Jungwon Angst - Tumblr Posts

Slowly

▪︎Pairing: Jungwon x Reader

▪︎Pronouns: She/Her

▪︎Genre: Bittersweet (?)

▪︎Warning/s: None

▪︎Synopsis: You were a princess inlove with your childhood bestfriend. A love story that wasn't meant to be.

Note: Hello everyone, long time no see. I suddenly had the urge to write this I hooe you enjoy : ) I hope I can start updating frequently again!

》 Main Masterlist

》 Jungwon's Masterlist

"Can't the future just wait?"

You asked the boy beside you while you both lay down the grass, watching the clouds slowly pass by.

You didn't want this moment to end. Jungwon's pinky laced along yours, and spending time with each other.

These things would never amount to the luxurious things you own.

"What do you mean, princess?" Jungwon asked as he turned to you. The way he's trying to calm his ever raging heart was quite comical and the fact that he tries to be discreet about it makes it even more adorable.

The way your skin was gleaming in the sunlight, and oh how he love it when his hand laced with yours.

Both of you wanted time to stop.

"Can't the deadlines come fashionably late?" You asked, tears pooling in your eyes as you struggled to keep your composure. Jungwon knew how hectic and stressful living your life as a royal was. You both grew up together, after all.

A pained smile made it's way onto his face.

Sooner or later, you have to choose a candidate to marry. The fact that Jungwon isn't on the list makes his heart ache.

Jungwon tries to be strong as he swallowed the lump on his throat as he wiped your tears gently with his hand.

Jungwon knew you could never be his.

As he was born and raised like a commoner, it would be an outrageous dream for him to be the future Queen's husband.

It was never meant to be.

"I'm sure you'll be quite alright, my princess." Jungwon smiled, the redness in his eyes getting more noticeable. You looked at him, cupping his face as you go over through his features from his eyes to his adorable dimples, slowly etching them into your mind for a thousand times already.

"Jungwon, I'm ready to risk all for you." You said, lips quivering as you shakily caressed his cheek.

All you need was his approval and you'll be ready to leave then and there.

However,  Jungwon just shook his head and smiled. Putting his hand over yours, he spoke "The people needs you, my princess." You broke down, "But I need YOU, Wonnie." A childish nickname that hasn't been used in years made Jungwon felt a bit better. He chuckled, "As do I, but I can't make you choose between me or the kingdom. You're destined to rule."

Lies. It was all lies.

All Jungwon wanted was to run away with you to the end of the world, start a new life without having to worry over things like this.

But how could he do that?

He knew he couldn't be selfish.

Jungwon knew the truth was inevitable.

"You're acting as if Riki can't claim the throne!" You sputtered, hysterical as Jungwon pulled you to his chest. Combing your hair, he hummed a familiar tune that put you in a slumber.

Slowly, your grip on his shirt loosened as you relaxed in his arms.

Slowly.

That's how he wants time with you alongside him to pass.

There you were, under the oak tree whilst Jungwon watch you sleep. A small smile on his lips as he stroked your cheek.

Just like when you were just kids.

in time || non-idol! jungwon x reader

synopsis: your bsf jungwon is in love with you (he has been for a while) but you’re in a toxic relationship & need help finding your way out

note: this was a little rushed but i literally came up with this out of nowhere and i kinda (?) like it + i’ve just been wanting to write for jungwon for so long now so yeahh anyway i hope you guys enjoy please leave comments & suggestions bc it rly does encourage me to keep writing ^_^ muah!

to say jungwon was mad would be a bit of an understatement at this point. and it wouldn't be a problem if this was the first time. but being woken up in the middle of the night by his best friend (who he definitely had no particular feelings for) sobbing and asking him to come pick her up?

it gets tiring after the third time. and no jungwon would never say, 'i told you so', but he did... many times. you just don't seem to take his advice and your current (or maybe not, he doesn't know since you're always on and off) boyfriend has proved time and time again to be a piece of shit.

either way, jungwon loved you you were his best friend so he wasn't going to leave you hanging, especially when he could hear the loud party music behind your sniffles and the way your voice sounded when you told him 'i need you here'.

so there he goes straight through the front door of a house he's never seen before and through the dancing crowd in the living room. as he's going up the stairs he catches a glimpse of your excuse of a boyfriend pressed up close to another girl in the crowd and he swears he can feel his blood boiling.

still, he keeps going until he arrives at the bathroom you had locked yourself in and knocks on the door, "y/n, it's me... open up."

you open the door and feel more tears fall when your eyes meet his. though your mind was still foggy from the number of drinks you had, you wrapped your arms around his neck out of instinct. there was a tightness in his chest seeing you like this again.

he stepped into the small space, closing the door behind him but never letting you go. his hands soothing your back as he gave you time to calm your breathing before he spoke again, "c'mon let's get out of here."

you felt dizzy when you dropped your arms from his shoulders and the lack of support made you lose your balance a bit. he quickly put his hands on your waist as you began to lean towards the sink. and it felt natural for his hands to be on you but definitely not like this.

"how much did you have to drink?" he sighed, trying to ignore how warm you felt at his fingertips. you shook your head.

"i didn't even drink that much... please just take me home," you said, knowing that he'd scold you if he knew how much you really drank. he nodded and led you all the way out to his car.

he opened the door for you and helped you into the car. you felt your eyes swell up again as he reached over to buckle your seat belt.

"are you okay?" he asked, his eyes filled with worry. he wiped away the tear that managed to slip out and lifted your chin so that you'd meet his gaze.

"we argued so badly on the way over here that i broke up with him. so he told me to go ahead because no one could ever fall in love with someone like me and when i realize that, i'd just come crawling right back to him," you said, lips quivering as you tried to hold back your tears.

jungwon doesn't know what came over him then. maybe it was your face, mere inches away from his, or how your face had never held so much sadness before. but he knew if there was ever a time you needed to hear this it was now.

"well, that's how i know he doesn't know anything about you because i've been in love with you from the moment i met you. every part of you..." he said, holding eye contact for just a moment before backing and gently shutting the door.

the car ride home was silent. his words hit deep, even in your drunken state. you knew how much he cared about you, you could feel it through his actions and you could see it in his eyes but never once had you considered that it was just love.

all this time your ex had convinced you that you were unlovable and unworthy of anything good. but here was your best friend, answering your every call and showing you the treatment you truly deserved.

once you stepped into the cool air of jungwon's apartment, you immediately felt better. you felt lighter. and every one of his actions felt even more comforting than they usually did.

he held your hand as he kneeled down and helped you out of your heels. his hand cold against your warm fingertips. when he stood back up he took a moment to scan your face and make sure you were still doing okay.

"wonnie..." you let out, just above a whisper, your throat suddenly very dry. and he swore if he wasn't already looking at you he would've missed it. just when he was about to respond you gently pulled him towards you.

your face was hot and you felt like crying again. but not because you felt sad like before, you just felt so overwhelmed by how kind and gentle he was being to you.

you put a hand on the nape of his neck then leaned in a bit more to place a kiss low on his cheek. "thank you... for everything," you whispered close to his ear still holding him close.

when you backed up, his cheeks were just as red as yours. he looked down before muttering a small 'of course' and leading you to his bedroom. where he sat you on the side of the bed you always slept on and excused himself to go get you some water.

a comfortable silence settled between the two of you when he returned with your glass. and you drank it as he searched through his drawers for something you could wear to sleep.

he walked over to you with the clothes and handed them out to you. but you stood in front of him and asked him to unzip your dress, which he did obediently before you turned back around to face him.

you watched his throat bob as you let the dress fall to the ground and he forced himself to look away as you put on his oversized tee. you placed a hand on his cheek making him look you in the eyes again. and you pressed your lips to his.

you kissed him once before you pulled away, and he was already chasing after your lips right away. connecting your lips again and guiding you back down onto the bed with him above you, careful to not break the kiss.

the kiss escalated quickly. with your fingers tangled in his hair and his hands all over you, on your thighs that were propped up on either side of him and right up under his shirt to grip at your waist.

but he pulled away to catch his breath and he could feel his heartbeat pulsing through his veins as he held himself up. he stared down at you in awe, taking in your glossed-over eyes and red lips.

suddenly he stood up, conflicted, as he tried not to look at where he bunched up his shirt around your waist. he let out a deep breath, "we should get some sleep..."

so you nodded and pulled his shirt down to cover yourself again, bringing his blanket over your body. and jungwon went around to his side of the bed, still unable to believe what just happened. he slipped into the blanket beside you, making sure to keep his distance.

it was wrong, kissing you just now when he still didn't know how sober you were. also, the fact that you'd just broken up with your ex. or maybe these were just excuses he was making up to avoid the fact that he was undeniably in love with you and couldn't stand the thought of you not feeling the exact same way...

I'm still your boy daydreaming  ִֶָ☾。

SYNOPSIS: As graduation draws to a close, Jungwon, who has quietly pined for you for years, remains daydreaming.

PAIRINGS: Whipped bff!jungwon x unaware!reader

GENRE: college!won, fluff, some angst(?)

A/N: listened to “the cutest pair” by Regina Song, but in wonnie’s pov!

Jungwon watched as you anxiously bit your fingernail, fixated on the projector while the professor droned on about the upcoming graduation details.

Amid the collective buzz of nerves and excitement, you were determined to get everything perfect for this special academic moment. Sensing his gaze, Jungwon breath hitched as you turned to glare at him, saying, ''For a summa cum laude, I'd expect you to pay attention, won." With a sigh, you leaned back in your chair, deciding to ignore your own advice and drift into distraction. Jungwon blinked away the image of you that had been stuck in his head for the past hour and straightened his back, finally focusing on the topic at hand.

For years, Jungwon poured all his energy into his studies, making academics his sole focus. In contrast, you seemed to glide effortlessly through your responsibilities, seamlessly balancing your love for baking while maintaining excellent grades. Your natural grace and effortless talent captivated him, turning his admiration into something more profound.

Being president of the student council, Jungwon frequently found himself in need of support, and you were always there— covering missed classes, updating him on quizzes, and even bringing him homemade cookies. Each time he received those sweet treats, he adoringly traced every chocolate chip, imagining you in the kitchen, preparing them just for him. Your small acts of kindness and your effortless charm only deepened his admiration, turning him almost into a fanatic.

To Jungwon, you were the epitome of support and sweetness—the kindest, most lovely person he had ever encountered. Your presence was as delightful as strawberries and as warm as chocolate, and he found himself completely captivated. Any affection you showed him made him blush furiously, a reaction you took as just part of his normal demeanor. His attempts to hold your hand, which you happily reciprocated, left him almost fainting, his heart racing with every touch and glance.

As junior year passed, both of you grew older and more mature, with Jungwon's gestures evolving from shy touches to confidently resting his arm around your shoulders. His boldness extended to occasionally inhaling the comforting scent of your hair... secretly of course. Whenever another guy approached you, Jungwon would wrap his arms around you and flash a sweet, knowing smile. “Hi, lovely. Shall we?” he’d say, his gaze casually drifting to the suitor whose hand would hang awkwardly by his side, holding sad flowers.

With a nonchalant smile, you’d cling to Jungwon, blissfully unaware of the advances you were turning down. To you, his protective presence felt natural, yet for Jungwon, every touch and moment with you was a testament to his deep affection and longing.

Jungwon was convinced that you must have feelings for him—how could you not, given the way you were with him? It seemed almost cruel to be so affectionate and loving if you didn’t truly feel the same. His eyes, always filled with love and adoration, had been that way since he was 16. Now, as he stood at the brink of adulthood, he felt an overwhelming urge to finally ask you the question he’d carried in his heart for so long.

Before the big day, you and Jungwon found yourselves huddled in a café, finalizing details and perfecting his valedictorian speech with your help. As you focused on your own tasks, writing notes to help him with, Jungwon couldn’t help but steal glances at you, his eyes blinking slowly as he tried to conceal his smile. Over the years, he had brushed off the constant teasing from classmates and possibly the whole student body who shipped you two together, fearing that acknowledging it might push you away. But in that moment, watching you immersed in your work, he was overwhelmed by the realization of how deeply he loved you. Jungwon knew with certainty that no one could love you the way he did, "Don’t you think we’d be the cutest pair?” Jungwon asked, his gaze fixed on his screen, too shy to meet your eyes. His words were accompanied by a soft, nervous smile. You giggled at his question, finding his hesitation endearing. “We already are, silly.” you replied warmly.

Hearing your response, Jungwon let out a breath of relief. His eyes slowly lifted from the hair that had fallen across his forehead, his fingers nervously fiddling with the drawstrings of his hoodie. As he looked up, he was met with your radiant, reassuring smile.

You reached across the table and gently took his hand in yours, giving it a tender squeeze. Jungwon’s heart raced as he felt the warmth of your touch, his nerves melting away. The simplicity and sweetness of the gesture made his feelings for you all the more intense. As he gazed into your eyes, he couldn’t help but think how incredibly fortunate he was to have someone as special as you by his side. The world seemed to stand still for a moment, and Jungwon knew, with absolute certainty, that he never wanted to let go.

…

As Jungwon delivered his speech, his gaze move across the sea of students and faculty before finally settling on you. Despite his dislike to public speaking, he spoke with a confidence fueled by his desire to inspire others and make you proud. With each word, he poured his heart into crafting a message that can resonate deeply.

As he reached the end of his speech, he paused for a moment, his voice tinged with emotion. “To hope is to live,” he said, “I still have a dream to reach, and achieving this was already a step towards it.” His hands trembled slightly as he concluded, his shyness evident in his final words of gratitude. “Thank you, everyone.” As the applause filled the room, Jungwon’s eyes sought yours again, hoping that you could see just how much this moment meant to him.

After a few more speeches and the excitement of the ceremony, students began tossing their mortarboards into the air. Jungwon made his way through the crowd, clutching a bouquet he had carefully prepared for you. His heart pounded with each step as he approached, only to find you already wrapped in the arms of Sunghoon, your boyfriend.

Sunghoon was the only man you seemed to notice with his advances, the only one who somehow slipped under Jungwon's radar. How could he have been so blind? Despite the sharp pang in his chest, Jungwon forced a smile as he neared you both, his other hand fidgeting and squeezing around his toga, struggling to mask the ache of his unspoken feelings. He offered Sunghoon a congratulatory nod, who returned it with a warm smile and a heartfelt “Congratulations.” Jungwon’s gaze shifted back to you, and he saw you squealing with excitement, your joy infectious.

When you finally turned to Jungwon, you greeted him with a tight hug. The embrace, meant for him alone, now enveloped him in a bittersweet moment. The scent of your perfume, which he had imagined would be his exclusive reminder of you, was now mixed with the warmth of Sunghoon’s presence. The hug that was supposed to be his alone felt like a cruel twist of fate, making his heart ache even more as he realized that the affection he had longed for was now shared with someone else.

Jungwon, feeling like a coward in the midst of his emotions, stood before you as you beamed with pride. “I’m so proud of you, my boy,” you said, your eyes brimming with happy tears as you cupped his face gently. Jungwon’s own eyes were clouded with sadness, the tears he fought so hard to keep at bay finally spilling over. “I’ll always be your boy, yeah?” he whispered, his voice barely above a tremor.

You laughed softly, your laugh like a bittersweet melody, leaving a tender kiss on his cheek, your affection clear but the meaning unmistakable. “Always, Jungwon,” you replied, your words carrying a platonic warmth that seemed to echo louder in his heart than he could admit.

Jungwon stood there, his heart aching as he realized how deeply his own feelings contrasted with yours. The kiss he had hoped would signify something more was a gentle reminder of the reality he had tried to ignore. The warmth of your embrace and the affection in your voice only served to amplify the distance between your hearts. He sniffled quietly, nodding and biting his lip to hold back the disappointment that threatened to overwhelm him. Even as he forced a smile, though it was a hollow expression trying to be happy for you and your new chapter with Sunghoon.

Jungwon was left with the crushing realization that he was merely a boy daydreaming of a future that would never be his, longing for a love that remained forever out of reach.

maeumi & me - ch 14 : a wholesome morning

a/n : pleaseee comment what you guys think of this au so far i need motivation to writeee

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» synopsis : maeumi, your maltese pup, has been a huge part of your life ever since you first adopted him a few years ago. but little did you imagine that getting accepted into your dream university would mean having to leave him behind. heartbroken, you whine and lament to your friends about how unfair the situation is. whilst half-heartedly looking up foster homes maeumi could temporarily stay in, you're surprised when yang jungwon - a former schoolmate you'd hardly ever spoken to before - offers to take him in.

» pairing : yang jungwon x gn! reader

» genre : college au, social media au, pet parents au, fluff, strangers (kind of?) to friends to lovers, humour, a lil bit of angst

» warnings : swearing, jokes about death/suicide (kms/kys etc), mentions of pet injury

disclaimer : this is purely a work of fiction made for entertainment purposes only!

tag list : open [comment or send an ask to be added <3] @hiqhkey @i-yeseo @harperwasstaken1 @tomorrowbymoa-together @kange3939 @yjwluvz

maeumi & me - ch 26 : misunderstood

a/n : written part comes first. ignore timestamps in pictures as usual but not for the written part!

w.c. : around 2k oops

9:30 am.

You're in the midst of stealing another sneaky glance at Jungwon as he works when Heeseung arrives. He walks over to your table and flops down opposite to you, his annoyance evident in his sarcastic smile. You roll your eyes.

“Okay fineee, I lied about where I was. But I am doing my homework here as you can see!” You wave your worksheets at him. “It's just that Won has been bugging me to try the café's new Dalgona coffee and I was like, what’s so great about Dalgona right, I mean I can make it myself at home and he was like, no we add this special ingredient that makes it absolutely delightful and I was like.…” you trail off, realising you’re rambling and not really helping your case, judging by the look on your friend's face. You clear your throat. “Anyway, I had some time left since my first hour today was cancelled and I thought I might as well come here and get some coffee and finish my homework and I didn't tell you because I mean, you've already been bugging me non-stop since last night,”

“Well of course I have!You two almost kissed!!” he shrieks, drawing the attention of a table of friends nearby.

“Shhh, quiet down he's literally a few feet away! Also wait, you saw that?”

“Yuh huh! Why else do you think I've been losing my–”

“So you interrupted us on purpose?” Shit. Did you actually ask that out loud? You hadn’t meant to. “Actually no forget I said that–”

Heeseung’s eyebrows shoot up, an amused smile replacing his scowl. “Well, I–”

“Nuh uh I don't wanna hear it la la la la la la,” you plug your ears with your hands.

He shakes his head. “Y/n, come on. What are you doing? It's so obvious that you like Jungwon–”

“I don't like him! It's just that he's so nice to Maeumi and so sweet to me and– Ugh, hold on I'm getting a call. Hello?”

It's your classmate calling you up to remind you about the meeting for a group assignment. You promise her you’ll be there on time and hang up. You turn your focus back to Heeseung, who is leaning forward with his hands crossed on the table, looking at you with patient scepticism. You sigh - he’s right. What are you doing? Why are you trying to dismiss these feelings that are as clear as day? “I know that look.”

“What look?”

“The look that says you don't believe my bullshit.”

“Well you got something right at least.”

You put your head into your hands. “Fine. I like him, okay? Maybe a little too much. And yes I came here so I could see him again even though it’s barely been two hours since I saw him back at Jake’s place. And it's just. Ahhhh. I don't know, I've never liked anyone this way before and it feels so nice but also weird because it’s new and a little overwhelming sometimes and I just maybe need some time to come to terms with it before you guys all start freaking out,”

He nods and leans back in his seat, satisfied. “Okay.”

You look up at him in disbelief. “‘Okay’?? That's it???”

He laughs. “What, did you expect me to demand to know everything right now? Come on Y/n, give me some credit. I’m not that bad of a friend.”

“Debatable,” you tease, ducking as he reaches to hit you playfully. “Well no it’s not that. I just, I don’t know, expected a bigger reaction I guess?”

“You know you guys have not really been discreet or anything right? It’s kind of been a little too obvious the past few days. But I will say that I wasn’t expecting you guys to go in for a kiss last night right when I happened to walk in. Which is why I may have, uh, panicked a little and ended up switching on the light,” he flashes you a sheepish smile.

You shake your head, feeling your cheeks get hot as you think back to the moment. God, so close. If only you hadn't been interrupted... “You lil shit,”

“Wha– you just said it yourself, it’s weird! I’ve never seen you do ‘romancey’ stuff and you've always been so blehh about dating and relationships and now suddenly you can’t stop gushing about this guy and I don't know, it's like seeing your sibling kiss. Gross,” he cringes and you slap his hand.

“Ow! Also, where is Jungwon?”

9:06 am.

Jungwon has practically been vibrating all morning from the excitement of what happened last night. Well, of course nothing really happened, strictly speaking. Still, he was happy at the prospect of it. At the idea that he maybe has a chance with you after all. Like, he’s had a crush on you for so long, it seems unreal. He had almost fully accepted the fact that that was all it was ever going to be – a crush. And then things happened, and here he was. He bites the inside of his cheek, trying to keep himself from smiling. From the corner of his eye, he catches the weird looks his older co-barista, Taehyun, has been giving him.

The front door opens with a ding of the bell, indicating the arrival of another customer. Jungwon finishes serving the caffè mocha he was making just in time to greet the new one.

“Good morning, what–” he stops short when he looks up and sees that it’s you. He stutters and completely forgets what he meant to say and gives up halfway. From the way he’s grinning, even a passerby who chances to see him from the sidewalk outside could guess he’s head over heels. Taehyun recognises you immediately – he's only seen Jungwon behave like an idiot one other time, which was the first time you had come here a couple of weeks ago. Jungwon had immediately dropped everything he was doing and had all but run to you despite how busy the cafe had been that day, leaving the poor guy to deal with the growing line of customers all by himself. Although it had been a bit of an inconvenience, Taehyun didn't give him too much of a hard time about it because for one thing, it had been kind of cute to see him all flustered, and for another, Jungwon was someone who was usually pretty diligent with his work.

But here you are again. Cue Jungwon forgetting how to function like a normal human being.

“Hi,” Jungwon finally says, barely able to restrain the grin that he knows is a little too wide to be casual. “What are you doing here?”

You can't help but laugh. “You have got to stop greeting me like that every time I come here! Do you not like me visiting you at work?” You turn as if to leave, mostly to see how he'd react.

“No no wait sorry!” He reaches over and grabs your arm, planting it on the counter. “I just meant that if you were planning on coming here then we could've left together,” he drawls.

“Well, it was more of a last minute decision. Class got cancelled and I thought I'd just drop by and check out the new drink you were raving about. See what all the fuss is about,” you shrug nonchalantly, though the twinkle in your eyes betrays you. You're hyper-aware of the fact that his hand is ever-so-lightly brushing your forearm.

“Oh you’ll see alright,” he assures you, and with just a hint of nervousness seeping into the confidence, he enquires, “so, is that the only reason you're here?” He steals a quick glance at your lips, the pretty curve of them, before meeting your eyes again.

“Why else?” you ask, as though you have no idea what he could possibly be alluding to, although your hammering heart and the cheeky grin spreading across your face tell otherwise. Jungwon’s own giddy smile says he isn’t slow to catch on, either.

“I see. Strictly beverage purposes then.”

“Strictly,” you nod solemnly, suppressing your smile.

Taehyun clears his throat. “So, your order?”

You blink, suddenly remembering that you have an audience, and also that you're not just here to see Jungwon (well that's the story anyway). “Oh right, yes! Sorry. One Dalgona coffee, please.”

Jungwon flashes you an apologetic smile as he gets to work. “Sit wherever you'd like, your order will be ready in 10!”

Jungwon is so nervous about getting your order absolutely perfect that he messes up twice. Taehyun shakes his head, both amused and exasperated. When Jungwon starts to try for the third time, he stops him. “Gimme, I'll do it.” Jungwon mumbles a relieved thank you before internally chiding himself to get a grip. He can't continue to be such a mess every time you're around.

When he's done, Taehyun places the drink on the counter, ready to be served. He can see Jungwon open his mouth to say something and then change his mind and turn away. This happens again when he sees the waiter approaching and Taehyun rolls his eyes. “Oh my God, Jungwon, just go. I know you're itching to give it to them yourself,” he says, smiling despite himself.

Jungwon rubs the back of his neck, embarassed. “You sure?”

“Yeah yeah. We're not that busy yet it's fine. But just don't stay too long – you never know when our manager might drop by to check.”

He places the tray on the table in front of you, making sure to keep it as far away as possible from your books and worksheets so as to not ruin them.

“Ooo, what's this?” you ask, pointing to the ice cream sandwiches.

“Just little complementary treats.”

He watches you take the first sip and sees your eyes widen. “Oh, my God. This is a-mazing! What do you put in it?!”

“Well, it’s called a secret ingredient for a reason,” he beams. If he keeps being this cute you feel like one of these days you might just let your intrusive thoughts win and reach out to poke a finger into his adorable dimples. “Alright well enjoy the rest of it. I'm afraid I gotta get back,”

As he walks back, Jungwon finds that he's kind of glad the kiss didn't happen last night – he would like to properly ask you out first. How should he do it? Maybe he should keep it sweet and simple, make you a latte heart or something. Yeah, maybe you’d like that. And what should your first date be? Something cliché like a movie or dinner date? Or something unique? Ahh, he doesn’t know. If it were up to him, he’d just be content to have you over and do what you used to do before he started the internship. He doesn't care what you do as long as you are together.

9:32 am.

Jungwon steals a glance at your table and is surprised to find Heeseung with you. Huh. Guess you two had plans to meet up here. He waits as he serves two other customers to see if Heeseung would come to order anything for himself. When he doesn’t, Jungwon decides to go over himself and say hi.

As he approaches, he notices that you two seem to be deep in conversation, talking animatedly, and he slows, wondering if he should maybe come back after a while. Bits of the conversation float up to him right then and he freezes :

“It's so obvious that you like Jungwon–”

“I don't like him! It's just that he's so nice to Maeumi and so sweet to me and– Ugh, hold on I'm getting a call. Hello?”

Oh.

Right.

Of course.

It suddenly feels like someone just sucked all the sunlight out of the room. Jungwon turns right around, relieved that neither of you noticed him. Taehyun looks up from scrolling through his phone when he rushes back to the counter. He yanks his apron off, hangs it up hastily and grabs his things to leave.

“Wha–” he starts to ask but Jungwon cuts him off.

“Something came up. I have to go,” he apologises for the short notice and is out the door before the latter even has a chance to reply.

a/n : please tell me at least one of y'all noticed the foreshadowing from profiles 2 🙏🏽

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FORGOTTEN

where they ditch you for another girl and post it on their story

pairing : enha x fem!reader

notes : ignore read receipts and enjoy!

heeseung and jay

jake and sunghoon

sunoo and jungwon

ni-ki

made by @sjyunnsworld

back to navi

REBOUNDED

the apologies and.. maybe forgiveness

pair : ex!enhypen x fem!reader

part 2

notes : i might do a part three so.. and like like time ignore read receipts

heeseung and jay

jake and sunghoon

sunoo and jungwon

ni - ki

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

made by @sjyunnsworld

ALONE AGAIN ..

where you two have a argument and they admit they cheated.

pair : enhypen x fem!reader

warning : mentions of cheating , crying , major angst.

LEE HEESEUNG.

you and heeseung haven't been on good terms. always having arguments and sleeping in different locations, but your newest argument blossomed when he came late one day.

"for fuck sakes yn. why are you so upset! i was just with the boys." he yelled and rubbed his temple "hah!? just with the boys? thats a damn lie! you were probably with some girl!" you snarled and poked his chest.

"and so what if i was!? at least she doesnt throw hissy fits everyday!" heeseung yelled as he pushed your hand away, leaving a shocked look on your face.

tears welled up in your eyes as you immediately rushed towards the front door. "yn i didn..—" "save it." you said before slamming the door.

PARK JONGSEONG.

jay was a gentleman and always cared for you. if he was angry or stressed he would kindly tell you he need space! thats what you thought until today.

"jay honey are you coming to bed?" you asked as you peeked in his office. he was on the phone and a womens voice could be heard "i know love.. i'll eventually tell her i swear" he said to the girl.

you stared blankly at his figure as your sight became blurry. "dont worry sweetheart i love y— yn!?" jay said and hung up the phone in a hurry.

"yn i can explain.." "theres no need. how could you jay! after all ive done for you!" you cried out "what have you done for me!? except stress me out! no wonder i wouldve cheated on you." he said coldly, leaving you in utter shock.

SIM JAEYUN

jake had been very suspicious lately. seemingly texting someone, rarely home, and also leaving in the middle of the night. so you decided to talk to him about it.

"yn ive told you it's nothing. now your just pestering me" jake said with a huff and went back onto his phone. "really jaeyun? nothing? well it seems like whoever is on your phone is way more important than me!" you scoff

"what if she is huh? what if she satisfies me more than you do." he snarled and grabbed his keys , shooting for the front door. your mouth fell agape as you started sobbing loudly.

PARK SUNGHOON

sunghoon was tired of your constant nagging and yelling. you were on about the same girl you saw in his contacts and about how mad you were.

"fuck.. could you shut up?" he shouts "you on about this girl in my phone every single day! i should've listened to her when she told me to break up with you for her." he rolled his eyes and you clenched your fists

"fuck you sunghoon and that bitch." you shove at him and walk towards the front door , slipping on your shoes and exiting with a slam.

KIM SUNOO

you were chatting with your friend about sunoos recent actions. they all followed up with the same things like "go through his phone!" or "talk to him about it!" and you followed through.

"yn! why did you go through my phone?" sunoo questioned and crossed his arms. "i dont know. why have you been hiding stuff from me!" he sighed and held the bridge of his nose between his finger tips.

"i saw what you and her were chatting about. who is she!" you yelled "she was just a mistake okay! i was mad at you and she just.. came onto me." you looked shocked. "you know what, you can stay with her." you shoved past him, your figure disappearing in the dark.

YANG JUNGWON

"jungwon!" you called out as you took off your shoes and sighed. jungwon had stood you up and left you stranded at the restaurant.

you made you way to you guys shared bedroom and opened the door "jungwo—" you paused and took in the scene before you. jungwon was kissing another girl in YOUR home.

"you can get your jaw up off the floor yn." he spoke up and walked towards you. "i dont know why your so confused, you know.. after our argument i was out and thought that i dont need a nagging women like you." he spat. "you can leave now."

NISHIMURA RIKI

"yn shut the fuck up okay!?" riki yelled at you "fuck! all i hear is 'who is she' this and 'why are you texting her' that." he got closer to you.

you started to get upset at his sudden tone. tears threatening to spill at any moment "r-riki..—" "have you ever thought that after all your constant nagging, and all your bossiness i wasnt gonna fall out of love?"

your breath hitched "your a joke to me yn. i knew i shouldve stayed with rei after the night of our argument. shes less annoying as you." he poked at your chest. and with every word a singular tear fell.

written by @sjyunnsworld DO NOT COPY OR TRANSLATE.

taglist : @k1ttylvr @cupidscourt

taglist form here

CRYBABY.

where jungwon takes what you give and doesn't give it back.

pair : jungwon x fem!reader

warning : jungwon is just basically mean.

you sat at the restaurant in your pretty dress and hair styled. you were happy, excited even because of this.

you smiled ear to ear as you were waiting on jungwon to come. you found it somewhat odd that he didnt just bring you here but you shrugged that thought off and waited happily.

its been 2 hours. jungwon is no where to be found. your walking back to your place and faint raindrops are seen falling on the concrete "not this.." you say as the rain picks up pace and drenches you.

you sobbed contently and wiped your tears that started to be replaced with rain droplets. you looked up and saw a familiar figure with a woman, you squinted your eyes and saw it was.. jungwon.

you stared blankly at them both and tears came down even more than you can count. he softly held her under the umbrella. you were soaked. he rubbed her soft hair that couldnt compare to yours right now. he kissed her hand just like he kissed yours.

you came to conclusion that you never can give sweetness to jungwon, he will never give it back.

written by @sjyunnsworld DO NOT COPY OR TRANSLATE.

TOXIC TEXTS W JUNGWON

where your in a situationship with jungwon ..

pair : jungwon x fem!reader

warning : cussing , toxicity , hes a bit of a hypocrite.. also mention of riki

buns note : hope vi sees this ngl

written by @nshmuras DO NOT COPY OR TRANSLATE.

taglist : @k1ttylvr @cupidscourt @won4kiss @jakesangel (send ask to be added)

me without suggestive texts: 😵😰

me with suggestive texts: ☺️😁

😒😒😒😒

texts with jungwon !

warnings : mentions of punishment, petnames (love, brat, good girl) , praise.

note : for my vivi since she tortured me

꣑୧ I DON'T THINK I'M OKAY (정원) 1:07 AM

warning ; mentions of skinship and kissing

your figure was still shaking as you went over to your shared bedroom with jungwon, since it was past midnight. lately, you've been feeling pretty down lately but you had yet to tell jungwon about it; when you made your way to the edge if your bed when to your surprise, jungwon was wide and awake as he patted the space next to him "baby? whats wrong?" he softly called out, his voice was laced with concern and love for you while he pulled you closer to him and placed you onto his lap, engulfing you into a soft, comforting hug. "i dont even know anymore.. i feel so down lately- i just hate this feeling!" you rambled, finally bursting into the tears you've been holding in for so long

"im so sorry.. i didn't want to burst out my feelings to you like this.." you muttered quietly; you honestly felt bad for ramling your feelings onto him like this this until he cut off your thoughts

"baby why would you say sory for that? im always here if you want a hug, if you want to ramble to me, anything baby." he whispered as he held your head and guided it to his chest, patting it lightly to make you calm down

luckily, it seemed to work as your breathing slowly started following a a gentle and steady pattern hinting at the fact that you fell asleep

jungwon smiled gently when he finally realized that you fell asleep and softly laid you down while cuddling your body carefully, it was like as if he was scared he was gonna break you

"goodnight my love.." he whispered longingly into your ear not forgetting to give you a small peck on the lips before falling into a deep slumbler himself.

authors note ; OFC IM NOT GONNA FORGET TO TAG MY PRINCESS SINCE SHES BEEN WAITING FOR ME TO UPLAOD SOMETHING!! @jakesangel BBY I AM SO SO SORRY FOR MAKING THIS SHORT I WAS HONESTLY TIRED SINCE IT WAS ALREADY PAST MIDNIGHT

overpass graffiti | sim jaeyun

ꕤ DESCRIPTION: “they say we fall in love three times in our lifetime: our first love is the one that breaks us, leaves us hopeless and lost, this then brings us to our second love, the one which picks up the broken pieces of our heart and mends it back together; heals us from the heartache the first left and lastly, our third and final love⏤the love that’s supposed to last. for you, your best friend sim jaeyun happens to be two out of three.”

ꕤPAIRING: best friend!jake x f!reade & second lead!jungwon

ꕤGENRE(S): slice of life!au, soulmate(?)!au

ꕤWORD COUNT: 23.9k

ꕤWARNING(S): loss of virginity, soft dom!jake, sub!reader, oral (f!receiving), p in v intercourse, no protection, drugging (not the reader), underaged drinking, swearing, dry humping, mentions of plan b, mentions of hospitals, possessive!jungwon, mentions of sobriety, heartbreak, allusions to depression, mentions of drinking and smoking, mentions of passing out.

ꕤA/N: i think i have a thing for sim jaeyun and angst.

“Jaeyunie, meet ____. You and her are gonna be best friends.” 

Jake’s mother smiles, a hand lightly on his back, and pushes him forward with a gentle pat.

The moment she steps away from his side however, he panics, looking back at her desperately. He’s met with a smile of encouragement - caring but unsympathetic. Jake swallows harshly, shyness heavy in his throat, and uses all the willpower in his 9 year old body to force himself to look at the small female.

Standing across from him, a girl of roughly the same stature is grinning toothily - or at least she could've been, if she’d had enough teeth. ____, was dressed neatly, her hair laid down with lots of gel and two ponytails with bows holding it all together. Her light purple dress swayed as the gentle breeze blew. In one chubby fist she clutched tightly onto her fathers hand. Jake blushed, if he didn’t firmly believe that girls had cooties he would have sworn her to be the prettiest girl he’s ever laid eyes on so instead he scrunches his nose and says the first thing that comes to his mind and knows will hurt her feelings.

“You’re dirty,” he proclaimes, crossing his arms. “Very dirty.”

At his words, ____’s smile quickly falters and an almost angry look overtakes her face. “Am not!” Sensing his daughter's growing fury, her father steps in.

“____ah, calm down. I’m sure Jaeyun didn’t mean it, why don’t you two spend some time together? Hm? I’m sure you’ll be best friends.”

Not giving his daughter any time to argue, he excuses himself and leaves to go join the other adults by the varanda.

____ crosses her arms and stares up at Jake intimidatingly, “apologize.”

Jake gulps, although he’s a whole head taller than the girl and probably even older, he can’t help but be slightly scared of the icy glare she’s sending his way so he meekly mumbles, “I’m sorry”

However, it doesn’t seem as if ____ is pleased with the half assed apology. She raises an eyebrow and impatiently taps her foot on the grass, “for what?”

He gulps, “for calling you dirty, I didn’t mean it.”

Satisfied with the apology, a wide smile breaks out on ____’s face before she doubles over from laughing so hard. “Y-you should have seen your face!” She abruptly stands and quivers her bottom lip as she stares at Jake, “I-I’m s-s-sorry.” She breaks out into laughter once again, unable to hide her amusement. Jake only frowns and crosses his arms.

“It’s not funny.”

Ignoring his embarrassment, ____ walks right up to him and slings an arm around his neck,  “Let’s be best friends forever, yah, Jaeyunie?”

Usually Jake would have scolded anyone who called him Jaeyunie, his mother and hyung being the only exceptions, but for some reason hearing the name slip out so easily from your mouth seemed comforting. “Okay,” he agreed, slightly hesitant. “You seem kinda stupid, so I can still be number one with you as my best friend.”

You only smiled in response, delighted, before spinning on your heel and running back to your mother and father, who were talking animatedly with his own parents.

What a strange girl, Jake thought. At least she wouldn't be competition.

___

Later that night, both of Jake’s parents and your mother and father were sitting at the table discussing grown-up things while you were in the bathroom and Jake was sitting beside his brother when his name filtered through to his ears. He had been in the process of stabbing the greens off his plate and slowly feeding them to his precious dog Layla when his parents weren’t looking, but at the mention of his name he perks up instantly. 

“...Jake has already been offered scholarships to private middle schools once he finishes elementary but he’ll be attending the private international school his elder brother goes to,” she was bragging again.

Your mother perks up as well, “Wow, that’s so incredible, Suyeon. I think being friends with Jaeyun will really help ____ find some initiative. She’s already so used to being good at things, a little healthy competition is just what she needs.”

Jake’s father nods, gesturing for the maid in the corner to bring over the bottle of wine. “It’s certainly going to help with that. While we’re on this topic, I’d like to invite you to join our study group. We have the best tutors come in and teach the kids after school but only the best of the best are allowed to join, ____ shows a lot of promise.”

Jake listens nervously, watching his father as the maid filled his glass and stepped back.

you’re….smart?

His mother notices him staring, and reaches over to tousle his hair affectionately. “Don’t worry, Jaeyunie,” she croons. “You’ll still be number one. Being friends with kids that are as smart as you is a good thing! You and ____ will have lots more to talk about than you would with anyone else.”

He frowns. He knew sometimes parents lied to kids to stop them from being sad, but his mother would never lie to him. Jake was too clever, he’d figure out the lie before she finished telling it.

“Alright.” He found himself cautious for the second time that day. “As long as I can still be number one.”

Jake in fact did not stay number one for long.

Once you had fully settled into your new life in Australia your grades skyrocketed causing your teachers to bump you up a grade, placing you into Jake’s class, the two of you always went head to head vying for the first rank and each time Jake always fell a point behind.

It aggravated him to no end that you came out of nowhere and completely upended his whole life and identity, Jake had always been the smart one and never had any solid competition so having you seemingly pop out of nowhere and take away the very thing that made him, well him agitated him beyond belief.

But of course this made for a great friendship, while Jake claimed he hated your very existence he soon found himself looking forward to your after school study sessions. You never took them seriously, you always goofed off and made it your life's mission to teach Jake the meaning of fun. It took a while for the boy to warm up to you but you managed to get on his good side with a little bribing of fried chicken and grape soda.

The two of you would wait until your break to sneak out to the fried chicken place down the street to pick up the order you had placed during your tutoring session before heading back to hide in one of the various rooms inside Jake’s spacious home. The two of you would use this time to talk about the annoyances in your life, you would mostly complain about the girls who kept coming up to you to confess their love for Jake and how you were growing quite annoyed with having to turn them down on his behalf. He would only grimace and quickly change the topic to how annoyed he was with you for yet again topping the class rank.

Slowly but surely though, as the two of you began to age, the conversations began to change as he warmed up to you, what used to be pointless bickering and complaining turned into meaningful deep conversations about his fear of attachment, rooted in his father constantly leaving him and his family to go back to Korea for his job overseas. You had slowly become the only constant in Sim Jaeyun’s life and he truly had no intentions of letting you go. You really had become his best friend just like his mother predicted all those years ago.

While it might have taken Jake some time to love you, you loved him from the start. While everyone saw him as the perfect all rounder student you knew he was more than that. You knew he wasn’t perfect, wasn’t some ace who was just naturally talented. No, he worked just as hard- if not harder than his peers to keep up the image he was born to fit. He pulled all-nighters to bring home grades suitable for the assemblyman's son, immersed himself in after school clubs to fill up his resume because God forbid he wasn’t preparing for college at the ripe age of 9, learned multiple languages to become an ambassador for the school and threw himself into learning different instruments and playing different sports to really bring home the title of being an all-rounder.

In everything he pursued, he aced and came out on top. Which is why it irked him to his very core when you came around and knocked him down a peg. You knew right away just how much it bothered him, of course he complained about it every day during your group tutoring sessions but you didn’t really care. If anything it was motivation for you to work even harder to maintain the top spot.

You weren’t doing it out of spite or to intentionally anger him, no you were doing it to show him it’s okay to not always be perfect. It’s okay to rank second, it’s okay to goof off during tutoring sessions when studying is all you ever do, it’s okay to eat junk food when you feel like it and most importantly it’s okay to talk through your emotions with someone. You like to think you ranked first for his own good, to help him realize life is more than just school.

When the two of you reached high school you eased up with working so hard for the top rank but Jake didn’t, he studied all of your summer break before freshman year and placed into a year above you. It annoyed you that you were no longer graduating together but Jake became more lax and carefree knowing he would be graduating a year early, it was refreshing to see a new side of your best friend. Somewhere along the grades of 11 and 12 though, something shifted.

Jake was never unattractive but you never really took note of just how attractive he could be until your junior year.

___

“He’s gonna say no, Sarah.”

“We’re just looking out for you. He’s always hanging out with ____. They’re probably secretly dating, why don’t you just ask someone else?”

“I don’t know why you’re so set on him. I heard he’s already turned down six girls this month. six.”

Jake was just trying to get his calc homework done, bent over in the back of the library with his textbook open in front of him, eyes glued to the page. He spares you a frantic look, desperate to get your attention and convey that it was time to leave before it happened again. 

You, of course, were not paying attention. You were splayed out haphazardly on the chair across from him, headphones in and scribbling in your notebook. You had a smudge of graphite on your nose from scratching it in the middle of your doodling session.

You hum peacefully, completely unaware of your friend's turmoil.

It was everywhere. Prom. It was one stupid night, and he was fully planning on spending it wrapped up in blankets in his living room with you watching romcoms. It was the senior prom and he refused to attend a social event he knew you wouldn’t be at.

Unfortunately, Jake was alone in that feeling, the girls whispering from the table behind the two of you were right. He’d been asked six times. Six excruciating experiences of being cornered by a near stranger who smiled too sweetly and asked him to be their date, six separate occasions on which he’d stuttered a “sorry” and bowed deeply, ducking out before they could say any more.

And by this point, he just really, really didn’t want to have to turn down another girl. He felt like absolute crap.

Jake reaches out, tugging at your school uniform. “____” he whisper-yells.

You shrug him off and pout, “you’ll mess me up. Stop.”

He persists however, this time more aggressive and even goes the extra mile and pulls out one of your airpods. “I’ll buy you dinner please can we just go?”

You finally look up from your work slightly agitated and a full on pout graces your lips, if it were any other time Jake would take a moment to admire how adorable you look but it wasn’t.

“Why do you wanna leave so badly?” you huff out.

Before Jake can answer though he’s cut off by Sarah, one of the girls who has made her way over to your table.

“Jake?”

At the mention of his name his eyes squeeze shut and it hits you like a truck on why he was so adamant to leave. This time it’s the girl from his IB Latin class who he tutored on occasion.

She tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear, you wonder what Jake’s response is going to be this time. She’s very pretty.

“Yes?” He croaks out. Behind him, you sit up in your seat, ready to step in if needed.

She looks down, hands twisting together and fidgets and steps side to side, but when she sucks in a sharp inhale and looks up her eyes are filled with determination. Jake feels queasy, almost as if he’s about to vomit.

“Do you maybe want to go to prom with me?”

Jake swallows the lump in his throat, guilt twisting everything into a knot. You see his knuckles turn white as he makes a fist and you resume your drawing, knowing what his answer will be.

“I’m sorry,” he manages. “But I don’t plan on going.”

Your brow shoots up in shock, you never figured he was rejecting all these girls because he simply didn’t want to go, you thought he was just waiting for the right moment to ask the girl he truly wanted to go with. You never asked why he was so closed off about prom, you figured he would tell you in his own time when he was ready.

“Can I ask why?” She lets her hands fall to her side. “Even if you don’t wanna go with me, I think you’d have a lot of fun.” She retreats back to her friends before he can respond. Jake tries not to notice the way they shake their heads sympathetically and pat her back in comfort.

“She’s right you know, prom would be fun.” you say as you shut your sketchbook. “Plus, she seems really sweet.”

Jake rolls his eyes “you sound like my mom.”

“Ha ha,” you drawl, stretching and arching off the chair like a cat. “I really don’t understand why you don’t want to go. It’s your last chance to enjoy a high school dance.”

The previous year, while you were in your sophomore year and Jake in his junior year he skipped out on prom, choosing to attend his model UN conference instead as his dad had put an emphasis on how much more important the meeting was compared to prom.

Jake shrugs and reaches for your backpack to pull out some snacks you packed for him, “it makes it real.”

“Makes what real?” you tilt your head to the side and patiently wait for him to collect his thoughts to elaborate on what was bugging him.

Jake sighs. “That this is the end.” he mummers, “after prom it’s graduation, and after grad I’m off to the states for uni…away from you.”

Your heart skips a beat and your hands start to get clammy at his words. You try to subtly rub your hands on your skirt and sit up straighter, confused as to why his words have such a strong effect on you.

“We’ve never spent more than a week apart from each other and now we’re going to be thousands of miles apart for a year. I can’t go to prom knowing you won’t be there and that it brings me one step closer to leaving.” he continues, he doesn’t look at you as he lays his emotions bare for you, rather he focuses on organizing his snack options.

Your heart twinges at the reminder that he was leaving for Yale in the fall, this would be the last summer spent together for who knows how long. As much as the reminder upsets you, you still plaster a smile on your face and playfully roll your eyes.

“Did you forget our promise? You and me, forever and always. We have all of summer to make as many memories as we went and even after you leave we can facetime, technology has come a long way y’know.” You reach out to take the bag of chips he had settled on eating to open for him before handing it back. “Distance means nothing. I’ll always have time for my best friend, plus when I go to Harvard I’ll only be two hours away. Enjoy the time you have left in Australia. You'll probably miss it more than me when you actually leave.”

Jake shakes his head, “doubt it but you do make a valid point.”

You smirk and shrug, “when do I not?” You clear your throat. “Does this mean you’ll go to prom?”

He tugs his bottom lip between his teeth and tilts his head side to side before asking, “go to prom with me?”

This time you can’t hide your shock, it’s not odd for you and Jake to be pairs for most social events but for some reason him asking you to be his date for his first and only prom causes heat to rise to your cheeks.

“W-what?”

“What? I can’t see myself going with anyone else, I’m most comfortable around you. Plus when I think back to my senior prom I want to remember how much fun I had and when I’m with you all the stress I’m under suddenly doesn’t matter anymore.” He states.

“Stop being corny,” you hiss weakly, fumbling with the straps on your bag. “It’s not a good look.”

Jake giggles, “what? Do you want me to get down on my knees instead? Do a promposal?”

Your eyes widen, mortified at the idea of him putting together a grandiose promposal. “You’re such a little shit, I swear—“

“Hold on, siri play stand by me by be—“

You pick up your sketchbook and hurl it at his head causing him to duck out of the way and fall out of his chair onto the floor with the force of his laughter. Hearing his laugh causes a pinch in your heart.

When he finally manages to pull himself together and off the ground, he wipes at his eyes and sighs. “Seriously, though.” He hums. “Will you go to prom with me?”

You swallow thickly, averting your eyes to the floor. “Sure.” you say quietly. “I guess so.”

You're uncharacteristically nervous for prom. Your mom insisted on taking the day off from work to help you get ready when you told her Jake had asked you to go with him.

You thought she was being dramatic but she swore up and down, left and right- that this was the beginning to your ‘blooming love story’.

She brought you to a salon to have your hair and makeup done and even splurged on a $900 dress. You’re beyond grateful to have a mother as understanding and loving as she is. Your father is away on business and unable to make it to take pictures so your mom has been documenting the whole day to share with him, the two of you are currently in your bedroom as she paints your toes.

“Mom?”

She hums in reply and puts down a new coat of nail polish on your big toe. “How’d you know dad was the one?”

Your heart is quiet in your chest, a calm thumping rather than the stutter it had been at all week as you wait for her response. She softly smiles before responding.

“He showed up to my dorm room with pedialyte and carpet cleaner.” She caps the nail polish and cleans around the edges of your toes. “We had been dating for some time and I was supposed to attend a business summit with him but I had a stomach bug and threw up all over my dorm. Your dad didn’t hesitate to drop his plans for the day and showed up to take care of me. He was the first person to ever put me before anything else and I just knew I loved him when he showed up with no clue on what to do but willing. He didn’t care about what his dad had to say about skipping the event or anything else, just me.”

You hum and fiddle with your hands as you think back to moments you’ve shared with Jake. The first one your brain recalls is the first time you got your period. Unfortunately it happened during your school's nature classroom trip. You were up in the woods for the week learning about nature and science through different activities and during your first night there you got your period. You walked around the whole day with blood stains on your shorts and cramps you couldn’t account for. You were beyond embarrassed come dinner time. You had no girl friends in the grade to ask for help and the boys made it a show of embarrassing you at dinner by pouring ketchup all over your seat. Jake was having none of it though, he came up to you at your table and wrapped his hoodie around your waist before grabbing your arm and leading you out of the canteen to the nurse on site.

He stayed by your side that night watching stand by me on your phone outside the cabins getting bit by mosquitoes. He didn’t complain or make any jokes of his own, rather stayed silent and let you have the quiet time you needed. When the two of you finally retreated back to your separate rooms you found a little gift basket on your bed filled with different types of pads, tampons, a heating pack and some chocolates. Apparently while you were walking around with stained shorts Jake was going around collecting different menstrual items from the girls in your grade to give to you, his way of helping.

It did make your heart flutter at the time but you chalked it up to your period hormones and never spoke on how it made you feel to anyone…Was that when you started to fall in love with your best friend?

Your doorbell goes off and you feel anxiety seep into your bones. Your mom senses this and holds your hand to give it a firm squeeze. “don’t stress about something you’re not sure about, okay? I want you to have fun tonight - both of you.”

You nod at her, loving how she knows exactly what was plaguing your mind, you let her lead you out your room and out to the living room. She lets go of your hand and walks over to the door, opening it wide.

“Wow.” You and Jake exclaim simultaneously as soon as you see each other. The butterflies in your stomach erupt once again at the sight of him; dressed in an sleek black suit with the first three buttons of his black undershirt undone, his hair has been bleached blonde and styled down with a part in the middle.

“You look…amazing.” Jake breathlessly lets out, staring at you in complete awe.

You blush and flatten out invisible wrinkles in your dress. “Thank you so do you, I love your hair.”

He smiles and shakes his fringe out of his eyes, “thanks. Figured why not try something new. Ready to go?”

“Woah woah woah, hold on, you two aren’t going anywhere without taking pictures!” His mom appears from behind him, “Let me go get my phone real quick!”

Your mom claps her hands as scurries off to retrieve her phone, “Oh, yes! I have to take pictures for your dad.”

Jake walks up next to you and you’re sure your heart is about to beat out of your chest. “You look really great, ____.”

“You’re not so bad yourself. Blonde was a great idea.” You bring your hand up to fix his parting a bit more. “It’s a nice contrast with the all black suit.”

“Yeah.” He swallows, looking down at his shoes.

“Okay! I have my phone!” Your mom says as she returns, instructing both of you to move out to her garden in the backyard and stand by the peonies for the photo.

“This might take a while.” You whisper to him and he chuckles, gently placing a hand on your lower exposed back.

“Won’t you get cold later?”

You shrug, “probably. Good thing your mother raised you to be a gentleman.” It takes him a second to register your words, scoffing in disbelief once he realizes what you were hinting towards but he doesn’t argue knowing he really will give you his jacket the second he sees you shiver.

“Smile!”

___

After a long process of taking pictures the two of you finally head out with Jake driving you guys to prom. Upon arriving you’re amazed at how extravagant the venue looks. Just another perk of attending a private school you think to yourself.

After finding parking the two of you head inside to find your table, you’re sharing it with your two friends Kairo and Mei and a random couple who snagged their tickets at the last minute (Jun and Luna).

“Jake! ____!” Kairo and Mei are in the entryway to the ballroom, waiting for the two of you where they texted they would be standing.

Mei walks forward, a greeting never making it past her lips, as she reaches out to brush Jake’s fringe out of his eyes. “Sorry, it was bothering me.” She mumbles as she steps back.

You know her intentions are innocent but with the way Jake’s cheeks flush red and he can barely meet her gaze you feel a twinge of jealousy and sadness. Since when was he flustered by Mei? The four of you met during SAT Prep and formed your own study group to help each other out during midterms and finals your freshman year (Jake’s sophomore) the dynamic between you all was pretty formal. The four of you didn’t make plans to go to the movies or the mall like other kids your age, it was strictly studying and neither of you minded it. Kairo and Mei fulfilled you and Jake in an academic sense while you and Jake met all your social and more emotional needs together.

So why the hell was he all blushy at Mei fixing his hair? Why didn’t he react the same when you fixed his parting?

“Should we go in?” Kairo asks.

“That sounds great,” you grit out, your grip tightening on your clutch.

Mei slides up next to Kairo and slips her arm back through his. The four of you walk in and find your table. Kairo pulls out Mei’s seat and Jake follows, doing the same for you.

“So Jake, are you excited for commencement?” Mei asks once you’ve all taken your seats.

Jake clears his throat, “more nervous than excited. Can’t believe it’s all finally over.”

The three of them go back and forth in idle talk before Jake slowly eases his way out of the conversation, mindlessly nodding at what your friends are saying and leaving you to your thoughts.

He’s uncharacteristically silent though as he bobs his head to the music. Seeing as you know him better than yourself, you know he’s nervous - but why?

Was he thinking of Mei? The thought makes you feel sick; you have no reason to be jealous because you’re just his best friend and your feelings are a jumbled mess you can’t navigate through- you don’t even know what you want from him. He can’t fix what he doesn’t know is broken.

Your mind is absolutely blank as you stare down at your hands on your lap. You only snap out of it when a large hand engulfs yours, but you don’t dare to look at him. You can’t.

“Are you okay?”

There they are again; the stupid butterflies winding up in the confines of your stomach. “Yeah,” You remove his hands from yours, “I’m fine.”

Jake reluctantly lets you pull his hand away, knowing something’s wrong but he doesn’t want to push. You compose yourself and remind yourself about your words to Jake; this is his last school dance. It needs to be memorable.

So you’ll make it memorable.

As the night goes on with the food served and multiple performances happening, you’re able to loosen up and forget your worries.

“Do you want to join the dance floor?” Kairo asks as he eyes the growing dance floor.

“No.” You frantically respond, earning a look of judgment from Mei.

“Yes!” She exclaims, grabbing both you and Kairo before dragging you out of your seats with a gleeful giggle.

You try to grab on to Jake for help, but your hand merely grazes his as you’re pushed to the dance floor. On the dance floor, other people have jumped into the idea of dancing and in no time, it’s filled with dancing students.

A little while later, Jake joins the three of you and your little dance circle moves around each other for a few songs; you’re all laughing and you’re genuinely starting to enjoy yourself. Eventually, Kairo and Mei leave to go take a breather leaving you alone with Jake.

“Are you feeling any better?” He leans down to your ear and tries to speak over the loud music.

You nod, “Ye-”

You’re cut off by the loud upbeat music dying out and picking back up but this time a soft violin intro fills the room, you recognize the song instantly. The live orchestra begins playing the chorus of nobody gets me by Sza, you watch as everyone around you pairs up and when you turn around, Jake is already looking at you with a small smile tugging on his lips.

His ears are tinged pink as he offers you a shrug, “Do you wanna dance?” He holds out his hand to you.

You take it with baited breath and immediately at the touch, the butterflies are at it again. You step closer to him and place your other hand on his shoulder while his other goes to your back, where your skin is exposed.

He’s gone back to being unusually quiet again; he’s just leading you to the slow beat of the song and looking away, only meeting your eyes when he catches your lingering gaze.

“____, you’ve been out of it all night. Are you really okay?” He quietly asks, his brows furrowing.

“I…” For a moment, you consider confessing what’s weighing on your heart but you panic. How would he react if he knew?

“____?”

“I think I’m in love with you.” You blurt out, a heavy sigh leaving your lips as soon as the words come out. You feel a little lighter knowing you’ve said your peace but your heart races in panic as you wait for his response.

“Oh,”  Jake whispers. It could have been your imagination but you swear his eyes look just as dizzy and unfocused as your own. His lips part maybe to say something more, but close as quickly as they opened and his gaze flickers down to your lips.

“I-” You choke on your words, shame and regret instantly flooding your body. You want to curl up and hide in a hole but you can’t. Jake is holding on to you too tightly and you’ve already let the cat out of the bag. Might as well get it all off your chest. “I-I don’t know when it happened but I know my feelings aren’t platonic anymore. You’re all I can ever seem to think about, when you touch me it feels like butterflies are swimming in my stomach and the thought of you even being interested in someone else makes me sick to my stomach.”

You take a deep breath, “I think I’m in love with you Jake. I love the little things that make you Jake, your obsession with math and physics, your ability to make anyone you speak to feel truly seen, how you rely on God to get you through hardships you face.” You continue to drone on and on about the quirks you love about your best friend, not noticing the way his lips tip upward in a wide grin.

“I love you.” You confess.

“____?” He asks, voice even.

“Yeah?”

“Stay still.”

Jake steps forward and wraps his hand delicately around the back of your neck, he doesn’t miss the way your hooded eyes follow his movement. He stands up straighter, he’s so close that your noses brush against each other ever so slightly. 

The flush on Jake’s cheekbones is clear as day, a lovely rose pink.

He takes one final deep breath and leans in to plant a kiss on your awaiting lips. The moment your lips touch, you feel a spark of electricity jolt through your body but as quick as it comes, however, and before you can react, he’s already swiftly pulling away.

When the two of you pull back, your eyes are wide open, gaze fixed on Jake’s face, his lips left slightly parted. His entire body is vibrating with warmth and anxiety, hardly able to keep still.

Jake stares at you, still feeling the desire pooling in his stomach, and wonders if he had made a mistake.

“____,” Jake calls, quietly. “____.”

He begins to hold his breath. Did he overstep?

“Did you…” You begin, eyes wide, flickering rapidly across his face. “Did you…just…”

“Yeah,” Jake replies, his voice cracking a tad. “Yeah, I did.”

There’s a silence between the two of your for a long second before you collect your bearings and clear your throat and say,

“Do it again.”

Jake feels numb, unable to be shaken or moved by the world around him, so he steps back in and tilts his head to the side, kissing you once again like you asked. 

You can barely hear the crowd around you over the sound of your own heartbeat.  Jake kisses you softly, almost shyly. A gentle hand slides down to your hip, anchoring you in place, a solid touch while the rest of the world slowly fades away. 

You can’t think about anything other than the feeling of Jake’s lips finally on your own. You continue to kiss Jake until you feel his hand leave your hip and he gently pulls his lips away.

You keep your eyes shut for a second longer, body thrumming with warmth and energy, you feel Jake’s forehead knock against yours after a beat. When you finally open your eyes, like always, Jake was staring right back at you.

“I love you too.”

Following prom you feel as though you’re on cloud nine. After your shared confessions and heated kisses Jake took you outside of the venue to discuss where things would go from here. He only had three more months left in Australia before he had to leave for Yale but he knew he would be a fool if he let you go.

The two of you came to the conclusion that you would take things slow and enjoy the little time you had together working towards being a couple and pick things back up once you graduated and made your way to the states to join Jake.

Things truly felt perfect, Jake would come by your home every now and then to take you on impromptu dates with a new bouquet everytime and an explanation on why he chose those specific flowers. On days where he was too busy getting ready for his upcoming semester to take you out, you would pack him little lunches and drive the two of you down to the park you would often visit in your childhood and have little picnics while listening to him go on about how excited he was for the physics program at Yale.

The people who had been in your lives and watched you grow up together were thrilled at the direction in which your relationship was going. Both your parents were delighted when Jake broke the news that you were officially seeing each other on a romantic level working towards eventually dating. You would often have Sunday brunch together after going to church with his family and yours before sneaking off to his room to cuddle on his bed for an afternoon nap.

Had you known this is what would come with confessing, you would have told Jake way sooner but sadly, time had passed and the date of Jake’s departure from Australia was fastly approaching. He has a week left and he’s determined to make it the best one yet.

“Let's road trip to Sydney.”

You stop fiddling with Jake's fingers and turn your head to look up at him from your position on his chest. “What?”

He smiles down at you before placing a quick kiss to your forehead. “You heard me, let’s take a road trip to Sydney.”

You playfully roll your eyes. “Yeah I heard you dummy but why?”

He shrugs and entwines your hands once more. “Why not? It’s my last week and we talked about road tripping down there for spring break but someone,” he pauses to poke at your side with his free hand drawing out some giggles form you his heart warming at the sound, “-just had to get sick the night before we were supposed to leave.”

You let out a groan, “you’re never going to let that go are you?” Jake hums, “absolutely not.”

You huff in thought, “it’s a nine hour drive Jake…”

He sits up forcing you to do the same as well, turning to face him. “We can take turns. Plus my flights’ leaving from Sydney, we could go to the airport together and have a proper goodbye without my parents bugging us.”

You bite down on your lip seriously considering Jake’s impromptu idea. Within the past three months you’ve had to share Jake with so many people- his soccer team, his orchestra friends, his family. Everyone. Alone time was scarce and the thought of a getaway to Sydney where it would be just the two of you and no distractions sounded lovely.

“Okay.”

“Okay? Just like that?”

You hum and move to sit on his lap and throw your hands over his shoulders. “Why not?”

A huge smile breaks out on Jake's face causing you to smile as well, something about seeing him happy always managed to bring you happiness. It should be scary, just how willing you are to sacrifice for Jake but for some reason you always throw caution to the wind the second he comes around. You’d give him the world if you could.

You feel Jake wrap his arms around your waist and slowly slide his hands under your shirt to caress your back. “What's going on in that pretty head of yours, love?”

You begin playing with the hair on the nape of his neck and whisper out, “thinking bout’ how I'd give you the world.” Jake’s hands pause at the base of your back, clearly caught off guard, you look down at his eyes and see how dark they’ve gotten. Desire and love pooling in the hues of his brown eyes. “You are my world.”

He leans in as he finishes his sentence and places his lips on yours. The feeling of his lips is incredibly warm as he pushes them against yours, slightly chapped but otherwise still soft. The amount of emotion he puts into kissing you isn’t like anything you felt before, there’s more desire in this kiss compared to all the others you’ve shared. The feeling of his tongue sweeping against the plumpness of your lower lip and the heat from his body sends butterflies to your stomach.

His hands fall down to your hips, pushing up your t-shirt to feel the softness of your stomach beneath his palms with battered breaths before pushing you back. He makes quick work of flipping you so your back is now on the mattress and it’s him straddling you. You gasp at the feeling of the soft mattress beneath you, his body pinning you deeper back as he continues exploring your mouth with his own.

You pull back slightly, breathing heavily and your lips red and plump with saliva. Jake smirks at the sight, his thumb coming up to pull down your bottom lip with the tip of his finger before moving his mouth to the sensitive skin of your neck.

The strands of his hair are silky beneath your fingertips, gasping and tugging at the roots as he bites down on a certain area of your neck that makes your core clench.

“Jaeyun,” you whisper, whimpering at the feeling of his palm applying pressure lightly against your navel. “Are we-?”

He slowly pulls away from you and adamantly shakes his head. “No.” you whine in protest as he pulls away and lays beside you once more. He pulls you close to his chest before confessing to you. “I want our first time to be romantic, not some quick fuck in my bedroom.” He kisses your temple. “You deserve more than that.”

The Following Day - 1:36PM

“Ready to head out?” 

You whirl around to find Jake standing in front of you and your parents, having just finished packing your suitcases in the trunk of his car and is now looking over at you with a tilt in his head. 

You nod and smile brightly. “Of course,” You say, turning to your mom and dad to bid them one fast farewell. “I was just saying bye.” 

He nods in understanding, waving to your parents, “I promise we’ll be safe and if anything happens you’ll be the first we call.” He says to reassure your parents, more so your dad who was a bit more hesitant to the last minute idea.

Your dad nods stiffly at Jake, “take good care of her. No drinking or scandalous activities, I’m not ready for any grandchildren.”

You gasp at your dads words and swat at his chest. “Dad! Stop embarrassing me!” He only tisks in your direction.

“You know what's more embarrassing? Having to finish your senior year pregn-”

“-Ahhh. Dad, stop it! I promise we’ll make smart choices!”

He chortles at your flushed expression and leans in for a hug. “I’m only messing with you.” You hug him back before pulling away to give your mother a quick hug and kiss on the cheek.

“See you in a week!”

After pulling away Jake steps forward to hug your parents goodbye as well.

“Be safe Jake, we’ll miss seeing you so often! Make sure to call us if you ever need anything once in the states, okay?” Your mom softly says to him as she holds his face in her hands, tears slowly filling her eyes. Over the years Jake has slowly become like a son to her, she was used to cooking extra knowing he’d come over for dinner after your tutoring sessions. She had even turned one of the spare bedrooms into a personal room for Jake, allowing him to sleepover when his parents were out of town for business.

You can only imagine how much she's going to miss him, maybe as much as you know you’ll be missing him.

He nods and sniffs, is he crying too? “Of course auntie, I’m really going to miss our Friday night movie marathons.”

You smile bitterly beginning to fight back tears of your own. Your father was always away for weekend meetings in Melbourne starting Friday night into Saturday evening and as captain of the varsity volleyball team you had late night practices every Friday meaning you wouldn’t be back home until the dead of night and your mother was left all alone. Jake, having nothing to do once classes were done would often go over to your home to keep her company so she wouldn’t be all alone in your home. It was a little tradition the two kept up over the years.

You hadn't given yourself time to really mourn the idea of being separated from Jake for an entire year but watching him say his tearful goodbyes to your parents is really putting into perspective just how entwined your lives are. He’s your everything and how he’s leaving, how are you going to manage your senior year without your best friend?

 “We should get going.” 

“Mhmm.” You look over at Jake and reach a hand out to wipe away his fallen tears. “It’s okay.” 

The two of you say one last goodbye before getting into Jake’s range rover, you look out the window to see your parents waving you off. You slide back into the passenger seat of his car and put on your seatbelt now processing the fact that this is the last week you have with Jake.

There is a silence as Jake is starting the car, and a part of you wants to die. On one hand you want to cry and beg him to stay but on the other you know if you do, Jake will differ his offer and take a year off to be with you. That’s the last thing you want, he deserves happiness. That’s all you’ve ever wanted for him. If that means braving a smile for now while your heart is in turmoil so be it.

Jake is the first to break the silence.

“That was a lot harder than I thought it would be.” He drives down your driveway before making a right to pull into the neighborhood.

“Goodbyes are never easy.”

“Yeah but…I didn't cry when saying bye to my parents but something about your parents made leaving seem all the more ...real?”

“It’s only natural, you spent more time with us. You’re like their second child.”

Jake hums in thought, “I don’t think I’lll survive having to say goodbye to you.”

You purse your lips thinking about what your goodbye would be like. Would there be tears? Unspoken words? “I think you’ll be just fine.” You reach out for his right hand that lays on the gear shift and hold it tightly. “It’s only temporary.”

The next nine hours are spent singing old 90’s love songs and making pit stops every now and then to stock up on some new snacks and to switch off so Jake isn’t so tired. During your third stop is when Jake pulls out a camera and begins vlogging the remainder of the trip claiming it would be nice to look back at it once the trip is over.

Once you finally make it to your destination, you pull into the driveway and place the car in park before looking around at your surroundings. The home is modern with nothing but natural light, it’s surrounded by trees to still give you enough privacy but it’s secluded from the other homes on the lane.

“Oh my gosh it’s so pretty.”

You open the door and immediately extend your legs out onto the solid ground beneath you. You let out a sigh of satisfaction and Jake laughs from next to you. 

He’s opening his own car door soon after, but he straightens up into a standing position pretty quickly and stretches upwards. He closes the car door behind him, watching as you eventually pull yourself together to do the same. 

You turn to face him. “I’m gonna use the bathroom.” You gesture towards the airbnb and earn a nod from Jake, who mentions something about doing the same thing. You meet back at the car a few minutes later. 

Jake gestures to the trees surrounding the home. “Want to take a walk around the area? I think I saw a park when we pulled into the neighborhood.” 

You nod. “That sounds like a good idea.” 

“Why don’t you get started? I’ll catch up.” Jake watches you leave, before opening the trunk of his car and rummaging around. 

He does catch up with you, quickly enough that you hardly notice that he had sent you out first. You hear his footsteps, and the call of your name, causing you to turn around. “Jake!” 

The sight before you makes you smile brightly. Standing before you is Jake, with his polaroid in hand. The lens is pointed right at you. As soon as you’re staring straight into the camera, Jake grins. “Say cheese” 

You giggle and close your eyes before making a little peace sign. You hear the little click and the flash illuminates your face. You open your eyes to find Jake smiling down at the little printed picture waiting for it to develop. “I can’t believe you brought that.”

“I’m a photographer at heart, what did you expect?” Jake teases back. “Besides, it’s really pretty around here. I need some pictures for my dorm.” 

You blush at the thought of him putting up a picture of you on his dorm wall. The pair of you begin to make your way to the park, taking in the view from different angles. The stroll is mostly just to get rid of the pent up energy, but it’s still a nice view to admire. As soon as you arrive at the park you ditch Jake to run to the swing set.

“Push me?”

Jake rolls his eyes, shaking his head in disbelief but still walks behind you to push you forward.

“Did you know my brother and I got in trouble with our mom because of how high we would swing you?” Jake giggles, “she was worried we’d push you too high and you’d go flying.”

“I blame your brother. He turns everything into a competition.”

“So do you!” Jake exclaims. You quickly stop the swing with your feet to turn back at him with a judgmental look on your face. “When we were a little older and Jaehyun left us to push each other you would get annoyed that I didn't push you as hard as you did for me.”

“It's true though.”

You scoffed, “at least I didn’t actually push you off your seat.”

He laughs at the memory, “we’re stronger now, do you wanna see who can go higher?”

“knowing exactly how strong you are… uh, not really? but whatever, let’s do it!” you brace yourself on the swing and start pulling yourself back to get momentum.

“Okay, wait! Wait!” he rushes to the seat beside yours and pushes it as far as his hips can go, already giving him an advantage. “Okay, go!”

Childish laughter escapes both of you as you let yourselves swing back and forth, trying to put your weight in properly to reach higher than each other. it really felt like you were kids again, you felt at peace, a part of you never wanted this night to end.

The next few days fly by and just like that it’s the night before Jake’s flight. You had spent your time in Sydney visiting the opera house, late night dinner dates and excursions all over the bustling city. There truly never was a dull moment within this week that’s come to pass. Getting to make new memories with Jake is exactly what you needed.

The two of you have just gotten back from dinner at Altitude, a restaurant overlooking the opera house. You’re now in your shared bathroom dressed in one of Jake’s old tee’s and a thong doing your nightly skin care routine as Jake undresses in the bedroom, getting ready for his nightly shower. You look at his reflection through the mirror as he takes off his shirt. Your eyes skim down his toned chest, desire pooling in the pits of your stomach. Throughout your time here it’s been nothing but makeouts and little pecks throughout the day. You wonder if he’ll finally make a move tonight.

“I can feel you staring, love.”

“That’s the point.”

Jake doesn’t say anything in response but rather slides up behind you and peppers your neck with gentle kisses. He cages you between his body and sink and presses his hips into your back. Your eyes flutter shut at the feeling of his fully hard cock pressing against your lower back.

Jake’s eyes rake your body through the mirror, desire burning in his irises. he shifts his eyes to stare at your lips before moving back to turn you around and face him and press himself directly to your front before leaning down and in. He takes his time, giving you the opportunity to pull away but you don’t. You want this.

He leans forward and allows his lips to graze yours, the faintest of touches. “Are you sure you want to do this darling? We don't have to.” Jake asks softly.

You shyly nod your head and lean in to close the gap but he pulls ways and shakes his head, “no love. I need to hear you say yes.”

“Yes, I want to do this, Jaeyun.” You push forward allowing your lips to touch. He groans once your lips make contact. You’re unable to focus on anything other than the feeling of his lips on yours.

You can faintly taste the shirley temple he had at dinner on his tongue. He sucks harder on your lip and brings one hand down in between your things to prod at your pulsing heat.

He pulls away to let his eyes drink in the sight of you before leaning down to pick you up. you let out a yelp and grasp onto his biceps for protection, “w-what are you doing?” You sputter.

“I can’t make love to you properly on the sink, darling.”

You blush at his words and bury your face into his chest, after a few strides Jake is gingerly placing you on the bed.

He gets onto his knees and straddles your hips before reaching out to help you out of your shirt. You breathe in deeply savoring the way he feels pressed against you. the feeling of his warm fingers moving under the hem of your shirt across your stomach. He lifts it off of your body and tosses it across the room.

“Thank you for trusting me with your body.” Jake says before leaning back in and places his lips on yours yet again.

You moan into the kiss before he trails kisses down your jaw to your neck, his teeth brushing over your skin and making you shiver regardless of the heat being provided by Jake’s skin pushed up against yours. You close your eyes and relish the feeling.

With his lips still pressed against your neck, he whispers, “what do you want love?”

Your eyes flutter open as he slowly pulls away to look at you.

“I won’t do anything until you tell me what you want.” He reiterates before placing his lips back onto your neck, biting down making it harder for you to form a coherent sentence.

“I-i don’t know.” You say breathily but he chuckles in your ear, “yes you do love, tell me what you want so I can make you feel good.” He says as he gently tugs at your underwear, you whine and raise your hips off the bed to allow him to take it off faster. He tisks, “I need to hear you say it.” You look up at him to meet his gaze, “I want you to touch me.”

His gaze hardens, “spread your legs doll.” He orders.

He shifts his position and allows you to spread your legs before slotting himself in between them. He taps his fingers against your hips silently asking you to raise them. You shyly lift them to the best of your ability and let him pull them off of you, your arousal clinging to your underwear and clit.

Once you’re completely naked, he brings his lips to your chest and roughly kisses your skin, his tongue probing at your nipple. You whimper when he bites your left nipple, the feeling overwhelming. He pulls back and looks at your bare body.

“Fuck you’re so beautiful.” He mumbles before leaning down to toy with your pussy.

“You’re so wet too. Did our kissing turn you on so much, love?” Jake asks, smirking down at you. your face heats up at his words but you don’t respond. He looks back down at your pussy and shifts his position so he’s laying down in front of your pussy. He lets his pointer finger circle your clit for a little before running it along the slit of your folds. You let out a mewl at the feeling wanting more. “P-please Ja..” You moan.

“Patience, love.”

He dips one finger into you and you hiss at the feeling. It’s been a while since you’ve been touched down there and you’re extremely sensitive. “You’re so tight,” he says, pushing his finger deeper until the entire digit is buried snuggly inside you. You close your eyes and tug at the bedsheets, loving the feeling of him fingering you.

You’re a moaning mess by the time he manages to slide his whole finger into you. You clench around his fingers as he slides them in and out of your snatch and grasp onto your bedsheets. “Does it feel nice to be stuffed with my fingers?” Jake asks.

You know your voice will fail you so you adamantly nod your head. Jake picks up the pace and your hips move to his strokes. Jake licks his lips when he feels your walls clenching tightly around his digits.

“I-i think I’m close.”

His fingers curl inside of you which causes your hips to jerk upwards. “Are you cunning?” He asks cheekily.

You nod eagerly, “yes!” your eyes snap shut as you enjoy the feeling, “o-oh my gosh” you cry as you feel him kiss the inside of your thighs. He trails the kisses upwards until he’s face to face with your pussy and places a soft kiss on the nub before sucking on it, his tongue flicking around. He pulls his pointer and middle finger out so he can eat you out freely.

He licks the slit of your folds and firmly grips the flesh of your thighs most likely leaving marks.  Marks that would remind you of this moment later on.

Jake picks up the pace, he’s going so fast that you let out a quiet scream. You fist and unfist your sheets as you rock your hips against his face and come.

Your orgasm hits you so hard that tears fill your vision.

Jake allows you to ride out your high before coming up from your private parts and leans back down to place a chaste kiss on your lips.

“Are you feeling alright love?” He asks as he strokes your hair. You’re heaving, trying to catch your breath.

“Yes.”

“Do you want to continue?”

You nod but then remember Jake wants verbal responses, “I do.”

Jake wastes no time in removing his shorts and boxers and gently moves up your body. you wrap your arms around his neck. “C-can you be gentle?” You sheepishly ask.

Your question sends an immediate reaction to Jake’s dick, he swears he could have busted a nut right then and there. “Of course doll, I'll be gentle.”

He tentatively strokes your folds with two fingers, eyes darting back up to yours to check your response. You hiss, still a bit sensitive. “Is this okay? Are you sensitive?”

“I’m fine,” you assure, “go ahead, I’m okay.”

He nods, gathering some of your wetness and smears it on his cock, a moan of relief leaving his swollen lips. “I’ve always wondered what it would feel like to be buried inside of you,” he says, angling himself better and positioning his cock near your entrance.

“Please,” you whimper, biting back a cry once his length breaches your entrance. Jake lets out a guttural growl, slowly sinking into you and bottoming out letting you adjust to his length.

“You’re so beautiful.” Jake says, rolling his hips torturously slow. “You were made for me, love. Just for me.”

You open your eyes, taking a deep breath. “I’m ready, you can move now.”

Jake leans forward to place a kiss on your cheek, then on your jaw, and then on your neck. As Jake busies himself there he slowly begins to thrusts in and out of you.

Your hands are all over him; clawing his back, gripping his biceps. “Love,” he whispers, “you feel so good.”

The sound of your bodies slapping against each other plus your loud wanton moans and the creaking from the bed is all that can be heard reverberating around in the home. He thrusts two more times, his hips stuttering before he chokes out, “mm gonna cum.”

You scratch at his sides and bite your lip to suppress your moan, “m-me too.”

“You can cum love,” Jake coos. He wraps his arms around you and hugs you closer to his body, the feeling of your chest pressed against him and his dick pounding into you is enough to send you over the edge.

“I’m cumming!” You mumble into his skin. Jake groans at the feeling of you cumming on his dick before his hips still and he comes inside you painting your walls white.

His lips are on your shoulders and neck, softly sucking on patches of your skin and murmuring sweet nothings as you calm down.

“Fuck.”

Jake pulls out and looks down at the mess of the sheets, now that he’s no longer caught up in his lustful haze it dawns on him that the two of you didn’t use protection. So much for smart choices.

As if now remembering yourself you shrug, “I’ll just grab a plan b tomorrow.”

Jake nods, “I’ll send you the money for it.”

His body then drops to lay beside you and he pulls you in close with the promise of a hot shower after a few minutes of decompressing. You roll over and sit up, swatting Jake’s hands away as he reaches for your arm. “Wait, I have something for you.”

He hums, interest piqued. “Huh?”

You open the bedside drawer where you had hidden the card you had written for Jake before the two of you left Brisbane. It was a love letter, all the things you’ve ever wanted to tell him but kept to yourself out of fear. It holds all the words your heart so desperately wants to tell him before he leaves.

“It’s not anything extravagant but I know you care more for sentimental things anyway.” You hand him the card, “don’t read it until you’re on the plane.”

He looks at the light pink envelope decorated in stickers and his name written in neat calligraphy in the center, the faintest smile on his face but a hint of sadness in his eyes.

“I love you.”

The way he says it sounds different from all the other times he’s ever told you. Almost as if he needs to convince you that he loves you but you know. He places one last kiss to your lips before pulling you back down to cuddle.

“I’m going to miss you.”

Jake hums, “me too.”

The room slips into a comforting silence and eventually you drift off.

8:41am

You wake up feeling cold. You whine and feel around for Jake’s body but when you feel nothing you open your eyes and softly call out for him. “Jake?”

When you’re met with no response you sit up and look around the still dark room. You stand from the bed and reach for your shirt that was still on the ground. You hadn’t intended to fall asleep, it was only meant to be a quick nap before the two of you took a shower together and watched movies until it was time for you to head to the airport.

“Jake? If you’re trying to scare me, give up.”

You’re still met with silence and you begin to feel uneasy. “Jake?”

You search the living room and your heart drops. His things are gone, his shoes, his suitcases. Everything. You run back to the room to see if it’s really true, if Jake left without saying goodbye. What you find breaks your heart even more. All his toiletries are gone, all that's left are your belongings. You let out a sob when you find the love letter you had written for him laying atop his pillow, opened and crumpled at the sides, proof he had read it but didn’t care enough to take it with him.

You drop on to the bed in shock and disbelief, tears sitting in your waterline. You turn to look beside you, staring at the letter as if it had burned you, the only trace that Jake was ever here is his scent in the sheets. You look at the alarm clock to see if you’ll be able to make it to the airport on time and bid him a proper farewell, your heart sinks once again when you realize you’re far too late. It’s 8:50 and his flight leaves in ten minutes. You sniff and decide to not dwell on it, Jake probably had his reasons and you have to get ready to go home.

You strip out of your shirt and discard it on the floor before walking into the bathroom to start your shower. You step into the shower, toes flinching as they touch the chilled ceramic floor. Your mind is in shreds; how could Jake leave without a goodbye? You turn the dial, releasing thousands of frigid drops, wetting your hair and trickling down your back. Your eyes fall closed and images of last night cross your mind.

You want to scream. Did last night not mean as much to him as it did to you? Was this all so he could fuck and just leave? You wrap up your shower and step out to brush your teeth. When finished, you dry off and head for your suitcase to pick out an outfit. You settle on sweatpants and an old graphic tee with slides. Once dressed and ready for your journey back, you finish your packing and look around the house one last time to see if maybe Jake left anything for you, maybe even an explanation. All you find is a plan b box on the kitchen counter next to a water bottle. You pick up the pill box and exit promptly and throw your things in the back of Jake’s car. You look down at the passenger seat where the letter you had written for him sits. You pick it up and examine it one last time before shoving it deep into your backpack.

Maybe this was less painful than having to say goodbye.

It in fact was not less painful. A day passed, then two, then a week, then a month. You stared at your phone at all hours of the day, calling and texting waiting for confirmation that he had arrived safely and an explanation on why he went ghost but it never came.

You started your senior year alone. That was the first time you ever realized just how dependent you were on Jake, you had no other friends to go to the movies with, you spent your senior appreciation week alone, you had no one to make plans with when the weekend would roll around. Maybe you should have made deeper connections. You slowly started to lose sight of the end goal, Harvard had always been your dream but your mind was in too much turmoil to see it meaning anything without Jake, your heart can’t stand to be near him but not have a connection to him. You had heard from his mother that he had settled in at Yale and was enjoying his time abroad. You never told your parents what happened down in Sydney, you couldn’t bring yourself to talk about it without crying.

Eventually you began to decline, your grades took a hit and your GPA dropped from the perfect 4.5 it had been sitting at for the past four years to a 3.2. You started failing your core classes and you were kicked off of the varsity volleyball team. Your parents couldn’t understand the sudden change in you. You stopped talking to them, stopped going to your tutoring sessions and stopped caring about life itself. You would only go to school when you felt like it and come straight home before locking yourself in your bedroom. When time came to send in your college applications you didn’t know what to do. You knew Harvard wouldn’t want you and you never considered any other options. You sat down with your guidance counselor and she gave you some options. The majority consisted of staying in Australia, letting you know it didn’t seem possible to go abroad. You limited your application process to four schools, two in Australia and two in Massachusetts. If Harvard didn’t want you, maybe a private school would grant you admission and you could transfer in your sophomore year.

As much as you wanted to be far away from him, Massachusetts happened to have all the top schools that were realistic for you. You applied to Northeastern and Boston college. Neither were the ivy leagues you were hoping to attend but private institutions nonetheless. You sent in your applications for early action, praying you would get in and get to leave Australia behind. You were suffocating here.

Luckily for you, your acceptance letter came from Northeastern and you were quick to accept. You were waitlisted for Boston College and accepted to both Australian unis but you had decided where you were going. You toured Northeastern in the spring with your mom, you both absolutely fell in love with the campus. It was right in the middle of the city, across from the train system making getting around easy. You got to meet the girl you would be dorming with, Avianca; Avi for short. She was very bubbly and sweet, and very opinionated. She had grown up in Boston with her mother and two brothers. Her mother was unable to join the two of you so you went out to brunch with her and your mother. After that your mother left the two of you to go shopping for some things for your dorm.

“Are you excited to start in the fall?” Avi asked as the two of you browsed targets room decor.

You shrug and hug yourself, “I guess.”

Avi stops to look at a large beige throw pillow, “that's all? Aren’t you excited for the new experiences?” She looks up at you, “the boys?”

You play with the tag of the pillow in her hand. “I-” you hesitate and she picks up on it.

“Unless…” she smirks up at you, “you have a boyfriend?”

You pause. Could you even consider Jake a boyfriend? He never officially asked you to be his girlfriend but the two of you did way more than what other couples do in a lifetime. As if reading your mind Avi hums.

“Ahh, I see. It’s complicated?”

“I guess you could call it that.”

She tosses the pillow into the cart, “is it over?”

You continue walking down the aisle as you think back to Jake, this would be your first time ever saying what went down outloud. You were hesitant to tell your parents because of how close they were with Jake, you didn't want this affecting their perspective of him but Avi doesn’t know him, she’s unbiased. And that’s how you found yourself crying inside a target finally opening up about just how hurt you were by Jake’s actions.

Once you finish telling her your story from start to finish, Avi is embracing you. “Jake is a dick. You did not deserve that. I’m so sorry.”

Avi spends the rest of your time together comforting you. She lets you rant about Jake and gives you her two cents every now and then. You felt a little embarrassed at how much you were crying but Avi was quick to reassure you letting you know it was actually time you let it all out. The two of you exchanged numbers before parting ways again and she made you promise to keep in touch with her while you were back home in Australia until your move-in day and that's exactly what you did.

After flying back home you slowly started to rebuild. Jake isn’t a part of your life anymore and you can’t continue to wallow in your self pity. It was time to let go and move on, you would be starting your freshman year of college in four months. You don’t want to be stuck up on someone who wasn’t even thinking of you.

You took the time to learn new hobbies as you didn’t have volleyball to lean on. You took up baking for a bit before getting bored and moving on to painting. You learned how to knit and made yourself some mittens and a scarf to prepare for the cold Boston weather. You even took up photography, opening up a private instagram account to post your pictures as you traveled around Europe during June. It was a graduation gift from your father, you had stops in France, Wales, Germany and Spain. You spent a month traveling before heading back south.

You flew to New Zealand before officially going home to explore the mountains, it was a nice reset. Jake had promised to visit with you but it never happened and you weren’t putting things on hold for him anymore. You would facetime with Avi every night, brainstorming ideas for your room and your plans for welcome week. She had no intention of staying in your dorm that first week before classes started.

At first you were hesitant, going to raves and frat parties meant the inevitable. The possibility of running into Jake would be significantly higher and if you didn’t run into him there was still the fact that you would be approached by some man before the night was over. You had expressed to Avi how you couldn’t see yourself entering a relationship anytime soon. You had yet to fully heal from Jake and the thought of being that vulnerable again terrified you.

She only listened before reminding you that you didn’t have to date every guy that said hi. Some below the belt touching and harmless flirting never hurt anyone. She went on to ramble about how you’re entering your prime and have an insanely hot aussie accent that could help you secure any guy you wanted. You zoned out once she started asking you if you could moan for her so she could take pointers.

Your parents could see the shift in you and it brought them relief, they felt more at ease to send you abroad now that you were in a better mental headspace. You left two weeks before classes started to move in and get accustomed to the new environment. Your parents came to help you and Avi move in before leaving to go back home.

It’s now nighttime and you’ve just officially finished decorating.

“So, there’s this rave at slackers tonight, wanna go?”

You turn to look at Avi from your bed as she sits at her desk organizing her makeup. You snort, “as if I have a choice.” She looks up at you grinning.

“Glad you’re aware! Now get up and go shower, you’re all sweaty and doors close at 8!”

You roll your eyes but listen to her nonetheless. You stumble out of your bed and walk towards your closet to try and brainstorm what to wear. “Is there a theme?”

Avi hums, “yeah early 2000’s.”

You scan your wardrobe to see what you can find before deciding upon a baby blue butterfly top you had gotten off of amazon and a mini cargo skirt. For shoes you settle on some old Nike air forces knowing they would be demolished by the end of the night. You head over to the bathroom and begin getting ready. You try not to take too long, making sure to properly wash your body but you don’t take the time to exfoliate. Once drying off and exiting you make quick work of getting dressed and sitting beside Avi to start your makeup while she works on styling her hair. You don’t take too long for your makeup, choosing to opt for a more natural look and go for a half up/half down hairstyle with two strands out in the front.

Once you’re both ready, you grab your student ID’s and bags before heading out and start the five minute walk to the T. As you’re waiting for the train to arrive you take pictures with Avi to post and make a new story post of the sun setting. Once the green train arrives the two of you hop on and head towards the party venue.

By the time you arrive, the line is still relatively short and you’re inside in under thirty minutes. You scan your surroundings, the club lights are too bright and strobing too fast, just asking for someone to seize. The dance floor is crowded with people and there are drunks stumbling all around you.

Avi spins on her heels and smirks up at you, “what are the odds you get a stranger to buy us drinks?”

You quickly shake your head. “Zero! I’ve never done this before Avi!”

She shrugs, “so? Have you seen yourself? You look so hot, ____.” She makes it a point to slap your ass. “You have all the right assets on display, you just have to use them to your advantage.”

You gasp and rub your sore bottom, “okay one, never do that again. Two, why don’t you get a guy to buy us drinks? Put those tits to good use.”

She smirks. “I was already planning on it. But seriously, I promised to help you get over Jake and what better way to do that than getting under a new man?”

You groan. “Sleeping around isn’t going to help me get over Jake.”

“What makes you think he hasn’t done the same?” You furrow your brows at her and she scoffs. “Come on ____, he’s been in the city for a year while you were on the other side of the world. Jake is hot and I’m sure he knows it just like other girls in Connecticut probably do too, what would really have stopped him from getting his dick wet?”

You stay silent, deep down you know Avi is just being truthful and realistic. Jake had no obligations to you and no one to get in his way of whoring around if he really wanted to as much as it may hurt you.

“Okay.”

Avi’s brows shoot up in shock. “Okay? That’s really all it took?”

You nod firmly, “I’m done putting my life on pause for him. Besides, a little flirting never hurt anyone, right?”

Avi squeals and claps her hands together. “Perfect! I better see you throwing it back on some guy before the night ends!”

The two of you decide to part ways to find your prey of the night. Avi makes quick work of heading to the bar where the older men are to see if she can score some drinks while you idle around the dance floor, scoping out the faces to see who you wanted to make a move on. Before you can set your sights on someone, you feel the warmth of a body behind you though they’re not quite pressing against you yet. It doesn’t feel bad, and neither do the fingertips ghosting along the curve of your waist. You press into their touch a little more. The tentative fingers at your waist get more firm once they realize you’re open to their touch.

“Wanna dance?,” the body behind you asks, lips brushing the shell of your ear. It makes chills prick at your skin. You bite your lip to keep from smiling at the sensation. Your hand goes to cover the bigger one on your waist. You’ve missed being this close to someone. 

You intentionally keep the touch constant when you turn around in their hold. Their palm slides along your body till it’s settling on your lower back just above the swell of your ass.

When you look up, your reply gets caught in your throat.

The owner of the warm body behind you is handsome, strikingly so. Tall, strong. Smile dreamy with dimples, and eyes dark. He gives you a soft grin accompanied by an encouraging nod, wanting you to say what you can’t seem to get out.

“Uh–” you sputter with a wince, before clearing your throat, “Where’s the fun in asking?”

You can’t hear his laugh over the music, but you can tell he’s amused by the way his chest rumbles, and how his eyes curl. The hand at the base of your spine moves to your hip, squeezing gently.

His other hand is moving, too, and you track it until it’s tucking some hair behind your ear. You go still and flush when he leans down to your ear again. “If you insist,” he tells you. You don’t get to respond before he’s forcefully turning you back around and pressing his body into yours. The song changes to an upbeat caribbean mix and the sexy stranger has you bent over, one hand in your hair as a makeshift ponytail and the other resting at the base of your spine as he sensually moves his hips to the beat of the song, practically humping you. You can feel yourself getting wet as his clothed dick brushes against your vagina, your miniskirt and thong barely hiding anything. You begin whining your waist to meet his thrust giving those around you a show. Soon, a circle forms around the two of you as people turn on their camera to film. When the song finally ends the two of you separate and the crowd disperses. Some guys stick around though, hoping you would part form your dance partner and give them a chance to feel you humping them but you never get the chance. The stranger leans down to your ear, “I’m Jungwon.”

You smirk and respond with your name. “I’m, ____. Clearly you’ve done this before Jungwon.” 

Jungwon briefly looks surprised, eyes widening like a child before he’s laughing. “Ah,” he muses, guiding your arms to drape over his shoulders, your hands interlocking behind his neck. His hands do the same around your waist as he pulls you a little closer. “Perhaps but clearly the same goes for you.”

There’s a flutter in your tummy that you haven’t felt in months and it’s exciting. Makes you giddy as you blink up at him sultrily.

“Are you complaining?” you ask him.

He adamantly shakes his head, “Of course not, as long as you’re not in a relationship no complaints over here.”

You cock your head to the side. “I don’t do relationships.” You wait a beat before asking, “Is that what you’re looking for?”

He looks up like he’s thinking. Then he’s shrugging. Crowding your space, cheek brushing yours as he talks into your ear again, he answers, “I want what you want.”

Jungwon doesn’t move out of your space like the times he did before, instead pulling you into him a bit more, making your space his space too. Lips brush against the corner of your jaw, just below your ear. Teasing, yet sure. 

“I want to forget–” Your hand twines into the hair at the nape of his neck when he nips softly at your earlobe, making you gasp quietly, interrupting yourself. “–about someone.”

He lets out a smug sound of understanding. “That sounds doable,” you hear him say, before he purrs confidently, “Let me help you.”

Just as the two of you lean in for a kiss you’re interrupted by the calling of your name.

“____!” You pull away to find Avi stumbling towards you. When she’s close enough, she grips onto your shoulders to try and keep herself up. “H-help.”

You look at her in worry and try to balance her but she’s quickly becoming more and more unstable, her words slurring and her body becoming limp. You begin to panic, “Avi? Avi! You’re scaring me, what's wrong!?”

Jungwon steps in to help you hold her up. “Shit, I think she was laced.”

Your eyes dart to his in worry, sensing your panic Jungwon tries to calm you down. “There’s a hospital nearby. I’ll call an uber and we can head over.”

You nod, trying to steady yourself for Avi’s sake. The two of you make quick work of ushering her out of the building and outside to help her get some fresh air while Jungwon orders the uber. It’s there in seven minutes and the three of you rush to the nearest children's hospital.

Once you arrive, Jungwon hands over Avi to the medical staff while you try and give them the information they need to admit her. She’s rushed into the emergency bay while you and Jungwon are told to sit in the waiting area while they pump her stomach.

“It’s going to be okay. We got her here in time, I’m sure the doctors have everything under control.” Jungwon says as he takes a seat beside you. It’s clear you’re distraught and don’t know what to do but it’s also clear that what you need right now is not only reassurance but a friend. Your shoulders slump instantly and you nod despondently. Cautiously Jungwon entwines your hands together, lacing your fingers with his.

He shifts, leaning his body into you allowing you to cuddle into him for some warmth, your lack of proper clothing clearly not helping. You bite your lip to keep in the tears before resting your head against his shoulder. You close your eyes, basking in his comforting presence, letting both his words and presence wash over you and ease your worries.

The both of you sit in silence for long, drawn-out moments before you finally speak up. “I’m sorry, this probably isn’t how you wanted to spend your night.” You pull away and wrap your arms around yourself, “you can go if you’d like.”

Sensing your guilt and apprehension, Jungwon shakes his head softly and removes his bomber jacket to hand to you. You stare at it for a second before taking it and putting it on. “It definitely isn’t how I saw my night going but you clearly need a friend, it wouldn’t be right to leave you alone.”

You twiddle your fingers, “why are you being so nice to me?”

He purses his lips in thought, showcasing his dimples. “Like I said before, it’s clear you need a friend. You’re obviously going through something with a guy you probably really like and your friend is in the hospital after getting laced. You shouldn’t have to go through this alone.”

You blink at him, embarrassed that he read you so easily. “I-” You cut yourself off and look away, feeling the tears start to well up. “I feel so lost and alone.”

Jungwon slowly reaches for you and brings you in for a hug, letting you cry into his chest. “I moved to this stupid city all by myself and now I miss my parents, I miss my home and worst of all I miss him. Avi is the only friend I have and I can’t help but feel like her being in this position is all my fault! She only wanted to go out to help me move on a-and we made this stupid bet about getting guys to buy us drinks and now she’s getting her stomach pumped!” You angrily rant to Jungwon, overwhelmed by the events that have transpired within the last twenty-four hours.

He listens, gently rubbing your back as you let it all out. “It’s normal to miss your life back at home, going to college is hard enough, let alone having to move to a different continent. I understand the guilt you’re feeling but I doubt Avi is mad at you for what happened, you weren’t the one who drugged her.”

You sniffle and wipe at your nose with the sleeve of his jacket, “I guess so.” You pull away from his wet chest to wipe away the remainder of your tears. “I’m scared.” You softly admit.

“Of what?”

“Being alone again.” You whisper, you can’t help but wonder if Jungwon will stay after this, if Avi will be okay enough to stay for the semester. You pray you don’t lose either of them.

“Good thing I don’t plan on leaving.” Jungwon offers with a soft smile, you look up at him gratefully and wrap him in a hug.

“Thank you.”

The two of you spend the rest of the night in the ER, the doctors eventually come to fetch the two of you to join Avi, letting you know that she’ll be just fine and able to return home the following day. Jungwon stays true to his word and doesn’t leave your side until it’s time for Avi to get discharged. The three of you clamber into the back of the Uber Jungwon ordered and drive to your dorms. While sitting at Avi’s bedside the three of you began conversing about anything and everything. You found out that Jungwon was also a freshman at Northeastern majoring in Biochem. On top of that, he was living in the same dorm as you-his room only two doors down.

Once you arrive, you bid farewell to Jungwon with the promise of grabbing breakfast with him and his roommate Beomgyu the following morning before heading into your own room.

“He’s cute.” Avi says as she gently takes a seat on the couch.

“Jungwon?”

She hums, “sweet kid.”

You nod absentmindedly as you gather your bathroom supplies. “I guess so.”

Friday November 15th - present day

Three months have passed since the beginning of the semester and it’s safe to say that you’re beginning to feel at home in the city. Jungwon stayed true to his word and didn’t leave you. In fact, there was never a moment where you were alone. If you weren’t at Snell studying with Jungwon, you were at your dorm watching shows with Avi or at the dining hall grabbing lunch with Beomgyu. 

The four of you have truly become inseparable these past few months and you’re so grateful for the support they provide. It’s nice to finally have other people to rely on rather than having to rawdog life alone. When the four of you aren’t absolutely swamped with homework you grab dinner together at one of the dining halls before going back to your place for a movie night. Tonight happens to be one of those nights.

“Wollastans hands down has the best snack options,” Beomgyu says as he empties the grocery bag onto your living room floor. Avi hums and takes a seat beside him on the floor in front of the TV.

“That they do.” She reaches for the pack of gummy bears and offers some to Jungwon who’s laid on your couch arms wide open as he smiles up at you waiting for you to take your rightful seat in between his legs. He takes a handful of gummies and thanks Avi before patting his chest.

“Hurry up princess, I'm getting cold.”

You scoff and roll your eyes before kicking off your shoes and making your way across the threshold to plop down in between his arms. “What are we watching tonight?” You ask. Jungwon taps your cheek silently asking you to open up, you do and he plops a cherry bear into your mouth.

“Interview with the vampires.” Beomgyu replies as he ques up the show. Once it’s ready to go Avi hands you a blanket to cover yourself with before she cuddles up to Beomgyu, the two of them whispering to each other lost in their own world. You smile softly at them, you and Jungwon have a running bet of how long it was going to take before the two crack and just get together. They’re adamant that they’re just friends but it’s clear as day feelings are there.

You feel Jungwon wrap his arm securely around your waist before he places a soft kiss atop your head.

As touchy and flirty as the two of you are, you’re just friends. Once Jungwon made it clear he was here to stay you found the confidence to open up to him about Jake. You told him about the ghosting, the sex, how much he meant to you and how you don’t think you’ll ever love someone the way you love him or even be ready for a relationship anytime soon. Jungwon understood and made his intentions clear, he just wanted to make you happy. If that meant putting his feelings on the backburner and doing things your way so be it.

It wasn’t a fair deal at all, Jungwon devoted almost all of his time to you, he would walk you home from your late lectures, wake up at five am to run to Tatte to buy you breakfast before your eight ams, turn down girls who approached him in hopes that when you were ready you’d come running to him.

He did it all without complaint, he loves you fully and without restraint. He’s loved you from the start, he loves you the way you wish Jake had.

You can’t help but think about where Jake would fit in your life now. You’ve changed and made sure your new life left no room for him, you tailored your life to make sure Jake could never waltz back in and destroy all the progress you’ve made. You don’t think he’ll fit in with your group of friends anyhow. As this year has come and passed, you replaced Jake with Jungwon. It’s hard to picture Jake falling back into the role of being your only friend in your life.

You have Avi, Beomgyu and Jungwon. They look out for you and make sure to take care of you. It’s a reciprocal friendship, they’re pouring into you just as much as you pour into them if not more.

You snap out of your thoughts when Jungwon softly pinches your side. “You zoned out, are you okay?”

You nod your head and play with his fingers under the blanket. “Just thinking about how lucky I am to have you in my life.”

You feel him take in a sharp breath before pulling you into him even more. “I’m the lucky one.”

___

As the movie night comes to a close, you sit up from Jungwon’s hold to stretch, your friends following your actions. You reach for your phone to check the time to see if you can squeeze in one more movie.

“It’s only nine, we can start another show or watch a movie.” You offer

Jungwon wraps his arm around your waist and pulls you in closer to his side, “I don’t have anything to do tomorrow, I’m down.”

Avi stands up and clears her throat. “Actually can we go out?”

Beomgyu looks up at her questioningly, “wanna ride the blue bikes around campus?”

She shakes her head, “a Harvard frat is hosting to-”

“Absolutely not.” You cut her off. You haven’t been to another college party since the one at slackers, the sight of Avi getting drugged permanently put you off from the party scene.

She huffs, “why not!?”

You give her an incredulous look. “Are you being serious? You were drugged the last time we went to one, I don’t want to see you in the ER again!”

The boys can sense the growing tension, Beomgyu stands and tries to calm Avi and Jungwon soothingly rubs your arms.

“It was one time! I won’t drink this time!”

“I still don’t feel comfortable.” She throws her hands up and turns to pout at Beomgyu knowing it’s a weakness of his.

“Yah! this is between the two of you, stop pouting at me.” He says in response before turning on his heel to head to your kitchen to raid it for some more food. You huff and turn to Jungwon to have him plead your case but he only shakes his head, he knows better than to get in between the two of you.

“Uh-uh, No. You two figure this out.”

He stands from his seat beside you to go join Beomgyu in the kitchen.

Avi takes Jungwon’s seat and grabs your hands. “I promise I won’t drink! I know better now and the guys will be there! You know they won’t let anything happen to either of us! Come on, _____ please!”

You sigh and shift your attention to the boys goofing off in your kitchen, Avi is right. The boys wouldn’t let the two of you out of their sight, especially Jungwon as he was there for the last party the three of you had attended.

“Fine.”

The living room of the frat is completely packed, people are scattered around the home, either dancing in a large group in the middle of the living room, relaxing in the kitchen with drinks in hand or smoking blunts upstairs. Something that definitely doesn’t go unnoticed by you is the hordes of couples pressed up against each other and the walls, making out and grinding against each other for the entirety of the house to see without a single care in the world.

You turn to face your friends, “an hour tops then we’re out of here!”

Avi playfully rolls her eyes, “aye aye captain.”

She grabs Beomgyu’s hand and they walk into the midst of the party leaving you with Jungwon. “Want to grab a drink with me?”

You pull your attention away from a guy who’s completely wasted and forcing another to a dance off to Jungwon who’s standing next to you. You shrug, “sure.”

You both exit from the hallway where your little group had clustered and enter the kitchen to grab a drink. Jungwon hands you a water bottle but you nudge away his hand and reach for a red solo cup to pour yourself a shot of tequila. You knock it back and move down the counter to pour yourself some of the punch.

Jungwon watches you in worry as you pucker your lips at the taste of the punch, “I thought no drinking tonight.”

“No drinking for Avi. Plus it’s for the nerves.”

He nods at you and takes a sip of his water. “What has you on edge?”

You look around the kitchen sadly before confessing what’s weighing on your heart. “It feels so odd being here, it was my dream for so long and now it’s just some other school down the block.”

Jungwon hums before scanning the area himself. “Do you regret choosing Northeastern?”

You sigh, “I..” you trail off to really think through your answer. Northeastern has become more than a safety net. You have a family here because of the school, people who love and care about you without restraint and would be crushed if you up and left them. You also can’t help but feel as though there’s a double meaning to Jungwon’s question. “I don’t think so, more so mourning what could have been here.”

Jungwon nods, “are you still thinking about transferring?”

You shake your head. “No, I think it’s time to close the chapter on this time period in my life.”

Jungwon stills beside you, to him, Harvard = Jake and the life you lived with him back at home in Australia, does this mean this is finally the end of you and that dirtbag?

You smile and place your arms around Jungwon’s neck. “I think it's time to start focusing on what I have here at Northeastern…with you.”

Jungwon swears he feels his heart stop at your words, are you finally going to give him a chance? His eyes suddenly gleam with mischief as he rests his hands on your waist and squeezes you a little tighter and yanks you towards him, bodies just centimeters apart as you crash into his chest, all up in each other’s personal space.

Your eyes widen in complete surprise. 

“Are you saying what I think you are?” He teases with a stupidly lowered tone, a smug grin decorating his face. 

You ignore the electricity shooting through you, rolling your eyes and playfully sneer at him. “Don’t be smug, I can still change my mind, you know.” You force space between you two and try removing his hands from your waist but his grip transforms into an iron lock. 

“You wouldn’t.” 

“Try me.”

He pulls you in close and leans in to whisper, “yeah? Then who's gonna do this?” He doesn’t wait for you to question him, leaning in right away to place his lips on yours and cage you between him and the kitchen counter. Your eyes blow out, taken by surprise until you find yourself quickly melting into the kiss, hands gripping his shoulders tighter. Jungwon can’t help himself from opening up his mouth to catch more of yours, lips sensually kissing yours in a slow, unhurried pace. 

You instantly love the way he kisses, completely taken by his pillowy, delicate lips. 

Jungwon doesn’t care if your lipstick smudges onto him or how brash the public display of affection seems; all he cares about is the soft feeling of your lips against his own for the first time and the fact that you’re willing to be his.

He knows it’s going to stay on his mind for weeks. 

You’re beginning to get lost until he disconnected your mouths, only looking at each other with overwhelming feelings and shimmering eyes that depict how nervous you are for this new step.

“Wanna dance with me?” You shyly ask.

Jungwon smirks, his mind recalling the first time he ever met you at that slackers party. “Where’s the fun in asking?” He mocks, you roll your eyes at the familiarity of his words before dragging him out of the kitchen and into the living room to dance away your inhibitions.

The two of you make your way to the center of the room knowing once you start dancing, all eyes will be on you. Jungwon squeezes your hips one last time before turning you around and helping you slowly grind down on him to the beat of the song, once you have a steady rhythm going on he begins to buck his hips to meet your pace.

Just like that night at slackers, you’re bent over whining your waist against Jungwon and catching the attention of those around you. Jungwon sneaks one arm around your front and gently squeezes at your right boob under your crop top, getting turned on by how your butt applies the right amount of pressure to his cock every time you bounce off of it and the lustful gaze of those watching. He could cum in his pants. You have to bite your bottom lip to keep from moaning.

As the song comes to a close Jungwon releases you and places a kiss against the base of your neck, “I’m going to grab us drinks, stay right here baby.”

You nod and let him remove himself from you completely to go get the two of you drinks, you turn around to see if you could potentially find Beomgyu or Avi and spend some time with them until he returns but before you even get the chance to fully scope out the area you feel someone grab onto your wrist and spin you around.

You’re about to tell the stranger off but your words get caught in your throat when you turn around to find a tall blonde man dressed in all black staring you down. You exhale sharply at the way he seemingly undresses you with his eyes.

“You sure know how to put on a show, princess.”

You feel your face heat up a bit at the use of pet name and being called out on the way you were just dry humping Jungwon. Not knowing what to say you wait for him to continue. Picking up on that, the stranger continues, “I’m Jay, what’s your name darling?”

“____” you breathlessly let out.

He hums and pulls you in closer, “sexy name for a sexy girl, who’s that guy? Your boyfriend?”

His hands travel down to grab at your ass over your leggings and you have a feeling that even if you were taken, Jay wouldn’t care.

You bite down a moan at the way he caresses your ass, taking turns between rolling the flesh and pinching it every now and then. He lands a sharp slap to your bottom when you don’t answer, his patience running thin. “Answer me princess.”

You shake your head, “n-no I’m si-”

Before you can finish your statement Jay gets ripped away from you by another male who huffs out in playful annoyance. “C’mon mate, it’s my birthday and you’re ditching me for some action?”

This time, your blood truly runs cold. Standing in front of you in all his glory for the first time in a year and three months is Sim Jaeyun. His eyes sweep over to you and the smile that was just gracing his face begins to slowly fall. Your eyes greedily take him in. You notice he’s dyed his hair back to black and grown it out a bit, parting it in the middle like you used to do for him during your walk to school. His shoulders also seem a bit wider, did he start working out? You even note his style has changed, gone are the tight skinny jeans and random hoodies. He’s dressed in wide legend pants paired with a simple white tee tucked in and Jordans on his feet.

“____.” He breathlessly lets out.

Hearing him call out to you breaks your heart, after all this time you thought you would be angry at him for what he did. Swearing to Avi that if you ever ran into him you were going to rip him a new one, maybe even slap him for having the audacity to hurt you the way he did. But now that you’ve been graced with the opportunity all you feel is a deep sadness, all your anger gone in that instant.

You see Jay’s eyes bug out of his head as he looks between the two of you. “She’s ____?”

Your eyes flicker over to Jay as you make the assumption Jake must have told him all about the two of you. Jake reaches a hand out to grab yours but you instantly jerk away from his touch. He doesn’t deserve it, your mind screams at you.

“Don’t.” You grit out, fighting back the tears.

Jake’s face falls even more at the malice in the simple word, heart breaking at how you avoid his touch but respects it nonetheless.

“Please, let me just ex-”

You don’t let him finish before you’re spinning on your heel and bolting out of the party. You knock into a few partygoers, the alcohol finally taking its effect. You hear muffled shouts of your name as you push past people to make it outside to the lawn. In your daze you don’t see your friends running after you.

You stumble out of the party and onto the lawn. The front of the frat house is nearly empty, save for you and a couple that’s making out on the grass. You stagger towards a bush when the overwhelming feeling of vomiting consumes you. Your stomach contracts violently and all the liquor you had consumed comes back up splattering the bushes.

“____!” You hear Jungwon call out your name before he’s kneeling beside you and holding your hair back.

You heave again and once more the contents of your stomach spray the ground. You sink to your knees and retch until only clear liquid is coming up. Your throat feels sore from the stomach acid that is layering it and your mouth tastes of vomit.

Avi kneels beside you and rubs your back soothingly as Beomgyu stands protectively in front of you, shielding you from Jake’s view as he tries to grab your attention, constantly calling your name.

“It’s alright,” you hear Jungwon whisper as you feel your stomach begin to settle. He slowly ties your hair up for you using a hair tie Avi offers and once he’s sure Avi has a steady grip on you, he’s standing to square up to Jake.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” Jungwon asks. Beomgyu’s eyes widen the tiniest fraction at his roommate's question, knowing damn well he can’t fight and Jungown might be alone in this one.

Jake scoffs and steps up to Jungwon, his own annoyance at its peak. “I’m her best friend who the fuck do you think you are?”

Your friends all still at the realization of who exactly the stranger is. Avi is the first to react, scoffing at his audacity from beside you as she looks up at him.

“You know you got a lot of fucking nerve to even call yourself that. You’re the one who ghosted her, you’re the one who left. You don’t get to claim that title anymore.”

Jake falters at the harsh glare he’s receiving from your friends but he’s determined to speak to you.

“You don’t know shit.” Jay spits out from behind Jake knowing the true story as to why Jake did what he did. Albeit shitty, his friend had his reasons and he wasn’t going to let anyone shame him for the decisions he made as a kid fresh out of high school.

Beomgyu swears he sees red. “Watch it.” He says as he shoves at Jay’s chest. Jay, having none of it though, pushes back causing Jungwon and Jake to have to step in and separate their friends before things escalate.

Jake pulls his friend away and harshly whispers in his ear before Jay scoffs and walks away back into the party. Jake clears his throat and turns back to you and your friends who are all still glaring and making a protective front around you.

“Please, ____. I Just need one chance to explain myself.”

Jungwon opens his mouth to respond for you but you're quicker than him.

“No.” Your voice is firm, “you don’t get to hurt me the way you did and expect me to give you the courtesy of explaining why you chose to break my heart.”

From your seated position you can see the tears swimming in his eyes and it almost makes you crack. Almost. But you need to choose you for once. You need to stop throwing caution to the wind when it comes to Sim Jaeyun, he never once did that for you.

“You’re a year too late.”

Still determined and not deterred by your stance, Jake takes a cautious step forward, stopping when Jungwon deems he’s gotten too close and steps up as well to place a hand on Jake’s chest.

“I’m sorry, ____. I know I fucked everything up and-and that I don’t deserve another chance but please-” He chokes back a sob, “please just let me explain!” Avi rolls her eyes and helps you stand. “What good will that do? You’re right, you don’t deserve shit from her. Explaining why you’re a shitty person isn’t going to change anything.”

Although harsh, Avi is right. Hearing him out won’t change the fact that he no longer has a spot in your life, it won’t change the damage he’s caused, it won’t do anything.

“Let’s go guys.” You weekly let out, completely drained and craving the warmth of your bed.

“____!”

You ignore Jake’s call of your name and leave with your friends surrounding you, making it impossible for him to see you anymore. Your heart seizes in your chest at the desperation in his voice as he calls out to you but you keep walking, you leave him behind like he did to you all those months ago.

[November 15th, 12:35 AM]

[jake]: can we please talk?

[jake]: i’m sorry

[jake]: please

[jake]: _____?

[November 16th, 2:48 PM]

[jake]: i know you don’t want to talk to me but please let me explain ____

[jake]: i’ll leave you alone after, i swear

[November 17th, 6:15 PM]

[jake]: i’ll be at caffe nero near newbury tomorrow at 2 until they close

[jake]: please come and let me explain, i’ll leave you alone regardless of what you decide.

Jake stares down at his phone as he hits send, over the past two days he’s been sending you text messages praying you’ll respond but each one has been left on delivered. He doesn’t know if you’ve read them or even blocked him.

He tosses his phone aside and drops down on his hard dorm bed staring up at his ceiling wondering why he let things get so bad. He thought he was making the right decision for the both of you, thought he was doing right by you by leaving you alone.

Falling in love takes courage he doesn't possess at the time. You never stood a chance and it's little wonder why you felt so cheated.

Leading up to his departure from Australia everything was perfect, it was a dream. He had the girl of his dreams, a scholarship to the school of his dreams and for once- a supportive family backing every decision he made. It was new, it was different. It was scary. Jake grew up having to fight for his parents attention and had to work for their love, it was conditional, he had to be perfect. Being given it so freely and easily by you came as a shock.

He knew just how much you loved him, how much you had sacrificed over the years for him, he doesn’t deserve it now and he sure as hell didn’t think he deserved it back then. How could he love you if he barely understood how it worked? He had such a twisted view on love. At the time he thought it came with conditions, that he couldn’t love or be loved without conditions. That it was only a matter of time before the hammer dropped on your changing relationship and you began expecting more from him as a boyfriend, more that he couldn’t give.

Reading the letter was what really did it for him.

Of course he didn’t listen to you when you told him to read it once he was on the plane. He waited until you fell asleep and reached into the drawer to retrieve the letter and began reading it. Jake read it over and over again until he had it memorized, so much so that he still has it memorized to this day. He left you with the original but wrote it down on a napkin on the plane when he realized how big of a mistake it was to leave it. He sits up to walk over to his desk and retrieve his written version of the letter and begins to read it once again.

Dear Jake, my sweet angel boy,

I should have told you this right after prom: that there's this special love that I have deep within my heart. That love is only for you. It is far greater than this world. I wish I could show you how much you really mean to me. If I could only let you feel how much I really do love you in a kiss or a hug, you would begin to feel the love that I have for you.

If I could describe the love that I have for you and use lyrics of love songs or even the sonnets of Shakespeare, it would still be impossible, because the love that I love for you cannot be put into words. You've had my love from the day we met, and you will have it forever. As time goes by, my heart and love for you will keep growing stronger, brighter, and bigger.

Call me your love from this day forward. Although we have two different minds, and souls, we have one and the same beautiful heart. My love for you is unconditional. Please don’t forget that.

I love you with all my heart, body, and soul. I will never stop loving you. You are my life, my world, and everything to me. Distance may keep us apart for a short while but you will always and forever be embedded deep within my heart.

My beautiful love, you are my world and you have been since the first time I saw you. I felt love the first time I looked at you all those years ago in your backyard, and my world became a beautiful place to live in. I often ask myself, what in the world would I do without you now? I hope to never find out the answer to that question.

I’m writing you this letter to tell you how much you mean to me, and to thank you for coming into my life. You are something I never thought could exist for me. You are the best thing that has ever happened in my life, and I don't regret telling you how I feel.

I love you Sim Jaeyun, today, tomorrow, forever.

Tears swim in Jake’s eyes as he places the letter back in the depths of his desk. He wishes so badly that he didn’t run, that he stayed and talked through his fears with you but he was too much of a coward and knew deep down that you deserved better. He never deserved you to begin with and he was a fool for ever thinking a broken boy like him could ever love someone as amazing as you.

After leaving, Jake found it hard to settle into his new routine. He missed your presence every single day, finding it harder and harder to ignore your text messages asking how he was, if he had eaten, if he liked the campus.

By the time Jake had realized how big of a mistake he made and just how much of an ass he looked like, he couldn’t take it back. The damage had quite literally been done and it seemed you were moving on. The text messages stopped coming in, he was removed from your close friends and his mother no longer had any updates for him when he would ask. Apparently, you had stopped going over and it was rare to catch glimpses of you as the school year progressed.

When he had heard from his brother that you were no longer on the volleyball team he wanted to reach out and ask what happened. You loved the sport too much to just quit, especially during your senior year but Jake had a feeling he was the last person you wanted to hear from.

His first semester at Yale was nothing like he expected it to be, everything was dull and lifeless. Every day was the same routine: wake up, shower and brush his teeth, get dressed and head to lectures before studying at the library until midnight because his roommate had a girl over.

He felt like he was slowly losing his sanity. As the end of his first semester came to a close and winter break was fastly approaching Jake decided he had had enough. Yale meant nothing if you weren’t in his life. He knew at that point you had probably sent in your college applications and were practically a shoe-in for Harvard so he did what he thought would bring him peace.

He sent in his transfer application before the end of the semester to be able to start in the spring and got his acceptance right before winter break. He didn’t tell his parents about the sudden decision, knowing they wouldn’t be happy with him but he was done living in his fear. It was what caused him to lose you and he would be damned if he let it happen again.

He eventually told them once everything was set and as expected he received an earful about his decision from his father before he realized how deadset his son was on this before backing down.

Once the spring semester started Jake could slowly feel his world start to mend. Everything seemed brighter at Harvard; the physics program was easier, the people were kinder, he had friends and his new roommate wasn’t an ass.

Jay and Jake clicked the second Jake rolled his suitcases into the new room. Jay took him under his wing and treated him like a little brother. It felt nice to have someone to rely on, sure Jay wasn’t you but he slowly became someone who meant the world to him and he looked up to. Eventually Jay introduced Jake to his friends Heeseung and Sunghoon and the four became an inseparable group. The four of them truly did everything together: they took all their gen ed classes together, they attended each other's sporting events and they would often go to frats together with Jake staying sober to take care of his friends.

The guys never pushed Jake to explore the women that approached him at parties knowing his heart belonged to you. They had heard him go on and on about you on several occasions and knew he only transferred to be close to you. They admired his determination to right his wrongdoings but were truthfully skeptical if it would work. They encouraged him to just text you, arguing the more time he let pass the harder it would be to win you back but Jake argued back that this was something that couldn’t be fixed over text.

The semester flew by and Jake was increasingly getting excited. Once he had submitted his last final exam he was on the first flight back home to Australia in June. He couldn’t wait for you to start school in the fall to talk to you and he was long overdue for a trip back home, two birds with one stone. However, when he made it back home to Brisbane his dreams were once again crushed. His mother informed him about your solo trip to Europe and how your parents had sent you away under the guise of it being a graduation gift but really it was out of fear of your declining mental health.

Jake was lost, he had heard nothing about your mental state as his mother insisted she knew nothing about your life anymore when he would inquire about you over the phone. It came as a shock when his mom sat him down to tell him about you being kicked off the volleyball team rather than you just leaving like he assumed, how you no longer attended study groups and even skip school now. What came as the biggest shock was hearing you didn’t get into Harvard. Jake felt absolutely disgusted with himself.

He had caused this, he was the reason behind your suffering and yet he had the audacity to show up here thinking you would welcome him back. He was right, he really doesn’t deserve you. Look at all the pain he’s caused you and what you’ve lost in the process.

He didn’t stick around much longer after that, He flew back to the states a week before you came back from New Zealand and became hell bent on leaving you alone. He owed you that much, some peace after bringing nothing but chaos into your life.

The rest of his summer was a haze, he spent it getting high or drunk with Heeseung and Jay. He didn’t tell his friends about what he had heard from back home, the guilt eating at him but he made it clear that there would be no Jake and ____. The two of you were officially done.

Heesung and Jay were obviously worried about their friend, they knew of the love the male held for you and to see him so torn up over it that he was drinking all his inhibitions away or smoking until he was numb was alarming but they didn’t stop him.

They did however intervene towards the end of the summer when Sunghoon came back from Korea and Jake insisted the group went to an end of summer kickback. They had never seen Jake so out of it, he got so crossfaded that he passed out at the party and was unresponsive for twenty minutes.

Emergency services had to be called and the party got shut down. It was safe to say his friends were done with his shit and sat him down and forced him to talk about his emotions because they would be damned if they watched him continue down this path and eventually die from it.

That night was an eye opener for Jake and he swore he would get better, promised he would stop holding things in and be more upfront about how he was feeling. Seeing Jay cry over the possibility of his death was what really put things into perspective for him, the thought of you also possibly being torn over him dying got him to take his sobriety seriously.

His friends held him accountable as the new school year began, they cut back on frat parties, made the effort to not drink as much around him and even began being more open with each other due to Jay’s claims of “vulnerability breeds vulnerability.”

It was safe to say that Jake was finally beginning to heal. He knew sooner or later he would have to face the consequences of his actions and he was fully prepared to do so, just not so soon. It was Sunghoon’s idea to go to the frat at Kappa Alpha Theta for his birthday. Jake was fully prepared to say no and spend the day alone. This would be his second birthday spent away from you and he wanted the privacy to read through old birthday paragraphs you’ve sent him over the years and stare at the polaroids he took of you during your getaway to Sydney.

Jay and Heesung were having none of it though and insisted he needed to actually celebrate his birthday like Sunghoon said. Jake eventually caved when the three of them offered to stay sober with him. Seeing you at that party was devastating but seeing you in another man's arms was infuriating. Jake knew he had no right to be upset with you but it irked him that he was no longer the only male in your life. Jay had told him about the dance that took place before everything went to shit and Jake couldn’t help but wonder if you had fully moved on from him. Heeseung had to remind him that if you had, Jake couldn’t be upset with you, he had practically pushed you into Jungwon’s arms the second he decided to leave you behind in Australia.

“How long do you plan on staring at your phone?” Heeseung asks as he enters the younger male's room with Jay and Sunghoon trailing behind him.

Jake sighs and tosses the device to the side, “she still hasn’t responded.”

Sunghoon takes a seat beside Jake on the bed, “give her some space dude I’m sure seeing you at the party was the last thing she expected.”

Jay hums, “you did what you can. Give her space to decide what she wants.”

Jake heeds the advice of his friends. He’s inconvenienced you enough, leaving you alone to decide if you want to meet him is what you need now. He can only hope you do decide to hear him out.

“I don’t think you should go.”

You look up at Avi who’s standing above you on the couch staring down at your phone screen, contempt written all over her face. You gently sigh and lock your phone, letting it fall on the couch with a soft thud.

“I know.”

Ever since the party Jake has constantly been texting you. Avi was beyond annoyed with the male and his inability to- “leave you the fuck alone.” You would read them as they come in, unable to bring yourself to delete the messages like Beomgyu advised when you told him about them.

“Just block his number, ____.” Avi huffs, crossing her arms as she stares down at you. You look away and draw figure eights into the couch cushions as you think.

“I can’t.”

“Why?”

It’s silent for a beat, you think for a few seconds before shrugging. “I don’t know.”

Avi sighs and uncrosses her arms. “You’re being selfish.”

You stop drawing imaginary shapes on the couch and fix your eyes on Avi, waiting for her to continue.

“What about Jungwon? Have you stopped to consider what this would do to him if you let Jake just waltz his way back into your life?”

You purse your lips, you haven’t talked to the younger male since the party. He’s been reaching out as well, trying to gauge how you’re feeling with the sudden appearance of Jake but you’ve yet to open them let alone respond.

“I don’t k-”

Avi groans in annoyance, cutting you off. “-I swear if you say I don’t know one more time, ____! Can’t you see how bad Jake is for you? One appearance and a few text messages and look at you! You’re not talking to us anymore, you haven’t left your bed in almost two days! Jake is toxic, this isn’t healthy!”

For some reason you want to defend his name, want to call Avi out on being a bitch but you don’t. You know she’s being logical and Jake doesn’t deserve it so you keep quiet. When she realizes her approach may have been a bit too harsh she softens a bit and takes a seat beside you.

“I’m sorry, I just-.” She cuts herself off with a deep inhale. “Jake will never love you the way Jungwon has. It’s harsh but true. Maybe Jake did have his reasons but that doesn’t change the fact that his approach was wrong. He didn’t stop to consider how hurt you would be and that’s not okay. Do you really want to be with someone who can hurt you so easily?”

She gently pats your back before continuing knowing you won’t answer. “Jake is selfish, he’s only ever cared about himself and Jungwon has only cared about you. Don’t miss out on what could be a great love with Jungwon because you’re infatuated with the idea of being with Jake.”

With that, she gets up and leaves you to stew in your thoughts. She’s right, Jungwon was the one to stay and pick up the pieces. He was the one to show you that love didn’t have to be painful, he’s patient, kind and above all absolutely madly in love with you. He healed you from the pain Jake caused so why are you self sabotaging? Who’s to say Jake won’t hurt you again? That he even has a valid reason for stringing you along?

Your phone buzzes on the couch pulling you out of your reverie. You sigh, expecting to find another text from Jake as you pick it up to look at it only to find it’s not from him but rather the other male you’ve been ignoring.

[November 17th, 7:37 PM]

[jungwon]: do you want to grab lunch with me at tatte tmr at 2?

You want to scream at how fate is playing out, now you really have to choose.

[November 18th, 2:17 PM]

You march up the sidewalk to the sound of the steady patter of rain against the pavement that leads to the little cafe that’s tucked between the huge city buildings and hidden away from view with vines crawling up its side. You come to a stop in front of the door and take a deep breath to calm yourself before entering.

A part of you is scared you’ve made the wrong decision, you want to turn around and run to him but you know you need to see this through. People love to think about the what if’s: what if I chose the wrong major? What if we weren’t meant to ever meet? What if things had just gone the way I had so desperately wanted them to?

For you, it's what could have been that plagues your mind. To you, they’re far worse than what if’s because they were within your reach, the possibility of it coming to fruition so near but never close enough.

Jake has been your biggest what could have been, your almost. You try and reason that it’s okay that you picked him in the end, you need to know why. Why your love wasn’t enough, why the two of you aren’t together, why he was so quick to give up on the two of you.

You head inside and note the cafe isn’t big, it’s small and cozy. You spot Jake easily, he’s sitting near the back by a window facing you. He offers you a hesitant smile and wave of his hand. You exhale and slowly walk towards his booth and slide into the seat across from him. He meekly slides a drink across the table.

“I know you always liked lattes so I ordered one for you, I hope you don’t mind.”

You look down at the drink he had slid over to your side. It sits prettily in a white china cup, a leaf pattern in delicate milky foam among the pale brown. You wrap your fingers around it, enjoying the heat that spreads through your hands, grateful for the little warmth it provides. You take a hesitant sip, it’s bitter, but you recall telling Jake that only babies ask for hot chocolate.

Truth is, you had stopped drinking lattes once your friendship with him ended, the drink brought back too many unwanted memories. Memories of walking to the nearest cafe in Brisbane during finals season to get your coffee fix to stay up and finish studying were too apparent and hurt too much.

You take a bigger sip and this time let the warm liquid sit on your tongue for longer. You can't smell the bitterness of coffee beans in the warm air of the cafe and you feel safe and calm for just a moment. You allow yourself to get enveloped in the smell of baking bread and let your worries slip away for just a split second.

You place the cup back onto the table and slowly come back to reality. “Thank you.”

Jake shoots a shy smile your way and shrugs, “anything for you.”

You clear your throat and sit straighter, back on alert. You fiddle with the handle of your teacup not knowing what to say. Was this a mistake after all?

Jake, sensing your hesitance, decides to speak up first. “I’m sorry.”

“Why’d you do it?”

Jake studies your face for a good minute. He notes all the subtle changes about you, he picks up on your new hairstyle and the change in your clothes. He also picks up on the awkwardness that hangs in the air, things have never been this tense between the two of you and he doesn’t know how to deal with it.

“I was scared that I wouldn’t be enough.” Jake looks away for a brief moment to collect his emotions and make his apology sound as sincere as it can be. “Ever since we were nine you’ve loved me and I was scared that I would mess things up, that once we made things official you would expect more from me, more that I didn’t know how to give and that ultimately I would be the cause of your unhappiness and all I’ve ever wanted was for you to be happy, ____.”

“I had enough love for the both of us,” you softly confess, your heart breaking at the revelation of how he truly felt at the time. “Why didn’t you just say that? Why didn’t you let me love you?”

Jake gulps, tears stinging his eyes. “Because it didn’t seem like a fair trade. You don’t deserve someone broken. I thought love came with conditions and I didn’t want to drain you.”

You frown, growing annoyed with how he declares how you feel. It irks you how his brain works, how he assumed how you would react, how you would feel rather than giving you the opportunity to brave through the motions together.

“You don’t get to just make decisions on my half.”

Jake stiffly nods. “I know, I’m sorry.”

Your hands ball up into fists, anger beginning to consume your body. “I’m sorry isn’t enough! I was in love with you Jake! I was willing to go to the ends of the earth just to see you smile! Why didn’t you just talk to me? I would have loved you enough until you could love yourself! We could have made it work!”

Jake shakes his head, “no we couldn’t have.”

You glare at him, “why the fuck not!?”

This time Jake stays silent. Your eyes challenge him though, begging him to continue. To give you one good reason as to why he walked away but he gives you nothing, once again making you look like a fool for throwing caution to the wind and picking him.

Angry tears pool in your eyes as you forcefully stand from your seat and stare down at Jake. He looks up at you in surprise and shame. “Don’t you fucking get it? Even after all this time, I’m still in love with you!” You scoff as you see his eyes widening at your confession. “And yet you still can’t be honest with me, I feel so stupid. You make me stupid Sim Jaeyun.”

You don’t wait for him to respond before you’re bolting out of the coffee shop and out into the rain. It’s coming down harder now than it was when you left. You let out a string of curses at how soaked you’re getting and at how embarrassed you feel for confessing your love to Jake.

“____! ____, wait!”

You hear him calling out to you but you don’t stop, if anything it spurs you on to walk faster. The streets of Newbury are astonishingly empty due to the rain making it seemingly easy for a clean escape. What you fail to take into account though is Jake’s ability to sprint due to years of soccer.

He grabs onto your arm and spins you around to face him, determination written all over his face.

“I don’t deserve love, ____ I don’t!” Jake can feel his head spin with hurt, pain and daunting thoughts that have always plagued his self-deprecating mind. “That’s why I walked away. I can’t be loved, not by you, not my dad, not by anyone. I’m not worthy of it… I’m not a lovable person.” 

“Oh my Gosh..” You place a hand over your mouth, emotions reaching a crescendo as you raise your voice. “Yes you are, Jake. Why do you think I’m standing here and telling you I love you? Why do you think I ever did any of the things I’ve done for you? Couldn’t you see it in the way I looked at you? In the way I touched you, the way I trusted you? You’re worth every fucking last bit of love I have.” 

“You are the greatest love I have ever known, ____. It felt selfish to keep you all to myself knowing you could have had more! Knowing I was holding you back-”

You shake your head cutting him off, “I only ever wanted you. You were always more than enough Jake and I wish you had just told me! I would have reassured you each and every time! That’s what you do when you love someone!”

Jake suddenly closes the gap between you, gripping your face intimately as he looks into your frantic eyes. “I didn’t know how to talk through my emotions, ____. I thought it was better to deal with it alone and that caused me the best thing I’ve ever had. I’m still in love with you. My feelings are so strong I don’t know what to do with myself. I can’t think straight, I don’t think straight when it comes to you.” Your eyes stare back at his desperate ones, Jake trying so desperately hard to get you to understand. “I want to try again. I want to do it right this time and never let you go.”

Your lips quiver, taken aback by his warm touch and confession. Unable to resist the urge any longer, Jake slowly leans forward, one hand firmly grasping your waist, the other resting at the base of your neck, and presses your lips together. Lightning cracks overhead as the rain continues to pour down on the two of you, soaking through your clothes. But none of it matters. A warmth radiates through you as you continue kissing Jake as the world seems to melt around you. After a few moments, you slowly pull away, taking a small gasp of air. A sheepish smile creeps onto Jake’s face as you sigh against his lips, breaking eye contact for a moment before Jake plants another, shorter kiss on your lips.

“I love you, ____. I’m sorry for not trying hard enough before but please, give me another chance to love you the right way. The way you deserve. I’m not scared anymore.”

You sniffle and nod your head, “”Okay. Let’s try again. No hiding this time. I want all parts of you Jaeyun, even the parts that scare you.”

He smiles and pecks your lip one last time. “You have all of me.”

bad habits | sim jaeyun + yang jungwon

ꕤ DESCRIPTION: Sim Jaeyun will always have a part of your heart; he was the first man you ever loved and the first man to ever break your heart. Yang Jungwon however, was the first man to ever sacrifice for you and your happiness. Now that you have Jake, you can’t help but wonder if you’ve made a catastrophic mistake.

❥ PAIRING: boyfriend!jake x f!reader & situationship!jungwon

❥ GENRE: slice of life!au, college!au

❥ WORD COUNT: ~16k

⟶ WARNINGS: soft dom!jake, sub!reader, oral (f!receiving), p in v intercourse, underaged drinking, swearing, possessive!jungwon, mentions of sobriety, heartbreak, mentions of smoking and drugs, cheating (?), let me know if i missed anything !

ꕤ A/N: this is the continuation of overpass graffiti…can you tell i’m an ed sheeran lover? :)

Lost in your thoughts, you don’t notice Jungwon coming in through the hallway with his suitcase behind him. He stops when he sees the flowers and then looks up at you.

“I would’ve known to get you lilies,” he comments, his voice cutting through your reverie. “Unlike Jake.”

You’re pulled out of your thoughts and make eye contact with Jungwon. It’s silent for a second as you take him in, noting the travel weariness in his eyes.

“How was Korea?” you ask tentatively.

He’s vague and blunt with his answer. “Fine.”

You shift on your feet, feeling the weight of the unspoken tension between you. “Did you have a good Chuseok?”

Jungwon nods, then looks at the peonies again before his gaze returns to you. “Jake doesn’t know anything about you,” he says, his tone sharp.

Before you can respond, he sidesteps you and enters his dorm, leaving you alone with your thoughts. You stare after him, the hurt in his words lingering in the air. Slowly, you bend down to pick up the bouquet. Carrying the peonies inside your dorm, you can’t help but think about how much has changed and how complicated everything has become. You place the flowers on the counter, staring at them for a moment before you begin unpacking your groceries.

Determined to keep yourself preoccupied, you dive into cleaning the entire dorm. You scrub the floors, dust the shelves, and organize every corner until everything is spotless and in perfect order. The physical activity helps clear your mind, but the lingering thoughts and feelings remain just below the surface.

As you finish wiping down the kitchen counter, your phone buzzes with a text. It’s from Avi.

[November 30th, 7:53 PM]

[avi]: hey, can you meet me at snell? i forgot my key :p

[you]: yeah what room number?

[avi]: 0119

Grabbing your keys, you head for the door. Just as you’re about to leave, another text comes in. This time, it’s from Jake.

[November 30th, 7:55 PM]

[jake]: did you receive my gift? :D

You pause, looking back at the peonies on the counter. After a moment of contemplation, you walk over to them, pick them up, and dump them in the trash. You text Jake back.

[November 30th, 7:57 PM]

[you]: yes, they’re beautiful. thank you.

With that, you leave your dorm, locking the door behind you.

bad habits | sim jaeyun + yang jungwon

ꕤ DESCRIPTION: Sim Jaeyun will always have a part of your heart; he was the first man you ever loved and the first man to ever break your heart. Yang Jungwon however, was the first man to ever sacrifice for you and your happiness. Now that you have Jake, you can’t help but wonder if you’ve made a catastrophic mistake.

❥ PAIRING: boyfriend!jake x f!reader & situationship!jungwon

❥ GENRE: slice of life!au, college!au

❥ WORD COUNT: 17.6k

⟶ WARNINGS: soft dom!jake, sub!reader, oral (f!receiving), p in v intercourse, underaged drinking, swearing, possessive!jungwon, mentions of sobriety, heartbreak, mentions of smoking and drugs, cheating, let me know if i missed anything !

ꕤ A/N: this is the continuation of overpass graffiti…can you tell i’m an ed sheeran lover? :)

“Am I doing something wrong?” Jake asks as he lifts his head from your core.

It’s currently around three in the morning, you woke up a few minutes ago unable to find any peace in your dreams and after constantly tossing and turning, you accidentally woke up Jake who tried luring you back to sleep with a kiss which quickly escalated to heavily making out and him making his way down south.

You whine, tugging at his hair and encourage him to continue. “What makes you think you could possibly be doing something wrong?”

“You look like you’d prefer to be anywhere else.” Rather than continuing like you had told him to, Jake lets one finger graze the length of your pussy, teasing your entrance slowly to try and turn you on again after realizing you were no longer wet. “What are you thinking of, love?”

Your thoughts instantly fly back to what has been plaguing your mind for the past four days and you immediately push his hands away. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Jake watches you fix your pajamas which consist of his oversized shirt and boxers before pulling the sheets over your body. He follows after you, waiting for an explanation. When you say nothing, he speaks up.

“Hey, no more secrets, remember?”

He slides an arm around your waist and pulls you in closer to his body. You inhale deeply at the reminder of your words. You sigh, chewing on your lip as you try to form a sentence without possibly upsetting him.

“I know it’s just…” You trail off and try to think through your emotions. You want to be upfront with him and let him know what you’re truly thinking and feeling but you barely know how to process it yourself let alone let someone else know what’s going on in your mind.

“I don’t know how to put it into words yet.”

“If you’re not ready to talk about it,” He pulls back to offer you a lopsided smile and places a kiss on your cheek, “It’s fine. Tell me whenever you are.”

Hesitantly, you nod; kissing his cheek before turning around and letting him spoon you. As you feel him drift into sleep, the weight of his arm slumping completely over your waist, your thoughts fly back to four nights ago, when your life seemingly took a drastic turn.

After Jake professed his love to you in the rain on Newbury street, the two of you took an uber back to his dorm to dry off and talk about the logistics of your relationship. It completely slipped your mind to tell your friends where you had disappeared off to and it didn’t help that your phone had died on the way to your destination.

You were once again so wrapped up in Sim Jaeyun that you were throwing caution to the wind and yet again placing him above yourself and others in your life. It wasn’t until six hours after you had arrived at his did you bother to charge your phone. Once the device turned on, the text messages came swarming in.

[November 18th, 2:17 PM]

[jungwon]: are you on your way?

[jungwon]: the rain is coming down hard i can meet you halfway if you want. i brought an extra umbrella just in case ^-^

[November 18th, 3:27 PM]

[jungwon]: y/n? i’m getting concerned it’s pouring

[jungwon]: are you okay?

[November 18th, 5:45 PM]

[jungwon]: avi told me about jake

[jungwon]: seriously y/n? you went back to that jerk??

[November 18th, 5:48 PM]

[avi]: you just couldn’t help yourself huh?

[avi]: i hope jake was worth it lol

[November 18th, 5:50 PM]

[beomgyu]: :/

[beomgyu]: the least you could do is respond to jungwons texts.

[November 18th, 6:53 PM]

[avi]: do you plan on ignoring all of us?

[avi]: at least let us know you’re okay.

[November 18th, 6:55 PM]

[jungwon]: i’m sorry for getting mad earlier but please let me know you’re okay y/n

[jungwon]: i’m worried.

[jungwon]: we don’t have to talk about jake just pls let me know where you are

[November 18th, 6:59 PM]

[avi to-toilet texters]: i’m done with the private messages

[avi to-toilet texters]: where are you y/n this isn’t funny.

[beomgyu to-toilet texters]: we’re not mad we just want to make sure you’re okay

[November 18th, 7:39 PM]

[avi to-toilet texters]: shit guys i’m scared

[avi to-toilet texters]: should we call the cops?

[beomgyu to-toilet texters]: wait let’s try her location first

[avi to-toilet texters]: …do you seriously think jungwon and i haven't tried that already?

[beomgyu to-toilet texters]: fuck

[beomgyu to-toilet texters]: i’m sorry i’m just freaking out this isn’t like her

[jungwon to-toilet texters]: i just checked all over campus

[jungwon to-toilet texters]: she’s not here

[avi to-toilet texters]: fuck

[beomgyu to-toilet texters]: fuck

[avi to-toilet texters]: this is the jake effect.

[avi to-toilet texters]: he shows up for two seconds and now look

[beomgyu to-toilet texters]: avi…

To say you were embarrassed would be an understatement. You quickly responded to the groupchat letting them know about your whereabouts and the circumstances as to why it took you so long to get back to them. None of them were pleased.

Apparently, Jungwon and Beomgyu were only a minute away from marching down to the police station to file a missing persons report. Avi didn’t hold back her anger and annoyance with you. The second you responded to the group chat with your measly apology she was calling you and going in over the phone.You shiver as you think back to her cold words.

"You've really done it this time, haven't you?" she snaps, her tone cutting through the air like a knife. "I can't believe you'd be so reckless, so selfish. And for what? For that jerk?"

Her words strike a nerve, a pang of guilt twisting in your chest as you struggle to find the right response. But before you can gather your thoughts, Avi's tirade continues, her voice growing more heated with each passing moment.

"You're no better than him, you know," she continues, her words heavy with disdain. "Hurting Jungwon like that, just to chase after some guy who doesn't give a damn about you? You two deserve each other."

The weight of her words hangs heavy in the air, a painful reminder of the rift between you and your friends.

"I'm sorry, Avi," you whisper, your voice barely above a whisper. "I never meant to hurt anyone. But please, try to understand..."

But before you can finish, Avi cuts you off, her voice cold and dismissive. “Try to understand? ____, Jungwon was ready to call the cops!"

You wince at her words, the guilt weighing heavily on your shoulders. "I-I'm sorry, Avi," you stammer, your voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't mean to worry you guys. It's just... things got complicated."

"Complicated?" Avi scoffs, her disbelief evident. "You mean you were too wrapped up in Sim Jaeyun to even bother letting us know you were okay?"

Tears prickle at the corners of your eyes as you listen to her words, the reality of the situation hitting you like a punch to the gut. "I'm sorry," you repeat, your voice trembling with emotion. "I didn't mean to hurt you guys. I just... I needed some time to figure things out."

"I don't want to hear it," she snaps, her tone final. "Jungwon didn’t deserve what you did to him. You deserve the inevitable pain that comes with Jake."

With that, she ended the call, leaving you reeling in the aftermath of her anger. That was four days ago. Out of shame you’ve been hiding out in Jake’s dorm, too embarrassed to even show your face on your own campus. Jake, having heard the heated conversation from his seated position next to you on his couch, offered to let you sleep over until Avi cooled down and you felt more comfortable to go home.

But as the days come to pass you don’t think you’ll ever be ready to go back home. If there even is a home for you to go back to. Every night you fall asleep thinking of your friends and how you’ve messed things up, how they’re doing, if they miss you as much as you miss them, if they’ll ever forgive you. Especially Jungwon.

He just won’t leave your thoughts. You wake up thinking of him and fall asleep dreaming of him. You know eventually you’ll have to man up and make amends with him but a part of you fears you’ve messed up too greatly this time. That Jungwon no longer wants anything to do with you and you can’t blame him for that.

You led him on and let him hold onto the false narrative of the two of you becoming something only to leave him in the dust once Jake came around. There’s an unsettling feeling bubbling up in your chest as you once again analyze your decisions.

You’re happy with Jake, right? This is what you’ve always wanted and yet you have this gut feeling you’ve made the biggest mistake of your life.

“You’re thinking too loudly, babe, please go to sleep.” Jake mumbles while yawning, pulling you closer. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”

You hope so, too.

Present day | November 22nd

“Wake up!”

The sound of Jay's cheerful voice breaks through the haze of sleep, pulling you from the comfort of Jake's embrace. With a soft groan, you bury your face deeper into the warmth of the blankets, reluctant to leave the cocoon you've found.

"Wake up sleepy heads!" Jay's voice calls again, this time accompanied by the gentle shake of your shoulder.

Reluctantly, you peel open your eyes, blinking against the intrusion of light filtering in through the window. Jake stirs beside you, his arm tightening around your waist in a silent bid for you to stay a little longer.

But with a sigh, you muster the strength to sit up, rubbing the sleep from your eyes as you glance at Jay with a sheepish smile. "Morning," you mumble, your voice thick with sleep.

Jay grins back at you, his eyes sparkling with mischief as he gestures towards the clock on the wall. "Come on, you two. Sunghoon and Heeseung are waiting, and I made breakfast!"

The mention of food perks up Jake's interest, and he shoots you a playful grin before swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. "You heard the man," he says, his voice laced with excitement. "Let's go eat!"

With a shared laugh, you and Jake follow Jay out of the bedroom and into the cozy kitchenette of their dorm. The scent of freshly cooked pancakes fills the air, mingling with the aroma of brewing coffee as Jay sets the table with an infectious energy.

As you settle down to breakfast with Jake and Jay, the warmth of their friendship washes over you, bringing you genuine joy with their connection.

As you sip your coffee and dig into the delicious pancakes Jay prepared, you find yourself reflecting on the bond you've been forming with him over the past couple of days. It wasn’t easy at first, considering the tension that arose between him and Beomgyu at the party. But Jay's sincere apology and explanation about his protective nature towards Jake helped to ease the tension.

You remember how he had approached you two days ago, a sheepish smile on his face as he apologized for his near fight with Beomgyu. His explanation had made sense, and his genuine remorse had been evident. Jay's willingness to take responsibility for his actions had impressed you, and it had been the first step towards building trust between you.

And then, there was his joke about nearly stealing you away from Jake at the party, a playful comment that had brought a smile to your lips. Despite the initial awkwardness between you, Jay's sense of humor had helped to break the ice and pave the way for a more comfortable interaction.

As you glance at Jay now, chatting animatedly with Jake as they discuss their plans for the day, you can't help but feel grateful for his presence in your life. His friendship has become an unexpected source of support and laughter, adding a new dynamic to your relationship with Jake.

With a newfound sense of appreciation for the friendship blossoming between you and Jay, you join in the conversation, eagerly anticipating the group hang out with Sunghoon and Heeseung.

With a curious glint in your eyes, you turn to Jay and Jake, the question lingering on the tip of your tongue. "What are Heeseung and Sunghoon like?" you inquire, eager to learn more about their friends.

Jay's grin widens at your question, his enthusiasm contagious. "Heeseung’s the mood maker," he begins, his voice filled with admiration. "He's the most social out of all of us and always knows how to keep the energy up."

Jake nods in agreement, a fond smile playing on his lips. "Yeah, Heeseung is on the basketball team, and he's got this natural charm that draws people to him," he adds. "You'll love him."

“As for Sunghoon," Jay continues, his expression thoughtful, "he's a bit more reserved at first, but when you get to know him, he's a certified yapper. Once he warms up, he's got a lot to say."

Jake snorts, “yeah, if you thought I was bad Sunghoon’s worse, don’t get him started on Yeji or anything skating related he’ll never shut up.”

You perk up at the mention of another girl, “Yeji? Is that his girlfriend?”

Jay nearly spits out his coffee and Jake doubles over from the force of his laughter.

You frown. “What, did I say something wrong?”

Jake shakes his head and wraps his arm around your shoulder to bring you in, “No baby, Yeji is his little sister.”

Your mouth makes an O shape as it sinks in why they were so amused, “my bad.” You sheepishly murmur.

Jay wipes away a tear of laughter as he recovers, still chuckling. "No worries, happens to the best of us."

Jake gives you a reassuring squeeze before releasing you. "Yeah, Sunghoon practically worships the ground his little sister walks on," he explains, his laughter subsiding into a warm smile. "You'll see what we mean when you meet him."

With the misunderstanding cleared up, you finish up breakfast with Jake and Jay, the lively conversation and laughter filling the small kitchenette. As the last of the dishes are washed and dried, you make your way back to Jake's room to get ready for the day ahead.

As you rummage through your limited selection of clothes, Jake enters the room with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I've got something for you," he says, holding up a small shopping bag.

Curious, you peek inside to find a Harvard hoodie nestled within. It's maroon with the school's name printed on the front with its emblem up in the corner. You stare at the hoodie, not sure what to make of it. "Jake, you didn't have to..."

He cuts you off with a grin. "I wanted to," he insists, his eyes warm with affection. “I have a matching one, plus if you do decide to transfer you need to have a Harvard hoodie, it’s a rite of passage here!”

Your hum as your mind flashes back to the conversation you had with Jake a few days ago.

You were walking through Harvard’s campus on your way to his dorm. The imposing, ivy-covered buildings made you feel out of place, a stark reminder that this had once been your dream school. 

"I still can't believe you're here," you had said, half in awe and half in melancholy. "I used to imagine myself walking these paths every day."

Jake had looked at you, his expression serious. "You could still be here, you know. Transferring is always an option."

You had laughed then, a little bitterly. "It's not that simple, Jake. I have friends at Northeastern, a life... And Harvard feels so far away now."

Jake had stopped walking, turning to face you. "But if it makes you happy, isn't it worth considering? We could be together, and you'd finally be living your dream."

You had sighed, looking away. "I don't know, Jake. It's a lot to think about."

Shaking off the memory, you manage a small smile, touched nonetheless by the sentiment of his gift. "Thanks, Jake. I appreciate it," you say, your mind still swirling with conflicting emotions. On one hand, the thought of transferring to Harvard, being with Jake, and starting fresh is appealing. But on the other hand, the guilt of potentially betraying Avi, Jungwon, and Beomgyu tugs at your heart. They were your first friends here, and you can’t picture a life where they’re not in it.

As you slip on the hoodie, a comfortable warmth spreads through you, though it does little to ease the turmoil inside. Jake watches you, his smile faltering slightly as he notices your pensive expression.

"Hey," he says softly, breaking the silence. "Have you given it any more thought? Transferring, I mean."

You take a deep breath, turning to face him. "Honestly, no. I haven't really had the chance to think it through."

Jake's face softens, and he steps closer, taking your hands in his. "I understand. It's a big decision. But can you promise me one thing?"

"What?" you ask, your voice barely above a whisper.

"Promise me that you'll at least think about it. Not for me, but for yourself. You deserve to follow your dreams, and I don't want you to have any regrets."

You look into his earnest eyes, feeling a mix of gratitude and guilt. "I promise, Jake. I'll think about it."

He smiles, squeezing your hands gently. "That's all I ask."

You take another deep breath, pushing aside your worries for now. "Ready to go meet your friends?" you ask, trying to keep your voice light.

Jake nods, his smile widening. "Yeah, they're excited to meet you. The MFA is going to be amazing."

You grab your tote bag and head towards the door with him once he finishes getting dressed. As you step out into the hallway, you can't help but glance back at the dorm room you've been staying in, wondering how long you'll be caught between two worlds.

You join Jay in the living room, where he's waiting with the keys to his car in hand. "Ready to go?" he asks, flashing you a grin.

You nod eagerly, excitement bubbling within you as you anticipate the day ahead. With a final glance around the room, you follow Jay and Jake out of the dorm and into the chilly afternoon, ready to meet the people Jake considers his closest friends now.

As you pile into Jay's car, the excitement in the air is palpable. Jake takes the driver's seat, you settle into the passenger side, and Jay slides into the back, sandwiched between you. The engine roars to life, and with a grin from Jake, the car pulls out onto the road.

The ride is short but lively, filled with laughter and playful banter as you share stories and jokes. The music blasts from the speakers, a mishmash of songs from all your playlists, creating the perfect soundtrack for the journey. You find yourself singing along to familiar tunes, feeling the carefree joy of the moment wash over you.

Before you know it, Jake is pulling into a parking spot near the Museum of Fine Arts, and you all pile out of the car, eager to explore the exhibits.

Heeseung and Sunghoon are already waiting by the ticket booth, chatting animatedly as they purchase the tickets for the group. Heeseung's infectious smile lights up his face as he catches sight of you, and he waves enthusiastically.

"Jay! Jake!" he calls out, his voice friendly and welcoming. "Glad you could make it. I've been looking forward to finally meeting the ever so famous, ____ ."

Jake returns his smile with one of his own. "Aye~ chill out." he replies, his tone filled with a hint of embarrassment.

Sunghoon joins in, his own smile warm and inviting. "Nice to meet you," he says, nodding in your direction. "Jake's been talking about you nonstop."

You chuckle at the teasing remark, feeling a sense of ease settle over you in their presence. Despite the nerves that come with meeting new people, Heeseung and Sunghoon's friendly demeanor puts you at ease, and you can't help but feel excited for the day ahead.

With tickets in hand, you all make your way into the museum, ready to immerse yourselves in the world of art and culture.

As your group strolls through the museum, the array of artwork captivates your attention. Jake and Sunghoon, engrossed in the intricate details of Japanese art, wander ahead, their conversation a mix of admiration and fascination. Jay, however, lags a bit behind, his steps deliberate as he scrutinizes each piece with a keen eye.

Meanwhile, Heeseung and you find yourselves falling into step, engaged in a conversation about Jake. Heeseung's relief is palpable as he expresses his happiness about the reconciliation between you and Jake.

"He's been so happy lately," Heeseung confides, his voice filled with genuine happiness for his friend. "I'm really glad you two made up. It's like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders."

You nod in understanding. "Yeah, I'm glad we cleared the air. It feels good to be back on good terms."

Heeseung's smile widens, his eyes reflecting warmth. "You have no idea how much it means to him," he assures you.

You smile, not sure what to say in response. Sensing this Heeseung changes the topic.

“So, how do you like Boston?”

“It’s great! There’s so much to do. My friends and I love going to Newbury for the food festivals.” You say, a small smile on your face at the chance of talking about your friends.

Heeseung nods. “That sounds fun. Have you been to Allston yet? The kbbq  there is incredible.”

“Not yet, but it’s on my list,” you reply. “Jake keeps promising to take me.”

Heeseung chuckles. “He’d better. It’s a must-see.”

As you continue walking through the museum, admiring the exhibits, a wave of guilt washes over you as you stare at the back of Jake’s head. Memories of the previous night flood your mind, the warmth of Jake's embrace juxtaposed with the lingering doubts about your feelings for Jungwon.

Caught between the past and the present, you struggle to push aside the nagging thoughts that something isn’t right.

Heeseung glances at you before clearing his throat to ask, “are you transferring to Harvard?”

Caught off guard, you shake your head. “Why do you ask?”

His eyes shift down to the hoodie and understanding dawns on you.

“Oh. No, it was a gift from Jake. I’m still at Northeastern.”

Heeseung nods thoughtfully. “Makes sense. But you know, if you did transfer, it would probably help Jake a lot.”

You furrow your brow in confusion. “Help him? How?”

Heeseung’s brows pinch together as he frowns, "his sobriety?”

The revelation hits you like a ton of bricks, leaving you momentarily speechless as you stop walking. You had no idea that Jake had ever struggled with substance abuse.

Heeseung's face slowly falls as he realizes his mistake, cursing softly under his breath as he realizes he's dropped a bombshell on you without warning. "I'm sorry," he says, his voice tinged with regret. "I shouldn't have just blurted that out like that, I thought he told you."

You shake your head, trying to process the newfound information while also feeling a pang of sympathy for Heeseung's evident discomfort. "No, it's okay," you assure him, offering a reassuring smile despite the whirlwind of emotions churning within you.

Heeseung's expression softens, gratitude evident in his eyes as he meets your gaze. "Thanks," he murmurs, a note of relief in his voice. "I’m sure he’ll tell you soon, he’s been meaning to."

You nod in understanding, the weight of Heeseung's words sinking in as you come to terms with the realization that there's still so much about Jake's life that you don't know. "I'll wait for him to bring it up," you promise.

With a grateful smile, Heeseung bumps you on the shoulder before turning to rejoin the rest of the group, leaving you alone with your thoughts amidst the bustling museum crowds.

As the group continues to explore the museum, you find it increasingly difficult to focus on the artwork around you. You think about Jake’s struggles and the possibility of transferring to Harvard. While the idea of being there to support him is compelling, you can’t ignore the nagging guilt about Avi, Jungwon, and Beomgyu. They’ve always been there for you, and you don’t want to let them down by choosing Jake yet again.

Despite the vibrant chatter and laughter of your friends, you feel a growing sense of unease gnawing at your conscience.

When Jake suggests grabbing some food from El Jefe, your stomach churns with conflicting emotions. The prospect of spending more time with your newfound friends is enticing, but the memories of late nights at that very restaurant with Jungwon after studying all night fills you with sadness.

As you follow the group out of the museum and into the chilly streets of Boston, you realize just how close you are to your dorm. A pang of sadness tugs at your heart as you remember Avi and Beomgyu as well, wondering what they’re up to. The thought of facing them again fills you with apprehension, yet a part of you longs for the familiarity of their company.

As you approach El Jefe, the scent of delicious Mexican food wafts through the air, tempting your taste buds but as you guys gather around a table, eagerly discussing the meal choices, you find yourself hesitating.

"I think I'm gonna pass on lunch," you murmur, your voice barely above a whisper as you address Jake and the others. "I... I need to take care of something."

Jake's brow furrows with concern as he meets your gaze, sensing the sudden shift in your demeanor. "Are you okay?" he asks, his voice filled with genuine worry.

You force a smile, though it feels strained on your lips. "Yeah, I'll be fine," you assure him, though the lie tastes bitter in your mouth.

Heeseung, Jay, and Sunghoon exchange puzzled glances, sensing the tension in the air. But before anyone can question you further, you push back your chair and rise to your feet, the need for solitude outweighing the discomfort of their curious stares.

"Sorry, I just... I need to talk to someone," you explain vaguely, not wanting to burden them with the weight of your emotions.

Jake's expression softens with understanding, and he nods in silent acknowledgment of your unspoken plea. "Take all the time you need," he says gently, reaching out to squeeze your hand in a silent gesture of support.

With a grateful smile, you offer him a nod before turning on your heel and making your way out of the restaurant, the familiar ache of loneliness lingering in your chest.

First, you head to Wollaston's to buy cherry gummy bears for Jungwon. The bright, familiar packaging gives you a momentary sense of comfort, a small reminder of the inside jokes and shared moments with your friends.

With the gummy bears safely tucked into your bag, you make your way to your dorm room, your heart pounding with a mix of anticipation and anxiety.

Taking a deep breath, you push open the door and step into the lit hallway, the sound of your footsteps echoing against the walls. With each step, the tension in your shoulders mounts, the anticipation of facing Avi after so long weighing heavily on your mind.

Finally, you reach your dorm and let yourself in. You spot Avi’s shoes at the entrance, proving she’s home, but you find the little living room and kitchen empty, meaning she’s in her room. You walk up to her door and pause for a moment, gathering your thoughts before raising your hand to knock. The seconds tick by agonizingly slow, the silence stretching between you like a chasm.

Then, the door swings open, and there she stands, with her piercing gaze and arms crossed tightly across her chest. The tension in the air is palpable as you meet her eyes, the weight of unspoken words hanging heavy between you.

“Avi, can we talk?” you ask softly, stepping into the room.

Avi looks down, her eyes narrowing when she notices the Harvard hoodie. “What do you want?” she asks, her tone guarded.

“I know you’re upset, and you have every right to be,” you start, taking a deep breath. “I’ve been so wrapped up in Jake that I’ve neglected you and everyone else. I’m really sorry.”

Avi’s eyes flicker with uncertainty. “You’re wearing a Harvard hoodie. Are you already planning to leave us?”

“No,” you say quickly, shaking your head. “It was a gift from Jake. He talked to me about transferring, but I don’t want to leave my friends. You all mean too much to me.”

Avi studies you for a moment, her expression softening just a bit. “It feels like you’ve already left us, though.”

“I know,” you admit, feeling the sting of her words. “And I’m really sorry. I’ve been a terrible friend. But I want to make it right.”

Before Avi can respond, you hear a familiar voice from behind her. “She’s telling the truth, Avi,” Beomgyu says, coming into view. He’s sitting on the other side of her bed, partially hidden by her fugue. “She seems sincere.”

You turn to Beomgyu, your heart aching. “I’m so sorry, Beomgyu. I’ve been awful to you all, and I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I’m asking for it anyway. Please, give me a chance to make things right.”

Beomgyu looks at Avi, who sighs and nods slightly. He then turns back to you. “It’s going to take time, but I think we can give you that chance.”

Relief floods through you, and you feel tears pricking at the corners of your eyes. “Thank you. I promise I’ll do better.”

Avi gets up and walks over to you, pulling you into a hesitant hug. “Just don’t disappear on us again, okay?”

You nod, hugging her tightly. “I won’t. I promise.”

Beomgyu joins the hug, and for a moment, the three of you stand there, holding onto each other. When you finally pull away, you wipe your eyes and smile.

Avi breaks the silence with a question that catches you off guard. "So, how are things with Jake?" she asks, her tone hesitant yet curious.

Avi's question lingers in the air, and you take a moment to gather your thoughts before responding. "Things with Jake... they're actually going better than I thought," you admit, a small smile tugging at the corners of your lips. "I've met all of his friends, and they're actually really sweet."

Avi's eyebrows raise in surprise, though there's a hint of skepticism in her expression. "Really? Even Jay?" she asks, her voice laced with doubt.

You nod, feeling a pang of guilt at the mention of Jay's name. "Yeah, even Jay," you confirm. "He's been... really nice to me." You turn to Beomgyu. “He even apologized for how he came at you at the party. I'm sure if he saw you again, he'd apologize to you as well.”

Beomgyu nods softly and shrugs. “Water under the bridge? I'm glad you guys are getting along."

You offer Beomgyu a grateful smile before turning back to Avi. "I know we've got a lot to catch up on, but there's one more person I need to make amends with," you explain, your voice tinged with regret. "I need to talk to Jungwon."

Avi's expression softens at the mention of Jungwon's name, understanding dawning in her eyes. "Yeah, you do," she agrees quietly. "But take your time. He'll come around."

You nod and turn to Beomgyu who offers you a tight-lipped smile. “He should be in our room. He’s probably packing for Thanksgiving break,” Beomgyu offers as he lays back down on Avi’s bed. Your brows furrow at that.

“He’s going back to Korea?”

Beomgyu hums. “Said he needs the mental break.”

Avi sighs, sitting back down beside Beomgyu. “I was hoping we could all spend Thanksgiving together like we planned but I get he needs space.”

“I know,” you say, feeling a pang of guilt. “I didn’t realize things had gotten so bad for him.”

Beomgyu’s eyes soften. “He’s been really stressed. With everything that’s been happening, I think he just needs to get away and clear his head.”

“Maybe talking to him will help,” Avi suggests. “Even if he’s leaving, he deserves to know how much you care.”

You nod, taking a deep breath. “I hope so. I really don’t want to lose him as a friend.”

Beomgyu gives you a reassuring smile. “Just be honest with him. He’ll appreciate that, even if he’s still upset.”

“Thanks, Beomgyu,” you say softly. “I’m going to go talk to him now.”

Avi stands and gives you another quick hug. “Good luck. We’ll be here if you need us.”

With a nod, you leave Avi’s room and your dorm all together, your heart heavy. As you walk down the hallway towards Beomgyu and Jungwon’s shared dorm, your mind races with thoughts of how to approach Jungwon. The closer you get, the more you feel the weight of your actions and their impact on your friends.

When you reach your destination, the door is slightly ajar. You push it open gently and see Jungwon inside, methodically folding clothes and placing them into his suitcase in the living room. The sight of him packing feels like a punch to the gut, knowing that his departure is partly your fault.

“Jungwon,” you start tentatively, stepping inside.

He doesn’t look up, his movements precise and mechanical. “What do you want?”

“I came to apologize,” you say, holding out the gummy bears. “And I brought these. I know they’re your favorite.”

Jungwon glances at the gummy bears, then back to his suitcase. “You think gummy bears are going to fix this?”

“No,” you say quickly. “I just wanted to show you that I care. I’ve been a terrible friend, and I know I’ve hurt you.”

He finally stops packing and looks at you, his expression a mix of hurt and anger. “Do you even realize what you’ve done? It’s like we don’t matter to you.”

“That’s not true,” you say, your voice trembling. “You mean the world to me.”

Jungwon shakes his head. “If we meant so much to you, you wouldn’t have treated us like this. Do you know how it feels to watch the girl you’re in love with settle for some douchebag like Jake?”

Your breath catches. “Jungwon, I didn’t know…”

“Of course you didn’t,” he snaps. “Because you never took the time to see what was right in front of you. You were too busy chasing after Jake.”

“Jungwon, I…” you trail off, trying to find the right words. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

He scoffs. “You didn’t mean to, but you did. Over and over again. And the worst part is, you don’t even see it. The way you so willingly left Avi, Beomgyu, and me behind for Jake is alarming. I never knew you were this self-absorbed.”

Tears well up in your eyes. “Jungwon, please. I’m trying to make things right.”

He sighs, looking more tired than angry now. “You can’t just come back and expect everything to be okay. It doesn’t work like that. It’s not fair.”

“I know,” you say, your voice breaking. “But I’m willing to do whatever it takes to earn your forgiveness.”

Jungwon stares at you for a long moment. “If you want my forgiveness, you need to make a choice. Him or me.”

Your heart sinks. “Jungwon, please don’t make me choose.”

“I’m serious,” he says, his voice cold.

Desperate, you try to shift the conversation. “What about our Thanksgiving plans?”

Jungwon scoffs. “Spend it with Jake,” he retorts, his gaze flicking to the Harvard hoodie you’re wearing. “You know, the one who got you that hoodie. Remember when you said Harvard was your past and you were ready to focus on me and Northeastern? What a load of crap.”

You feel a surge of desperation. “Jungwon, please. I was confused. I didn’t know this would happen!”

“Oh, you didn’t know?” His voice rises, frustration clear. “That’s such bullshit! First you picked Jake over us, it was like a slap in the face. And now, you show up wearing that hoodie, like it’s some badge of honor.”

“It’s just a hoodie,” you protest weakly. “It doesn’t mean anything.”

“It means everything!” Jungwon shouts, slamming his suitcase shut. “It’s a symbol of all the times you put Jake first. You said you were done with Harvard, done with him being your priority, but here we are.”

“Jungwon, I’m sorry,” you plead, tears streaming down your face. “I never meant to hurt you. I love you, Avi, and Beomgyu. You’re my best friends.”

“Then why do you treat us like we’re second best?” he demands, his voice breaking. “Why did you lie to me?”

“I didn’t lie,” you whisper. “I was just… lost. Jake is my first love, and I got caught up in that. But you, Avi, and Beomgyu are my family. I don’t want to lose you.”

Jungwon’s expression softens for a brief moment, but then hardens again. “You already have,” he says quietly. “You’ve pushed me away too many times. I can’t trust you anymore.”

“What can I do?” you ask, desperation lacing your voice. “Tell me, and I’ll do it.”

“If you want my forgiveness, you need to make a choice. Him or me,” he repeats firmly.

“Jungwon, please,” you beg. “Don’t make me choose.”

“I’m serious,” he says, his voice cold. “I can’t watch you destroy yourself over Jake. So, make a choice.”

You stand there, speechless and trembling, the weight of his ultimatum pressing down on you. Jungwon looks away, his expression hardened. “Just go. I need to finish packing.”

Desperate and broken, you try one last time. “Jungwon, please…”

But he’s already turned his back on you, continuing to pack as if you aren’t there. With a heavy heart, you turn and leave the dorm, feeling more lost and alone than ever. As you walk down the hallway back to your room, the tears finally spill over, blurring your vision. The realization that you might have just lost one of your closest friends hits you hard.

The door to your dorm opens again, and Avi steps out, her face soft with concern. She takes one look at your tear-streaked face and pulls you into another hug, her grip tight and reassuring. “It’s going to be okay,” she whispers, her voice steady. “We’ll figure this out together.”

Beomgyu joins the two of you, “We’re here for you,” he says quietly. “No matter what happens.”

You take a shaky breath, still enveloped in Avi’s comforting embrace. “I don’t understand why Jungwon was so cold and closed off,” you say, your voice trembling, not used to being on the receiving end of his anger.

Avi pulls back slightly, enough to look you in the eyes. “It’s a given he’s upset. You’re important to him, and he feels hurt and betrayed. But that doesn’t mean he won’t come around. He just needs time.”

Beomgyu nods in agreement. “Jungwon’s always been the calm and understanding one, but everyone has their breaking point. He’s just reached his. Give him some space to process everything. He loves you too much to stay mad forever.”

You nod, feeling a glimmer of hope through the despair. “I just wish I hadn’t hurt him so badly.”

“We all make mistakes,” Avi says gently. “At least you’re trying to make up for it now.”

Beomgyu pats your shoulder. “Yeah, plus we’re here to help you.”

A small smile forms on your lips as you take in their words. “Thank you, both of you. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Avi squeezes your hand. “You don’t have to worry about that because we’re not going anywhere. We’ll get through this together.”

Feeling a bit lighter, you take a deep breath and straighten up. “I need to figure out how to fix things with Jungwon. But for now, I guess I should let him have his space.”

“That’s a good idea,” Beomgyu agrees. “Let him cool down. In the meantime, let’s focus on spending some time together. We’ve missed you.”

“Yeah,” Avi adds, her tone brightening. “Let’s do something fun.”

You smile, feeling a bit of the tension ease from your shoulders. “I’d like that. I’ve missed you guys too.”

With Avi and Beomgyu by your side, you start to walk back towards your bedroom.

November 28th | Thanksgiving Day

“This isn’t how I pictured Friendsgiving going.” Avi clears her throat, breaking the tense silence. 

You look around the room, taking in the scene. Your dorm is filled with people, but the atmosphere is anything but festive. Jake, Heeseung, Jay, and Sunghoon are here, along with Avi, Beomgyu, and yourself. The idea had been to merge friend groups for Thanksgiving/Chuseok, a suggestion from Avi and Beomgyu in an attempt to bridge the growing divide for your sake. But now, everyone sits awkwardly on the floor, picking at their side dishes, unsure of what to do or say.

Beomgyu is the next to break the silence. “How about we play a drinking game?” he offers, a hint of forced enthusiasm in his voice. “Might help loosen the tension.”

You sneak a glance at Jake, curious to see his reaction. He still hasn’t told you about his sobriety, and you wonder how he’ll handle this situation.

Jake looks around at the expectant faces, then clears his throat. “I don’t drink,” he says simply, his voice steady. “But I don’t mind if others do. I’ll just stick to the mocktails.” He offers a small smile and raises his glass of the non-alcoholic concoction you and Avi had prepared earlier.

You nod, making a mental note to ask him about it later, despite the promise you made to Heeseung not to mention it. The curiosity is too overwhelming to ignore.

Avi looks around, trying to salvage the situation. “Okay, mocktails for some, drinks for others. Let’s just try to have a good time.”

Heeseung nods. “What about Truth or Drink? It’s a good way to get to know each other better.”

Everyone exchanges glances, and after a moment, nods of agreement ripple through the group. Heeseung takes charge, explaining the rules quickly. “You either answer the question honestly, or you take a drink. Simple as that.”

The first few rounds are tentative, with everyone choosing relatively safe questions. Gradually, the atmosphere lightens as laughter and teasing fill the room.

Jay looks at Avi. “What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you?”

Avi laughs, her cheeks flushing as she recounts a story about a high school talent show gone wrong. The room erupts in laughter, and for the first time, the tension seems to dissipate.

During Sunghoon’s turn, you excuse yourself to get a refill of more banchan from the kitchen. Avi joins you, leaning against the counter as you gather the dishes.

“You know,” Avi says, her voice low so it doesn’t carry back to the others, “Jake and his friends aren’t all that bad.”

You glance at her, surprised but pleased. “Yeah, they’re really nice once you get to know them.”

Avi nods, then her expression turns somber. “I just wish Jungwon was here. Celebrating Chuseok was for him, after all. He was starting to get homesick after missing Chuseok with his family.”

A pang of sadness hits you at the reminder. You take a deep breath, trying to push away the ache in your chest. “I know. I miss him too. But at least he gets to celebrate a real Chuseok with his family.”

Avi gives you a small, sympathetic smile. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. It’s just not the same without him.”

You nod, trying to focus on the positive. “We’ll see him soon enough. And who knows? Maybe things will be better by then.”

Returning to the group with the banchan, you notice the warm, friendly atmosphere that has developed. Jake catches your eye and smiles, after placing down the ceramic serving dish you take a seat beside him.

As the game continues, Jay looks over at you and Jake. “You two make a really cute couple, you know that?”

Before you can respond, Sunghoon and Beomgyu, both tipsy, start hugging each other and pretending to make out, mimicking a couple to tease you and Jake. Everyone bursts into laughter, the playful antics breaking any remaining tension in the room.

Avi playfully rolls her eyes. “Alright, boys, cut it out,” she says with a grin. She glances at the clock on the wall and her eyes widen slightly. “Shit, it’s late. If you guys want, you can sleep over.”

The boys thank her, and the sleeping arrangements are quickly sorted out. Heeseung claims the couch, Sunghoon opts for the blow-up mattress on the floor, and Beomgyu, as always, takes his usual spot in Avi’s room. That leaves Jake and you to share your room.

As you and Jake get up to head to bed, the teasing starts again. “Oh, look at the lovebirds,” Sunghoon calls out, grinning mischievously.

“Don’t have too much fun in there,” Beomgyu adds with a wink.

Avi smirks. “Remember, the walls are thin. I’d appreciate it if Jake could keep his hands to himself tonight.”

Heeseung scoffs, laughing. “Jake doesn’t know what it means to keep his hands to himself.”

Jake rolls his eyes but can’t help but laugh along with everyone. “Fuck off,” he says, taking your hand as you both head to your room, the playful teasing still echoing in your ears.

Once inside your room, you close the door and turn to Jake, who’s still smiling. “That was fun,” he says, wrapping an arm around your waist.

“Yeah, it was,” you agree, leaning into him. “I’m really glad everyone’s getting along.”

Jake nods, his expression softening. “Me too. It means a lot to me.”

He steps back and strips off his shirt, revealing the well-defined muscles beneath. He climbs into your bed, his arms wide open in an inviting gesture. You slide in beside him, curling up on his chest. The warmth of his skin against yours is comforting, and you find yourself drawing little shapes on his chest with your finger. He sighs contentedly, pulling you in closer and kissing the top of your head.

“I’m so thankful for this second chance,” he whispers.

You place a soft kiss on his collarbone. “I’m happy too,” you reply, your voice barely above a whisper.

Jake waits a beat before pushing you away slightly, his expression turning serious. “I need to tell you something,” he says.

Your heart skips a beat. “What is it?”

He takes a deep breath. “The summer before you started at Northeastern, I went back home to Australia. I wanted to make amends, but I found out from my mom how hard you took it when I left. I didn’t realize how much I hurt you until then. When I heard that you didn’t get into Harvard, I felt like I had ruined everything for you. I was crushed.”

You stay silent, listening intently as he continues.

“When I came back, I started drinking and smoking. I even got into LSD. It got to a point where I would wake up, smoke a preroll, go back to bed, wake up again, smoke the remainder, then go about my day and probably smoke another five more times. I drank a lot to forget you and the pain I caused.”

You feel a lump form in your throat as tears well up in your eyes. Jake’s voice trembles slightly as he recounts his past.

“There was this party… I got so crossfaded that I passed out and was unresponsive for over twenty minutes. That was the turning point. Jay cried and begged me to stop. Said he didn’t want to see me dead. That’s why we’re so close. He even gave up drinking for a while to help me out, and Heeseung and Sunghoon gave up parties to support me. They’re like brothers to me, not just friends.”

By now, silent tears are streaming down your face. Jake gently wipes them away, his eyes filled with concern and vulnerability.

“I understand if this changes things for you,” he says softly. “But I needed to tell you.”

You shake your head, your emotions overwhelming you. Leaning in, you kiss him hard, pouring all your feelings into that kiss. When you finally pull away, you look into his eyes, your voice firm and resolute.

“It doesn’t change anything, Jake. If anything, it makes me love you more for your honesty.”

Jake’s eyes glisten with unshed tears, and he pulls you into a tight embrace. “Thank you,” he whispers.

You shift and move yourself onto his lap, straddling his waist, your knees on either side of his legs. You wrap your arms around his neck and place your lips onto his own pouty ones, kissing him slowly. Jake moves his hands to your waist, and grips them tightly before pulling away.

You pout at the loss of contact and move your head to the crook of his neck to place soft kisses there. Jake whines and grips your waist once again.

“B-baby wait.”

You sigh but pull away to look into his eyes.

“We don’t have to do anything we can just cuddle.” Jake says, rubbing slow circles onto your thigh. You shake your head.

“I want to.”

Jake stares into your eyes searching for any hesitance before asking one more time, “are you sure?”

You nod. “As long as you promise to not leave me this time.”

Jake brings a hand up to your cheek and gently caresses it. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Jake's lips fall upon yours again, his lips moving in a frenzied fashion this time.

Instinctively, your arms wrap around his shoulders, pulling him closer into you. Jake lets out a soft growl against your lips before pulling away. Peppering kisses along your jaw, he trails down the column of your throat before nuzzling his face into the juncture of your shoulder.

"God- I've missed you," Jake whispers as he breathes in your calming scent. You place your hands in his hair threading the strands, you lazily play with the locks at the nape of his neck.

"I missed you too. A lot," you moan out as Jake begins to suckle bruises onto the tender flesh of your throat. Jake sucks in a sharp breath at the feeling of you tugging on his hair and immediately switches positions with you. He swiftly cages you between his body and the mattress before moving down to be level with your dripping pussy. You jerk at the sudden movement, your eyes widening at the sight of him.

Jake groans out as he runs his nose along the exposed flesh of your inner thigh. Your breath hitches at the sensation, Jake’s large hands slowly wrap around your thighs before he parts your legs.

Running his nose against your panties, Jake takes in a deep breath before groaning as the scent of your arousal runs through his nose. He pushes your sleep shirt further up your hips, his lips gently kissing his way up the length of your thigh. Positioned just over your hip, Jake places a tender kiss above where your bone is. Then, he bites down on the waistband of your panties before slowly sliding it down your legs.

Gripping one of your thighs, he pulls it to rest over his shoulder, exposing your pussy even more. Jake shudders as the scent of your arousal deepens. Biting his lip, Jake edges closer to your folds before tentatively licking a line: all the way from your core to your clit.

“Oh my gosh,” you groan out, your head lolling back while one of your hands shoots out to tangle into his thick hair. Hearing your low groan, Jake smirks against your pussy before repeating the action. Spikes of pleasure run up and down your spine, your eyelids fluttering as you lose yourself into the pleasure he brings upon your body.

Soft lips wrap around your clit, Jake pulls the sensitive bud into his mouth before lightly sucking on it. His ministrations cause you to gasp - the sound quickly morphing into a heavy moan when he nips your throbbing clit. Tangling your fingers further into his hair, you tug as hard as you can on his hair, trying to get him to move faster.

“J-jake.” you whine needily, desperation heavy in the high pitch of your voice.

Jake pushes two fingers into you, your body jerks at the sudden intrusion as you tug at his hair reflexively. Twisting his fingers into you, Jake pumps his digits in and out, relishing in the feel of your pulsating walls around him as he continues eating you out.

“Cumming-” you gasp out, your voice cracking under the pleasure.

“Then cum baby- cum all over my tongue. wanna taste you, ” Jake urges. The filthiness of his words, paired with the way he harshly sucks your clit, instantly has you cumming.

You whine out his name, gasping for air, you slowly come down from the high of your orgasm. Jake patiently waits for you to come back to reality.

Once you catch your breath he moves up to place a soft kiss on your awaiting lips.

“How are you feeling princess?”

You adjust your shirt to cover your lower half before responding. “Good.”

“Want to continue?”

You nod, “yes. Want to feel you inside me.”

Jake groans at your words. “Do you have a condom?”

You hum and nod your head towards your bedside drawer. “First shelf.”

Jake removes himself from you to walk towards the shelf and takes out the small foil before opening it and rolling the condom over his dick. Sighing at the feeling of finally touching himself. He gives himself a few tugs and makes sure the condom is secured before walking back to you.

Jake’s cock is ready, heavy against his palm as he takes a hold of the base and spreads your legs apart. His chest is littered with beads of sweat. “Your pussy looks so fucking good.” He remarks, letting the pink tip of his dick rub against your wet folds. You both moan at the sensation.

With one more rub of his head, he lines himself against your entrance and slowly pushes his hips forward. You think you could come instantly again.

“Fuck.” You let out as you place a hand on his chest, letting the feel of his cock overtake your entire body. He stops when he’s reached the hilt, careful to rock his hips out before slamming them back into you. You can’t help but cry his name out.

“I won’t last long.” Jake whimpers, you move the hand on his chest to the back of his neck as you push his head forward to kiss you. He follows suit, beginning a rhythmic pace of his hips as you lose yourself further and further into him.

Jake kisses you feverishly, hot and wet against your mouth as he continues to rock in and out of you. His breaths labored, filthy words and curses escaping him as you clench around him with each thrust.

“Ngh- not gonna last long either!” You’re losing your mind, already close to a second orgasm. You know you’re going to come again soon.

Jake takes your legs and places your ankles on his shoulder, plummeting into you with a force so delicious, you’re about to go delirious

“Fuck, turn around for me.” You do as requested, turning to your stomach. Jake pulls your ass up towards him and lines himself up once again. Without hesitation this time, he pushes into you.

“Oh my gosh,” Jake is moaning out. He grabs a handful of your ass, using it as support while he rams into you with no plans of slowing down. The room is filled with the sound of your skin slapping and your shared moans. You have no doubt everyone can hear the two of you.

Jake reaches forward immediately gravitating towards your clit and rubs to bring you over the edge.

It doesn’t take much longer before your heels are digging into the mattress and you’re cumming. You feel Jake still behind you as he releases into the condom.

You lay still, letting your cum dribble out of you as Jake pulls out.

“Was that okay?” Jake asks, leaning forward to kiss your shoulder. You nod in reassurance, twisting your head around so he can kiss your lips.

“More than okay.”

The morning light filters softly through the blinds as you slide out of Jake’s arms, careful not to wake him. You dress quickly and head to the kitchen, intent on starting breakfast for your guests. To your surprise, you find Jay already there, rummaging through the ingredients and setting up to make breakfast.

“Jay?” you say, taken aback but not entirely surprised. He looks up and gives you a sheepish smile.

“Hey,” he replies, cracking an egg into a bowl. “Figured I’d get a head start.”

You smile and move to help him, grabbing a knife and starting to cut up some fruit. As you chop strawberries, the silence between you feels companionable. Finally, you muster the courage to speak up. “Thank you.”

Jay glances up from the omelette he’s making, his brow furrowing in confusion. “For what?”

You put down the knife and turn to face him fully. “Thank you for taking care of Jake when I couldn’t.”

Jay’s expression softens, and he shakes his head. “You don’t need to thank me. I love Jake. He’s like a brother to me.”

You nod, appreciating his sincerity. You both return to your tasks, the kitchen filled with the sound of sizzling and chopping. After a moment, Jay speaks up again.

“Are you confident in your decision to be with Jake?” he asks gently.

You hesitate, your hands pausing mid-chop. Jay notices and quickly adds, “I won’t judge you, whatever your answer is.”

You take a deep breath, considering your words carefully. “I’m happy to finally have the boy I’ve always loved,” you begin slowly. “But sometimes… sometimes I find myself thinking about Jungwon and what could have been.”

Jay nods, understanding in his eyes. “I get it. But you need to decide who you want to be with. Jake is fully invested in you, and I’d hate to see him destroyed if you drag this out only to decide you want Jungwon in the end.”

His words hit hard, and you can’t help but fall silent, lost in thought. The reality of your situation settles heavily on your shoulders. You return to chopping strawberries, your mind racing.

Jay reaches over and places a hand on your shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Whatever you decide, just be honest with yourself and with them. That’s all anyone can ask.”

You nod, grateful for his words and his support. As the two of you finish preparing breakfast, you can’t shake the feeling of uncertainty that lingers. With the fruit salad complete and the omelettes almost ready, you begin to bring the food out. As you enter the living room, Heeseung rises and shakes awake Sunghoom so they can take their seat on the floor as you bring in plates of food.

One by one, everyone makes their way to the living room, the aroma of breakfast drawing them in. Avi and Beomgyu are next, followed by Jay, who gives you a reassuring nod. Jake is the last to emerge, his hair tousled and a sleepy smile on his face. He takes a seat beside you, wrapping an arm around your shoulders.

The room falls into a comfortable silence as everyone starts to eat. But it doesn’t last long.

Beomgyu is the first to break the silence. “You two are disgusting,” he says, pointing his fork at you and Jake. “Do you know everyone heard you last night?”

Avi groans, covering her ears dramatically. “My poor ears!”

Heeseung and Sunghoon join in, laughing and shaking their heads. “Seriously, guys,” Sunghoon says, rolling his eyes. “Couldn’t you have kept it down a bit?”

You hide your face in Jake’s chest, your cheeks burning with embarrassment. Jake chuckles, rubbing your back soothingly. “Hey, come on,” he says, defending the two of you. “We weren’t that loud.”

Avi rolls her eyes playfully. “Sure, Jake. Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

Heeseung smirks before letting the loudest moan rip from his throat. “fuck jake…i’m not gonna last long.” He exclaims, his voice exaggerated and mocking.

Mortified, you cover your face with your hands, wishing the ground would swallow you up. “Heeseung, stop!” Jake says, trying to suppress his own laughter. “Seriously, guys, cut it out.”

But the rest of them join in, their laughter filling the room. Avi tries to hold back her giggles as she adds, “I swear, I thought you were filming a movie in there.”

Beomgyu grins, leaning into Sunghoon as they both mimic exaggerated kissing noises. “Oh, Jake! Oh, yes!” Beomgyu echoes, clutching his sides in laughter.

You groan, burying your face even deeper into Jake’s chest. “I can’t believe this,” you mumble, your voice muffled.

Jake’s arm tightens around you protectively. “Alright, alright, enough,” he says, trying to sound serious but failing to hide his amusement.

Heeseung, still giggling, wipes a tear from his eye. “Sorry, we couldn’t resist. But seriously, you guys are cute together.”

You peek out from behind your hands, your face still flushed. “Thanks, I guess,” you mutter, trying to salvage some dignity.

Jake kisses the top of your head, whispering, “Don’t worry about them. They’re just jealous.”

Beomgyu scoffs, “jealous? Please I can pull anyone.”

Avi snorts. “And yet you’re still bitchless.”

November 30th

It’s now Saturday and you're out buying groceries, determined to do a dorm refresh. It’s been a busy few days, and you’re looking forward to a quiet evening to reorganize your space and settle into some semblance of normalcy before classes start back up. With bags in hand, you make your way back to your dorm, already planning out how you’ll spend the rest of the day.

As you approach your door, you notice a bouquet of peonies resting against the frame. You pause, staring at the flowers. You know they’re from Jake. He used to give you peonies on your dates back in Australia, a sweet gesture that always made you smile. But now, they serve as a cutting reminder of how much has changed since Jake has been back in your life. You’ve hated peonies ever since he left.

Lost in your thoughts, you don’t notice Jungwon coming in through the hallway with his suitcase behind him. He stops when he sees the flowers and then looks up at you.

“I would’ve known to get you lilies,” he comments, his voice cutting through your reverie. “Unlike Jake.”

You’re pulled out of your thoughts and make eye contact with Jungwon. It’s silent for a second as you take him in, noting the travel weariness in his eyes.

“How was Korea?” you ask tentatively.

He’s vague and blunt with his answer. “Fine.”

You shift on your feet, feeling the weight of the unspoken tension between you. “Did you have a good Chuseok?”

Jungwon nods, then looks at the peonies again before his gaze returns to you. “Jake doesn’t know anything about you,” he says, his tone sharp.

Before you can respond, he sidesteps you and enters his dorm, leaving you alone with your thoughts. You stare after him, the hurt in his words lingering in the air. Slowly, you bend down to pick up the bouquet. Carrying the peonies inside your dorm, you can’t help but think about how much has changed and how complicated everything has become. You place the flowers on the counter, staring at them for a moment before you begin unpacking your groceries.

Determined to keep yourself preoccupied, you dive into cleaning the entire dorm. You scrub the floors, dust the shelves, and organize every corner until everything is spotless and in perfect order. The physical activity helps clear your mind, but the lingering thoughts and feelings remain just below the surface.

As you finish wiping down the kitchen counter, your phone buzzes with a text. It’s from Avi.

[November 30th, 7:53 PM]

[avi]: hey, can you meet me at snell? i forgot my key :p

[you]: yeah what room number?

[avi]: 0119

Grabbing your keys, you head for the door. Just as you’re about to leave, another text comes in. This time, it’s from Jake.

[November 30th, 7:55 PM]

[jake]: did you receive my gift? :D

You pause, looking back at the peonies on the counter. After a moment of contemplation, you walk over to them, pick them up, and dump them in the trash. You text Jake back.

[November 30th, 7:57 PM]

[you]: yes, they’re beautiful. thank you.

With that, you leave your dorm, locking the door behind you. As you make your way to the classroom to meet Avi, you try to push the confusion and hurt to the back of your mind.

When you arrive, Avi is waiting by the door, looking relieved to see you. “Thank you so much for coming. I can’t believe I forgot my key.”

“It’s no problem,” you reply, handing her the spare key you’ve brought along.

Avi takes the key but doesn't move to grab her things right away. Instead, she looks at you with an expression of concern. “Hey, I’m really sorry... for everything. I love you, you know that, right?”

You furrow your brow in confusion. “Of course I know that. Why are you saying this now?”

Before you can react, Avi gives you a gentle but firm shove, pushing you into the classroom. The door slams shut behind you, and you hear the unmistakable sound of it being locked. You whirl around, banging on the door. “Avi! What the hell?”

From the other side of the door, you hear Avi’s voice, firm and resolute. “You’re not allowed to leave until you make amends with Jungwon.”

“What?” you shout, turning back to face the room. Your eyes land on Jungwon, who is sitting at one of the desks, lazily twirling a pencil between his fingers. The sight of him only heightens your agitation.

You bang on the door again. “Avi, let me out! This isn’t funny.”

Beomgyu’s face appears in the small window of the door. “No can do. We’re tired of you talking about how much you miss Jungwon and tired of him asking about you. You two need to hurry up and make up.”

The weight of their words sinks in as you slowly turn back to Jungwon, who has now stopped playing with the pencil and is watching you with a guarded expression. The tension in the room is palpable, and for a moment, neither of you speaks.

Finally, you break the silence. “Jungwon, this is ridiculous. We don’t have to do this.”

Jungwon raises an eyebrow. “Do you really think they’ll let us out if we don’t?”

You take a deep breath, trying to calm your racing heart. “I’m sorry, okay? For everything. I know I hurt you, and I’m really, really sorry.”

Jungwon’s expression remains neutral, but his eyes reveal the hurt and anger he still feels. “It’s not that simple.”

“I know,” you say softly, taking a tentative step towards him. “I’ve been a terrible friend. I got caught up in everything with Jake and neglected the people who matter most to me. I hate that I did that to you.”

Jungwon looks down at the pencil in his hand, spinning it slowly. “It’s more than that. You led me on and had me think we could ever be something.”

Your heart sinks at his words. “Jungwon, I never meant to lead you on. I didn’t realize how you felt until it was too late.”

He scoffs, finally looking up at you. “How could you not realize? I was always there for you, always trying to show you how much I cared. But you were too wrapped up in yourself to see it.”

You feel a flare of defensiveness rise within you. “Jungwon, I told you from the start that I didn’t do relationships. You knew that about me.”

Jungwon’s eyes narrow. “Then what was the point in telling me at the party you were ready to move on? If you knew you still didn’t want to date, why give me the false hope?”

You falter, his words hitting harder than you expected. “I…I thought I was ready.”

He shakes his head, frustration evident. “But you weren’t. And in the process, you played with my feelings. Do you know how confusing and hurtful that is?”

“I’m sorry, Jungwon,” you say, your voice shaking. “I didn’t mean to give you false hope. I genuinely meant what I said at the party! I wasn’t expecting Jake to come back into my life.”

Jungwon looks at you, his expression hard to read. “So, what now? You just expect me to forget everything and be okay with being your second choice?”

You shake your head vehemently. “No, that’s not what I’m saying. I just want you to understand that I was confused. I never meant to hurt you, Jungwon. I care about you so much.”

“Caring about someone isn’t enough,” he says quietly, his voice tinged with sadness.

A heavy silence settles between you, thick with unresolved tension. Jungwon breaks it with a question that slices through the air. “Why Jake?”

You look up, startled. “What do you mean?”

“He doesn’t know you like I do,” Jungwon continues, his voice raw. “You’re not the same girl he grew up with. You’ve changed, and he hasn’t been here to see that.”

You open your mouth, but no words come out. Finally, you manage to say, “he’s my first love.”

“That doesn’t mean he has to be your only love,” Jungwon counters, taking a step closer. His eyes bore into yours, filled with an intensity that makes your heart race.

Before you can respond, he steps even closer, his breath warm against your skin. He’s so close you can feel the heat radiating off him. For a moment, it feels like he’s about to kiss you, but then your phone rings, breaking the moment.

You glance at the screen: it’s Jake. Jungwon’s eyes flicker to the phone and back to you, pleading. “Don’t answer it.”

You hesitate but then silence the call, your heart pounding in your chest. Jungwon’s expression softens, and he reaches up to caress your cheek. “You deserve someone who knows you inside and out. Someone who’s been there through everything. I’m that someone.”

His words hang in the air, and before you can process them, he leans in and kisses you. It’s gentle at first, a question rather than a demand. You respond, your arms wrapping around his neck as the kiss deepens, your emotions swirling together in a mix of confusion, guilt, and longing.

When you finally pull away, you’re both breathless. The weight of what just happened settles over you. Jungwon searches your eyes, his thumb still tracing your cheek. “I love you,” he whispers. “I’ve always loved you.”

You stand there, your heart torn between the familiarity of your past and the promise of your future. The sound of your phone vibrating with another call from Jake is a distant echo as you and Jungwon stare at each other, caught in a moment that feels like it could change everything.

“We shouldn’t have done that,” you say, your voice shaking.

Jungwon shrugs, his eyes unwavering. “I don’t feel bad about it.”

You swallow hard, the weight of his words settling over you. “Jungwon, this isn’t fair. I’m so confused right now.”

He takes a deep breath, his gaze softening. “I’m serious about you. I’ve always been. I want you to give us a chance.”

His words hang in the air, heavy with meaning. You’re once again faced with the ultimatum: Jake or Jungwon. The pressure feels unbearable, your heart torn in two directions. Before you can respond, there’s a loud knock on the door.

“Have you two made up yet?” Beomgyu’s voice calls from the other side, filled with impatience.

You and Jungwon exchange a look, the weight of the unspoken words between you. You shake your head, unable to bring yourself to lie. But Jungwon pulls away from you and steps forward, his hand brushing against yours as he replies, “Yeah, we’ve made up.”

The door opens, and Avi and Beomgyu peer in, looking between the two of you. Jungwon gives you one last look, longing swimming in his eyes, before he steps past them and leaves the room. 

Your phone starts ringing again, Jake’s name flashing on the screen. You stare at it, the decision you need to make feeling more daunting than ever. As the door closes behind Jungwon, you’re left standing there, the sound of the phone’s persistent ring echoing in the silence.

Avi steps forward, concern etched on her face. “How do you feel? How did things go?”

You take a deep breath. “We... we kissed.”

Both Avi and Beomgyu’s eyes widen in shock. “You what?” Avi exclaims, her voice a mixture of surprise and concern.

Beomgyu, recovering first, gives you a thoughtful look. “Are you going to tell Jake?”

Avi cuts in, “You don’t have to.”

Beomgyu raises a brow at her. “Seriously,”

Avi shrugs, “what? I support women’s right and wrongs.”

You hesitate, the previous question hanging heavy in the air. “I... I don’t know what I’m going to do,” you admit. “Everything’s so complicated.”

Beomgyu sighs, running a hand through his hair. “Look, as much as I've grown to like Jake, I’ve always thought Jungwon was the right one for you. He understands you in a way Jake never will.”

Avi elbows him lightly, shooting him a warning look. “Beomgyu, that’s not helping.” She turns to you, her eyes soft with sympathy. “But... I kind of agree. You and Jungwon just…click.”

You look between your two friends, feeling more conflicted than ever. “I don’t know what to do,” you whisper, your voice breaking. “I care about both of them, but...”

Avi steps closer, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. “Take your time. You don’t have to decide right now. Just...think about what makes you happiest, what feels right in your heart.”

You take a deep breath, trying to steady the whirlwind of emotions inside you. “I just don’t want to hurt anyone.”

Avi looks at you with understanding. “Sometimes, no matter what you choose, someone might get hurt.”

Your phone rings again, cutting through the tense silence. Beomgyu glances at the screen and then at you. “It’s Jake. You should answer.”

Hesitant, you pick up the call. “Hey, Jake.”

“Hi baby!,” he says, his voice filled with concern. “Are you okay? You sounded off earlier.”

“I’m fine,” you lie, trying to keep your voice steady. “Just busy studying.”

He hums, seemingly convinced. “Okay. Are you free for a date tomorrow?”

A twinge of guilt strikes you, but you push it aside. “Sure, I’d love that.”

You exchange a few more pleasantries before hanging up. Once you turn off your phone, Avi immediately asks, “What was that about?”

You sigh, feeling the weight of the situation. “Jake wants to go on a date tomorrow.”

Avi nods thoughtfully. “Remember, you don’t have to tell Jake anything until you’re ready.”

Beomgyu raises an eyebrow at her. “Again, seriously?”

Avi shrugs. “What? Women’s rights and wrongs, remember?”

You can’t help but smile a little at her words, but the smile quickly fades. “I don’t know what I’ll do,” you admit quietly.

Beomgyu comfortingly pats your back, more serious now. “Being upfront now might be hard, but it’ll save a lot of heartache later on.”

Avi then adds, “Or you could try being single for a bit. I promise it’s not all that bad.”

The three of you laugh, the tension easing slightly. Avi’s joke, though lighthearted, seems to resonate with all of you. 

“Yeah, maybe I’ll take that under consideration,” you say, the weight on your shoulders feeling a bit lighter.

Beomgyu grins. “Hey, it’s always an option. Plus, more time for group hangouts.”

Avi nods enthusiastically. “Exactly! We could use more friend time without any of the boy drama.”

You chuckle, appreciating their attempts to cheer you up. “Thanks, guys. I really needed this.”

“Anytime,” Avi says, linking her arm with yours. “Now, let’s get back to the dorm. We’ve got snacks and a Netflix queue waiting for us.”

Beomgyu wraps an arm around both of you, guiding you back. “And maybe some ice cream? I feel like this conversation calls for ice cream.”

You laugh again, feeling grateful for your friends.

“Do you have a lot of finals coming up?” Jake asks, trying to keep the conversation light.

The two of you are currently at Naksan, an expensive new KBBQ restaurant that opened up near your campus. Jake had wanted to take you out sightseeing but given the cold Boston weather the two of you couldn’t stay out long so he decided what better way to warm up than sizzling hot meat.

The atmosphere is lively, filled with the sizzle of meat on grills and the hum of conversation. Jake tries to make small talk, you’ve been out of it all day lost in your head. His eyes search your face for any hint of what’s bothering you.

You shake your head slightly, offering a small smile. “No, only a few. Nothing too overwhelming.”

He nods, turning the meat on the grill. “What about winter break? Do you have any plans?”

You shrug, avoiding his gaze. “Not sure yet. I’m not going back to Australia because the break isn’t that long.”

Jake’s face lights up a bit. “Jay and Sunghoon were talking about renting a cabin over the break. They thought it would be fun if you and your friends joined us.”

“That sounds fun,” you reply half-heartedly. “I’m sure Avi and Beomgyu would be down for that.”

Jake seems to notice your lack of enthusiasm but presses on. “What about inviting Jungwon too? The more, the merrier, right?”

You don’t respond, knowing that Jungwon would never agree to be around Jake. The silence between you grows heavy, the unspoken words hanging in the air.

Jake places some grilled meat on your plate, watching you closely. “Are you okay?” he asks, concern evident in his voice.

Instead of answering, you look up at him and ask, “What’s my favorite color?”

Jake looks confident but confused as he answers, “Black.”

You shake your head. “That was my favorite color two years ago because it’s all you would ever wear. It’s pink now.”

Jake nods, trying to hide his surprise. “Okay, I’ll make a mental note of that.”

He places more meat on the grill, but you’re not done. “What are my hobbies?” you ask.

Jake is at a loss, hesitating before guessing, “Baking?”

You shake your head again. “Photography. Crochet. Painting. All things I started doing once you left to get my life back on track because all I ever knew was you. I didn’t have an identity when you were around. I did it so I could forget you.”

Jake clenches the tongs tighter, his jaw setting as he places new meat on the grill. “What is this about?” he asks, his voice strained.

You look down at your plate, feeling the weight of the conversation. “A lot has changed since you’ve been in my life. I’m starting to realize that maybe I need to figure out who I am without you.”

Jake looks at you, confusion and frustration etched on his face. “What are you talking about? I’m still the same Jake you’ve known since we were kids.”

You shake your head firmly but gently. “No. You’re not. And there’s nothing wrong with that, but I think we’ve been pretending that nothing has changed when everything has changed.”

Jake’s agitation grows. “What are you trying to get at?”

You try to calm him down, your voice softening. “Maybe we rushed things? Maybe we needed time to actually get to know each other again before jumping into a relationship.”

“Where is this coming from?” Jake demands, his voice rising.

Taking a deep breath, you meet his gaze. “I finally talked to Jungwon. He helped me realize just how much I’ve changed.” You avoid mentioning the kiss, knowing it would only escalate things.

Jake’s anger flares. “This is our relationship, not ours plus Jungwon’s. Why are you letting him get in between what we have.”

A light scoff escapes your lips. “Within the past two weeks, I’ve been slipping into old habits. I’ve considered transferring schools for your sake and sobriety. I picked you over Jungwon without any explanation. Every decision I’ve made since you came back revolves around you in some way.”

Jake, absolutely livid, leans forward, his eyes burning with anger. “I never asked you to do any of that. It’s not my fault you have a savior complex.”

His words cut deep, and the air between you becomes thick with tension, the restaurant's noise fading into the background. Your anger simmers beneath the surface, and when Jake challenges you with his accusation, you can't hold back.

“You’ve got to be kidding me?” Your voice rises, laced with incredulity and hurt. “Savior complex? I’ve only ever loved and supported you!”

Jake’s jaw tightens, his frustration evident. “No, you’ve only ever tried to fix me! I don’t need to be fixed! Spoiler alert, not everyone can be as perfect as you, ____!”

His words hit you like a blow, but you refuse to back down. “I’m not perfect, Jake. I never claimed to be. But if you can’t see how much I’ve tried to make this work, then maybe we shouldn’t be together.”

Jake’s expression hardens, his voice low and cutting. “So, what now? You’re just going to walk away?”

“Why are we even together?” Your voice trembles with anger and betrayal.

You lock eyes with Jake, the heat of your emotions mirrored in his gaze. The silence between you is heavy with unspoken truths and shattered illusions. With a surge of indignation, you push back from the table, your chair scraping loudly against the floor.

“I can’t believe I fell for your lies again.” The words spill from your lips, each one dripping with bitterness and disappointment.

Without another glance at Jake, you turn and walk away, leaving him sitting there, his anger and confusion swirling around him like a storm. The weight of your decision hangs heavy on your shoulders, but deep down, you know it’s the right one.

Outside the restaurant, the cold air hits you sharply, intensifying the pain in your chest. You navigate the streets with blurred vision, tears streaming down your face until you find yourself standing outside Jungwon's door. You hesitate for a moment, but the need for comfort outweighs any doubts.

When Jungwon opens the door, his confusion is evident in his sleep-ruffled appearance. His messy hair and casual attire contrast sharply with the intensity in his eyes as he takes in your tear-streaked face. Without a word, he steps aside, allowing you to enter.

You don't hesitate this time. You throw yourself into his arms, seeking comfort in his embrace. Jungwon holds you gently, his hands soothing circles on your back. "What's wrong?" he asks softly, concern lacing his voice.

Between sobs, you manage to recount the disastrous dinner with Jake, the accusations, and the painful realization that your relationship with him might have been built on illusions. Jungwon listens in silence, his expression a mix of understanding and restrained frustration.

"H-he said I have a savior complex! Can you believe that!?"

Jungwon stares at you blankly as you rage on.

"I love you too much to stand here and listen to you cry about Jake," He finally says, his voice tinged with agitation. "I warned you, told you to decide, and yet you ran into his arms anyway. Now he's broken your heart yet again."

You sniffle, clinging to him desperately. His words are like a bitter pill, hard to swallow but painfully true. "I refuse to be the person you come to pick up the broken pieces of your heart every time you let someone else break it," Jungwon continues, his voice firm but pained. "I want to be the one who holds your heart, who gets to love you and treat you right."

Your heart sinks at his words, realization settling in like a heavy weight. "Jungwon, please," you plead, your voice shaky. Not even sure yourself what it is you’re begging for.

He pulls away gently, his eyes searching yours. "I can't subject myself to standing here and listening to you go on about another man," he says softly. "For my own sake, I need you to leave."

Shock courses through you, leaving you speechless. You try to protest, to explain, but Jungwon remains resolute. "Don't come back until you really know what you want," he says firmly. "Otherwise, leave me alone."

With those words ringing in your ears, you stand there, grappling with the magnitude of his decision and your own emotions. Reluctantly, you turn away, leaving Jungwon behind, the ache in your chest now compounded by regret and uncertainty.

As you walk back to your dorm, the weight of everything crashes down on you. It’s not just the fight with Jake or Jungwon's firm stance; it’s the realization of how selfish you’ve been, stringing Jungwon along and using him as your emotional crutch. He’s always been there, loving you without any conditions, and you’ve taken that for granted.

Each step feels heavier than the last, the cold hallway air biting at your skin as you replay Jungwon’s words in your mind. You’ve leaned on him for so long, taking his unconditional support and affection as a given. He was your safe haven, the one person you could always turn to without fear of judgment. But in doing so, you’ve hurt him deeply, using his love as a safety net without offering the same in return.

When you finally close the door to your dorm, the tears you’ve been holding back flood out, and you collapse against the door, your sobs echoing in the empty space. The full weight of your actions, the hurt you’ve caused, and the pain you’ve inflicted on someone who means so much to you crashes down, leaving you feeling raw and exposed.

The sound of your anguish draws Avi out of her room, and she rushes to your side, her face etched with worry. “What happened?” she asks softly, kneeling beside you and wrapping an arm around your shoulders.

You struggle to get the words out, your voice broken by sobs. “I’ve been such a horrible person,” you cry, the realization choking you. “I’ve been using Jungwon, leading him on while I figured out my feelings for Jake. I’ve been so unfair to him.”

Avi sighs, her hand rubbing soothing circles on your back. “At least you’re self-aware?” she says quietly, her words both a comfort and a sting. “Maybe for now you need to learn how to be comfortable with being alone.”

You nod through your tears, the truth of her words settling deep within you. “I’ve been so selfish,” you whisper. “He’s always been there for me, and I’ve taken him for granted. I never realized how much I was hurting him.”

Avi’s eyes are filled with sympathy, but she doesn’t sugarcoat the reality. “You need to give him space and time to heal,” she says. “And you need to figure out who you are and what you really want without any guys in the picture. You can’t keep bouncing between Jake and Jungwon. It’s not fair to either of them, and it’s not fair to yourself.”

You sniff, wiping at your tears, the weight of her words pressing down on you. “I know,” you admit. “I just… I don’t know how to start.”

Avi pulls you into a tighter hug, her voice gentle but firm. “You start by letting Jungwon go and focusing on yourself. You need to stop using him as a crutch and start dealing with your feelings head-on.”

You take a deep breath, trying to steady your emotions. For Jungwon’s sake, and for your own, you need to let go. As you sit there, leaning against the door with Avi by your side, you resolve to take the first step. It’s time to stop running from your feelings and face the consequences of your actions. It’s time to let Jungwon heal and to finally figure out who you are without relying on anyone else.

Sunday | Present Day

A week has come to pass and it's now December 8th. The days have blurred together as you've submerged yourself in studying for finals, avoiding any interactions with Beomgyu and Avi. You’re up before the sun, attending classes, and then disappearing into the library until the dead of night. Jake’s reached out a few times, begging to see you and apologies for how he acted but they all remain unanswered. You don't know how to approach that conversation. Jungwon, on the other hand, hasn’t texted at all, and that silence cuts deeper than you’d care to admit.

It's 5 a.m., and you're trying to sneak out to the library yet again, hoping to escape unnoticed. But as you step into the living room, you’re startled to find Avi sitting on the couch, waiting for you.

“Where do you think you’re going?” she asks, her voice cutting through the early morning silence.

You freeze, caught off guard. It’s almost comical, being in trouble for studying too much. But Avi’s expression tells you this is no joke.

“Avi, I... I was just going to the library,” you stammer, clutching your books tighter.

Avi stands, her eyes never leaving yours. “I’ve been nothing but patient with you, giving you space and time to figure things out. But it’s clear that you’re just running away from everything.”

“Avi, I’m just trying to focus on my finals,” you protest weakly.

She shakes her head, her frustration evident. “Bullshit, you’re using your finals as an excuse to avoid dealing with your problems. I’m sick of you being so selfish.”

Her words sting, but you know she’s right. You’ve been hiding, avoiding the difficult conversations you need to have.

“All eight of us are going on the ski trip for winter break next week,” Avi continues, her tone firm. “And you need to get yourself together before then. There won’t be peace or fun if nearly half the house is beefing.”

You look at her in shock. “Jungwon agreed to go?”

“Yes,” Avi confirms, her gaze unwavering. “But that doesn’t mean he’s forgiven you. You need to talk to him, and to Jake. It’s clear you care for both of them, but you’ve handled this terribly. They’re both humans with real emotions, and it’s not fair to keep them in the dark.”

You swallow hard, the guilt washing over you. “I understand.”

“Do you?” Avi presses, her eyes piercing. “Because if you did, you wouldn’t be running away to the library every chance you get. You need to do better. For their sake and for yours.”

Tears well up in your eyes, the weight of her words sinking in. “I’m sorry, Avi. I just... I don’t know how to fix this.”

Avi’s expression softens slightly, but her resolve remains. “You start by being honest with them, and with yourself. Talk to Jake, talk to Jungwon. Tell them how you feel, and let them decide what they want to do. You can’t control their reactions, but you can at least give them the truth.”

You nod, wiping away a tear. “Okay. I’ll do it.”

Avi takes a step closer, placing a comforting hand on your shoulder. “I love you, but you need to do better. This isn’t just about you. It’s about them, too. They deserve honesty.”

“I know,” you whisper, your voice breaking.

Avi pulls you into a hug, her voice gentle but firm. “You’re going to get through this, but you need to stop running. Don’t put it off any longer.”

She pulls back, looking at you with a mixture of love and teasing. “I can’t believe you’ve made me actually like Jake,” she says with a mock grimace. “Seriously, you’ve managed to make me sympathize with that guy. It’s almost impressive.”

You let out a shaky laugh, the tension easing a bit. “I guess that’s one way to measure my impact.”

Avi smiles, giving you a playful nudge. “I’m not that angry with you, you know. Just frustrated because I know you’re capable of handling this better.”

“Thanks, Avi,” you say, your voice filled with gratitude. “I really appreciate you looking out for me.”

“Always,” she replies, her tone softening. “Now, go get some sleep, I know you’re miserable with all the studying you’ve been doing.”

You both laugh before you nod, “I will.”

Avi gives you one last encouraging squeeze before retreating back to her room. As she disappears behind her door, you stand there for a moment, thinking of what to do.

With a deep breath, you head back to your room and pull out your phone.

[December 8th, 5:27 AM]

[you]: are you free later today to talk? 

Once the message is sent you toss your phone aside and get back under your covers letting the warm embrace of sleep take you once more.

͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏___

knock ! knock

You look up from your seated position on the couch once your mind registers the knocks on your front door. You walk towards the door to let them in. You do a once over in the mirror and flatten out any wrinkles in your dress before opening the door.

Jake stands there, looking slightly awkward, hands shoved into his pockets. His eyes meet yours with a mix of hesitation and what seems to be acceptance. 

“Hey,” he says softly.

“Hey,” you reply, stepping aside to let him in.

Jake takes a seat on the couch and looks around the room, his eyes scanning every corner as if searching for something familiar. “Are we alone?” he asks, his voice almost a whisper.

You nod. “Yeah, Avi is out hanging with Beomgyu.”

Jake nods, playing with his fingers, a nervous habit you recognize. Your fingers itch to hold his hand. The silence between you is thick, almost suffocating. Both of you open your mouths at the same time, starting to speak before stopping and laughing awkwardly.

“You go first,” you encourage, offering him a small, reassuring smile.

Jake takes a deep breath. “I’m really sorry for how I reacted the other day,” he begins, his voice sincere. “I didn’t handle it well, and I shouldn’t have lashed out at you. You were bringing up genuine concerns in our relationship, and I got defensive.”

You nod, listening intently as he continues.

“It stung, hearing about Jungwon. It felt like he took my spot in your life while I was gone. But you’re right—we have changed. We’re not the same people we were back then.”

You bite your lip, feeling the weight of his words. When he finishes, you take a deep breath and gather the courage to say what you need to. “Jake, I kissed Jungwon.”

Jake looks taken aback, but there’s no anger in his eyes, just a sadness that seems to have been lingering for a while. He nods slowly, almost as if he expected it. “What now?” he asks, his voice soft.

You sigh, feeling a lump form in your throat. “I appreciate your apology, and I’m sorry for kissing Jungwon. But I think it’s best if we end things here.”

Jake swallows hard at your words but he doesn’t say anything back, he lets you continue.

“A part of my heart will always belong to you, and I’ll always love you, but we’re different people now. It was naive of us to think we could just jump into a relationship without taking the time to get to know each other again, without being friends first.”

Jake’s eyes fill with tears, and despite his efforts to hide them, a few escape down his cheeks. “I understand,” he says, his voice trembling. “I’ll always love you, too. If anything changes for you, I’ll always be here.”

You’re both crying now, the emotional weight of the moment almost too much to bear. You stand up, and he follows suit, wrapping you in a tight hug. The embrace is bittersweet, filled with love and loss.

After a few moments, you pull back slightly, looking into his eyes. “Don’t be a stranger, okay? I’d still love to be friends.”

Jake nods and smiles, his tears still flowing. “Me too.”

You see him out, giving him one last hug in the hallway. As he rounds the corner, Jungwon comes into view. He sees you wiping away your tears as Jake sniffs and clears his throat before leaving. Jungwon pauses, watching the exchange.

You manage a gentle smile at Jungwon. “Would you like to come in?” you ask softly.

Jungwon stares at you for a moment, his expression unreadable. Then he nods, following you back into your room. The silence is heavy, but it’s not the same as it was with Jake. This silence almost feels…hopeful? Maybe, just maybe, there’s a chance for something different between you.

As you close the door behind you both, Jungwon stands awkwardly in the center of your room, unsure of what to do or say. “Are you okay?” he asks finally, his voice gentle.

You manage a smile, though tears still linger in your eyes. “I’m okay,” you assure him softly. “Just... processing everything.”

You motion for him to take a seat on the couch while you step into your room to grab something. You return with a small gift bag, decorated with a simple blue ribbon. “Here,” you say quietly, handing it to him.

Jungwon looks down at the bag, then up at you, confusion flickering across his face. “What’s this?” he asks, his voice filled with curiosity.

You take a deep breath, meeting his gaze. “It’s not much,” you start, your voice catching slightly. “But I wanted to give you something. A start towards... a new beginning.”

He cautiously opens the bag and peers inside, finding cherry gummies, old Polaroids of the two of you from happier times, a sheep-shaped keychain, a gift card to Tatte, and other small trinkets that hold significance. Jungwon lifts the Polaroids, his eyes flickering over the captured moments of laughter and shared adventures.

“What’s all this for?” he asks softly, still trying to process your sudden gesture of affection.

You swallow, gathering your thoughts. “I know it’s not enough to fix everything I’ve done,” you begin, your voice earnest. “But each of these... they represent moments from our friendship that I took for granted. The cherry gummies for the late-night talks and movie nights, the Polaroids for the memories we shared, the keychain because you’re like a little sheep, and I have a matching one on my keys...”

Jungwon listens quietly, his expression unreadable.

“The gift card,” you continue, “is my way of paying forward all those times you woke up at the crack of dawn to get me croissants from the French bakery. I never properly thanked you for that.”

He finally looks up at you, his eyes searching yours. There’s a mix of emotions in his gaze—confusion, surprise, and perhaps a hint of cautious hope.

You take a deep breath, your heart pounding in your chest. “Jungwon, I’ve been blind,” you confess, your voice trembling slightly. “I had something amazing right in front of me, and I... I blew it because I was stuck in my past. I took advantage of your kindness, made you a second choice instead of treating you like you deserved.”

Jungwon remains silent, processing your words.

“You were the one who loved me without conditions,” you continue, your voice cracking with emotion. “You were patient with me, showed me what it’s like to be loved deeply by someone who’s willing to brave the pain of not having that love returned.”

Still, Jungwon says nothing, but he listens intently, his expression softening slightly.

“I ended things with Jake,” you admit, a small smile tugging at your lips through the tears. “I see now that we were never meant to be anything more than each other’s first love.”

Jungwon’s eyes widen in surprise at your revelation. “You... let Jake go?” he asks softly, as if needing confirmation.

You nod, your smile widening just a fraction. “It was time,” you say with a shrug, though the decision still weighs heavily on your heart.

He takes a moment to absorb this new piece of information before speaking again. “And what about us?” he asks quietly, his voice tinged with vulnerability.

You take a step closer to him, closing the distance between you. “If you’re still willing,” you begin, your voice steady despite the nerves fluttering in your stomach, “I would love to try again. To take things slow, as friends, while I figure out who I am and what I want. And when we’re both ready, maybe... we can try our hand at dating.”

Jungwon stares at you, his expression unreadable for a moment. Then, slowly, a small smile spreads across his face—the kind of smile that reaches his eyes and warms your heart.

“I’d like that,” he finally says, his voice filled with sincerity.

You exhale a breath you didn’t realize you were holding, relief flooding through you. “Thank you,” you whisper, feeling a weight lift off your shoulders.

Jungwon steps forward, wrapping you in a warm embrace. You melt into his arms, feeling a sense of homecoming you hadn’t realized you’d been missing.

“I’m sorry, Jungwon,” you say again, this time from the bottom of your heart. “I’ve been such a shitty friend. Selfish. But I want to do better. I want to make things right.”

He pulls back slightly to look at you, his gaze tender. “You already are,” he says softly. “Let’s take it slow. Figure things out together.”

You nod, tears of relief and happiness streaming down your cheeks. For the first time in weeks, you feel as though you’re finally doing something right.

As you stand there in Jungwon's embrace, your heart feels lighter, Jake was your first—a boy whose love had once been the center of your universe. Even now, a part of you will always carry him with you. You know you will love him to the ends of the earth, cherishing the memories you shared, the lessons learned, and the person you became because of him.

But as you look at Jungwon, holding you with a warmth and gentleness that feels like coming home, you realize that your heart has found room for another. Yang Jungwon. The first man to show you the true meaning of selfless love. His patience, his unwavering support, and the way he saw you—the real you—without conditions or expectations. He has taught you that love doesn't demand to be earned or proven; it simply exists, patiently waiting for you to embrace it.

You’ll forever be grateful for him. For his kindness and understanding, for the quiet strength he gave you when you were too lost to find your own. In his eyes, you see a future where love is not a battlefield, but a sanctuary.

Jake will always be a cherished part of your story, a chapter that shaped you in ways you’re still discovering. But Jungwon is the present and future, the man who holds your heart now, showing you that love can be both enduring and gentle. 

With Jake, you learned the passion of first love; with Jungwon, you’re learning the depth of true, unconditional love. And as you stand here, wrapped in Jungwon's arms, you know that while parts of your heart belong to Jake, you will now and forever carry Jungwon in your heart too. This new chapter, with its promises of understanding and growth, feels like the beginning of something beautiful—a journey towards a love that is as healing as it is profound.

°❀⋆ :･ ᶜʰᵃᵖᵗᵉʳ ⁵: 𝐏𝐀𝐘 𝐔𝐏 || YJW

☰ ❛❛ 𝖮𝗉𝗉𝗈𝗌𝗂𝗍𝖾𝗌❞ Y.JW.

𝘚𝘺𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘴𝘪𝘴: 𐙚 ⋆ ｡ ˚:

Yn believed in logic. Jungwon believed in understanding his emotions. Their friends knew they would get into petty arguments. All in all, they desire a successful university life, away from their past and families. However, when murders appear in the premises of their own school, and the past comes back to meet them, they find a link and team up with their logic and emotions to find out the culprit and resume their normal lives. But, no one guaranteed their safety and their feelings for each other.

ᯓᡣ𐭩𝖸𝖺𝗇𝗀 𝖩𝗎𝗇𝗀𝗐𝗈𝗇 × 𝖿𝖾𝗆𝖺𝗅𝖾!𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋 ౨ৎ. ｡˚

☰ TAGS: college au, enhypen smau, jungwon+reader, thriller, yandere themes, crime, slow-burn, angst 𐙚

╰┈➤𝚃𝚊𝚐𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝: 𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚗 (comment or give an ask <3)

౨ৎ ⋆｡˚Full warnings on m.list page

╰➤ [ REBLOGS and COMMENTS are appreciated]

W.c: 4.9k

< m.list >

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YOU SHUT OFF YOUR PHONE AS YOU AND YUNJIN MADE IT TO CAMPUS.

As the next week came, tickets had started to sell and the fundraiser or festival increased in multitudes in emails and posters. The school was shoving the upcoming events in your face, and honestly, you wanted to bury all of the bombarding information into the dirt.

The stalls and booths for each club was being nicely set up even though everything was scarce with colours since nothing was complete yet.

Soon enough, you and Yunjin greeted Jay, Jungwon, Sunoo and someone else. Upon realising the new figure, your eyes cast over him: he was tall, grey frame of glasses to shield his brown eyes and plump lips with his black hair cut to perfection. Two moles were engraved in his skin, and he was nothing short of a giant.

Sunoo waved to you as he leaned back against a wooden table with benches, arms crossed as he gave a lambent smile. Jay and Jungwon glanced from their phones where the twitter conversation just happened.

And so, you cast your gaze to the unknown figure standing by Sunoo, your questions arising.

"So... uh- who's this?" You glanced to Sunoo curiously to which everyone else also looked at him.

He gave a sheepish smile as he looked at you. "Ah- right. He's one of my old friends, Park Sunghoon."

The dude named *Sunghoon stepped to you, his dead eyes boring right into yours with an outstretched hand to shake. No smile, no nothing.

"I'm Park Sunghoon," he said again to pretty much everyone. His voice was deep, a subtle tone of ice underneath. Yunjin didn't shake his hand, so for courtesy, you shook his hand and smiled a little.

"I'm Yn..."

Still no smile, and you shrunk back next to Yunjin who also introduced herself. Well, he was certainly a social butterfly.

"I'm a computer science major," he said, standing back next to Sunoo. You and everyone else fell into an uncomfortable silence and Jay cleared his throat.

"Well, anyway. Me and Yunjin are planning to do a dance number with some other people," Jay commented, shifting the conversation through. Which, you were glad because Sunghoon was burning holes into you right now.

Sitting down on the benches, you got your phone out again, tapping on twitter to the link Jungwon provided. It led to an article simply saying the CEO - Moon Minseok - was climbing the ladder for success quite swiftly.

He was advancing quickly to build a new division for his company but the new sector was unknown and was yet to be disclosed to the public. Probably for suspense and attention.

It tickled your brain in a familiar way. Whilst everyone kept discussing the festival, you repeated 'GoMin' under your breath, as if a fleeting cue would stop by and give you a push in the right direction to a memory.

Though, every hit and attempt missed the target and you couldn't get anymore than a ghost of the name you were relaying.

"GoMin..." you repeated again, catching Yunjin's attention. She perched her chin on her palm, eyes focusing on you, confused.

Noticing her gaze, you shook your head into focus and glanced back at her bewildered face.

"You good?"

"Yes. It just feels awfully similiar. I don't know," you replied, flicking through the article and she chuckled.

"Are you sure it's not because the school has mentioned it a hundred times?" She joked, but seeing your disgruntled shrug, she stopped and nudged you.

"Why? Where do you remember it from?" Yunjin turned her body to face you even more.

That's the thing - you wish you could answer her, but you couldn't quite grab at the roots and find the source. It was as if you were grabbing air at this point.

Sighing, you turned off your phone and shook your head. "It's probably nothing."

Yunjin didn't completely believe you, but she left it at that before turning back to the boys discussing their plans for the fundraiser. Sunoo sat down next to Jungwon slowly and started speaking.

"Actually, I think one of my younger friends are coming to the festival. His name is Riki, in his senior year of high school." Sunoo nodded along as he spoke.

You sent a warm smile, deciding to gravitate away from the 'GoMin' company and to your social circle. "Is he going to come with you?"

Another timid smile crept up Sunoo's lips as he shook his head, causing everyone to give him a quizzical look.

"Why not? It's makes sense if he comes with you," Jay commented, and he said something that everyone was thinking at that moment.

"With the whole internship thing, I didn't get to sign up to anything and I'm busy catching up," Sunoo replied. It made sense, but you realised he was always missing out on certain events.

It was like you barely saw him anymore except a few study sessions at the café.

"I'm sure you can take a break," you interjected hopefully, leaning your elbows on the table. Besides, he was a part of your friend group but it seemed like he was a ghost in your presence.

Unyielding, Sunoo rejected and shook his hand and head. "I really can't."

Knowing he wasn't going to move his decision, you gave up on it and turned away. Jay chuckled a little, poking his head out to see Sunoo.

"This company is really caging you there huh?" Jay teased as everyone chuckled a little. Sunoo gave a tight smile and Sunghoon stood there on his phone like an iceberg.

"I mean, it is a little dodgy that they're not even being lenient on a university student." Yunjin shrugged, wondering how far they're willing to push a simple student.

Jungwon hummed and turned to Sunoo nonchalantly "Did you even ask them to give you a break?"

His voice was a little monotone, and nothing short of a scoff. Considering what Sunoo asked you last week, you gave a short glare to Jungwon, who didn't even notice it.

The others might not notice, but you felt the awkward cloud hovering over the table. You had to turn away again to breathe.

Sunoo mumbled before turning away from Jungwon. "They're already aware. But, it's nothing i can't handle."

With a little furrowed of Jungwon's brows, he casually glanced at Sunoo, giving the face that looked a little unbothered. You wished you could shut Jungwon up, knowing that there was already some doubts rooted in Sunoo's mind.

"Oh, so I guess you kind of landed yourself into that one," Jungwon remarked to Sunoo. The air kind of fell into a terse silence again until Jay cleared his throat.

"Well, it seems like they are a busy," he said, swerving the conversation to a lighter atmosphere. You're glad.

"I just hope they're not overworking you. You said it's unpaid, no?" You glanced to a blank Sunoo, who snapped out of it once you asked.

He gave a slight nod. "Yeah. But it's great experience. And they would give me a great reference."

"Just make sure they're not dodgy," Yunjin said, half-serious and half-joking. Sunoo just chuckled lightly, though it didn't reach his eyes.

"Hey, guys, I work there. I'll be fine." Sunoo drummed his fingers on the wooden table, sensing that everyone was a tiny bit worried for him, but he maintained his placid behaviour.

Everyone left it at that when the phones came out and everyone went back to their respective clouds of solitude. Sunoo took the chance to leave with Sunghoon, not before waving to you and Yunjin, to which you gave a respectful hand back.

After a good 5 minutes, Jungwon grumbled under his breath, letting him phone clatter to the table, alerting everyone of his little raincloud over his head. He soon ran a hand through his hair.

Jay glanced to him with a little side-eye. "You good there?"

Jungwon's brows dug deep into his head, a little frown tugging as always. You couldn't help but smirk at his continued rainfall of grimace that fell over him.

His head jerked to his phone, as if something horrible came upon it.

"Stupid film project." He pinched the bridge of his nose before glancing at his phone. Jay chuckled as he gave an are-you-serious look to his dear friend.

"You complained about this last time. Get a grip, Wonie, you're going to get projects."

"But do you even know the 'theme' or whatever?" Jungwon remarked with disbelief, as if thinking about it caused him internal pain. You rolled your eyes playfully, whilst Yunjin and Jay chuckled to themselves.

For Jungwon, it was a serious dilemma. "Individuality and warmth - what kind of shit is that?"

Amused, Jay decided to poke some more fun at Jungwon's strop.

"I think your teacher hates you," Jay said with another laugh under his breath. He knew Jungwon was the embodiment of ice- curt and hard to stay around if they were a complete stranger to him.

Yunjin joined in on the teasing. "Yeah, I think your teacher is out for you."

"He took one look at you and said, 'I'm going to make Yang Jungwon quit film'." You laughed under your hand, to which Jungwon narrowed his eyes at you and crossed his arms.

"Thanks for the support, guys," he grumbled, frowning at all of you guys with a voice deprived of joy, his cat eyes glaring at everyone.

"Even when thanking us you have to be sarcastic," Jay said, nudging Jungwon with a soft elbow. It only earned a peeved glower from the younger one, but you were thoroughly enjoying this.

"Yeah, you're totally going to fail this."

─────────────────────────────────

Balancing 100 small gift bags in your arms was supposed to be time-efficient but you did look ridiculous. You doubted you were going to make it outside to the gardening booth without dropping some.

The seniors were already outside setting up the kiosk and putting the informative banners up. All you had to do was get the paper things outside.

Easy enough.

Jungwon said he would join you, but after waiting for him in the gardening room for 5 minutes, your patience ran thin and you decided to bundle a bunch in your arms.

So, here you were, walking down the halls of Yoreun, some people staring; you have no idea if it's from how ludicrous you look or if the past, nefarious news hadn't shaken off your figure.

Whatever it was, you were determined to finish quick, so you sauntered in a not-so-straight line. You blew air into your bangs as you walked, gasping when one nearly fell off the surface of your arms.

Though, you managed to balance it, and relief swept through you.

The outside area was so close, and you picked up the pace, not seeing anything else but the doors leading to the readying activities.

Before you knew it, a figure harshly knocked into your shoulder, sending a few dozen bags onto the floor. You yelped and glanced to see who carelessly stepped in your way.

And you scowled.

"Minhee..."

She gave an innocent look, a fake pout sent your way before she glanced down at your paper bags. A spark of anger ignited in your chest, but you forced yourself to freeze the emotion whilst she stepped away.

"Oh gosh. I'm so sorry," she uttered, tucking an annoying strand of her brunette lock behind her ear and gazing at your feet.

Without speaking, you crouched down to pick them up, but it only caused more gift bags to tumble from your arms, making you curse from embarrassment andl scathing anger.

"Oh, yn, I feel terrible. I would help, but I have class in 5 minutes," Minhee said with a dastardly tone. You could only look up at her with a clenched jaw.

She gave you a little smile before departing, and you were about to stand and yank her back by the arm, when a hand gripped your own shoulder, making you halt and breathe a little easier.

Glancing back, Jungwon stood behind you, boba eyes searching for your attention. You sighed and blinked at him, your lips etched with a sour look. Jungwon noticed and turned you back fully.

"You know you shouldn't give a reaction, right?" He chimed, momentarily gazing at the bags before crouching down and starting to collect them. His hair fell over his eyes and you clicked your tongue before following suit.

"I know, but she's so damn... annoying." You picked up the bags with an agitated snatch, frowning. Jungwon hummed, voice smooth, continuing.

"She is. But you know she's just jobless," Jungwon interjected, giving you a flick of his brown eyes.

Gosh, you know. But, it was like dealing with those popular and snobby kids in school a few years ago. They think they're on the high hill, and everyone was their doormat.

You thought by the time you arrived to uni, those people would disappear, or at least see you as nothing more than a ghost in the hallways. But no - Minhee was a thorn sticking into your side.

"Should I just let her then? Let her bully me?" You scoffed bitterly as you picked up about 30 bags hastily.

That earned a weary sigh from Jungwon as he followed suit. "Not what I said. I'm just saying that you can't let her get to you."

"Thanks so much for the advice..."

Jungwon snapped his eyes to you again at your sarcasm before standing with about 50 bags.

"I'm serious. People like her don't have a life. Now stop complaining and let's go. It's not worth it," Jungwon said as he jerked his head to the doors you were aiming for.

Not saying anything more, you picked up the remaining fifty bags and followed behind him, still trying to stitch your composure back together after Minhee tore it apart.

The breeze was soft, but icy as you and Jungwon made the route to the booth containing Danielle and another girl. They were crouched next to a brown box, conversing. They were interrupted when Jungwon gently placed the bags down into a little crate.

You were waiting to do the same, but he was taking so damn long that you ended up swerving around him impatiently. Not to mention that some of his bags tumbled out the crate, quivering because of the wind.

You huffed and nudged his elbow with yours, to which he looked at you with furrowed brows.

"What?"

"You're not even putting it in right. They're all flying away," you explained, gesturing to his shaky, paper bags. A scoff escaped his lips as he gripped them.

"How am I supposed to do it then?" Jungwon said with a snide as he turned his scrutinising gaze to you. To demonstrate, you moved him aside a little to access the crate on the surface of the booth.

Then, you let the bags hung on your wrist of one arm to strategically stand in the container to show him exactly how to do it. Jungwon watched, but his eyes showed no spark of realisation.

It was more of indifference.

"See?" You snapped your eyes to Jungwon in a matter-of-fact tone. He shook his head, rolling his eyes and proceeded to shove the bags into the crate.

"Does it matter? Just place it in efficiently. There's about 200 more gift bags to get." Jungwon continued to nonchalantly sort what he needed.

You stared incredulously, and scoffed. "But you might ruin it though-."

"You know what, just give me your remaining bags," he interjected when his hands were empty. Refusing to do so, you stepped back when he stepped forward swiftly.

You believed you could do it yourself and could do so efficiently. Which is why you held his arm with your free hand and glared at him.

"I can do it perfectly fine, Jungwon," You said, defending your strategy. Despite the hand on his arm, he moved forward and his fingers shot out to grab your remaining bags.

"Hey-."

Immediately, you stepped back and bumped into the pole of the booth as he came forward and he may have done it a little harshly because the next thing you know, gravity is pulling you backwards and your fingers dug into the wooden surface of the kiosk in an attempt to keep yourself upright.

With a yelp, you fell backwards when he basically pushed you, and landed on your butt. An immediate ache washed up your back, but there was also a tingle of pain in one of your fingers. Your forefinger to be exact.

Jungwon stared as you fell on your back, successfully gaining some of your bags, whilst the others remained crumpled around your wrist.

Guilt flashed across him as he saw your pained expression and glare, but he just stood there as you stared at your pastel green nails.

You gave out a disgruntled gasp, your eyes widening when you saw the abomination that just happened. With a swift turn of your head, you faced Jungwon, who flinched a little.

"You asshole!" You exclaimed in an exasperated tone, shoving your hand in his face. He was so glad the seniors weren't around to witness your yell.

"What did I do-?"

He was about to flare back in the same way, but he saw your finger, tip of the nail broken off haphazardly from the effort you exerted on the surface of the wooden table.

Jungwon froze and didn't know whether to laugh or be scared. From the glare you gave whilst standing up, he did feel a hint of apprehension.

With a slam of your hands, the bags were roughly placed on the table before you whirled around to meet Jungwon.

A look of amusement and anxiety twinkled in his eye before it quickly dispersed at your scowl. You invaded his space with your broken nail, a frown etched on your lips.

"Do you find this funny?" You accused Jungwon, stepping towards his taller figure. He didn't give an answer, but his shoulders hunched as if he was guiding the truth away from you- he found this funny.

Outraged, you nudged his chest softly, and he flinched, hiding the slight smirk of mirth. "Yang Jungwon, I'm actually going to kill you!"

He put up hands of surrender, brown eyes narrowed at you in defence.

"I didn't do shit," Jungwon asserted as he glanced down at you, remnants of amusement left in the slight crevices of his expression. You scoffed and cradled your poor nail with a desolate pout.

"You broke it," you whined to him. Your perfectly green pastel nail was now chipped off and somewhere in the dirt.

And gosh, did it tingle greatly with pain.

Upon hearing your cry, you saw Jay and Yunjin meander over whilst you mourned your nail, a flicker of annoyance immersing your whole being. Jungwon looked at them with a hand running through his silk strands.

The other two, seeing your distress, already knew what was coming. When they came over, Yunjin suppressed a chuckle when she saw your dramatic hug of your hand. Smirking, she crossed her arms whilst Jay rolled his eyes and hands tucked into his pockets.

"Want to explain why you're screeching like that?" She asked with a tease in her tone, mischievous eyes fluttering at you and Jungwon.

Though, you weren't in the mood for her cheeky comments and showed her your finger instead, showing the atrocity that was chipped on your nail. It took her a few seconds before she realised and made an 'ohhhh' gesture.

On the other hand, Jay couldn't help but smirk at the fact your green nails were ruined, and Jungwon stood there with a hint of remorse but more amusement than anything.

"Do you see this? He broke my nail. What am I supposed to do about this?" You asked tersely, your tone tense.

"Jungwon broke your nail?" Yunjin repeated, tilting her head and flickering her gaze to Jungwon. By the look on the younger one's face and the averted gaze, she guessed you weren't lying.

"Yes, he did. Do you think I would have ruined it?" You muttered back to Yunjin, examining your finger.

Jungwon glanced to you and your dramatic state. "I'm sorry, but I was just trying to get the bags."

"Asshole, I said I would put them down?"

"Yeah, in slow motion. I was trying to be time-efficient. We have more supplies to get," Jungwon retorted with furrowed brows, his body turned to you and a sassy hands on his hips.

His audacity, you thought. "And how did that work out?"

"Look, I said I'm sorry!" Jungwon threw his hands in the air in an exaggerated manner, his tone growing annoyed. You pouted whilst Jay and Yunjin giggled.

You're so glad you're the source of their little chuckles, but what were you supposed to do about this horror? You kept staring at your nail until Jay smirked and looked at Jungwon suspiciously.

"Why doesn't Jungwon just pay to get your nails done again?" Jay suggested. At that, it was as if your tingling nail disappeared from your thoughts. You slowly turned your gaze to Jungwon, who had a dropped frown.

And Jay's idea didn't seem bad at all. Your gaze melted into mischief and Jungwon looked at you as if he knew you would follow Jay's route.

"What a perfect idea!" You exclaimed, dropping the remaining bags into the crate and turning to Jay with a sweet smile. "Thank you, Jay."

Jay gave a mock salute, clicking his tongue as he did so. "You're welcome. Drain his card."

Jungwon scoffed in betrayal. "Are you kidding me?"

Shrugging, Jay ignored Jungwon's clear display of anguish and smiled at you. You were ecstatic and you honestly were due to change your nails anyway.

Heck, you wanted a different colour, charms, and obviously nail care because Jungwon obliterated your poor nail.

That's how you found yourself sitting in the nail salon at 4.30 pm, Jungwon to your left, and your right hand held by an older lady. The hum of the bright lights immersed the room in serenity, and Jungwon looked mildly bewildered.

It was as if he was a creature to a new environment, eyes focused intently on your hand that was being scoured by the technician, practically peeling off your old pastel green coat on your nails.

You noticed his curious eyes from the corner of your gaze, and looked up from your phone with a raised eyebrow.

"Did something catch your attention?" You asked, looking back at your phone and trying to find a nail design to enrapture your attention. Jungwon snapped out it, his focus leaving the curve of your hands and fingers.

"No, I'm just... confused. This is what you pay for every month?" He inquired, almost addled at the thought of paying so much for some... nails.

You sent a small smile to him as you shook your head in feign disappointment. "Why not? I'm pretty with it."

"You need nails to feel pretty?" Jungwon said with a deadpan look, eyes boring into yours as he leaned on the counter. You scoffed and shot your eyes to him.

"That's not what I mean. I like nails, and I want to do them for myself." You turned away to your phone on yesterday flat surface, scrolling through an endless list of designs in Pinterest.

He didn't react, but it seemed as up he still didn't understand. Deciding not to drag it on, he glanced at the screen, seeing your finger hover a few pictures of nails. From that, Jungwon concluded it must be inspiration. Except, you were incredibly indecisive and you couldn't choose a single idea to replicate.

Sighing in exasperation, you slid the phone into his view and pointed to it with determination.

"Choose one."

Jungwon shot an incredulous look as his face scrunched up into a scowl. "You want me to choose?"

Enthusiastic, you nodded silently in the chilled air of the salon. For Jungwon, a wave of uncertainty washed over him, and all he said was: " I don't know."

Of course he didn't. You frowned and grumbled under your breath as you scrolled more and more on the Pinterest page.

"You're actually useless," you mumbled, which earned a sharp look from him. Then, you added: "But since you're paying, I'll let you off."

You saw him turn away to gaze at the selection of nail polishes behind the technician, the array sending him into more confusion. He decided not to comment much. "Just don't drain my card."

"Thanks for giving me the idea," you said with a little smile full of mischief. Jungwon groaned and swiped the phone over to himself, scrolling.

When you whined and tried to get it back, he had selected a simple photo, one with the most simple French tips and a gloss coated over the nails. You weren't a simple girl - so this was unacceptable.

"Here. This one is nice," Jungwon interjected as he tilted the phone to your view. Shaking your head, a scoff escaped your lips.

"You didn't choose before and you don't get to choose now either. Give me," you chimed, batting your eyes at him with mock sweetness before snatching back your phone. He ran a hand through his raven hair and pouted a little from your clear rejection.

To be fair, he didn't choose them randomly. He genuinely thought the simple looks suited you, but how could he forget about your colourful personality.

Once the nails were cleaned, cut and filed, you finally chose a design and the technician went on her way to fulfill your vision. For a moment, all was silent, tranquil. A comfortable silence swayed between you and Jungwon, his brown eyes focused on your nails.

You couldn't help but think of him as a curious cat his head tilted, unblinking as he gazed at the operation on your fingers.

You noticed the way he didn't have any hostility in his face, no annoyance in his brows. He actually seemed peaceful, his chin leaned on his palm, hooded eyes sauntering over the curve of your hands.

When the technician pulled out the box of charms and twinkling gems, he snapped out of it and raised an eyebrow at the display, face inching closer.

"What are those?" Jungwon asked, addled. His tone just made you laugh as you turned to him, eyes turning to crescents.

"Charms?" You said, also mirroring his raised eyebrows. You don't understand why he was so confused, and it only gave you a realisation that he must be living under a rock.

He gave a little nod, leaning on his palm again, eyes never leaving your fingers.

"How much are they?"

"About 35,000 won?"

As soon as he heard that, Jungwon's balance on his palm practically faltered as he looked at you with a snap of his eyes. Shock swept over his face as he saw you completely unbothered.

"What!?"

About half an hour in, Jungwon yawned as he stared at your nails again, and then stared back at his. You also turned to Jungwon, seeing his tanned hands, the veins running down his arms, and you looked away.

Like before, an unfamiliar heat crept up your neck, and you became increasingly cautious of your gaze. To distract yourself, you started to speak.

"Why don't you get your nails cleaned. They're kind of crusty."

A scoff almost escaped Jungwon, brown eyes narrowing at you as if he was gripped by disbelief. "That's a new one."

Waving him off dismissively, you continued your ongoing pursuit of trying to get him to waste his money more but also make his nails look pretty.

"I'm just saying that even a guy can get his mails cleaned." You smiled a little, an underlying mischief buried in your tone. Jungwon shook his head, tilting his head at you again.

"My nails are just fine-."

Though Jungwon found himself giving his hand to another nail technician, his left hand was filed and cleaned by another lady.

A smile broke out on your lips the whole time, enjoying the slight burrow in his brows, the concentration and genuine curiosity of how the lady did it. Another serene silence immersed the air, comforting you.

With your first hand done, you sighed and perked up as you showed Jungwon your right hand with excitement. It made him turn to see the nude colour, the gems diligently engraved into your nail and an elegant gloss over the coated colour.

Absentmindedly, Jungwon clutched your hand with his free one, bringing it closer to himself, causing your breaths to catch in your throat, eyes unblinking. His hands were warm, and you swear, you felt a tingle run up your arm.

Maybe it was the fact you never had the touch of a man, but you kept your breaths calm, your words unspoken; though, to be so alarmed by Jungwon holding your hand made you feel pathetic, a heat running up your cheeks.

To you, it didn't seem like he noticed your flustered state because he was way too engrossed in seeing what was worth 35,000 won. Well, not until the silence was broken by the technician asking for his other hand.

Jungwon blinked and let go of your hand gently before giving his right hand underneath the glass. Only then did he realise that he held your hand so intently, and he cursed internally.

Even you didn't say anything, way too nestled by the thought of your cheeks heating up at the small contact of his warm hand.

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A/n: Lmao, I'm back <3 still planning chapter 31 and onwards, and I realised how much violence is in this...😀 thx for reading <3 also, I'm sorry if some of the quality of the pics are BAD. Idk why💀

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Taglist: @ilovejungwonandhaechan

౨ৎ ⋆｡˚ ❛❛ ᶜʰᵃᵖᵗᵉʳ ⁶: 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐀 𝐒𝐔𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐎 ❞ || YJW

☰ ❛❛ 𝖮𝗉𝗉𝗈𝗌𝗂𝗍𝖾𝗌❞ Y.JW.

𝘚𝘺𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘴𝘪𝘴: 𐙚 ⋆ ｡ ˚:

Yn believed in logic. Jungwon believed in understanding his emotions. Their friends knew they would get into petty arguments. All in all, they desire a successful university life, away from their past and families. However, when murders appear in the premises of their own school, and the past comes back to meet them, they find a link and team up with their logic and emotions to find out the culprit and resume their normal lives. But, no one guaranteed their safety and their feelings for each other.

ᯓᡣ𐭩𝖸𝖺𝗇𝗀 𝖩𝗎𝗇𝗀𝗐𝗈𝗇 × 𝖿𝖾𝗆𝖺𝗅𝖾!𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋 ౨ৎ. ｡˚

☰ TAGS: college au, enhypen smau, jungwon+reader, thriller, yandere themes, crime, slow-burn, angst

╰┈➤𝚃𝚊𝚐𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝: 𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚗 (comment or give an ask)

𐙚 ◦ Full warnings on m.list page

╰┈➤ [ REBLOGS and COMMENTS are appreciated]

Wc: 2.09k

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A STUDY CAFÉ AFTER TWO HOURS OF CLASS WAS A BREATHER. A way for everyone to cool the foggy effect of lecture notes and the languid speech of the professor. You could have almost fallen asleep atop your laptop hadn't it been for Jungwon clearing his throat.

Jay stated that he needed to tell everyone something, so no one could resist the urge to gather together in the neat and cream-coloured, study room. The large, white table was soon littered with laptops and the recent book everyone was reading; eventually, everyone sat down.

Jay leaned forward on his elbows once he caught everyone's attention. "I was talking to Jake this morning, and guess what?"

No one spoke a word upon seeing the slight dapple of despaire on Jay's face so, he continued.

"The case where we found that dead man, may be closed, like, forever."

The heavy silence was suffocating, so many unspoken words mixing in the air as everyone stilled. Jay could have thought he was staring at a paused video until Yunjin scoffed, brows buried deep downwards, reflecting yours and Jungwon's reaction.

"You must be kidding," she said quietly as she crossed her arms and quelled the silence. The unpleasant news forced your eyes to wander anywhere but Jay, rocks of anxiety anchoring your mind down. Jungwon remained silent.

"Yeah, I'm not kidding," Jay declared once more to everyone's dismay, gazing back at his lit laptop.

Jay continued to explain that in the whirlwind of the murder case, the route to who the culprit is was hidden by too many obstacles that the police didn't know how to tackle: no footprints, no cameras and no witnesses. It was a dead end.

Scaring yourself was not an option, so you tried desperately to subdue that train of thought and grasp at anything logical despite your own intuition.

"Well, if they closed down the case, I guess, they tried to take everyone's interest at heart." You fiddled with your pen, flicking it vigorously to-and-fro as silence pervaded the study room once more.

"It's just strange. They couldn't find... anything?" Jungwon urged Jay, confusion entangled in his tone. Uncertain, his friend let out a shaky sigh.

"It's probably nothing, as Yn said. Maybe it is genuinely not a threat to us or the university," Jay insisted, trying to put confidence in your weak excuse. Not much was said as Yunjin shrugged, languid.

"I guess so. Whatever. I'm done with that shit. Let's just work," Yunjin announced with a new determination, swerving away from the morose topic and onto becoming academic weapons for the rest of the semester.

Everyone agreed and dived into their work. Ten minutes passed and Jungwon decided to call his good classmate for the upcoming film project. Through the screen, he saw Taehyun's boba eyes and the profuse blinks to make sure the actual facetime was working.

Jungwon wasn't looking but he swiped a hand through his hair and allowed Taehyun to catch a glimpse of Jungwon's meticulously clean nails. Taehyun snickered, causing Jungwon to incredulously raise an eyebrow to the other.

"What are you laughing at?" Jungwon asked, bewildered. Taehyun waved a dismssive hand, clearly trying to conceal his humour. Upon seeing Jungwon's unyielding expression, he finally gave in.

"No - I just saw your nails and they look pretty. Are you going to do them again," Taehyun chimed with mischief, making you, Yunjin and Jay chuckle a little under your breaths. Only Jungwon forlornly crossed his arms and directed his glare at the latter on the screen.

"Seriously?"

Within a second, Taehyun's smile dropped and nodded with a deadpan expression. "Yes."

Whilst you and the others were laughing at the comical situation, Jungwon found it far from that; irritated, his frown remained as he pulled up the page for the assignment.

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Days passed and you were walking along with Minji, Chaewon and Heeseung. Psychology class evoked a session of inevitable ranting that everyone thoroughly required. It was a routine to go through.

The front area of the school was where you and the others were headed, the breeze brushing through your locks; it was a refreshing way to liberate the clouding information from the unpleasant lectures.

More booths and kiosks littered the place, colours displayed from the banners hung meticulously on the stands. Each one delivering the name of the club and the unavoidable prices to capitvate the future customers.

You walked longside Chaewon until you reached the wooden table that was occupied by Yunjin, Jay and Jungwon. Apart from your friends, there were definitely more people out there - more near the platform resembling the stage. Your gaze was not stuck there for long to see who was on it, but you were drawn back to Yunjin and Chaewon squealing in delight.

You stood beside Minji and observed them fussing, a small speck of apprehension seeping into their faces from the way Yunjin ran a hand through her hair.

"I cannot believe we get to dance at the festival, Chae."

"You're dancing as well and I didn't know?" you exclaimed to the blonde girl, your jaw dropped. Chaewon nodded with a modest smile.

"Yeah, Yunjin and I dance with some other girls," She said and was accompanied with an enthusiastic nod from Yunjin. Crossing your arms, you sent a cheeky smile to Chaewon.

"I didn't know you dance."

Chaewon shrugged, almost innocently with her eyes morphing into cheerful crescents when she grinned - as if she didn't know what you were even talking about. "I thought I said so."

On the other hand, Jay placed his phone down with a knowing smile when he glanced ateveryone. Heeseung, sitting opposite him, grimaced at the expression Jay had.

"Why are you smiling like that?" Heeseung asked, disgruntled. A glare was all that Jay delivered to the latter.

"Well, I am also expressing my excitement since I'm also dancing - but with a dude called 'K'," Jay explained with excitement tainting his voice. The name threw everyone, but Chaewon and Yunjin, off.

"K?" you uttered, not even burying the incredulity that crept up your tone. Even Heeseung tilted his head, but Jay dsmissively waved his hand.

"I wasn't the one that named him - anyway, it's short and snappy."

"Yeah - in text," Heeseung remarked with a snort, resulting a terse slap in the back of the head by Minji. A yelp slipped past his lips as he pacified the slight pang in his skull.

"Ow, what the fvck?"

When the conversation reached its end and everyone was about to art their ways, a static screech washed over the entirety of the courtyard. Everyone curtly halted, heads turning, and a wince escaped your lips.

The source was at the stage, the speakers blaring a man's voice; the male figure had black-rimmed glasses, jet-black hair brushed in a tiny man bun and brown eyes that held this hollow calmness in them. When you scanned over his features more, you discovered he was middle-aged and he was flanked by some other people behind him. There was this unnerving, small smile he had that disrupted the serene waves of thoughts within you.

The man patted the mic softly and soft bass sounds followed after it, catching the attention of everyone there. You couldn't look away now that the uncertainty simmered in your stomach.

Who the fvck was this?

As if the man heard your inner monologue, his voice dispersed from the speakers.

"Hello. You are probably wondering who I am. I want to introduce myself as Moon Minseok, the sponsor of the school."

Those eyes that were roaming from booth to booth landed on you and the others. No words were exchanged but everyone acknowledged the dubious shiver prowling down everyone's spine.

It forced you to swiftly divert your gaze into something that was not worthy of attention - much like everyone else. You tried to drown out the remnants of the speech.

You don't even know when the speech ended, but you and Jungwon departed ways together to get to the gardening booth. Danielle was already there and directed you to simply tag the prices to each gardening product before she also sauntered away.

It was easy enough.

So, you and Jungwon found yourselves sitting in the comfortable silence, the subtle breeze caressing yours and his clothes whilst the sunlight feebly seeped through the thick blankets of clouds.

The little cactuses and ferns were adorably small, the plastic wrapped around it in a way that didn't bend their leaves or figures. You couldn't help but smile at the miniature, clay pots.

It was almost calming in a way until a multitude of nefarious footsteps approched the gardening booth, making you and Jungwon curiously glance up.

There was clear tension in your muscles when those empty eyes, of none other than Minseok, landed on you and Jungwon. Behind him, the same people flanked him, tablets in their hands, and the principal also accompanying him. The headmaster looked as if he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

It appeared amusing to you, but you didn't react and, instead, gave a short glance to Jungwon, who also gave a sceptical look back.

With the oncoming footsteps, you and Jungwon politely bowed despite the clear tension pervading the air. It was almost difficult to even make eye contact.

Minseok had a confident gait, each step on the grounds of campus made his; this mellow smile curved onto his lips whilst he had his hands behind his back. His eyes possessed that icy calmness that made your voice dig back into your throat.

"The gardening club," the principal spoke, gesturing to you and Jungwon awkwardly standing there behind the table full of tagged garden products.

You didn't want to speak, neither did Jungwon. Both you and him had your thoughts drifitng into space. Realising you were just tentatively staring, you captured the wandering thoughts and brought yourself back to reality.

"Um... hello," you uttered, voice coming out much quieter than you wanted. Jungwon was about to give you a relentless side-eye but Minseok stepped forward and ran his gaze over the various assortments of petite plants commonly grown within the university.

The silence seemed to disturb the principal a lot more, the nervousness dissolving into his face; he shifted in his place, hands rubbing over the knuckles of his other. Maybe he was sweating if you observed closely enough to the crown of his head.

Minseok met your eyes in a second and you swear your heartbeat spiked up, clutching your vocal chords and forcing you to just awkwardly smile. You had the fierce urge to run away.

"My mother would love these. These are lovely," he began to say. There was a insincere smile in your smile, but he didn't need to know that. Shrewd, Jungwon fiddled with the sleeves of his hoodie, nails digging into the plush fabric.

"She has good taste in plants," you stated whilst your own gaze ran over the green stems and the soil. Minseok gave a small, humoured laugh.

"She had good taste," he corrected you and immediately sending heat to flood your cheeks and neck. You could tell the principal was probably itching to take Minseok away from your clumsy obliviousness.

"I'm so sorry," you mumbled, bowing in slight apology. You just wanted the eart to swallow you up. Minseok shook his head as if it was nothing serious, and smiled with that tranquil expression again.

"It's fine, she can't hear us, " he responded with mirth to your humiliated state. Jungwon could have scoffed to your mistake, but his muscles were too frozen with tension to even move. And, he didn't know why.

After Minseo recieved silence from you, he picked up one of the plastic-wrapped plants. "She was a lovely woman. She tended to her garden, decorating the house with ridiculous kinds. It's endearing now since she is now buried with them."

It was a depressing conversation so much so that you were holding a breath as Jungwon gave a subtle side-eye.

"I learned from that moment that people must treasure what they have. You may lose the," Minseok added on, gaze flickering to Jungwon. Following his gaze briefly, you noticed the way Jungwon's eyes darted nervously, jaw slightly clenched.

You didn't have the time to ask if he was okay since Minseok dug a hand into his pocket and pulled out some notes to hand it to you. It was a little daunting, and you didn't know whether to take it since he was offering money that was worth more than what was displayed on the small plant.

From the corner of your eye, the principal gesticulated that you should take it. Not wanting to embarrass yourself anymore, you gave a small smile before taking the money.

"Keep the change," he said, holding the plant.

"Thank you," you murmured, to which Minseok curled his smile a little more, eyes scanning over your features as if he was trying to grasp something off it.

The brief silence was cut off when one of his advisors sauntered to Minseok, a ringing phone in hand. Minseok's gaze faltered before he gave a courteous nod to you, a brief glance to Jungwon and taking the advisor's phone. Then, like the wind, he walked away with the principal.

When they were far enough, you looked to the 10,000 won worth of notes. It was a simple interaction but enough to leave you still drifting in your thoughts. Curious, you glanced to Jungwon, who was still frozen.

You wondered if he was even breathing.

"Jungwon?" you nudged his elbow a little, causing him to flinch and look down at you. The brief discomfort stayed rooted in his eyes, jaw still clenched.

This time, you wrapped your fingers gently around his forearm to nudge him again with bewilderment. "You okay?"

Jungon snapped out of the foggy daze and nodded. A deep breath escaped him, shoulders sagging finally and discomfort melting away when he registered the soft grip of your hand.

"Yeah, I'm fine. He just seems a little... odd, don't you think?"

The return of his voice did addle you a little, but you didn't dare mention it, not wanting to ignite whatever worry was just extinguished. Your hand stopped holding his forearm.

"Yeah," you agreed, seeing Minseok and the principal in the far distance, "I think so too."

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╰┈➤ A/n: omg, heeyy. My life has been so hectic that I wanted to just- 💀👍🏼. Anyways, still in a hectic moment, but I managed to update chapter 6. Didn't feel amazing while writing it but I tried. And I'm so sorry if the picture quality basically decreased. Idk why. But, pls tell me how it was <3

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Taglist: @jwonistic @ilovejungwonandhaechan @sincerely-sun

ੈ✩‧₊˚ 𝐀 𝐇𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐀𝐭𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐬

ᴾᵃⁱʳⁱⁿᵍˢ: ˢⁱʳᵉⁿ!ᴶᵘⁿᵍʷᵒⁿ ˣ ᴺᵒᵇˡᵉ!ᴿᵉᵃᵈᵉʳ

ᴳᵉⁿʳᵉ: ᴬᵘ, ᴬⁿᵍˢᵗ

ᵂᵒʳᵈ ᶜᵒᵘⁿᵗ: ⁵.³ᵏ

ᵂᵃʳⁿⁱⁿᵍˢ: ᴹʸᵗʰⁱᶜᵃˡ ᶜʳᵉᵃᵗᵘʳᵉ ᵗᵃˡᵏ, ᵃⁿᵗⁱ-ᵇᵉˡⁱᵉᵛᵉʳ (ᵒᶠ ᵐʸᵗʰⁱᶜᵃˡ ᶜʳᵉᵃᵗᵘʳᵉ), ˢʷᵉᵃʳ ʷᵒʳᵈˢ, ᵗʰᵉᶠᵗ, ᵖᵃˢᵗ ˡⁱᶠᵉ ᵈⁱˢᶜᵘˢˢⁱᵒⁿ, ᴬˡˡᵘʳⁱⁿᵍ ᵃⁿᵈ ˢᵉᵈᵘᶜᵗⁱᵛᵉ ᵈᵉᵖⁱᶜᵗⁱᵒⁿ ᵒᶠ ˢⁱʳᵉⁿˢ, ᵐᵃⁿⁱᵖᵘˡᵃᵗⁱⁿᵍ?, ᵐᵉⁿᵗⁱᵒⁿ ᵒᶠ ᵉˣᵉᶜᵘᵗⁱᵒⁿ

ᴺᵉᵗʷᵒʳᵏ: @starlit-network

ᴬ/ⁿ: ᵀᴴᴵˢ ᵀᴼᴼᴷ ᴹᵉ ˢᴼ ᴸᴼᴺᴳ ᵀᴼ ᶠᴵᴺᴵˢᴴ!! ᴮᵘᵗ ᵖˡᵉᵃˢᵉ ᶜʰᵉᶜᵏ ᵐʸ ᶠⁱᶜ ᶜʳᵉᵈⁱᵗˢ ᵗᵒ ˢᵉᵉ ᵃˡˡ ᵗʰᵉ ʷᵒⁿᵈᵉʳᶠᵘˡ ᵖᵉᵒᵖˡᵉ ʷʰᵒ ʰᵉˡᵖᵉᵈ ᵐᵉ ᶜʰᵉᶜᵏ ᵒᵛᵉʳ ᵗʰⁱˢ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵖᵉʳᶠᵉᶜᵗ ⁱᵗ

The ocean was full of mysteries and secrets that no one has, nor should ever be discovered… the big body of water that was so beautiful yet so terrifying.

You, a regular Victorian girl who enjoyed reading novels under the big tree which sat next to a normal river, finding joy in being able to put yourself into the characters that you read in the book. Feeling as if you were the main character, growing a connection with those around you.

“Y/n, you tend to isolate yourself too much dear… wouldn't you like to spend more time with us? Your family?” Your mother found herself asking, looking directly at you as if she expected you to answer enthusiastically.

Truthfully, no. You were fine being alone and it was when you felt at your best. Being alone in the comfort of your books and imagination.

“If I'm being honest, mother, I do not think that being alone is a burden, as I quite enjoy the silence of going into the forest alone.”

Your mother and sister stared at you, unknowing of what to respond with. You hated the look of pity that they showed towards you, as if enjoying the company of one's self was something that should be looked down upon. The opinion of those older could never be the same as someone younger. The mind was simply at different levels of development, causing disagreements between the two quite regularly.

Looking around at the family who sat around the table, picking yourself up from the chair and grabbing your book from your lap to prevent it from falling.

“I believe I have some important manners to take care of…” you completed, beginning to make your way out of the dining room.

“Y/n, before you go you must be aware of something.” Your dad spoke, catching your attention and causing you to turn around to face him.

“What's wrong?” You responded, somewhat intrigued.

“Because me and your mother have been speaking about a better career opportunity for our company. I wanted to make you aware that next month we'll be moving over to a different town. Not far at most.”

You despised moving… however this time, it would be near an ocean. Meaning you would be capable of observing the same water that your current book, ‘A Hidden Atlantis’ was referencing. The same town and ocean that had been where the novel had taken place.

A Hidden Atlantis was a one of a kind book, you'd truthfully never read anything like it before. The topic of humanoid creatures whose legs resembled that of a fish was always interesting to you.

Something like that could never exist in the real world… could it?

It would only ever be real in paintings, books and imagination. It's place was not the real ocean that was full of mysterious creatures.

However… in the low chance possibility that something like a half human half fish existed. It'd be so beautiful yet terrifying. The same way its habitat was.

Your obsession with these types of mythical chapter books started when you found a ring on the floor of your new (now old) house. You were young, so the red ruby that sat brightly inside the ring wasn't something that appeared valuable to you, it was only ever stunning.

You kept it, never sold it for money… even though it would probably be worth a fortune. You always felt some sort of odd connection to it, causing you to never be capable of selling it. It was too special for you, despite the mystery that could've been a curse that attracted you to it and it's red gem

___

They told you to stay inside, but you found a way out nevertheless. They were silly if they didn't know you well enough to see it coming.

This was the very ocean right outside of your new home. The very ocean that the book described, it was right in front of you along with the same town and streets that the book’s main character walked on before in the history of the novel.

Sirens didn't exist, but maybe you could catch a glimpse of something that slightly resembled that of the mythical creature throughout your stay. It would make sense wouldn't it? Possibly if you were a believer.. but unfortunately you weren't.

Even so, you still enthusiastically made your way to the sandy beach located right under the cliff which your house sat over, finding a comfortable rock to sit on as you opened your book and lit up a candle

The young girl, Sharon left everything behind. From her friends and belongings to her town, all due to financial struggles between her parents. However the kind girl looked at things in another light, becoming understanding of her parents' situation and avoiding internal conflicts between herself and her family.

She took out the box which carried the old jewel inside. Seeing the gem glow bright red, reflecting off the same color as that of her eyes. Staring into the piece made her confident in the color of red, it was a beautiful color that many people associated with the wrong things. It was a treasure, and it made her feel the same connection and reassurance that she had felt since the start… since the first ever day she laid eyes on the ring.

She slipped the ring onto her hand, feeling the jewel slide off of her small fingers. However, she kept it on as she made her way to the dark waters that almost felt as if they awaited her.

She walked the path down the forest, catching a glimpse of the bright moon illuminating the cold ocean. It looked beautiful, almost magical as she walked near. Sitting on a rock and brushing her feet against the water, feeling as if it had been bringing her skin smoothness and youth.

“Beautiful night,” The young girl found herself whispering, as she looked far up into the distance to see the figure of a sunken ship, located right behind a chapped rock.

It’s boards and wood sinking down and dissolving into the water as it overflowed.

The news of the sinking ship was everywhere:

“Ship sank under unidentified circumstances.”

“Ship mysteriously begins sinking in the middle of the sea.”

“An unidentified ship reappears on the shores of...”

It was all over the newspapers, disaster would always be destined to happen.

The light of the fire which illuminated the candle flicker off, the strong winds didn't allow it to keep the fire. It was time to head back home and continue reading inside your room, where the wind couldn't get to you despite your delicate windows. It seemed as if a storm was approaching.

You smiled looking up and at the direct spot that the book described, not spotting a single sunken ship. Even if it was there at one point in history, the likelihood that it was actually the fault of a group of sirens and their enchanting voices and illusions was little to none.

As much as you wanted to believe, you knew something like that could only stay in your imagination. The same way dragons and vampires did. They could never exist in the real world, it would just be too dangerous.

Picking yourself up from the rock, you carefully climbed your way down and allowed the light from your barely lit candle to lead you back.

This ocean was close enough to your house that you were able to see the lights turned on in specific rooms. Best get going now if you hoped to not get caught sneaking out like you were strictly told not to.

Walking on the light sand before feeling your shoe step on something hard…

A rock maybe?

You tilted your head to look below you, bending your knees to get a better look at the object.

It was a ring… a blue diamond ring, washed away on the shore of the ocean. It must've been left behind by some tourist or someone who happened to be traveling the water’s. And really you didn't care to find out, as it was left behind and far too valuable to ignore.

You'd simply treasure it. The same way you did with the red ruby ring that you found in your old house when moving in.

“Y/n!” A young boy called out, running over to hug you tightly, almost as if you hadn't seen each other in a long time.

Turning around, you came face to face with a pretty young boy, beautiful cat shaped eyes that glowed as brightly as the day.

“Jungwon? What are you doing here..!?”

He smiled brightly and picked out a bright yellow dandelion from the grass, gently shoving your hair behind your ear and placing it right in between.

“I came to say hello to a friend,” He responded enthusiastically.

You shook your head and looked up, happier than ever.

“I understand but shouldn't you be with a doctor!?” You questioned to which he responded with a giggle and smirked at you.

“They told me that I should be outside a lot and have fun! So I'm following their instructions!”

Face palming yourself, you looked back up softly and picked up a bright yellow dandelion, mimicking his acts and placing it on his hair right above his ear.

He kept his gaze fixed on you, that was until you picked yourself up from the ground and began running around in the small garden right in front of a noble looking home.

Being a kid himself, he followed and chased you across the garden.

You looked happy… excited… like children…

Finally, your brain snapped back to reality.

“What the hell was that…?” You muttered to yourself, being unable to comprehend the vision that gave you more than just deja vu.

You looked into the dark and gloomy ocean, spotting a figure of a young man looking in your direction. His bright brown eyes which seemed to illuminate more than the moon pierced straight through your soul in an almost terrifying manner.

Shaking your head and rubbing your eyes… you convinced yourself to be seeing things.

You looked back in a panic and there was nothing… no figure… no eyes… simply nothing..

“Of course… I must be lacking sleep…” you managed to stutter, snapping back up to your senses and running back home. After all, not getting caught was your main priority right now.

***

And so the kind girl Sharon ran back home, stumbling upon an object which appeared to be a gem, closely resembling that of her own. The young girl picked up the ring and placed it in her pocket, she couldn't just leave it behind. She'd collect it.

Upon looking into the distance, she found herself staring directly into the eyes of a creature in the ocean.

Her kind heart forced her to yell, “Are you alright dear sailor, do you need assistance?”

However, she received no response…

Chills ran down her spine as he stared at her intensely, not even blinking once throughout the entire process… Sharon, upon feeling uneasy decided to run and make someone aware along the way of a possible sailor that could've been in danger.

Little did she know that she had stared into the eyes of that of the most dangerous…

All because she touched what was his… and you should never touch anything that belongs to a siren…

____

“Jungwon. For dear god’s sake, why are we doing this?”

Jungwon turned around once again and sighed, “For the 100th thousand millionth time, it's because that young lady took my ring. So I'm returning for it.”

“Indeed but this is a bother. Someone's going to find out one way or another and we'll be dead… Why can't we return to the shore and find you another identical ring? There's plenty in the ocean-”

He froze mid sentence upon seeing the eyes of his little brother staring at him. Despite being older, Jungwon intimidated him and he couldn't deny it. Jungwon’s strong point was his eyes and he fully took advantage of that.

“Jake- if you would like to return you can always do so… I didn't need you to come either way-” Jungwon managed to mutter softly.

Jake frowned, “I'll stay with you. I don't want you out here in the human world alone with absolutely no one supervising you.”

Jungwon smiled and nodded, “Alright then, let's make this fast.”

Jake followed his little brother. He had always doubted the connection that Jungwon claimed to have with his ring up until now; more like up until a year ago. Whereas Jungwon dropped his ring while traveling in the oceans at night and was somehow able to find it immediately after he noticed. Retracing his steps and locating the small object in the depths of the massive ocean. Jake was sure that he had a tracker on that thing because that would've been otherwise impossible.

And right now was no exception, in fact it was only convincing Jake furthermore that there must've been a hidden tracker somewhere within the tiny corners of that small ring.

Jake’s frown only turned into an annoyed stare as he watched Jungwon get ahead of himself, leading them to who the heck knew where. “Do you even know what she looked like?”

Jungwon shook his head, still keeping his gaze forward, “Absolutely not.”

Jake sighed, “Why did I expect that… with that keen eyesight of yours I really would've expected you to at least see her hair color.”

“It was dark hyung-” Jungwon completed, noticing Jake nod in agreement.

“I know but for some reason you can spot everything about a person at night except for the thief of your ring… and what if she sold it already?”

Jungwon sighed and shook his head, “I’d rather not think about it but in that case scenario then we'd have to purchase it again-”

Jake stared at Jungwon, “You can't be serious.”

Jungwon turned around, “Should I rephrase that? I'd rather say- I'd have to purchase it again.”

“There's dozens of trade shops on land- how are you gonna locate the exact one!?” Jake asked, almost yelling to which Jungwon backed away nervously and blinked a couple of times before answering.

“I'll find it, don't worry.”

Jake was upset but he wanted to support his brother. That ring was special to Jungwon ever since infancy and he didn't want to say anything rude or careless, let alone both.

“By the way, lower your voice because other people are going to hear you and will suspect us. You're going to throw us both under the bus with your yelling-”

Jake bowed to his little brother and apologized repeatedly, “I'm sorry, it's a little complicated to contain my emotions to a certain volume.”

Jungwon shook his head in denial. “It’d be quite alright if you hadn’t told me earlier that being on land was far too risky. I know just as much as you do so you have to keep in mind that one wrong move could land in us having our heads chopped off,” he expressed, to which Jake simply put his palm up to his forehead.

“Don’t even mention it.”

Suddenly, Jake crashed into a woman who had been walking the same streets they had been, maybe around her early 20’s. Despite the cloak that had been covering her face she looked quite beautiful. Long hair neatly put up in a ponytail and perfectly arranged across her shoulder.

“Oh, I beg your pardon as I was distracted-” Jake stuttered out nervously, noticing her turn around and bow in apology.

Jungwon’s gaze swiftly shifted onto her eyes, his alert up high.

“I apologize- I was a little careless myself.” You chuckled. Jake froze in silence, ultimately overcome by the beauty that he never knew could belong to a human.

Jungwon smiled, “I excuse my older brother- nevertheless what is such a beautiful young woman doing around here alone? Not to mention you yourself look quite of noble status. Is there a reason behind this?”

Suddenly becoming nervous, you began fidgeting with your fingers. “Haha- was it obvious that i’m a noble?” you muttered, to which Jungwon nodded.

“Your clothes and form of speech give it away.”

You laughed ever so slightly and nodded. “You see, I’m actually new to this area and happened to grow curious about exploring the town as the views are spectacular.”

Jungwon looked over to where you turned; the ocean that he himself had belonged to. The cold ocean that had belonged to him and many others who were just like him.

“I see that you are drawn by the landscape?” Jungwon turned over to you, seeing you nod in approval.

“Correct. I don’t come from a very green place like this one, so this feels almost like a wonderland… like those types of forest or villages that you read in fairytales.”

Bingo.

That was all he needed to know… this was her… the girl who had visited the ocean the other day late at night… the thief of his ring that was so very beloved to him.

“I happen to notice that you have a specific love for reading?” Jungwon questioned, noticing your eyes light up as you looked back up at him.

“You seem to be very good at guessing- yes, I very much do love reading books and novels.” you blinked, a little taken aback by how well this stranger seemed to know you.

“I’m glad. I happen to enjoy reading myself.”

You felt some type of odd aura about him.. You were unsure if it was just you overthinking or if this was actually something that you should’ve been concerned about. From the moment he spoke you felt nothing but comfort, you felt safe. Which wasn’t something an ordinary human could’ve made you feel,

~~~

Walking up to a fruit stand, the lady in front smiled at you.

“I’ve never seen you around before, are you new around here?” she asked, making you nod in agreement.

“You’d be correct, I’m not from here, I hope that is alright,” you responded, seeing her nod repeatedly in reassurance to your doubts.

You looked back at the ocean that you felt attracted to for some odd reason. It wasn’t clear to you whether you only felt that way because of your book or because there was actually something magical about it… not to mention the eyes… those eyes that glowed brighter than the moonlight..

“I happen to notice that you really like our water’s?” She smiled, to which you flinched as you didn’t notice her staring.

“I do… may I ask why no families are down there constantly?” you questioned, noticing her give you a confused glance making you panic in case you asked the wrong question. “I’m a little confused because normally there would be a couple of swimmers, no?” you added, your nerves making you unable to say the sentence correctly.

Luckily, she understood you and waved her hand in dismissal.

“Oh dear, it’s prohibited to swim in any waters around here.”

You stayed silent, confused yet amused. “May I ask why…?”

She turned back to look at you, “Oh dear, haven’t you heard? It became banned around the late 1850’s due to the amount of siren spotting there had been. Not to mention the amount of ships that went missing in such a short period of time around this area recently. I feel so poorly for all the families of those navigators..”

Thoughts began circulating in your mind. That wasn’t possible… After all siren’s weren’t real.. They have never been real. They were mythical creatures.

“By the way dear, be very careful with who you trust on this land. Siren’s are very alluring creatures who roam around this town just as freely as regular citizens. Don’t get confident just because we're not in the sea.”

“Wait- siren’s can shapeshift and blend into humanity too?” You exclaimed, almost yelling in surprise before you caught yourself and covered your mouth, lowering your voice to a lower volume.

The woman chuckled, “Why, of course they can.”

“How can I spot a siren…? Among all these humans…?”

She looked around and signaled you to come closer, you followed her orders and leaned in.

“Siren’s will always have attractive and manipulating eyes… never forget that as it may save your life one day.”

~~~

His eyes were gorgeous… almost hypnotizing to look at, you've never seen eyes so gorgeous like his, they seemed almost unreal.

Face to face with a pretty young man, beautiful cat shaped eyes that glowed as brightly as the day.

Face perfect and screaming off the sense of innocence. Almost making you think that this was in fact the reincarnation of the word itself. Which in itself was odd enough,

But you couldn't judge a book by it's cover. After all you weren't even a believer- just a little frightened by something a woman had said earlier. You needed proof of sirens before you actually believed in them, even though there was no way of explaining what you had happened to see down in the shore the other night.

However, his eyes were that of something supernatural and you felt it.

___

You found yourself walking late at night alone in the streets of the town; surrounded by people and their terrified whispers.

“What time did you say sirens come out again?”

“I think I may have just run into a siren- it's eyes look surreal-”

Sirens, surreal looking eyes. Put together it made sense.

Something not human could never fully shapeshift or become a human. There will always be something that gives it away.

However, this was going too far.

“Hey, we meet again.” A voice from behind you called, snatching the magazine from your grip and rolling it up in between his hands.

“Oh- good afternoon..?”

“It would be good night as of right now.” He smiled. You'd be lying if you said you didn't get flustered the moment he did so, seeing him smile with such a handsome face. There was no way you couldn't react.

Smiling back, a bit of pink flushing over your cheeks. “Yes, I apologize. I happened to be making my way back home right now; I hope you can excuse me.”

His face became a small smirk, almost teasing as he looked back at you. “From what I can see, you don't happen to be accompanied by anyone?” He asked, despite your guard going up high, there was no use in lying, you had run into this same man earlier and you had been alone, so you simply nodded.

“Would you like me to come with? Better not get tricked by any sirens.”

You felt your cheeks warm up again, flustered by this man and his alluring personality.

“What did you say your name was again?” You asked, realizing you had never gotten his name in the first place. Unconsciously beginning to walk, making your way back home.

This almost felt familiar….

Sharon walked her way back home with the claimed stranger which she had seen earlier that day.

Questions arose from the young girl's mouth, not anything wrong, at least not to the ears of something so magical and mythical like a siren.

“What was your name again?” Sharon asked in a low pitched muffle.

“I couldn't catch that.” His eyes glew in the dark as his mouth spoke. Something about this man was so alluring and she couldn't catch a grip of what it might've been.

Maybe his attractiveness? His eyes? Seductive and teasing nature perhaps? Everything about him seemed surreal, the way his words were able to manipulate her to make decisions that she wouldn't have made otherwise. It almost seemed effortless.

Sharon smiled nervously, “Your name. I didn't manage to catch it.”

He grinned, “Edward.”

One of the rules about a siren, they only ever said their first names in an introduction, never their last. They didn't have a last name to give, at least not now.

Sharon looked back at the man who walked behind her, his eyes locking on hers as she kept the eye contact for a hot moment. It wasn't willingly, because something about his eyes felt as if there was some type of rope connecting and bonding their souls, as she was unable to look away.

“You have beautiful eyes Edward.” She smiled, noticing him nod knowingly.

“I've been told before, young Sharon.”

It felt odd, they were both young, around each other's age perhaps. It was likely a form of speech however it was still off putting. Sharon could never get used to being called young by someone who looked so young themselves.

“Alright then; Edward, how old are you.”

It was a forbidden question and she knew it. Sirens didn't have an age, at least not that they were aware of. Normally becoming unable to answer the question properly, ending up in them executing their plans earlier than expected, causing a scene that would be far too messy to clean up afterwards.

“Not sure. I was abandoned at a young age and have no idea of when something so basic like my birthday is.” He responded, voice lowering as he turned to his side.

Good answer, Sharon thought. Looking back at the young man and smiling.

“You look fairly young. Edward.”

He was taken aback, he normally disliked the mention of just his first name because of how disrespectful it sounded, and this… this had been the third time she directed him by his first name solely.

He looked at her sharply, “If you could, I'd really appreciate a title in the beginning like Mr before my name.”

The young girl turned around enthusiastically, still skipping towards the direction of her house rapidly as she laughed softly. Her face giving off nothing but innocence.

“But why? Edward is a pretty name. A last name like … would suit you impeccably!” She exclaimed.

“Jungwon.” He answered.

Walking up the pathway which sat on the hill that led up to your house, grass awaiting you at the top.

“Well then, Jungwon do you believe in sirens?” You asked, almost testing him for an unknown reason that not even you knew.

It seemed like he had caught onto this, as he half sighed, half chuckled. “You really can't believe nor not believe in something you haven't seen before. There will always be those who claim to have seen other worldly creatures, you can't believe them, but you can't proclaim them as liars either.” He smiled.

Good answer, you thought.

“Say, Jungwon, how old are you?” You grinned, noticing him do the same.

It's a test, he thought to himself, unable to think of the correct answer if there even was one. As a siren one of their biggest pet pieves was lying. He couldn't even make up something to protect himself unless if he wanted to be looked down on.

“Not sure, I don't even know something so simple like my birthday.” He frowned. You looked back, sincere nostalgia hitting you the moment those words came out from his mouth, however you were unable to pinpoint why or where it was coming from.

“I see,” you added, turning around and looking at him directly.

Unable to hold back, you looked back at him and sighed.

“Do you believe sirens are as evil as humans depict them to be?” You found yourself asking, continuing to walk forward even if the answer he'd give held you anxious.

He grinned and kept his gaze on you, despite not looking at him you could feel his eyes pierced through your skin.

“I think it's similar to humans. There's bad people out there and there's good. I don't see why something so similar should be any different. Sirens are technically human, that's why they don't have too much trouble blending into humanity, they can pull it off rather easily in a matter of fact.”

Your shoulders fell in relief, not even noticing the way they had been so tense.

“I'm glad to hear that,” You smiled, “It’s better to not take guesses about creatures we have never seen or met before.”

He nodded.

“She's different.”

“Well, Jungwon, it looks like we've arrived.”

He nodded and peaked his attention to the house he found himself at.

He had forgotten completely, he was here for a reason and he was going to leave with that one reason fulfilled. He didn't need any doubts.

“It has been an honor my lady.” He leaned down, asking for your hand.

You gave it to him, and he landed a singular kiss on the tip. It was a regular gentleman act at the time, however your cheeks could help but rose and warm up, it was a little shameful to have fallen head over heels for a stranger.

“Yang Jungwon?”

Snapping, he immediately looked up at you.

Yang Jungwon, Yang Jungwon, Yang Jungwon

That name rang in his ear like a bell, repeatedly. What was this? Why did it sound so familiar to him?

“I'll hope to see you another day.” You smiled.

He simply smiled back and waved, nodding in response regarding your statement that had been said a little unexpectedly.

Tears rolled down your cheeks, as you looked at the bed with the pale kid who was at once a healthy boy... your friend.

“I would like to give you this.” He handed the hand which had been clenched shut, holding onto the piece tightly. “I unfortunately don't have much time left, however I would like to give you this. That way if we ever reincarnate again, I'll find you.”

You couldn't contain your emotions, the tears streamed down your face and a wave of emotions hit you.

You entered your home, closing the door behind you while holding your fingers and making your way upstairs to your room. You wanted to take a cold shower before heading off to bed.

Slipping off the coat and relocating it onto a chair that sat in front of your desk. Looking down at your fingers and noticing the bright blue ring missing. Only being left with your original red ruby ring.

You looked everywhere in a panic. Had you dropped it on your way back? It would've been possible as it slipped off of your tiny fingers constantly. It was far too oversized for you.

Suddenly the memory overcame you. He kissed your wrist, in contact with your hand and fingers directly.

Looking out the window, seeing the moon glowing bright blue with a tint of red on a few corners of it. The water in the ocean splashed as if something or someone had just went back in. Enough time has passed, the ring was his priority

Yang Jungwon, who are you?

It was about time, Sharon thought.

There was always going to be different habitats for every living organism. Humans would locate on land, you'd find them there if you ever found yourself searching. Maraine animals would be found in the water, and wild animals would be in the depths of the trees.

Just like marine animals don't belong on land, humans don't belong in the water. The same was wild animals wouldn't belong in the ocean, they wouldn't survive.

It was the same way that the world worked, it was cycle.

Sharon wrote furiously onto the sheets of paper, many stacked up on the side and many scattered on the floor, it was unavoidable to anyone who experienced the same that she had.

The main message the young girl left for anyone and everyone who dared to pick up and look at the contents of this novel which started out as a diary.

History repeats itself. Never doubt it.

𖠵 . ׅ ࣪ ⌇ 𝐿OVE 𝑊INS !

ᯓ ᡣ𐭩 𝑟ich bf! 𝒴ang 𝑗ungwon x 𝑓! reader 𝒢enre. angst &fluff. 𝓢ynopsis. in which meeting jungwon’s parents goes not very well ! 𝑤𝑐 𐙚ㅤㅤ 1429. ‎⸝⸝ not edited, shamed for not being rich?? kissing. ୭ৎ — 𝓵𝗂𝖻𝗋𝖺𝗋𝔂 ᥫ᭡

PLEASE LIKE & REBLOG ! 𓂃

YOUR HIGHSCHOOL GRADUATION HAD BEEN A BITTERSWEET MILESTONE.

for years, you had spent countless hours studying hard, made special friends, and navigated through the ups and downs of the life of a teenage girl.

but the sweetest part of it all had been falling in love with yang jungwon.

despite growing up in opposite conditions and his status as the rich golden boy of the school, he had always treated everyone with kindness and respect.

he was charming, intelligent, kind and genuine, making it easy for you to fall head over heels in love for him. — more under cut !

the two of you had been classmates for years, and your relationship had blossomed naturally.

jungwon had been there for you through thick and thin, supporting you in ways that made you forget the fact that he had his whole entire life set up for him.

but now, with graduation behind you, the reality of your future loomed ahead, bringing challenges to your relationship.

you knew that meeting jungwon's parents was inevitable, especially now that his family expected him to take everything seriously.

they wanted to ensure he was on the right path, and that of course included approving of the person he was dating.

nervous but happy for this new step in your relationship, you agreed to meet them, hoping that your love for jungwon would be enough for them to ignore your upbringing.

the day had finally come, and you dressed in your best dress, eager to make a good impression.

jungwon picked you up in his expensive sportscar, another reminder of your different classes.

jungwon gave you a reassuring smile as you got in.

"don't worry, baby. they'll love you," he said, his voice full of confidence.

you nodded, trying your best to believe him, ignoring the sinking feeling in your stomach.

when you arrived at his family's mansion, your anxiety only grew further. the whole property of their home was overwhelming, a shining contrast to your modest upbringing.

jungwon's parents, mr. and mrs. yang, greeted you with polite smiles, but you could sense the judgment in their eyes, anyone could.

dinner was served in a lavish, polished dining room.

it was awkward and silent, the clatter of the utensils filling the air.

after awkward ice breakers and small talk, it seems that they couldn’t hold their “curiosity” back any longer.

as the meal progressed, the conversation took a turn for the worse.

mr. yang started making condescending, disrespectful remarks about your family's financial situation, each comment more hurtful than the last.

"so, y/n, what do your parents do for a living?" he asked with a thinly masked sneer.

you swallowed hard, trying to keep your composure.

"my dad works as an office worker, and my mom is a nurse," you replied, feeling the weight of their scrutiny.

mrs. yang chimed in, her tone dripping with disdain.

"how quaint. it must be difficult for you and your family, living on such modest means."

you glanced at jungwon, searching his eyes for some support, but he sat there in silence, his eyes downcast.

your heart sank, feeling a mix of hurt and betrayal, did he not hear everything they had been saying to you?

the final blow came when mr. yang laughed and said, "well, it's a good thing our jungwon won't have to worry about money with you around. we wouldn't want him to downgrade his lifestyle, would we? especially for some high school relationship.."

you couldn’t hold it back anymore, tears welled up in your eyes, but you refused to let them see you cry. you stood up, your voice shaking with every word.

"thank you for dinner, but i think i should leave."

jungwon finally looked up, evident panic in his eyes.

"no- y/n, please don't go," he pleaded, but you shook your head.

"i'm sorry, jungwon. i just- can't do this," you said, your voice breaking as you looked at him, you didn’t recognize him anymore.

without another word, you left the mansion with the sense of hurt, heartbreak and humiliation trailing behind you.

the next few days were a blur of pain and confusion.

jungwon tried calling and texting you repeatedly, but you ignored every single message and call.

you couldn't bear to face him after what had happened. you stayed in your room, crying and replaying the dinner over and over in your mind.

you had never been so humiliated in your life, jungwon had completely left you to fend for yourself, not even uttering a word as they stripped your worth after every single minute.

it was currently midnight, you listened to music as your thoughts flowed around your brain, making it impossible to get a blink of sleep.

as you laid in bed, you heard a noise at your window. startled, you sat up and saw jungwon climbing through.

"jungwon? how did you- what are you doing here?" you asked, your voice sounding cold and distant, unfamiliar to jungwon.

he looked at you with desperation in his eyes.

"i’m sorry- i needed to see you, y/n. please, let me explain."

you crossed your arms, trying to maintain your composure.

"explain what jungwon? it’s fine, we’re from two different worlds. maybe we’re just not meant to be."

jungwon felt his heart break at every single word you muttered, is this how you felt when his parents picked at every single aspect of you? he thought.

jungwon took a deep breath, his eyes filled with tears.

"i know i should have defended you. i'm so sorry for not saying anything. i was scared, and i didn't know what to do, it’s no excuse but my whole life i’ve never stuck up to my parents- for you, i went home and confronted my parents.”

“i told them how much you mean to me, and how wrong they were to treat you that way, how i want to spend the rest of my life with you, and how no amount of money or anything we have could compare to you."

you felt a pang of pain mixed with a soft fluttering in your heart.

"and what did they say?"

jungwon's voice trembled as he continued.

"my dad... he didn't take it well, but i don't care.”

“i told him that our status means nothing to me if it means losing you. i hate my family for what they said to you. i hate that i was too scared to stand up for you in the moment. but i'm done being afraid, because i love you."

your heart broke at the sight of him, tears streaming down his face. you stepped closer, noticing a cut on his lip.

"wonnie, you're hurt," you whispered, reaching out to cup his face gently.

"what happened? did they do this?"

he leaned into your touch, his eyes closing.

"i got that cut from my dad after defending you. but it doesn't matter. you're what matters to me."

before you could say anything else, jungwon leaned in and kissed you softly, his lips trembling against yours.

the kiss was filled with emotion and vulnerability, a mixture of an apology, love, and desperation.

you kissed him back, the depth of his feelings reaching you.

when you finally pulled away, you looked into his eyes, seeing the sincerity and the pain in there.

"jungwon, i... i was so hurt when you didn't say anything. but seeing you here, knowing what you went through for me... it’ll take a while for me to completely forget about it but i can't stay mad at you."

he wrapped his arms around you, pulling you close.

"i love you, y/n. i'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you, i’ll always stand up for you from now on. i promise."

you held him tightly, feeling the warmth of his embrace.

"i love you too, jungwon. we'll get through this together, don’t carry this alone anymore."

he pressed a kiss to your forehead, his eyes filled with adoration. "i promise i won’t, no matter what. you're my everything."

you looked up at him, your heart swelling with love. "and you're mine."

as the stars twinkled in the night sky, the moonlight reflecting onto the two of you, you knew that everything would be just fine.

there would be challenges ahead of you two, but with jungwon’s promises and his presence by your side, you felt ready to face them all.

and as you shared a sweet, lingering kiss under the moonlight, you knew that no matter what obstacles came your way, your love would always win.

© won4kiss 2024

taglist open <3 @luvlyhee @sjyunnsworld @shawnyle @suneng @laylasbunbunny

Maybe.... I'm addicted! 😔❤️

LOVING YOU !

— pairing: idol!jungwon x idol!fem!reader (ft. jay from ENHYPEN & ni-ki from ENHYPEN)

— genre: fake relationship to real, strangers to lovers, fluff, angst, socmed au, hybe kinda crazy

— synopsis: HYBE finally is releasing a new girl group and you’re in it! so what do they do to promote this girl group? well, the least unexpected thing. They make you, the face of the group—fake date yang jungwon, your beloved sunbaenim. It’s for “promotions” they say. That’s fine.. but there’s just a teeny tiny problem; well, he barely knows you and.. you are kind of the biggest simp for him.

author note: hi guys! so unfortunately, my “all too well” smau will be cancelled (as i already deleted it). i feel like it wasn’t the best version of itself and that i didn’t really like the general idea overall. who knows? maybe one day i’ll rewrite it. however, to make up for it, here’s another won smau that i promise i will finish !! i hope you guys enjoy it :] the taglist is CLOSED.

OFFICIAL PLAYLIST

profile [ L4VEY GIRLS !! 💍 ]

1 — L4VEY teasers slayed

2 — go on managernim, give us nothing !!

3 — I was thinking.. then started crying.

4 — go cry abt it!

5 — CAUGHT 4K!!!📸

6 — come home the kids miss you.

7 — tw: man?!

8 — promise it isn’t what it looks like.

9 — the girls are fighting ??

10 — it’s for their own good.

11 — uh ur mom.

12 — what would your members say?

13 — I’m not the only one, am I?

14 — not like I’m complaining.

special chapter: if it all had been too good to be true 🌷

15 — they always using Jake!

16 — Tears falling, tears falling, don’t get me started.

17 — it’s…. ??

18 — hiatus & headaches.

19 — veronica open the door pls

20 — knetz suck

21 — Mr. Loverman on repeat

22 — was it worth it?

23 — bout to pull a maddy

24 — just tired haha

25 — jungass in my business

26 — breaking my silence

27 — engene twt in pieces

28 — one step at a time.

29 — sincerely, tteokbokki.

30 — going sololololo

31 — yn backstage video

32 — rue, when was this?