minho, get away from all the thoughts that ran through your mind and clouded your vision, but you knew that no matter how hard you ran you had nowhere to go.

With your heart racing, your mind clouded and your vision blurry you managed to reach the stairs, but before you could continue moving forward someone called you, you turned around for a second and saw Minho running after you. You took a wrong step and felt your foot slip.

The last thing you felt was the immense, sharp pain of the blows to your body and foot. When you finished rolling down the stairs, all you could see was the ceiling covered in a bit of darkness. You couldn't move even if you tried. The floor seemed comforting for a moment and you stayed there, right in that position while everything around you seemed to fade away along with everything else.

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You were sitting in one of the many seats in the theater, front row, but you were too small and you just wanted to go home to play, but your mother asked you to be patient. Suddenly the lights went out and you felt a shiver run through your body when you noticed someone walking on the stage and then, the lights turned on focusing on her.

The music started playing and she began to dance, her hands moved delicately and it seemed like her feet made her float in the air. You were left with your mouth open and the whole time you had the feeling of watching the best thing in the world. When everything was over the theater was filled with applause, everyone seemed to admire and adore her.

At that moment you knew, you wanted to be like her.

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Tears were still running from your eyes when you woke up, your head and some parts of your body hurt, you remembered the fall on the stairs and you reacted, but when you sat up you realized you weren't in the academy. You were in a big bed with sheets covering your body and a rag on your head, everything around you was unknown and an alarm went off inside you.

You quickly sat up pushing the sheets, but when you tried to stand up your foot felt a pain that made you fall to the floor. You cursed and grabbed the edge of the bed to stand up again, but when you poked your head out you saw a cat in the middle of the bed that meowed when it saw you, but it made you let out a small cry from the fright.

The door suddenly opened and you stood still when you saw Minho.

“What are you doing on the floor?”

“You? What are you doing here?” Minho raised his eyebrows and a small smile appeared on his face

“It’s my house”

“What?!” You stood up with effort and complained a little about the sharp pain in your foot

“You fell down the stairs” Minho ran his hands through his hair and you noticed that he seemed tired “I… didn’t know what to do” your eyes met for a moment, but the next second you looked away remembering everything that had happened “I don’t know where you live… nobody really does” you bit your lip when you heard it and everything seemed to make sense

You felt embarrassed, thinking that Minho helped you after everything you confessed, but, even so, that didn’t free you from everything he had said about you. You sat on the edge of the bed because of a sharp pain in your foot and looked at your foot.

He was kneeling and you were scared for a moment thinking that you wouldn’t be able to dance, although a part of you was glad about it.

“You’ll be fine in a few days, it’s just a small sprain” Minho said

“How do you know?”

“I’ve been through something similar” you looked at your foot again, you didn’t know how long it would take for the swelling to go down and you sighed “that’s nothing, you’ll be able to walk in a couple of days”

The cat meowed taking you both out of its bubble, Minho approached and picked it up petting it, reminding you of your own cat.

“I have to go” you said hurriedly

“It’s raining” you paid attention for a moment and looked at the window to see that the sky was grey and the glass was full of small drops of water

“Shit” you complained

“You can stay”

“No” you said getting up and trying to take a few steps, but you stumbled, although you didn’t fall “it’s too late”

“Then let me take you home”

“No”

“Are you planning to walk in the rain in that state?” His gaze scanned you from top to bottom and stopped at your aching foot. You gritted your teeth. You knew you couldn’t walk, but you weren’t going to accept Minho doing anything else for you, not after what happened before.

“If I have to crawl home, I will do it just to be away from you.” Minho sighed and let go of the cat as he took a few steps to where you were. You wanted to get away, but you couldn’t and you just looked up.

“Then let me…”

“No, I won’t allow you to keep doing… this,” you said, raising your arms. “I don’t need your mercy, or your help. I can do it alone like I always have.” Minho stood still, looking at you with a strange expression that you couldn’t understand. “Do you expect me to thank you? Is that why you did all this?”

“No” Minho walked away without another word, but before reaching the door he stopped “If you want to leave someone else can take you home, if not, you can crawl home to get away from me” the cat got off the bed and followed him when you heard his last words “but not forever, darling”

The ride home was silent, the driver didn't speak to you besides asking your address but you were grateful for that, you didn't want to talk, you just wanted to get home and lie down on the bed. Although questions about Minho were starting to form in your mind.

When you opened the door a loud meow greeted you and you could only sigh in relief to see your cat. You picked him up and walked through the house to go give him some food.

“I’m sorry baby, I know you’re hungry” you said petting him when he took a big bite of the food “I was… busy” you knew it was absurd to try to explain it to him, but still something inside you needed to get it out “actually… I don’t know what happened” you sat on the floor and spread your legs while petting the feline “I fell down the stairs and then someone… helped me, although I don’t understand why, he didn’t owe me anything” you sighed and looked at the ceiling “he’s… he’s… an idiot, right?” the cat just meowed and kept eating.

That night you couldn’t sleep well, you had very strange dreams where Minho appeared and every time you woke up you hit yourself on the head to make him go away, but you couldn’t do it, plus you felt like his damn scent had stayed with you and you screamed into the pillow when you couldn’t do anything to get rid of it.

You tossed and turned in bed, but nothing could take your thoughts away from Minho and you hated him. You needed to calm down, but anything you thought about reminded you of him. You stared at the ceiling for what seemed like an eternity and when you were finally managing to fall asleep it was when you thought of dark, cold, calculating eyes.

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Your foot still hurt a little, but you could bear it. You arrived early to rehearsal and you were surprised to see the empty room. You stood in the middle of the room for a moment and looked at yourself in the mirror, but you couldn't bear to look at yourself for too long without turning to your thoughts.

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath. A light melody began to play in your head and as if your body was moving on its own, you began to follow the melody. For a moment, all your worries, thoughts and feelings disappeared.

You let yourself go and danced around the room without any ties. It was just you and the music in your head. You danced for yourself and poured everything you felt into your dance. You felt every fiber move inside you. You felt your arms and legs synchronize to take you away from there and for the first time in a long time, you could feel like you were you again.

When you opened your eyes again, a part of you felt lighter, as if dancing had brought back a part of you that you had abandoned long ago. You smiled, trying to hold back your tears.

“Wow, you know how to dance.” You turned around suddenly only to find Minho leaning against the door frame.

“Fuck you.”

“I mean it.” He walked into the room, but you stayed where you were without taking your eyes off him. “I see you feel better.” He looked you up and down, and a small shiver ran through your body when he stared at you for too long.

“Yeah, whatever.”

“Take this,” he said, handing you a bag, but you didn’t move and raised an eyebrow questioning his action. “It’s for your foot.”

“I don’t want it.” You crossed your arms and looked up. “Do you expect that with this, I’ll forgive you and forget everything you said?”

“I wasn’t the only one who spoke” you felt your cheeks burn a little as you remembered your own words “just take it and that’s it”

“No”

“Why does it bother you so much?” Minho sighed a little tiredly and you noticed the anger in his voice “Is it just because you’re not used to someone caring about you or is it because it’s me?”

Your words drowned in the depths of your chest and you wondered if you had heard correctly. Was he worried? About you? His words floated in your mind for a moment and stirred something inside you. You gritted your teeth and looked away, you didn’t know the answer and you didn’t want to find out right then.

“Just take it” he said annoyed taking your hand and making you hold the bag “and accept it” you were in shock, but you didn’t say anything, Minho walked away from you and left the room before you could say anything.

Once alone again, curiosity made you open the bag only to see a couple of medications and some candy, but among them you saw a chocolate bar and you were left wondering how he knew it was your favorite.

“Idiot” you whispered trying not to smile as you took a small bite.

The days got better, you felt that the rehearsals were more bearable, but you knew that something felt different, something inside you still worried you and made you wonder about the strange change in Minho's behavior. You didn't understand why from one day to the next he started to behave more tolerable with you, he no longer insulted you and he didn't argue with you.

“We're getting closer to the big day, you need to improve a little” the teacher reminded them when they got to the room “you need to give your all, I need you to really give yourselves to the dance, I need you to feel it and transmit it with your movements and your expressions” they both nodded “very well, let's work”

The music started to play throughout the room and you executed your movements automatically. Your arms rose in the air and you tried to endure the little pain that it left you when you stood on your toes.

"They should feel it" you heard the teacher say "transmit it" Minho held you by the waist and lifted your body into the air for a few seconds before meeting you face to face.

His gaze was the same as always, cold with a hint of mysterious darkness, but your body shuddered for a few seconds. He held your arm and guided you with the music through his movements, you focused on continuing to dance and continued spinning and jumping.

The music continued for a while longer, they repeated the choreography a couple more times and you were grateful when someone spoke to the teacher. You went to sit in a corner to catch your breath and check your foot. You sighed in relief when you saw it was okay.

In the distance you saw how Minho lay down on the floor with his limbs stretched out and breathing heavily. You looked at him curiously but quickly undressed your gaze when you noticed that his shirt had risen a little on his abdomen and left a little skin exposed.

You felt your face turn red and you cursed yourself for it, it was just a bit of skin, nothing you hadn't seen before, but somehow it felt different as if it was something forbidden that you weren't supposed to see and yet you looked up again.

His eyes were closed and his breathing had calmed down, it seemed as if he was sleeping, his face was serene and there was no trace of that calculating look, only tranquility.

You looked down a little in fear, but when you saw his toned body something inside you stirred. He had strong arms and his abs were worked.

"I can hear your thoughts up here" you quickly looked away and focused your gaze on the floor

"I don't know what you're talking about"

"Please" Minho turned to his side with one hand holding his head "I can feel your gaze on me the whole time"

"I wasn't looking at you" you said nervously trying to defend yourself. Minho smiled and stood up walking towards you

"Liar" you stood in your place feeling your nerves tickling all over your body "if you want to look at me just say it" you were going to say something to him when you saw how he lifted his shirt a little.

"Nobody wants to see you naked"

"Naked? I didn't say that" Minho made his smile bigger and you pressed yourself against the wall when he was closer "do you want to see me naked?"

"Of course not" you claimed almost screaming, feeling your face burn

You heard a laugh and looked up only to see Minho split in half laughing and… You were surprised. You had never seen him laugh like that, he seemed like another person, there was no trace of the person you hated and for a moment you stared at him.

"idiot" you said standing up, you gave him a little push when you passed by him, but he took your hand. When you turned around he wasn't laughing anymore, he was staring at you and you felt a chill

"I have something for you" he reached into one of your pants pockets and pulled out a small chocolate wrapper. You stared at him and didn't know if you should take it, but last time he made you do it so you did it fearfully with a question on the tip of your tongue.

"Why?" Minho seemed to understand and just shrugged his shoulders "why are you doing all this?" You raised your hands tired of trying to figure out his behavior "do you expect me to forgive you?"

"No"

"Then why?" You didn't want to break down in front of him again and you held back your emotions before they got out of control, but a small part of you remembered his words and you couldn't help but say them "is it because of pity?"

"No" He said raising his voice, he lowered his head and sighed heavily "it's just that…" Your eyes met for a moment, but this time it was different, you could see a little beyond the darkness and you perceived something different "I know what it feels like to be completely alone"

You were confused, you didn't know what to say, there was no answer to his words, now you only felt a great emptiness in your chest. Lee Minho, the person you always hated and envied was in front of you showing you a part of him that you didn't know.

"I…"

"Don't say anything" he interrupted you "just… take care of yourself" and so, confused and scared he left you in the middle of the dance hall with an unknown feeling in your chest.

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The days passed faster than you expected, with all the change in Minho's attitude and the fact that he didn't treat you badly anymore, the day of the competition came too soon. They hadn't stopped practicing and even though you tried to hide it, the nerves were starting to show, but you tried to hide it.

"You've worked very hard" said the teacher when she gave you a little break "but tomorrow you must give your all, mind, soul and body" you rolled your eyes, she had repeated the same thing for the last three days and you were sure of what she would say next, without paying attention to the teacher you looked away at Minho who also looked a little tired of the same thing, but when your eyes met he smiled and moved his mouth saying exactly the same thing as the teacher "you must be one" You almost spat out the water and coughed to catch your breath, but the teacher noticed it anyway. You looked at the ground trying to contain the smile on your face, even though you knew that was a stupid thing to do “okay, let’s continue”

You got into your usual position, you were ready and when the music started playing you did what you did best. Minho’s warm hand on your waist was already familiar but you still held your breath.

“You’re nervous” he said before you moved to the side to follow his steps

“Nervous? Me?” Minho took your hand and you stood on one foot on your toes as he spun you around “in the morning?”

“no” You rolled your eyes as he let go and continued dancing until you were facing him.

“I'm not nervous” Minho took you by the waist and you let your weight fall back while you stretched your arms and he held your weight with his arms, when you stood up again you found his face very close to yours

“I know you” his words distracted you for a moment and you heard the teacher's voice in the distance, you continued with the dance and when you were in front of him again you couldn't help but stay silent

“You don't know anything about me” you answered when you passed in front of him. When you placed your hands on his shoulders Minho took you by the waist and lifted you up.

“Of course I do” Minho replied as he set you down and spun you around “I know you don’t have any friends” you remained serious despite his words, but the continued “I know you live alone and apart from others out of fear” your body tensed up, but you continued moving around the room anyway

You moved away from him to do your jump and you were happy that it went perfectly, you stood still, waiting for Minho to finish the choreography and when his hands hooked around your waist you couldn’t help but tense up.

This moment was always weird, it felt like something intimate because after that he had to lean down and pretend to kiss you, even though they had never done it, he always hid your body with his and you just stayed held by his arms looking at his face.

“I know that despite everything you still pursue your dreams” he said at the end and you held your breath as you watched him get closer and closer

“Perfect” said the teacher taking you both out of the bubble in which you had been trapped for a moment “that is exactly what I want you to do tomorrow”

Minho sat up with you and you finally moved away from him. The teacher was saying something, but you were only aware of your burning body where Minho’s hands had touched you. You hated that he had that effect on you lately, it was not something normal, but you did not want to admit it.

“Well, then get some rest,” the teacher said, “you need all your energy for tomorrow.”

You hurried to grab your things and leave the room before Minho, you couldn’t keep looking at him without questioning things you didn’t want to admit and all of that was so absurd when you remembered how you had treated each other at the beginning, whatever you were starting to feel had to be a product of the pressure of the competition, you just had to wait until the next day for this to disappear.

You were about to leave the place when you stopped at the entrance when you noticed it was raining, you rolled your eyes and cursed silently as you mentally prepared yourself for the race you would make to your house, but when you were about to run someone took your hand. You didn’t need to turn around to know who it was, but you did anyway.

“What's wrong?”

“You're going to get wet,” Minho said seriously, still holding your hand.

“It's just a little water,” you said, trying to escape the feeling that formed in your stomach.

“You could get sick.”

“What do you want?” you asked, a little irritated and upset. “I need to get home.”

“I can take you home,” you bit your lips as you thought about his proposal. You saw the rain falling and thought about it again. Your house was far away, so you just sighed.

“Okay,” Minho seemed to smile, and before he could say anything else, he took your hand and ran to where his car was. He opened the door for you, and you got in without thinking twice. Minho got in right away, and you noticed some drops falling down his hair and some others sliding down his face.

There was something mesmerizing about watching him, and you bit your lips as he ran his fingers through his hair. You looked away, realizing that some drops had stuck to you, too. Minho's gaze rested on you for a second and you noticed how his eyes seemed to follow the trail of some drop that spilled from your forehead and passed over your lips where it was lost on your neck and under your neckline.

You shifted in your seat and when his eyes returned to yours you felt a shiver run down your spine, you couldn't understand it but you knew that he was hiding something beyond his gaze, something that you couldn't understand but that made you shudder and want to know what was beyond.

You didn't realize your labored breathing until Minho approached you putting his arm over your head and you held your breath when you felt his breath near your lips, his eyes were on yours and you could swear that time stopped, but when you saw his hand return with the seat belt something in you felt disappointed and you cursed for thinking that he would try something else, but you hated yourself a little more for thinking about something like that and not disliking the idea.

“Safety first” he said jokingly, but you just nodded, staring straight ahead as he started the car.

The ride was silent and you felt the weight of tension with every second that passed without talking, no matter how much you looked outside and tried to focus on something else your eyes always strayed to his hands holding the wheel. You needed to get out of there before your mind drifted to places you didn't want.

The rain seemed to get worse with every minute and by the time you got to your house it seemed dangerous so you invited him in thinking he would leave but now you were in the living room, silent and with nothing to talk about. You hoped everything would calm down but your insides didn't seem to want to. You were hyper aware of Minho's presence and you could even swear you could hear his heartbeat, or maybe it was yours, you didn't know anymore but you wanted all this to end even if it meant getting away from Minho again.

You got up to make tea and forget your thoughts. There were so many things you wanted to say, but you didn't know how to do it, you didn't know if the words would destroy the strange relationship you had built, a kind of friendship where you supported each other for a common good, although you knew that inside there was something more.

“Do you think this will stop?” his words brought you out of your thoughts and you looked up

“It has to stop” you said almost begging for it to stop, but the drops still fell heavily down the windows and didn't seem to want to go away for a long time

Silence reigned again in the small space and you took your hands determined to say something, but then Minho spoke again.

“I’ve been thinking about something” you turned to look at him and raised an eyebrow

“Wow… I didn’t know you could do that” you heard a laugh and you smiled at the sight

“I do it often, in case you were wondering”

“So… what are you thinking about?” you asked curious and nervous at the same time

“Me, you, us” you stopped what you were doing, trying to analyze if you were starting to go deaf

“Us?” you turned around again and noticed that Minho had stood up and was slowly approaching where you were

“I know I’ve been an idiot before” with each word he got closer and you tried to back away until you found yourself at the kitchen counter “maybe I still am, but now I know I’ve done things wrong” Minho was left only a few steps away from you “I’m sorry”

“What?”

“Don’t make me say it twice,” he said jokingly, but when he saw that you weren’t smiling, he repeated it without hesitation. “I’m sorry.”

“Why?” you asked nervously, still stunned, not understanding his words.

“For everything, I’ve treated you badly and said things that weren’t right.” You gritted your teeth as you remembered the words that had been engraved in your mind. “The truth is, I… was jealous of you.”

“Jealousy?” Minho sighed heavily and lowered his head in shame. “What are you talking about?”

“I always saw you rehearse over and over again, I saw you give yourself completely to music without any effort, I… I can't do that and everyone kept reminding me of it, that's why every time I saw you I…” he lowered his head to catch his breath and hide the shame that all this caused him, but he got a little closer to where you were “I… wanted what you had” he raised his head again and you froze when you saw his eyes lit up by what looked like tears “I felt miserable and useless seeing all the effort you made and I could only get here with money, I know I'm not good at this and I still try, that's why I was jealous, that's why I turned everything into hate” you were frozen by his confession, the words had gotten stuck in your chest, there was nothing you could say and you just stayed trying to process everything

“I thought you… hated me” Minho let out a tired laugh

“I hated you, I hated your talent, but... hating you doesn’t serve me anymore… I can’t hate you anymore” he said ignoring you “but… all this…” he opened his mouth but it seemed like the words were stuck in his chest and he was struggling to get them out “this… absurd and useless feeling for you is killing me”

“What… are you talking about?” your voice shook with each word, your heart was agitated, you knew there was something floating in the air that you tried to ignore.

Minho sighed and looked at the ceiling, he reached his hand to your face, but stopped before doing so, as if doing so would hurt him.

“I… you…” he closed his eyes and lowered his hand, clenching his fingers into a fist “I can’t spend another second with you without my entire body wanting you, every time I see you I lose my breath, I can’t stop thinking about you, your eyes, your smile” his fingers lengthened a little and very gently caressed your cheek “everything about you drives me crazy and I can’t spend another second with this inside me”

All you could hear were the raindrops hitting the windows, the air didn't seem to be enough anymore and you could feel a pressure on your chest. You couldn't stop thinking about his words, a part of you wanted to scream at him, tell him he was lying, that it was a stupid joke, you wanted him to leave and never see him again, but there was something else, something inside you that was taking over you and you couldn't contain it.

“Minho” it was the first time you called him by his name, and he seemed to react to your voice like a scared dog “I… I don’t know what to say, this is all so confusing” you looked up at where he was “I thought you hated me, I… I hated you too, I hated the way you walked down the halls and the way you stood out everywhere… your stupid temper and the damn way you dance… you, you caught everyone with your dance and I can’t do that… but now that doesn’t matter… because I can’t hate you either, not anymore”

Everything went silent, the raindrops were a distant noise, but you could still hear your heartbeat in your chest. Minho walked to where you were and this time he didn’t stop, he took your face and looked into your eyes just like he always had, without fear and with curiosity, but now there was something else, something you had no doubts about, he looked at you with love.

“Give me one reason not to kiss you right now,” you held your breath and let go of the fear in your chest with every word he said. “Tell me to leave and that you don’t want to see me again. Ask me for anything and I will do it. Because you have my heart hanging in your hands now. It’s all yours and you can do whatever you want with it. Destroy it, mold it, design it, love it… my heart belongs to you now… and so do I.”

“Minho… please kiss me.”

It wasn’t a soft, slow kiss. It was a desperate, anxious one that reflected all of your confused and jumbled emotions inside. It was a hot kiss, full of everything you both had dragged along until now. You could feel your heart beating hard, but you ignored it and just focused on his kisses, on the way his hands seemed to tremble on your waist and the way his lips ran over every part of your mouth.

You lost yourself completely in him, you let yourself go and forgot about everything you ever questioned, there were no doubts anymore, there were no ties, there were no secrets, they were just two people who opened their hearts and now they were feeling it.

Minho's mouth was desperate, his hands slowly ran up your body, but you just wanted him to hurry up, to calm that fire inside you that had started to burn. You took his hands and placed them on your breasts without fear, you wanted him, you needed him and you didn't mind admitting it.

You moaned his name when his mouth slid down your jaw to your neck and your fingers tangled in his hair. Minho pressed his hands to your chest and you threw your head back moaning at the feeling of his hands on you. His mouth continued down to the neckline of your blouse and before he did anything he looked up with a silent question and you just nodded desperately. He put his hands underneath and got rid of your blouse, throwing it away along with your bra, freeing your breasts where his mouth settled, making you shudder.

Your hands moved down his body, touching every part of him, and you heard him let out a gasp when you touched him above his crotch. You slipped your hands under his shirt and took it off to admire his bare chest.

You stood still for a second, appreciating each other's half-naked bodies. Minho licked his lips before attacking your mouth again. His hands squeezed your ass before unbuttoning your pants, leaving a trail of kisses from your abdomen to your thighs.

Your breathing was agitated with the slightest touch of his mouth on your skin, his mouth leaving kisses on your thighs and you held your breath as you saw how his fingers hooked the edge of your panties and left you uncovered.

His hands caressed your thighs and slowly moved closer to your core where you moaned at the feel of his fingers on your wet pussy, his thumb searched for your clit and you saw him smile when you shuddered. He moved his finger slowly in circles and you could feel how you were getting wetter and wetter.

You didn't realize when your legs opened more, but when you felt Minho's mouth on you, you moaned his name holding his hair as he buried his tongue in you.

You turn your head back and let yourself be caught by the burning sensation running through your veins, his tongue on your clit makes your legs tremble, but when you feel his fingers near your entrance a shiver runs through your entire body. You look down for a moment to beg him, but before you can Minho slides a finger inside you and you moan his name.

“Minho… I…” you can’t finish the sentence, he slides another of his fingers in and curls them touching a sensitive part inside while his tongue moves over your clit. The fire inside you burned strong, you couldn’t hold it back any longer and you let it consume you completely.

Your legs were shaking and your breathing was labored when Minho stood up. He held you tightly by the waist and wore that triumphant smile on his face that you had previously hated, but now found attractive.

“Darling… you taste divine”

“Shut up” you claimed embarrassed

“Shut me up” you approached his lips and kissed him hard tasting yourself on his lips.

You pressed your body against his and felt his hardening on your belly, you stifled a moan in his mouth when Minho grabbed your legs and lifted your body.

“I'll take you right here if you don't tell me where the bed is.”

“Upstairs.” Minho didn't wait any longer and took you to your room where he left you on the bed while still kissing you as he took off his pants and boxers, leaving his cock free.

He placed himself on top of you and you stirred as you felt the tip of his cock caress your clit. Minho took his cock and placed it at your entrance, still looking at you, again with a question in his eyes.

“Min… I need you.”

Minho moved his hips slowly and you arched your back as you felt his cock stretch you and hit rock bottom. He placed his hands on either side of your head and kissed you, staying in that position for a moment, feeling your walls enveloping him.

From one moment to the next his hips moved back leaving only the tip of his cock inside and then he moved again making you moan over and over again with each thrust.

Your mouth kept saying his name, all you could feel was his body on yours and his kisses on your neck while you felt his breath on you. You had your legs around his waist and your hands around his back marking his skin with your nails with each push of his hips.

Your body was burning and you knew you wouldn’t last much longer if he continued like this, but suddenly Minho sat up and before you could say anything he took your legs and placed them on his shoulders bending you in half like a doll, but this new position made him go deeper and you moaned at the feeling.

“You should see yourself with my eyes darling… you’re magnificent”

“Minho… shut up and fuck me” you heard him let out a laugh before pushing hard and biting the inside of one of your thighs.

The new position made you feel everything more intensely and you could feel a knot in your belly that you couldn't hold back any longer, your legs trembled and Minho noticed.

“What's wrong darling?” He asked mockingly as he saw how you held the sheets and how your back was arching, you wanted to talk but the only thing that came out of you were moans of pleasure announcing your orgasm “a little more, I know you're a good girl”

His words only made you squeeze his cock tighter and that made him lose himself in his own ecstasy so he continued praising you.

“Are you going to cum around my cock?” you nodded desperately and Minho only leaned in closer to kiss you “do it… cum for me”

You obeyed him and let yourself be carried away by the pleasure that ran through your body at the same time that you felt Minho's release inside you and how it ran down your legs when he released you from his grip.

You could feel your unbridled heart beating at the same time as Minho's who was on top of you. At that moment they were one and the same and something inside you finally felt calm.

You closed your eyes and stayed that way for so long that you didn't realize you fell asleep until you opened your eyes again. Minho was next to you and his arms were around your body covered by some sheets.

"Sleep darling" you heard him say

"I don't think I can" you said snuggling into his chest hugging him back

"We have a competition to win, you better rest" he gave you a kiss on the forehead and that was enough to go back to sleep, taking away the feeling of emptiness you had before.

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Your nerves could get the better of you at any moment, you kept pacing back and forth and there was nothing that could calm you down, not even the teacher's encouraging words, not Minho's compliments, not even the voice in your head. You had never been so nervous and you knew the reason.

You had decided to invite your parents at the last minute thinking they wouldn't go, but when they said they would give you a chance everything inside you went off the rails. This could be a new beginning for your relationship if everything went well or maybe things could end up the same, anyway, it was too late to regret it.

Minho was serious, he was worried about your condition and he was afraid you would have an anxiety attack, so he was behind you all the time, but that only made you more nervous.

“Stop that” you said turning around and facing him

“I’m not doing anything”

“You’re following me” you said raising your voice, making the people around you look in your direction for a moment “I’m sorry”

“It’s okay, you’re nervous”

“Of course I’m nervous” you bit your nails to keep from crying, but Minho took your hands and you looked up into his eyes.

“Just breathe a little” you took a breath and your chest seemed to calm down a little “that’s it… everything will be okay okay?” you nodded not very sure of his words “we’ll go in there and the world will go to shit, it’ll just be you and me… okay?”

“Yes” You approached to kiss him, but you saw the teacher in the distance and you moved away from Minho as far as you could without knowing why

“It's your turn” the nerves returned to your body, but you tried to smile when the teacher pushed them close to the curtain, where the other people waited and watched the couple's presentation on stage “you are the best, you know it” said the teacher when the lights went out and left the stage free “prove it”

You closed your eyes for a moment trying to leave everything behind, as you always did when you danced, until you felt a hand take yours to move forward. You opened your eyes to look at Minho, his gaze was no longer cold or calculating as before, now it was warm and loving, you were no longer alone.

You walked forward together to the stage and got into position, you felt the thousands of eyes on you, but there were only a few that mattered to you and were in front of you.

“Let’s do this” you heard him say before the music started and everything around you stopped mattering.

You gave yourself completely to the music, all your movements synchronized with Minho’s and for the first time you understood the teacher’s words. Together you danced and gave your body, mind and soul to the stage, you let yourself be carried away by the melody and you felt your body flow with ease, with every jump you made, every movement, every turn, everything was perfect.

You could only hear your heartbeat, the music had long since gone, and the looks of the people no longer mattered, you could only focus on bright eyes full of love and desire.

Minho took you by the waist and lifted you up before leaning over you to finish the choreography, but this time you didn’t stop him from coming closer, you didn’t move away and you took his face and kissed him at the same time that the lights went out and the applause resonated throughout the theater.

“I love you” you heard him say and that was all you heard.

You knew someone would see them if they just opened the door, but you didn't care. His mouth was fiercely devouring yours as you held onto the small table in the place where they had decided to hide. His kisses were leaving you breathless, but you continued to taste his lips.

You felt the fire run through your veins and you let out a small moan when his hands ran down your bare legs until they squeezed your thighs.

"Min…" you moaned in his ear as his mouth slid down your jaw to your neck.

"Give me a reason not to rip your clothes off right now" he said running his hands down your wet center and you shuddered at the feel. You looked into his eyes for a moment

"Do it"

Minho ripped off your clothes and touched you with his fingers, the adrenaline from the dance was still running through your body and it excited you to think that someone could come in and see them, but the excitement after finishing their performance was so much that they ran to the first dressing room they found to get naked.

You moaned when his fingers touched your center and found your clit, his mouth fiercely attacked your neck and you felt his teeth on your skin, but you didn't need that, you wanted to feel him inside you.

Desperate, you pushed him away a little and Minho looked at you surprised when you pushed him to the small sofa that was there while you moved forward and took off the rest of your clothes, at the same time he did the same.

You climbed onto his lap and took him by the shoulders moving your hips feeling his cock on your wet pussy. Minho threw his head back and grabbed your thighs.

“Shit, Darling…” you didn’t let him finish his sentence as you grabbed his cock and sank down on it making him moan “someone… might see us”

“Then you better do this quickly” you said agitatedly moving your hips up and down marking the rhythm.

Minho grabbed your thighs and squeezed your skin tightly as he felt you bounce on him over and over again, he couldn't stop himself from kissing your breasts and biting your nipples to hear your own moans.

You were so immersed in each other that you had forgotten about everything that was happening outside the doors until after a while you stopped moving out of exhaustion, but Minho grabbed your hips and moved his up to continue until you felt your insides heat up from Minho's release.

You collapsed on his chest and smiled as you heard his heartbeat as he caressed your hair. Everything was calm and quiet until you heard your names over the speakers in the place.

“Did we win?” you asked bewildered hearing the applause of the people “we should go”

“Maybe” he said when you looked up and tried to move, but he held you back “but everything I care about is here”

“You're a fucking romantic”

“And you love it”

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EPILOGUE

"Don't you dare open your eyes" you heard Minho say as he led you through who knows where, nerves running through your body and you didn't know what he had in store but you were sure it wouldn't top your anniversary gift.

"I'm scared" you confessed with a nervous laugh

"Do you trust me?"

"No" Minho let go of your hands and you searched for him until his hands took your waist and made you move forward a little more between laughs

"You lie"

"Maybe" you felt a warm kiss on your temple and his hands leaving your body

"Wait here" he said before you heard his steps walk away

"No… Minho" you stood still for a moment until the nerves took over you and made you restless "Minho, this is not funny" with labored breathing you took off the blindfold from your eyes but you couldn't see anything, it was dark "Minho… I swear I'm going to…"

Suddenly the lights turned on and you held your breath when your vision adjusted to the place. Your eyes filled with tears when you saw Minho coming towards you again.

"Happy wedding anniversary"

"But… what is this?" you asked as he handed you some keys

"It's what you asked for" he said hugging you "your own dance studio, here you can dance, show others your incredible talent, it's all yours"

You couldn't hold back your tears any longer and hugged him back burying your face in his neck.

"Don't cry darling, it will ruin your makeup" you laughed a little before wiping your tears and hitting him in the chest

"I hate you"

"I love you too" he said before kissing you in the same place where you met.

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Nana tour meet cute with seventeen | '95 line + Jun

Synopsis: A series of meet cutes between you and seventeen when they are on vacation during Nana Tour. 95 line + Jun x gn! reader | fluff | 2.5k words | warnings: food, motion sickness

ᯓ★ Seungcheol 

✰ You met Seungcheol at the lobby of seventeen’s hotel in Japan. You were returning from an early morning walk around the area because you were jet lagged. That’s when you saw this bunch of guys who were really excitedly boarding a bus. While they were all really cute, your eyes were fixed on one of them in particular. He was on crutches and was wearing a large, oversized jacket. It looked as if he was sending the rest of them off because he didn’t get on the bus with them. You could tell he was trying to be happy for them, but his eyes reflected regret and sadness. You surmised he was probably supposed to follow them, though his injury prevented him from doing so.

✰ Well, it seems that you were definitely staring at him a little too long. Seungcheol had sensed your eyes lingering on his form for a while. Were you a stalker? It didn’t seem like it since there was no photo taking, squealing or all the behaviour of a sasaeng. He also didn’t want to alert the rest of the members who were so excited. So he waited until the bus left before turning to look at you. You flushed under his stare, smiling sheepishly and apologetically at him. You approached him from where you had been watching him. Seungcheol’s stare softened, and the corners of his lips pulled upwards. Based on your reaction (and the hotel key card in your hand), you obviously meant no harm to him or the members. 

✰ When you reached Seungcheol, said a quick “hi” and muttered an apology for staring at him too long. Seungcheol took in your presence. He wasn’t going to lie, he was a little flustered. You were adorable, looking at him with your sparkling eyes, and nervously fiddling with the key card. Seungcheol chuckled, telling you it was okay. He probably looked like a pre-school teacher sending his kids off. You laughed at his little joke as it certainly lightened the mood. Your laugh also made Seungcheol more enamoured by you. The fact he couldn’t follow the rest of seventeen to Italty was now pushed to the far corner of his mind. With his ‘kids’ gone, he had some free time before having to fly back to Seoul. 

✰ Gesturing to the key card in your hand, Seungcheol asked if you were heading back into the hotel. You looked at the time on your phone, nodding. The breakfast buffet was about to start and you were a little hungry after your walk. Seungcheol brightened up at the mention of the breakfast buffet. In a shy voice, he asked you if you wanted to get breakfast together. You were shocked at his question. This cute guy you just met and barely knew wanted to get breakfast? Quickly shaking off your shock, you giggled, agreeing to Seungcheol. Seungcheol gathered his crutches, and you hopped closer to walk next to him. Watching your adorable actions, Seungcheol thought, maybe not being able to go to Italy won’t be so bad afterall. 

ᯓ★ Jeonghan

✰ You met Jeonghan on the road from Rome to Florence. You were traveling with your parents to Italy for the first time. Your parents had decided to rent a car since there were so many places outside of Rome that you wanted to visit. But just your luck, as you were traveling to Florence, your rented car broke down right in the middle of the road. You and your parents were struggling to push the car to the side of the road. It didn’t help that you were traveling along a rather quiet stretch of road and it was almost sunset. With no one in sight, you all were going to have to struggle for a while. 

✰ Just then, a bus came along. Of course, because your car was literally in the middle of the road, the bus had to stop. The bus driver came down to see what was going on. Your father apologetically told him your car had broken down, and you were having trouble pushing the car to the side of the road. As they were conversing, Na PD, some staff members, and a couple of members came down the bus as well. They took in the situation and told your father they would help you to shift the car. It would be a good opportunity to stretch their legs anyway after being on the bus for hours. While they did that, you were standing at the side watching everything unfold. That was when you noticed Jeonghan. Jeonghan was hanging back behind the group. He looked a little queasy.

✰ You approached Jeonghan, asking him if he was okay. Jeonghan gave you an unconvincing reassuring nod, telling you he had a little motion sickness. You immediately rummaged through your bag to fish out motion sickness pills and sweets. You approached Jeonghan, handing them over to him. He accepted them, popping one of the sweets in his mouth and pocketing the pills. He smiled as the taste of the sweet treat spread through his mouth. The sweet was almost as sweet as you. He blushed at the thought. As you watched the rest of the members and staff help your father push your car to the side of the road, Jeonghan watched you. Under the glow of the setting sun, you looked really pretty. It was quite uncharacteristic of Jeonghan to be attracted to someone so fast, but there must have been something about the air in Italy that bred romance. 

✰ Jeonghan continued to watch you as you ran back to your parents once the car was successfully pushed to the side of the road. You and your parents thanked everyone who helped you gratefully. Your mother had successfully called the tow company and they would be there shortly. As the members and staff slowly returned to their bus, you happily passed them sweets as a thank you for being so kind. Jeonghan smiled at the sight. You were pretty inside and out. When your eyes met his, you gave him a thumbs up and pointed to the motion sickness pills in his pocket, indicating to him to take them if he needed. Jeonghan climbed onto the bus, nodding at you cutely. He really wanted to get to know you more, but they needed to go and because you were both traveling, there was probably no way you would meet again. Jeonghan sighed, sulking a little as the bus continued on to Florence and he watched your figure getting smaller in his peripheral vision. Little did he know, when he would go on his day tour in Florence with Joshua and Vernon, he would meet you again. And this next time, Jeonghan would be bold enough to exchange numbers with you.

ᯓ★ Joshua

✰ You met Joshua at the little sandwich shop the members visited on their first morning in Rome. You were living in Rome for a short while and had become a regular at the sandwich shop. One morning, you headed there to get your lunch for the day. When you stepped into the shop, it was surprisingly busy and full of tall, attractive men. You flushed. They were the most attractive people you had ever seen. You observed them hovering around the display while trying to figure out what to eat. The clerk behind the counter gave you an apologetic smile. It seemed like this would take a while. Noticing your presence, Joshua turned to you. He shooed the rest of the men to the side and waved you over, telling you to please go ahead of them. You stepped closer to him but shook your head. You asked him if they needed help deciding what to eat. Since you were a regular, maybe you could recommend some things for them? 

✰ Joshua agreed enthusiastically, introducing himself while giving you a bright, toothy smile. His eyes curved into crescent moons, which was one of the most adorable sights you ever saw. Clearing your throat to stop yourself from fainting on the spot, you shyly told Joshua your name before telling the clerk to make them a few of the shop’s signature sandwiches. With that done, you also placed an order for your sandwich. The men cheered loudly. They were certainly chaotic. Some of them began moving to the back to get a place to sit, and others were getting drinks. Was that wine? In the morning on a weekday? You raised a brow at Joshua. He chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. You giggled at his response. 

✰ Your giggles quietened down as you stared at Joshua. He gazed upon the rest of the men so fondly. His gaze was just so full of love, it made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. You turned away, the heat rising to your cheeks. He was making you feel all sorts of things. Unbeknownst to you, Joshua was feeling butterflies in his stomach from being in such close proximity to you. You certainly had a certain effect on him, but he was on camera and given what happened in the previous months, he had to be extra careful. Exhaling to calm his beating heart, he excused himself to talk to Dino, who was at the counter trying to settle the payment. He told Dino to pay for your meal as well since you had helped them to order the food, and he asked the clerk for a pen and a piece of paper. 

✰ You gave Joshua a faint smile when he collected the sandwiches for his members and walked to the back of the shop to eat with them. You were a little sad and disappointed Joshua walked away, but what could you do? You just met him and he was with his friends. You got your order and stared at Joshua’s back one last time longingly. Turning to pay, you were shocked when the clerk said your meal would be paid for by Joshua’s group. And, you were even more shocked when you were handed a piece of paper with writing on it. Running your eyes over the writing, you gasped. You glanced at Joshua who was giving you a small smile. You grinned at him in response, both as thanks for the meal and as acknowledgement for what was written on the paper. Giddily exiting the shop, you reread what was on the paper - Thanks for helping us. I’m just traveling through Rome, but maybe you could give me a call sometime? ;) Joshua

ᯓ★ Junhui

✰ You met Jun at the airport custom’s line. You were arriving in Rome around the same time as seventeen and you had to go through the hassle of clearing customs. For some reason, you had to go through a really complicated visa application process and the waiting line at the airport to go through customs was criminally long. You pouted in frustration. You were an impatient person so waiting in line was horribly boring and a huge pain for you. 

✰ Meanwhile, Jun and Minghao was waiting in line behind you. Minghao was trying to coordinate with the staff members to ensure they would both know where to meet everyone else once they were done. Jun on the other hand… well he’s just so cat-like… so he was turning around curiously to take in the sights of the Leonardo da Vinci airport. He was fascinated by everything. But when he turned back to face forward, Jun’s attention was captured by one of the trinkets hanging on your bag. He raised a finger to give it a little poke, only to be stopped by Minghao giving him a disapproving stare. Jun pursed his lips, defiantly poking at the trinket while staring Minghao straight in his eyes. One or two little pokes wouldn’t hurt you. Of course, Jun was wrong and you did feel something nudging at your bag. You swiveled around instinctively, ready to tell off whoever was trying to touch your stuff without permission. 

✰ Your fiery gaze was met with Jun’s innocent, curious looking eyes. He muttered a soft apology to you. You sighed, your anger dissipating almost immediately. He just looked so bored like you, and so innocent. You didn’t have the heart to give him a piece of your mind. Instead, you shifted your bag closer to him so Jun could take a closer look at the trinket. Jun perked up, inspecting the trinket carefully as you told him where you got it from. Minghao was sheepishly looking at you but you waved him off. Jun was just as bored as you. This would prove to alleviate both your boredom. Honestly, it was quite endearing to see how fascinated Jun was with that little trinket. The trinket was just something you happened to get because it was cute, and then there Jun, who was staring at it as if it was limited edition merchandise. 

✰ The line moved quickly with you conversing with Jun the entire time. He was cute and his curiosity really reminded you of a little, quirky, lovable, orange cat. Since you were in front of Jun and Minghao, you did have to part with them first to get through customs. Once you were out, you fiddled with the trinket on your bag. You didn’t really need it, and Jun seemed to really like it. You took it off your bag, and waited for Jun to come out of the line. He seemed to brighten up when he saw you were still there waiting for him. You stretched out your hand, dropping the trinket in his. You reassured him you wanted him to have it. Jun laughed, telling you he would treasure it and use it well. Pausing for a little while to think, Jun whipped his phone out and handed it to you. You tilted your head, confused by his actions. You saw him open the phone number app. Giving him a cheeky smile, you keyed in your number. Then, when you saw Minghao emerge from customs, you bid Jun farewell telling him to call you. Making your way to catch your bus, you giggled. So maybe you had a thing for innocent, adorable looking, cat-like men. Who knew? 

taglist: @weird-bookworm @wonijinjin @babyleostuff @wishing-fieshes @kwanienies

@mayashu @megseungmin @porridgesblog @haecien @mirxzii

@scoupsofcherries @eightlightstar @brownsugarbaybee @zaggprincess2 @nonononranghaee

@hrts4hanniehae @treehouse-mouse @vcutparis @heavenfilm @bananabubble

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@carlesscat-thinklogic23 @jjeongddol @jespecially @gyuguys @eros-aurras

@iamawkwardandshy @mankidoll @hursheys @zozojella

This concept sounds so cool, and I loved reading the teaser! Can’t wait for the series to drop!

↳ ❝ [temptation masterlist] ¡! ❞

⇢ ˗ˏˋ this is where you can find all chapters, special stories, and info for my series temptation

— yandere!faerie!txt x reader

synopsis— "After a shipwreck that left you stranded, you now find yourself stuck on a remote island. Distracted by the beauty, freedom, and five boys that inhabit the land, you fall further into the arms of temptation. That is, until strange events make you question what secrets lay buried beneath the sand."

last updated ; august 2nd, 2024

✧.* content tags . . .

peter-pan!au, yandere themes, obsessive behavior, stalker behavior, manipulative behavior, violence, dead animals, mentions of murder, more to be added...

✧.* main series . . .

00. teaser

✧.* special stories . . .

—nothing here yet!

© cybsoo2 2024, all rights reserved ‎

Heartbreaking :( this was a good story though, I enjoyed reading it!

Whispers of Gloom || Junhui

Pairings: Junhui x Fem!Reader

Genre: Angst, Established Relationship au!, Breakup au!

Synopsis: Your boyfriend has always been bad at communicating but when have you ever failed to see through him? So when he falls out of love evidently and struggles within, you decide to be his anchor for one last time.

Warnings: Junhui is in emotional constipation, breakup, regrets, tears, heartache.

Word Count: 2.8k

[ SVT Masterlist ] [ SVT Flick - Fic Masterlist ]

Jun returns to the apartment late, yet again. But instead of the usual darkness, he sees light flooding into the hallway from the dimly lit dining.

He's alarmed instantly when he sees you sitting quietly, eyes closed. Because you don't wait up for him, you used to but however you don't nowadays.

When the footsteps approach closer, you open your eyes looking at him.

"I made your favourite dessert.", you say getting up from the chair and walking into the kitchen, "Made your favourite dishes as well but you must have had dinner already so you can eat it tomorrow or whenever it's suitable for you."

Jun is confused, never a man of many words, he just pulls a chair and sits across from where you were sat.

You serve him a slice of blueberry cheesecake.

"Why are you still up?", he finally asks, taking in a bite, the flavours melting in his mouth.

"We'll talk after you finish eating.", you take a seat beside him. Though finding it odd, he obliges.

You run your hand through his hair, feeling the silky locks slipping through your fingers. You must have been doing it for a while because Jun grabs your hand, searching for your gaze.

Your eyes land on the empty plate and you take a deep breath, a small smile plastering on your lips.

"Am I missing an important date?", Jun asks in an edgy tone but you're quick to dismiss that.

"We've been together for 7 years. Before that, been good friends for another 4, so that makes 11 years in total.", you state as a matter of fact, "So I think I can claim that I know you the best, even better than you know yourself, right?"

Jun nods but his mouth goes dry for some reason, he isn't aware of.

"Now, whatever I'm going to say just repeat after me."

"What? Why?"

"Trust me one more time.", you say quietly, "I'll rescue you from another sticky situation, like I've always done. So just repeat after me okay?"

"Y/N, I'm--"

"Please.", your voice is stern, leaving no room for further questioning.

"Word by word okay?", you free your hand from your boyfriend's grip, "Say 'Y/N, I don't feel the same for you anymore, I've fallen out of love.'"

Jun freezes. He feels, he has been bared out. Was he acting so obvious? It's you, his partner who can read him like an open book.

He often wonders if you can read his mind as well.

"Y/N, I don't feel the same for you anymore, I've fallen out of love.", he repeats as promised, his voice almost quivering.

"It's okay, feelings change, you outgrow people.", you say, but every word you speak leaves a bitter aftertaste in your tongue, "Now tell me that 'I have been trying to tell you for a while but I wasn't sure how to do that without hurting you.'"

His head hangs low as he repeats after you.

"I have known it for a while. You might not be good at communicating but your actions speak volumes.", you pat on his shoulder urging him to meet your gaze, "I watched you turning from a partner to simply a roommate I share my bed with. We've stopped going on dates, we don't speak much. Intimacy is out of scope. Even though sharing this apartment, we don't spend time together. We've stopped kissing hello's and goodbye's. Heck, we didn't even have fights, it's like you gave up on us even before trying."

You try so hard to blink away the tears but how could you turn down a whole stream?

Your voice betrays you and with a croak you continue, "You don't have to stay late out just to avoid me. And the ring--"

His head whips up, eyes wide as he asks, "You knew about the ring?"

"I accidentally found it when I was cleaning the house one afternoon. I remember how I froze on the spot and screamed out in happiness. It was so hard to put it back in place and pretend like not knowing about it's existence."

Now it's his turn, you watch in pain as Jun sobs, hiding his face behind his palms. The distance forms a wall and suddenly you can't find yourself to engulf him in your embrace like you've always done.

"I waited each day for you to propose me. Sounds stupid, I know.", you try to joke, "But while doing so I noticed the changes in your demeanor. Tried to shake them off, thought it's just a phase, it'll go away. You love me so you'll eventually come back to me but I realized that five months is too long for a phase to stick in.", your voice grows quieter, your gaze fixated on your lap, "Then I was able to put it all together. You always act on whims so the outcome of one such episode made you buy the ring but your feelings started to change."

Jun's memories lingers back on how he had shut you out. Dismissed your every attempt of rekindle. He was only thinking about himself back then but now his mind burns with the hurt and disappointment those etched on your face everytime he did so.

"Do you think it was a wrong move to ask you out? Maybe it would have been better if we stayed as friends? You were still recovering from the breakup. I have always thought we had connection but what scared me was the thought of being a mere rebound. Maybe I started as a placeholder but we progressed. I was so proud of us, I was so in love. I still am."

He watches your dazed vision, as you speak your thoughts out in a monologue.

This makes Jun contemplate if feelings can really change? To be exact, if he really stopped loving you romantically? If so, then why is he breaking apart over the thought of losing you?

"Jun".

Not 'Baby'. He's not your baby anymore.

"I have marked all the important dates on the table calendar, make sure to set the reminders in your phone or you'll miss each one of them.", you say walking into the bedroom. Jun follows as if he's been put on an autopilot.

When you open the closet, his heart drops. It now has just his clothes, yours are gone. Your words fall on deaf ears as he looks in front. Somedays back you both had agreed on remodeling it because the space was becoming tight to keep both of your belongings and now there's so much space that it's almost empty.

He then follows you to the bathroom, none of your skincare products or medication, remains only his.

In the kitchen, you tell him that you've pasted all containers with labels having the name and expiry date written. You show him the cabinets and counter, informing him where he can find what all.

When you go to the verandah, Jun finally speaks, "You've taken the plants?"

You purse your lips in a thin line, "It'd be a hassle for you, anyways, it's my habit of growing them. It's been a week since I have moved them to Seungkwan's garden.... You were too pre-occupied to notice."

Leave behind something that's belongs to you, please.

His heart screams out the words, only if you could hear those.

"The Paris trip we planned to celebrate our anniversary, I cancelled the tickets and all the reservations.", you inform him, "I just a need one last favour from you. In the last drawer of the nightstand, there's the birthday gift for your brother. It's something he's has been wanting for long, so please make sure to give it to him."

How do I tell my family about what became of us? They love you more than me. They'll never forgive me.

You tell him a few more things which barely reach him.

Then a few moments later, you leave and re-emerge with your luggage.

Jun just observes, it's like he has lost his cognitive abilities. He wants you to stay, to ask where are you going at dawn hours, where is your accommodation, who's gonna stay with you but nothing gets past his lips.

"It's 4 already. Juhyun must be waiting.", you check the time and look at him. Wiping his tears you say, "I'll be staying at Juhyun's for the time being, though I have short listed some of the places, I'll try to finalize on one of them asap. Also, I couldn't take everything with me, so Jihoon will contact you to come and take the rest of my--"

"Can I hug you?", Jun cuts you off abruptly and you're instantly wrapping your arms around him.

He dips his nose on your shoulder blade, murmuring, "I'm sorry, Y/N. I don't want to let go and I know I'll be regretting everything. I don't even remember if I had a life before you, without you. Please let's stay like this for sometime."

You don't know for how long you both stay in each other's embrace in silence until you feel his hands trying to pull you closer which seems impossible considering the proximity. He pulls away only to rest his forehead on yours, "Was I a bad boyfriend?"

You sigh, "How do I set a bar for what's good and what's bad? I just know that I have loved you as the way you were, with all your flaws, with all your strengths."

He's so tempted to kiss your tears away but he knows he shouldn't so he wouldn't.

"And you're the best thing that's ever been mine. I-I'm just..", he trails off.

There's one more question that's at the tip of his tongue. Something he's not scared to ask but definitely scared to hear the answer of.

Will I see you again?

You read his eyes, your answer never spoken out.

I don't think I can handle seeing you once I leave because you fell out of love, I never did.

"I should really leave now.", you say taking off his hands gently while stepping away.

You don't wait anymore, not even a look at your now ex-boyfriend or the apartment, you just scurry away.

Because one look back at everything you once had was enough to dissolve your resolute.

Jun wonders if he's even prepared for his life ahead (without you in it).

There are pros and cons of having the same circle.

It's the wedding ceremony of Juhyun and Joshua today. Everyone is excited and happy. Months and months of planning, all just to see this day.

Seungkwan stands beside Jun as they both watch Jihoon singing to the crowd, fondly.

Jun's mind bears a sail of thoughts. All of them revolving around you. He looks at the couple of the honour, soon to be newlyweds.

Just like you and Jun, Juhyun and Joshua are also friends turned lovers. They've dated for around 5 years before deciding to the level up their relationship. There was a bet within the group to see which one among the two couples would tie the knot first.

Well Seungkwan isn't happy, obviously not because he lost the bet.

It's been almost a half an year since Junhui got to see you. You've done a great job in avoiding him all this time despite of sharing the same circle. Though it was upsetting but everyone understood when you straight up rejected their invitations for any celebrations. Their love for you, have made them patient.

So when Jun out of guilt stop attending the patties as well, they comforted him.

He misses you, before being his girlfriend, you were his closest friend, so loosing you substracted a partner and a comrade from his life.

Everyone knows you'll be coming today, no exceptions this time, you have to be there for the wedding because you're the maid of honour and Jun, the best man. This was decided way before you two broke up. Jun remembers how you joked about catching the bouquet so that you'd be next in line.

He is tired of pestering everyone else to know about your updates. You've stopped posting on your social media and you don't reply in the group chats anymore.

He just wants to see you. The tangent of his life took a hit with everything that happened. Didn't he make it evident that his feelings changed, so why is he hurting?

You take a deep breath. You're doing better but you don't know what will happen once you see Jun. It's not pathetic, you know, you chose not to move on yet because it's your feelings for him, still safe with you as long as they don't make you vulnerable.

As you step into the venue, you feel all eyes on you. You have no choice but to greet Jun as your whole group is sat at a corner and unfortunately or fortunately, he's a part of the same group.

You hug everyone except him. But it's impossible to avoid him any longer when you constantly feel his eyes on you. It's awkward when you both have to stand side by side on the stage when giving speeches and almost face to face from the opposite sides of stage during the entire ceremony.

You really wanted to leave as soon as the reception event started but you didn't want to upset them, they've been supportive specially Juhyun and it would have been wrong to not be entirely present during her and Joshua's big day.

Jun hesitates a lot about approaching you. He doesn't want to evade your personal space knowing he could be the reason you could leave the venue any moment.

"Just don't say something which would make us throw hands at you.", Jihoon says before giving him a hard push.

He almost stumbles upon and finds himself in front of you.

"Do you think there's a chance of reconciliation?", Seungkwan asks hopefully.

"I don't know if it would do them any good but they're both suffering so whatever makes them happy.", Jihoon answers.

"Are you okay?", you ask in concern, it comes out so easily, as a habit.

Jun clears his throat and nods before meeting your eyes, "It's nice to see you again. You're looking beautiful."

You smile genuinely at him, "You too clean up nice. You've grown your hair, it's suiting you."

It isn't as hard as you've imagined it to be. While being with the entire group, you actively participate in the conversations and don't cower away when talking to Jun. Everyone is relieved at your cheary persona, you are proud of yourself.

The night grows and you appreciate that even though you haven't drawn a prominent boundary but Jun is respecting it by trying not to engage or overbear you with his presence.

But his eyes, they don't leave you. He's not sure when he'll get to see again, so he's memorizing you, your voice, your scent, your features.

It's time to leave and Seungkwan ushers you into his car. You take the passenger's seat while he goes off to bid farewell to the rest.

You're scrolling through your phone when someone takes the driver's seat and you raise your head expecting it to be Seungkwan only to see Jun.

Seungkwan settles behind, rather lays down on the backseat.

"He claims he's tipsy, so he can't drive.", Jun answers before you could even ask.

There's an awkward silence looming over and Jun decides to break it.

"Yang loved your gift, he cried upon recieving it.", he says a soft smile gracing on his lips.

You nod, mirroring his smile, "How is everyone?"

"They're all fine. They miss you.", he says.

But I miss you the most. Do you hate me?

"How's your work going on? Did you submit your proposal?", he asks sweeping a glance on you.

"About that..", your twiddle with your fingers, "I submitted it and it went through."

His eyes widen, a big smile now etched on his face, "Congratulations! Oh my god, I'm so proud of you bab-- Y/N."

"Thanks.", your smile not reaching your eyes, "To get started on that, I need to work from Australia for two years. I have a choice to extend my stay as per my like and I'm leaving in the next two months."

His face falls instantly. Seungkwan suppresses his urge to scream and goes back to pretend like he's sleeping.

"Do you want to go?", Jun asks trying his best to keep his eyes on the road.

"I don't know.", you admit, "Leaving this place would be difficult but I think it would be a good change for me. It's not like I'm gone forever."

The rest of ride goes silent.

"Thanks", you say before sliding out of the car when he drops you in front of your apartment building.

As you walk away he calls out your name and you turn to see him running towards you.

"If you need anything, any help, just call me.", he pleads, "I know I'm probably someone you'd never want to see again but please do contact me."

You look at him bewildered before nodding, "Okay, I can't promise anything but I will keep that in mind."

As he watches your diminishing figure in plain sight, tear start to stream down his face.

Maybe it's just a wistful thinking, probably mindless dreaming but if love finds you two again, he swears he'd love you right.

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