Chapter 6 - Its Not Your Fault

Chapter 6 - It’s Not Your Fault

You and Levi are walking into the enormous room for the opening ceremony. Your father’s company definitely went all out for this. The decorations and the snacks look amazing. You take a seat towards the back and check the time. It’s 5 oclock, hopefully this doesn’t go too long so you can get some sleep.

There’s quite a few speakers, most of them just introducing themselves so you know who they are for the week. Most of the time you tune them out and stare at the wall. You sneak a glance at Levi to see him paying very close attention to what the speakers are saying. You hide your smile that is forming.

Your Dad walks on stage and everyone's on their feet clapping.

“My name is Felix L/n, and as you know, I’m the CEO of this company”, Your Dad says with a smile.

It’s a little strange to see him in this setting. Even though you will take over the company one day, he’s always been very good about making sure you don’t experience the stress of the company. He wanted you to have somewhat of a normal life. Now that you will be graduating in the spring, you have to start learning about the company and taking on more responsibilities.

Your Dad is talking about his slideshow. He goes to the next slide and you see many different pictures of you. This makes you groan and you put your hand on your face. Levi chuckles at your embarrassment.

“This is my daughter, Y/n. She is your future CEO”, He says proudly. You hear a few gasps throughout the room. “Y/n will be graduating from University in the spring, and will be more involved with the company. So get used to seeing her face. In fact, she is here now in the crowd. Y/n please stand so everyone is able to see you.”

You are absolutely mortified. A small blush creeps on your cheeks and you awkwardly stand and wave. You look around and everyone is smiling at you.

“That’s my girl! Isn’t she beautiful? Single too!”, Your dad says happily.

“Oh my god”, You whisper. You sit down and put your head in your hands. You’re so embarrassed and ready to go back to the hotel.

Your Dad continues, “Cocktail hour will last an hour after this. Please come say hello to my daughter and I!”

You glare at your Dad. He said that on purpose so you couldn’t leave. You’re only staying for one hour and that’s it. Any longer and you will throw a fit.

As your Dad is making his final announcements, you sit with your arms crossed and a small pout.

Levi leans over, “Don’t be so childish.”

You whisper back, “I hope you realize my Dad is going to force me to talk to single men for the next hour. That sounds like torture to me.”

Levi looks at you confused, “Why wouldn’t you enjoy that?”

You sigh, “They only want me for my money and the company” You show Levi a weak smile, “But it’s okay, I can handle myself.”

The first thing you do when cocktail hour starts is chug a glass of champagne. You reach for another one and stomp over to your Dad.

“Would you like to explain to me what the hell that was all about?”, You ask angrily.

“Language, Y/n. I just wanted to give you a warm introduction”, He responds with a smile.

You roll your eyes, “It sounded like you were trying to marry me off. Please don’t ever do that again without letting me know ahead of time. I may be single, but I’m okay with that.”

Your Dad winks at you, “For now.”

You spend the next hour talking to countless men. Some talk only business with you, while others flirt incessantly with you.You were trying to be cordial, but there was one man who was really getting under your skin. Levi kept his distance during all of this, but had his eyes on you the entire time.

After one hour of non-stop talking and four glasses of champagne you were ready for bed. You were leaving the bathroom when someone put their arm against the wall, blocking you from heading to your car.

You look up annoyed, and when you see who it is you are even more angry.

“How about you tell me which hotel you’re staying at, and I’ll come spend the night”, Floch says with a wink.

“How about you step the fuck aside or else I’ll break your nose?”, You say with no hint of amusement. You were done with his bullshit.

His eyes widen, “Where did the sweet Y/n go that I was talking to 20 minutes ago?”

“She left the second you decided to put yourself in my personal space. Now please step aside”, You reply.

Floch smiles and whispers closer to your face, “Make me.”

You groan and push him aside. As you walk past him he grabs your arm hard and pulls you back to him. At this point your heart is hammering in your chest.

“Let me go now!”, You shout.

Floch squeezes your wrist so hard that your hand starts going numb.

You wince, “Ow! Floch stop messing around, you’re actually hurting me!”

You stomp on his foot as hard as you can with your heels. Just as he’s letting go of your wrist to grab his foot, something flashes in front of you.

Levi punches Floch so hard in the face that he falls onto the ground and isn’t moving.

“Holy shit did you kill him?”, You ask in shock.

Levi doesn’t answer. He runs to you and carefully picks up your wrist. You see the murder in his eyes as he sees your now bruising wrist.

You grab his arm so he looks at you, “I’m okay, Levi. It hurt, but I handled myself like I told you I would.”

He looks away from you and walks back to Floch. He checks to make sure he still has a pulse and stands up.

Your Dad and his bodyguard come running out, “Y/n! Levi! Are you alright!?”

You sigh, “Yeah Dad I’m okay. Just a little bruise. This asshole, Floch, wouldn’t take no for an answer. I stomped on his foot and then Levi took care of the rest.”

Your Dad nearly broke out into tears and ran to hug you.

“I’m so sorry, honey. This is all my fault.” He turns to Levi and scolds him, “Where were you!? Aren’t I paying you to protect my daughter? Why was she injured under your care? Why did she have to get this slimeball off of herself?”

“Dad! No it’s not his fa-”, You start to argue.

“I’m so sorry, sir. Y/n was going to the bathroom, so I took that time to also go to the bathroom. It is all my fault, I should’ve waited until we were back in the hotel room”, Levi says frantically.

You step in front of Levi and face your Dad.

“None of this is Levi’s fault”, You say sternly. You see your Dad roll his eyes, “No you look me in the eyes right now! This is not Levi’s fault. It’s nobody’s fault besides that asshole laying on the floor. Levi did everything right”, You say with fire in your eyes.

Your Dad is taken back by your little outburst. Levi is also standing there with wide eyes. He was shocked at how much you were defending him.

Your Dad stutters, “R-right. Okay. I’m sorry.” He looks at Levi, “None of this was your fault. Thank you for looking after Y/n.” He calls over more guards, “Please escort Floch off the premises. He is not allowed to return to this conference.

The ride back to your hotel room was silent. You knew you were both exhausted, but you just hope Levi was beating himself up over this.

When you get to your suite, Levi walks straight to his room.

“Hey wait”, You call after him.

He turns around and you can see the guilt in his eyes.

“Levi, I meant every word I said. This wasn’t your fault. It was just bad timing, but I would’ve been fine”, You say confidently.

Levi slowly walks up to you and gently holds up your wrist. He looks at the bruises, and his face looks like he’s in pain.

“It’s okay, Levi. I’ve experienced much worse pain”, You say with a small smile.

He looks at you and quietly says, “I’m so sorry, Y/n. I should’ve been there.”

Before you could say anything he gently kisses the inside of your wrist. When he notices you don’t pull away, he kisses all of your wrist. Covering the bruises in his kisses.

Your face is completely red and your mouth is slightly open in shock. He looks up at you, a light blush covering his cheeks.

For a second you think he might kiss you. He slowly put your wrist back down.

“Get some sleep, Y/n”, He says quietly and turns to go into his room.

His door closes and you nearly fall to the ground. Did that just happen!?

You walk into your bedroom and get into your pajamas. Your head hits the pillow and you feel your heart still fluttering from what just happened. You check the time and see that it’s only 8pm. You lift your arm and in the moonlight, the bruises didn’t look too bad. You didn’t care. All you could think about were the invisible remnants of Levi’s lips.

Why are you acting this way? You feel so happy, but why? Does Levi really have that much of an effect on you?

Your thoughts start to jumble as you slowly drift off into a deep sleep.

-

You wake up and stretch while laying down. You can tell you just slept like a rock. You check the time and see that it’s 9:30am. Holy shit you just slept for 13 hours. You slowly sit up and stare at the mirror. Your hair is a mess and you look terrible. You look at your calendar on your phone, thankfully the first event isn’t until noon.

You sneak to the bathroom with a change of clothes. You were relieved Levi didn’t have to see how disgusting you look. The warm water did wonders for your headache. You went to grab your shampoo, you notice the bruises on your wrist. You had almost forgotten about them after your encounter with Levi. They were a deep purple and covered your entire wrist. Honestly, your wrist was extremely sore but you weren’t going to say anything.

After your shower, you dry off and get dressed. When you walk into the living room you see Levi sitting there eating breakfast.

“Morning, sleepy head. I didn’t think you would ever wake up”, He says with a smirk.

You smile, “Yeah I guess I was really tired.”

He gestures to another plate, “I ordered you room service since you weren’t awake to do it yourself.”

“Oh thank you!”, You walk over to the table and sit down.

You both eat breakfast in silence. It was a little awkward, but you were trying to ignore it.

“So did you sleep well?”, You ask.

He responds, “Yeah. I didn’t realize how jet lagged I was until I laid down.”

You giggle at the thought of Levi passing out on his bed.

He looks shyly at your wrist from across the room, “Does your wrist hurt?”

“No”, You lie. Shit you definitely responded too quickly.

Levi gives you the stink eye and walks to the refrigerator. He comes over to you with an ice pack and gently lays it on your wrist.

You smile, “Thank you. It really will be okay. It’s only sore.” You change the subject, “Are you excited for all of today’s sessions?”

He responds sarcastically, “Oh yeah. So excited.”

You laugh and say, “Hopefully it won’t be too boring. At least there will be good food.”

Levi nods in agreement. Afterwards there is a knock at the door. Levi lets Historia in and she gestures you to your bedroom. You follow her and she helps you with your hair and makeup. You make sure to wear something with long sleeves.

-

12 hours later

You and Levi walk inside the suite and plop on the couch.

You sigh, “I’m not going to lie, that was rough.”

Levi responds, “My brain feels like mush.”

You laugh and rub your head. Thankfully tomorrow is one of your days off, you couldn’t wait to explore.

“Hey, would you want to go to the beach tomorrow?”, You ask Levi.

“Well it’s not like I really have a choice. I will be going wherever you go”, He says curtly.

You don’t love that answer. “Well I want you to make your own choice for tomorrow. Forget about work for a little bit. What do you want to do?”, You ask curiously.

He thinks for a moment and then smirks, “Yeah I guess the beach does sound nice. I’ve always wanted to see the ocean.”

Next Chapter

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author’s Note: I do have a tag list, so if you’re interested in being added let me know! 😊

Tag list: @awesomeness1679 @onecelestialbeing

Chapter 1 - My First Day

The shrill sound of an alarm on a cold winter morning. Arguably one of the worst feelings. You roll over in bed and hit snooze, maybe in 5 minutes you’ll be more awake. The next alarm goes off and you groan. You decide to sit up and stare at the wall for a few minutes while you slowly come to.

Looking at your phone you see a text message waiting for you. Sasha texted you that she would be over at 7:30 to go to school together.

You look at the time and see that it’s 6:40. You walk to your bathroom and start getting ready.

Today was your first day of your senior year of college. You were so glad to be done with school in two semesters.

You spent a few extra minutes on your hair and makeup. Because of your name, you’re expected to be put together. Not that you couldn’t have fun, but when it came to school you needed to be extra focused.

After graduating, you were expected to start working at your dad’s company. One day he would pass down the responsibilities to you. Was it something you dreamed of doing? No, not really. But it also wasn’t the worst thing.

Sasha texted you that she was at your door. You walk over and buzz her in. Thank god your family allowed you to move into your own apartment after high school. You were almost forced to live at home.

“Come in!”, You yell at the knock on the door.

Sasha walks in with a bright smile, “Hi Y/n!”

You smile and wave as you grab a piece of toast and coffee. You text your driver that you’re ready to leave. Yes, unfortunately your parents insisted that you have a driver.

“Let’s head downstairs”, You say to Sasha.

Both of you walk to the elevator.

While waiting to get to the ground floor Sasha asks, “So where’s the new bodyguard?”

You grumble, “I have to meet him tonight after classes.”

You walk into the lobby and stand by the doors waiting on your driver.

“Y/n, I don’t think a bodyguard is a bad idea. With everything that happened last month it might be a g-”

“Sasha. I appreciate your concern, but I’d really rather not think about that right now”, You give her a weak smile and she drops it.

Seeing your driver you walk to the car and slide in.

“Good morning, Miss. Y/n”, says your driver.

You give him a smile, “Good morning.”

Sasha looks to you as the car starts moving, “Look I’m sorry I brought that up, Y/n. I was just worried about you, but let’s focus on having a good first day.”

You look at Sasha, “Of course. I’m sorry for being so cold earlier, I honestly didn’t get much sleep last night.”

Sasha giggles, “That’s okay.”

You and Sasha goofed around the rest of the car ride. Both of you are trying to get rid of the first day of school jitters.

“I’m so sad we don’t have any classes together”, You whine.

Sasha laughs, “Well you should have majored in nutrition instead of business!”

You both laugh. Sasha is truly pursuing her dream career which was food. You admired her for following her passion.

You hop out of the car and thank your driver.

“Do you want to meet up for lunch after classes? Maybe we can get together with the rest of the gang?”, Sasha asks.

You smile, “Yeah let’s do it! I’m done at noon so just text the group chat where we’re meeting.”

Sasha replies, “Okay! Good luck!”

You both head to your separate buildings. You’re feeling pretty nervous since it’s your first day. The only classes you have left to take are for your major, and you’re the only business major in your friend group. You have a few acquaintances in your major, but your school is huge and you don’t know if they’ll be in your classes.

You quickly walk into the classroom and find a seat in the middle row. You pull out your laptop and get your notes ready. You check your phone and see you have a few minutes until class starts. You check the group chat to see that there are a bunch of unread messages.

You smile at your friend’s messages. They’re excited to meet up for lunch because it’s been a few months since the gang got together. The room is starting to fill up and you notice someone pulling out the seat beside you.

The boy smiles and says, “Hi I’m Eren. Is it okay if I sit here?”

“Yes! I’m Y/n”, You smile back.

He has dark brown hair, but what really sticks out to you are his piercing green eyes. You had never seen him before.

“I transferred to New York from my school in California”, Eren tells you.

You respond, “Oh that explains why I didn’t recognize you. Are you enjoying the city so far?”

Eren laughs, “I am. I’m excited about the change of pace.”

You smile at him, unable to respond because your professor starts the lecture.

The rest of your classes go by in a blur. To your relief, Eren had the same classes as you so you felt less alone. You thought about inviting him to lunch, but decided against it since you hadn’t seen your friends in a while.

You face Eren and say, “Well it was great meeting you. I’m assuming I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Eren replies with a smile, “I hope so.”

You feel a small blush creep on your face and say, “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

You both wave and you start walking a few blocks to the cafe you’re meeting your friends at. Trying to shake those green eyes out of your head.

“Y/n!!!”, You look to see your group of friends already at a table.

You get a big smile on your face and run over to hug each of them.

“I’ve missed you all so much!”, You gush.

Jean squeezes you extra hard, “But you missed me the most right?”

You laugh and slap his arm. You all get seated and start catching up.

“Armin, how was your summer internship?”, You ask.

He replies with a smile, “It was never boring! Lots of experiments and work. The person I was shadowing was a lot of fun, but she was a bit of a workaholic.”

You giggle, “So not much free time?”

“No”, He responds, “But I learned a lot and I’m hoping I’ll get a job there once I graduate.”

Connie interrupts, “My turn! I had a blast working at a really cool restaurant! Sasha and I got into some trouble though.”

Jean scoffs, “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

You smile and say, “What about you, Mikasa?”

Mikasa replies quietly, “I spent most of the summer working out. I even learned how to fight!”

Your eyes light up, “You are so cool! Please teach me sometime!”

Mikasa smiles and nods.

Jean puffs out his chest, “Well I spent my summer interning with a company in Europe. The internship was okay but the girls wer-”

“Please don’t make me lose my appetite!”, Sasha yells.

Everyone laughs and eats lunch while catching up.

“So now that we are all back together, when are we going to go to a party? I heard Floch’s frat is having one this weekend to celebrate the beginning of the semester”, Jean says.

“I thought we were going to take our senior year more seriously?”, You laugh knowing that was never going to happen.

“I’m down!”, Connie says.

Sasha agrees, “Me too, as long as there’s food.”

“So then it’s settled! This friday night! We should all meet up at Y/n’s and pregame”, Jean says happily.

“That’s fine with me, I can supply the booze as long as you guys bring some snacks”, You reply.

You look at your phone and see a text from your dad, reminding you to be home in 30 minutes.

Crap. You text your driver and let him know where you are.

“Alright guys this was fun but I’ve gotta head out. Let’s get fucked up this weekend for old times sake”, You say with a smile.

Your group of friends erupt in agreement and you leave the cafe.

As you’re sitting in the car you sigh. You’re finally starting to feel more like yourself since the incident happened last month. You know your friends are worried about you, but hopefully this weekend can show them that you’re doing better.

You honestly can’t wait for this weekend. Letting loose and having fun with your friends sounded like exactly what you need.

You hop out of the car after thanking your driver and walk into the apartment building. Even though you’re happy to be on your own, you can't help but feel a little nostalgic. The elevator dings and you walk into the penthouse suite.

“Mom? Dad?”, You yell out.

“In the office!”, You hear your dad respond.

You take off your shoes and set your purse down. You walk into your dad’s office and your mom runs up and hugs you.

“Hi sweetie! How was your first day?” She asks.

“It was fine, Mom”, You respond uncomfortably because of the unknown person standing next to your dad. “Who’s this?”, You ask.

Your dad beams and gestures to the man, “This is Levi Ackerman, your new bodyguard.”

Next chapter

I’m Your Bodyguard, Not Your Boyfriend (Masterlist)

Summary: You honestly can’t wait for this weekend. Letting loose and having fun with your friends sounded like exactly what you need. You hop out of the car after thanking your driver and walk into the apartment building. Even though you’re happy to be on your own, you can’t help but feel a little nostalgic. The elevator dings and you walk into the penthouse suite. “Mom? Dad?”, You yell out. “In the office!”, You hear your dad respond. You take off your shoes and set your purse down. You walk into your dad’s office and your mom runs up and hugs you. “Hi sweetie! How was your first day?” She asks. “It was fine, Mom”, You respond uncomfortably because of the unknown person standing next to your dad. “Who’s this?”, You ask. Your dad beams and gestures to the man, “This is Levi Ackerman, your new bodyguard.”

Pairing: Levi Ackerman x reader

Genre: Strangers to lovers; 18+ rating

Word Count: 35k

Warnings: Foul language; alcohol consumption; violence; explicit sexual content 

Author’s Note: This story was originally posted on AO3, so I apologize for the amount of chapters. I’m also new to posting on Tumblr, so please be patient while I figure everything out 😊This story is complete, so I will be slowly getting the chapters here. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter One 

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven 

Chapter Twelve 

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter 8 - A New Friend

The car ride to the convention was pin drop silent. Yesterday after your phone call with Sasha, you had your driver take you to In-And-Out. Thankfully, you were able to quickly sneak out without Levi noticing. As you were driving away, you saw Levi running towards the car. It was too late though, he wasn’t able to catch you.

As soon as you got back, Levi was waiting on the curb for you. He gave you a tense lecture for about an hour. Honestly you were barely listening. Afterwards you spent the rest of the evening in bed watching tv.

Your phone buzzed, bringing you out of your daydream. Sasha was just checking in to see how you were doing. You lied and said that you were 100% better. You told her that you had been drinking so that’s why you were so emotional. Obviously that was a lie, but she didn’t push you on the subject.

You spent extra time on your appearance this morning hoping that it would make you feel better. It helped a little with your confidence, but you couldn’t deny the hurt you felt deep inside.

The car pulled up to the convention center, you got out of the car and went into the building. Not bothering to wait on Levi, you knew he would be tailing you anyway.

The first few sessions were boring. You really just weren’t in the right headspace for this. Thankfully, Levi watched over you from a distance today.

It was finally time for lunch and you were starving. You grab the salmon platter and head to a table alone. You sit down and start eating. Your anxiety starts creeping in, you can feel your body start to get overheated. Even as an adult, you can’t help but feel like a loser because you’re eating alone. All of your insecurities start creeping in and it feels like everyone is staring at you. Just as you’re starting to consider leaving, someone pulls the chair beside you and sits down.

You look over, relief immediately washing over you. You don’t care who it is, you're just glad to not be alone anymore. The man sitting next to you is very tall with blonde hair and noticeably thick eyebrows.

He looks at you and offers you his hand, “My name is Erwin Smith. I’ve been meaning to introduce myself. I’m one of the senior managers at your dad’s company.”

His smile puts you at ease and you shake his head, “It’s good to meet you. I’m Y/n.”

Erwin laughs, “Yes I know.”

You blush and internally cringe. Of course he knows your name, dumbass.

“I think I could be helpful to you as you begin transitioning into our company. I would like to be friends if you’re okay with that”, Erwin says sweetly.

You smile, “Oh yes of course! Thank you so much. Everyone already has their groups of friends, so it’s hard to meet anyone. Especially when you’re the CEO’s daughter. I think everyone is afraid of me.”

Erwin chuckles and puts a reassuring hand on your shoulder, “Don’t worry. I’ll help you meet everyone worth knowing.”

You spend the next hour getting to know Erwin. You don’t take his kindness lightly, you’re extremely grateful to him. Little do you know, a grumpy asshole has been staring daggers into the back of your head this whole time.

Erwin leans over, “Hey, are you and Levi a couple?”

You stare at him shocked, “Uh no. Why would you think that?”

He laughs, “No reason. I was just trying to figure out why he’s been glaring at us this whole time.”

You immediately turn your head around and your eyes meet Levi’s. He’s clearly pissed.

You turn back around and roll your eyes, “He’s technically my bodyguard, but he’s more like a pain in my ass.”

Erwin lets out a loud laugh, “I like your sass. Most people are intimidated by him.”

“Well I’m not most people”, You say teasingly. “Wait, how do you know Levi anyway?”, You ask.

“Oh Levi and I go way back. I’m actually the one who recommended him to your father for this bodyguard position”, Erwin says.

Your eyes open wide, “Wow really?

Erwin smiles and asks, “Is it hard to imagine Levi and I as friends?”

You giggle, “If I’m being honest, yes. You’re so kind and open, and Levi is so...wounded.”

Erwin raises his eyebrows, “I don’t know if I’ve ever heard someone use that word to describe Levi. Scary and stubborn are normally what people describe him as.” Erwin ponders the word for another moment, “It seems that you have seen right through Levi. Right to his very core. I’m very defensive of Levi, you see. Most people don’t give him a chance because of his cold demeanor. But if you even spend one second truly looking at him, you’ll see a bird who’s wing is broken. He’s wounded.”

You don’t acknowledge the tears that are threatening to fall onto your face.

You whisper, “I just wish he would let me in.” You wipe a tear and chuckle, “I must look so stupid. He’s my bodyguard after all. He could have any woman in this building if he wanted. Why did I think I even stood a chance.”

Erwin looks at you with concern, “Did something happen?”

You hesitate but choose to trust Erwin, especially knowing that he would never intentionally hurt Levi.

“Well, we kissed and did...other things”, Your face starts to redden but you continue, “Afterwards he was very cold to me, and when we got back to the hotel room he said that it was all a mistake. That it shouldn’t have happened.”

Erwin pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration, “That idiot.” He is quiet for a moment before starting again, “What if we test him to see if his real feelings for you come out?”

You look at him curiously, “What do you mean?”

Erwin smiles mischievously, “What if we act like we are starting to become romantically interested in each other? I know Levi, and if he truly has feelings for you he will become jealous immediately.”

You ask, “You don’t think Levi will be upset when we tell him it was a joke?”

“I think he’ll be more grateful that we helped him realize his true intentions”, Erwin says confidently.

You agreed to the plan, and you both casually talked while finishing your food. Your Dad soon approaches you, and Levi decides to also come over when he sees your father.

“Y/n! I’m glad to see you’ve finally met Erwin! Handsome fella, isn’t he?”, Your Dad asks with a smile.

You blush and remember your plan, “Yes he is, Dad.”

You don’t notice Levi’s eye twitch at your answer.

“Well, Y/n, I wanted you to come with me so we could discuss your plans for the rest of the day”, Your Dad looks to Levi, “There’s no need for you to come along since I will have my guards with me. Take the next few hours off to relax!”

Levi argues, “Sir I disagree. I don’t think I should be separated from Y/n.”

Your Dad responds, “Oh nonsense! She’ll be just fine.” He motions for you to follow him, “Come along.”

You walk after your father, but stop to look at Levi. He looks pissed and doesn’t break eye contact with you. You manage to pull your eyes away from him and catch up to you Dad.

Erwin’s POV

Levi is seething as he sits beside Erwin.

“Hey Levi, long time no s-”, Erwin starts.

“What the fuck are you doing with, Y/n?”, Levi asks bluntly.

Erwin plays dumb, “What are you talking about? I was getting to know her, we are going to be co-workers.”

Levi rolls his eyes, “Cut the bullshit, Erwin. I saw her blushing and I saw you laughing. You two looked like you were on a goddamned date.”

Erwin asks, “And if we were? Why does that matter to you?”

Levi looks away, “You can’t date my client.”

Erwin pushes, “Maybe, but I can fuck her.” Erwin has no intentions of that, but he wants to see how Levi will respond.

Levi snaps his head and stares daggers into your eyes. If looks could kill, Erwin would absolutely be dead right now.

“What the hell did you just say?”, Levi continues, “Look, you’re my friend but you are really pissing me off.”

Erwin doesn’t back down, “What’s wrong with me wanting to fuck Y/n?”

Levi growls, “I swear to god if you don’t stop saying that I’m going to put my fist through your skull.”

Erwin chuckles dryly, “I don’t see why this is an issue. You used to be my wingman, why can’t you be now?” Erwin pauses and then smiles, “Unless...you want to fuck Y/n as well.”

Levi whisper yells, “Oh my god I don’t just want to fuck Y/n! Can you stop saying the words fuck and Y/n!?”

Erwin teases, “Hmm so there’s more you want? Do you have feelings for this woman, Levi?”

Levi pushes out of his seat and as he walks away he says, “Fuck you.”

Erwin lets out a hearty laugh. His plan is already working.

Y/N’s POV

“Dad, do I have to?”, You ask.

“Absolutely. I won’t budge on this, it’s very important that you have a date to the company ball”, Your dad responds bluntly.

You sigh, “Well that would’ve been nice to know considering it’s tomorrow.”

Your dad chuckles, “I happen to have a few eligible bachelors that I could set you up with.”

You shake your head, “No that’s okay. I have someone in mind.”

You sit while your dad is talking to someone else, and pull out your phone. Luckily you had exchanged numbers. You pull up his name and start a text.

“Hey, Erwin. This is super last minute, but my dad insists that I have a date to the ball tomorrow. Would you like to go together?”

Erwin responds quickly, “Of course. I’ll pick you up at 8.”

You sigh and look out the window of the building. At least you’ll have someone to dance with, even if all you can think of is those gray eyes.

Next Chapter

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author’s Note: I do have a tag list, so if you’re interested in being added let me know! 😊

Tag list: @awesomeness1679 @onecelestialbeing

Chapter 13 - Night Out

The plane ride home wasn’t terrible. You took a few sleeping pills before getting on, so once you got to your seat you passed out. You woke to Levi shaking your shoulder. You spent the car ride from the airport to your apartment extremely disoriented and half asleep. Once you are finally home you crawl into your warm bed and immediately fall into a deep sleep.

The sun is what finally brings you out of your deep slumber. You forgot to close your curtains the night before, so the sun is shining in your face. You groggily grab your phone and check the time. It’s almost 10am on Saturday. Damn you slept for a long time, but you definitely needed it.

You check your missed messages and see that your friends are planning to meet around 8:30 that evening at a popular bar near campus.

Campus. You let out a groan. You nearly forgot that you were still in college. That week off of homework and tests was amazing.

Your phone rings and you pick it up.

“Hello?”, You ask.

“Don’t tell me you only just woke up!”, Sasha shouts into the phone.

You smirk, “Yeah I was super tired after the week I had.”

Sasha replies, “I suppose I’ll allow it. Anyway, can Mikasa and I come over? We thought it would be fun to catch up and then get ready together!”

Your eyes brighten, “Yeah that would be great! I can order us some food too.”

Sasha squeals, “YAAAAAY!!!!! We’ll be over in an hour!”

You laugh and then hang up the phone. You schedule your food to be delivered in a few hours from now and you finally drag yourself out of bed. You’re starving so you walk to the kitchen and make yourself some breakfast. You’re sitting at the table when you notice Levi walking out of his room. He’s completely dressed for the day and looks like he’s been up for a while.

“Decide to finally get your ass out of bed?”, He says as he walks to the couch.

You roll your eyes but don’t respond to him. You continue eating your breakfast.

Levi glares at you, “Now you’re ignoring me? Damn you really are a child.”

Your head snaps in his direction and you look him in the eyes, “I’m not a fucking child.”

He snaps back, “Could’ve fooled me.”

The next few minutes you finish your breakfast in silence. Levi is annoying the shit out of you and you really need time away from him.

You stand up and take your dishes to the sink. You walk over to where Levi is reading a book and stand in front of him.

“Just so you know, I’m going to a party tonight. I’m going to have you switch places with my dad’s bodyguard until tomorrow”, You begin to walk away.

“Like hell you are. I’m not leaving your side”, Levi says.

You turn around clearly angry, “And why the fuck not?”

Levi responds, “I don’t trust anyone else to do my job.”

“My dad’s bodyguard is very capable and will take great care of me. Enjoy your boring evening with my dad”, You say curtly, thinking that is the end of your conversation.

Levi looks at you, “No. I refuse to go.”

You snap, “What the hell is wrong with you!? You don’t have a choice, you are not going with me tonight. As a matter of fact, how about you just take the damn night off. We both have had a very long week and I need at least an evening away from you.”

You stomp away and slam your door before Levi is able to argue with you. You immediately open your phone and call your dad.

Your dad answers, “Hello Y/n! How are you feeling after the week in California?”

You respond impatiently, “I’m fine, dad. I just really need a night away from Levi. He’s also exhausted after this last week, so I know he could use the  evening off.” You knew that was a lie.

Your dad responds with concern, “Oh I’m sorry to hear that. I will call Levi and let him know he is not to stay with you tonight. Are you planning to just stay home tonight?”

“Yeah I was just going to have the girls come over”, You feel bad lying. It wasn’t a complete lie though since they were coming over.

“Okay then there’s no need for you to have security tonight. I’ll even send a car over now to pick up Levi and take him to a hotel for the evening”, Your dad replied.

You breathe a sigh of relief, “Thank you, dad. I’m sorry for being snippy, I just really need some girl time tonight.”

Your dad smiles, “Of course, honey. I have some paperwork to attend to, but I hope you have a great night!”

The call ends and you feel relieved. You decide to take a quick shower to prepare for your evening. In the middle of your shower you can hear the front door slam. You smirk, knowing that Levi was forced to leave for the evening.

---

A few hours have passed since your shower. Sasha and Mikasa have been here for a while, and you all have been catching up and devouring the food you ordered.

You have an hour until you are meeting the guys so you decide to get ready. You’re looking through your closet, trying to find the right outfit. You pull out a simple dress, and Sasha gives you a dirty look.

“Oh hell no. We are all dressing slutty tonight”, Sasha says with her arms crossed.

You look at her confused, “What? Why?”

Sasha comes over and grabs your shoulders, “Oh come on, Y/n. I know you’ve been super bummed ever since you came home. Especially after filling us in about your wild threesome. Which was super hot by the way.” The three of you giggle. Sasha continues, “I think you need a night out where you look and feel sexy. And if you want, maybe you can get some dick tonight.”

You laugh, “Did you forget that I just had a threesome a few days ago? Besides, I don’t really want to hookup with a random person tonight.”

Sasha smiles like she has a secret, “Oh it won’t be a random person.”

You look at her with concern, “What did you plan?”

Sasha replies calmly, “Oh nothing big. I may have invited a certain someone from your business classes to party with us tonight.”

You gasp, “Eren!? Shit. I’m going to be honest, I kind of forgot about him.”

Sasha laughs, “That’s okay. I mean you only met him a few weeks ago. But I heard that he’s very excited to see you tonight.”

You blush, you can’t deny that a small part of you is also excited to see him.

Mikasa speaks up, “If Sasha had to pick out my outfit, she also has to pick out yours.”

You giggle, “Fine. Go ahead, Sasha.”

Before Sasha reveals what she picked out for you, she and Mikasa get dressed. When you see then your eyes widen.

“Damn you guys look amazing!”, You squeal. You quickly realize the theme and cringe at the thought of you wearing something similar.

They both have lingerie on the top with denim on the bottom. It’s sexy but tasteful, they totally pull it off. You on the other hand, don’t think this look will work for you. Sasha holds out one of your favorite lingerie pieces. It’s black and the boob area is completely covered, but the rest of the top is only covered by lace. So a lot of skin will be showing.

You sigh, “Do I have to wear this? I don’t think it’ll look very good.”

Sasha rolls her eyes, “I know you workout with Mikasa fairly regularly. I promise it’ll look good.”

You grab the outfit and get changed in the bathroom. You look in the mirror and a burst of confidence rushes through you. You h/c hair is straightened and you put on some deep red lipstick. You walk out and Sasha immediately starts howling.

“See! I told you! You look hot!”, Sasha yells.

Mikasa smiles, “Don’t worry, Y/n. You really do look amazing.”

You smile and say, “Okay okay! Let’s get going, I need a drink!”

Sasha drives you three because you can’t let your driver know you’re leaving for obvious reasons. You do feel bad for lying to your dad, but it was for the best. You and Levi needed a night away from each other.

The three of you walk up to the club, there’s a short line so you get in the back.

“The boys saved us a table on the second floor”, Sasha says.

You and Mikasa nod, for some reason you start to get butterflies. You haven’t seen Eren in a few weeks, but the last time you did you guys made out and then he snuggled with you all night.

You turn to your friends, “So are you two officially dating Connie and Jean yet?”

Sasha giggles, “Connie and I aren’t official yet, but I think that’s coming soon.”

You smile at Sasha and then look at Mikasa.

Mikasa becomes shy, “Honestly I don’t know if I want a relationship with Jean. He’s just been a fun fling.”

A huge smile is on your face, “I’m so happy for you! There’s no need for labels if you two are just having fun.”

The line is moving quickly, the bouncer takes one look at the three of you and lets you in for free.

Sasha whispers to you, “We still got it!”

The three of you are giggling as you walk in. The bar on the first floor seems pretty empty so you walk up and order your first round of shots. You all were feeling nervous, so shots would definitely help with that. After downing your first drink you order a vodka redbull that you can sip on. The three of you pick up your drinks and head to the stairs. The music was loud and the lights were dim. The alcohol was providing a small buzz that helps boost your confidence.

Sasha leads you to the corner of the large room where the guys are all sitting in a booth. They were all laughing about something, but the moment the three of you approach the booth they stop laughing. They are all gawking at you and your friends.

You cross your arms, “I missed you guys too.” You roll your eyes and the guys start saying their hellos and asking how you were.

The booth was a U shape, Eren was sitting in the middle and Jean and Connie were on the sides. Jean steps out momentarily so you can sit beside Eren. Once Jean sits back down he puts his arm around you.

“Hey let me know if you want to hang out with me instead of that blockhead tonight”, Jean says with a smirk.

You playfully push Jean off of you, “Shut up you pig.”

You both laugh and you ask the group, “Where’s Armin?”

Connie responds casually, “He wanted to skip tonight since we would all be coupled up.”

You try to hide your surprise, “Oh, right.”

You feel butterflies when you think of you and Eren being coupled up. This is ridiculous, you haven’t even spoken to him. You take a big swig of your drink and then turn to him.

“Did you miss me?”, You say with a smile.

He leans down to be eye level with you, “More than you know.”

Your heart starts racing. He has his hair up in a messy bun, a few pieces are down and framing his face. You forgot how piercing his green eyes were. You’re practically drooling over him.

You clear your throat, “Uh, so how was class while I was gone?”

Eren fills you in on what you missed from the last week. You begin to feel a lot more relaxed with him. You and Eren are clearly flirting and you are definitely enjoying it.

“Hey I really like your hair. It’s cute when it’s in a bun like that”, You say with a smile.

Eren looks mischievous, “Well I really like the top you’re wearing. You look sexy, Y/n.”

You can’t help but blush, “Thank you. I was really nervous about wearing it, but I’m glad you like it.” The two of you begin to scoot closer, Eren rests his hand on your thigh.

Sasha interrupts, “Uh, Y/n. Isn’t that Levi over there?”

Your heart stops and you whip your head to where she’s looking.

“Oh for fucks sake”, You say.

Wait. Who the hell is that? Levi has his arm resting on the chair beside him, sitting in the chair is that same red head he was flirting with last time. He pulls her close and whispers something in her ear. She’s blushing so you can only assume he’s said something sexual. Your blood begins to boil and you chug the rest of your drink. The bar on this floor was right behind their table.

“I’m going to go get another drink and see why the fuck he’s stalking me on his night off”, You say clearly annoyed.

Eren asks, “Do you want me to come with you?”

You smile, “No it’s okay. This shouldn’t take too long.”

Jean lets you out of the booth and you are feeling pretty buzzed at this point. You decide to sneak past their table and get some more liquid courage first. You walk up to the bar and take a shot of vodka before asking for another mixed drink. You discreetly check your phone camera and make sure your hair and makeup look perfect.

Levi and this mystery girl are sitting on the same side of the table. You walk with confidence and grab the empty chair across from Levi and sit down. The moment you do, both of them look at you.

“Why the fuck are you here?”, You ask Levi.

He smirks, “I can’t have a little fun on my night off?”

You roll your eyes, “Did you follow me?”

He pretends to act confused, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. This is a very popular club in the city.”

“Cut the bullshit, I know you followed me”, You say bluntly.

The girl interrupts your heated conversation, “I’m sorry, but who are you?”

You look at her, she actually seems sweet and looks genuinely confused by the situation.

You sigh, “I’m sorry, I should’ve introduced myself. I’m Y/n, Levi is my bodyguard and is supposed to have the night off. So imagine my surprise when I see that he followed me here.”

She looks surprised, “Oh I had no idea.” She looks at Levi, “Is that true? Did you really follow her?”

Levi looks annoyed, “Of course not, Petra. I frequent this club, it’s just a coincidence.”

You knew that was a lie. You stand and put your hands on the table and lean forward, now you’re closer to Levi. You’re feeling ballsy having your cleavage right in front of his face.

“I guess we’ll find out the truth once I leave this place”, You say with confidence.

Levi looks caught off guard with you being so close, “W-Well aren’t you just going home? That’s where your father thinks you are anyway.”

You look at him and giggle, “See you later, Levi.” You look at Petra, “It was nice meeting you.” You push off the table and walk away, unable to wipe off the smirk on your face. You know that you’re driving Levi crazy and you have to admit, you fucking love it.

Once you get back to the table it’s only Eren. He points to the dance floor, and you spot the rest of your friends dancing. You motion for Eren to follow you and you both go over to where your friends are. You chug the rest of your drink and now you know that you’re drunk. A smile appears on your face.

Sasha shouts, “Oh no!! Drunk Y/n has arrived! If you don’t want grinded on you better run now!”

You’re known for becoming very touchy with everyone when you’re drunk. Your friend group is laughing, and you spot your first victim. You walk to Mikasa and you grab her hand. You dip in front of her and start shaking your ass on her. You and Mikasa laugh while you dance together. A few minutes later you walk over to Jean.

He smirks, “You sure you can handle this?”

You roll your eyes and start dancing with Jean. You look to see Sasha and Connie making out instead of dancing. Gross. Then you see Mikasa and Eren dancing together, it’s only friendly of course but you can’t help but think they look good together.

Jean whines, “I don’t like the way Mikasa is looking at Eren.”

You complain, “Ugh you’re such a buzzkill. I’m trying to dance.”

Jean surprises you and grabs your hips and pulls you back to him. You both spend the next few minutes dancing and grinding on each other. You step on Jean’s foot by accident and you start laughing when he grabs it in pain.

“Jean! I’m sorry!”, You shout in between laughing.

You feel someone hold your hand. You turn to see Eren smiling at you.

“My turn yet?”, Eren asks.

You smile, “I was saving you for last.”

You aren’t sure if it’s the alcohol or the adrenaline, but you’re feeling extremely ballsy. You grab the collar of Eren’s shirt and bring him in for a kiss. You two are kissing in between dancing. Your body is starting to feel like it’s on fire. You need more.

Eren leans to your ear, “Wanna go back to my place?”

You shake your head yes, “Let me tell everyone else.”

You grab your friends, “Eren and I are leaving! Have fun, but not too much fun.” You wink and everyone laughs.

Eren grabs your hand and you walk to the stairs. You look back and see Levi with your friends, he looks frantic. They point to where you are across the room, he looks at you and starts walking quickly to where you are.

You yell to Eren, “Hurry we have to run! Levi is coming!”

Eren turns and sees Levi pushing through the crowd. You both start running down the stairs. Thank god for Eren or else you would’ve fallen down the stairs. You weren’t drunk anymore because of the dancing earlier, but you were definitely still buzzed.

Eren does a good job at finding openings through the hoards of people. You look back and see Levi barreling down the stairs.

“Go go go! He’s catching up!”, You shout.

You and Eren finally make it to the door and once you’re outside you cross the street. Eren jumps on the back of a motorcycle and turns it on. You stop right beside it, you’re surprised that this is his ride.

“Are you sure you’re okay to drive this?”, You ask.

He looks at you, “I had one beer when we first got here. I’m totally sober.”

You both hear the front entrance door slam open. You see Levi looking around and he spots you.

You squeal, “Fuck!” You jump on the back of Eren’s bike, “Hurry!”

Eren revs his engine and he pulls out of the parking spot. You look to your side and you see Levi running across the street. But it’s too late. You stick your tongue out and give Levi the middle finger. His reaction shocks you, Levi laughs.

Next Chapter

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author’s Note: I do have a tag list, so if you’re interested in being added let me know! 😊

Tag list: @awesomeness1679 @onecelestialbeing

Summary: The year is 2031, and y/n is looking for a fresh start on her vacation with her sister. 3 months post breakup, and she's ready to stop wallowing. Korea has been a dream location for y/n for years, she is excited for all the sightseeing and food! Her sister has other plans, when she suggests attending a certain someone's charity birthday event.

Pairing: idol!Seonghwa x corporate!reader

Genre: fluff, romance, angst, seonghwa x reader, ateez ensemble

Length: 8,947 words

Author’s Note: I’m not sure yet if this fic will have smut! Once that has been figured out, I will update the tags if I need to :) I hope you enjoy! I don’t have a proofreader, so I apologize if there are any errors!

You jolt awake to the sound of your airplane pilot asking everyone to remain seated, because the plane will be landing soon. It takes you a few minutes to figure out where the fuck you are. You decided to take sleeping medicine since flying isn’t your favorite. The last thing you remember is the flight attendants making your bed. You are an established 35 year old, so the first class seats on a long ass flight were much needed.

Ten minutes later, you’re situated and looking out the window. You peek to the seat next to you, to see your younger sister somehow still asleep. It’s her 21st birthday, and you both are finally going on the trip you’ve been trying to make happen for years now. You gently wake her up so that the seat can be upright. She has the same look on her face that you did, so you leave her alone until she’s more awake.

So what exactly is this trip you’re on? Well it’s you and your sister’s dream trip to Korea. You’ve been promising your sister a trip together to Korea since she graduated high school, but could never get the timing right and here you are in 2031, finally making it happen. Over the years, you both have formed a love for Korea through k-pop, k-dramas, and food. It was exciting to be going to all these places you’ve been dreaming of seeing for years. You weren’t into k-pop as much anymore, but still had your favorites of course. You love to travel so knowing you’re about to land in Korea feels surreal.

“Oh my god, Y/n! I can’t believe we are about to land!” Your sister whispers excitedly.

You smile back at her, “Me either!”

You both watch the window in excitement during the landing process. You will be in Korea for at least the next two weeks. Your first stop and most likely home base is Seoul, but you both plan on going to as many different cities as you can.

A few hours later

Your sister pushed open the hotel room door, “Damn, Y/n! You rolled out the red carpet for me. This room is huge!”

You laugh and respond, “Well we’ve been trying to make this happen for so long, and we don’t get to travel together often so I wanted it to be special. My new promotion didn’t hurt either.”

You both laugh as you’re taking in the room, and the views from the room. You’ve spent the last decade climbing the corporate ladder, it all feels worth it in moments like this. Being able to have no budget on this trip and spoil your sister rotten, what’s better than that?

“Em, do you mind if I take the first shower?” You asked as you started gathering your shower things.

Emma responds, “You’re good! I need to rest and eat my snacks for a little bit!”

You smile and nod. The bathroom is honestly luxurious. You spent a few minutes just looking around. The shower is huge, and the water feels amazing. After taking an extra long and boiling hot shower, you’re at least feeling somewhat more human. Walking back into the room, you find your sister frantically speaking Korean on the phone with one of her friends. You just smile and lay in your bed, assuming it’s just something about her friends.

Emma is in the fall semester of her third year of college. She is also minoring in Korean, which is partially why we are here. We planned a few grad school visits, just to see if she is interested in them. But her being fluent in Korean is so helpful for this trip. You’ve always been the older sister, the second mom to Emma. Now that you’re in a new country where only Emma speaks the language fluently, it’ll be nice to take the back seat to some things.

Honestly this trip for you is a break from life altogether. You’ve been crushing it at work, as usual, but went through a pretty nasty breakup almost 3 months ago. It was definitely one of those moments where you felt as if you had to start all over again. You thought your ex of 5 years was going to be your husband. He got scared of how serious things were getting, and decided to cheat. So yeah. This trip is the start of your new life. The last 3 months have been filled with unimaginable grief and hurt, but you were done crying. Your ex making things official with his mistress was exactly what you needed to make this trip happen.

As you’re mindlessly scrolling on social media, you hear your sister end the call with her friend. She comes over and sits on the bed, and you can tell something is up just by the look on her face.

“What?” You ask in an exaggerated tone.

Emma puts on a smile and the most charm she can muster, “Thank you so much for bringing me on this trip, y/n! I love you so much and I’m so excited to start our adventures together.”

You’re completely confused now, “What the hell did you do, Em? I’m so excited for us too, but why are you acting suspicious as fuck right now?”

Emma responds, “Nothing! I’m just really excited for our adventure to get started, so I made plans for us tonight!”

Y/n’s mouth drops open, “Tonight?! EM! Are you crazy? We just had an almost 20 hour travel day! Look I know you’re young, but I can’t do the same things you can. I’m 35! I need my sleep.”

Emma looks dejected, “I’m sorry. I was just really excited, and my friend was able to get us tickets to this event tonight. It’s going to be really cool, lots of celebrities too. My friend works for the company, so it’s a really cool opportunity.”

Y/n grabs Emma’s hand, “I’m sorry if I came off aggressive, I was just surprised. You should totally go, Em! What a cool opportunity for you! I wonder if you could even network.” Y/n finished talking, but is now lost in thought trying to figure out how to give her sister tips on how to network.

Em squeezes your hand, “Hey. No work talk on this trip okay? I have barely seen you because of work the last 3 months. You haven’t been slick.” She pokes your side.

Y/n smiles, “Yeah because of the breakup, I kind of turned into a workaholic. But no more! I’m starting brand new on this trip. –About earlier, please go? Can you go with your friend? I would hate for you to miss something like this because I’m too tired.”

Emma responds as she’s standing up from your bed, “Oh I suppose I can just go with my friend. But you didn’t even let me tell you who’s at the party. Or I guess who the party is for.”

You quirk your eyebrow, “Who’s the party for?”

Emma smiles deviously, “Park Seonghwa.”

You immediately freeze. Surely Emma isn’t talking about the Seonghwa from ATEEZ. They’ve been doing things as a group here and there, mainly in Korea. After their military service, they’ve been slow to return to their previous schedule. Which you were happy with, they deserve a break. Coming to Korea, you hadn’t even thought of the chance of getting to go to one of their events. They have always been your ult group, but it’s definitely slowed down since their hiatus, and your life getting busy. Your ex hated ateez, but especially hated Seonghwa. Honestly, a huge red flag you simply ignored.

Y/n sighs, “Is this like a public event? I don’t want to be creepy and just show up to a closed event.”

Emma sits on the bed next to you, “So it’s Seonghwa’s birthday, but he wanted to make it a charity event. Hence the tickets. It’s actually a really big event, since it’s the first one KQ has put on in a while. There will be a handful of different organizations there, and all the proceeds from tonight will be split amongst the groups!”

You smile, “Wow. That doesn’t surprise me, they’ve always been generous.”

Emma responds, “There’s going to be a bunch of different fun activities. Lot’s of KQ staff, atiny’s, and just people who support Seonghwa and ateez. My friend who works there said the members would love it if fans came too.”

Y/n is in disbelief, “Your friend works for KQ? Damn Emma, that's crazy.”

Emma chuckles, “Minoring in the Korean language helps. I did a project on KQ last year, and my friend was just an intern at the time. Now she’s a full-time employee! I’m so excited to finally meet her in person. But I told her all about your situation, and how you’d be hesitant to come. She wanted me to tell you that Seonghwa is really excited at the thought of seeing international atiny again, since it’s been a few years since they’ve performed outside of Korea.”

Y/n thinks for a moment and sighs, “So I guess I’m going tonight?”

Emma squeals, “Yes!!! You won’t regret it! I really think tonight is going to be a lot of fun! And you’ll get to see ateez members again!”

You groan and pull the covers up, “So what do we wear? I’m barely functioning right now, so I’m going to need your help.”

Emma jumps right up, “I’m on it! You can just rest until it’s time to get ready.”

You hum in response and immediately fall asleep.

You awaken to Emma shaking you awake.

“Oh my god I started to think you were dead. Get up, we need to get you ready! We leave in an hour and a half.” Emma pulls on your arm and helps you stand. To be honest, the jet lag was hitting hard. Everything currently didn’t feel real. You just knew you needed to move.

Emma was able to get you into a chair in the bathroom. She starts brushing and straightening, as you try to come back to reality by going through social media. A coffee and thirty minutes later, you were in a much better place.

Emma sighs in relief, “There. All straight. I’ll get your dress and accessories all set up! Come out once you’re done with makeup.”

You grab her arm and smile, “Thank you. I literally couldn’t have done this without you. And oh my god!! You look so cute! I was so out of it, I’m so sorry I didn’t notice!”

Emma smiles at her sister and spins to show her the full outfit. After more compliments, Emma is begging you to start makeup because time is running short.”

You giggle and start going through your makeup bag. You weren’t sure what dress Emma picked out, so you just went with your normal makeup routine. Adding extra things here and there, since this is a big event.

Emma peeks her head in, “You look hot! My one request is that you have a red lip! It will be perfect with your dress.” She’s gone before you can respond.

You shrug and start digging in your bag for your red lipstick.

A few minutes later, you’re walking out to see what Emma picked out for you. The second you see the dress you protest.

“Isn’t this a charity event? I packed this dress in case you forced me to go clubbing.” Y/n crosses her arms.

Emma puts her hands up, “Hey, you can’t be mad at me for trying.”

You both are laughing as she gets out her option b dress. She pulls out a strappy a-line black dress. It was mid-length with a slit in the side, but it hugged every curve. Your cleavage is on full display.

Y/n looks at her sister horrified, “You don’t think this is too much” as she gestures to her chest.

Emma shakes her head, “You’ll definitely get some stares, but we’ll cover up on the train. I already asked my friend, and she said there’s no problem with showing some skin! They’ll know we’re foreigners anyway.”

You look in the mirror again. You can’t deny that you look hot, adding red lipstick was definitely the move. Emma and y/n move around the room gathering their purses and making sure they aren’t forgetting anything. One of your straps has already fallen twice, it’s beautiful but a pain in the ass. Your sister hands you your coverup for the train, and you both rush out the door.

As you’re walking you ask, “So where is this happening?”

Emma responds, “They rented out an event center like ten minutes away from here. Nari, my friend who works at KQ, already gave me directions so we’ll be good. She’s going to be watching for us as well!”

“Wow how generous of her. Are you two pretty close?” Y/n asks.

Your sister smiles, “Yeah we’ve been online friends for almost three years now! I can’t wait to finally meet her.”

Y/n smiles back at her sister, and the two of you walk to the train in comfortable silence. You both are admiring all of the new around you. Once you’re seated on the train, the anxiety starts building. The thought of seeing ateez again after being a fan for so many years. The last time you saw them was the tour before they enlisted, which was maybe around four years ago. The nerves are settling in. Before a few hours ago, you had no idea that you would even have the opportunity to see ateez. You are laughing at yourself in your head, feeling like a young fangirl again. You push the nerves down, tonight was all about having fun with your sister and admiring ateez from a distance.

Emma pulls you out of your thoughts, “So I guess I should mention that there’s going to be a ton of cameras outside the event.”

You raise your eyebrow, “Cameras? Well I guess that makes sense. Maybe there will be a way we can go around them?”

Emma smirks, “I wouldn’t count on it. Ours is the next stop.”

You look up and see the next stop is Gangnam. You’re pretty sure that’s the wealthy area of Seoul, makes sense. You can’t help but notice your heart picking up its pace when it’s time to get off the train.

“Are you sure this dress is okay? And that it’s okay for us to be at this event?” Y/n asks Emma.

Emma tries to comfort her sister, “Of course, y/n. It’s a charity event, so anyone with money is welcome. If it makes you feel better, you could always make a donation.”

Y/n breathes and smiles, “Yeah you’re right. I think that would make me feel a lot better. We just aren’t celebrities, so I’m worried about the cameras. Or people questioning why we are there.”

Emma slows to a stop and pulls y/n to the side, “You’ve got to trust me on this okay? My friend works for the company, we are technically her guests. You’re hot and have money, you have no reason to be worried. There’s going to be different activities to raise money, and lots of alcohol. Let’s just have fun tonight, okay?”

You smile at your sister, “You really are all grown up. You’re right, I’m sorry I’m just jet-lagged and nervous.”

You both laugh as you continue walking to the venue. The closer you get, you start to see a lot of security.

“Let me call Nari and tell her we’re about to come in!”, Emma says as she pulls out her phone.

From the distance you can see the venue, people dressed to the nines entering but not before going through a tunnel of photographers. You can also hear MATZ playing inside, trying not to freak out, you decide to let the music give you courage.

Emma grabs your arm, “Okay she’s inside waiting! Let’s go.”

Emma handles security and shows your tickets. They wave you through and you are met with paparazzi everywhere. You try to keep a smile on your face, while you and Emma rush through the cameras. Once inside you both can’t help but laugh. Your laughter is cut off when you look around and see how beautiful the venue is. You are relieved to see that you are in fact not overdressed.

“EMMA!” You hear someone yell. You see a girl run over and nearly tackle your sister with a hug. A smile appears on y/n’s face when she sees her sister finally getting to meet her friend. They spend a few moments laughing and hugging.

“Nari! This is my sister y/n!” Emma brings her over to you.

You take Nari’s hand, “It’s so nice to meet you! Thank you for inviting us tonight! This place is beautiful.”

Nari smiles at you, “I’m so happy you came! I know you both are fighting jet-lag, but I promise tonight will be worth it.”

Emma responds, “Here give me your coverup, y/n! I can give it to the person checking items.”

You’re hesitant, but slowly take your coverup off.

“You’re sure this isn’t too much?” Y/n asks.

Nari reassures you, “Not at all! You look hot! I know the members will appreciate that dress”

Your eyes nearly bulge out of your head, “Ah well I think you are just being nice! Besides, I probably won’t be that close to them.”

Emma returns and Nari asks her, “You didn’t tell her?”

You’re immediately on edge, “Tell me what?”

Emma sheepishly smiles, “Well I didn’t think you would come if I told you.”

Nari rolls her eyes at Emma and explains, “Our seats are right by them. I work for KQ, but over the years I’ve become friends with the members! They’re really excited to meet my American friends. Actually they’re the reason I had two extra tickets. Normally staff only get one, but they knew my situation and insisted on giving me an extra one.”

It takes all of your strength to not run out of the building, or fall to the ground. Yes, you’re an atiny and have been for years. But meeting the members was never on your list! You can be very shy, especially when you’re nervous.

“I wish weed was legal here,” You whisper to the girls.

They both laugh and Nari suggests, “How about we get a drink first? Then we will have to find our seats! But I promise, they’re excited to meet you! I told them you’ve been a fan since the beginning.”

The three of you walk to find a server that has glasses of champagne. The information Nari just told you is making your legs a little wobbly. You’re definitely going to get Emma for this. You grab a glass, chug it, and put it back on the tray.

Grabbing another one, “Okay, ready as I’ll ever be.”

Nari giggles, “I promise you don’t have to be nervous.”

You nod your head, as if that’s going to happen. Nari leads you to your table. The table is near the stage, you weren’t expecting to be this close. You are going to have a nice chat with Emma after this for leaving out so many important details. Once you get seated, you start trying to secretly do some breath work. Thankfully you’ve been meditating for years, so it doesn’t take long to get your heart rate back down. Putting on your professional face, since that’s the only way you’re going to get through this without throwing up. Just in time too, you hear a familiar voice.

“Nari!” You look over to see Hongjoong coming to say hi. He looks incredibly beautiful, it’s hard to not just stare at him.

They speak for a few moments in Korean. Emma also joined in and introduced herself in Korean.

“And is this your sister?” Well there’s no turning back now.

You smile, “Hi! Yeah I’m y/n, Emma’s older sister. It’s so nice to meet you, Hongjoong!”

He sits in the empty seat next to you, “Nari tells me you’re an atiny?”

“Yeah! I started listening to ateez in 2019, and was lucky enough to go to a few shows when you came to America over the years”, Y/n says with a light blush.

Hongjoong’s eyes lit up, “Ah really? Which city were you in?”

Y/n explains, “Well you never came to my state, but the closest show near me was always Chicago! I traveled there multiple times for your shows.”

He smiles, “Chicago is always so special to us. I’m glad to know you were there.”

You can’t help the tears that prick your eyes, “You’re so endearing, Hongjoong. I can feel your love for atiny just by looking at you. I’m glad to know you weren’t secretly a jerk.”

Hongjoong laughs as you see his eyes become misty, “I just understand all that goes into being a fan. The money spent, the time, I don’t take that lightly. It means a lot to me that people would disrupt their normal lives to see our music.”

You smile brightly, “Well you’re one of the most talented people I’ve ever seen! Every penny spent was well worth it.”

A staff member is waving for Hongjoong.

“Can we take a quick picture?” Hongjoong asked.

You’re surprised, “Oh my god of course. I should definitely be the one asking you.”

Hongjoong laughs and you both stand up. Handing your phone to your sister, you don’t miss the shit eating grin she’s wearing. You can basically hear her telling you ‘I told you so’, but at this moment you really don’t care. Hongjoong places his hand around your waist, surprised but not mad about it, and he pulls you in close. You both smile brightly, and Nari says something that makes you all start laughing.

Hongjoong holds your hands, “Thank you for coming, y/n. I know you were really nervous, but we wanted you to come. I’ll see you later?”

You smile hoping you weren’t bright red, “Yeah of course. Thanks jjoong.”

His eyes light up at the nickname as he’s walking back towards the staff. You plop down in your seat and just stare in shock.

“I’m waiting for my thank you.” Emma says with a smirk.

You roll your eyes, the alcohol is starting to make you warm and fuzzy. Or maybe that was just from your conversation with Hongjoong.

Someone comes onto the stage, and starts the event. You have no idea what they’re saying because it’s all in Korean, but you don't mind.

You take this time to look around. Your table being in the front, but a little off to the side. You see that there’s one table to your left, and the one next to that is ateez’s table. You try to not just stare at them, but wow. The last time you saw them this close, was their final concert before their military service. Most of them look physically bigger, and a little older, but it’s still your ateez. You can’t help but smile at the thought. Your strap falls for the millionth time, interrupting your thoughts. You sigh and pull it back up.

A bunch of clapping causes you to look on stage. You see Seonghwa shaking the man’s hand and coming up to speak. You smile as you see him start speaking. You’re not sure what he’s saying, but he’s absolutely perfect. Your heart eyes showing from a mile away.

“Stop drooling,” Your sister whispers with a smile.

You shoo your sister so you can go back to staring lovingly at Seonghwa. He’s just so beautiful, how could you not?! You feel much more relaxed now thanks to the alcohol. As Seonghwa ends his speech, the waiters all come out with what you’re assuming is dinner. It smells delicious, and you begin eating without a second thought.

Nari asks you, “I’m glad to see you feel more comfortable! Are you having fun?”

Y/n smiles, “I am! Thank you again. So what else is going to happen? Emma clearly didn’t fill me in on anything.” You give your sister a dirty look.

Nari laughs, “Well right now the members are preparing for the short concert they’re putting on for us.” You look to where ateez was sitting, to see that none of them are there anymore. Nari continues, “After that, there will be different games to raise money for the organizations tonight. Oh and then we will head to KQ for the afterparty!”

Your eyes widen, “Afterparty? At KQ? Are you sure I’m allowed to come to that? I don’t want the members to be uncomfortable!”

Nari looks at Emma, “I see why you didn’t tell her.”

They both laugh and Nari continues, “You and Emma are already on the list. If that doesn’t make you feel better, then just know that you also have a personal invitation from Hongjoong.”

“You guys are trying to kill me.” Y/n says before taking a giant swig of her drink.

The tables have been cleared, and the lights go out indicating the beginning of the concert. It feels surreal when the lights come back on, and ateez is standing on the stage. Their aura fills the room, you can feel the energy levels rising. Since this is Korea, you know the expectations for concerts are much different here than in America. Especially since this is a charity concert. The music starts, and ateez begins performing. The fact that they’re performing Crazy Form right in front of you, and you have to just sit there is difficult. You love hyping them up.

You and Emma start dancing and singing along quietly in your seats. The other side of the table is filled with Nari’s work friends. The more you and Emma are enjoying yourselves, the more Nari and the other staff at the table join in. At this point your table is having the most fun, singing and dancing while sitting together. This entire time you want to pinch yourself. How is this real?

The next song they perform is Bouncy, you and your table getting more rowdy by the minute. Everyone feels the alcohol taking away their worries. Hongjoong walks over to your side of the stage, laughing at the sight of kq staff and new friends. He loves the energy, and encourages it. After a few more songs, and lot’s of giggling from your table, Hongjoong begins to speak before the next song.

“Thank you everyone for coming! It’s been such a special night celebrating Seonghwa turning 33. We only have a few more songs before all the games and fun begin. But I wanted to dedicate this next song to a special atiny from America. Her coming tonight was all by chance, and I think that just shows the deep connection that ateez and atiny will always have. We will always find a way to be together, even by accident.”

Your eyes are watery and you smile at Hongjoong. Emma hugs you from behind while sitting, knowing you’re probably trying not to cry. Dreamy Day starts playing, and you have to try even harder not to cry. The members are all making sure to come to your side of the stage and wave. None of this feels real, but your heart feels like it could explode with how happy you are. Your table starts waving their arms to the chorus, and you of course join in. Emma hasn't seen you smile this big in a really long time.

After the show, you just sit there for a minute sipping on water. Still trying to convince yourself that all of that just happened.

You feel Nari’s hand on your shoulder, “Alright let’s go get more drinks and see what games there are!”

Y/n smiles and walks with Nari and Emma. The three of you decide to take a shot at the bar together, before grabbing your mixed drinks. Walking into the other main room you smile. It’s decorated like a carnival, all the games you used to play when you were younger were there. There’s an atm, so you go pull out a good chunk of cash. You walk back to Emma and Nari and hand them both a stack of money.

“Go ahead! I’m going to check out the different organizations over there” You point to the booths on the other side of the room. “I want to make sure I get my donation in, before I get too tipsy.”

Emma asks, “Are you sure? You don’t want us to come with you?”

Y/n smiles, “I won’t be gone long, and then I’ll come find you!”

Emma nods her head, “Thank you for the spending money! Call me if you get lost.”

You laugh and walk towards the booths. Your strap falls…again. You pull it back up as you get to the first booth.

You smile and say, “Hello.”

The people look at you and then look at each other. One of them manages to say, “Sorry. No English.”

You internally slap your forehead. You’re in Korea, of course they don’t speak English. You look to where Emma was, and she’s gone.

Y/n apologizes in Korean to the people at the booth. She feels someone closely behind her, probably waiting their turn. So she goes to move out of the way.

“Wait.” You hear the person behind you say.

You turn and are shocked at what you see.

“Seonghwa.” The name came out of your mouth so naturally.

He laughs, “And you must be y/n? I was looking for you.”

You’re surprised by that, “You were looking for me?”

Seonghwa nods his head, “Yeah Hongjoong wouldn’t shut up about you. I wanted to meet you myself.”

You can’t help the blush that appears on your cheeks, “Can I ask you a favor?” You surprise yourself by your boldness.

“Anything.” Seonghwa smiles.

You look back to the booths, “Can you translate what these organizations do for me? I would ask Emma or Nari, but I already sent them off to play games. I was wanting to make a donation, but it’s hard when I don’t know what they do.”

You don’t notice, but Seonghwa can’t stop smiling at you, “Of course. I’d love to.”

It took about twenty minutes for Seonghwa to explain the different organizations. You decided on the orphanage that was from Seonghwa’s hometown. Thanking him profusely for translating. He’s surprised to see you walk up to the organization from his hometown, something in his chest begins to stir. He sees the people at the booth jump up when they see your donation amount. They begin bowing and shaking your hand. He can’t help but chuckle when he sees your surprised face. You kept telling them it wasn’t necessary to thank you, you were happy to help.

You walk back to him, face flushed. You were so embarrassed by their big reaction to your donation, you didn’t notice your strap fell…again.

Seonghwa gently pulled your strap back onto your shoulder. You look at him with wide eyes, heart pounding.

“What made you pick them?” He looks to the booth you just came from.

You smile, “Well it’s your birthday. I wanted to support a place from your hometown. Is that okay?”

Seonghwa responds, “Of course. You just surprised me.”

You say cheekily, “I’m full of surprises.”

You both laugh and your heart races when you see the way he looks at you.

“Well, I guess I should find Emma and Nari. Thanks again for helping me!” You say with a smile.

Seonghwa asks, “Can I walk with you?”

You look surprised, “Oh of course! You don’t need to get back to your party?”

He smiles, “Nah. I’m off duty now.”

The two of you begin walking to the carnival part of the party. You can’t help but look at all the games, wondering how they got everything in here.

“Wanna play?” Seonghwa asks, standing in front of the skee ball.

You respond, “Yeah! Let me go to the atm real quick.”

He stops you, “No I want to pay for you. Please? It is my birthday.”

You stand there conflicted, “Fine but only a few games! I’m perfectly capable of paying for my own games.”

Seonghwa smirks, “I’m fully aware. Let me take care of you tonight.”

You blush at his statement, but nod your head.

The two of you begin your skee ball game. It only takes a few rounds for your ultra competitive side to come out.

Seonghwa stands triumphantly, “Ha! That’s 5-1. I thought you said you were good at this game?”

You gasp at him, “I am!! It’s because you have longer arms, and the setup is a little different than what I’m used to!” You are very clearly pouting over losing.

Seonghwa can’t stop the laugh that explodes out of him. While you stand there pouting.

He looks behind you, “The air hockey just opened up, want to lose on that too?”

You give him a dirty look and walk to where the air hockey machine is.

“I’m actually really good at this, so you better watch out.” Y/n says with confidence.

Seonghwa chuckles, “That’s what you said at skee ball.”

You roll your eyes, “Let’s stop talking so I can stomp you. Then you’ll see.”

You both have spent the last ten minutes being ultra competitive with each other. The two of you are completely zoned in, and determined to win this game. The trash talk comes out so naturally anytime one of you scores, or someone misses. From the outside, it doesn’t look like two strangers who just met tonight.

“HA! Game point for me!!” You yell as you serve the puck.

Seonghwa says nothing, he’s too busy trying not to lose to you. He hits the puck back, but accidentally makes the puck fly up off board. It’s not the first time your finger has been smacked by the puck, but it always manages to hurt really fucking bad. You drop into a squat, holding your finger tightly.

“Ow! Fuck.” You yelp. You squeeze your eyes and just wait for the pain to subside.

Before you know it, you feel two hands on your elbows lifting you back up to stand. You look to see that it was Seonghwa, and he looks terrified.

“I’m so sorry! Is your finger okay? Can I look at it?” He asks with worry.

You smile, “Don’t worry, I’m fine! It hurt really bad when it happened, but the pain already went away.” Seonghwa doesn’t look convinced so you continue, “You’re telling me your fingers have never been hit while playing air hockey? Seriously, it happens all the time, I’m okay.”

Seonghwa lets out the breath he was holding, “You’re right. I’m sorry though that it happened. I didn’t like seeing you in pain, it really scared me.” He looks into your eyes, the concern for you still there. Seonghwa continues, “But if you promise you’re okay, we should find something else to play.” This is when he notices your strap fell in the commotion. He fixes it gently…again.

“Ah I see. You’re trying to get out of finishing the game so you can’t lose right?” You say cheekily.

Seonghwa smirks, “Nah, I just felt bad beating you after your finger got hurt.”

Your eyes widen as you argue that he was actually not going to beat you, and Seonghwa can’t help but burst into laughter. He loves teasing you.

-After beating Seonghwa in air hockey-

You have the biggest shit eating grin, “Hey better luck next time yeah?”

He shakes his head at you, “A sore loser and a sore winner? You continue to surprise me, y/n.”

You pout, “No I’m not! Maybe you’re just not as good as you thought?”

Seonghwa’s eyebrows raise as he holds in a laugh, “Is that so?”

Y/n smiles and checks her phone. Shit an hour has already gone by.

“I’m sorry, I should probably check on my sister.” You say, and are sad at the thought of having to say bye to Seonghwa.

Seonghwa responds, “You don’t need to apologize. Let me help you look.”

You spend the next five minutes looking around. The two of you gushing over how fun the event turned out, and how it was decorated perfectly.

“Y/n!” You turn your head to see Emma sitting with Nari and her friends.

You smile and walk over, “Hey! There you are. Are you two having fun?”

Now that you’re closer, you notice a boy sitting next to your sister. Even though your sister is very much an adult, you still feel fiercely protective of her.

Emma responds, “It’s been great! I see you found Seonghwa.”

You turn to formally introduce him, “Oh yeah he helped translate the charity organizations for me! We’ve been playing games for a while, but Seonghwa, this is my sister Emma! Emma, I’m sure you don’t need the introduction.”

They laugh and greet each other.

Emma says to Seonghwa, “You were always my bias! It’s so nice to meet you, you’re even more beautiful in person.”

Seonghwa smiles and puts his hand to his chest, “Thank you! It’s always nice to meet atiny.” He looks at you cheekily, “Was I your bias too?”

You’re surprised by the question at first. You’re not sure if it’s the alcohol, or just being in Seonghwa’s presence. The confidence is radiating inside you.

You tilt your head, “Why do you want to know?”

He turns to you and fixes your strap that had fallen…again, “Hm. Just curious.”

You pretend to think for a moment, “I always loved all eight of you, but no. I have..different tastes.” Your smile radiates throughout the room.

Seonghwa can’t help the smirk that appears, “So bratty.”

You don’t notice how Emma and Nari are nearly screaming because of the flirting and tension between you two. You haven’t even noticed that Hongjoong was sitting with your sister and her friends.

Hongjoong interrupts, “Damn Seonghwa, just take her home already.”

You both immediately put distance in between each other. You walk and take the empty seat next to the random guy sitting by your sister. The blush is still lingering on your cheeks. Did you really just do all of that right in front of your sister?! You need to get it together. Seonghwa takes the seat next to Hongjoong, at the other side of the table. It’s a big round table, so you can still see each other.

You try to change the conversation, “So Emma, want to introduce me to your friends?”

The people they were hanging out with are Nari’s friends who also work at KQ. You now know that only Nari, Hongjoong, Seonghwa, and one other speak english. You encourage them all to speak Korean comfortably, you didn’t mind at all.

They continue their conversations. A waiter comes by, and you gladly take a drink from the tray. You begin sipping it while looking around the room. Everyone seems to be having a really great time. You look across the table to Seonghwa, who’s already looking at you. Your heart starts pounding, and you try to be calm as you give him a small smile. You look away and take a big swig of your drink.

You check the time and see that it’s already 9:30pm. You already know you only have a few more hours until your body just completely shuts down from exhaustion. You decide to send a quick text to Emma, hoping she’ll let you skip the after party.

“Oh no you don’t!” Emma stops mid conversation with her friends. Everyone at the table now looks confused at her. She continues, “Y/n is trying to leave early! No way! You can sleep all day tomorrow, we’re not going back until the early morning!”

You look at her shocked, “Early morning?! Are you trying to kill me?!”

Emma isn’t having it, “I don’t want to hear it! We never get to do stuff like this together, when will we ever be in Korea like this together?”

Your head drops and you sigh in defeat, “Okay okay. I’m going to go find the bathroom, but I’ll be back.”

Emma nods and is back into her conversation, you stand and start walking away. Thankfully the bathroom isn’t far from where you’re sitting. After you wash your hands, you start fixing your hair and makeup. When you walk out, you see people going up the stairs. You look to where your sister is, still engrossed in her conversation. You let curiosity take you up the stairs. There’s more tables, and more conversations happening. You’re drawn to the two big doors that are open, leading to the balcony. You stand and hold the railing, your breath taken away by the night beauty of Korea.

“There you are.” A familiar voice from behind.

You smile and turn, “Here I am.”

Seonghwa walks and stands next to you, “I thought you might be trying to sneak and go back to your hotel.”

You giggle, “No way. Emma would kill me.”

Seonghwa smiles, “You’re a good big sister.”

You’re surprised by his words, “Oh- thank you. I definitely have room for improvement, but I love taking care of my family.”

Seonghwa can tell how sincere your words are, he feels how genuine you are. The two of you are unaware that you are both just standing there staring into each other’s eyes.

Seonghwa clears his throat, “I-I meant to come get you because they’re about to start the closing speeches.”

“Oh!” You turn and start walking with Seonghwa, “Thank you for coming to get me! I had no idea.”

He smiles and the two of you walk in comfortable silence back to the main room. He walks you to your table and you thank him again.

“It’s no problem, y/n.” He surprises you and fixes your strap…again. “Don’t run away tonight without saying goodbye. I want to make sure I get to talk to you again.”

You can’t help the blush that appears on your cheeks, “Okay.” You say, nothing more than a whisper.

Seonghwa smiles at you, and walks back to his table. You plop into your chair, in a daze. You look up to see that you missed the fact that Nari and Emma were already sitting and saw the whole thing.

You cover your face, “Don’t.”

Emma has a devious smile, “Oh I don’t know what you’re talking about y/n. I definitely haven’t noticed the palpable chemistry between you two, or the way you two look at each other, or the way he fixes your strap for you.”

“Stoooooop.” You whine, “It’s really nothing. Maybe just a little flirting? But he’s an idol, we can’t be anything more than friends.”

Nari asks, “Why not?”

You look confused, “What do you mean? It’s been awhile since I’ve actively been into k-pop, but I know how strict the dating rules are. Even if there aren’t rules though, the fans take dating pretty hard.”

Nari responds, “You can’t really listen to the people who get angry when an idol starts dating. They clearly have an unhealthy parasocial relationship. Besides, Korea has taken positive steps when it comes to idols dating in the past few years. Especially when the members came back from military service, I think most atiny just want them to be happy.”

You smile, “I’m glad things have gotten better, but I don’t think you guys should get your hopes up about Seonghwa and I. He’s amazing and we get along really well, but he can have anyone he wants. I’m not Korean, I don’t speak fluently like Emma. I wouldn’t be against learning, I just think there’s a lot of reasons he wouldn’t want to pursue a relationship with me. Besides, I’m two years older than him.”

Emma slumps back into her seat, “I knew you would argue against it.”

“Em-” The MC interrupts you, ending the conversation for now. Most of the time you have no idea what’s happening. You pick up a few familiar phrases here and there. At one point the whole room is instructed to sing happy birthday to Seonghwa. His smile took your breath away. Seeing the other members love on him and tease him, it was very endearing. The two of you make eye contact, and you give him a big smile.

To end the celebration, you recognize the people you donated to from Seonghwa’s hometown, standing on stage to close it out. At least that’s what you assume since you don’t understand Korean. Until you see them point to you and everyone turns to look at you. The room erupts in cheering, and you are sitting there horrified. You have no idea why all these random people are clapping for you.

Emma translates, “They’re celebrating the largest donation their organization has seen to date! Y/n, they’re thanking you!”

Emma grabs your arm and walks you onto the stage, internally freaking the fuck out.

“I’ll be your translator,” Emma whispers in your ear. She tells you that part of the contest was seeing who would donate the most. Since you committed to $10k usd a month for an entire year, that makes you the winner. You really wish you would’ve known that before.

The owners of the orphanage both hug you, and thank you profusely. You have Emma explain to them that you didn’t know about the competition, and that you just really loved what they were doing. Unfortunately for you, the crowd loved that even more.

The prize is a trip to Jinju to see the city, and to also tour the orphanage so you can see where your money is going. You feel really touched by them and can’t help the tears that prick your eyes. You thank them yourself in Korean, and hug them both once more. Once you all are off the stage, you are able to exchange contact information so you can figure out your trip.

While all of this is happening, you miss the way Seonghwa is looking at you. Like you personally hung the moon and stars.

Hongjoong elbows him, “Stop drooling.”

After saying bye to the owners, you shyly went back to your seat. You could feel all eyes on you, your strap decides to fall…again. God you couldn’t wait to rip this dress off. Once you sat, Nari grabbed your hand and squeezed it gently.

“I know you’re embarrassed, but you did a really good thing,” Nari says to you.

You smile, “Thank you. I love being able to help financially.” Your genuine aura is like a warm hug to Nari.

She whispers, “Your boyfriend didn’t take his eyes off of you once. He looked like he was ready to fall to his knees.”

You laughed at the boyfriend comment, but looked to where Seonghwa was sitting. He was already smiling at you, and gave you a thumbs up. You couldn't help but blush.

Hongjoong teases Seonghwa, “Did you really just give her a thumbs up?”

Seonghwa whines, “Stop, I panicked okay?!”

They both laugh together at Seonghwa’s unusual behavior.

Nari and Emma are figuring out who’s riding in the cars, and who’s taking the train.

“Damn it, we’re one person off. We could’ve all been in the SUVs, but we have one too many,” Emma says.

You take that as a sign, “That’s okay! I’ll just go back to the hotel, I’m really tired so I don’t mind at all. That way you all can ride together!”

Emma gives you a dirty look, while trying to figure out an alternative that doesn’t include you missing the after party.

“Oh Seonghwa!” Emma says.

You turn and Seonghwa comes up to your group.

“Are you all headed to the after party?” He asks the group, even though he is only looking at you.

Y/n responds, “Ah well we have one too many so I’m just going to head back to the hotel! That way everyone else can ride together.”

He fixes your strap…again and says, “Ride with me?”

Your eyes widen at the offer, “Oh I don’t want to inconvenience you, or get you in trouble.”

Seonghwa laughs, “I’m 33 years old, who am I going to be in trouble with? Besides, I really wanted you to come. It’s not an inconvenience.”

You think about it and ask, “But what if your fans see a random woman leaving with you? Wouldn’t that be a problem?”

He lifts your chin so you meet his eyes, and puts his hand back down, “Why would that be a problem?”

At this point your cheeks are red, “I-I just thought you had to be really careful who you’re seen with.”

Seonghwa smiles, “Nah, not anymore at least. Atiny knows we are grown men. Besides, I don’t think it would be that crazy if we were seen together. You made a really big donation to my hometown, articles are already being written. If anything, people will think we’ve become friends after your generous donation.”

You try to ignore the fact that articles were being written about your donation. You weren’t expecting all this attention. You decide to take a leap.

“Okay. I’ll ride with you,” You say to Seonghwa.

He smiles brightly, “Great.”

“Are you two done now? As much as I love the flirting going on, y/n is still my sister and it makes me want to barf,” Emma says with her hands on her hips.

You lightly smack her arm and whine, “Why do you have to make everything weird?!”

Emma laughs, “I’ll see you at the after party okay?” She looks at Seonghwa, “Look I know you’re my bias and everything, but y/n is my sister. You better make sure she gets there safely.”

You smile at your sister and Seonghwa places his hand on her shoulder, “You have my word. She’s safe with me.”

Emma nods and Nari is smirking at the two of you. They leave with the group, and a part of you is internally screaming. You look at Seonghwa to find he’s already looking at you. He nods his head to the direction you need to go, gently grabs your hand, and leads you through the crowd of people. After stopping multiple times for Seonghwa to say bye to people who attended, you finally make it to the back of the building.

You see the line of black SUVs just waiting for you. What you weren’t expecting were the lines of cameras that were also waiting for you.

Seonghwa says, “We just need to wait for my manager, and then we can head out.”

You smile and nod, your conversation interrupted.

“Well well well. What do we have here, Seonghwa?” Wooyoung says with a smirk.

Seonghwa rolls his eyes, “The staff SUVs were full.”

Wooyoung not fully convinced, “Ah. Got it. Well I’m Wooyoung! I’ve heard all about you tonight.”

You smile at him, “Hopefully nothing bad. I’m y/n, it’s great to meet you!”

“There you are! I was looking for you Woo- oh hey! You’re the girl Seonghwa won’t shut up about!” San says with a big smile.

You and Seonghwa look at each other and laugh awkwardly.

You save Seonghwa from having to respond, “Hi San! I’m y/n, it’s nice to meet you!”

After a few minutes, the topic of you and Seonghwa has finally died down. The boys talked about the night, and how happy they were with the turn out. Seonghwa gets the okay from his manager, and now you are about to go to the car.

Seonghwa looks at you, “I apologize for the cameras. Will you be okay?”

You smile, “Yeah! Don’t worry about me.”

Seonghwa, San, and Wooyoung go out first. Hoping the paparazzi focus their cameras mainly on them. You’re able to sneak behind them without it being too much of a spectacle. You wait by the cars for them to be done with the cameras. You weren’t sure which car to get in.

They’re walking away from the cameras, and Seonghwa waves you over to the right car. He opens the door for you, and you both get in. It’s just you, Seonghwa, and the driver.

“I hope that wasn’t too terrible,” He says.

You shake your head, “Not at all! It ended up being super easy.”

Seonghwa chuckles, “Good. I want you to be comfortable.”

You blush and respond, “I really am okay. You don’t have to worry. I actually feel bad, because you’re doing too much for me!”

Seonghwa looks into your eyes and asks, “Have I not been clear about my intentions?”

You nearly gulp at the question. There’s just no fucking way this is happening right now. As you are internally panicking, Seonghwa presses the partition button. Now it’s just you and him.

You ask quietly, “What do you mean?”

Seonghwa fixes your strap…again but this time his hand lingers, “I am very attracted to you, y/n. I haven’t been able to take my eyes off of you all night. I have this feeling, that maybe you feel the same way about me.” You are swimming in his big brown eyes, probably the most beautiful you’ve ever seen. He continues, “Can we see where the night goes, together?”