Enhypennetwork - Tumblr Posts

back 2 u — lee heeseung.

pairing. heeseung x f!reader

genre. childhood friends to strangers to lovers, mutual pining, fluff, slight angst.

warning(s). swearing, mentions of bruises.

summary. butterflies always found their home again in your stomach whenever you saw heeseung wrapped in the warm spring breeze, destiny and the decisions you both make in life make your paths cross several times unintentionally, although they repeatedly parted ways, in the end you always end up going back to the other.

note. this is my part for my beloved @moonsluvr's "in between the lines" collab. i hope you enjoy it cause it's especially for you! ik it's late but happy birthday love, i love you.

wc. 4.3k

You fell in love for the first time on a sunny spring morning, at the age of 6.

"Hi, I'm Lee Heeseung!"

You looked at the small hand that had multiple paint stains of all colors that was extended towards you to take it. This was the first time you saw him and the first thing that caught your attention, apart from the fact that he was almost completely covered in paint making his clothes a rainbow, was his bright smile which was missing a tooth and his beautiful eyes.

"Hi." your voice was barely above a whisper as you shook his hand shyly, noticing how it left a red stain on yours.

The boy who said his name was Heeseung stared at you, waiting for you to keep talking so he could know your name. Only after a few seconds in silence did you realize why his eyes didn't even want to blink, in case he missed any detail, when you finished telling him your name you were already holding back a few tears due to the embarrassment you felt.

One of the first things your mom told you was that you should always introduce yourself to the children who approached you and it was the first thing you forgot.

"Nice to meet you! Do you want to be my friend? I was painting a drawing I made myself, if you want you can help me." if you had to be honest you never met someone so energetic and cheerful before. The friends you made up until now were the same as you and didn't dare to leave the comfort of your routine and relate to someone outside your small circle.

You remembered your older brothers and how they had plenty of friends and always went out to play in the street with them and sometimes you used to feel jealous about it, so you would give yourself a chance to make new friends even if it was hard at first.

So you accepted. But in the short span of a few minutes you were already on the floor holding your knee with some tears running down your cheeks, without any teacher around to help you.

Now you were beginning to regret making that decision, you were used to playing quietly or just walking through the halls while talking about anything with your classmates, so when Heeseung proposed to play hide and seek you got excited to try something new and more fun.

But the moment you couldn't find him anywhere, about 7 minutes into the break, you began to despair, you were running from one place to the other, you checked all the places you knew although it was useless because it's as if he had disappeared from the planet. Your little mind began to think unimaginable and exaggerated things but the nerves had won over you.

When your crying reached the ears of the boy who was even holding his breath so as not to be found, he came out of hiding almost running with concern marked on his face.

"Are you okay?" He knelt in front of you, looking sideways to see if any teacher would peek out so they could handle the situation. What could a child do to calm someone crying?

A small spotlight was lit on his head, he quickly checked the pockets of his pants and a big smile came to his face when he found what he was looking for, he put in front of your eyes a band-aid with drawings of panda bears to show you that he already had everything under control.

He used to fall and hurt himself quite often so his older brother had given him a box full of those so that he would start taking care of himself a little bit so as not to give his mother too much trouble.

He gently placed it on your injured knee, it was rare to see that in him because of how unruly he turned out to be at all hours. Your wound wasn't that bad but you still flinched at the touch, successfully making the small waterfall in your eyes stop.

"I couldn't find you anywhere." that bothered him a bit, he didn't like to see people get sad because of him.

"I'm sorry."

He looked down as he played with his hands only now noticing how dirty they were from the paint, the thought of painting your face pink flashed through his head. He mustered up some courage and you felt his lips rest on the band-aid he just put on.

you were startled and he didn't even give you a chance to say anything because he ran into the classroom at the sound of the bell.

Maybe you were too young to experience what love really was, but back then you could swear your heart was about to explode and you were scared to feel that way whenever you were with him.

A moment so sweet that later you wrote down in your personal diary with great detail, you didn't want to forget that moment for anything in the world.

It was something new and fresh, like lilies of the valley covered with drops of morning dew. But what could you know? You were just a little brat.

The months passed and whenever you shared a moment that made your stomach turn, you wrote it down and treasured it for yourself. You never told anyone about those emotions that made you feel more alive than ever.

After a few years being the best friends that could exist, you disappeared from the city without notice leaving Heeseung alone.

And from there you didn't know anything about each other.

The day you didn't come to school worried him a lot, but nothing compared to the feeling that shook his body when he went to your house only to see the "for sale" sign outside, with not a single piece of furniture inside.

It was as if all the memories you had shared together were shattered into thousands of pieces, just like his heart and the letter he had written for you, telling you even his deepest feelings for you.

—

The second time you thought you fell in love was a winter afternoon when you were 16 years old.

Spring was just around the corner but these days the cold hadn't given you a single break, today was your first day in a new high school and you already made the mistake of not bringing any coat and letting yourself be fooled by the sun in the morning because now your body was shaking from head to toe.

The snow melted days ago and if you paid attention to your surroundings you could see how the flowers began to bloom, decorating the streets a bit giving them joy, as well as a cute and innocent feeling inside your stomach that tickled your silly heart. The sun's rays fed and gave life to everything every new morning.

You took a deep breath trying to feel the early warmth of the season you loved the most.

And your body completely freezes at the smell of that perfume.

Was all this real? It's as if the whole world had stopped, time ceased to exist, the birds that were flying were frozen in mid-air, and all sounds disappeared, leaving only the rapid beating of your heart pounding your chest with force.

And all because you exchanged glances with him.

Heeseung had been so engraved in your memory and soul that today, after years, you could still recognize the typical smell of his perfume.

But had you really fallen in love again? He was the same person after all and it was as if all those butterflies were coming out of hiding that they refused to leave. They never left.

You watched as he said something to the boy next to him to walk towards you. With each step it's as if he is activating a bomb in your head not knowing what to do or say.

"Hey."

His voice made everything around you return to normal, letting time run again.

You couldn't say anything, there were so many things you wanted to say that in the end they got stuck in your throat. Both of your eyes already said a lot, although it was still not enough for two people who had loved each other so much and then stopped knowing about the other.

You let your body act by itself and quickly passed your arms around hisneck while you hid your face on his chest, the warmth of his body made you feel in paradise and when he passed his hands on your waist a chill ran down your spine. Feeling his touch after missing him for so long gave you goosebumps. It was overwhelming.

When you parted everything was uncomfortable, he raised his shoulders not knowing what to do and you just covered yourself using your arms because of the cold that penetrated inside your light clothes.

"Long time no see," it was as if you had become strangers, though practically You were "you're taller now."

You did your best to make the environment more comfortable, it was the first time you saw each other after years. His eyes were still the same as you remembered them, he was tall, much taller, his bright smile hadn't changed a bit but he was already a bigger person, you could tell just by looking at him that he wasn't still the same 12-year-old boy.

"Are you cold?" he noticed how your body reacted to being outdoors without any source of heat "I don't want you to get sick."

Heeseung didn't even let you reply that he was already taking off the hoodie he was wearing to put it on your head without hesitation.

"Oh but you don't need to!" he didn't even listen to you and from one second to another his hands were already on the edge of the hoodie making sure it covered you completely "now you could get sick."

"I care more about you." he said softly. His face was so close to yours that you had to hold your breath. He was so cute, he smelled so good and his smile mesmerized you in a way that you could die right there.

He was still the same Heeseung as always.

You didn't talk as much as you would've liked, at least you were able to spend a few minutes talking about what you had done with your lives in recent years, although you couldn't concentrate even for a few minutes, your head kept overthinking every action you did and your eyes couldn't stop traveling in his face trying to remember every last inch of him as if you weren't going to see him again for another long period of time.

Only when you got home did you realize how red your cheeks were, you were embarrassed to think that Heeseung saw you all the time with your face burning and your heart beating so loud, you were sure he could hear it.

That night you slept without being able to take off the blue hoodie with some yellow lines and letters that he gave you, it was a silly thought but you could tell that it was something he would buy the second he saw it. You smiled at that, you had missed him so much that you couldn't be able to get away from that smell that comforted you so much in the past and that remained engraved in the depths of your mind.

You hadn't thought about him going to your high school until that moment, he had the same uniform as you so that got you excited because maybe you can be close again and just thinking about being near him increased your heart rate. You felt like in a fairy tale and you hoped you could tell him what your heart been holding.

But when you went the next day he wasn't there. Nor was it the following days.

Even if you were dying of embarrassment, Heeseung was much more important to you, so you had the audacity to ask the person you saw him with, but he just told you that he had left there and he didn't think he'd be back anytime soon. You felt your heart break a second time for the same person.

Your anger spoke for you but you wished you had never seen him that day just to avoid feeling that unbearable pain you didn't want to remember for anything in the world.

It's as if Heeseung had never existed, being all a product of your imagination that so longed to live his love story.

—

Heeseung was like a loose leaf that had been wandering since autumn letting the wind carry it to no particular destination.

That's why the air caught in his throat when he saw you in the cafe he used to go to whenever he needed to clear his mind of it. He had never seen you there before and you didn't seem to be some new employee so he assumed it was because he always picked the times you weren't working.

Feeling so many emotions running through his body made him overwhelmed and dizzy. It was ridiculous that you always met after years in places you least expected, he was tired of that, he was tired of feeling how his heart shrank at your memory and how he cried when he saw you, it erased all the "progress" he was making trying to forget you and he went back 100 steps because he already convinced himself that you weren't meant to be together.

But looking into your eyes always gave him a little hope and he held tight to it, refusing to let go.

It was for that reason that he was too cowardly to approach you, and he simply turned around wanting to leave the place and his feelings as well once and for all. Inwardly begging not to regret his decisions later.

And it looks like the universe heard him for the first time in years.

"Heeseung?"

There weren't many people in the place and he was grateful for it because he could take off his mask and cap calmly without anyone recognizing him, but he was surprised how you could tell it was him just by looking at his figure, his stomach couldn't stop spin around.

Despite the fact that the few who were there stared at him because he had been standing for like 5 minutes without moving, he shrugged it off and walked towards you, with the counter being the only thing that separated you.

"Hey," he smiled at you, "I didn't know you worked here."

"I used to work in the mornings," you didn't know if it was because you hadn't seen him in a long time and you couldn't remember him as well as before but you noticed he was a little sad, you both looked at each other for a few seconds and stayed silent trying to distract yourselves with something "you want a drink?"

"Yeah, of course." Heeseung ordered for his usual.

Everything was damn awkward, you couldn't even talk like you did that time at the high school entrance long ago, everything was worse since you were practically strangers who didn't know anything about each other, just two unknown people who shared a past trying to talk, which would obviously end in embarrassing failure.

Both of you are left with many unspoken words about to come out of your throats, but you had to swallow them.

When Heeseung had his takeout order in his hands, he said goodbye to you and started walking towards the exit. With each step he took, new thoughts came to your head, you couldn't let him go like nothing like you did before, you had to do something to keep him by your side even for a few more hours or else you would regret not having done nothing for the rest of your life.

"My shift ends in about 20 minutes!" your ears turned red realizing you yelled at him, when you got his attention you continued "do you want to wait for me so we can talk?"

"I would love that." his grin dispelled all your doubts, he didn't even have to think twice.

You couldn't do your job properly while he waited sitting next to a window, your mind kept wandering to the image of him with the sun's rays lighting up his face. He was still the most beautiful person you've ever seen and you think you can never get over Lee Heeseung.

Getting him out of your heart is like an impossible mission, it was as if he had been created specifically to be inside you all his life.

"I still have the hoodie you gave me that day." you played with your fingers not wanting to see his expression.

Both left the cafeteria and headed to the first park you found, there were some children playing and running everywhere. You couldn't help but think about when you used to play with Heeseung until it got dark and your mother had to practically carry you home by the ears, you even avoided going home to drink water for fear that she wouldn't let you out again.

His giggle made you look up "I can't believe you kept it," he looked up at the sky, hesitating as to whether or not to say the words on the tip of his tongue, but he was tired of keeping things to himself so he let his mouth speak for itself "it's more yours than mine, it always was."

You tilted your head to the side, not understanding what he meant "what do you mean?"

"This is embarrassing," he tried to cover his face that was beginning to turn pink, "but I bought it with you in mind."

"Are you serious?"

"I've had it since I was 12 years old just because I wanted to lend it to you, so I bought it a few sizes bigger than it still fit me," your chest tightened at the memory "I never wanted to leave you." his sudden words confused you.

"What?" you tried not to stutter.

"That day I had to rethink what I wanted to do with my life several times just because I saw you again after years wondering what happened to you," he took a deep breath trying not to overwhelm his emotions "but I followed my dreams ignoring the deeper feelings, I became a trainee and now I'm here, being an idol. I'm sorry I left, but I don't regret it."

"You fulfilled your dream, of course you don't have to regret it, I would never want you to." your brain still couldn't process everything he told you, you just concentrated on the fact that he was able to fulfill what he told you so many times and you couldn't be more proud of him because your body couldn't contain so much happiness "I'm so proud of you Heeseung, I still remember when you-"

"Even though I don't even know if I like it that much anymore," he cut you off with tears welling up in his eyes "you're right, I fulfilled my dream, but everything is so difficult that I'm beginning to believe that there are more cons than pros in all of this."

You didn't know what to say, you didn't even know what was going on in his life right now, and fuck, you don't even know if you can consider yourself his friend after being apart for so long.

"No matter what I do or how hard I try there will always be bad comments that sometimes become so overwhelming that they far outweigh the good ones. I'm just tired," he looked into your eyes and a spark traveled through your body "and this may be silly but I really do believe that love doesn't exist. Or at least not for me, I don't know if I should give up."

How could he say that? How dare he say love didn't exist when you felt it with every fiber of your body every time you looked into his eyes? When that strong feeling took over your heart from the moment you met him? How dare he when he taught you what love really was even if he didn't know it? It's true, it wasn't always pretty and it used to hurt a lot to the point you want to tear your heart out in order not yo feel anything and forget everything, and you knew that better than anyone for all the years you spent away from him feeling abandoned, but you wouldn't change the love you feel for Lee Heeseung for anything in the world, even if it hurts and burns you inside you're convinced you will never be able to find something similar in your life. Love was what made you feel alive every day.

"You're wrong about that... Love is real. I know because I've felt it."

"Please don't say you love me."

But even if you were consumed with shame and with your pride broken, you decided to stand firm and stare into his eyes, those orbs that you loved so much and from which you had fled so many times.

Hearing that completely paralyzed you, had you been so obvious all that time? You wanted to get out of there, run away and never see him again.

This was the last chance you had to tell him the whole truth and stop being a coward for once in your life, you were going to fight for what your heart dictated, even if everything ended badly you wouldn't be left with that heavy feeling following you everywhere.

"I love you Heeseung, I always have."

He didn't even move, you could see his gaze change but you couldn't figure it out, it was an ocean full of doubt and he was drowning in it.

"Don't make this harder please." His lips were trembling, afraid to blurt out the next words "because I love you too."

You had to blink several times to make sure you weren't in some weird dream or misheard. You wanted to beat him until your hands got tired, you wanted to yell at him until you lost your voice. You were already preparing to be rejected and he told you that? You couldn't believe it, so many years thinking that your feelings were one-sided when in reality he felt the same? You wanted to beat yourself up too by not taking the risk sooner.

But maybe that was fine, probably if you had done it before nothing would have worked, you wanted to believe that the universe was responsible for bringing you together at the right time.

"Please tell me you really mean it." your eyes were watery, waiting for any answer so the tears could fall.

"I never in my life said something so serious." his tone of voice changed to a slower and softer one to make sure you were the only one to hear him, his hands slowly moved up your neck to position themselves on your cheeks and caress them with his thumb "I'm sorry I didn't say it before, I was scared."

Your fingers were on his, not wanting to stop feeling the touch of his fingertips on you, giving you goosebumps "scared of what?"

"Scared of loving you." he was getting closer and closer to you, now you could feel his breath caress your eyelashes "scared of being the only one who felt all these butterflies when we were together and ruining the only good thing in my life."

You repeatedly shook your head letting some tears fall, although there weren't many because Heeseung took care to wipe them all away.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you that I was going to move me out when we were 12."

"And I'm sorry I didn't tell you that I was on my way to fulfill my dream and let you slip out of my arms, you have no idea how much I wanted to see you again but I let you go."

"Don't worry about it, we're already together, right?" he nodded as your fingers played with his hair.

"Hold me again, I've missed your arms more than anything in the world, I can't let you go, not this time."

It was getting dark, the children were gone and the only thing left in the place were your butterflies that finally fluttered together.

You wrapped your arms around his neck as he wrapped them around your waist. Your heart was threatening to burst out of its cage, he was getting closer and closer and you closed your eyes waiting for his lips to touch yours. The euphoric feeling leaving you dizzy and dazed, wondering what would happen to you if he didn't hold you in his arms.

Your lips fit together like a perfect puzzle which have been searching for its missing piece for too long.

This was how it felt to truly love someone, your hearts never gave up and if you had to wait 100 more years just to feel the moment when your lips and hearts were fervently linked then you would wait as long as it takes. There is nothing in the world you wouldn't do for each other, you would go to space back and forth, burn down entire cities and plant millions of trees if it meant you would meet in another life over and over again until your souls lived through it all.

The first and only time you fell in love was that spring morning 14 years ago.

14 years and the flower that bloomed in your chest without hope of living long hasn't withered yet.

Your heart and spring would always go back to him.

THIS IS TOO CUTE MY GAWD 😭

Can you do breaking up prank on enhypen thank you <3

## IM BREAKING UP WITH YOU

TIKTOK SERIES #005

（ 概要 ）。— all members x reader || g : fluff , crack || text message || no warning || established relationship

CHERRY ─ psh. ❀

a lollipop a day keeps park sunghoon away…

# genre: outcast!sunghoon x class prez!fem!reader, enemies to lover, slow burn, high school au, 90’s au

# warnings: insults, minor violence, substances/partying, cursing, lil makeout sesh, minor bullying, portrays some idols in a bad light; inaccurate and not how I view them!

# featuring: sunghoon & enha! + txt + aespa

# playlist: not for sale by enhypen, still into you by paramore, chaser by woodz, high school sweethearts by melanie martinez

# a/n: hi guys!!! it’s insane that the cherry teaser got so many likes omg. ty guys so much!! plz enjoy <3 (dont let this flop)

# word count: 13.1k

# taglist: @alicesolengg @ningngyu @ramenoil @simjakeissohot @skzenhalove @parkhonnie @denleave1088 @voidbeomgyu @ilymarkchan @everyoneluvscheol @haerinpham @fakeuwus @chesh1re-cat @advesperamz @papiibuprofen @loveliii @cutiejseong @luvyouchuu @hancafe @aeminju @chaerybae @b1ndignity @edilysoob @river-06 @fariylixie0915 @amortenha @hoonpalettes @asyleums @moonmoongi @jyndre @parksunghoonsgf @whippedforbeomgyu @dianzed @soobliss-blog @manooffline @iscocohere @saythenameseventeen178 @woniewonn @luv4cheol @tinylittlebuggi @h-hazwie @ddazed-lhs @enhacolor @hiqhkey @webqrl @ilovewonyo @aesunghoon @hanienie @jrjr289

it isn’t a well disguised fact that park sunghoon doesn’t like you–no, hate would be a better word. park sunghoon hates you, and he makes it clear to everyone who knows him. but when you leave him a different flavored lollipop every day, it gets a little harder to loathe you.

[more under the cut!]

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🍒 ꒱

𝐋𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍 - chapter i.

Park Sunghoon finds solace in the fact that he annoys you. 

He isn’t sure he truly does, as you’re quite adept at keeping your face blank when something pisses you off. But for a moment, that bright, customer-service smile slips, and the left corner of your lip twitches when he sneers at you from across the room. That’s how he likes it. He likes that he has an effect on you, negative or otherwise, although it was always the former.

“You need to let it go.” Jake sighed as he watched Sunghoon’s eyes follow you across the room when you stand to pass out the second semester chemistry syllabus. “I don’t even understand why you don’t like her."

“How could you not?” he phrased his question like a statement.

“Well, first of all, she’s my math tutor.” Jake says, smacking the top of his best friend’s head with a rolled up spiral notebook, crumpling his notes. “So I have to get along with her. And second of all, she makes it pretty easy considering she’s such a catch.” Sunghoon groaned in annoyance, a petulant frown on his pretty face.

“God, you’re so brainless.” Sunghoon whined. “You’re just another one of the idiots completely infatuated with her.” 

Well, why wouldn’t he be? You’re the president of the school council, head of the party planning committee, photographer of the yearbook club, and the school newspaper’s best writer. It’s an intricate balancing act, and a wonder that you could keep it up on the daily.

“I’m not infatuated.” Jake said with an indignant hiss. “I just don’t hold stupid grudges– shit, she’s coming.” The Aussie cleared his throat and painted an enthusiastic and eager smile onto his face as you approached the boy’s shared table.

“Good morning.” you chirped, and Jake grinned in response. “Here’s the syllabus.” You passed a double sided sheet of paper to each of them, gently setting it down on the desk. It didn’t escape Sunghoon’s attention that his was wrapped up in a roll, a piece of tape closing the document into a cylinder. You sent him a soft smile, looking at him through your lashes, before backing away from the table and moving onto the next pair of students who were waiting to receive their assignment. Sunghoon rolled his eyes, hesitantly peeling off the strip of adhesive and unrolling the paper to reveal the object inside, Jake peering curiously over his shoulder in an attempt to see.

“God, she’s still at it.” Sunghoon groaned, reaching down to pick up a small lollipop, a vivid yellow and wrapped in a holographic piece of cellophane with a little red ribbon tying it closed. “I thought she might’ve stopped.”

“Dude, you’re so lucky.” Jake breathed enviously, and Sunghoon looked at him with distaste. “You know how many guys in this school would kill to get a lollipop from her?” Sunghoon ignored his best friend's implorations, unwrapping the treat and shoving it into his mouth. 

Lemon. He hated lemon. 

When he looked back to the front of the classroom, you were setting the remaining stack of papers on the teacher’s desk, peeking at Sunghoon’s reaction. You seemed somewhat pleased to see the boy sucking on the sweet you had left him, and you sent a bright smile in his direction. His eyes were drawn to your shirt, which was adorned with what he thought was a very tacky depiction of a dove and some hearts, and he inwardly grimaced. Apparently, it wasn’t too inward judging by the look on your face. 

He smirked, lifting up his hand and subtly sending you a different kind of bird with his middle finger. Your smile dropped entirely, and you rubbed your lips together in annoyance, retreating to your desk with a mix of frustration and despondence. That made him very satisfied.

“Would it kill you to be nice for once?” Jake asked, a skeptical look on his face as he watched the entire encounter go down. Sunghoon shrugged, setting his hand down on his desk and strumming his slender fingers on the wooden surface.

“Probably.”

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🍒 ꒱

Today was yet another failed attempt at making Park Sunghoon like you. 

You had to admit, you weren’t entirely pleased with your lollipop arrangement, and by that, you meant that you hated it. Treating Sunghoon like a human being with real emotions was so hard when he was such a piece of shit. You let out an exhausted sigh, hopping onto the counter of the candy shop. Your best friend laughed at your theatrics, wiping his hand with a white rag and tossing you a packet of red licorice.

“What’s the problem?” Jungwon asked inquisitively as though he didn’t already know the answer. “Sunghoon again?” His tone was filled with pity, and you hated it. You rolled onto your stomach, ripping open the packaging and tucking one of the red ropes into your mouth with a heavy sigh, blinking twice hard, before frowning.

“He’s not budging.”

“That’s a shame. I’m almost out of lollipop flavors.” Jungwon tutted with disappointment, reaching into his pocket and removing his hand with a treat, barely able to hold back the anticipating grin on his face. He tossed it to you. “Or am I?”

“You’re a lifesaver.” you sighed, pocketing it. “I’m not sure how you keep coming up with more.” Your best friend simply shrugged, tucking his hands into his pockets.

“Chef’s secret,” he smiled.

Jungwon had adored candy since you met him, but the only thing he adored more than eating candy was making candy. This came in handy during basically every holiday or romance related occasion. A handmade bouquet of chocolate covered strawberries, a box filled to the brim with toffee, or a lollipop. He liked lollipops the most. “Maybe you should stop with the lollipops. I’m down to my last vial 0f strawberry flavoring and our restock isn’t until next Monday.” he scrunched his nose up at the thought.

“What if he gets pissed off once I stop giving him them, and then he gets even meaner?” you wondered aloud. “What would I do then?”

“Um, report him to the principal?” Jungwon suggested, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, and you shot up into a sitting position.

“Absolutely not.” you hissed. “I have to beat him.” You raised your fist to the air, seething with vengeance. “I will make that pretty bastard like me, goddamn it.” This was it. Jungwon was convinced that you had finally gone ‘round the bend. A ringing sound resounded through the shop as someone pushed through the front door with a grin.

“Did someone say pretty bastard?” he said, arms held out playfully as he turned his nose up to the ceiling. You only pouted in response. “Awww, baby what’s wrong?” he asked, circling his hands around your waist and pressing a kiss to your forehead while Jungwon stuck out his tongue.

“Oh, it’s nothing.” you dismissed the topic with a wave of your hand and a sigh. You knew very well that if Heeseung got word of the way Sunghoon was treating you, you’d have a dead body on your hands. “How was practice?”

“Pretty good. Coach says I’m doing well. Could get a scholarship.” He cuddled up to you, until something hard and spherical hit him in the face, and he gripped his nose with a groan, bending down to pick up the fallen object.

“No cuddling in the store.” Jungwon said, a hand on the door as he came back to the counter, a thin white stick protruding from his mouth. “It’ll scare the customers.”

“Likely.” Heeseung scoffed, yet he pulled the wrapper off the lollipop and shoved it in his mouth, swirling the sphere on his tongue. “You wanna go see that new movie, Ten Things I Hate About You? It’s playin’ tonight and Beomgyu said it’s good.” You laughed, pulling the lollipop out of his mouth with a wet ‘pop’ sound, and tucking it between your own lips. Jungwon gagged on his lunch.

“I don’t trust any movie that Beomgyu says is good.”

“Ah, c’mon babe. It’ll be fun.” he said, returning his hands to your waist as you smiled. He had a way of making you smile even when you were at your lowest.

“Alright.” you caved, and he pumped his fist, planting a kiss on your cheek.

“Glad you said yes, because I already bought tickets.” You chastised him, but he only laughed and grabbed your waist, lifting you off the counter like a sack of potatoes while you shrieked. “Thanks for the sucker, Won!”

“Yeah, yeah. Have fun!” he yelled after the two of you until you were out of sight, hopping into his old Dodge Viper with lovesick, giddy smiles on your faces. Then the boy sighed, rolling his eyes. “Pricks.”

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🍒 ꒱

“Red Vines.”

“Gotta be Charleston Chews.”

“Ew, no fucking way. Charleston Chews are just s'mores without the best part.” you scoffed, finger wagging in your boyfriend’s face as the exasperated teenage cashier watched you argue about your candy choices for the movie you were about to watch.

“I’ll let that go, because I love you.” he warned. “But Charleston Chews are the best candy.” Despite his protest, he reached for the Red Vines on the shelf and dropped them next to the cash register as he removed his wallet from his pocket.

“Thanks, baby.” you kissed him on the cheek, and he sent you a grin for the reward. “But they definitely taste like shit.” you said cheekily, and he smacked you lightly on the top of the head, before grabbing your Red Vines and pulling you away.

“I’ll get you back for that.” He teased, and you stuck your tongue out. “Oh shit, I left my Coke at the register.” You laughed at his blatant forgetfulness as he smacked himself in the forehead. “Go, hurry. I’ll wait here.” He darted out the exit, excusing himself and apologizing as he ran past a pair entering the theater, almost knocking their popcorn out of their hands. “Where’s he off to in a rush?” one of them asked incredulously, the other mumbling incoherent responses as they seated themselves. Great, the teenage cynics who apparently had a grudge against your boyfriend were sitting right next to you.

“Heeseung’s really been busy lately.” one said, and your ears perked up at their use of his name. “With scholarships, and all that. Must be hella tired.” The voice sounded oddly familiar, but you couldn’t exactly place who it belonged to.

“Yeah, as if.” another scoffed. “He’s probably busy making out with his fuckface girlfriend.” Your eye twitched.

“C’mon, don’t be mean. What’s she ever done to you?’ another said.

“She’s awful. You’re so gullible.” the same disparaging voice said, and you huffed. You recognized that drawl, you had heard it somewhere but you weren’t sure where. “Heeseung’s an idiot. The both of them can go to hell.” Enough was enough. You stood, reaching over to the cynical boy sitting directly next to you and grabbed the front of his shirt, and even though you couldn’t see his face, you could feel his shock.

“You got something to say about me and my boyfriend?” you hissed.

“Have you had your break today? We all need to get away, there’s one place that’s on your way,” the jolly actors sang as the screen suddenly lit up with an advertisement, the lights turning on and revealing the boy before you. 

“Y/n?” Sunghoon asked incredulously, and you grit your teeth. He got a reaction out of you. You had completely played yourself.

Despite your instant regret, you continued to grip on his shirt. “Park Sunghoon.”

“What are you doing here?” he hissed under his breath, and your eyes darted to Jake, sitting beside him. He looked utterly stunned. He had never seen you react to Sunghoon’s tauntings before; even Sunghoon never had the pleasure of seeing you burst out in a properly angry reaction.

“Seeing a movie with my boyfriend.” you muttered. Sunghoon didn’t respond, and you thought this might be the first time you had seen him off guard.

You dropped his shirt, letting him plop back down onto the cushioned seat.

You had seriously messed up. Sunghoon was never supposed to see you angry, more than anyone. You were about to do some damage control when Heeseung strode straight through the swinging doors with a box of Charleston Chews and a plastic cup of Coke so large it looked like it could cause diabetes immediately upon consumption.

Heeseung always had incredibly bad timing.

“Hey baby.” he slid into the seat next to you, pecking a kiss onto your cheek. He coughed on his soda pop when he saw the pair staring at him, seated directly next to you, one boy looking at him like he had just ran over his cat. “Oh, hey guys. Jake,” he said, nodding to the older boy of the two. “How’s varsity tryouts?”

“Going good.” Jake said meekly. The two were acquainted from their time on the rugby team, yet Jake suddenly felt extremely intimidated by the older boy. You said nothing, leaning back in your seat with a perturbed look on your face.

Once you and Heeseung finally struck up a conversation, Jake leaned in and grabbed the front of Sunghoon’s shirt with an extremely stressed expression.

“Are you trying to get us killed?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” Sunghoon snapped, not sounding sorry at all. “Christ, you really had to book the seats right next to Jack and Joan Sprat?”

“I didn’t know they’d be sitting there.” Jake said through gritted teeth, and it was easy to see that the poor boy was at his breaking point. “I would just like to get through this movie peacefully.” he rubbed his temples, expecting protest. But to Jake’s surprise, the boy didn’t complain. He was much too busy staring at you. “Sunghoon?”

“Yeah, I got it.” the boy rolled his eyes, turning away. Jake looked at him in a double take, shocked at the boy’s compliancy, but pleasantly surprised. 

Maybe this would be a nice trip to the theater after all.

Of course, nothing could be peaceful when you and Sunghoon were in the same room together. The tension was undeniable, even to your oblivious boyfriend.

Safe to say you only registered about half of the movie.

Not to say that the film wasn’t engrossing. In fact, you were beginning to seriously enjoy it. Sunghoon, however, was enjoying the movie a bit less than you were.

“This is so fucking stupid.” he muttered to Jake as the main characters bickered on screen. “This would never happen in real life.”

“That’s why it’s a movie, dumbass. Now can you shut up? You’re seriously bumming me out.” Jake snapped back, slapping the back of Sunghoon’s head. Sunghoon reached over to retaliate, knocking his cup of Sprite over in the process, spilling the entire contents of the plastic container directly onto your skirt. You squealed, and Heeseung cursed, pulling you up as he dug in his pockets for napkins. You glared at Sunghoon and saw that he looked rather surprised at his own action, and for a moment you doubted if he did it on purpose. But then the look of shock shifted into one of satisfaction, and you chose to not give him the benefit of the doubt.

“Gosh, I’m sorry.” Sunghoon said in a way that told you he wasn’t sorry at all.

“That’s one hell of a mess.” Heeseung kissed his teeth, attempting to use the napkins to clean off your skirt, but the people behind you began to boo at your obstruction of their view. “Alright people, Jesus. We’re moving.” He took your hand and pulled you back down, still attempting to dry you off. While you greatly appreciated the effort, it was doing practically nothing to help.

“It’s okay, Hee.” you said, pushing his hands off with a tight smile. “It’ll dry.” You sighed, reaching for the box of Charleston Chews. You didn’t even like this stupid candy, but you needed something sweet to calm your temper or you were going to kill someone. Your hand exited the box covered in melted chocolate, and you threw your head back in displeasure. But suddenly, an idea struck you.

The sacrifice of your boyfriend's candy was worth it.

You sloppily upturned the box into Sunghoon’s lap, the half-melted chocolate slipping onto his light tan pants as he inhaled sharply, his lip pulled between his teeth. 

“Whoops.” you said with a smile, turning back to the screen.

Sure, you were done being nice to Park Sunghoon. But you still tucked a sucker into his pocket, hoping he would find it on his way home and at least have some kind of consolation for his ruined trousers.

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🍒 ꒱

Sunghoon collapsed onto his bed, reaching under his bed frame for something beneath. When his hand emerged, it held a dark green spiral notebook, with a pencil held by a strap of elastic. He swirled the lollipop around his mouth, thinking carefully for a few moments before flipping to the next open page on his notebook.

“June 15th, 1999… Strawberry… cheesecake…” He mused under his breath as he jotted it down on the lined paper, biting the inside of his left cheek with furrowed brows. “Maybe just strawberry cream?” he thought to himself, biting the end of his pencil before shaking his head. “Had to be cheesecake.” He surely sounded insane to anyone who was listening from the outside, yet this was a nightly routine for the teen, notebook and pencil in hand as he pondered the flavor of the day.

He had tasted birthday cake, banana split, bubblegum, gingerbread, black licorice, pina colada, pretty much any flavor that even Willy Wonka himself could come up with. He thought he might’ve had every lollipop flavor in the universe, and the pages of his notebook had become worn with your endless supply of sugary treats.

However, he did find it odd that you had never given him cherry before.

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🍒 ꒱

𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐋𝐄 - chapter ii.

There was something you had never told anyone. Not to Heeseung, not even to Jungwon, and you told him just about everything, maybe too much. No, this secret went untold, and you planned to take it with you to your grave.

Park Sunghoon was your first love.

It’s not like he ever loved you back. This was your freshman year of high school, the first time you met the young charmer, who at the time was wide eyed and raven haired, quiet and not very conversational. At the ripe age of 14, he wasn’t fully comfortable in his skin yet, not making many friends and focusing on building his figure skating career rather than on his grades. He was nerdy, he was awkward, and he was always alone in the cafeteria, picking absentmindedly at his food while he daydreamed. 

He was beautiful. You found yourself unable to look away.

Even in your freshman year, rising up the school hierarchy wasn’t difficult. You joined the school council in your first week at Decelis High, easily acquiring the vice president position once election day came around, leading you to take the president position eventually. You started writing in the newspaper club in your second month of high school, your teachers recognizing your potential and promoting you to head editor as well as a journalist, and students immediately began to respect your brave commentary on the school’s weak ethics and poor handling of their students. School was improved when you joined, and the student body found that their day brightened up when you walked down the hall with your signature smile. 

Which is why it was odd that you fell hopelessly head over heels for a quiet boy who interacted with no one and didn’t speak unless spoken to, head perpetually in the clouds. And despite your undeniable popularity, he never paid a lick of attention to you.

It took until your junior year for him to even speak to you. When his head wasn’t somewhere over the rainbow, he was focusing on skating, skipping classes to run to the rink for a quick session with his trainer. And when he wasn’t skating, he was playing soccer. Through the rose tinted lenses of love, you thought he was an excellent player, but supposedly his coach didn’t agree. He was benched for nearly all his games.

You never told him you had feelings for him, but the closest you came was when you showed up to the soccer game he was playing in with a button on your shirt that said “Go Sunghoon!”. You cheered for him the entire time, even if the only reason he was playing was because Kang Taehyun had sprained his ankle. 

Sunghoon scored one goal, but the more experienced player had sucked up the pain and decided to jump into the game last-minute, scoring the winning goal and sending the audience into a frenzy like they had just won the olympics and not an amateur high school soccer game. The team picked up Taehyun on their backs and ran around the field toting him on their shoulders like a trophy, and poor Sunghoon was left on the bench with a frown, wishing that he could’ve been the one on their shoulders being celebrated. You felt so bad for him that you stood up, cupped your hands around your mouth and yelled for his attention, garnering weird stares from those next to you, but you didn’t care. When you yelled his name with a cheer, he looked up into the stands and sent you the most luminous smile you had ever seen, one that could’ve made the sun itself envious of his radiance.

Which is why it confused you when he hated your guts less than a year later.

You never really understood why Sunghoon disliked you. It was a mystery, not only to you, but to everyone who knew about it, even Jungwon, who had seen more ugly and intolerable sides of you than anyone. Nobody really knew why Park Sunghoon despised you, so they just stopped trying to figure out why. 

But not you. You needed to know why he didn’t like you, why the boy who you loved so dearly ended up hating you so much he was spiteful at your mere existence.

Your first memory of Sunghoon was the first day of high school, when he came through the school gates with a big, red sucker in his mouth and an overwhelmed look on his face. So you decided lollipops were the best way to win him over. 

But with every canned stick of orange creamsicle, every discarded cotton candy and crushed lemonade, your feelings slowly left you until the love you once felt for the boy disappeared as he left his tally on your heart, then faded into nothing.

Then you met Heeseung. On January 1st, just as the clock struck midnight at Choi Yeonjun’s New Years party, he asked you to be his girlfriend. And suddenly, you didn’t really care if Sunghoon loved you back or not.

But you never stopped wanting him to like you.

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🍒 ꒱

You were entirely done with being nice to Park Sunghoon. After nearly a year of being treated like the scum on the bottom of his shoes, you weren’t afraid of him anymore, you weren’t afraid of showing him how truly done you were. But Jungwon still had buckets full of lollipops left for you, so you supposed the lollipop charade could go on for a bit longer.

You still didn’t like him though. That’s what you told yourself.

“She’s acting differently.” Sunghoon scrunched his eyes into scrutinizing crescents as he watched you stride down the hallway nonchalantly. Just a moment previously, you had met his eyes while you walked, textbook clutched to your chest, and rather than sending him a joyous smile or a wave, you ignored him as though he wasn’t even there, which shocked him thoroughly. 

Plus, it was the fourth period and you hadn’t even given him a lollipop yet.

“You’re just salty that she poured her Charleston Chews on you. You’re imagining it.” Jake scoffed, eyes attached to his book, scanning over every word.

“No, you don’t get it.” Sunghoon huffed exasperatedly, arms crossed as he watched you saunter to Heeseung’s side and allow him to pull you into his embrace. “She’s never ignored me like this before. She doesn’t just… look away.”

“So she doesn’t like you anymore. Big deal.” Jake shrugged, but Sunghoon seemed rather upset by this sudden change of events. “You fumbled the bag, that’s all.” Sunghoon’s eyes shot to his shorter companion as they narrowed.

“What do you mean?”

“C’mon, dude. You had y/n y/l/n, the ultimate sweetheart of Decelis High, practically begging for your attention, and you were nothing but mean to her. I mean, anyone would want to be in your place. Of course she’s sick of you.”

“Yeah but-”

“But nothing.” Jake punched Sunghoon’s arm, putting a soft dent in the fabric of his puffy jacket, and the weaker of the two winced. “You were fucking bogus.”

“Yeah, I get it.” Sunghoon snapped, swatting Jake’s hand away with a scowl. “I was a loser.” When Jake nodded, affirming Sunghoon’s self-diss, he sent him a glare. “Well, what am I supposed to do about it?”

“Nothing, bro. Just move on and stop being such a dick.” Jake shrugged, walking away with his nose still buried in his book, leaving Sunghoon to think. Did he really care if you didn’t like him anymore? Would it be so bad for you to continue to ignore him? 

The answer was yes. Undeniably so, because he despised you, and it only brought him more joy to see you struggle. Sunghoon liked being catered to, and you had just taken away his greatest pleasure. 

The game was on.

“Jake, it’s simple.”

“No, it’s not.” Jake rubbed his forehead frustratedly as you attempted to explain the permutation formula to him for the fortieth time that day. He was supposed to be good at math, at least that’s what Jay said, and Jay was almost always right. However, you realized after a few tutoring sessions that Jake was a bit less attentive in math class as his friend made him out to be. “Why is there an exclamation point?”

“The exclamation point is to demonstrate how you’re supposed to multiply the number by each number following it, consecutively.” Jake looked like you had just told him to grow wings and fly, and you took the paper from his hand with a small giggle. “Jesus, Jake. You look like you got three hours of sleep last night and your dog shit in your cereal.” He let out a chuckle.

“You’ve got half of that statement spot on.”

“I’m going to assume it’s the former.” you said playfully.

“You got it.” he sighed a second time.

“Wanna talk about it?” He huffed, like the mere memory of his stressors were enough to upset him even when they weren’t present.

“It’s nothing…” You knew it wasn’t nothing. “It’s just Sunghoon.”

Bingo.

“He’s so oblivious sometimes.” Jake said exasperatedly. “Although, most times I’m pretty sure he’s being dense on purpose.” You stared at him blankly and he rested his chin on his palm. “He’s so stubborn. I always tell him to just let things go, to move on, but he never listens.” You didn’t need an explanation to understand what he was talking about. “I don’t know. He’s just felt so negative recently. Especially today.”

“What’s so different about today?” you asked, elated that he was frustrated at your indifference, which wasn’t indifference at all judging by how much you cared.

“Nothing, for most of us.” the Aussie shrugged. “I suppose he’s just feeling a bit abandoned.” You raised an eyebrow, and Jake seemed to notice his misstep. “T-that doesn’t have anything to do with you.”

“Sure.” you snorted, pulling the sheet of paper you were supposed to be attentively solving into your lap, flipping through your binder for the notes.

“Are you free on Saturday night?” Your eyebrows practically flew to your hairline.

“Depends on who’s asking, and why.”

“Yeonjun’s throwing a party.” You were very well aware of Choi Yeonjun, a freshman at Hybe University. Even after finally graduating a few months ago, his parties were a must for the top tier of Decelis’ elite students; namely the popular kids. You didn’t often frequent parties, but Heeseung and Yeonjun were quite close friends. You had never missed one of his parties, and you didn’t plan to break that record.

“I wasn’t aware.” you picked up a pencil and began scrawling, eyes on your lap.

“It’s a smaller thing than usual. Just some friends, and friends of friends. Maybe a few friends of friends of friends.” You allowed a smile to pass over your lips, and Jake smiled in success. “So you’ll come?”

“I’ve never missed a Choi party.” you shut your notebook and passed the completed homework back to its owner. “I’ll give you the answers, just for today.”

“You’re the best, y/n.” Jake grinned as you stood, holding your binder to your chest, smiling in response.

“I know. Oh, and Jake?” he tilted his head as you removed a green lollipop from the pocket of your pleated skirt, sliding it across the table until it came to a stop just before his hands. “Give this to Sunghoon.”

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🍒 ꒱

Park Sunghoon was absolutely fuming.

Typically, when school was over, he’d come home, collapse on his bed, write down the lollipop of the day, and then firmly put you out of his mind. But today, for the first time, he found himself unable to do any of those things. He sat on his bed, staring at his wall silently. He was in a haze. He needed a distraction, asap.

When the doorbell rang, he ran downstairs in record time.

“Hit the brakes.” his little sister snapped as he dashed to the door, pulling it open, excited even to see the mailman. He was surprised to see his best friend on the other side, who gave him a sideways look.

“Your scowl is freaking me out.” Jake said, hands in his pockets as he strolled inside. Sunghoon closed the door behind him.

“Get used to it.” Sunghoon replied petulantly, and the two boys walked back up the stairs to Sunghoon’s room. “What brings you to my part of town?”

“I’ve got news.” Jake said, flopping down onto Sunghoon’s bed with a smug expression on his pretty face. “Oh, but before I forget.” Jake reached into the pocket of his blue jeans, removing a spherical object and tossing it in Sunghoon’s direction. The younger boy caught it, his face brightening subconsciously.

“Finally,” he rolled his eyes, unwrapping the lollipop and tucking it into the side of his mouth, sucking on it thoughtfully.

“As I was saying I-” Sunghoon ignored Jake’s ramblings, ducking under his bed and reaching for the green notebook, rifling through the mess under his bed frame. Typically, he’d be too embarrassed to do this in front of company, but he couldn’t find it within him to care. “Did you hear about Yeonjun’s party this weekend?” Sunghoon ignored him, removing the lollipop from his mouth and shoving it towards Jake.

“Do you think this smells like apple?” he asked, and Jake swatted his hand away.

“Did you hear anything I just said? And I’m not putting my face anywhere near something that’s been in your mouth.” Sunghoon rolled his eyes again, turning his attention back to his notebook as Jake stared at him. “Are you even listening?”

“I’m listening.” Sunghoon waved him off, but Jake could swear he heard him muttering fruits under his breath.

“Yeonjun’s having a party this weekend.” he repeated, and Sunghoon looked at him blankly, finally putting his pen down.

“So what?” he scoffed. “You’ve never wanted to go to one of those parties before. They don’t want people like us there.” Jake narrowed his eyes.

“People like us? They’re fine with me, you’re the one they have a problem with.” Jake said, pressing his pointer finger into Sunghoon’s chest while the latter frowned. “In fact, I happen to have an invitation, considering me and Heeseung are friends.”

“I don’t want to go to any party that Heeseung is going to.” Sunghoon refused childishly, and Jake kissed his teeth.

“I don’t get what your issue with Heeseung is. Hating y/n was bad enough, but Heeseung is especially innocent.” Jake shook his head when his best friend opened his mouth to protest, slapping his hand over his mouth before he got the chance. “I know what you’re gonna say, and I don’t wanna hear it.” Sunghoon remained silent.

The two boys sat quietly for a moment, just looking at each other, both as stubborn as the next. Jake broke the silence, sighing exhaustedly.

“Will you just do this one thing for me? Please?” Sunghoon pursed his lips. On one hand, he hated partying. He wanted nothing to do with it. But on the other hand, Jake Sim was his best friend, and he loved this boy more than he loved himself. And he had been a pretty shitty friend recently.

And so, the boy with iron resolve, and an even stronger temper, nodded his head.

“Fine, but seriously, just this once.” he said, wagging his finger when Jake’s face broke out into an enormous smile as he leapt up from the bed. “Never again, okay?”

“Pinky promise!” Jake said, running out the door and down the stairs, slamming the front door behind him as Sunghoon shook his head.

What had he gotten himself into?

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🍒 ꒱

𝐑𝐀𝐒𝐏𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐘 - chapter iii.

Park Sunghoon had a confession. It was one that he hadn’t told anybody. Not his family, not his friends, not even Jake, who he told nearly everything. No, this was a true secret. One that was bursting at the seams, that he desperately wanted to confess.

You were his first love.

Well, he assumed you were. He had no idea what love was; he was only fourteen at the time. But it felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest when you didn’t meet his gaze, and it felt like he was on cloud nine when he spotted you staring.

Sunghoon wasn’t one to make many friends. He wasn’t a social creature. He couldn’t say that was how he liked it, because he wasn’t necessarily sure that was true. He didn’t know if he liked to be alone, or if that was just how it had always been. But that changed when he met you.

For once, he found himself wanting to be around someone. The minute he laid eyes on you, he fell head over heels. You were everything he wasn’t. He knew he was in love with you when a junior tried shoving Jake into a locker and you punched him in the face. Even Sunghoon didn’t have the courage to stand up for Jake like that.

Sunghoon admired everything about you, but he knew you could never care about him. You were president of the student council, head of the party planning committee, photographer of the yearbook club, and the school newspaper’s best journalist. You tutored, you played multiple instruments. You liked being around people. You were brave and righteous. You were everything he wished he was. Why would you like him? He was just a loser who skipped class to skate and wished he had a little more courage.

But sometimes, he saw a little glimmer of hope for the two of you. When you came to his soccer game and only cheered for him, when you lent him your favorite pencil, when you left a note on his desk saying you liked his diorama the best. Sometimes he even thought that he could be with you if he finally followed his heart. 

The only issue? Lee Heeseung.

Captain of the varsity rugby team, runner up for valedictorian, king bee of the school. He was loved by everyone. He had more friends than he could count, and the same for his admirers. When he wanted something, he got it. Sunghoon supposed you counted for that as well. It was obvious that he had a crush on you. Everyone knew you and Heeseung would date eventually, even Sunghoon.

Sunghoon had never fought for anything in his life, but for once, he was willing to fight for you. Until something happened that changed his perspective of you completely, something that made him despise you so much, he could barely contain it. Nobody knew what changed, but one day, Sunghoon dedicated his life to hating you. 

You had no idea why.

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🍒 ꒱

Jungwon thought he could find out something about your past with Sunghoon if he sleuthed hard enough, but he was finding it more difficult than imagined.

He had checked the records in the principal's office —with the cover story that he was doing an investigative report— three times over, and he had yielded nothing. He asked nearly everyone he knew for any kind of background information. He even checked with the newspaper department, hoping they had some kind of trashy gossip if nothing else. Most of what he heard was entirely useless, consisting of people trash talking Sunghoon and hyping you up entirely too much. Jungwon thought they’d reconsider their words after witnessing you on a bad day.

He sighed frustratedly, collapsing into the principal’s chair, kicking his feet up onto the desk. Absolutely nothing.

He cocked his head when the door unlatched, slowly creaking open no more than an inch or two. A sneakered foot snuck its way inside, the rest of the intruder following, letting out a yelp when he saw Jungwon sitting skeptically in the center of the room.

“What are you doing here?” Jake said, a hand on his chest as he exhaled rapidly.

“What are you doing here?” Jungwon repeated his question back at him. Jake and Jungwon were mostly ambivalent towards each other, but there was always some distaste. After all, they were the best friends of mortal enemies.

“I…” Jake stared at him blankly. “I’m checking the records.”

“What a coincidence. So am I.” The two boys sized each other up, wondering if they might be there for the same reason.

There was no way.

 “How’d you get in?” Jake said after a beat.

“Front door.” Jungwon replied, and the older boy frowned.

“Yeah, I gathered that. I mean, what did you tell administration to get in here?”

“I told them, ‘I want to check the school records.’” Jake shook his head, reaching for the desk containing the files of all the information on every student.

“Are you kidding me? Administration would rather die than let me in here.” Jake sorted through the files. He paused, frowned, then thumbed back and forth for a moment before straightening up and crossing his arms. His eyes widened when he saw the missing file he sought splayed out on the desk, just underneath Jungwon's shoes. “Why were you looking at Sunghoon’s personal file?” Jake said with an accusatory tone, and Jungwon paled, snatching it off the desk and tucking it away into his jacket.

“You’re imagining things.” he said quickly, and Jake rolled his eyes, turning back to the file cabinet. He removed your file, looking at Jungwon pointedly.

“Are you here for the same reason I am?” he asked. Neither of them wanted to admit it, but they were both certain they had the same goal.

Jungwon nodded slowly. “I think so, yeah.”

“You want to find out what happened with Sunghoon and y/n, don’t you?” Jake asked, and Jungwon averted his eyes sheepishly. There was a moment of silence before the two boys broke into laughter. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Jungwon smiled, crossing his arms. “Let’s work together.”

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🍒 ꒱

Sunghoon was having a horrible day.

Most of Sunghoon’s days were below average, simply because he didn’t often feel like having fun. But that day, he had woken up with a sinking feeling in his stomach and a furrow between his brows. That day was going to be a horrible day, and he knew it even at 6:45 am when the snooze button on his alarm stopped working.

He got to school with no bad occurrences, almost forgetting what was making him so upset. But when he saw you and Lee Heeseung, his lips on your neck, he suddenly remembered.

It gave him momentarily relief when he recalled the apple sucker from yesterday, but when he caught himself smiling, his mood only soured further.

“Morning, sunshine!” Jake chirped, attacking from behind and ruffling Sunghoon’s hair cheerily. Sunghoon glanced back to give him a glare, attempting to repair the damage Jake had done to his hairdo.

“You seem awfully jolly this morning,” he said gruffly.

“I don’t know. Something good is in the air this morning.” Jake hummed, hands in his pockets and a significant spring in his step. 

He couldn’t very well admit that he was orchestrating an entire plan to get you and Sunghoon alone together so you’d finally resolve your issues. And he definitely couldn’t mention that he was plotting in cahoots with your best friend. 

“Yeah, right.” Sunghoon scoffed.

“I’m assuming that —once again— you’ve chosen to have a bad attitude today?” Jake asked rhetorically. He already knew the answer. He knew his best friend well enough to decipher when he was upset, although it was easy enough that anyone could probably tell; Sunghoon was in an awful mood on most days.

“It’s not something I choose.” Sunghoon scoffed, still messing with his hair.

“Sure it isn’t.” Jake said sardonically, punching him in the shoulder as Sunghoon glared, rubbing the sore area. “Don’t be a- oh hey!” Sunghoon whirled around at his best friend’s sudden topic switch to see you dashing past. “Hey, did you do the chemistry homework last night?”

“Of course I did.” you scoffed. “I’m assuming you didn’t?”

“Clearly you know me well. No chance I could get the notes off of you?”

“No chance, sorry Jake.” you laughed like the tinkling of bells. “But who knows, I might pass you the answer sheet while the teacher isn’t looking.”

“You’re the best!” he grinned as you saluted playfully. Your joyous facade faded for a moment when your gaze locked with Sunghoon’s briefly. You searched his face for any sign that he had received your gift, but his stoic glare firmly remained. You held back the urge to roll your eyes, turning on your heel.

Your lack of a response only made Sunghoon more upset. He was scowling hotly, so much so, that it was certain you could fry an egg on his head.

“She’s such a pretender. Can you fucking believe that?” You heard him scoff just before you left, an accusatory hand pointing in your direction. Jake cocked his head, and Sunghoon’s scowl deepened. “She didn’t even acknowledge that I was here!”

“Why should she?” Jake laughed, tucking his hands into his pockets and walking away as Sunghoon froze on the spot, practically shaking with rage.

Oh, you were going to regret ignoring him.

It almost made Sunghoon sick to think about how much he used to like you.

He thought of all the times he had written your name in his notebook surrounded by hearts and little angel wings. All the times he wished he could bring you flowers, or tell you how he felt. All the times he watched Heeseung sweep you off your feet, and felt bitter resent in his throat. For the first time in his miserable 14 years, he was certain he was in love. It was a bit far-fetched, considering he had only spoken to you once or twice. He didn’t know if he had ever had a full conversation with you.

What was it all for? Why did the girl he loved have to hurt him so bad?

It made him think that life wasn’t very fair. That people were egocentric, they didn’t consider others feelings. He was pathetic, he knew that. He should let it go, forget about what happened between the two of you and move on. He had his own life, you had yours. His existence shouldn’t center around the hatred of another human being.

Maybe hating you was an escape. Maybe he hated you because he couldn’t handle the thought of loving you anymore.

The line between hate and love was very fine. Even he knew that.

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🍒 ꒱

You really didn’t want to go to this party. The more you thought about it, the more you felt sick to your stomach.

After the week you had, drinking with a bunch of teenagers sounded like the last thing you wanted to do. Even being around your friends and boyfriend sounded deeply unappealing; for the first time you could remember, you just wanted to be alone. But you knew this was important to your clique, and so you sucked it up, brushing the dust off the front of your party dress and turning around to your friends.

Ningning and Karina sat on the bed, on their phones. Ningning was dressed in an orange tube top dress, Karina wearing an identical one in purple. Neither of them noticed you until you cleared your throat, and they fawned over your dress.

They were your friends, supposedly. You liked them well enough, and they seemed to like you the same. They were sweet girls, but you didn’t really connect. The only reason you were friends was because you were popular, and so were they. You were living in a dog-eat-dog world, where popular girls became friends with each other to avoid making enemies. You wished it wasn’t like that, and you had a feeling they did too.

Yeonjun walked into the room with a big, cheesy grin on his face, toting your boyfriend behind him. Further back were Beomgyu, Huening Kai, Taehyun, and Soobin, the rest of your boyfriend's older friends. See also: people you didn’t really connect with.

“Are you girls ready?” Yeonjun asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes as the group crowded in. Heeseung came from the back of the procession to take your hands, and it felt like a breath of fresh air. You sighed as the others engaged in conversation.

Heeseung frowned. “You okay? You usually love Yeonjun’s parties.” You brushed some stray hair out of your face and painted on a smile.

“I’m fine, Hee. Thanks for looking out for me.” you said. He pressed a soft kiss to your cheek, adjusting your necklace so the clasp was aligned with the nape of your neck.

“Anytime you wanna leave, just say the word. I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.” You held his hand with a smile.

“Don’t worry about me, baby. Just have fun.” you ushered him towards his friends, and he gave you a brief look before he went to join them. The crowd filed out of the bedroom and into the living room, ready to party.

You sighed, looking at yourself in the mirror for a moment and taking a deep breath to relax yourself. You had no idea why you were so nervous. You had done this a million times around. You knew the party scene like the back of your hand, it was the life you had been living for the past four years.

You stared at the pink dress you were wearing. It was your favorite dress, yet somehow it didn’t feel good anymore. The lamp from the ceiling shone on your necklace, the bright, diamond letter H catching the light.

Usually, you tried not to let Sunghoon get to you. He was just a jealous, rude, idiot who wanted to bring you down for no reason. But today, his words reverberated in your head, ringing painfully, no matter how hard you tried to get them out.

She’s such a pretender.

It made you wonder, was he right? Were you putting on a show for everyone but you? You had played your role so well, you had almost fooled yourself.

Sometimes you got tired of being perfect. You got tired of keeping up your facade all the time. You almost lost yourself in the process.

Maybe Sunghoon was right. Maybe you were a pretender. Maybe hating you meant that he was the only one who really understood you.

And maybe that was a good enough reason to hate him a little less.

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🍒 ꒱

𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐘 - chapter iv.

“For the record, I am not happy about this.” Sunghoon said for what must’ve been the millionth time that night. Jake had forced him into a button up and combed his hair, in comparison to his usual overgrown bangs and old band tee. He cleaned up nice, but the boy’s foul expression was enough to drive off any prospective attention.

“Tough luck.” Jake said, adjusting his chain as he smiled charmingly at himself in the mirror. “It’s one party. You’ll be fine.” Sunghoon continued to grumble.

He wasn’t used to seeing himself done up nicely. He felt too vulnerable without his long bangs hiding his eyes and a hoodie to cover himself up. It didn’t feel right to see himself fixed up like this, but he kept telling himself that it was only once, for Jake.

Jake looked down at the watch on his wrist, a string of curses leaving his lips.

“Shit, Sunghoon, we gotta go. We’re late.” he grabbed his jacket off the coat rack, dashing out the door while Sunghoon dragged his feet behind him.

“We’re fashionably late.” the younger boy corrected, Jake turning around to give him an impatient look, nodding his head towards his car.

“We’re gonna miss all the fun, c’mon.” Sunghoon frowned.

“What a shame.” he mumbled under his breath, following his best friend into the car and praying that this night would go well, and without conflict.

That was wishful thinking.

Sunghoon instantly knew he was right when they pulled up into Yeonjun’s driveway. He could hear the music pumping from inside the house, so loud it made his ears ache. He could see the crowds of people through the enormous glass windows, and grimaced at the idea of being among the masses of sweaty bodies. Jake however, seemed delighted, and so Sunghoon tried to put a smile on his face.

Jake turned off the ignition, leaning over to his best friend and studying the blank look on his face. “Ready?” he asked, and Sunghoon nodded with an exasperated sigh, unbuckling his seatbelt and slamming the car door behind him. Jake rolled his eyes.

“This is going to be a nightmare.” Sunghoon said, unable to hold back a quip. Jake patted him on the shoulder, ringing the doorbell with a grin.

“Let’s see if you can last the whole night.”

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🍒 ꒱

It had only been an hour and your head was already pounding.

All the lights felt too bright, the music was too loud, and too many people were trying to talk to you. After having your crisis of self merely 60 minutes previous, you were definitely not in the mood to make conversation with anyone. You downed your third vodka soda of the night and felt everything get a little hazier. You were satisfied when the sound got a little quieter and the lights became less harsh.

Toting your fourth drink in hand, you dropped down to the couch. Most people were busy dancing, thank God, and the only people on the couch was a girl vomiting in Yeonjun’s best porcelain vase and her friend coaxing it out of her. You didn’t mind it too much. At this point, you were craving some humanity.

You felt a little at ease when Jay sat beside you, smiling in greeting. Jay was pretty much the only one of Heeseung’s friends whom you actually liked.

“How’s the night going?” you asked, sipping on the red cup in your hand.

“It’s alright.” he said, his words slurred as he rubbed his nose. It was clear that he had more than a few drinks, probably a couple past his capacity. “Your friend- what’s her name? Tried talking to me earlier.” You didn’t bother to inquire. “Ning? Ningning?” he laughed to himself. He was obviously drunk, so you took another sip and ignored his ramblings. Even the most sensible of people were insufferable to you at the moment. 

He sniffled briefly, and you studied his face. You could practically see the gears in his head turning as he poked his tongue into the flesh of his left cheek thoughtfully.

“Hey,” he suddenly said, looking at you very seriously. “I’m really sorry about that Sunghoon thing, y’know. I’ve been thinking about it for a while now, and it’s really been bothering me.” You furrowed your brows.

“What Sunghoon thing?” you said, and his jaw dropped open, laughing drunkenly as he covered his mouth. Clearly he had said something he wasn’t supposed to.

“Oops, did Heeseung never tell you?” he said, trying to backtrack. “Oh, we just fucked with Sunghoon a little in sophomore year. You know, back before you and Heeseung started dating.” An awful feeling crept into your insides as you stared at him relentlessly until he finally continued. “We, uh, we just wrote him a letter or something like that.”

“What did it say?” you demanded.

“Oh, you know.” he said for the thousandth time, and you were beginning to lose your patience. He took a swig of your drink to loosen his tongue. Jay knew he shouldn’t be the one to tell you about this, but his conscience was pressing him to continue, and so he did. “We just said some mean stuff, called him a freak. Told him to stay away from you. It was Heeseung’s idea, really.”

You felt a pit in your stomach. You felt so sick, you didn’t even have the capacity to register the anger bubbling up in your throat. Why would your boyfriend do this? What had Sunghoon ever done to him?

You didn’t even notice that you were defending Sunghoon over Heeseung.

“Why would you do that?” you asked blankly, and Jay stood up quickly, stumbling drunkenly as he almost lost his balance. He sensed that he said something he shouldn’t, and if he kept drunkenly blabbering, Heeseung would definitely kick his ass for it sooner or later.

“Uh, you should ask Heeseung about t-this.” he stuttered, evading before you got angry. He had never seen you upset before. Nobody had, with the exception of one.

You stood from the couch, downing the remainder of your drink, feeling the alcohol leave a burning trail down your throat before you tossed the cup to the side.

You had to find your boyfriend.

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🍒 ꒱

Dear Sunghoon,

I know you have a crush on me. I’m sorry to say this, but I really don’t reciprocate your feelings. To be honest, I find it disgusting that you think you even have a chance with me.

Maybe you haven’t realized, but we come from completely different worlds. People actually like me. You might not know what that feels like, but it’s actually pretty nice to be liked. I get good grades, I make friends, I do the work. Something you wouldn’t know much about. You’re nothing compared to me. You have no idea what it’s like to be admired, or to have friends. Maybe that’s because you’re always alone, daydreaming like a fucking loser.

I could never love someone like you. You’re a freak.

Sincerely, y/n.

P.S. I’m in love with Lee Heeseung.

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🍒 ꒱

Jake, that bastard, had absolutely disappeared. He had left Sunghoon stranded in a house full of strangers. And not just any house; the house of the man he disliked nearly the most. Well, after you, then Heeseung, then Jungwon… you get the point.

Sunghoon wasn’t a big drinker, but he downed any alcohol he could get his hands on. His fourth shot of vodka left a fierce burning in his throat, and he tried his best to ignore it. Alcohol was just about the only thing that could make him feel a little less alienated in a place full of people that despised him. With every sideways glance, even an admiring or curious one, he felt more and more like running away. But he promised to stick around for the night, and he was a man of his word. Most of the time, at least.

He felt his eyes almost roll into the back of his head when Lee Heeseung approached him, toting one of his goons behind him.

“Can I help you?” Sunghoon said from behind the rim of his cup, brows raised skeptically. Heeseung had a foul look on his face, one that Sunghoon hadn’t really seen before. He seemed to be a jolly guy most of the time.

“What are you doing here?” he said, voice low.

“Sorry, I wasn’t informed that you were Yeonjun’s security guard. I’ll be on my way out, if need be.” Sunghoon said sardonically, and Heeseung’s scowl only deepened.

“I’m warning you, watch what you say to me.” Heeseung said, pointing so closely, his index finger nearly brushed his chest. “I think we both know you don’t belong here.”

“Wow, it seems like you’ve got an attitude problem. Not as innocent as everyone thinks, huh?” Sunghoon didn’t shy away from the contact, attempting to close the inch difference between their heights. It was a lot harder than it seemed. “Just like you little girlfriend.” he provoked, and Heeseung grabbed the front of his shirt, jaw pulsing.

“You watch what you saw about her.” Heeseung said through grit teeth. “You’re just jealous, and we all know it. She could never love someone like you. You’re a freak.”

I could never love someone like you. You’re a freak.

Sunghoon furrowed his brow. He tried his hardest to keep his lower lip from trembling. He couldn’t show that he was hurt, no matter what.

“I’m not afraid of you.” he said.

Heeseung scoffed. “You’re pretending.”

“I’m not the only one.” The two boys stood in silence for a beat.

Heeseung dropped Sunghoon’s shirt, adjusting his jacket with a glare. “Fuck you, Sunghoon. We come from different worlds, you have no idea what it’s like to be me.”

We come from completely different worlds. 

You have no idea what it’s like to be admired.

With that, Heeseung was gone, his lackeys disappearing as well. And it was all coming back to Sunghoon, biting his lip furiously to distract from the burning in his eyes. He downed the rest of what was in his cup, wandering back to the kitchen.

Maybe he wasn’t welcome here, but he was going to drink them dry before he left.

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🍒 ꒱

“I have a surprise for you!” Jungwon waved his arms excitedly. You stared at him, completely unamused. Your best friend definitely had the worst timing ever.

“I’m a little busy.” you said, trying to push past him to no avail. You didn’t feel like explaining your situation, not until after you talked to your boyfriend. 

“It’s really important,” Jungwon insisted, pressing his hands to the small of your back and steering you towards the staircase. You tried to squirm out of his grip but gave up about halfway through. You would humor Jungwon and see his stupid surprise, then you’d find Heeseung and have a serious conversation.

“Okay, right this way,” Jungwon mumbled, pushing you into a spare guest bedroom. “Wait here for just a moment, I need to get something ready.”

“How long is this going to take?” you said exasperatedly, flopping down onto the bed and crossing your arms.

“Just a minute!” he yelled before slamming the door, dashing away.

As he walked into the corridor, he high fived a certain blond haired boy, Jake rushing by to find his respective best friend.

“Some guy upstairs said he was looking for you.” Jake said, jabbing his thumb at the staircase. Sunghoon’s brows knitted, looking up skeptically before taking another swig of the drink in his hand.

“Me? Was it Heeseung?” Jake shrugged ambiguously.

“Don’t know. He was walking real fast, muttering your name. I think he went into one of the rooms upstairs.” Sunghoon put down his cup, rolling his eyes and heading quickly to the staircase. Jake grinned successfully, trailing behind the boy as he muttered strings of profanities and insults.

“What the fuck does he want…” Sunghoon grumbled, opening the first door he saw when he went upstairs, shutting it in exasperation when a couple screamed, their intimacy interrupted. Jake grimaced; Sunghoon seemed unaffected. He continued this with three more doors, until he finally reached one with a white frame and a silver handle, one with squeaky hinges, one that locked from the outside.

“Where is he-” Jake shoved the boy with all his might, slamming the door behind him as his best friend yelped, pounding on the door. Jungwon came running from around the corner, diving for the doorknob with a key in hand, turning it firmly in the lock. No matter how much Sunghoon protested, it was futile.

“Nice one.” Jake said, high fiving the younger boy as the two proudly celebrated their success. They stared at the door until Sunghoon’s protests went quiet, and the culprits were left with an awkward silence as they registered their actions.

“...We did a good thing, right?” Jungwon asked unsurely. “...Yeah. Definitely.”

“Oh, fucking excellent. God, this night couldn’t get any worse.” Sunghoon said immediately upon noticing your presence. He huffed, pacing around the room while you stared at him, eyes watery, biting down on your lip hard. Sunghoon was filled with so much rage, he was unable to speak, and the two of you sat in silence for a brief second before you got to your feet, walking straight up to him and slapping him in the face.

“I am so fucking mad at you!” you yelled, shocking both of you.

“Me? What could I have possibly done to make you mad at me?” Sunghoon shouted incredulously, pressing his hand to his hot cheek, red blooming under his skin.

“This whole rivalry!” you said, gesturing vaguely. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Tell you what?” he asked irritatedly.

“About the letter!” Sunghoon paled. He had imagined this moment a hundred times over, and none of those hypotheticals went like this. He simply couldn’t have this conversation with you, it was too painful. It was in the past.

“Why should I? You’re the one that wrote it.” he said frustratedly.

“Jeez, you’re so fucking stupid. I never would have done that to you. I wouldn’t say any of that mean shit to you. I didn’t write that letter!”

He scoffed, “Oh yeah, then who did?”

“Heeseung did, Sunghoon.” He paused for a moment, not sure what to say.

You’re just jealous, and we all know it. 

She could never love someone like you, you’re a freak. 

We come from completely different worlds.

You have no idea what it’s like to be me.

Heeseungs hurtful words rang around his head, cutting into his skin like hot knives. It was impossible. You wrote the letter. Heeseung wouldn’t have done that.

“Why would he do that?” you stared at him, unbelieving at how oblivious he was.

“Because I was in love with you, obviously!”

It felt like Sunghoon’s heart was on fire. The two of you stared at each other in silence for what felt like centuries, Sunghoon’s head spinning. Suddenly, everything was much too real for him to take in. His rising body temperature, the sweet lilt of your voice, the way you looked at him through your lashes.

“What?” he questioned blankly, hardly even registering what you were saying. He felt dizzy. “You were in love with me?”

“Well, it was freshman year. I was 14. Can you just shut the fuck up? I’m still mad at you.” you said, your cheeks went aflame with the realization of what you had just said.

He grinned. “You’re so dumb.”

“You’re so fucking annoying-” Suddenly, his lips crashed into yours.

He tangled his hands in your hair, knotting his left hand in your hair. You kissed him in return as he held your waist in his right hand, his teeth biting your lower lip. You both fought for dominance, staggering through the room until your back hit the wall, and you wrapped a leg around his waist as he cursed under his breath. It was a kiss of hatred, but at the same time, relief. His lips felt as though they were made to fit yours, fitting like a puzzle piece. You parted for a breath, but he pulled you back in hungrily.

“Jesus fucking Christ!” The two of you pulled away immediately as Jake cursed loudly, Jungwon behind him with a look on his face like you had just shot him. “What is wrong with you two? We wanted you to make up, not make out!”

“Get the fuck out!” Sunghoon shouted, running after his best friend and shoving him away, slamming the door behind them with a heavy exhalation. When he turned back to you, you were trying to hold back a giggle and failing miserably.

The two of you began to laugh, and Sunghoon dropped to the floor with a sigh, you doing the same and sidling up to him.

“I can’t believe we just did that.” you said, feeling intensely embarrassed.

“ Yeah, I bet you’ll give me herpes.” Sunghoon mocked, and you turned to him with a glare, and he held his hands up. “Old habits die hard. But I really am sorry I was mean to you. I didn’t know Heeseung wrote the letter.” You scowled at the reminder.

“Heeseung…” you said, rubbing your eyes. “Jesus. What am I gonna do about him?” Sunghoon didn’t reply, staring at the ceiling thoughtfully.

“Did you ever think I was a freak?” he asked suddenly. You frowned.

“Why would I think that?”

“I don’t know. I was always alone, always daydreaming. I wasn’t popular or anything. Didn’t you ever consider that you shouldn’t like someone like me?”

“Someone like you?” you snorted. “C’mon, don’t be full of yourself. You’re just a person. I could care less if you like to be alone, or if you daydream. So does everyone else, they’re just not brave enough to say it aloud.” Sunghoon smiled in relief, and he wanted nothing more than to press another hungry kiss to your lips. But he knew he needed to hold back. I mean, you had just gotten over your rivalry a couple minutes ago. He should probably give it some time before he starts kissing his ex-nemesis.

“You should probably go,” he said, avoiding eye contact. “I bet people are looking for you. And I think you might need to talk to your boyfriend.”

“Ex boyfriend, when I’m done with him.” you said, rolling your eyes and getting to your feet, bruising the dust off of your dress. You held out a hand to assist Sunghoon in getting up, and he took it with a smile. You walked, turning back when he didn’t follow you. “C’mon. Let’s show Heeseung that we’re not enemies anymore.”

He couldn’t hold back his grin.

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🍒 ꒱

You felt like the room quaked when you walked downstairs with Sunghoon.

The music didn’t stop, but it almost seemed like everything went silent, hundreds of pairs of eyes landing on the two of you immediately, narrowed, criticizing. Sunghoon was sweating at the judgment, but you strode confidently, not paying any attention to their stares. And like magic, everyone began to turn around and mind their own business. You sent Sunghoon a wink.

“Do anything with confidence, and people won’t give a shit.” you said. Sunghoon grinned. He knew he had a lot to learn from you. The two of you slid through the bodies, navigating your way through until you spotted him from across the room.

Lee Heeseung. The man you called the love of your life just a few hours ago. You wonder if you still loved him after what happened.

“I think I’m gonna head out.” Sunghoon said, tilting his head towards the door.

“See you later, Sunghoon. Don’t be a stranger.” you said, before turning on your heel and marching away. He shook his head at your retreating figure, smiling with a warm blush on his cheeks before he made his exit.

“Heeseung!” you yelled across the room, attempting to pass by the hordes of drunks to get to your boyfriend. Him and his friends were playing a rowdy game of beer pong, and he watched you inquisitively with a ball in hand. “We need to talk.”

“About what, baby?” he asked, tossing the ball and scoring with ease, Yeonjun and Beomgyu cheering behind him and chanting his name.

“Heeseung.” you said his name coldly, and he grew serious within an instant.

“Yeonjun, take my place.” he said, slapping his friend on the back as the boy raised his brow, the group watching you with curiosity as you walked away.

You led Heeseung to the backyard, crossing your arms the minute you turned around to face him. He could tell you were serious as ever.

“What is it baby?” he said with concern, reaching for your arm, but you pulled away from him quickly. He only grew more worried.

“Heeseung, do you have anything to tell me?” you asked vaguely, and every bad thing he had done in his entire life ran through his head in an instant.

“No?” he said pathetically. “Y/n, will you just tell me what you want?”

“Why did you write Sunghoon that letter?” Heeseung paled. He didn’t think you would find out. Not this soon. “You said such hurtful things to him, why? And addressed from me?” You said, voice wobbling.

“Baby, let me explain-”

“You’re the reason Sunghoon hated me so much. I put up with his belittling for years because I thought I deserved it somehow. Just to find out it was you all along? What kind of fucked up person would do that?”

“How else was I supposed to get him away from you?”

“That’s not your decision to make, Heeseung.” you said coldly.

“Look, baby, that was all in the past. I’m really sorry, can’t we just look past it?”

“No, Heeseung, because you hurt an innocent person really badly. And that is always unforgivable.” you sighed, pinching the space between your brows.

“He doesn’t matter, y/n. I’m your boyfriend, not him!”

“Well, not anymore.” Both of you froze. Through the glass walls, the entirety of the party stared at the two of you, Decelis’ golden couple. Now destroyed.

“You’re breaking up with me,” Heeseung said slowly, in disbelief. “Over Park Sunghoon?” You stared at him for a moment, before steeling yourself.

“Yes. Yes I am.” And then you walked off, pushing past the shocked crowds with tears in your eyes, gunning it for the door and disappearing into the night.

Something was telling you to run after him.

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🍒 ꒱

epilogue.

“She’s still at it?” Jake asked in disbelief. Just a moment previous, you had strode straight up to Sunghoon from your spot at the blackboard with the utmost confidence and placed a lollipop onto his lap. You didn’t even look into his eyes, just turning on your heel and returning to your duties.

He was beginning to get envious looks from his fellow classmates, and he wasn’t sure how to feel about it.

“S’pose so.” Sunghoon said, unwrapping the cellophane and popping the treat into his mouth with a satisfying suction sound. “Mm. At least she’s giving me good flavors these days.”

“It’s been three years. You’d think she’d stop by now.” Jake shook his head, tossing his notebooks and laptop into his backpack as the bell rang, dismissing class.

“She’ll never stop. She loves me.” Sunghoon grinned proudly, the stick of his lollipop protruding from the corner of his upturned mouth.

“Why doesn’t she ever bring me lollipops?” Sunghoon frowned, slapping Jake in the back with his notebook before shoving it into his duffel. “Ow! What?”

“She’s my girlfriend. She’s not allowed to give lollipops to anyone but me.” Sunghoon said, like it was obvious, walking to the front of the class with Jake in tow just behind him. “Besides, you don’t even like lollipops anyway.”

“It’s the thought that counts.”

Even after a year of dating, you and Sunghoon were still up to your classic shenanigans. It was a wonder that the two of you were still together, considering how often you bickered. You were lucky that you loved each other more than enough to make up for the arguments.

“Hey, baby.” he said, striding up to your place at the front of the class and pressing a sloppy kiss onto your cheek. You wiped your cheek off with a playful scowl, before plucking the lollipop from Sunghoon’s mouth and putting it between your lips.

“Hey, Hoonie. Hey, Jake.” You reached for your boyfriend’s hand as the three of you walked out of class together. “How was practice, you two?”

“Mm, I’m tired.” Sunghoon said, pecking you as Jake rolled his eyes at your overt pda. “Jake’s been keeping me busy with training.”

“If you weren’t so shit, I wouldn’t have to train you all the time.” Jake ruffled the younger boy’s hair as he looked up at him with a scowl. After your debacle with Heeseung, Jake quit the rugby team, deciding he favored soccer. It turned out to be a good decision, as he was quite good at it, and you decided it must have been pure fate that gave him a scholarship to the same college you and Sunghoon were attending.

“Hey, I joined soccer way before you did. Have some respect for your seniors.” Sunghoon said, evading Jake’s hands as he reached to slap the younger boy, the two tussling as you watched with a smile, sucking on your lollipop. “Jesus, don’t you ever get tired of those two?” a weary voice said, sidling up to you as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. You turned to face Jungwon, his bangs matted to his forehead and his button up shirt nearly halfway undone.

“You’ve been sleeping during class?” you asked, humor in your tone as your best friend turned to you with a raised brow.

“How could you tell?” You didn’t answer. Sunghoon ran to you, a big grin on his face as he dragged Jake behind him in a headlock.

“Hey, Jungwon.” he said, reaching for a handshake that Jungwon didn’t reciprocate. He then reached for the stick dangling from your lips, removing it, kissing you softly, and then putting the sucker back in his own mouth.

“You guys are disgusting.” Jake said, voice muffled from under Sunghoon’s bicep.

“Cherry, again?” Jungwon said, watching the bright red sphere as it protruded slightly from Sunghoon’s mouth. “I should’ve known you were up to something when you ordered them in bulk.”

“What can I say? A tradition’s a tradition.” you grinned, taking Sunghoon’s hand as the four of you walked in a line. “A lollipop a day keeps Park Sunghoon away.” He looked at you with a snort, unable to hold back a smile.

“Did you just come up with that?” he asked, amused.

“I did.” you hummed, and he pressed a kiss to your nose, Jungwon and Jake groaning loudly in unison.

“We get it, you’re in love.”

“Enough already, it’s gross.” they whined, and the two of you laughed together, swinging your hands back and forth like a little swing between your sides.

Who knew you and your enemy would fall in love? You certainly couldn’t have predicted it. Turns out that college life had a lot of unexpected surprises in store. But while everything kept changing, there was one thing that always stayed the same.

Sunghoon’s heart always skipped a beat when you gave him a lollipop.

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🍒 ꒱

• bf! jay x reader

• this is the first drabble for my published fic falling, i think you should check that out first before reading this 🥰

•hope y’all like this 🥺❤️

You loved your boyfriend. You really did. He looked tough from outside but in reality, he was your precious little -180cm tall- boy, but one thing that annoyed you the most about him was that he was extremely selfless. He always made sure you got the last piece of the pizza, you were always warmer than him because of the jacket he offered to you, and he always found a way to put a smile on your face when things were going a little bit more difficult than usual. This is exactly how you understood something was wrong when you saw Jake entering Jay’s house with a cough drop package on his hands.

Jay texted you in the morning telling you that he was going to be out with his family. You didn’t question at first but now that you saw Jake entering his house, you became suspicious. You decided to give your boyfriend a call and make sure his best friend was not just sneaking into his house while he was out with his family. 

Jay declined the call causing you to raise your brows while looking at your phone so you settled on texting him.

You: Hey honey how is it going with your family?

Jay: Hi baby everything’s alright! Sorry I couldn’t answer your call ☹️

You: It’s okay!!! I was just wondering why Jake was entering your house when you are out with your family 😃

You went to your bedroom to look out from your window where it was right across Jay’s bedroom. His blinders were closed. Strange, you thought.

You knew something was up so that’s how you found yourself knocking on Jay’s door ten minutes later. Jake answered the door and his eyes widened when he saw you standing there.

“What are you doing in here?” you asked while placing your hands on your hips. You watched Jake’s expression and realized you just caught him in the middle of something.

“Hello to you too Y/N” he said while letting you come in. You entered the house while thinking every possible reason why Jake was here. You looked back at him, waiting for an answer to your previous question. He realized how annoyed you were at the moment.

“He really did not want to worry you so he is going to kill me but... Jay is upstairs, he caught a cold and he couldn’t go to the family trip. He needed some cough drops so I came to drop them off for him” Jake explained in a single breath, intimidated by your glare. You relaxed a little, relieved by learning the truth.

“Thank you. I can take it from here.” you said before patting Jake’s shoulder and taking the cough drop from his hands. He smiled and nodded before leaving the house.

You sighed before entering the Park household’s kitchen. You saw a kettle on top of the counter and started heating up some water. You found the tea bags after going through a couple cabinets. You poured the hot water into a mug and placed the tea bag inside the cup. Taking the mug off of the counter, you headed upstairs to Jay’s bedroom.

You knocked on his room’s door before opening it. Jay was laying down on his bed, wrapped up in his blanket and his back facing you. You entered the room quietly and put the mug on his bedside table. You sneaked your arms around his waist while laying down next to him on his bed. Jay woke up to your actions and hoped it was not his best friend Jake who was giving him a romantic back hug.

“Hey, beautiful liar” you whispered into his ear while leaning forward to kiss his cheek. He turned to face you and looked into your eyes.

“I’m sorry for lying to you. I really didn’t want to worry you. I thought you were going out with your friends today?” he said with his raspy voice. You realized why he did not pick up your call. He was suffering from a sore throat and hoarseness.

“How can I leave my baby like this and go shopping?” you cooed, making Jay roll his eyes at the way you were babying him.

You stood up from his bed and brought the mug in front of him along with the cough drops his best friend dropped off.

“I made you some ginger tea with honey, it should be good for your throat. Did you eat anything today?” you asked when he took the mug from your hands. He nodded as an answer to your question and took a sip from the tea you made.

You watched him while he drank his tea. You put your hand on his forehead to see if he was running a fever. He wasn’t. You felt relieved and let your hand fall on to his cheek. He closed his eyes and leaned into your touch a little. He was so cute that you wanted to cry right there. He turned his head sideways to give your palm a little smooch.

“I’m sorry for not telling you that I wasn’t feeling well. Now that you are here, I feel much better.” he whispered onto your lips before giving them a small peck and lying down on his bed with you on his chest.

You could forgive your precious boy for being selfless but you were not going to leave him alone in his bed when he was sick.

meant to be III.

read part 1, 2 here

bulletpointed series

sunghoon x reader

genre: fluff, non-idol au!, high school au!, f2l

idk what this is but i felt inspired

the first monday after the kiss

you were trying so hard to avoid sunghoon

you even did not go to lunch to avoid the possibility of sitting next to him on the table

to say that you were desperate WAS AN UNDERSTATEMENT

whenever he tried to approach you, you were gone the next second

the reason for your dumb actions was the fear of him not liking you back

you would rather avoid him and act like nothing happened after running away from him for a long time than listening to him saying that the kiss made him uncomfortable and that you two were just friends

you left the classroom after the last period and headed to your locker to get your backpack and leave

you were glad that you were able to get through the day without facing sunghoon

but you spoke too soon

cuz the moment you opened your locker, sunghoon was right behind you

“hey y/n” he mumbled behind you

sunghoon was not stupid

he knew what you were doing for the whole day

“hey sunghoon” you said, not turning around from your locker while you took your backpack out of it

“are you avoiding me?” he asked before a long sigh left his mouth

“haha! no! i don’t know what you are talking about” you said closing your locker and turning around to face him but your eyes were on everywhere but sunghoon’s face

“is this because what happened after i walked you home?” he asked, still trying to catch your eyes

“idk what you mean by that.... i have a really bad memory, i thought you know me better than that” you said a bit too loudly

yes sunghoon knew you well

and he could see your desperate effort to hide your feelings atm

and no, you didn’t have a bad memory

honestly, you’ve been thinking about his soft lips all day long

you started walking away from sunghoon to exit the school building

but you knew sunghoon as much as he knew you

so you knew he wasn’t going to drop it like that

he followed you when you exit the building

“can you stop for a second?” he asked, you could feel that he was getting impatient with you

you stopped and turned to his face, finally looking into his eyes

“would you let me remind you what happened?” he asked taking a step forward to be closer to you

your heartbeat got 10 times faster in a second

his eyes looked into yours and then dropped to your lips

you couldn’t answer right away because of how your head was spinning right there

“i-if you want to” you whispered before sunghoon pressed his lips on yours

he grabbed your wrists and placed your hands in the back of his neck

you started playing with the hair on the nape of his neck

you both smiled into the kiss before pulling away to breathe

“you didn’t have to avoid me the whole day” he whispered on to your lips before giving them a little peck

The sound of the birds coming from outside of your wide tent woke you up. You opened your eyes slowly and met with the sight of Jake’s chin since he was still sleeping with you laying on his chest.

You and your boyfriend were at a camping trip with your boyfriend’s best friends for the spring recess. You arrived at the camping site a little earlier than midnight, last night. Everyone was so tired from the long road trip to the camping site, so you all went to sleep not long after you arrived. You were staying in the same tent as Jake and Layla while Sunghoon and Jay stayed in the other one.

You moved your feet slowly under the blanket, causing Layla to wake up from her sleep. You watched her come closer and sniff your face. You smiled when she laid next to you. You broke away from Jake’s hold to hug Layla to your chest instead. As you were about to fall back asleep, you felt Jake’s arms sneaking around your waist from behind you.

“Are you seriously replacing me with my dog?” he asked, whispering in your ear. You laughed at his words before he kissed your cheek, causing Layla to look up at you guys.

“Not my fault she is cuter than you” you replied with a half smile. He hugged you closer and kissed the back of your head.

“Can’t argue with that” he whispered back before falling asleep with his two favorite girls sleeping next to him.

jay x reader

bf! jay, mentions of the pandemic

fluff

Jay hated the quarantine. He hated all the days he had to stay away from his girlfriend and all the times he had to cancel his plans due to COVID-19 restrictions. What he hated the most about this whole thing was the fact that it didn’t come to and end by the time your birthday came around.

Despite being a talkative person, Jay showed his love through his actions, not by his words. He wanted to do something special for your birthday in hopes of pandemic being over by the time your birthday comes, but it didn’t. He wanted to close your favorite restaurant or maybe take you to a fancy rooftop bar where you could watch the city and eat good food. Since the city was in a lockdown, his plans were ruined. He had to come up with another plan, so he did.

A week prior to your birthday, he asked his mother to teach him how to cook your favorite meal. His mother was very emotional seeing her son care so much about his significant other. He had to deal with his mother’s emotional breakdown for about 10 minutes before getting down to business. After 2 hours of hard work and his mother’s scolds, he perfected the recipe.

His parents were visiting his grandparents on the day of your birthday: coincidence? I don’t think so. He set the table ready for two, cooked everything -including the desserts- and got ready before you arrived in front of his doorstep.

He texted you telling you to get ready for some “fancy outdoor stuff”. Though you were confused since everywhere was still closed, you still put one of your silk dresses and high heels on before showing up at his door.

You were staring down at your shoes when Jay opened the door, causing you to look up. He looked so handsome in his dress shirt, his hair done perfectly. You smiled at your pretty boy before he let you in.

“Welcome my lady” he said cheekily before taking your coat, and offering you some hand sanitizer. You giggled after he reached for your sanitized hand and lift it up to his lips to leave a kiss on it.

“Hi baby” you greeted him, tiptoeing to connect your lips with his. He smiled into the kiss before pulling away to hold your hand. He dragged you to the living room where he replaced the couches with a table for two. The room was filled with little candles here and there, just like how your favorite restaurant looked before when you visited there with Jay before the closures started.

Your surprised face made Jay so proud of the work he has done in the living room. He put his hands on your waist to pull you closer to his side as you stand in the doorway of the living room.

“Did you do all of this?” you questioned, holding yourself from getting too emotional at the sweet gesture. He nodded and caressed your hair before pulling you closer for a longer kiss this time. He cupped your face when he pulled away to whisper “Happy Birthday love” on your lips.

meant to be IV.

sunghoon x reader

fluff, jealousy, mentions of beomgyu from txt and jake from enhypen

read part 1, 2, 3 from here

you’ve been on a few dates with sunghoon

you guys were less shy when it came to skinship now

only in private tho

HOWEVER

you still were not sure what you guys were

also you didn’t want to be the one to be like “what are we”

so you decided to wait for the best timing

(you also were a little insecure bcuz WHY DIDNT HE ASK YOU TO BE HIS GIRLFRIEND YET???? LIKE TF)

anyways

since he never asked you to be his girlfriend

he didn’t understand why he was frowning at the scene in front of him

he was just grabbing coffee with his bestie jakey<33

everything was good, perfect, joyful

until he saw you sitting across beomgyu at the coffee shop you two met up on the first day you tutored him

he was like “HOW DARE YOU Y/N??? THIS WAS OUR THING” in his brain

jake was waiting for sunghoon’s coffee order when his eyes followed where sunghoon was glaring at

he understood

cmon he is sunghoon’s bestie

ofc he knew how much sunghoon liked you

and that sunghoon never liked to share the things he liked

he put one of his hand’s on sunghoon’s shoulder

“you okay man?”

sunghoon came back to jake and nodded quickly

he still had a little pout on his lips when they made their way to a table near you and beomgyu (BYE I LVOE HIM)

he never left his eyes from you two when poor jake was telling him about something that happened during class that day

he got even more irritated when beomgyu offered you to try his drink when you guys took a small break from studying

it was a good thing you did not see sunghoon

bcuz he knew jealousy was an ugly feeling and he did not want to make you feel uncomfortable for helping beomgyu

(hopefully just helping him shhh)

sunghoon kep telling himself to calm down and focus on his best friend

but he could not control the way his legs dragged him to your table

leaning down to plant a kiss on your cheek and making you gasp in surprise

“hi baby”

OH NO

he used his sweet voice

and he kissed you in front of your classmate??? and in front of everyone else in the coffee shop??? 

he went back to the standing position and directed his eyes to beomgyu, who was SHOOK by what just happened

he never guessed???? 

“hi hoonie, i am tutoring beomgyu today” you said, still feeling dizzy because of sunghoon’s pda???

sunghoon nodded at beomgyu as greeting

you watched beomgyu give sunghoon a small wave and a small smile

“i’m here with jake but do you want me to walk you home after you’re done?” he suggested, putting his hand on your shoulder, giving it a reassuring rub

your expression softened

“sure baby”

sunghoon was trying so hard not to trip and fall while he made his way back to the table where jake was waiting for him to comeback with a knowing smirk on his lips

Your Soft Boy

rock band member guitarist! sunoo x reader

highschool au

i was going to post it on 10th but I COULDNT WAIT

taglist: @sukiyong @95svmin @hueningsbff @enhy9ens @love13tter @bwekshik @salad-bar-but-with-kpop @sjycty @lix-freckle3

Your eyes followed the cute guitarist of the school’s popular rock band when they made their way on to the stage at the annual spring festival night.

Kim Sunoo. He looked so good with his freshly dyed hair and well-done eye makeup. He looked amazing and it really did not help with your growing love for the school’s pretty punk boy.

Everyone thought he was unapproachable. His group of friends -bandmates- looked extremely intimidating and the music they made sounded “emo” to other, so they thought Kim Sunoo and his friends were too cool for them. But you knew him better than them. 

You caught him feeding the stray cats from time to time when you were walking home after spending hours at the local library. You also saw him pushing the swings for the little kids at the park nearby your school. It amazed you how someone so scary to others can look so gentle and caring in your eyes.

He loved how you looked at him. He liked to be someone’s “soft boy” when he was not viewed like that by the other ones around him. 

Your eyes followed him as he grabbed his guitar and took his place on the stage. You watched him for so many times: at the local diner where his band performed twice a month, at the festivals which took place in your town, at the christmas concerts, at the parties, and sometimes by the campfire where he sang softly only for you... Yet it still astounded you how he looked so carefree, so passionate when he did the thing he loved the most.

You got out of your bubble of thoughts when the girls in front of you screamed at the way he put his guitar’s pick between his teeth and started playing the guitar with his delicate fingers. Everyone here was crazy over him, including you.

Watching him scanning his eyes over the crowd to find you gave you an indescribable joy. All these girls and boys would die to be able to spend five minutes with him, yet he was reserved for you only. He gave you a wink once you made an eye contact, causing you to smile brightly.

After the end of their performance, you watched Sunoo go to the back of the stage with his band members. You made your way to where he was, probably waiting for you. You were searching for his face between so many people who were in a hurry for the preparation of the next stages.

You were surprised when someone pulled you back from your waist, and the next thing you know was that you were pushed against a wall with a hand covering your mouth, facing Sunoo. You would leave a terrified scream if he did not cover your mouth in the first place and your heart was beating rapidly by the shock he just gave you.

You removed his hand from your lips and slapped his shoulder in a protest.

“Are you crazy? I almost died” you exaggerated. Putting his hands on your waist, Sunoo waited for you to steady your breath.

“Yes, crazy over you” he replied with his healing smile adorning his face. You scoffed at his lame attempt at flirting with you. One of his hands reached up to brush your hair from your face. You anticipated his kiss when the distance between your lips shortened by every passing second. 

“Hey, we’re going to the after party! Are you coming?” you heard one of Sunoo’s members ask, ruining your moment with your soft boy. His hands were still holding you when he turned his head a little bit.

“I think I’d rather be here for a little longer”

the last thread SENT ME🤣🤣

boomerang － thirty one ; sunoo best wingman

SYNOPSIS you and jake sim have always been academic rivals. it was always you against him for top of the class, and jake is sure that you two were made to hate each other. a couple years later when you debut and become an idol, you find yourself talking to him again - but it’s in a group chat with other aussie idols, and perhaps you realise that he isn’t that insufferable.

thirty one － sunoo best wingman! previous ★ next ♡ masterlist

authors note: and we are now entering jakey/n romance era!!!! 9 chapters of boomerang to go (not counting the special chapters i have lined up ^_^)

BOOMERANG! a jake smau. genre: smau, angst, fluff, crack, enemies to lovers pairing: idol! jake x idol! fem! reader warnings: swearing, ignore timestamps, photos of yujin from ive will be used to visualise outfit / concepts for y/n! taglist is CLOSED!

the manager chat SENDS ME

boomerang － thirty five ; in a bro way

SYNOPSIS you and jake sim have always been academic rivals. it was always you against him for top of the class, and jake is sure that you two were made to hate each other. a couple years later when you debut and become an idol, you find yourself talking to him again - but it’s in a group chat with other aussie idols, and perhaps you realise that he isn’t that insufferable.

thirty five － in a bro way! previous ★ next ♡ masterlist

authors note: love the managers theyre slayers . jake still in his denial era?? COME ONNNNNN

BOOMERANG! a jake smau. genre: smau, angst, fluff, crack, enemies to lovers pairing: idol! jake x idol! fem! reader warnings: swearing, ignore timestamps, photos of yujin from ive will be used to visualise outfit / concepts for y/n! taglist is CLOSED!

death valley — jay park

synopsis. death valley—the heart of southern Seoul’s street racing scene. it’s filled to the brim with drug dealings, murder, and very, very hot people. at least, that’s all what you’d thought, until you’d stumbled across the valley yourself one friday afternoon. that day, filled with anticipation and fear, a certain biker named Jay—and his trailing crew—taught you that death valley wasn’t as half bad as you’d initially thought.

pairing(s). biker/racer!park jongseong x gender-neutral!reader ft. enhypen, winter x karina (aespa), & taehyun (txt)!

genre(s). action, fluff, humour, romance, street racing au, (implied) uni au.

warnings. alcohol consumption, food consumption & mentions, illegal gambling, illegal/street racing, mentions of drugs, profanity, reader gets slightly inebriated but not quite drunk, and suggestive dialogue. rated PG 15.

word count. 19.5k (19505) ik this is scary but BEAR w me!!

taglist. @soobin-chois @hyuckworld @soobverse @svnoofy​ @my5colors​ please fill out this form (or send me an ask w your groups) to be added to my permanent taglist!!

listen to! spotify link OR death valley, fallout boy ⭑ roots, imagine dragons ⭑ back door, stray kids ⭑ jopping, superm ⭑ all in, stray kids ⭑ vroom vroom, charli xcx ⭑ zombie pop, DPR IAN ⭑ desire, ATEEZ (it sucks ik 😭 i’ll edit it as soon as i have time)

notes. ik this is late (by ONE day or u can simply reverse ur clocks 💆‍♀️💆‍♀️) but she’s a bit massive ngl 😭 don’t think dirty i didn’t even remember her being this long (i thought she was 15k MAX) but she’s a whole wopping 19.5k!!!! almost 20k!!! that’s insane! but don’t let the word count scare you 😭 i promise biker!jay is worth it kfsdkfjska and you will love him in this. just trust me!

other, more practical notes to include that pertain to the plot: 1. pls don’t do anything reader does in this fic i BEG 🙏🙏🙏reader is v head empty & has the power of Fanfiction & Main Character Syndrome on their side. pls do not attempt anything in this fic. stay away from strange men in leather in fact!

2. reader is heavily implied to be queer and easily attracted to different ppl 😭 so reader is gonna FLIRT (or at least try to)

3. i don’t condone heeseung’s behaviour AT ALL. he is despicable and downright evil. i just wanted to have a “Bad” character to balance things out.

and that’s it!! i’ve rambled too much & you probably want to get ahead to reading the fic so i won’t stop you! enjoy!! ♡♡ feedback & reblogs are welcome and appreciated!

I – Death Valley Bad

Death Valley was the heart and soul of southern Seoul’s racing scene.

Every Saturday night, there were two main races held there. One held for the bikers and the other held for the drivers. Usually, people attended the bikers’ race. It was cheaper to bet on a biker, there was less exhaust in the air to tire out everyone’s lungs, and its tracks were only a walking distance from the abandoned subway station—which just so happened to be the best hiding location in case the police caught wind of a night’s events. Those who managed to get past the fear of being arrested and crossed the kilometres to the racers’ track either never returned to the bikers’ track or came back but never spoke of what they’d seen. Also, the cars apparently carried cocaine, and the drivers would kill without a second thought if someone tried to steal some.

At least, that’s what you’d heard when you’d moved to Seoul.

Lee Heeseung, the cute little brunet who’d been showing you around your university, had made sure to let you know of the famous valley. His eyes had been wide, and he’d been making crazy hand gestures, but you’d still got the point.

Death Valley bad.

So, why on Earth were you in the infamous valley? That’s what you’d been wondering for the past couple of minutes, on a good ol’ Friday afternoon.

You fanned your face and tried to turn on your phone, only for it to remain blank. “Fuck.”

Of course, your phone had to turn off right when you found yourself in an unfamiliar and dangerous place. You didn’t know who was up there laughing right now, but you hoped your misery was worth something to them.

You slumped down against the walls of the abandoned subway and cried. Well, you didn’t exactly cry. But you did wallow in self-pity for the next ten minutes or so.

“Woe is me, for I am stuck in the middle of nowhere and the only people who can help me are probably criminals.” You finished off your tiny piece of monologue with a dramatic sigh, before wiping a fake tear from your cheek.

Then, you stared blankly at the graffitied wall across you and the gravity of your situation suddenly dawned on you. Sure, wallowing in self-pity and quoting long-dead poets was fun, but if you didn't do something quick, you didn’t know who–or what–you could encounter. It wasn’t a Saturday night—thank fuck—but the bikers and racers were probably tinkering away in their little workshops somewhere nearby and could happen upon you soon. If you didn’t want to become Death Valley Kebab, you would have to do something and you’d have to do it fast.

With a grim look on your face, you decided that something was going to have to be hitching a ride with one of the bikers. Yes, yes, they were criminals, but criminals were better than cannibals or whatever it was that had been scratching against random pieces of scrap at the other end of the tunnel.

Hoisting your bag on your shoulders, you took a deep breath in and took the first step out of the weird comfort of the subway. The air outside of the subway was less stale, the floor was a mixture of gravel and dirt, and you could practically hear the tumbleweeds rolling away in the distance. You could feel the sun beating down your back, and your throat dried up immediately. You were already regretting it. But, you were still in one piece and that was all that mattered.

“See, _____? That wasn’t so bad.”

With less fear in your system now, you continued your journey towards the bikers’ tracks. You had absolutely no idea if you were heading in the right direction or not, but you were hoping—and maybe even praying—that your body would find a way to sync up with nature, so you would magically stumble upon your destination.

Considering your luck, that was not what happened. Instead, your legs tired out quickly and your feet grew tired of walking across the terrain. It was just land out for miles, no matter what direction you looked in, so you slumped down and had a pity party again. This time, there was no fancy monologue or dramatic acting. It was just raw fear slowly filling up your heart, as you noticed the sun was starting to set.

“Oh, no.” Any hope in you withered at the sight of the sun dancing to the west. “No, no, no!”

You clasped your hands together and clamped your eyes shut. “Hey! Whoever the fuck is up there, or out there–I don’t care for the specificities right now–I am not your strongest soldier. If this is going to be 127 Hours: The Sequel, please just kill me now before a boulder rolls in and snaps half my arm off.”

A rolling tumbleweed was your only response.

A sigh escaped your lips and your shoulders drooped. “Well, I guess this is how I go—”

The roaring, unmistakable rev of a bike interrupted you, and you whipped your head around. Your eyes widened incredibly as you took in the sight in front of you. Bike was an understatement for the monster resting under a very hot rider; it was more of a superbike, or whatever a biker would call something that… scary. Its wheels were huge, and its black body glinted under the sun—grey steel complimenting it. There weren’t many details besides the blocky ’03 lining the second wheel, but its simplicity suited it. The bike in front of you was an absolute beauty.

And the biker? The biker was beauty transcended. He had short, auburn hair that framed the soft edges of his face, blurring them out to create a soft gleam over his face, while some other pieces of his hair curtained his face and smothered the piercing gaze of his dark brown eyes. His nose was long, sharp, and sloped; hooked at the very end to form a sharp curve just above his pouty lips. They formed two barely-noticeable, but adorable peaks, and his bottom lip rested softly against the shape of the top. The rest of his face was carved to the gods and his face was so smooth that you were almost sure he was made of glass. He raised one of his dark eyebrows and yelled, “Who are you and what are you doing out here?”

You swallowed and got to your feet in a daze. “Uh, I c-could ask you the same question.”

The hot biker got off his vehicle in one swift motion, and you nearly fainted from how much the action affected you. You took a step back, as he took two steps closer to you. He frowned at your response—eyes focused on your shoes—and took two more steps forward, prompting you to take two steps back. He repeated his movements, and you did too with a nervous smile on your face.

His gaze flickered between your feet and your eyes. “Am I scary? Jungwon’s always said I am, but I didn’t believe it till now.”

“Jungwon?”

“Oh.” The stranger took a step closer to you and scratched his chin in thought. “I’m guessing you’re not from around here.”

“Yeah, I just moved here for uni.” You nearly slapped your hand over your mouth the second the words left your mouth. It was almost like you were begging to get kidnapped, considering how you’d just told a criminal—a very hot one, but still a criminal—you’re unfamiliar with the area. Now, he was going to take the opportunity to kill you, harvest your organs, and probably sell them on the black market–and probably for a cheap price you were completely sure your organs were worth more than.

He didn’t do any of that. Instead, his eyes widened and a little smile formed on his lips. “Suwon National?”

You nodded rapidly, but then your eyes narrowed. “Wait a minute… how have I never seen you around campus before?”

He rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet, and the movement drew your eyes to his clothes. You’d always thought bikers wore all black leather—to show off their bikerness or whatever—but this biker wasn't dressed like that. He was wearing plain, regular blue jeans with a white tank and a huge, red bomber jacket. There weren’t any tattoos on him either—at least, none you can see—causing you to blink in surprise.

You realised you’d missed his response when he laughed lightly, and his eyes crinkled up into little crescents. Avoiding his gaze, you asked, “Sorry, what was that?”

“I’m taking a gap year.” He shifted on his feet and glanced at the watch on his wrist. “I should probably get going, but it was good to—”

“Wait! You can’t leave,” you paused, realising how that sounds, and continued with a softer tone, “I got lost out here, and I need a way to get back to the city. Is there any way you could give me a ride?”

His eyes were apologetic before he even said anything, and you got a sinking feeling in your stomach. “I’m so sorry, but I can’t. I’ve got some races tonight, so I need to get ready.”

Swallowing deeply, you casted your eyes to the ground and nodded slowly. Tears were pricking the corners of your eyes, as fear filled your heart. Out of the corner of your eye, you could spot the sky blending into an orange hue and the sun dipping deeper along the horizon. You had to bite your lower lip to stop yourself from full-on crying in front of the hot biker.

“But,” he scratched his chin in thought again and you whipped your head up, “I can drive you to the tracks, and after the races, someone can probably drive you home.”

“R-really?” You were sure you looked stupid, gazing at a random stranger with hopeful, glossy eyes. And, you probably shouldn’t have gotten any closer to the actual races of Death Valley. But, being stranded out in the middle of nowhere would do a number on anyone, and—as you’d said earlier—you were not the strongest soldier.

“Sure.” He smiled widely and gestured to his bike. “I mean, as long as you don’t mind squeezing up there with me. My bike isn’t built for two people; sorry about that.”

You shook your head, wiped your cheeks, and laughed with relief. “Thank you so much… Wait, what’s your name?”

“Sunoo.” He made his way back to his bike, gingerly helping you get on it. It’s much higher than it looked apparently. “Yours?”

You waited for him to settle into his seat in front of you before you wrapped your hands around his waist. He revved once, turned back to smile at you, and quirked an eyebrow. “_____.”

Sunoo studied your face for a moment. “Well, _____, I suggest you hang on tight. Crabbers’s built for speed.”

He turned back to the front, revved again, and then you were off. Your hands instinctively tightened around his waist at the sudden feeling of being pulled forward, and he laughed in response. At first, your eyes were squeezed shut—you reasoned that if you were going to die by falling off a bike, you’d rather not witness it—and all you could feel was the rush of the wind against your ears. Then, with soft encouragement from Sunoo, you opened your eyes.

The sun was almost set, and the sky was a beautiful mixture of oranges, reds, and yellows. The terrain and the sky melted into one colour, as Sunoo sped along the empty expanse. Coupled with the wind blowing in your ears, and the roar of the bike, the whole experience was completely different from anything you could’ve imagined. But, it wasn’t unwelcome. No, instead, it made your heart pound in a good way and made you want to throw up your arms and whoop and yell. Riding a bike was nothing like you’d expected it to be, but you found yourself looking forward to your next ride.

Maybe Death Valley wasn’t so bad.

II – A Whole New World

Death Valley may not have been bad, but it was certainly scary. More specifically, its inhabitants were.

Sunoo was leading you through Death Valley’s Garage, where some bikers were getting ready for some races, and your knees were already shaking. His bike, Crabbers, might’ve been a monster, but he was a little monster, compared to the absolute beasts the bikers were examining. Some had handles that looked like they’re made for giants, some wheels could’ve probably knocked you out with one roll, and there were more mods that you hadn’t even known could be added to motorcycles. It was, like a friendly Disney princess once said, a whole new world.

What scared you the most, though, was the bikers. Some of them rocked the stereotypical biker look you had of bikers in your head—leather jackets or vests, bare and chiselled chests or low-dipping tanks made to reveal cleavage, dark leather pants, combat boots, and tattoos everywhere. Some didn’t and had different tastes. Others had a mix of leather and boots, along with other elements you’d never thought bikers would wear—like a neon pink tank you’d spotted on a particularly smiley biker. But, what they all shared was varying degrees of intimidation on their faces. It could’ve been because you were in a new environment and you were scared, but you were almost certain they were all glaring at you.

“Why do you look so scared?”

You nearly jumped at the sound of Sunoo’s voice from right next to your ear. Shooting him a sharp glare, you responded, “I’m not scared.”

He moved his face from right beside yours and laughed. “You so are. You looked like you were about to faint when you saw Taehyun.”

“Taehyun?”

He jabbed a thumb in the direction of a muscular man in one of the corners of the garage. He was one of the people sporting the stereotypical biker attire—but a more extreme version of it. Taehyun was shirtless and had a pair of leather shorts on. There was a towel placed around his neck and his muscles bulged and shifted around, as he helped someone else with their bike. You had to avert your gaze to stop yourself from passing out right then and there.

Noticing your reaction, Sunoo smiled teasingly. “Taehyun’s one of our mechanics. He usually sticks to the cars, but both the racers and bikers are using these tracks for the races today since this isn’t a formal event.”

You nodded along to his every word but paused at the end. “Not a formal event? What’s this then?”

The smile on Sunoo’s face grew and his lips met the shell of your ear again. He whispered, “You’ll see.”

For a moment, you were undeniably flustered. The next, you slapped Sunoo’s chest and rolled your eyes, while putting a considerable distance between you two. You crossed your arms over your chest, the sound of his laughter loud and clear. “I’m here to find a ride home, not flirt. Behave, Mr. Kim!”

“Mr. Kim?” He raised an eyebrow, a slow smirk spreading on his lips. “I like that.”

You groaned. “You’re like an annoying little brother. Well—more like a friend’s little brother, who hits on you just because he’s starting to get a little attention.”

“I’m pretty sure I’m older than you, so the whole scenario cancels out. Also, that is extremely specific, and you don’t seem like the type of person who’s experienced that.”

“I don’t care if you’re older than—Wait a minute! I so have.”

Sunoo threw his head back in laughter, and you stopped and stared at him with the fiercest glare you could muster. You were determined to stay mildly annoyed at him, but his laughter was contagious and your lips started to twitch up into a smile. He may have been one of the most annoying people you’d ever met, but he was also one of the most endearingly annoying people you’ve met.

He sobered up from his laughter with a sigh and put on a tour guide voice, “Good evening, folks—well, folk. I’m Kim Sunwoo and I’ll be guiding you around the infamous Death Valley Garage. During this tour, you’ll be able to familiarise yourself with the bikes, the people who ride them, and some basic motorcycle terms. So, let’s—”

At that moment, your stomach growled loudly, and both you and Sunoo blinked at it for a few seconds. Then, you offered him a sheepish smile and he returned one of his own.

“I was getting a bit ahead of myself, wasn’t I?” Sunoo scratched the back of his head, while you shook your head profusely. “You’re probably starving after being out there for God knows how long.”

You shook your head again, with an embarrassed smile on your face, only for your stomach to growl again. Scowling, you spared your stomach a fierce glare, before looking up at Sunoo’s amused face. “My stomach’s a bit dramatic. I’m not that hungry… but it would be nice if I could eat something.”

He whispered, “Your stomach seems to take after you.”

“Sorry?” You levelled your glare in his direction.

“Nothing.” He threw his hands up in surrender at your gaze and pretended to busy himself with his watch. Then, he actually noticed the time and let out a horrified screech. “Oh, no! _____, I’m late again! Jake’s going to eat me.”

Right then, a vice grip latched onto his shoulder and you saw Sunoo visibly gulp.

The person behind him was a tall, lanky figure–so tall and lanky that you were almost convinced he was a phantom ghost. The all-white leather, which directly contrasted his long, dark hair, didn’t help with the image you had in your head at all. One of the only other things that stood out to you besides his hair was the mask that hid half of his face. It was a black, fabric one, with a blocky HOON printed on it, which you assumed was part of his name. There were also his eyes. His fierce eyes were enough to scare anyone. Right now, they were narrowed and focused on the back of Sunoo’s head, but you could still feel the full intensity of his gaze.

You gulped as well and mouthed a quiet ‘good luck.’

“Jake won’t eat you,” the person said, voice muffled by the mask, “but he definitely isn’t happy.”

Sunoo gulps again and turns around to face the scary man. “Sunghoon.”

“Sun—”

Before the man, Sunghoon, could even finish saying Sunoo’s name, your stomach growled again. This time, three pairs of eyes stared at it—two frantic ones and a confused one. You hoped and prayed with everything in you that the ground would open up and swallow you whole.

Sunoo, however, sighed with relief and pointed at your stomach accusingly. “Right, Sunghoon, I was just, I was just helping _____ out here and I lost track of time because of that ferocious beast.”

“What? You’re calling my stomach a ferocious beast? Have you not seen Crabbers?”

“Don’t bring Crabbers into—”

Sunghoon cleared his throat, and the two of you realised he was still right there and Sunoo was still very much in trouble. You took a step back from Sunoo, and he turned back to face Sunghoon.

The scary biker nodded in your direction. “It’s nice to meet you, _____. Good to see Sunoo finally has someone else to pester.”

“Excuse me?”

“But, I’m going to have to borrow him for a bit because he’s late.” He fixed Sunoo with a glare. “Again.”

You muffled a laugh when you heard something close to a whimper escape Sunoo’s mouth. “Of course, it’s no problem. I just need to know where I can get some food.”

The biker whipped his head around and stared at you with betrayal. He mouthed ‘traitor,’ and you just shrugged innocently in response.

There was a mischievous light in Sunghoon’s eyes, as he started steering Sunoo away from you. You couldn’t see it but you were almost sure there was a smirk on his face when he yelled, “Go to the shack at the other end of the garage. Tell the owner that our favourite cutie, Soonie, sent you to get a free meal!”

“Sunghoon!”

You couldn't hold back your laughter anymore, so you rushed off in the direction Sunghoon directed you in. Sunoo’s glare was burning holes through your back, but you blocked it out by skipping and humming to yourself. There was nothing but a door between you and your well-deserved meal, so it was easy for the biker’s dramatic huffs and puffs to fade into the background.

Death Valley’s inhabitants were scary, most definitely, but Sunoo was probably the least scary of them all.

III – Ms. Kim

Where Kim Sunwoo was lacking, his sister made up for it with ten times the quality.

You were sitting across from Kim Minjeong, “Winter,” and silently picking at the remains of the meal she’d served you. Seated under the shade of the shack, you’d tried not to shiver under her intense gaze—and if you did, you blamed it on the fans positioned close to you. Instead of returning her gaze, you focused on the structure around you.

True to its name, the shack was really just a shack. It was small, had no name adorned on it, and Winter was the only person manning it. There was a spacious, plastic counter separating you and her, and high chairs lined your side for customers—like yourself—to sit on. The inside of the shack was dimly lit, and you couldn’t see too much of what was on the other side, so all you could do was stare at the menu in front of you. It was either that or trembling like a baby in front of Sunoo’s sister, so you went with the former.

The brunette was quiet, serious, and very, very scary. Her personality was a polar opposite from the dramatic and whiny biker, and you couldn’t help but notice the differences between them. The only trait they seemed to share was their mischievousness, seeing as she’d had a good laugh for a couple of minutes when you’d given her Sunoo’s nickname.

“Are you scared of me?”

Your eyes widened at the sound of her question, and you whipped your head up from your plate. Your eyes widened even more when you realised her face was not too far from yours and there was a small smirk on her red lips. Clearing your throat, you shimmied a bit away from the counter. “N-no. Not at all, no.”

She picked up on your nerves and smiled a little. Moving around to prepare a drink with a name too long for you to remember, she said, “I’m not a scary person. Honestly, most of the people here aren’t. I get why you would think that—illegal racing doesn’t exactly have the best reputation—but just think of us as members of a little club.”

“A club? So, that means anyone can join?” You rested your chin on one of your hands.

“Yeah,” Winter mixed the drink in a strainer, “But, you can’t just say you want to race and get in. You have to try out first. Oh—and you have to get past Jake’s… radar, for the lack of a better word.”

At the sound of the name, your ears perked up. He was the same person Sunoo had said would eat him, and from what you’d heard of him, he didn’t sound like the nicest person ever. A tall, muscular biker with a harsh gaze appeared in your mind, and you shivered at the image of him you’ve conjured.

Winter noticed your response and laughed. “I’m assuming you’ve heard some other things about Jake.”

You nodded. “He sounds scary.”

“He’s not.” Winter snorted, pouring the drink she’s been mixing in a tall glass, and added a straw to it. She slid it over to you. “He’s just a bit strict about things and has a nasty temper.”

“Strict?” You tentatively swirled the drink around in its glass, admiring the way the sun’s ray compliments its yellow hue, before taking a sip. It was sweet, citrusy, and reminded you of the long stretch of the beach on a warm summer day. You could practically hear the waves crashing against the shore when you asked, “So, there are rules around this place?”

“Of course, there are. If they weren’t in place, half the people here would already be behind bars.” She smirked a little at your wide eyes. “What? You think these kids know how to keep themselves in check?”

“I mean, no,” you paused to take a sip, “but when I think of criminals I think of, like, the drug dealing, and murders, and, I don’t know, the big, bad criminal stuff. Not, rules.”

Winter bursted into laughter, eyes scrunched up and head thrown back. Calming down from her laughter, she wiped a tear from her eye and took a deep breath in. “You’re very funny, ____. I see why Sunoo likes you.”

“Thank you?” You finished off your drink with a loud sip and relaxed into your seat. You were already feeling fuzzy and warm, and the tension you’d felt when you first got here was ebbing away. Resting your chin on both hands now, you leaned in closer to Winter. “Y’know, I like you, Ms. Kim. Very straight and simple to the point.”

“Very straight and simple to the point?” She chuckled at your mistake, as you spluttered in embarrassment, and pushed a stray hair behind her ear. “That’s kinda ironic.”

“Hm? And why is—”

The rest of your question was cut off by the entrance of a woman. Judging from the helmet in the crook of her arm, and some of her stereotypical attire, she was a racer. She walked in with a pep in her step–her long, dark hair bouncing behind her with her movements–and somehow captivated your eye. You were about to ask Winter to introduce you to her—liquor made you bold apparently—when she leaned in and planted a kiss on the barista’s lips.

“Oh.” You averted your eyes from the two of them, giving them a bit of privacy, as Winter’s previous words sunk in. A laugh escaped your mouth. “It is kinda ironic.”

The racer pulled away from Winter at your words and extended a hand in your direction, a soft smile on her face. “Hi, I’m Karina.”

“_____.” Thrusting your hand into hers, you noticed how warm it was and the tight grip of her hand. She was the type of racer you’d imagined when Heeseung had first told you about Death Valley, so you giggled nervously and blurted out, “You don’t have coke in your car, right?”

Karina and Winter blinked at you blankly for a few seconds before they burst into laughter. You laughed along nervously until Heeseung’s wide eyes appeared in your mind, and you cleared your throat. As the two regained their composure, taking on more serious looks on their faces, the same tinge of fear you’d felt back in the garage resurfaced. You laughed again nervously.

“Yes, there are a good couple grams of the stuff in the trunk,” Karina deadpanned. “You want some?”

“N-No. I’d like to keep my head attached to the rest of my body, thank you very much.”

A pause followed, and then Karina let out a sharp, “What?”

“I think Heeseung might’ve gone a bit overboard with his mumbo jumbo.” It was supposed to be a whisper meant for Karina’s ears only, but you picked up on Winter’s words and barely held back a gasp. “_____’s been scared shitless this entire time, and that pesky man probably has something to do with that.”

The racer nodded and smiled reassuringly in your direction. “I was being sarcastic. Even if I wanted to do coke, Jake runs routine checks for hard drugs. We’re only allowed alcohol and weed.”

“Uh, huh.” You nodded along to her words but made a mental note to never get near any of the racers’ cars—just in case. “But, what’s this about Heeseung? How do you even know him?”

Karina and Winter exchanged glances, before Karina whispered something in Winter’s ear and slinked out of the back of the shack. Your eyes followed her as she left, and she turned back to give you one last smile. You were about to return it when Winter cleared her throat. She gave you a knowing look, and you smiled guiltily.

“Heeseung is uh… Well, it’d be best if he explained it himself.” Winter picked up your empty glass and disappeared into the dimly lit part of the shack. When she returned, she had a pair of keys in her hand and a smirk on her face. “He’ll be here in a couple of minutes, so I’ve got to get going. It was great meeting you, _____.”

“He’s here?” Your tone was incredulous, but you couldn’t help it. You two couldn’t be talking about the same Lee Heeseung who’d looked like he was about to wet his pants when he’d told you about Death Valley. From his franticness alone, you could’ve sworn he’d never be caught dead anywhere near this place. “What do you mean he’s here?”

Winter winked. “You’ll see.”

Then, she took off in the same direction as Karina, leaving you alone with your thoughts.

Lee Heeseung? Here? That didn’t make any sense. ‘Lee Heeseung at Death Valley’ was practically an oxymoron because everything Death Valley stood for was what Heeseung had warned you against. It wasn’t easy for you to just forget how wide and shaky his eyes had been, and the urgency that’d been in his voice. And, even if you somehow could, acknowledging what Winter had said would’ve made you focus on the thought that bothered you the most; if Heeseung was here, then what did that mean?

You shook your head. “She’s probably got the wrong Heeseung.”

The notion soothed you a bit and managed to quell the chaos in your mind, so you laid back and sighed. A quick nap, before meeting the totally-not-Lee-Heeseung Heeseung sounded very appetising to you, and your body seemed to agree as it didn’t take you long to fall asleep.

The last thing you thought of before you were deeply asleep was a completely ridiculous image of Lee Heeseung riding a motorcycle.

IV – Totally-Not-Lee-Heeseung Heeseung

Winter had not had the wrong Heeseung. Oh, but how you wish she had.

Standing in front of you, in the flesh, was Lee Heeseung. His ash brown hair was fully visible to you, as it wasn’t being hidden under a beanie for once, and was unruly styled. Multiple strands fell in front of his eyes and framed his face, adding an edge to his face that wasn’t there before. Instead of a comfy, matching set of a hoodie and sweatpants, he was wearing a pair of dark leather pants, a black dress shirt with enough buttons left undone to leave little to the imagination, and army boots that give him a little more height. He was trying to catch his breath, as beads of sweat ran down the side of his face, and all you could do was blink at him with your mouth hanging open.

Leaning back to wipe the sweat off his forehead, he let out a loud laugh and winked. “You should probably close your mouth. We wouldn’t want you to catch flies, now, would we, dear _____?”

“Shut up.” Your mouth was closed now, and you had the fiercest glare you could muster on your face instead. Getting up from your seat by the shack and stalking close to Heeseung, you crossed your arms over your chest with as much intimidation you could put into the action. “Lee Heeseung, you have less than five minutes to explain what the hell you’re doing here, before I dice you up into a little, Death Valley kebab.”

He smiled a little and raised his hands. “_____, I know you’re mad but—”

You snorted.

“Okay, more than mad but,” Heeseung scratched the back of his head, “well, it’s business.”

“Business?” You took a step closer, causing the brunet to take a step back. “What type of business makes you lie to people so that they think everyone at an illegal racing ring is going to kill them?”

“When you say it like that, it sounds horrible.”

You increased the intensity of your glare.

“Well, it is! But, it really is business.” He took a step back and raised his hands before you could get closer to him. “I’m Death Valley’s bookie and PR manager. A while ago, Jake decided I should use reverse psychology to recruit watchers and racers and well, it worked better than expected. Apparently, it’s in human nature to see how much shit we can get into without dying. I don’t know, something like that, but that’s what I understood from what he said. He talks a lot.”

Jake. That name seemed to keep popping up everywhere, only adding more details to the very scary image you had of the individual. At this point, you would do anything, if it meant you didn’t have to come across him at any point in time, because you’d prefer to go home in one piece with your heart and sanity intact.

Humming, you raised an eyebrow. “So, the whole innocent, scaredy-cat thing was an act? That was all to trick my puny, little human brain into coming here?”

He nodded, a cocky grin on his face. “Of course, _____. I’m a great actor, and there’s absolutely nothing in the world that can—”

“Oh, my—Heeseung, a spider’s crawling up your leg!”

Immediately, Heeseung screamed and jumped away from his spot, and you were barely able to hold back your laughter. He frantically checked where he’d been standing, cursing all spiders underneath his breath while he did, and finally sighed when he couldn't find anything at all. Then, his eyes widened, and he whipped his head up to you. He tried to hide it but there was a faint blush dusting his cheeks as he pointed an accusing finger at you.

“Hey! That’s—th-that’s…” he spotted the laugh you were trying to hide and flushed further, “that’s just an example of my acting skills! Mhm!”

“Totally, Hee. You deserve an Oscar for that performance. I’m honoured to have witnessed it,” you deadpanned. You clapped slowly, as Heeseung’s face just got redder and redder with embarrassment.

The flush in his cheeks cooled slightly, while he scratched the back of his neck. “Okay, I deserved that. And, more than that.”

Nodding, you ushered him to continue.

“And, well, I probably shouldn’t have gone overboard with the… the advertising, even if it was funny to see your gullible reaction.”

A sharp glare.

“But, that’s beside the point! I shouldn’t have lied about the coke and cops and everything else.” He was avoiding your eyes at this point, the only thing keeping him from bowing at a sharp ninety-degree angle being his last shred of pride.

Arms still crossed and face stoic, you took a few steps closer to him. You glared down at him in silence for a few moments, before you conceded. As much as you would’ve liked to remind him that you’d thought you were going to die—which may or may not have been avoided if you’d taken Heeseung’s words with even the tiniest speck of salt—you had to find a way out of the ‘Valley, and Heeseung was looking like a promising prospect.

You nodded. “I mean, I guess I forgive you.”

“You guess?” His eyes finally met yours, and they were wide with incredulity.

“Well, you see, Heeseung. Since someone subconsciously tricked me into getting lost out in the middle of nowhere, so conveniently close to illegal racing tracks and hours away from the city, I don’t have any way to get home!”

Heeseung’s eyes grew wider, and there was some guilt hiding behind his shock. “Oh.”

“Oh, indeed.”

A heavy silence fell between the two of you, as you processed the panic you’d felt bubbling up inside you the past couple hours and he… well, at least, seemed to appear deeply guilty for what had happened. It felt like the silence was going to stretch on for a couple more minutes when Heeseung perked up and made a loud noise of excitement. He closed the distance between you two and took a firm grip of your shoulders, a wide smile on his face. “_____, I think I’ve found the perfect solution to your problem.”

Instantly, your arms unfolded, and any sign of hostility fell from your face. “Really? Do you have a spare bike lying around somewhere that I can ride?”

“No,” he said flatly, with a disapproving parent look on his face, “Even if I did, I wouldn’t give it to you because one; I don’t want blood on my hands and two; I don’t want your blood on my hands because I feel like you would hold it over my head for the rest of my life.”

“True, true.” You stepped closer to him and raised an eyebrow. “Well?”

A slow smirk took over Heeseung’s lips, and you suddenly became very aware of the lack of space between you and him. As you stared into his eyes, you could feel some tension charging the air, and something within you stirred with excitement.

The brunet’s breath fanned over your lips as he whispered, “How do you feel about a bet?”

V – Niki’s Puppy

Death Valley was home to some of the most peculiar people you’ve ever met. There was Sunoo, who harboured a strange love for his vehicle, Heeseung, the PR manager with questionable morals, and the Jake figure who you hadn’t met yet—and never wanted to, if you wanted to go home in one piece. But, the two individuals in front of you had your brows furrowing narrower than they had the entire day and your jaw hanging fully open.

The first thing that caught your eye was the taller figure’s attire. He was wearing a leopard print dress shirt with a singular button undone, a plain pair of black leather jeans, and a huge, tan fur coat. His eyes were covered with a bulky pair of dark sunglasses, his fingers were adorned with colourful bejewelled rings, and his blonde hair was cropped and styled in a way that reminded you of a stereotypical mob boss. Along with his attire, there was an air around him that exuded dirty money, illegal dealings, and everything else that came with the two.

The second thing that caught your eye was the collar on the brunet behind him. It contrasted heavily against the rest of his plain outfit—a grey tank, standard blue jeans, and a basic pair of sneakers. The collar was pink, glittery, and signed with the words ‘Niki’s Puppy.’ The wearer seemed more than unhappy to wear it, but it was on him anyway—which was the main reason your eyebrows were digging creases in your forehead.

“Jungwon lost a bet again?”

Ripping your eyes away from the strange duo, you glanced at the bookie next to you with incredulously wide eyes. His face was relaxed, exasperated almost, like there wasn’t a literal mob boss and his… puppy standing in front of you.

You faced him, jabbing a thumb in their direction, and whisper-yelled, “Am I the only one who’s confused here? Or, is this some normal Death Valley occurrence?”

“Is this normal? No. But, it happens often enough for everyone around here to get used to it.” Heeseung gestured at the throng of people finding their seats along the gravel tracks.

Exactly like he’d said, no one was stopping to stare at the two with a slack jaw like you were, so you closed your mouth and cleared your throat. “But, but—how?”

“I am right here,” the Mob Boss said, and you could imagine him rolling his eyes behind his shades. “And, I am not a ‘this.’ I’m Nishimura Riki, aka Ni-ki, aka Death Valley's Designated Number One Biker–trademarked. But, you can call me nothing because I do not wish to be perceived by the likes of you.”

“The likes of me?” The creases in your forehead were now filled with a hint of offence, and the sound of Heeseung’s laughter didn't help. “What is that supposed to mean?”

He held up his hands and gazed at the multiple gems on them instead of responding, causing Heeseung’s laughter to continue. Even the apathetic ‘puppy’ behind him had a ghost of a grin on his lips that didn’t express much but still managed to rile you up a bit.

You crossed your arms over your chest. “Heeseung, why am I here in front of this—this phoney drug lord and his… pet?”

Niki let out a scoff, and a little chortle escaped the lips of the man behind him.

Sparing Heeseung a glance from the corner of your eye, you could tell he was trying to keep his laughter in at the sight of Niki’s obvious pout. The gesture soothed you a little, and you lowered the intensity of your glare. You didn't lower it completely, though—the Mob Boss’s insult had stung more than you’d like to admit.

The bookie extended a hand in your direction and the other in the duo’s direction. “_____, meet Niki and Jungwon. Niki and Jungwon, meet _____. These two will be your personal escorts for the night and will also check to see if you’re lying about the results of the bet or not.”

Right. The bet. You’d nearly forgotten about it, with all the chaos going on around you, but now the terms of the bet were clear as day in your mind. It was a simple bet—one that favoured you no matter the outcome. If you weren’t the least bit entertained by the first race that was about to start, Heeseung would have to leave early–missing the second and third race–to drive you home. If you were entertained, however, you'd have to wait for all three races to end for him to find a racer—yes, a car racer, the people you had promised yourself you’d stay away from—to get you home. Either way, you would end up with a favourable outcome, but you had an incredibly competitive spirit. And Niki, despite annoying you, was certainly adding fuel to the fire burning within you.

It was your turn to smirk, as Niki started complaining about the whole ordeal to Heeseung, but you tuned him out as you imagined your incredibly smug–and incredibly embarrassing–victory dance you were going to put on. The taste of victory was already on the tip of your tongue and nobody, not even Niki, could get in your way.

VI – Mr. Nishimura’s 43%

Correction: Niki couldn’t get in your way, but he certainly tried.

As Jungwon and Niki had led you to a set of bleachers close to the tracks, there’d been palpable tension in the air. Unlike the tension between you and Heeseung that’d been charged by some form of unidentifiable electricity, that tension had been charged by Niki’s sharp glare on your back. When you’d tripped on your way to the lowest bleacher, you’d been convinced it had something to do with the whiny Mob Boss and that was just a taste of what he had planned in store for you.

Were you scared he was going to kill you before the night ended? Yes, most definitely. But, were you a petty person with a strange need to prove people wrong? Also, yes.

So, instead of letting his glower and haughty attitude get to you, you decided to strike up a conversation with the two of them. You yelled, loud enough to be heard over the chatter and intermittent bike revs, “So, Heeseung mentioned a bet?”

Sitting on the bleacher right behind yours, you could hear Niki’s exasperated sigh. He still relented, probably because he didn’t mind the attention, and mumbled, “Jungwon bet that I would fail my Math CSAT with less than 40%.”

You held back a snort, barely. “So, you didn’t fail?”

“Nope!” His voice was cheery—finally clear of the previous contempt that had been there, but the irony wasn’t lost on you. The snort escaped. “I failed with a 43%.”

“So, let me just get this straight,” another snort, “Jungwon is wearing that collar because you failed your Math CSAT with 3% more than he bet?”

“Mhm. He also has to address me like I’m his boss!”

“And, is this a regular occurrence?”

“I mean, he doesn’t always bet on my test grades, but he always loses.” Niki laughed heartily, and his age shined through as he said, “That’s kinda lame, don’t you think?”

Before you could even respond, the subject himself interrupted you two with a harsh cough. “The race’s starting, Mr. Nishimura.”

The low rumble of several bikes revving at the same time drew your attention back to the tracks and, true to Jungwon’s word, the bikers were getting ready. The tracks held multiple lanes, and about a dozen racers were walking their monstrous bikes to the starting line. Of the dozen racers, you recognised Winter, who winked at you when you waved and yelled, and Sunghoon. They, along with the others, were gearing themselves up with their helmets and other safety wear, moments away from participating in the first illegal race you were ever going to witness.

The crowd was watching the bikers as well, hooting and cheering for different people. All their yells melted into one supportive chant that had your heart beating along to their tune, pumping adrenaline all the while. It was hard to breathe with all the exhaust in the air, and the lack of air conditioning had you sweating buckets, but you pushed all that to the back of your mind. The race was about to start and something was telling you it was going to be a life-changing event to witness.

Niki tapped your back, startling you out of the excitement building up inside you. You didn’t have to turn around to see the smirk on his face as he said, “Remember, _____, there’s a bet going on. Crack even the slightest smile, and you’re kissing victory away.”

You gulped slightly and took a few, deep breaths, preparing yourself for what might just be the hardest thing you’d ever do.

VII – Death Valley’s Ace

“Well?”

The race was over and, just as you’d thought, it’d been quite a life-changing experience. It’d started and finished in less than ten minutes, but it had felt longer as time stretched on with every turn of the wheels. Winter, Sunghoon, and one other biker had taken the lead the entire time, which had eventually turned into Winter and Sunghoon fighting toe to toe. Finally, Winter took home the winner’s title after an impressive acceleration past the finish line. The utter happiness that had stretched her lips as she’d embraced Karina resonated within you, but—being the competitive person you were—you’d kept all of that, and any other emotion, tucked deep down inside.

However, Niki had the eye of a hawk on you the entire time, and you weren’t sure if your stoic, disinterested acting had been enough to convince him.

So, here you stood, gaze bouncing between the student and the bookie, waiting for Niki’s judgement with bated breath.

Really, you were fine with either outcome, but the certain look on Heeseung’s face when you’d struck the bet and Niki’s jabs throughout the race had fuelled a determination to win that surprised you. Now, the intense feeling of all or nothing had your heart racing and your palms sweating. Could you survive if you didn’t win? Hypothetically, yes. But, then, everybody would have to suffer through your second rendition of Shakespeare and you didn’t think anyone wanted that.

You bit your lower lip, as Niki began to speak.

“_____ wins.”

For a moment, both you and Heeseung were frozen with shock, and then you blinked once, twice, and let out a big whoop. Next, you subjected Niki, Heeseung, Jungwon, and anyone within your vicinity to the horribly lame, but well deserved, victory dance you came up with earlier. While everyone cringed visibly, the fire in you was finally quenched and you could look forward to the rest of the races with less nerves.

At least, that’d what you thought, until Heeseung sighed and pulled out a ring of keys. “Well… I guess I’ve gotta drive you home now.”

You froze again, this time remembering all the terms of the bet. So caught up in your need to win, you’d forgotten that Heeseung would drive you home if you won. And, you had won, so that was what he was supposed to do. Except…

“Uhm, Heeseung.”

He hummed a response, avoiding your gaze by fanning himself with his hand.

“You don’t have to drive me home—well, at least not now.”

Heeseung fixed you with incredulous eyes, Niki’s gaze was obviously on you despite his tinted shades, while Jungwon laughed to himself. You realised, partly in horror, that he knew you’d beenacting all along. Naturally, you expected him to say anything, but he stayed quiet, watching Heeseung and Niki freak out beside him.

“But, you can’t!” Niki pointed at you, with a firm frown on his lips. “A bet’s a bet, and you can’t break the rules. You won, unfortunately, so now Heeseung has to drive you home. That’s how bets work, _____, in case you weren’t aware.”

Heeseung recovered from his shock quick enough to say, “I mean, there weren’t any witnesses when we struck the bet, so… And it’s not like we shook on it or anything.”

The student shook his head in disapproval and muttered, “Typical Heeseung.”

“Oh, shut up,” Heeseung’s eyes widened with a realisation, and he was so excited he looked like he was about to explode, “This means I can finally hand Sunoo’s ass to him. Hell yeah!”

“Sunoo’s racing?”

His eyes widened once again with another realisation, one that caused him to whisper something in Jungwon’s ear and rush off in the direction of the garage. Niki’s look of disapproval followed him all the way there, while Jungwon gave a little wave.

You raised an eyebrow. “Where’s he going?”

For the second time that night, Jungwon spoke, but it was a low murmur of, “To get ready for the second race. And, to kick some ass.”

Niki frowned at Jungwon, probably because he broke one of the terms of their bet by speaking of his own volition, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he rested a hand on his hip and sighed tiredly, “The second race is just a bunch of losers trying to one-up each other. They do it all the time, even though there’s only ever been one winner.”

“One winner.” Behind Jungwon and Niki, most of the crowd was dispersing in the direction of the exit. The only people left were Karina, Winter, Taehyun, and some other mechanics. Most of them were either sitting on the bleachers and jeering some bikers on from the sides or conversing between themselves. Your gaze travelled back to the duo, asking distractedly, “And who may that be?”

“Park Jong—”

“Jay,” Jungwon said, cutting off Niki with a ghost of a smile hovering on his lips. His eyes remained focused on you, ignoring the irritated blond beside him. “Jay Park; Death Valley’s ace. He can bike, he can race, he can dance, he can sing—he can do it all. And, he does it all with a cheerful smile on his face and hearts in his eyes that rival the most lovestruck anime lead. Striking the hearts of everyone, he wins race after race and reminds bikers everywhere that, while he’s around, there will be no other ace. Why? Because the one true ace is Park Jongseong.”

You almost expected a drop-dead gorgeous man to walk in after that monologue with long, wavy hair flowing behind him and a heart-wrenching OST playing in the background. But no one walked up behind Jungwon, much to your dismay, and you spared his blank face a glance. “You would make a good news presenter. Or, an entertaining emcee. Ever considered a career in either?"

He nodded shortly and smiled a little, sneaking a glance in Niki’s direction. “I’m actually the emcee for tonight.”

“What? But, Jake said—”

Almost like someone up there enjoyed toying with Niki and his feelings, the roar of a loud bike interrupted him. Time slowed a bit, as the three of you threw a glance in the direction of the tracks and spotted the appearance of a new person. They were seated on a motorcycle that oddly resembled the one from Grease, with some modern twists on it. The body of a classic Honda CL77 had been heavily modified to accommodate larger-than-life tyres, high handles, and an engine with the roar of a lion—not to mention the other mods you weren’t sure were totally legal. The biker, themselves, was clearly out of breath, resting on the handles of the bike as they tried to somewhat catch their breath. Then, with a heavy inhale, they raised their head, flipped the visor of their helmet, and yelled, “Sorry I’m late! Lecture ran a bit long.”

Then, you blinked and it was like time was back to normal. Some of the other bikers approached the newcomer with large smiles on their faces, others waved, while you were standing next to Jungwon and Niki with wide eyes. The biker removed their helmet, revealing a short mane of dirty blond hair, and you swallowed visibly.

Your thumb shook a little, as you jabbed it in the biker’s direction. “Who is… who is that?”

Jungwon noticed your obvious… interest in the newcomer, but he didn’t comment on it. Instead, he cleared his throat and started, “Jay Park; Death Valley’s ace. He can bike, he can race—”

“We get it!” Niki flicked a strand of hair out of his line of sight, huffing, before crossing his arms over his chest. “Why don’t you just eat his entire boot, while you’re licking it, hmm?”

“Are you jealous?” Jungwon raised an eyebrow, face otherwise blank.

“No.” He shifted his weight onto his right foot, and you could imagine an eye roll behind his glasses. “I’m really not. I just think I should be the one you’re talking about like that since you lost the bet and all.”

The brunet smirked. “So, you’re jealous?”

“Oh, my—I am not jealous. I,” he faltered, realising how worked up he was getting and cleared his throat with a dismissal wave of his hand, “You should go get in the booth. Jay and Heeseung will be ready soon.”

Even though Jungwon snorted, he didn’t comment further on the topic. Instead, he swivelled in your direction and cocked his head. “Well? Time to bet.”

“I think _____’s too busy ogling Jay to think straight at this point.”

You smacked Niki’s chest lightly, mumbling a low, “Shut up.”

He stared at his chest, blinking for a few moments, before he threw his head back with a dramatic sigh. “What did I ever do to deserve—”

“For the following Death Valley race, meant to serve as a display of duelling egos, the lineup will be the same as always,” Jungwon says dryly, cutting off the blonde. He ignored Niki’s gasp and continued, deadpanning, “That lineup consists of Sim Jaeyun, Park Sunghoon, Kim Sunwoo, Lee Heeseung, and Park Jongseong. As a newcomer, you’re required to bet to watch an informal race. Otherwise, I’ll have to kick you off the premises.”

“Really?”

“No,” he cracked a grin, “But I’ll blindfold you so you can’t see anything.”

You laughed nervously, eyes flitting in Niki’s direction. “Is he joking or…? I have a feeling he’s not joking.”

Niki shrugged, and you took that as a sign to start considering the lineup.

Out of all the names he’d mentioned, there wasn’t one you didn’t recognise. First, there was the infamous Jake—the man you’d heard so many rumours about that you’d just assumed he was some scary figure. Because of that, you mentally crossed him off your list without a second thought. Next, there was Sunghoon. While the few words you’d exchanged with him had been pleasant, you’d noticed how a few of his mistakes in the previous race had cost him victory. So, with that in mind, you crossed him off your list as well.

That left you with Sunoo, Heeseung, and Jay. All three seemed promising enough to win, judging from what you knew. Riding with Sunoo had given you a taste of his skills, skills you were sure would improve in an actual racing setting. Heeseung, while you hadn’t had any experience with his biking skills, seemed to have a lot of knowledge on motorcycles and their ins and outs. That was definitely promising, among a list of extremely skilled bikers. And Jay’s reputation clearly preceded him, judging from the way the duo had talked about him.

You massaged your temples, groaning. “I don’t think I’ve ever had to make such a hard decision in my life. This is too much for me.”

“Well,” Jungwon tsked a little, “Time’s ticking.”

You spared the tracks a glance one more time. Jay wasn’t there anymore; he’d probably disappeared off into the garage to get ready for the race. But, Heeseung was back, laughing loudly and boisterously with some of the bikers you didn’t recognise. Closer to the bleachers, Sunoo was receiving what looked like a scolding from Winter and Karina, obvious due to the red tinge to his ears. He caught your eye, flushing further when he realised someone was watching, and you laughed quietly to yourself.

Finally, you looked back at Jungwon, with your mind made up. You fished out a wad of money, placed it in Jungwon’s outstretched hand, and leaned in. A name slipped past your lips, raising Jungwon’s brows a little, but he still nodded and accepted your money without a comment.

A whisper of a name was all that was needed to get your heart racing like it’d been earlier. But, this time, there was no crowd—at least, not much of one. It was just a select group of people, the tracks, and some bikers. Despite that, your heart was still beating, like it was getting ready to jump out of your chest, and you were smiling widely.

Despite your initial resistance to Death Valley, you’d found yourself anticipating your second race featuring none other than Death Valley’s ace himself.

VIII – WatchMojo’s Top 10 Romantic K-Drama Moments

Just a few minutes later, all the bikers were lined up at the starting line and ready for the second race of the night. From your seat on the highest bleacher, next to a grumbling Niki, you had a clear view of the array of motorcycles and their riders. However, the people weren’t the ones who’d piqued your interest, the vehicles were. They were loud—even the ones with a gentle purr instead of a roar—bulky, and scary, and you loved it.

You loved it so much, in fact, that you nearly missed Jungwon’s introduction.

“Welcome once again to Death Valley: Uncensored; a bimonthly race where five bikers with inflated egos drive motorcycles around to see whose ego will be ridiculously inflated for the night!” Jungwon’s sardonic voice came from the speakers surrounding the bleachers, startling you for a moment.

As two of the bikers, Sunoo and Heeseung, glared at the booth a few metres behind you, you remembered that he was speaking into a mic up there and not hovering around you. A deep breath you didn’t realise you’d been holding in slowly escaped you.

“As usual, this is MC Jungwon—here to add some commentary to the sound of tyres turning.”

The sound of a bike revving followed his statement.

“Thank you for that,” he remarked dryly, cleared his throat, and continued, “Without further ado, let’s get into the introductions now.”

There was a bit of a buzz from the audience at that—some slow clapping, hollers, and even cheers. And, of course, a giant whoop from you as well.

Niki visibly cringed and put a noticeable distance between you and him. He grimaced, muttering, “What did I do to ever deserve this?”

“Hey, I—“

“Starting from the edge closest to the audience, we have the man who puts the ‘death’ in Death Valley. He has a dark gaze to match the strict persona he tries—but fails—to put on. His skills are impressive but not as impressive as his students who’ve surpassed him. Yes, give it up for… Sim Jake!”

All night, whenever you’d heard of Jake, you had conjured up an image of a tall, intimidating figure with insane muscles that could snap you in half in a heartbeat. However, the smiley man who flipped up his helmet’s visor to jokingly glare in the direction of the booth was not like that at all. Yes, his leather vest did reveal frightening biceps, but he was more toned than muscular and just not scary. You couldn’t even remember how you had found him scary, as something inside you melted over his gummy smile.

As if she’d been reading your mind, Winter smirked knowingly from the bleacher below yours. You returned an embarrassed grin.

“To Jake’s left, we have Mr. Fast and Furious. Fast to describe his speed and furious to describe his mood. The only thing that can make Mr. Furious a little less furious are a pair of skates and… well that’s it. He rides his bike with the grace of a swan and I wouldn’t be surprised if he twirled atop it one day. It’s Death Valley’s favourite glider—Park Sunghoon!”

Sunghoon, clad in all-black leather and a flipped down helmet visor, flipped Jungwon off and you swore you heard some muffled giggles from the other bikers. When he moved in their direction, though, the giggles quickly died down. You muffled a laugh of your own.

“Moving on quickly, next up is Death Valley’s drama queen himself. With the looks of royalty, and the temperament to match, he parades around like a monarch. That is, until Crabbers’s involved. Then, he’s the humblest servant with more than enough patience to serve. Mhm, it’s none other than Kim Sunwoo!”

Sunoo didn’t take much offence to his introduction. Instead, he gave a stiff wave, similar to the ones the royals gave, and nodded gravely in all directions. He only paused his dramatic imitation of monarchs to give his bike a friendly pat. Winter and Karina snorted audibly at his actions, causing him to cough slightly in embarrassment.

“Thank you so much for that, Your Majesty.” A short pause followed, filled with the bikers’ laughter and probably an eye-roll from Jungwon. “Then, we have Lee Heeseung. Yes, the sly and shady businessman with shadier business practices. Is he hiding some of our earnings from us? Probably. Will we ever find out? Only time will tell! Only Lee Heeseung can leave us with this much suspense.”

You’d already concluded that Heeseung was a shameless man, but his somewhat proud reaction further confirmed that. He nodded in acknowledgement, two hands placed over his chest, and a sharp glint in his eyes. Flipping down his visor, he gestured for the non-existent applause and cheers to come to an end with dismissive waves of his hand.

“Finally, last but not least, Park Jongseong!”

A stifling silence followed Jungwon’s enthusiastic shout, as the biker rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

“This is when you’re supposed to clap. Clap.”

A slow clap rose from the audience and some of the bikers, while Jay continued to make flustered movements.

Meanwhile, Jungwon seemed to be satisfied with the applause and continued. “The man I’m about to introduce is a very important person. Not only is he one of the best bikers in the ‘Valley, but he can race, cook, dance, and sing as well. Even with his many talents, he chose to race and decided to grace our presence here. We should always be grateful to him for choosing such a… such a wonderful place, among all the other options out there. Give a big round of applause for Park Jongseong!”

This time, the claps were louder and more enthusiastic and even a few whoops were heard—from someone you would forever vehemently deny was you. The biker looked like he’s about to melt from all the praise Jungwon gave him, but your smitten self thought every bit of it was well-deserved.

But, you didn’t have much time to dwell on Jay’s adorable mannerisms because Jungwon swiftly segued into the main section of the introduction.

“Now, that we’re well acquainted with all the racers, we can get on with the main event of the night—the races. In the first race, the five participants will bike around the usual, circular track three times. Then, the winner and the closest runner-ups will go head to head in a car race around the tracks five times. As usual, the prize for these races is nothing, except bragging rights.” A snort escaped the audience at that. “Anyways, the race will begin soon. Racers, get ready.”

Even though there weren’t any prizes, the bikers checked and double-checked their motorcycles one last time like the race determined whether they lived after this night. It almost seemed like it truly was a life or death situation, considering the tense atmosphere in the air. But, really, it was nothing more than a friendly race between a group of close friends, making their actions seem a bit dramatic. You couldn’t say much though; just a few moments ago you’d lied about your emotions just to win an inconsequential bet.

And, you weren’t complaining either. Their serious nature charged the air with a certain type of electricity that built up an increasing amount of anticipation in you. Your hands were sweating in the best way, your heart was beating faster, and you couldn’t rip your eyes off the five bikers lined up. Was it a life or death situation? No. But, was your heart pounding like it was? Certainly.

Everyone around you seemed to catch onto the shift in the atmosphere—even Niki, who’d been disinterested the entire time. He leaned forward on his knees, as the last couple of bikers got back onto their bikes, lips pursed in anticipation. As Heeseung finally got on his vehicle, a blanket of silence settled over the bleachers.

The bikers were ready for the race, and so were you.

“At the sound of the horn, the race starts.”

A couple of bikes revved, and you wiped your sweaty hands against your thighs.

“Ready?”

Subconsciously, you nodded in response, gripping your thighs tighter.

“Set.”

There weren’t many seconds left now, but there was still time for your heart to considerably race up. Your eyes never left the tracks—they couldn’t, the rough gravel had a vice grip on you. You were so focused on waiting for the blare of the horn that your body froze. The only part of you that wasn’t left paralysed in anticipation was your hands, which repeatedly clenched and unclenched in their spot on your thighs. Even breathing felt wrong in the few moments leading up to the loud blow of the horn. You were biting your lower lip, nibbling away at the skin there. Just any second now, any second now, any sec—

The horn went off.

It was a loud sound that reverberated from the speakers surrounding you, shocking you for a moment. Then, your eyes snapped away from the gravel to the bikers speeding off on the track.

You couldn’t tell who was in the lead and who was lagging behind. To you, it was just a blur of tyres, cool steel, and the night sky blending into one dark body. It was a beautiful sight, watching them race off into the night without a care in the world. Even from your seat on the bleachers, you could taste the humid air on your tongue and feel the wind tickling the tips of your ears.

Just as they disappeared from your sight, probably off to race a part of the track further away from you, Jungwon’s voice came through the speakers. “And now, unexpectedly, Heeseung is in the lead! There’s quite some distance between him and the person behind him, Sunoo. These two seem like the most promising prospects for grand winners for now, with no signs of someone catching up to them.”

Where you were, aside from Jungwon’s narration, it was quiet. You were clenching your thighs, and biting your lower lip, even though all you could see was the starry sky. There wasn’t even the roar of a bike or two to remind you of the presence of the bikes. Yet, somehow, it still felt so… loud. It was almost like you were on a bike yourself, with the gentle and constant hum of the engine blaring in your ears. The wind wasn’t blowing, not in the slightest, but you could imagine its harsh drag against you as you rode a motorcycle beside the bikers. You almost snorted aloud at your thoughts, considering how you’d gone from fearing Death Valley and all it meant to imagining yourself in a race of your own.

So immersed in your thoughts, Jungwon’s urgent voice shocked you when he spoke again. Not like the horn had, but enough for you to yelp and earn a look from Niki.

“Oh—Oh! It seems that just as Heeseung and Sunoo are approaching the end of their first lap, a third racer’s closing in on them. It’s—wait a minute,” a few rustles came through while you all kept your eyes peeled for any sign of the third person, “Oh, wow, who would’ve—Coming up in third place is Jay!”

Just as Jungwon yelled it, the three of them came into view once again. It was hard to tell who was in the lead, no matter how hard you kept your eyes peeled. All you knew was that it was a close tie between who started their second lap first, as all you saw was a blur of greys and blacks crossing the finish line.

“Wow, I don’t think it’s ever been this close,” Niki yelled over the noise of the motorcycles.

All he received from you was a low hum. You were busy trying your best to keep up with the three, even as they got further and further away. You couldn’t help losing sight of them when they blended into the night sky once again. As they did, the remaining two started their second lap, Jungwon commented on it, but you were too busy thinking about who would win the race to pay attention at that point.

Your money—a small amount of your money, but still your money—was resting on the shoulders of one of those three. Similar to before, it wouldn’t really harm you if you lost those few notes, but, your wallet and you would prefer it if you held onto them for a bit longer. You started nervously biting your lower lip, anticipating the start of the third and final lap.

“... The trio in the lead are approaching the starting line once again! As they start their final lap, the race will get incredibly intense. All eyes will be on them, thoughts filled with the obvious question: Who will win? Will it be Heeseung? Sunoo? Jay? Time will only tell when—Oh, here they come!”

With the three nearing the starting line, it got louder once again. The sound of the tyres turning against the gravel, the explosive engines running, and some cheers from the crowd were all accompaniments to the last lap between the three. The loud pounding of your heart and the blood rushing in your ears were also accompaniments, which you were honestly surprised no one else could hear.

Your eyes were darting around quickly, you were worrying away at your bottom lip, and they crossed the starting line once again. This time, different from the other times, their individual bikes were easier to distinguish. Or, perhaps, your eyes were adjusting to recognise them. Either way, you finally noticed Heeseung was lagging behind Sunoo and Jay—something you hadn’t seen coming. However, Sunoo and Jay remained toe to toe for the most part. You were sure Jungwon was giving commentary about what you were seeing right now, and adding clarification, but you couldn’t focus on that. It was just you, the bikes, and the tracks. Everything else faded into the background, as their bikes blended into the sky for the last time this night.

A tap from Niki broke you from your haze, although reluctantly. You raised an eyebrow in question, still peeking at the tracks from the corner of your eye.

“Who did you bet on?” The blonde stroked his chin dramatically, smirking. “You seem nervous.”

“I’m not nervous, I just,” a quick glance at the tracks, “I’m just really immersed in the race.”

He didn’t budge though. Instead, he singsonged, “_____’s going to lose a bet. _____’s going to be a loser.”

“Shut up, I—”

“You bet on Sunoo, right?” He pouted in mock pity, before grinning widely. “You should’ve bet on Jay, you loser. Everyone knows he always wins.”

“I…” You trailed off slowly, as time seemed to slow down for the second time this night.

Everything was as clear as day to you. The smooth curves of Sunoo’s bike, the grey steel on Jay’s, the ripples of the wind against their loose clothing, and the chequered line they were racing towards. One moment, it seemed like they were head to head, almost an equal tie. Then, with a loud rev that rivalled the volume of the blood rushing in your ears, Jay accelerated across the finish line first.

With loud clapping, whoops, and a standing ovation from the audience, time returned to normal. Sunoo crossed the finish line probably not a second later, and so did Heeseung not too long after. Jungwon was saying something from the speakers, but you couldn’t hear all of that. You were just staring at Jay—somewhat amazed and somewhat terrified—with wide eyes and a slack jaw. Almost like he felt your eyes on him, he moved his head in your direction, and you freaked out immediately. He might not have even been staring at you, but you still made an effort to calm yourself down just in case he was.

The sound of Niki gagging interrupted you. “Oh, my God. Get a fucking room, please. I’ve been subjected to enough suffering for one day, _____, don’t make it worse.”

“I wasn’t even doing anything,” you retorted, but your words were chewed. In your mind, you were still replaying the moment when Jay had turned in your direction and internally swooning over it. Your eyes widened as you realised Niki’s judgemental gaze was still on your obviously flustered state, and you coughed. “Is staring at someone a crime now?”

“Actually, yes. I’m not the smartest person on Earth, but even I know staring at someone like that can be grounds for harassment. At least… I think.” He shrugged. “I don’t know. Half our laws are fucked and the others aren’t even upheld properly.”

You nodded solemnly. “True.”

He nodded along with you, until he realised what he was doing and groaned. “Yes, but that’s not the point! Instead of staring at him like a creep, why don’t you go down there and congratulate him yourself?”

“Congratulate him?” Your eyes grew wide, whipping your head in Niki’s direction. “Uh, no, thank you. I’d rather admire his skills from here, a good distance away from him.”

“Why? Is it because you lost your money because you didn’t bet on him? And now you’re too embarrassed to face him?” There was a smug grin on his face and a teasing tone in his voice, and you’d never wanted to throttle someone more.

You smiled sweetly, clenching your teeth. “I didn’t lose my money. Actually, I—”

“_____!”

“Huh?” Your mouth worked faster than your brain, clearly, because you realised a second after your reply that the person who had called you was Jay himself. You stifled your gasp with a bite of your lower lip and settled for a short wave instead.

Niki giggled at your awkward movements, earning a slight smack from you. He groaned. “Hey, _____! You can’t hit me, I’m a minor.”

You snorted, turning in Niki’s direction, but you tried to hide it with a cough in case Jay was still looking. “That shit only works on Twitter, you idiot.”

Before he could respond with something, you felt a light tap on your back. For a few seconds, you were frozen, scared that Jay had somehow managed to creep up on you in a couple of seconds. Then, Niki, recognising your dilemma, told you it was Jungwon and you released a breath you hadn’t known you’d been holding in.

“Oh, my God, Jungwon,” you exhaled, turning around, “I was so scared you were Jay.”

“I’m not,” he deadpanned, “but it’s funny you mention Jay actually.”

With a smirk on your face, you raised your nose slightly in the air. “You’re here to give me my money back, right?”

He nodded, pulling out your notes from his jeans’ pocket, but there was a suspicious smile forming on his lips.

“What?”

“What do you mean ‘what?’” Jungwon feigned innocence, but the smile was still on his face.

You accepted your money with narrowed eyes. “There’s something else, isn’t there? Is there a catch? Hidden terms and conditions? That’s false advertising, you know? I can sue you with my… my three 5,000 won bills.”

His smile only grew wider, while he shrugged.

“No, you can’t just shrug like that! You have to tell me.”

“Well, since you practically begged to know, I’ll tell you.” He leaned in closer, cupping his hands around his mouth like he was telling you some sort of important secret. You leaned in as well, eyebrows furrowed. “Since Jay came late, no one bet on him except you. So, now, he’s convinced you’re a good luck charm and he wants you to ride with him for the final race. To secure his victory and all that.”

You paused. “Never mind, you didn’t have to tell me. I want to go back to before I knew that.”

Niki hummed. “So, that’s why Jay called you.”

“Yeah, I called you before that, but it’s like you have Jay tunnel vision or something.”

Niki giggled again, but you didn't smack him this time. Rather, you buried your head in your hands and slumped down into your seat. The scene was reminiscent of when you’d thought you were going to die in the abandoned subway and decided to have a meltdown before thinking of a way to get out of there. You could’ve laughed at the irony of how you’d come full circle in just a couple of hours, but you chose to mumble obscenities underneath your breath instead. It was way less productive, but much more cathartic and that was exactly what you needed.

However, Jungwon didn’t let you finish. He poked you halfway through and murmured, “You should probably look up, _____.”

“No,” your voice came off as a whine, but that was the least of your worries when your kinda-crush-but-not-really-because-you-only-met-him-a-few-minutes-ago wanted you to ride in his car with him, “I’m going to keep my face glued to my legs, and my ass glued to this bleacher for the rest of my life. Or, until the bleacher rusts and falls out from under me. I don’t know, whichever one comes first.”

“Uh, I think you should really look up. Like, now.”

“Mm-mm. I’m fine here.”

“_____, it’s—”

“_____, right? Is everything okay?”

That, specifically that voice, made you freeze. You’d only heard it twice before, from a distance and in a loud yell, but you could still recognise that deep timbre. Looking up into Jay’s dark eyes, filled with warmth and concern, confirmed your suspicions all at once.

Immediately, you unfroze—your eyes widened, your hands flailed, and you lost your balance on the bleacher.

Your stomach flipped and you squeezed your eyes shut, as you felt yourself falling backwards at a worrying speed. There was no railing to stop your fall, so it was just you hurtling towards the ground with your eyes closed.

That was, until a pair of toned arms wrapped around you, wrapping around your waist and supporting you from behind. Your eyes flew open, meeting Jay’s once again. You stifled a gasp.

The muscles of his arms were very apparent against you, tensing and flexing against the small of your back. His fingers, strained with the effort to keep you suspended midair, shifted across the tiny patch of skin that’d been exposed during your fall. He was pressed against you in other areas, body moulded to yours, as he kept moving his hold on you. You didn’t understand what he was doing—you were much more preoccupied with your near-death experience and now your drama-worthy rescue—until he murmured, “Grab my chest.”

Your brain short circuited.

You almost stammered out a confused question until your gaze finally left his eyes, and flickered down to the rest of his face. He was biting his lower lip furiously, jaw clenched and sweating buckets. Coupled with the way you could feel his arms shifting and tensing against you, you realised your weight was putting a strain on his arms. You almost felt embarrassed for it, and for being in this situation in the first place, but you also realised commenting on it wouldn’t help anything. Instead, you disregarded what he had said and looped your arms around his neck, pulling yourself close to him as you did.

Averting your eyes from his flushed face, you asked, “Is that better?”

He nodded, grunted, and muttered, “Brace yourself.”

In one huge movement, Jay tensed his arms against your back and pulled you forward. The change in position had you toppling again, this time forward, but he was ready. His arms never left your back, instead he used his hold on you to pull you against him. Slowly, his arms moved from low against your waist to circle you in a hug.

You felt his chest heaving against yours, probably from the effort he put into holding you up. But, he didn’t let you feel guilty for it at all, as he stepped back to stare earnestly into your eyes and asked, “Are you okay? Do you need anything? That could’ve been quite the fall.”

You were stunned, eyes still wide and shaky from the fall, and you couldn’t seem to muster any words.

But, of course, Niki always had something to say. Holding onto Jungwon, he pretended to throw up. “Jungwon, please, erase what I just had to witness from my eyes.”

“No can do.” The brunette shrugged off Niki’s hold from him, a grimace on his face. “I honestly wish I could though.”

“Uhm, hello?” You whipped your head in their direction, eyes narrowed. “Are we forgetting that I could’ve died back there?”

“You were not going to die, _____.” Niki rolled his eyes, gesturing towards the area behind the bleacher. “One, these bleachers aren’t that high off the ground. Two, there’s literal padding all around the ground in case people like you decide to lose their balance and re-enact a WatchMojo Top 10 Romantic K-Drama Moments.”

Jungwon nodded along to his words, while you spluttered quietly. The sentence you managed to put together was still somewhat disjointed, but it managed to get out properly and that was all that mattered. “Well, I-I, I thought I was going to die, so, same difference!”

“Not same difference, _____, it’s—”

Jay’s loud chuckle cut off Niki. The loud sound disrupted the two of you, eyes softening from their harsh glares at each other at the sight of the smile on his face. Instantly, you couldn’t even remember what you’d been arguing about with Niki, instead, his wide smile and scrunched-up eyes were all that were on your mind. A fond smile pulled at your lips, one you tried to smother, but failed.

Jungwon noticed it and snorted lightly. He mumbled, “So down bad that you’re playing limbo with the devil at this point.”

“Hm? I didn’t get that.” Jay’s eyes grew wide with confusion, and his expression had the same effect on you as the last one.

This time, you were more careful and hid your upturned lips, simultaneously clearing your throat. “An… inside joke.”

The look on Jungwon’s face said he was considering telling Jay the truth, but he just shook his head to himself and sighed instead. His gaze moved from you to Jay with an arched eyebrow. “Well, Jay? You came here for a reason, right?”

“Oh—right,” Jay somewhat sobered up from his laughter but there was still a soft smile on his face as he focused on you, “_____, I’m really thankful you bet on me. Honestly, I was kinda bummed out earlier cause I thought there’d be no one betting for me. So, thank you for that.”

His eyes were sparkling—with earnest, pure gratefulness—but, to you, stars were swirling in his eyes. They were plentiful and bright, shining brighter than any full moon could. You were sure you could’ve even connected the stars to form constellation upon constellation. His eyes, bright and starry, had quickly become your favourite feature of his, making it hard for you to avert yours before he caught onto your obvious fondness of him.

But, you managed and chewed out a soft, “Yeah, it’s no problem. I was actually trying to save my money, and you seemed like the best bet, so… yeah, I bet on you.”

“Well, I’m glad I could help, _____. Feel free to bet on me anytime! I can’t promise I’ll always win, but I can promise I’ll do better, knowing you bet on me.” He ended off with a flirty wink and a little bout of laughter, and you were sure you were about to melt into a puddle right there and then.

Niki groaned. “Oh, my God, please, for the love of God and everything good, get a room before I get one for you!”

“We’re not—”

“Sure.” Jay sneaked a sly glance your way, something shy of a bashful smirk on his lips. “I just need _____’s permission first. I can’t exactly whisk someone off into my car without warning, now, can I?”

Oh, right.

Just moments ago, Jungwon had told you why Jay had wanted to talk to you in the first place, but the entire nearly-dying thing and Jay’s arms around you and Jay’s eyes—Jay’s eyes—had managed to infiltrate your mind, pushing the memory of it away. But, now, you remembered. Jay, the very pretty man in front of you with stars in his eyes, wanted you, the average uni student with no filter who had mini-meltdowns at any minor inconvenience, to ride in his car with him because he believed you were good luck.

You literally couldn’t believe it.

Sensing your hesitation, Jay raised his hands up and clarified what he said. “I mean, not for anything weird or something like that! I’d just, if you’d be comfortable with it, like someone else in my car with me when I race. Kinda like a good luck charm, y’know? Only if you’re comfortable though.”

“I…” You trailed off, considering your options. On one hand, you could say no and go home with your heart intact. You’d never thought of yourself as a hopeless romantic or someone who believed in love at first sight, but if you stayed close to Jay for any longer, you would have to reconsider your perspective on love. Then, on the other hand, you could ride with Jay in a race and potentially have the experience of a lifetime.

You were about to make your decision when Niki let out a loud scoff. “_____’s going. No protesting, you’re going to thank me later. Both of you.”

“I was going to say yes, anyway,” you replied with a roll of your eyes, but there wasn’t much effort put into it.

Jay smiled, a sight you were getting used to seeing but somehow still couldn’t get enough of. “Really?”

“Yeah.” You returned a smile of your own, then cleared your throat and put on your best telemarketer voice. “For the small price of a million won, you can consider me your own lucky charm for the night. But, since you asked so nicely and you have a nice smile, I’ve decided to give you a full-price discount.”

“Well, lucky charm,” Jay extended his leather jacket-clad elbow to you with a crooked grin, mimicking a posh British voice, “I think it’d be best if you were introduced to our ride of the night, now, wouldn’t it?”

You locked elbows with him, a smile growing on your face. “Yes, I think that’d be best, Mr. Park.”

“Mr. Park?” He arched an eyebrow, leaning into your face. “Please, call me Jay.”

“And, you can call me—”

“Dead,” Niki grit through clenched teeth. “At least, that’s what you two will be if I have to watch this for any longer.”

Without another warning from Niki, elbows intertwined, you and Jay scurried off towards Death Valley’s Garage. A third race was waiting for Jay, ready to determine whether he would go home with the title of the grand winner or not, and you were more than ready for it as well.

IX – Expensive and Illegal

From all you’d seen of him, you had expected Park Jonseong to be a cocky biker with an ego larger than life, but he was nothing like that at all. You hadn’t been talking to him for long—the distance between the tracks and the car section of the Death Valley Garage wasn’t much—but you were already learning more about him. He was a second-year business management major at Suwon National as well, who had moved from Washington, USA for university. One thing had led to another and here he was now, the ace of a decently popular illegal biking ring. His softer, mellower personality—at least, compared to everyone else you’d met so far—was the complete contrast of what anyone would picture from that description, but somehow it fit him. The only part of his personality that fit the cocky biker image you had of him in your head was his tendency to crack flirty, but still bashfully ‘Jay’ jokes.

And that was all he was doing now. He was leading you through a separate part of Death Valley Garage, lined with cars you weren’t sure were legal, and cracking jokes all the while. Most of them were lame and cornier than anything, but seeing him smile was something you found yourself enjoying more and more.

Jay smiled particularly wide as he made his way to a sleek, grey car with a smooth and modern design. He patted the hood of the car gently, a fond look in his eyes, before looking back up at you. “Here’s our ride for the night.”

“Wow, it looks…” you trailed off, fully taking in the car.

It looked brand new and spotless, the top coat of paint still fresh and untouched by anything. The moon’s rays reflected off the shiny, glossy grey covering most of the car’s body, complimenting its cool hue. From where you were standing, you could see a few details Jay had probably added—a thin, black line tracing the edges of the car, a custom-made licence plate printed with his name, and a tiny print of something you couldn’t see along the inner border of the hood.

It screamed many things at you, but it mainly screamed two things. You spared Jay a glance. “It looks expensive and illegal.”

He laughed. “Yeah, it is—well, it was legal before I got it modded. It’s a newer model too, so it wasn’t easy getting my hands on it.”

Your eyes widened, as you whistled underneath your breath. “A newer model? You must be fucking loaded if you can afford this. How much does racing pay?”

“Actually, I got it from a race. Everyone bet their cars instead of money, and I won so now this baby’s mine.” He pulled out his key, pressing a button to unlock the car, which replied with a smooth beep. “I don’t think I ever raced as hard as I did that day. I mean, this is a 2021 edition of a Genesis G70 we’re talking about. The horsepower on this thing alone is insane, and…”

The rest of Jay’s words went in one ear and out the other. You didn’t mean to blank out, you were genuinely trying to pay attention to his words, but the terms he was using weren’t words you were used to at all. Instead of actually taking in his words, you nodded along to his words now and then, staring at his lips.

He paused, snapping you out of your daze. As you realised he’d caught onto your staring, a smug smirk stretched his lips. “Are you even listening to me?”

Suddenly, the floor was very interesting to look at, and you studied the skid marks on the concrete floor instead of Jay’s face. You mumbled, “No, but if it’s any consolation, you’re really pretty.”

“Hm, what was that?”

You considered repeating the words to him, but the faint sound of running engines and chatter reminded you of where you were. You shook your head and gestured for Jay to get into the car. “Ah, never mind. You have a race to get to, remember?”

Opening the driver’s door, he corrected you with a soft smile. “We have a race to get to. You’re my good luck charm, don’t forget that.”

A smile was itching to break out on your lips at that, but you resisted the urge and ducked into the passenger’s seat of the car instead.

Eyes widening, you marvelled immediately at the interior. Just like the exterior, it was mainly made of cool tones. Cream leather covered the seats, and even parts of the gears, complimenting the all-black controls in front of you. The same modern look the outside carried was maintained throughout the inside; the main touch-screen monitor and seamless buttons were just two, among many, of the gadgets the car held.

While you were admiring the interior, Jay slipped into the car, and you couldn’t help but think the design complimented him. His simple, yet effective outfit made of a plain, white tank, dark leather pants, and a dark leather jacket contrasted well against the car’s cream seats. And, then, his dark hair tinged with gold highlights complemented the touches of grey on the controls. He looked like he was in his element–he was in his element–checking and double-checking the height and position of his chair like it was something he’d been doing since he was born.

You wouldn’t be surprised if he had been doing this since he was born.

With a final adjustment of his chair, he buckled in and started the car with a simple press of a button. There wasn’t the roar you expected from a car this powerful, but the sound that followed was more of a soft hum. Along with it, the monitor came to life, a melodic tune playing as it did. A soft, robotic voice came from the monitor, causing a light smirk to lift Jay’s lips.

Finally, the car was ready, and it seemed like the racer was too.

Jay checked his seat adjustments one more time and shifted the gear into drive, keen eyes set on you. “Are you ready, lucky charm?”

The nickname sent a thrill down your spine, and you just wanted him to call you that over and over and over again. Instead of saying all of that though, you returned a smirk of your own, blood rushing in your ears. “Ready.”

X – Kisses and Starry Eyes

Your heart was beating faster than it had probably ever beat in your life, and you weren’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

You gnawed on your lower lip, shooting Jay frantic glances. “I know this is insane, considering you’re the one racing and all, but I feel like I’m going to pass out from how nervous I feel.”

“Don’t worry about it. The nerves are normal before your first race,” he said, laughed, and glanced out his window.

You two were at the tracks once again, sitting inches away from the starting line. On your left was Sunoo, sitting in a small but ferocious-looking black car. And, on your right was Heeseung, who’d gone above and beyond with a red Ferrari. From where you were sitting, you couldn’t see either of them but you could imagine the serious looks on their faces. That image and the already-fluctuated adrenaline in your bloodstream were setting your heart rate at a number you didn’t think any doctor would want to see.

It didn’t help that you kept imagining scenarios where Jay lost and blamed his loss on you. You knew he wouldn’t do that—at least, you hoped he wouldn’t and didn’t think he would from what you’d learned about him—but that didn’t stop the scenarios from playing over and over in your head.

Hands trembling, you chewed away at your lower lip furiously, until Jay placed his hand over yours. Your eyes left the track to look at him, meeting his soft, narrow eyes—those eyes with the stars and constellations in them. Eyes locked with his, you exhaled a deep breath you hadn’t even known you’d been holding in.

His thumb rubbed comforting circles over your hand. “Do you wanna get out of the car, _____? I don’t want to force you to stay if you don’t want to.”

You were shaking your head before he even finished. Inhaling deeply, you tried to focus on the sound of your slowing heartbeat, instead of all the chaos going on around you. “No, I’m good. I just, I think I just got a bit nervous for a second and freaked out. Let my thoughts run wild, that’s all.”

Jay’s eyes searched yours. “You’re sure?”

The previous nerves you’d felt were ebbing away quickly, adrenaline and excitement taking their place. You chalked them up to a brief moment of panic at the reality of the moment settling in. But, now that you’d acclimated to it, Sunoo and Heeseung’s presence wasn’t intimidating anymore but motivating. And, the scenarios of Jay losing only added to why you wanted him to win. Even though you were almost always worried or nervous when it came to your firsts in Death Valley—your first time in Death Valley Garage, your first time in the shack, your first, kinda, participation in a race—those feelings always gave way to growing anticipation that stirred up your stomach in the best way possible.

You squeezed his hand back and grinned. “Of course I’m sure. I mean, I almost died less than an hour ago, and, here I am, still breathing. If that didn’t knock me out, I don’t think a race will.”

“Good to know you’re fine.” He rolled his eyes, smiling softly.

“Yeah,” you murmured, gazing into his eyes.

They were soft and warm, filled with stars you could connect like the ones in the night sky. The brown pools of his eyes were deep, deep enough for you to want to fall into them and explore them for as long as he’d let you. He blinked, and his lashes met the apples of his cheeks in a way that suits his face perfectly. When he opened them again, he was still staring at you with so much warmth that you hadn’t known a person was capable of conveying through their eyes—until now.

God, you really loved his eyes. And, you wished you could stare into them forever.

But, unfortunately, you couldn’t. A loud beep from Sunoo’s car startled you, drawing your eyes away from his.

Jay cleared his throat, looking outside the window, but you could still see a light flush had spread across his cheeks. It was adorable, and you were about to verbalise that when Jungwon began his commentary for the third and final race.

“Welcome back everybody to this evening’s race.” Even though his voice was muffled through the car, it was loud enough to distract you two from what had just happened. At least, somewhat. In the back of your mind, you could still see the stars in Jay’s eyes. “No fancy introductions or monologues are needed this time. We’ll just get right into it.”

You were about to clap, but a glance at your hands reminded you that Jay’s hand was on top of your left hand. His hand rendered you unable to clap, something you were not at all upset about. Smiling to yourself, you settled for a low whoop.

“As we all know, in an unexpected turn of events, Jay came first in the last race. Even though, technically, it wasn’t that unexpected since that’s what always happens, but—tangent.” Jungwon muttered something underneath his breath, before breezing on. “Anyways, Jay took first place, Sunoo took second, and Heeseung took third. So, now these three will race head to head around the track five times in their cars.”

Along with your tiny whoops, the yells of the audience followed, which Jungwon didn’t let last for too long.

“Are all the racers ready?”

Sunoo beeped enthusiastically and Heeseung did as well, but Jay faltered for a moment.

He glanced at you, before looking at his hand on yours. With a low ‘oh’, you were going to remove your hand from under his, but he intertwined his fingers with yours and raised your hands.

You raised a curious brow. “What are you—“

Jay cut you off with a chaste kiss on the back of your hand, eyes focused on you the entire time. He gave you a soft smile. “For good luck, _____.”

He dropped your hand gently back in your lap afterwards, but you could still feel his lips on your skin. Even as he placed both hands on the wheel and beeped, the touch of his lips lingered on the back of your hand. You could only watch him sober up for the race with wide eyes, speechless and incredibly flustered because of his actions, while the moment replayed in your head over and over.

You couldn’t even fully process what had happened because Jungwon sped on by at the sound of Jay’s beep.

“Everybody, get ready. At the sound of the horn, we go.”

You spared Jay a glance, mind still reeling from the kiss. His jaw was tense and his eyes were focused on the tracks ahead of him. If he was nervous, you couldn’t tell because he spent the few moments before the horn checking and double-checking the stats the car was giving him. The only sign he may have been feeling a bit nervous was his tightened grip around the wheel, but it could’ve also been him remaining prepared for the fateful sound of the horn.

You, too, in a way, prepared yourself for that horn. If you hadn’t been sure before that kiss, you were sure as hell now. You liked Jay. In what capacity and to what extent, you didn't know yet. But, you were more than willing to take that journey with him to find out.

“Ready?”

That was, after he won this race.

“Set.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you spotted Jay relax his foot against the accelerator, earning a gentle hum from the car. The hum built up into a purr, as his foot pressed harder against the pedal, but not hard enough to set it into motion. No, his foot remained relaxed against the accelerator, ready to race off into the night.

And, then, the horn went off, and so did the two of you with the sound of the car’s roar in the background.

Fast.

That was all you could think at first, as the barren land around you blended into one big blur. The moon chased the two of you, quick on your heels but it just wasn’t fast enough. Jay’s foot never left the accelerator, never giving the car the chance to slow down. It was just fast, fast, fast, fast, fast, faster.

You couldn’t keep up with all the motion all around you, so you closed your eyes instead and savoured everything else going on.

With your eyes closed, you could focus more on what you heard and all you could hear was the sound of the engine getting louder and louder. It wasn’t just a roar, now, but a howl and an ear-deafening one at that too. Occasionally, the sound of the wheels turning against the gravel reached your ears, or the sound of either Sunoo’s car or Heeseung’s accelerating cut through to you. But, it was mostly just the engine filling your ears—loud, explosive, roaring, and thrilling. The car was loud, so loud that you couldn’t even hear yourself think, but it riled you up in a way you never thought it would.

You were tempted to open your eyes again, to see how many laps you guys had completed, but the energy in the car was addicting in a way you couldn’t have predicted. On Sunoo’s bike, the thrill it had given you was more apparent—with the blows of the wind or the revs that had vibrated throughout your entire body. But, with the car, though it was more subtle, you could almost feel the hum pulsating through it. That hum sent a different, but pleasant vibration through your body, almost like the car was channelling its energy through you. The energy was almost too much for you to handle, running from your heads to your toes.

You couldn’t handle it anymore. Throwing your hands up, you screamed and shouted absolutely anything and everything that came to your mind. Jay was probably staring at you like you were crazy, but you didn’t care—at least not that much. This, this, was the true meaning of living in the moment, you realised, so happy and full of joy.

A laugh fell from your lips, and you opened your eyes once again when Jay joined in. It was like that moment before, when you had got lost in his eyes, but this time the space between you two was charged with so much electricity and your combined laughter was flooding your ears. You were glad he couldn’t lock eyes with you this time, his gaze flickering between your wide smile and the road, or else you would’ve probably combusted from just how much you were feeling right now.

There wasn’t much on your mind besides the roar of the car, the energy vibrating through you, and Jay’s laughter, but the only coherent thought you could think was that you wanted this to go on and on and on and on.

And then it was over.

With a last press on the accelerator, Jay crossed the finish line and you were brought back to your present reality.

The audience was yelling, Jungwon was announcing Jay as the winner, and he was smiling widely at you. You realised your heart was beating fast, so incredibly fast, as you smiled back at him—overwhelmed by all the emotions you were feeling. You wanted to pull him into a hug, scream, do anything, but you just sat there, wide-eyed and smiling like an idiot.

He closed nearly all the distance between your faces, hands cupping your cheeks and wide smile never faltering. “Can I kiss you?”

Instead of responding with words, you closed the rest of the distance and planted your lips on his. There was a messy clash at first, of lips and teeth and tongue, but then your hands found his neck and his found yours, as your lips moulded together. Your mouths moved against each other quickly, but somehow gently, like what was happening between you two was sacred. To you, it felt like it was when you pulled back from him, panting heavily but smiling widely.

It was the end of the first race you’d ever been a part of and you knew one thing for sure; the thrill that racing gave you was indescribable and incomparable to anything else—except, for, of course, Park Jongseong.

Epilogue — The Kiss

What happened after the race was all a blur, as your mind was filled with ‘Jay, Jay, Jay, woah, that was a cool race, Jay, Jay.’ The man, himself, breezed through congratulations with a wide smile on his face and a hand wrapped around your waist. He never took all of the credit, even though he did all of the driving, and always responded with a humble, “It was just my lucky charm.”

More than a couple people picked up on the shift between you two—Jungwon gave you a thumbs up, Heeseung winked, and Niki huffed a quiet, “I told you you’d thank me,”—but neither of you brought up the quick kiss that had happened in the car. There were more important things to focus on like bragging about how good of a driver Jay was since he wouldn’t do it himself.

That didn’t mean you weren’t thinking about the kiss–certainly not. Throughout the rest of the night, which wasn’t all that long, your mind strayed to it every now and then. When everyone moved over to the shack for drinks, that Jay humbly declined, you thought about the kiss. When you drank a bit too much, and the drinks encouraged you to get a little bolder with your attempts at flirting with Jay, you were thinking about what you had to do to get his lips back on yours. Even now, half-asleep in the passenger seat of another one of his cars you were mumbling to yourself about kissing Jay. In the back of your head, you were glad he was too busy talking to Sunoo to hear the embarrassing retelling of your kiss.

“Here’s _____’s dorm number,” was what Sunoo said, and you could hear the sound of rustling from beside the car.

“And, how do you have this?”

Sunoo scoffed jokingly. “You’re not the only person who’s talked to _____, y’know. We’re actually best friends if you didn’t know. And as _____’s best friend, it’s my duty to threaten to beat you up if you do anything funny. Got it?”

“Wow, such good friends, but you found _____’s address through a random sticky note.” Jay laughed, and then there was more rustling that you assumed was him taking the note from your bag you had left with Sunoo earlier.

“Shut up,” he laughed as well, but there was a hint of embarrassment in his voice. “Just get going already. You and _____ probably have papers to write, or whatever you uni people are doing these days.”

Jay snorted. “That’s going to be you next year, you know? It’s just a year of freedom before you’re shackled by due dates again.”

Sunoo made a weird noise, one that resembled a shiver but not quite. “Please, do not remind me. I’m avoiding hell personified for as long as I can, and I don’t need you reminding me of what I barely escaped.”

“Right, right.”

A yawn followed Jay's reply, some shuffling, and murmured words you couldn't hear. Then, he slipped into the car beside your sleepy form with a loud slam of the car door. Jay adjusted your head from its cramped position and to a more comfortable one, humming underneath his breath while he did. As he did, his breath fanned against your neck, eliciting a soft shiver from you, and he paused.

“_____, you’re awake?”

You didn’t reply, just sluggishly moved your head in what was supposed to be a nod, but probably didn’t come across as one.

“Oh.” You could tell he was embarrassed from the shy laughter that followed, something you found adorable, but he tried his best to cover it with a cough. “Sorry, I was just adjusting your head, so you wouldn’t wake up with all sorts of kinks in your neck.”

Again, you made your weird nodding motion and received a relaxed sigh from Jay in return.

You were almost asleep now, barely paying attention to what was going on around you. The most you registered was Jay clicking his seatbelt into place, turning the car on, and setting out on the road. Besides that, you were pretty much asleep and snoring away. The slight rocks of the car only lulled you further to sleep, making it harder for you to stay awake—not that you were fighting it. Before you’d even realised it, you’d drifted off to sleep with images of the race and the kiss on your mind.

When you opened your eyes again for a brief moment, you weren’t sure where you were. Judging from all the street lights around you, you weren’t at your uni’s dorms yet, but you were back in the city, which was good. You squinted at the sight of Jay in the seat next to you. He was driving with one hand on the wheel, and the other was playing with the radio to find a good song to listen to. Your eyes drifted closed again, just as he finally settled on a song and began to sing along to it with his deep register.

The next time you opened your eyes, you and Jay were parked in front of your dorm’s complex. His hand was on your shoulders, trying to gently shake you awake since he hadn’t noticed you’d woken up, and his lips were right in your line of sight.

Voice heavy with sleep, you whispered, “I’m awake.”

He moved back, surprised and embarrassed like he’d been when he’d found out you’d been awake earlier back at Death Valley. His cheeks had a light flush to them, but he stayed quiet as you rubbed the sleep out of your eyes. It was only when you placed your hand on the door that he said something, but his words were rushed. “I can help you back to your dorm, _____.”

You were still sleepy and slightly tipsy from the drinks you’d had, but you waved him off with a hand. “It’s fine. I can handle a walk back to my dorm, Jay. I won’t die… I think.”

Jay’s signature smile came back, and you were glad to see it one last time before the night ended. You returned one of your own, just grinning at him stupidly before you slipped out of his car. Before you closed the door, you waved. “Bye, Jay.”

“Uh, bye—Wait!” As you slammed your door and started making your way home, Jay got out of his side of the car in a hurry. He caught up to you quickly, grabbing onto your arm. Turning you around, he studied your face earnestly, eyes focused on yours. Even though you could tell what he wanted to do, there was the slightest bit of hesitation on his end.

You smiled, pushing a stray lock of hair out of his face. “Do you want to kiss me?”

He deflected with a question of his own, flushing slightly. “Can I?”

“Hm,” you hummed in mock thought, raising an eyebrow. You were only teasing him, though, because you dropped the act with a laugh, looped your arms around his neck, and leaned in closer to him. Shrugging, you replied, “Well, what are you waiting for? Kiss me, you idiot.”

And, that he did. He wrapped his arms around your waist, closing the remaining distance between you two, and met your lips. Different from the kiss earlier, this one was much softer. It only lasted a few seconds and conveyed nothing more than affection between you two. It was quick and sweet—just very Jay-like.

When you two parted, he was smiling the widest you'd ever seen him smile this night, and the stars were back in his eyes.

You returned a smile of your own, loosening your grip around him. “See you around?”

He squeezed your waist one last time, before letting go. Jay nodded, eyes shining. “See you around.”

With Jay’s starry eyes on your back and butterflies in your stomach, you made your way home once again. Your thoughts and emotions were a mess, filled with all the events of the night, especially the more recent ones. But, an overarching feeling filled you as you turned back once more to still find Jay’s eyes on you.

You smiled.

You couldn’t wait to return to Death Valley once again.

copyright 2022 soobisms, all rights reserved. no translations or reposts of any form allowed.

everything about him is to die for

JAY Encore / Dark Blood Showcase 2023

♪ You are my everything ♪

JAY ✦ 'BITE ME' (230526)

THE REASONS I FELL IN LOVE WITH HIM...

[although he is just a dream for me]

have y’all ever thought about how jongseong is the type to love deeply, he’s straight out of a Taylor Swift song, he’s not a fling kind of guy, he’s so caring and doesn’t mind cooking for you and cleaning around the house (in fact he might even enjoy it), he would buy you clothes because he knows it would look good on you (because of his fashion knowledge), he doesn’t want to rush things at all and takes things slow

I have an exam and here I am simping over Sunghoon...

Hello, I have come to ruin your day. (ily)

MY HAND FLEW TO MY MOUTH AND I ALMOST CRIED A LITTLE

CHRISSY !!!!!!!!

JAKE - 2022 GGU GGU PACKAGE Photoshoot Sketch

runaway bride ( ✶ ) idol! sunghoon x fem idol! reader

⸝⸝ SYNOPSIS ‎𐪆 right when you thought you could run away from your past life as a figure skater by being an idol, you meet the sole person who made you want to leave that life behind in the first place. ₊˚✸ ༘

⸝⸝ GENRE ‎𐪆 pro figure skating + idolverse, childhood friends to (sort of) strangers to lovers au, angst, fluff, crack?

⸝⸝ WARNINGS ‎𐪆 my humor & some profanities :p

⸝⸝ STATUS ‎𐪆 completed : 05.17.22’ % START : 03.14.22’

⸝⸝ UPDATE SCHEDULE ‎𐪆 every two days! around 12:30 kst

⸝⸝ TAGLIST ‎𐪆 taglists are closed!

◖ MASTERLIST ?! — profile 1 : polaris ꔛ profile 2 : enhypen

prologue . . . much needed fresh start

O1 . . . hybe’s obsession with figure skaters

O2 . . . the idol life is actually pretty fun

O3 . . . flashbacks at music bank

⠀⠀⠀ ˓ bonus chapter . . . deez nuts this deez nuts that

O4 . . . is this about yuna

O5 . . . 1 yr 9 months and 20 days

O6 . . . jake’s big beautiful blonde brain

O7 . . . no, what’s wrong with sunoo?

⠀⠀⠀ ˓ bonus chapter . . . did the world stop?

O8 . . . the dumbest plan ever created

O9 . . . wish i had a time machine

1O . . . May 2020

11 . . . what if it’s fates calling?

12 . . . thriving without me

13 . . . everyone knows it’s us

14 . . . oh ok yeah sure totally

15 . . . Yn_Out

16 . . . is this the end of ynhoon?

17 . . . free lotte world tickets

⠀⠀⠀ ˓ bonus chapter . . . this always happens

18 . . . i wonder

19 . . . in another universe

20 . . . this isn’t like u

21 . . . something productive

22 . . . runaway together

23 . . . wanna be partners

24 . . . lotte world part one

⠀⠀⠀ ˓ bonus chapter . . . not bad

25 . . . lotte world part two

26 . . . i wonder why

27 . . . An Apology Video.

28 . . . thru text?

29 . . . defensive gf era

30 . . . not my problem lol

31 . . . f the smooching stage!

epilogue pt.1 . . . can’t help myself

epilogue pt.2 . . . mrsynpark

boomerang － jake sim!

SYNOPSIS: you and jake sim have always been academic rivals. it was always you against him for top of the class, and jake is sure that you two were made to hate each other. a couple years later when you debut and become an idol, you find yourself talking to him again - but it’s in a group chat with other aussie idols, and perhaps you realise that he isn’t that insufferable. PAIRING: idol! jake x idol! fem! reader GENRE: smau, crack, enemies to lovers, slowburn kinda, idol au WARNINGS: swearing, ignore timestamps, some alr debuted idols r in a group i created laughs, photos of ive’s yujin will be used as y/n only to visualise the outfit / concept  FEATURING: enhypen, lily of nmixx, felix and bang chan from skz, rosé from blackpink, yoon jia, kim doah and kamimoto kotone from gp999 STATUS: COMPLETE AUTHOR’S NOTE: helloooo here is the jake smau as promised!! my first smau for hyung line woooooooo LETS GAUR !! this is going to b a long one (40 chapters most likely!!) permanent taglist will already b tagged and thank u to sophie @chicksung​ for coming up w the title ^_^ 

EQUATION FOR DISASTER, THE SEQUEL TO BOOMERANG IS OUT NOW!

PROFILES: ONE / TWO

ONE － jake?? fanta spiller jake?? TWO － 5th grade science fair THREE － thank you wikihow FOUR － passive aggressive communication FIVE － hangout gone wrong SIX － oscar winning performance SEVEN － praying on my downfall EIGHT － its going down NINE － this is not slay TEN － forget but not forgive ELEVEN － jay my bff TWELVE － eye twitches THIRTEEN － star crossed haters FOURTEEN － silly little people in my phone FIFTEEN － mr bang pd-nim why SIXTEEN － try not to argue challenge SEVENTEEN － 247 what EIGHTEEN － pure luck NINETEEN － shocking development TWENTY － ur not as bad as i thought TWENTY ONE － selca…? TWENTY TWO － think twice? i dont even think once TWENTY THREE － disbandment era TWENTY FOUR － hatred with a capital h TWENTY FIVE － math olympiad TWENTY SIX － hide from the cameras TWENTY SEVEN － rumour rumour rumour TWENTY EIGHT － oh shit TWENTY NINE － buzzfeed quiz THIRTY － giant question mark THIRTY ONE － sunoo best wingman THIRTY TWO － romance what?? no way THIRTY THREE － you remembered THIRTY FOUR － call that chemistry THIRTY FIVE － in a bro way THIRTY SIX － inkigayo sandwich THIRTY SEVEN － high five THIRTY EIGHT － u + me = ??? THIRTY NINE － disbeliebe FORTY － reunion SPECIAL CHAPTER － manager gc shenanigans

EQUATION FOR DISASTER — jake sim!

SYNOPSIS — much to you and your boyfriend jake’s delight, there’s going to be a math championship for idols now. with both of you hellbent on winning, you two decide to be rivals again for just a little while. may the best star-crossed hater win. (the sequel to boomerang.)

PAIRING — idol! jake x fem idol! reader

GENRE — crack, fluff, established relationship

FEATURING — enhypen, kotone, doah and jia from gp999, lily from nmixx, felix and bang chan from stray kids, rosé from blackpink, sungchan and shotaro from nct, jihoon from treasure and various other idols

WARNINGS — swearing, jakeyn being incredibly down bad for each other but also somehow not being able to stand one another, basically stupid idiots jakeyn do math with other idols, mentions of 2FLOP7 (no theyre not back)

STATUS — COMPLETE

TAGLIST — CLOSED

AUTHOR'S NOTE — well this was a spur of the moment decision based on an ask i got but HEY!! boomerang sequel and our silly little jakeyn is back... also theres only one profiles bc im keeping everyone elses profiles the same EXCEPT FOR JAKEYN!! and theres too many idols appearing here so theres gonna be like 5 profiles posts if i did.. lets make it easier for everyone 😭🙏 whos team r u on btw #TEAMY/N or #TEAMJAKE...

PROFILES

ONE — money stealer TWO — back to kumon THREE — #SoobinFakeFan FOUR — calcul(US) FIVE — jakeyn moments SIX — pda but not rlly SEVEN — newsflash EIGHT — awksies (kinda?) NINE — winning era TEN — math + love