Peony - Tumblr Posts
thank you for including me @winterchimez ❄️🎶 @justalildumpling 🦝🍚 @hyungseos-cafe ☕🌿
rule: find out what colour your aura is! + a pic of your ult! (that's woodz btw!)
tagging: @astrae4 @littleroaes (most people i know have already done it! feel free to join in and tag me if you do!)
peony hi!! 😘 thank you so much for reading and leaving comments for this story!!
a major reason why i don't go take opportunities too is because i don't want to leave my mum 🥺 new things and experiences are so scary 😭 and having to work with others makes even scarier, i feel you so much on that 🥹
oh for sure! sangyeon is always at the front, leading everyone and so he's so reliable 💖 looking forward to your works as well!! thank you for the support!!
i'm home | tbz lee sangyeon
» PAIRING: tbz lee sangyeon x gn!reader (please tell me if i made a mistake!) » TROPE/AU: established relationship au!, long-distance relationship au!, non-idol au! » GENRE: loving boyfriend sangyeon, very supportive sangyeon, fluffy fluff, bit of angst (ok, maybe more than a 'bit'), comfort comfort and...comfort » WORD COUNT: 4625 » ESTIMATED READING TIME: ~17 mins » WARNINGS (lmk if i missed anything!): mention of religion once, proofread once, workplace hardships navi/masterlist!! 🤍 part of 'especially to you...'
i was a little bit nervous about posting this, especially since it was very rushed! sorry, i didn't plan this well 🥹 nothing came up till the last minute 😞 def didn't freak out or anything— 🤠 i'm gonna hype myself up and think this is fine considering i was racing against the clock (which i didn't manage to beat 😞) and have study to do (exams who? nov 9 who?).
but first of all to me: i know you rejected a lot of opportunities, drowned yourself in a lot of regrets, and i understand that planes are scary for you. i hope that you will find a reason soon to finally see the world like your younger self was dying to do. you were so close to doing it in july and i'm so proud of that first step. keep going, okay?
and! to you @winterchimez...i don't think there are any words needed. welcome home, soulmate! 🫂
Nothing will ever feel as much at home to you as Sangyeon could ever be.
You knew this the moment you told him about how you got the opportunity to work overseas. You remember when it felt like you were fighting endlessly with yourself. Around two years ago, after your weekly date, a loving kiss on your lips and the way Sangyeon would flash you that endearing smile, you thought that everything would be fine. You pushed, what you thought, to be a slim chance that you would be able to work overseas to the back of your mind. At first, you felt crushed about the video interview that you messed up, stuttering and using filler words while you internally scolded yourself for not preparing answers to simple job interview questions. Your head was overloaded with information between things to say and not to say, what would be the best answer and how to play your cards right. In the end, as soon as you pressed the red button on the video call interview, you reached out for your phone to call the first person on your call logs.
Sangyeon remembers that video call, the line of tears cascading down your cheeks as you vent your feelings out. He always waited for you to finish your sentences, nodding along to your words and giving affirming body language to show that he was actively following. Along your stream of words, you didn’t realise that Sangyeon stepped outside in the cold air, his phone at a new low angle and the lights from the buildings were the only reason why you were still able to see his smile across the screen.
“Wait…why are you outside? Where are you going?” You grabbed the new box of tissues from your bedside table, ripping the top part of the box with the dashed lines to help you retrieve a new paper instantly.
“Just grabbing some things.” Sangyeon leisurely answers, bringing the camera closer to his puckering lips, “I’m sure you did amazing, baby. Don’t worry too much, alright? And if you didn’t make it, then I’m sure God has other plans for you.”
You both continue talking over the phone, wiping your eyes, drinking a ton of water and burying yourself underneath the blanket as Sangyeon continues his little errand run. Soon enough, you finally understood why the phone was tilted upwards towards the sky and why Sangyeon didn’t show the things he bought—all the usual things that he would share with you during his random, night errand runs like this one.
It was when he finally brought the phone up to be in line with his face that you recognised the familiar street background that he was walking in. You gasped, throwing your blanket to the floor, and opening the door suddenly to face your parents who looked at you with shocked eyes. They couldn’t even voice out any of their thoughts because you were out the front door as fast as you exited your bedroom door.
Knowing well that you found out about his plan, Sangyeon made a final sprint for your house, the contents inside the plastic bag ruffles and his earphones your excited laughs and words fill his earphones, mixed in with some of your still sniffling sounds from the devastating earlier events.
That night wasn’t the first time that Sangyeon would run over to you with no notice or hesitation but Sangyeon had been going through a tough time with his personal life and you didn’t know that he would still be able to have such energy to take care of you. It’s a miracle that you were able to still go on dates that these days would be impossible to plan. That night was a reminder to you, especially with the way that he lowered his lower body down, wrapped his arms around your waist, and lifted you as he buried his face into the crook of your neck, that you really love your boyfriend and that he has always been your number one supporter.
In his arms, with some final tears that Sangyeon wiped away delicately from your still-red cheeks, you were sure that everything would be fine.
Your tears started because you were stressed but it ended with comfort.
But you got another huge headache about a week later when you got the final results of the interview. It could be the acceptance letter (that you were still sure you weren’t going to get), but you knew that you needed to at least open it, read it and accept whatever result it was to move on with your life. So, you tapped on the notification without much thought and you will forever remember this sentence: We look forward to working with you. You froze then and there, your jaw open in disbelief and your fingers went back to the main email page, pulling the inbox page down to refresh the screen. Lo and behold, you were faced with a challenge that you didn’t bother to think about.
You sprint to Sangyeon’s house as soon as the reality sinks into you. Once again, you left your parent’s house after breaking the news to the owners before leaving. Usually, you would have never been able to run that fast and long without a break. The adrenaline and anxiety took over your whole body, and you let your legs guide you to your boyfriend’s house.
Sangyeon welcomed the news with open arms, his feet adorably tapping on the spot and a deep, soft kiss on your lips that still held his radiant smile. But unlike him, you could only stand at your spot in front of his house and give him a reluctant smile. To this, his smile drops and so did the arms that were in the air a moment ago to celebrate this new journey of yours. The vertical lines between his eyebrows made itself evident and you could only respond with a series of head-shaking and quivering lips.
“Hey…” He cradles the back of your head with one hand, the other on your cheek as he steps forwards towards you, “What’s wrong? You’ve always wanted this.”
Your arms surrounded Sangyeon’s lower body tightly, taking a handful of his sweater and your cold nose slowly became warmer thanks to his body temperature, “I know. But now that it’s happening, I’m having second thoughts.”
He continues to dig further into your thoughts, wanting to understand your feelings more and why you were having second thoughts about something you worked so hard for, “Do you want to elaborate further now? Or do you want to come inside first?”
“If I say the latter, will you cuddle with me?”
This is the you that he knows: the one that would always wish for a kiss, then a cuddle and then another kiss. You lift your face from his chest, increasing the distance between you both slightly. Sangyeon sees the sparkle in your eyes and the slight pout on your lips when you look up at him with a silent plea for a positive answer to your question.
Who was he to refuse and break your heart like that?
Plus…he wanted to cuddle with you as much as you did.
And so with the support of your loving family, chaotic friends and encouraging boyfriend, you packed up, headed onto the new country alone and started a new, independent life. Thankfully, you were able to find a place close to your workplace and the foreign place became your home quickly with your three kind housemates. Splitting the chores around the house, cooking, and establishing times to use the washing machine was never a problem. Living in the same house made it easier for you all to spend some time and get to know each other better, leading to routine Friday nights to be spent with each other, going on road trips and eventually overseas trips.
Your workplace has been rewarding as you found the same good qualities of your housemates in most of your co-workers. From day one, everyone has welcomed you to their lives with open arms and you knew for sure that these people wouldn’t be the reason that you would ever have to leave to go back home.
“It’s just so unfair.” It was the company, the workplace and the conditions that they put you in. The logic didn’t make sense: the place was understaffed yet they won’t hire any new people. Of course, there were many underlying factors around it, but after being so overworked, adapting to the new culture, being homesick and, your body trying its best to adjust to the new season changes that you would never have to deal with back home, it was inevitable that you were going to break down soon, “Why? Just why do they have to do that?”
“I’m so sorry you’re going through that.” Oh how much Sangyeon just wanted to jump out of the screen and hug you tight. When was the last time he ever got to do that anyway? He missed having you in his reach—his favourite love language not being able to be expressed for about half a year now, “Hang in there, baby. I know you can do this. Stay strong, hm?”
Through your blurred vision, you could still make out his sorrowful smile, his hand that just hovers the top of the camera on his phone as if to recreate the feeling that he was touching the side of your head.
Perhaps, the worst part of being away from home is your inability to ever interact with them in real-time. The time difference made it too exhausting for everyone on the other side of the world to communicate with you properly. Sure, there were rare days when they could, but the way their moon would rise when the sun said its greetings here made you swallow down your tears at night, forcing you to reassure yourself that ‘everything is going to be fine.’ Because of this, it was a routine for you to drown in your thoughts throughout the day, waking up with a heavy head and heart from the previous nights as you plaster on a weak but still genuine smile when you greet your coworkers.
With the help of your housemates, your family and Sangyeon have managed to surprise you on both of your birthdays as well as some gaps between their schedules. Those memories would be the ones you would replay in your head as you cry your heart out in the middle of the bed that’s in the middle of the room, in the middle of the night.
Other than the visits and calls, the only things that would connect you to them are the daily pictures and videos. At the very least, they captured the lives of the ones you love back home. Unlike the memories that you could only see and keep for yourself, the physical evidence of their smiles is another big source of comfort for you, especially when all you wanted during your lonely walk home was just life updates from the people that you love most. Somewhere along the way though, the pictures and videos became too much for you, and you start to imagine what the picture would be like if you filled up the negative space within it.
How would it be like to share that laughter, smile and experience of the atmosphere that the picture manages to capture? What was the air around there like? Humid? Cold? Warm? Aromatic? Or maybe perhaps, would you have been too entranced by Sangyeon’s presence that the only thing you could smell was his signature perfume mixed in with his laundry detergent?
How would it feel just to have Sangyeon’s shoulder pressed up against yours whenever he has that habit of putting an arm around your back to grab the opposite side of your waist? To have his bigger hand securely intertwine with yours? To have him press a kiss on the side of your head after he whispers ‘I love you forever’ to your ears—knowing well that you were the only one in the world that he would ever confess that phrase intimately to.
How would it feel like to just have the familiar buildings of your neighbourhood, your city and the familiar murals or paintings in your life again? Would it be more comforting than the pictures of the same scenery on your phone? Would your heart be more at ease walking in the night even if all the lights were off or there were no signs of life?
As an answer to your thoughts, after two years of learning, gaining life experiences and missing the air of your home, you bravely decided not to pick up the pen on the table and sign your initials on the new contract paper.
You decided: I’m going home.
It’s been a really wild ride. A ride that you would never exchange for anything else. For one, you made friends from the other side of the world. Friends that you knew you could always hit up and visit if you ever come back. Two, it was real when people say that ‘the distance makes the heart grow fonder’. Sangyeon has always been the boyfriend who would cry and carry his burden alone but would always welcome your hardships into his life. Before, even though you could pick up some of the signs on some occasions, the limited video calls allowed you both to pour your feelings out, exchanging confessions and true thoughts. Had you not been across the world, you were confident that Sangyeon would step out of his shell eventually but you were thankful that the distance did its job healthily and your relationship with him strengthened with the tears and chuckles that he showed.
When the time came and you finished training the new worker who would soon be taking your place in the company, you did your final preparations before stepping out of the house that sheltered you for two years. Final goodbyes, tears being shed, words of affirmation and promises for occasional updates were made before you drove off to the airport. Rolling down the car window, you twist your upper body to face the back of the car, your hand waving up in the air.
The ride to the airport is bittersweet. You put your phone down after texting Sangyeon that you would call him when you pass through security. All you wanted to do at this moment was to look out the windows and take in the colours of the journey, half-scared that the scenery might turn monochrome soon if you didn’t pay close attention.
Keeping your promise, you connected your earphones and turned on your camera to be faced with Sangyeon leisurely lying in bed, one hand on the back of his head on the headboard, blinking his eyes to fight the sleep from his system.
“You should sleep.”
Sangyeon shakes his head, straightening his back and sitting up. He takes a deep breath, his chest expanding in volume as he does so, “You only have a few minutes before you have to go anyway. I can stay awake and accompany you.”
“You’re the best, you know that?”
Thankfully, you found a seat for yourself in the busy atmosphere. You place your backpack on the floor in front of you between your legs, being mindful of the other passengers in the busy airport who most probably had a long day before this, now having to spend overnight in a metal column.
“Love that hoodie on you. Where’d you get it?” Sangyeon wiggles his eyebrows playfully and you roll your eyes, “Good to know that you didn’t leave it behind.”
“I would be crazy to leave this behind.” You pull on the strings of the hoodie, fastening the circumference of the hood around the outline of your face, pouting cutely to your boyfriend who just laughs at you fondly.
“Can’t wait to hold you.” That sentence holds so many meanings and tugged on your heartstrings so much. It hurt for a bit to hear him say that, especially when his voice sounded so tired, “I love you so much.”
“I love you so much.” You whisper to the microphone, holding the tears that you didn’t want to show to your friends throughout the whole week, “I miss you so much. I can’t wait to go on physical, real-life dates again.”
“A few more hours.” He reminds the both of you, holding on just a little bit longer, “Everything will sort itself out then.”
That’s right.
A few more hours until you will both be able to be in the same space again. Just a little bit more before you’ll be able to steal a kiss from his lips whenever and wherever.
You can’t wait to be back in the comfort of your bed, saying ‘goodnight’ to your parents and slipping out of your windows shortly after to meet Sangyeon at the convenience store.
You can’t wait to spend some time with his mum—who he gets very jealous of sometimes—and steal more childhood, baby pictures of him. Along with that, you can’t wait for his mum to let you sneak into his room to steal some of his clothes.
You can’t wait to see his blushing face as he freezes between the doorframe when his eyes land on how his sleeves would completely cover your arms, and your thighs and expose a little bit of your shoulders.
You can’t wait for him to scoop you up in his strong arms, eliciting your series of squeals and giggles that he has fallen deeply in love with.
You can’t wait for him to tuck you in bed, pulling his blanket up to your chin. He would then frame his larger body over yours throughout the night, making you sleep deeper and better. But your night, wouldn’t be complete until you delicately kiss him on his chin, cheek and lips. His night wouldn’t be complete either until he kissed your forehead, nose and lips, taking his sweet time on the last body part.
Most importantly, the night wouldn’t be complete overall until your lips part each other and exchange ‘I love you’s.
As soon as you landed, the adrenaline of finally being in the same country, the same land, the same building knocked out the jetlag and you were suddenly wide awake. You felt a bit bad for the bottom of the seat in front of you and your backpack which was violently ripped out from its peace, but you would like to think that they would understand your sudden burst of energy. You race and slip yourself between the bodies of people who were most probably confused and amazed by how much your eyes were darting around the conveyor belt so quickly, trying to find your check-in baggage—but you didn’t care.
You care about is Lee Sangyeon.
Now, you passed through every security check, every random bag inspection, opening and relocking up all your luggage again one by one, your patience running out by the minute.
But it’s okay.
Because now, only one glass door stands in the way between you and all the people waiting on the other side.
You watch from the distance as the automatic door opens and closes through other passengers. You were even able to catch a glimpse of some of your fellow flight passengers who spotted their loved ones immediately in the crowd, their hands releasing the handle brake of their trolley when they rushed into the crowd. Their loved ones cry and gasp at the presence that they have been so desperate for, their bodies swaying side to side to keep some of their emotions regulated in public.
Oh, how you know you wouldn’t be able to hold in your tears.
Exhaling and inhaling a couple more times, your hands grip the handle of your trolley, doing a final baggage check that everything is securely held in place and that you didn’t leave anything. Finally, you push the handle to release the brake and you start to walk over to the translucent glass doors.
Time didn’t slow down.
It just felt still.
It didn’t stop though—it just felt still.
You could hear your heartbeat through your ears, your palms were sweating in nervousness and you could barely feel the ground that you were walking on with every step of your feet. The gush of wind pushes your hair back dramatically and your eyes water at the cooler air from the other side of the door. Metal barricades separate the arriving passengers from the crowd from both sides of your body and you force your teared-up eyes to carefully scan through the rows of the crowds and the signs that they held up. Your back straightens to accommodate your eyes’ effort in addition to your lips that move in the shape of the name of the person you miss the most. Unfamiliar faces fill your visual field and your feet finally take you to the end of the barricade, heart feeling heavy at the unsuccessful event to pick out anyone in the crowd that you know.
But then…
“Found you.”
His appearance explains why you were unable to quickly pick him out from the crowd if you didn’t focus on detail. Sangyeon grins at your shocked facial expression, watching your eyes slowly lift from the bouquet in his hands to the freshly black dye on his hair.
“Y-You—”
“What do you think?” His pointer and thumb raise to twirl a bit of his hair, his eyes still on you, “You always said that I would look good with black hair.”
“Good?” Oh, he knew what kind of effect this is having on you and he’s having fun with this, “Sangyeon, you—”
His facial expression softens straightaway when the tears that you’ve been holding for so long finally drop to the ground and he strides forwards immediately as soon as he catches a glimpse of your quivering lips. Forget about the flowers, forget about the people around you, forget about how you were standing in the middle of the walkway. He sets his ‘welcome back’ gifts on top of your things, swiftly wrapping an arm behind your shoulders while the other one cups your cheeks.
Sangyeon held your shaking body against his tightly, and it was good that he did, otherwise, you would surely be on the floor. You relished in the scent that you missed the most, purposely taking in deep breaths to ground yourself back to the present. The boy smiles at the realisation, letting your free cheek cutely rest on his chest. He hushes you softly, the swiping motion of his thumb on your cheek giving you a physical reminder of his presence—a reminder that he is with you at this very moment. Multiple kisses were pressed on your forehead in an attempt to calm you down and responded with a whimper as you tried to form words.
“It’s okay.” It really is, “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”
Your body responded to his affirmation, your arms finally wrapping around his waist, the tips of his fingers just barely intertwining behind his back. Your palms lay flat on his smooth leather jacket and your ragged breathing found a stable pace once again. The increased oxygen in your blood allows you to finally feel Sangyeon’s plump lips on your forehead and the blush begins to form across your cheekbones.
“You’re really here.”
“I am.” You feel the way his chest vibrates at his deep chuckle.
That’s all he said and it’s way more than enough. Eyes closed, in Sangyeon’s embrace, his familiar scent, his lips hovering on your eyelids to press kisses there—everything is starting to feel like home.
“You look handsome.” For the first time since you arrived, you finally look at this new hair colour properly. Your eyebrows furrow, almost a look of dissatisfaction and disapproval, “Too handsome.” This time, one of your eyebrows raised at the way he responded with a teasing smile, “How many people asked you out already?”
“Honestly,” He starts to act, tightly closing his eyes as if to think very hard. He prolonged his hum with the way you glared at him cutely, wanting to tease you for longer, “quite a lot.”
The answer made you scoff, tilting your head away and you started to pull away from his embrace. Sangyeon didn’t let you walk away fully though for he pulled you right back to his body. Your hands attempt to stabilise your body the sudden act by resting on the curves of Sangyeon’s shoulders. The playful look in his eyes disappears and the extra layer of moisture shows itself—it tells you that he has been waiting for the only person to ever see his tears to be within his arms again. Both his hands rest on your waist and your own eyes search for the emotions behind his, a hand wiping his lower eyelid. That act makes a tear fall before another one falls and it soon becomes a fountain of emotions for the older male.
“I missed you. So much.” The way that Sangyeon puts so much emphasis on the second and fourth words sent chills down your spine.
Your hand on his shoulder slides upwards to cup his face, the other downwards to do the same on the other side. With all the strength you have left in your legs, you put your weight on your toes, fluttering your eyelids close and lifting your body to press a longing kiss to his lips. You tasted his tears on the curves on his lips, but knowing well that it stemmed from love, made your heart slowly start to heal. Sangyeon reciprocates immediately, travelling his hands to the side curves of your body, stopping at your neck, gently tilting your face upwards to deepen the kiss. The kiss sweetly alternates with his own hugging your bottom lips, pulling away for oxygen, a little ‘I love you’ and diving back in to hug your upper lips.
This is what home feels like.
It’s not some building or some land that could be pointed out on a map. It’s not necessarily the photos and videos that you received, even though they comforted you on cold nights. It’s not necessarily the rushed talks and recounts of your lives because the second hand on the clock mocked the little time you would always have, even though you were thankful that you had that small gap to do so.
It’s actually experiencing all of the above, going through all those trials, all those confusing emotions, and still feeling love and support. It’s being able to just walk with defeat over the day’s work but as soon as you arrive back home, the feeling either washes away or you’re able to just vent it and cry it out.
With the right people, you were able to let these experiences turn into lessons and precious memories—similar to how there are specific bricks to build the proper structure of a house. As those experiences build, so does the clear image and structure of a house. Sure, houses break down due to inside and outside factors but when it does, you’re confident that you can work it out and make it stronger.
With those thoughts in mind, the corner of your lips tugged upwards and no words were needed for Sangyeon to know that the smile wasn’t mischievous, teasing or playful.
It’s one full of relief and happiness.
“Welcome home.” Sangyeon changes his words between your kisses.
You hum, waiting for the next time he pulls away to give a proper response.
“I’m home.”
navi/masterlist!! 🤍 'especially to you' tags (send a dm/ask if you would like to be here!): @deoboyznet 📢❤️ @k-labels 💙🤍 @k-films 🤎🎞️
thank you peony!!
Pairing: Enemy!Hyunjae x GN!Reader
Genre: Angst and fluff
Warning(s): Hyunjae is a meanie butt, swearing
Word count: 2.2k
Summary: Hyunjae, your sworn enemy always made it his goal to show off his achievements to your detriment. Now that you were working at rival companies he suddenly softens seeing you struggle, but why?
A/n: Hi Izzy! Thank you so much for placing your order with Hyungseos-cafe! I really enjoyed writing this and I hope you enjoy reading!!!
Order for @from-izzy
┊⋆ ˚✯✩. Songs to listen to while reading: Paris in the rain - Lauv, Hold my hand - LeeHi, Song for love - Lyn .✩✯⋆ ˚ ┊
Taglist: @deoboyznet
“Why don’t you go bother someone your own size” You would tell Hyunjae, today was your essay, yesterday it was your presentation. Every day Hyunjae would find something to point out to you, how did he always find something you lacked? No clue, what you knew was he was a perfectionist. You were the same, always double, even triple checking your work before turning things in. Your outfit, always pressed and steamed with not a hair out of line.
Things were pretty rocky throughout college, why? Hyunjae. Always told you when he got a higher score than you. He felt the need to one up you, to do better, be better than you. He had this ego surrounding him that never allowed him to back down when it came to you. It was unfortunately, really to always have to do well.
“No, but you don’t understand! Who starts a thesis with a question? You don’t do that!” Hyunjae sighed, his temples ached
“This is a draft for fucksakes Hyunjae! This paper is not even due til the end of next month!”
“That’s besides the point! Start with a quote or some sort of statistic, not a question”
That’s how it always went for you, argument after argument. It was hardly ever cordial between the two of you. You were best friends, so what happened? Your parents were worried seeing how stressed you’d become after talking about Hyunjae.
“Why don’t you just ask him what’s wrong rather than trying to gnaw each other's heads off?” Your parents suggested, but it was never that easy when it came to Hyunjae.
“You guys don’t understand, he won’t give me a minute of his day to let me question him! He always tries to show how right he is” You tried to explain to your parents, they continued to look at you with concern before completely dropping the subject. Your parents loved Hyunjae, they were best friends with his parents since they too also met in college.
As your college career slowly came to an end, your relationship with Hyunjae continued to sour. It got so bad once that you had to leave campus and drive the hour back home just to get away from him. He blew up on you for not returning his messages and calls because he knew you had a big test coming up. He wanted to see how you were doing, but instead of answering, you ignored him for the entire day. He was worried sick, but what he didn’t know was that you were in fact studying and just happened to lock your phone to avoid distractions. Unfortunately that “excuse” did not work on him and instead he began berating you, calling you forgetful and inconsiderate.
That was the last string, you broke down and promptly left his sight as you cried all the way to your dorm. It took Hyunjae until graduation to apologize, but by that time it was too late. You had moved out and cleaned your dorm before graduation and stayed with a friend who lived off campus. This time, you blocked his phone number so he wouldn’t be able to contact you.
Truthfully he felt bad and wanted to fix your friendship, but he slowly began to think he’d deserved the silent treatment after blowing up on you like that. He tried many times during the graduation prep to get you by yourself, however your other friends knew of your situation and kept him away. Hyunjae was heartbroken and angry at himself for getting so carried away that he pushed you two apart.
Flash forward a few years after gaining some experience volunteering and interning, you were ready to enter the workforce. After hundreds of applications and many interviews later, you were accepted into one of the largest sales marketing companies in the city; Maverick Inc. Being that you were still new, you had to work your way to being an executive sales representative. Of course it was grueling work, but it all paid off because you finally got the raise that you've worked so hard for.
However everything slowly went downhill when you got word from your manager that a certain someone was hired at the competing marketing company; C.O.D.E Inc. and got his raise two months before you even though you’ve been working at your company for longer. It had been so long that you forgot about Hyunjae, but seeing that he continued to rise above you angered you. Couldn’t he have left some success for you instead of stealing the spotlight?
C.O.D.E Inc. was conveniently located down the block from your building which meant there was a chance for you to run into each other during your lunch breaks. Unfortunately that time came all too soon when you got in line behind him for coffee.
“Well, look who it is. Are you visiting?” He snided, a smirk plastered on his face
“I work at Maverick Inc. thank you very much”
“Wait, like you actually made it?”
It was your turn to order, so as to not blow up at the poor barista, you quickly placed your order and stepped out of line to wait.
“Yes. Where are you working”
“C.O.D.E Inc. I just got a promotion too. My manager said I’m on the fast track to becoming an executive”
“Wait, already? Didn’t you just start there like 6 months ago?”
“What, are you jealous that you didn’t make it as far as me? With your grades I don’t know how you even got your position”
You were fuming at this point, what gave him the right to speak with you like that? You hurriedly went to grab your order and ran out of the coffee shop. Again, Hyunjae knew he blew it. You meant everything to him, yet he couldn’t keep you close. Why? He thought being mean to you would help quell the love he felt for you.
You were the apple of his eye and truth be told, his heart raced when he ran into you at the coffee shop. You were always put together, not a hair out of place and walked with a certain confidence he’d only dream of having.
The next day, he ran into you again at the cafe. This time however, you seemed distressed. Your hair in disarray, clothes wrinkled with various coffee mugs lining your table, so many cups the baristas began to worry. He noticed you had dark circles beginning to form under your eyes.
“Hey, are you okay?” Hyunjae gently questioned, afraid that if he spoke too loud you’d run off.
Instead of answering, you slowly nodded as you carried on typing up the final sales report for the quarter. Sensing you were lying, he pulled out next to you and took a seat, offering you a smile as you pushed your mugs to the side making room for him.
“What are you working on?” Hyunjae inquired, looking over to your screen.
“Why do you suddenly care?”
“You didn’t answer my question”
“I’m working on the quarterly sales report that I was assigned at the last minute. It’s due in 3 days and I’m not even halfway done” You pushed your laptop forward and put your hands in your hands. The stress is evident with how tense your shoulders became. Slowly you started to slump into the table, falling asleep.
Hyunjae took the opportunity to grab your laptop to see how far you’ve gotten so far with the report. In the 6 months that he’s worked for his company, he’s had to write many monthly reports. Noticing that you were 40 pages into your 100 page report, he used this time to let you rest while he finished your report. Writing reports was one of the tasks he liked the most about his job, not the arguing with clueless executives over trivial matters.
Instead of going home as he’d been excused early, he stayed at the cafe writing your report until it was complete. As soon as he’d finished writing, he noticed you began to wake up. He quickly closed your laptop and began working on his own, carefully breathing to slow his heart.
“Y– you’re still here?” You asked, sleepiness laced in your voice
“Yeah, I’m not letting you sleep here all alone. Besides, the cafe is almost closing”
“Oh, thank you for staying with me” You smiled, stretching out before getting up to gather your items.
“See you around Hyunjae”
“See you around”
The next day, you sat in shock, your report was complete. It wasn’t your work though because who on earth writes this elegantly, yet so succinct? There was only one person… Hyunjae. You didn’t have any time to think before submitting the report. Your manager was blown away by how well you had written, gave you a raise due to your efforts knowing you worked on short notice.
“I am so pleased by your work, the report was most pleasurable to read. Thank you for providing me with our group numbers on short notice. As I have seen you working hard, I will be giving you a promotion and a raise. Since our office will be closing due to renovations, the company will be off for a month. Enjoy your break and thank you for your work and time” The email read, you sat at your desk in pure shock. Hyunjae wrote your entire report for you, earning you not only a promotion, but also a raise.
There was a chance you’d run into him at the cafe, so every day for the next few weeks you showed up at the cafe sitting at the same table you’d sat at last time. You never saw him until one day when you were about to give up.
“Oh, you’re here” Hyunjae quipped, he smiled at you for the first time in a while
“Hey! I uh, I wanted to thank you”
“For what?” Hyunjae knew, but he wanted you to say it.
“For finishing my report, I only knew because only you could write so well. And guess what? That report earned me a raise and a promotion!”
“Are you serious? That’s amazing! I’m so proud of you”
“Thank you Hyunjae, how can I repay you?”
“Adatemaybe” Hyunjae spat out
“A what?” He blushed, shy that his feelings got the best of him.
“A date” Hyunjae whispered, he began biting his lower lip, nervous you’d reject him.
“Why all of a sudden?” You questioned him and considering how he’s been talking to you, you were confused.
Hyunjae sat you down at the closest table which happened to be at the very back of the cafe. His eyes began darting around to the surrounding tables and brought his hands down to tap his thighs, he nervously cleared his throat before meeting your eyes.
“I thought I would explain myself and please just listen okay? It’s kind of a lot” You nodded as you turned to put your full attention on him.
“I realized pretty late that I actually enjoy being around you and I know. I should have realized back in college, but I was too busy trying to be better than you. In doing so, I really just pushed you away along with my feelings for you– which began in college. The very first day you walked in Mr. Moon’s business literature class, I knew I had to talk to you. We became friends, right? We were so close our first year, but then I realized I actually liked you”
Hyunjae paused, the air suddenly leaving his throat seeing the sun settle gently across your face. Your features soften under the warm golden rays, the way your hair was slightly messy to your smile.
“Anyways, sorry. I just. I didn’t know how to make it up to you, so I wrote your report for you. You know how much I enjoy writing, so it came pretty easy and plus you do a great job recording data which made my job easy. All I really needed to do was explain the data, input all the data and that was pretty much it. I hope you were okay with that and I didn’t over step” He exhaled, looking at your eyes, his face calmed and a warm smile slowly forming.
“Wow Hyunjae, I don’t know what to say”
“You don’t need to say anything, I can just leave” He began to stand up when you held onto his wrist, there was a tingling sensation felt by the both of you.
“Don’t go” Hyunjae softened by your touch, this time sitting on the chair next to you.
“I cannot thank you enough for finishing that report. I’m sure you probably could tell how stressed I was, but turned out okay because you were looking out for me. So to that, I am forever grateful.
I literally got a promotion and raise because of you”
“Wait, are you serious? That’s incredible!” You leaned onto his shoulder as you smiled, interlocking your fingers, smiling up at him.
“Also if that date offer still stands, I’d like to accept”
“Really?”
“I mean my office is going under construction and I have a month off, so yes”
He met your eyes again before pressing a soft kiss on your forehead. The two of you sat in conversation until the cafe closed about what you two would be doing for your month-long break and how you could help him collect data for his next report. You really were his kryptonite, he just never told you.
ally, dora, peony 🥰 thanks for including me!!
tagging: @sanaxo-o @mosviqu @astrae4 @deobienthusiast @itsbeeble @cloverdaisies @mars101
🧲 · · · bias line check ! ᯓ★
starting this little thing bcs i love seeing people's biases idk it is so interesting to me and they also resemble u guys a lot so pls pls pls show me <3
my babies btw :
this makes so much sense to me ... like yeah that's me that's what i am that's what i represent !
tags (no pressure) : @heesbaby . @okwonyos . @kairoot . @lilacnini . @copyhanni . @bywons . @wonryllis . @jjongscardigan . @jaeyunluvr . @naespas . @wvnrqs
💌 Send this to the twelve nicest people you know or who seem to have a good heart and if you get five back you must be pretty awesome 💌
peony 😭🫂
thanks for including me peony!! 🥰
fav color » 💜
last song i listened to » spring snow - 10cm
last film i watched » conjuring 2
currently reading » haven't been reading anything for a while 🥲 beta-reading my work and others if that counts...?
currently craving » anything spicy
currently watching » nothing. tried watching gilmore girls but didn't even finish ep 1 🥲 i'll give it another go after exams
coffee or tea » feeling like i should answer tea (i work at a tea specilised shop) 🍵 no but 100% tea all the way!! i just double the matcha serving when i need caffeine
no pressure 🏷️ » @littleroaes @cloverdaisies @winterchimez @mosviqu @sanaxo-o @snowflakewhispers @mars101 @astrae4 @dreamyzhou
tagged by @applejongho - ty anne!
fave colour: black and red
last song i listened to: girls generation - flower power
last film i watched: .. genuinely cannot remember lmao. i am so sure i've watched at least a movie in the last seven months but the last movie i legit remember watching was.. the fnaf movie 😭
currently reading: i was in a major reading slump for too many years but i've actually managed to read a couple things this past month! i'm currently on my third book in this new era of reading and it is a dowry of blood by s.t gibson
currently craving: nothing in particular, but usually the main thing i crave is (gluten-free) carrot cake lol
currently watching: i'm not really a tv series person tbh, i find it hard to get invested in them haha
coffee or tea: BOTH. both. i am a big tea fan but i also love lattes (both with soy milk and preferably decaf)
i don't have nine people to tag lol but i will tag @hyungseos-cafe and @pocketjoong (no pressure!)
Send to 10 other bloggers you think are wonderful. Keep this going to make someone smile ☆♥
peony!! 🥹🫂 hope you've been doing well!!
Getting back into the swing of things and practicing anything at all. I bought a pencil that stays at work and i’ve been scribbling and practicing things ever since, I hope I can keep it this way. The tattoo convention Rites of Passage really made me realise I need to get it together and stop procrastinating/stop expecting everything to turn out perfect.
I know they say save the best for last..but I couldn’t help myself 😂 Blake will always be my RWBY best girl 💜 I’ll be finishing it up tomorrow, but I’m really happy with how the lines turned out! Guess in the comments what flowers the others will have! href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BvLFy1plQFE/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=9t7ev3gxx8gl">https://www.instagram.com/p/BvLFy1plQFE/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=9t7ev3gxx8gl
Peony Flower mugs by z-250040245653204471
If there was a string
It started with whites lies
Drops of tears and white peonies
I write for a chance to know
~IT WAS WHITE~
RUN.
Chicago Bathroom Powder Room Inspiration for a timeless powder room remodel
Southwestern Landscape - Landscape Ideas for a medium-sized southwest desert and summertime stone landscaping in partial sun.
Day 4 brings you Peony the Plant/Garden Witch
Peony
i like to think of you sometimes
and peony petals begin to flutter
below the skin of my cheeks
as i blush at the thought of your voice
breathy praise and your touch
so soft, as the very petals of the flower
lost & different
death caused some new changes in my life. i hate it, but im trying so hard to try and find the beauty in it. a chance for something new to flourish.