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lyvhie · 17 hours

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requests are open wooo!!!! Read all ur fics and god theyre AWSOME…. Maybe requesting a mark x reader where it’s Valentine’s Day and u and mark have been bffs since like foreva so that’s why he catches feelings… And he’s always tried hinting that he likes you so when he finally does confess the 14th he gets all nervouse like sweaty palms and red ears YK…. I’ll leave it up to you for the ending (a happy one obv…)

Maybe also inspired by 1/3 loona song valentine girl it’s so cute plis 💘

confession | mkl

bestfriend!mark x gn!reader summary: a small misunderstanding combined with his impulsive acts led mark to finally confess the feelings he had been keeping to himself for so long. a/n: hii, anon! i took longer than i expected, but i finally made it! thanks for your patience! I'm not sure if it's exactly what you had in mind, but i did my best!! cw: fluff, best friends to lovers (and lemme know if i missed some!)

ANXIOUS (adjective) 1. experiencing worry, unease, or nervousness, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. 2. wanting something very much, typically with a feeling of unease.

that was a perfect word to describe mark lee. from the moment he discovered his feelings for you, he was like a house of cards. one subtle movement or one simple word from you could bring his emotions crumbling down. he was always on the verge of a collapse whenever he was around you. a slight touch, the way you looked at him—all of it was enough to send him over the edge. he was a fragile, broken version of himself when it came to you.

the way he felt was beyond friendship or just liking each other. it was a deeper and more romantic kind of love, the kind that he wanted to devote his life to. to marry you and live with you for the rest of his life, it was the closest thing to perfection he could ever want.

even after so many years together, mark still wasn't able to tell you about his sudden change in his heart. the one common fear was weighing him down: losing you because of his feelings.

deep down, he knew that even if you didn't like him in this way, you wouldn't just distance yourself from it. instead, you were more likely to ask for some time to sort out your thoughts before returning to normal. but the very prospect of a temporary separation was enough to make him nervous and anxious again.

and it's not as if he hadn't already tried to tell you about his feelings before. he had actually started leaving hints and clues all the way back since... since ever. you both have known each other even before you knew your own names—you were born within just two days of difference in the same hospital, your mothers were friends and neighbors, so you both were practically raised together. it seemed like fate had brought you together.

the seeds of his sentiments for you started to bloom back when you both were in elementary school. it was the innocent acts like holding your hand together as you walked to school that made his heart pound and his face flush, which always caused you to look at him with worried eyes, thinking that he may be sick.

that was the issue with you—you were painfully oblivious. like, what parts did you not notice that pointed toward his love for you?

he was always complimenting you whenever he had the chance, because, wow, you're amazing in so, so, so many ways.

he paid extra attention in everything related to you, taking notice of the tiniest details about everything you shared with him and always finding an excuse to have quality time with you (he didn't even need a reason for that, as you were always up for spend time with him).

he was always giving you gifts saying, "i saw that and it reminded me of you”.

he loves telling others about how incredible his best friend is, and how proud he is of you.

he would always rush at your call no matter the situation, no matter the place, no matter the reason. one single word of yours is all he needs to come running, because that’s how much he cares for you.

the way that he looked at you with heart eyes the moment you were physically present with him... it was all too obvious—everything about him scream that he likes you.

it is no secret to the people around you that he is completely head over heels for you. It is plain as day that he is deeply in love with you, but the person who doesn't see it is you. and that makes the situation rather amusing to others. after all, you don't seem to know how he feels. the irony is that mark is so preoccupied with his own feelings and how to end things between the two of you that he doesn't even notice that your feelings are the same as his.

it was inevitable that everything you said would somehow include "mark" in it. he'd become the focus of your thoughts for days, constantly on your mind in every situation and conversation. everything seemingly revolved around him, with every thought and idea eventually connecting back to his name as the starting point.

how was your day? it was an amazing time with mark at the new cat coffee we visited. the little cats were simply adorable! mark looked like he was in heaven playing with the kittens, and I took loads of photos of him. do you want to see them?

did you watch that new movie at cinema? yes, i really liked it, but mark said it was terrible, can you believe it?! can’t wait to tell him every single flaw on spider-man movies!

how do you feel about art? i mean, mark is pretty cool.

mark this, mark that.

mark. mark. mark.

you somehow always tend to find yourself mentioning him without even realizing, and, whenever anyone asks if you guys are dating, the answer remains the same: “no, we're just good friends”.

this phrase irks him, for he does not wish to be merely a mere friend; he wants more. he wants you all to himself.

despite the countless frustrations he faces daily, he could not bring himself to say it all to you. for some reason, he found comfort in being just your best friend. it was better than nothing, he thought. being in that position, he couldn't even imagine the humiliation and embarrassment of admitting his true feelings. he knew it was hopeless—so why bother? he would rather be content with what he currently had over risking everything in some grand gesture.

mark left a soft sigh escape his lips. renjun's words echoed in his mind after another night of talking about you. he had been rumbling on about you, unable to get you off his mind. this wasn't the first time he had done this either, but this time felt different. renjun's question stuck out, and it hit him in his heart:

"if you truly love someone, and i mean with every fiber of your being, wouldn't you move mountains and swim across oceans just for a chance with them? is protecting what you already have worth losing everything you desire?"

mark had no explanation for why his friend's words had such sway over him this time, but here he was, knocking at your door on this beautiful valentine’s day evening.

calling you for a night walk together was a not uncommon activity between the two of you, as you were accustomed to taking your dog for a walk and mark always joined in so you wouldn't be alone. but tonight, he felt as though this night walk was different somehow. more special than usual. at least for him.

hearing your voice respond from the other side of the door with a "i'm coming," mark took a deep breath, almost as if preparing himself for whatever he hadn't planned for the night. as the door opened, there wasn't even time to say something before your dog jumped on him.

"oh, hey girl," mark laughed with a big smile on his face, leaning down to pet the dog that was joyously jumping all over him. the pup seemed eager for his attention, her tail wagging and mouth opened in a toothy grin. "did you miss me?" he asked, scratching her behind the ears as she barked in reply, her tail wagging even more.

"ah, the usual scene we have here," you sighed dramatically as this familiar interaction played out. "i mean, i take care of her and look after her, but of course, she goes and greets the person she loves the most instead," you click your tongue, shaking your head in disappointment at the clear favoritism she was showing.

mark rolled his eyes at your comment and straightened his body to face you with an amused smile. "you know that isn't true," he chuckled, casually placing his hands in his pockets. "yeah, this little lie helps me sleep at night," you say with a hint of sarcasm that isn't lost on him, making him giggle. "how was your day, drama queen?” mark questioned as you took control of coco's leash and led you both on the walk.

"oh, you know, the office today was full of surprise love confessions," you shrugged, leaving a soft laugh to escape you as you shook your head. "it's the 'love is in the air' thing," you added.

mark raised an eyebrow and turned to face you as he sounded slightly more curious than casual as he asked, "and... did you receive some of them?" he tried to sound non-chalant.

"well, yes, actually," you giggled softly again, reliving the moment in your mind. your answer caught mark by surprise, and it took him a few seconds to register the information before he could continue walking again. "you... did?" he asked hesitantly, a slightly incredulous tone in his voice as he wondered precisely how many confessions you got.

"a-and who was it?" he asked somewhat carefully, worried that his completely unplanned and not entirely sure if he would even actually confess confession might have already been ruined. "you know the new intern i was training?” you look at makt by the corner of your eyes, "let’s say he thought i was giving signals like hints and not instructions,” you sigh, shaking your head. “he was the only one tho.”

"oh, i see…" a small sigh of relief escapes his lips as he smiles back at you. "but what about you, mr. heartthrob?" you tease, poking his arm with your elbow. "did you get any love chocolates today?”

"of course," he nods with a small smidge of amusement in his eyes. "haechan and doyoung gave me a few ones again," he shrugs casually, and you can't help but laugh at the slight absurdity of getting multiple gifts from the same people year after year.

"should i start giving you chocolate too?" you ask jokingly, playing around with the idea. "i have a feeling that i might be replaced by these boys if things keep going this way, and i don't want to lose you to them," adding a cheeky edge to your tone.

"don't even joke about that," he denies right away, making you laugh at the intensity he rejected it with. "i know, silly, i know. you love me quite a lot," you tease with a wink. "yeah, i sure do," he mutters, his voice still tinged with the smallest shred of embarrassment.

as you both make your way over to the nearby dog park that was just a short distance from here, there are only a handful of people around. you release coco's leash as you settle down on a bench next to mark, and the two of you sit, content in the quiet evening.

"we still don't have lovers, mark," you sigh dramatically, leaning your head on his shoulder as you watch your dog happily frolic around in space. "look at us," you lament once more with another dramatic sigh, "we're at a dog park in the most romantic night of the year!" you shake your head slightly as you continue to keep a close eye on your dog.

the moment you leaned against him, mark had to fight off a swirl of sensations that briefly overwhelmed him. your proximity, your warmth, and the intoxicating scent of your hair had his head spinning. after taking several breaths to compose himself, he mustered the strength to respond with a bit of hesitance.

"i-it's not that bad..." he muttered breathlessly, realizing just how much he enjoyed you being close. after a few seconds, he continued, "we have each other," he chuckled softly.

"right, nothing better than two best friends who have enjoyed being on the shelf for so long, spending yet another year together on valentine's day," you teased him lightly, your lips curled upwards in a little grin. "as if you've ever displayed genuine interest in anyone else either, hm?" he counters in return, his smirk matching yours in both intensity and humor as he continued gently teasing you.

"well, i'm not so sure i'm made for love," you shrugged casually as you leaned against the bench slightly. "but what about you?" you add, pulling your attention away from coco long enough to glance at him curiously. "i've always seen you as this ultimate girl crush guy since we were in school, yet i've never seen you with a girlfriend. so, i have to ask... have you ever liked someone?”

with your question, his eyes were unconsciously drawn to you, admiring your features and taking in every single detail of you to store away, it was almost as if he was mentally engraving you in his mind, forever preserving you in his memory, like he always did.

he let out a soft sigh as he stared, the heat rising to his cheeks as he glanced away, unable to face you for a moment, his thoughts already racing.

a little whisper escaped him as he uttered the words, almost as if they were too precious for him to speak it too publicly. "y-yes, i did..." mark's voice was barely audible, but the sound carried an emotional undertone.

those few words were enough to stir something unexpected inside you, a faint twinge in your heart. you weren't sure why his words gave you that slight pang, but there was something about the way he said it that made it feel as though he wasn't talking about an old crush. it made you realize that you weren't quite okay with the thought of mark in love with someone.

"wait, really?" you raised your eyebrows in disbelief, placing a hand on your chest and feigning pain. "you never told me? why?! you don't trust me?" laughing softly, the smile on your lips quickly disappeared to little pout. "you're the worst, you know? l8ke, the worst betrayal i could ever suffer," you added with over-dramatic flare.

"c'mon, it's not like that," mark waved his hands dismissively. "i just... i couldn't tell you." your brow remained quirked, your curiosity piqued as he stumbled over the next thing he said. "and why?" you prompted gently, noticing the change in his energy. “it's just... i didn't want you figuring out who it was that i liked.”

mark shifted in his seat, clearing his throat as he did. his eyes were focused on you, considering his words and the situation at hand. as he looked at your face, he realized the sudden shift in the vibes between the two of you, which caught him off-guard.

you can't help but feel slightly upset at the fact that he kept this information hidden from you. it might be silly, but you felt weird knowing that he didn't tell you everything as you had imagined best friends supposed to do. you began to wonder if there were other things that he had kept from you over the years.

mark was observant, and the small shift in your smile wasn't wasted on him. he saw how your demeanor subtly changed as he spoke, and he could tell that you were a little hurt by the information he shared. he had to do something to correct the situation, and he couldn't let you misunderstand him.

"wait, wait, wait" he started quickly, "don't get it wrong...”

“no, no, i get it," you dismissed softly, waving your hands in a brushing-off motion, making it clear that you understood his hesitation. "it's fine," you added with a smile, laughing softly as coco stopped playing and came to greet you, sitting in front of you and waiting for your attention, which you gave to her, petting her head affectionately. “i know there are things we aren't comfortable sharing, and–"

"i like you!" mark's words spilled out of his mouth before he could think properly.

you froze, slowly looking at him with wide eyes, blinkling several times as your brain did a double take, trying to process if you'd heard him correctly. "what?" all you could manage to say in reply, confused and surprised by what he'd just confessed to you.

mark wasn't planning on doing it this way. a confession was supposed to be more romantic than this, maybe taking you to a nice dinner or to the amusement park, somewhere more special. he wanted it to be more meaningful than just letting it slip in the heat of the moment like he just did.

“look, I..." mark hesitated, unsure of how to begin his confession. oh god, he was so nervous, his heart pounding loudly in his chest, his hands clenched tightly in fists as sweat dripped down his back.

his mind was racing with a billion thoughts, his words refusing to come easily. how was he supposed to confess in this moment, when everything felt so overwhelming, when every fiber of his being was screaming at him to just say it and get it over with, but his fear of rejection was keeping him paralyzed.

“i-i haven't told you about that because... b-because you are the person i’ve loved since i can remember," mark struggles to get his words out, his breathing quickening as the words felt like they were getting stuck in his throat. "i love you so much that my heart hurts, you know?" he continues, his volume picking up a bit now that he's talking easier. "our friendship is so valuable, it's so precious to me... i-i didn't want to lose it.”

gosh, he sounded like such sappy romantic movie right now, yet it was all true. every single word, the words of a teenager who fell head-over-heels in love and knew that this was real, that this was more than just a crush, more than just attraction. mark was talking from his heart now, and he was opening up in ways he hadn't done with anyone before.

“i want you; i want the whole of you", he continues, his words becoming more and more passionate as he went on. "i don't care if it's selfish, but i want you, need you, i want you wholly and with everything inside of you. and maybe... yeah, maybe, that's really selfish of me, but it's the truth…”

mark felt like his heart was on the verge of exploding at any moment, as if he could drop dead from the overwhelming emotions running through his body, his face hot and red as if he were suffering heat exhaustion. but somehow, he felt a rush of relief, like an immense weight had been lifted off of his shoulders the instant he finally confessed to you.

coco was the only source of noise in the tense silence that hung between the two of you after mark's abrupt confession, her tongue lolling out as she stared back and forth between the both of you.

your jaw hung slightly open as you stared at mark, feeling like you could barely comprehend what had just happened. your insides went into overdrive, fluttering wildly while the infamous butterflies in your stomach fluttered like crazy, seemingly on a mission to take up even more space. you wanted to say something, anything, but the words got stuck in your throat. all you could manage to do was to stare at him, your heart racing ahead so fast that it felt like you could feel the pulsations.

your lack of response snaps mark back to reality, and he begins to panic, realizing that he may have completely misread the situation and ruined everything.

“b-but of course that's just how i feel... y-you don't have to like me back," he stutters quickly, hoping to fix the situation and make sure you wouldn't feel awkward. "if you d-don't feel comfortable around me anymore, i-it's okay, i understand, this was a complete mista—”

he couldn't finish his sentence because you silenced him with a kiss. your lips press together forcefully, making a soft 'smack' sound as they finally collide. he was tense for a moment, his eyes fluttering open as if surprised by your bold move, but he quickly relaxed, his hands gently cupping your face as he reciprocated the kiss, the warmth of his fingers seeping into your skin as he pressed his lips to yours.

he savored the sensation of your lips against his, the taste of your kiss sweeter than anything he had ever imagined. it felt surreal, like something out of a fantasy, and in that moment, he felt like the luckiest person in the world. the heat from your skin and the heat from your lips, the warmth that surrounded him as your bodies pressed against each other was intoxicating, a delicious rush that made his head swim. he wanted to lose himself in the moment forever, to stay lost in you for eternity.

yet, the inevitable finally struck and your lips parted as your lungs cried for air, the two of you panting heavily and staring at one another, both of you filled with delight as your sparkling eyes locked with each other.

“d...does that mean that you...?" mark couldn't seem to make his mind stop racing, not after that explosive kiss.

"are you really asking that question, mark?" you couldn't help but laugh, shaking your head as you noticed him flustered.

"s-sorry... i'm just..." he was still feeling your lips against his, still getting lost in the sensation as the memories of the kiss were running through his head now.

"yes, I like you too, silly.”

right, he really was the happiest person in the world right now.

“can i have... another kiss?" mark looked at you with pleading eyes, wanting more but uncertain of his request would be granted. you didn't hesitate at all, responding quickly with "you don't even have to ask,” as you lean in toward mark to grant his wish.

but as you two are just inches away from locking lips again, coco's sudden jump into mark's lap catches the both of you off-guard, interrupting your almost-second kiss and making the two laugh as the adorable dog makes herself comfortable on his lap.

mark's hands immediately reach out to gently pet her, and when she spots your gaze on her, her tail waves proudly, as if she's very satisfied with the outcome of her interruption.

"of course she's jealous," you roll your eyes at the dog's favouritism for mark, making her way into his lap and immediately getting petted.

"well, she was my girl first, right?" mark said in a cute baby voice, prompting a happy bark from coco. "what am i to you, chopped liver?" you countered, raising an eyebrow and pretending to be upset.

mark looked at you and smiled, laughing at the silly argument. "i guess in her world, you really are, my dear," he teased, as he scratched coco behind the ear. "oh, that's it, you two." you laugh, shaking your head as you playfully punch mark's arm.

coco, sensing all the attention coming to her now, jumped out of mark's lap and walked towards you, demanding cuddles. "finally, she chose me over you," you said jokingly, and started petting her head. "by the way, you didn't even bring me some chocolates? what kind of confession is that?" you protested, pretending to be upset.

"a little box of chocolates wouldn't be enough to express everything i feel for you," he shrugged.

a soft smile still etched on your face, “my boyfriend is so cheesy, oh my god," you said, laughing. "i didn't know you had this side to you," you said gigling.

"please, say it again," mark begged suddenly.

"say what?" you asked, playing dumb.

"you know what i mean, say it again."

"that you are my boyfriend?" you raised an eyebrow, your eyes shining with mirth.

"jesus, can you please repeat it again?"

"you. are. my. boyfriend." you repeated lovingly.

“let me kiss you again, please," he pleaded, leaning forward eagerly.

the little back and forth had you laughing, feeling your heart melt a little each time his eyes twinkled with the flirty banter you were having. “hmm... what about we go back to my house and i give you many kisses, as much as you want and..." you lean in close, you voice lowered seductively as you whisper on his ear. "maybe even something more?”

mark's cheeks were flushed and his ears were burning, as he struggled to hold back the grin that plastered itself on his face. “t-then what are you waiting for?" he asked, quickly getting up. "it's cold out here; w-we should go back quickly!"

#mark lee x reader #mark lee fluff #nct x reader #nct dream x reader #nct fluff

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multifandomslxt · 14 hours

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Nct 127 and non-physical attributes that make them attractive

Taeil: He's so quiet but when he does say something it leaves me on the floor. It's either hilarious or completely unhinged lmao.

Johnny: He doesn't allow people around him to feel awkward. His jokes, his energy- his everything really. He just seems like someone who makes others feel comfortable

Taeyong: The man is a NERD and it's absolutely endearing. It's a nice change from his stage persona yk? he builds Legos for fun ffs. (nothing is wrong with that btw but personally, I don't have that much brain power lmao)

Yuta: his straightforwardness is so refreshing. Says what he means and means what he says. Stands up for what he believes is right and takes no shit.

Doyoung: He's a damn good listener. I don't know if y'all have realized but his advice??? he gives you that shit from his heart AFTER listening. We love a good listener.

Jaehyun: He's funny. Like actually funny. I kid you not all his jokes are so lame they're funny lmaoo. You can always see him plotting a joke too. the guy doesn't get enough credit tbh.

Jungwoo: He's not afraid to do dumb shit. Jungwoo always makes me laugh mainly because he is ALWAYS doing some shit when left unsupervised lmfaooo.

Mark: He's awkward. So awkward it hurts because it's fucking adorable. he can't say a sentence without "Yo" "bro" and "like". I love it.

Haechan: He's actually so annoying it's endearing. He likes to tease his friends and fans a lot. This mf just sits back and laughs at the chaos he causes.

#nct 127 #nct dream #nct scenarios #nct imagines #nct yuta #nct doyoung #nct fanfic #nct fluff #nct taeyong #nct jaehyun #nct mark #nct u #nctinc #nct #nct haechan #nctzen #nct jungwoo #johnny nct

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meiozis · 2 days

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[2:41AM + jaehyun]

meeting jaehyun only happens by chance. by running into him during late night corner store snack runs, and slowly developing... something.

it goes from eyeing each other in the foggy glass off the ice cream freezer, keeping a safe distance while you take turns picking a treat. then, most times, he disappears into the night by the time you're done paying.

he figures out your favourite snacks over time, waiting for you in the glow of the 24/7 neon sign blinking tirelessly above the entrance.

he's not much of a talker at first, only silently offering a different crinkly bag each night. it's not in friendship territory, maybe something adjacent. it's a silent deal, one where you don't learn his name for the first month of sitting on the curbside and sharing a bag of candy. he holds it out for you, the back of his hand briefly grazing your thigh before he carefully retreats.

tonight, it's a family size bag of peach rings.

you bump your knee against his, and he repeats the gesture with a smile on his lips. the dimples on his cheeks deepen, and his eyes mirror the moon's crescent shape in the sky, twinkling even in the orange light of a street lamp above.

you wonder if he's even prettier in daylight.

it's silent for another beat, before he presses his knee back against yours. you don't miss the way something flashes in his eyes, and his cheeks along with the tips of his ears, turn pink.

the bag falls from his hand, landing in front of your feet, and the peach rings spill on the concrete. his hand, now empty, is warm against your cheek, cradling your face as he leans closer. his lips are soft against yours, gentle but impatient as he kisses you again and again.

tonight, he tastes like peaches.

♡ ♡ ♡

masterlist

#unbelievable that something manages to make it out of my drafts #is this good? who knows but it's late night walks season so im back on my one trick pony bs #nct fluff #nct fic #nct scenarios #jaehyun fluff #jaehyun scenarios #jaehyun imagines #jaehyun drabbles #nct drabbles #peach.txt #meiozis

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ability-to-only · 2 days

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https://lauren-937.ftgae.xyz/m/dtR7c54

#nct fluff #alex claremont diaz #iggy azalea #startup #gardening #la #stormpilot #r@pe me #ferret #madeline ford

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hanni-bae44 · 14 hours

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Title: We Can't Be Friends (Jaehyun)

Pairing- Jaehyun x fem!reader

Genre- University AU, ex-friends to classmates to lovers, angst, fluff (warnings: alcohol, making out lol)

Word Count- 8.7k

Summary- You thought your ex-bestfriend who broke your heart would be out of your life forever once high school ended. But of course, the universe had its way of bringing back the people who were meant to be in your life. And before you even realized it, Jaehyun stirs a whirlwind of your life again as old feelings resurface.

8 JANUARY 2024 - MONDAY

Your first class of the spring semester was Intro to Humanities and so far it was just introductions of the TA’s and discussions of the syllabus. The lecture room was huge, a class of around 250 people. Bored of scrolling on your phone, you scanned the room when you saw a familiar face in the back. Your hand practically flew to your mouth from the shock that just jolted inside you. Just what the hell was Jaehyun doing here? You moved cities away from the high school you attended with him for university and yet somehow he still managed to make his presence in your new life.

You just couldn’t believe how life had played out. Just as you thought you would never see him again, there he was. The guy who used to be your friend. The guy who broke your heart. The guy who pushed you out of his life.

Jung Jaehyun. And he was still as handsome as ever.

So much for choosing this class as a fun elective. Just why did the universe hate you?

Your first thought was dropping the class. But then you realized how much Jaehyun had already affected your life. Yeah, there was no way you were going to let him affect you again.

It was fine, you told yourself. This class had a lot of people. And the chance you would even have to interact with him was low. Right?

12 JANUARY 2024 - FRIDAY

Friday. The last day to drop and add courses.

The thing about this class was that it had a mandatory discussion meeting on Friday with the TA. Things were looking great so far when Friday came. There were about 30 people in your class and no one had taken the seat beside you. Just perfect.

Then the door opened. And perhaps you spoke too soon.

“Sorry I’m late,” a boy greeted the TA.

Nosey, you turned to see who it was that would have to sit next to you. Of course, you thought. There was no way Jaehyun would’ve left your life so easily. Out of all the TA’s he could've been assigned, just why did it have to be yours?

You pretended not to recognize him, but unfortunately, it looked like he had recognized you based off the grin on his face.

“Nice seeing you here,” he muttered as he took the empty seat beside you.

You sighed. Your arms were folded, and you had a scowl on your face. Just perfect.

Turns out the worst thing about the semester was not the 7 a.m. class you had across campus from your residence hall, but in fact it was the boy you hated from high school. As if having a class with him wasn’t annoying enough, your TA also assigned discussion partners and yours just happened to be him as well.

You were fine if he was still the jerk he was in high school since it would make it easier to hate him but he had matured. His bulky muscles were one thing, but now his shoulders were broader, and his legs were longer too. His skin had gotten even more sun kissed and it glowed. There was no imperfection in sight. Everything about him was still so alluring.

On the first day of the discussion class, Jaehyun didn’t say much. But you’d soon learn that he was still as talkative as he was in highschool. Only this time, you weren’t the same person you were back then. You weren’t his friend anymore. The small talk he tried to make was often met with a “shut up” from you but he did the opposite. It was annoying, but still a part of you liked the attention he gave you. Especially since he barely talked to you back then.

Because no matter how much you still resented him, you didn’t think you’d ever stopped loving him.

19 JANUARY 2024 - FRIDAY

As if having to be partners didn't suck enough, Jaehyun also discovered the spot where you sat during the lecture. The first time he saw you, he waved and walked directly to the empty seat next to you. And that was where he was the past two classes. The auditorium was huge, just how did he spot you amidst the crowd of people anyway?

“Do you really hate me that much?” Jaehyun asked, nudging your shoulder. It was a Friday meeting again and the TA had just finished summarizing the professor’s notes. “Hello? I’m talking to you,” he added, waving his hands in front of you.

There was only so much you could take. He liked to make side comments and distract you from paying attention. Not just in the lectures, but also during the Friday discussions.

“We’re supposed to be discussing Antigone and Lysistrata,” you droned. “Now shut up and let me reread the excerpt.” You tried to focus on the scripts in front of you from the past two weeks, although it was hard to do so with how Jaehyun always had stuff unrelated to the assignment to say.

He huffed. “Do you think Oedipus would’ve lived happily if his father never got in his head about the prophecy?” Jaehyun reluctantly asked. He saw how the TA was going around to observe everyone’s discussions and didn’t want to be called out or have points docked.

“I don’t think anything could’ve changed his destiny.. How do you feel about Lysistrata in comparison to Antigone?” you asked Jaehyun back, noticing how the TA was taking participation points. You hated being so formal to him. It was as if he was a stranger to you even though he wasn't.

After class, you went back to your dorm to meet up with your roommate. Yunjin and you were roommates for the second year now and you always got lunch with her when you could.

“Are we going yet?” you whined. You were hungry and Yunjin was too busy scrolling on her phone to care.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming, give me a second,” she said as she hopped off her bed.

On the way to the dining hall, you began to inform Yunjin about seeing your ex-friend again. You felt like you were going to explode if you didn’t tell someone how you felt. And luckily for you, Yunjin was always one to get excited over your dry love life.

It was elementary school and you had P.E. but instead of doing any exercise, you sat down on the basketball court and leaned against the fence to read your favorite book. You were minding your own business when you felt a basketball hit your head.

“Hey, are you alright? I’m so sorry.” The tall boy crouched down to make sure you were okay. Normally a kid like him would laugh but something was different about him. He actually felt bad for hurting you and offered to walk you to the nurse’s office.

From that day forward, you and him became glued to the hip. At least that was until high school came along.

It was sophomore year of high school when Jaehyun joined the basketball team. He then began to crush on a girl named Seulgi and she was absolutely beautiful. All he would talk about was her. And one day he'd even come to you and ask you to kiss him since he'd never kissed anyone before. You knew he was just using you as practice for Seulgi but you kissed him anyway and that would be a regret you had for a long time.

He soon became more busy with practice too and barely had time for you. It was gradual in the way he would blow you off just to hang out with his new friends. Your friendship with him was slipping and yet you still held on, hoping he wouldn’t leave you behind.

Weeks would fly by and he was distant as ever. At first, his texts were short. Then, he wouldn't respond at all. You would see him in the hallways but it was obvious he avoided you. Even when he saw you, he would pretend like he didn’t.

You still remembered the time your friend dragged you to your school’s basketball game because her crush was on the team. That was the first time you saw Jaehyun on the court shooting hoops and he was amazing. You could tell how coordinated and fast he was. He didn’t seem to notice you on the bleachers though and that was when you realized you were now just someone he went to school with.

After the game, you watched as Jaehyun ran up to the bleachers to hug a girl before kissing her. As reality crashed down, so did your heart. He finally got together with his dream girl. The girl he couldn’ stop gushing about back when you both were friends. And it was then that you realized there was no room in his life for you anymore. Since then, you’ve tried to erase Jaehyun out of your life. If he wanted to be like that, you could be too.

At least he was happy now. He was never that happy when he was with you.

The rest of that year sucked but you still managed to make a lot of memories the last two years of high school. You joined a bunch of clubs and even started to volunteer. You scored high on your college entrance exam and even got asked out by a guy in your grade. Mark was kind, considerate, and made you laugh. Most of all, he made you feel loved.

You and him dated until the summer after graduation. It was a mutual decision and looking back, Mark truly was your first reciprocated love.

Yunjin and you both got your food at the dining hall before sitting down at your usual spot. After you finished summarizing your first heartbreak to her, a part of her was in shock that you even had a boyfriend at all in the first place considering how avoidant you were these days. It was like she didn’t even care about the point you were trying to make. She only cared to see what Mark looked like and if he was a good kisser or not and although you don’t blame her, you wished she would also focus on the fact that this story was about Jaehyun and how he had hurt you back then.

It wasn’t until you gave her the information she wanted about Mark, that she shifted her interest back to Jaehyun.

“What he did was shitty but he was a teenager and you know how boys are. It’s also natural, people grow apart all the time,” Yunjin said as she stabbed her salad with her fork in the dining hall.

“How can you be taking his side?”

“I’m not! It’s just been 4 years now. People change again as they grow up. Just give him a second chance considering how much effort he’s making to get close again.”

You let her words sink in. Yunjin was always more rational than you. She also rarely held a grudge and preached positivity. So maybe she had a point. But that didn’t mean you were just going to forgive him so easily. Not when he wasn’t even the littlest bit apologetic. His only intention was to get on your nerves and act as the gum on your shoe. And that? You were sure of.

24 JANUARY 2024 - WEDNESDAY

Duccio’s Maesta painting was the topic of class this week. Thankfully the professor talked the whole time and there wasn’t much partner conversation going on.

For the past few weeks Jaehyun had been trying to catch you after class. You had no intention of rekindling a friendship with him and you made that clear. Jaehyun never cared though which was why it was so annoying trying to avoid him. So for today, like every other time he tried to catch you after class, you dashed out the door, not wanting to give him a chance to conjure up small talk. But of course, the high school athlete side of him managed to catch up.

“Wait,” he called out as he jogged towards you. “What direction are you going? I’ll walk with you.”

“I’m going to the dining hall,” you deadpanned.

“Great, I’ll go with you,” he started, jumping with each step as he followed. “Nice weather we have today don’t we?” Written on his face was a grin, one that was way too chirpy for it being before noon.

Written on your face was a scowl, one that you had just from being within his proximity. “Just get to the point Jaehyun. What do you want?”

“Nothing. Can’t I just talk to an old friend?”

“We stopped being friends a long time ago,” you sighed. “Remember? When you ditched me for that basketball friends and the popular life? And not to mention, that Seulgi girl.”

“Oh I see, you’re mad,” he noted with a smirk. “You were jealous weren’t you? If you liked me, you could’ve just said so, although you would’ve just been mad at my response anyway.”

“No I did not like you again nor was I jealous of anyone,” you seethed. “You’re just full of yourself aren't you? Ever since you joined that basketball team, you have warped more into a jerk than ever.”

“You’re just full of suppressed anger aren’t you?” Jaehyun scoffed, seeming to be enjoying your scowl.

You huffed. “I wish I never met you,” you said honestly, which caused Jaehyun to lose his smirk.

“That’s harsh don’t you think? All because I changed? You can’t expect me to be that kid you knew in middle school forever.”

“I know that. But that didn’t mean you had to ditch me and make me feel like a loser from your past.”

“I made you feel like that?”

“Yeah, you did. But whatever, it’s in the past, I don’t care anymore.”

“Seems like you still care to me,” he grumbled.

“Well I don’t.”

Jaehyun scoffed.

After a tedious and agonizing walk, you finally arrived at the dining hall. You swiped your student ID then walked towards the plates to get food. You had expected Jaehyun to leave you alone by now, but unfortunately, there he was still trailing behind you.

You sat down at a random table after filling up your plate, and began to chomp down your food.

“Do you normally eat alone?” he asked as he was getting ready to bite his burger.

“Well, it’s not like I have a lot of friends,” you said with a hint of bitterness in your tone. “I normally eat with my roommate but she’s busy right now but even if I did eat alone, is it that big of a deal? People eat alone all the time,” you added defensively. It was college, not high school. People eat alone all the time and yet he still managed to make you feel like a loser just like he did in the past. And all because you were eating by yourself.

Jaehyun nodded and it was obvious he was taken aback by how much you’ve become a different person too. Because compared to the girl you were in high school, you spoke up for yourself now. Jaehyun sighed. “So you and your roommate get along well then?”

“Just stop talking and eat your food,” you sighed as you went on your phone, giving him the same treatment he gave you in high school. You hated it when people were on their phone while you were talking to them and so you wanted him to feel disrespected too.

For the rest of the time you ate, he wouldn't exactly shut up though as he'd continue to ask random questions genuinely as if he was trying to get to know you again. It felt nice. And for a split second, you were starting to think he could actually be your friend again.

14 FEBRUARY 2024 - WEDNESDAY

You woke up this morning feeling even more groggy than usual. Perhaps it was just the Nyquil you took last night to fall asleep but you were sure it was just the fact that it was Valentine’s day. Your least favorite holiday. The vain of your existence.

It was also Jaehyun’s birthday. And as much as you wanted to act like you forgot, you still got him a small gift. Especially since he always bought you coffee these days which made you feel bad because he’d never let you pay him back. So after some thinking, you decided to get him a vinyl of his favorite band, Cigarettes After Sex. You remembered how he would always collect vinyls back in high school and since you saw him listening to this band a lot, you figured you could put your resentment aside for one day.

“Are you excited for today?” Yunjin asked as she caked her face.

“Excited for what? To watch people be all lovey-dovey while I try to get through the day?” You complained some more after changing and brushing your teeth. It was obvious you were not excited for the day at all.

“You’re just bitter you don’t have a boyfriend,” Yunjin sighed after hearing your whole hate speech on a cute holiday. And while that may be true, it didn’t make you hate it any less. “You should also come to the gym with me in the morning, it wakes you right up,” Yunjin insisted as she applied her lipstick. She was currently doing her makeup right now across from you. And while she was a morning person, you were not.

“I’m good with waking up thirty minutes before class. But thanks,” you said as you sprayed your setting spray. You didn’t know why you even bothered to do your makeup when you were just going to class but recently you’ve been feeling motivated.

Especially since there had been a certain ex-friend who came waltzing back into your life who looked as hot as ever.

Although you knew Jaehyun would never like you back, you still wanted to feel pretty, just in case you got lucky and a cute guy decided to ask for your number in front of Jaehyun. Then, you’d rub it in Jaehyun’s face and make him feel like the loser for ditching you back in high school. Yeah, you were still bitter. Perhaps you weren’t as over him as you thought but regardless, you were never going to show it.

On your way to the bio science building where your humanities class was, you passed by a stand where they sold cute Valentine's Day grams, roses, personalized notes, and even heart shaped chocolates. Maybe if you had a partner, this day would be more exciting. But since you were painfully single, your vision was clear enough to see past the capitalistic scam of a holiday.

After a long walk, you finally made it to class and plopped your bag onto the desk.

“Good morning, sunshine,” Jaehyun beamed as he messed up your hair.

“I told you to stop doing that,” you whined. It had only been a second since you've sat down on the chairs and he had already gotten on your nerves.

“You're awfully unpleasant today,” he noted, getting out his notebook and pen.

“Only because you’re here,” you sighed.

His hand flew to his chest. “Ouch, that hurts you know.”

“Yeah, whatever,” you brushed him off, turning on your laptop.

“So,” Jaehyun began, “Any plans today?”

“Well, I’m going to the student center later, then going to another class, then I’m going to take a nap, then I’m going to do some homework, then I’m going to sleep.”

“That’s all?” Jaehyun asked, as if it were that surprising. “Such a waste of Valentine’s Day to me,” he droned.

“Well it’s not like I have someone to spend the day with,” you sighed, slightly bitter. “How about you? You have a date or what?” you asked casually, also just wanting to know if he was seeing anyone.

“Nope.”

“What a surprise, I would’ve thought you had girls lining up to be with you,” you said as you twisted your water bottle open.

“Nah, just you,” he smirked.

You nearly choked on your water. “You wish. And to think I got you a birthday present.” Regardless of what you said, you reached inside your tote bag to hand him the vinyl. You had planned to give it to him after class but you figured you’d give it to him now so you could clear some space in your bag.

"So you do remember my birthday…” Jaehyun didn’t seem too playful anymore, and looked at you rather seriously. And if you had squinted, you could tell he was touched. He took the vinyl and held onto it. “And it’s my favorite album too. Thank you."

“Yeah, well. It’s kind of hard to forget when it’s on Valentine’s Day. And I noticed how you had that one album on repeat so there you go. Happy birthday.” You tried to act nonchalant. "Don't think much of it though. It's just to pay you back for all the coffee you buy me." And while that was true, you also didn't want him to misunderstand this. The last thing you wanted was for him to think you liked him.

You then stared at the clock. It was now ten minutes past the start of class and still no sign of the professor. Then, a ding. You glanced down at your phone to see an email from your professor that class was canceled because his son was sick and he had to take care of him.

A part of you was glad. You were way too tired to pay attention anyways.

As everyone started to leave the auditorium, you did too and began to walk the opposite direction of the student center, on the way back to your dorm.

“Where are you going? I thought you wanted to go to the student center,” he asked as he trailed behind you.

“It’s too early, I’m going for another nap.”

“No you’re not,” he said as he grabbed your hand. “We’re going to have some fun today.” Before you even had a chance to say no, your feet were turned towards the other direction. And you found yourself willingly following him to the student parking lot. “It’s my birthday but all my friends are with their partners," he said on the way.

"Okay? I don't get what that has to do with me."

"Spend my birthday with me.” He’d say and since you were just going to do nothing anyway, you figured having some fun today didn’t sound too bad.

Something Jaehyun was always good at doing was convincing you to do stuff with him/ for him. He even convinced you to skip your afternoon class and you had never skipped. How did he convince you? By taking you to the carnival. And it was the fact that your mom used to take the both of you to the carnival all the time as kids that made it more meaningful to you.

“It’s less busy during the day,” Jaehyun had insisted. “Less lines, and more rides.”

And he was right. You must’ve rode all the rides at least five times.

Before ending the day, he took you to another restaurant he liked. A Vietnamese restaurant nearby.

One question he had in the car that stuck with you was when he was stopped at a red light.

“Do you really wish we never met?" he had asked, seemingly out of nowhere.

“What?”

“You said that a couple weeks ago. Did you mean it?”

“Oh right… I was just really pissed at you still for kissing me in highschool only for it to be practice for that Seulgi girl. Then you stopped talking to me all together and never invited me to a basketball game even though you knew I loved basketball.”

“Oh,” he mumbled, unable to meet your gaze anymore. He almost looked deflated, a sad look uncharacteristic of him.

“Yeah, it’s fine though, I’m over it… I didn’t mean what I said that day actually. I’m actually thankful I met you. Even though I had bad memories because of you, it’s still a memory of you. And you gave me more good memories than bad ones.” You shrugged.

Jaehyun nodded then turned his attention back to the green light. He had an unreadable expression on his face and didn’t talk much for the rest of the ride to the Vietnamese restaurant.

By the time it was around 4 p.m., you were on your way back to campus. You were all out of energy and quite frankly needed a nap.

You switched between looking at the scenery and Jaehyun. He liked to drive with one hand it seemed and it was so attractive the way he would back out of parking spots or when he was turning. It was exhilarating. And you never wanted the moment to end.

“Like what you see?” he smirked as he turned to you, having just arrived at the student parking lot. And for a split second, you’re embarrassed. Because you got caught staring at his hands.

You scoffed. “You wish.” You weren’t about to give him the satisfaction of anything.

Jaehyun smiled sheepishly at that. “I’m sorry for how I treated you in highschool… I was so dumb back then. All I wanted to do was fit in and look cool.”

“It’s okay. It was a long time ago,” you sighed, not wanting to dwell on it any longer. “Thanks for taking me out today, it was nice to get off campus for once.”

“Anytime…” he began, “So I got you something,” he said as he reached into the back for his backpack, pulling out a small pink gift bag that you saw in the morning. It was one of the Valentine’s Day gram gift bags. The one with the candies and a rose. “Here,” he smiled as he handed it to you. “I saw people selling them this morning and I thought you might like one. I was going to give it to you earlier but I didn’t know when was a good time,” he explained as he threaded his fingers through his hair.

You couldn’t believe it. You just stared back at him.

“Open it,” he said.

You pulled the rose out and set it on your lap. Inside were lollipops, a heart shaped chocolate box, and a note. You pulled it out.

NOTE: Happy Valentine's Day - Jaehyun

“Wow, so touching,” you deadpanned, seeing how he bought a large Valentine’s day card just to write the same thing the card already said.

“Yeah, I was tired in the morning. I didn’t know what else to write,” he shrugged.

“Well thank you, I love it,” you smiled. Even though it was an innocent and friendly gesture, it meant alot to you.

“Alright,” he said as he turned off his engine. He ended up walking you back to your dorm before parting ways. It made you sad to see him go. And to think, you were dreading the day just this morning.

As you went to sleep that night, you started to realize maybe Valentine’s day wasn’t so bad afterall. That maybe all you needed was to spend the day with someone special.

26 FEBRUARY 2024- MONDAY

Time flew by fast.

Midterms was next week already which meant it was time to start gathering all your notes and memorize them.

It seemed like it was just yesterday that the spring semester started. The fact that it was almost two whole months already was insane. It was also funny how life played out. You never thought you’d see Jaehyun again yet here he was in one of your classes. You never thought he’d become a friend again either yet here he was eating lunch with you and Yunjin.

And while you still bickered with him from time to time, the tension between you and him was slowly melting away. And for the first time, you were sure that you and him could actually start over again. That the past didn’t have to weigh down the promise of the future.

You looked over at him once the professor dismissed the class. “How do you feel about taking an exam in the auditorium? It’s going to be a nightmare handing out all the test papers,” you sighed as you made your way out of the folded seats.

“I feel you, but as long as we sit in the front, we should have enough time. Speaking of the exam, can we study for midterms together?” Jaehyun asked as he trailed beside you after class.

“The library is packed, so no,” you sighed. You hated crowds and that was enough to deter you from most public places during rush time. The morning lecture had just finished and you were on the way to the dining hall. You meant to start eating breakfast again because you were always starving after class but you kept forgetting. Even though Jaehyun had given you his granola bar earlier during class, you were still starving.

“How about my dorm then?” he suggested.

“You really want to study together?”

“Yeah, I have trouble studying and since you’re smart, maybe you could help me? I’ll buy you dinner.” He wiggled his brows.

You stared back at Jaehyun. Usually you would say ‘no’ because you studied more effectively alone but a part of you had warmed up to him. And a free meal didn’t sound too bad either.

“Alright. But I’m choosing where we eat.”

“Deal.”

Later on that day after your 2:00 p.m. class, you made your way to his dorm. Upon entering, you noticed how only one side of his room was decorated with travel pictures and snacks. The other side was empty, no pictures hung up, no laptop, no desk essentials, no personality in sight.

“Where’s your roommate?” you asked.

“My roommate dropped out so I just have the dorm to myself. Sweet isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” you said as you examined the pictures on his bulletin board more closely. There were so many scenery photos that looked to be of China, Japan, and Indonesia. “Did you take these pictures?”

Jaehyun made his way behind you. “Yeah, I spent last summer solo traveling all over Asia. Aren’t these places pretty?”

You nodded, too busy examining the pretty landscape photos on the wall. It was only when you turned to face Jaehyun that you realized he was already looking at you. “We should get started,” you suggested, as you began to set up on the empty desk of his nonexistent roommate. (His desk had a gaming PC and food wrappers everywhere and it was clear as day that he was still just as messy as he was back then.)

You ended up doing more than helping him review material for humanities because as it would turn out, he didn’t know how to properly study. So you taught him a study method you used for your other classes too. You noticed that Jaehyun copied the notes exactly from the professor’s presentations. So while he had the material and tried to remember it, he wasn’t learning it. The trick was to rewrite all your notes with your own words in a consecutive sequence while reading it out loud. You normally did this at least five times which Jaehyun found tedious and ridiculous. And although it was tiring, you made him try it until he could recite it from memory. And when your method worked, you made sure to tell him the classic, “I told you so.”

“Do you want something to drink?” he asked, going towards his mini fridge. He had been studying for 4 hours now that he was getting restless. He rubbed his temples as he stared back at his empty fridge. “I have a Gatorade and half a water bottle.”

You chortled, his drink options were so typical of a college student. “I’m good but thanks.”

“So, maybe we should catch up,” Jaehyun said as he sat on his bed.

“On what?” you asked as you sat beside him.

“High school or freshman year, the time we spent apart…”

You raised a brow. What college guy would want to reminisce so suddenly? It was odd but you didn’t verbally comment on it. “Okay…” you began as you stared at the floor, trying to figure out where to begin, “there’s not much to say. Sophomore year kind of sucked but junior year was fun, I joined some clubs and met Mark. He asked me out and we started dating. Then senior year came and he asked me out to prom with his huge poster with a SpiderMan pun. It was so cute.” While talking about your ex, you couldn’t help but smile. Mark was perfect. He was a little awkward but that was his charm. It made him effortlessly funny and cute. “Then I moved here for college and everything has just been kind of stagnant? It’s boring to be honest. I don't really like my major or the social aspects of college. I feel like I’m missing out on a lot of things and I definitely could be having more fun but I don’t know, I just hate it here.”

“Did you love Mark?” Jaehyun asked. You said a lot in the past 5 minutes and yet the only question he had was about Mark. Something about his voice, it was hesitant, it was genuine curiosity.

“Yeah, I did.” You pursed your lips. “He was a great boyfriend.”

“But you guys broke up?”

“We didn’t want to do the whole long distance thing. We’re still friends though. Anyway, how about you? How did highschool go for you after you ghosted me?” you joked (but not really, there was a hint of seriousness in your voice).

“Me and Seulgi broke up junior year,” he said simply as he ran his fingers through his hair. The relationship didn’t even last a year and although you already knew that, you didn’t let him know that.

“What else did you do? Tell me about basketball or your friends since I never got the chance to meet them.” You nudged his side.

“You know why we broke up?” He ignored your words and began to fidget with his rings. “Because she cheated on me... In the end, being popular and liked didn’t matter at all. After high school, we all went our separate ways anyway. I barely talk to any of the guys anymore. All I have now is regret towards the people I actually cared about.”

You wonder what he meant by this. Why he was even telling you this. But instead of asking, you scooted closer to him, and placed a hand over his to comfort him. You never expected for this catching up conversation to end up this serious but here you were. “Well, she never deserved you. It’s honestly her loss.” Because truly, it was. To cheat on a guy like Jaehyun was just straight up idiotic. You’ve known him since you were both kids so despite the attitude he picked up during high school, you knew that the compassionate and kindhearted side of him was always there. You saw it when he was dating her and hell, you even saw it now. Because in the past two months of you getting to know him again, you definitely saw glimpses of the Jaehyun you fell in love with all those years ago.

Jaehyun gave a weak smile. “I didn’t even care that she cheated which is crazy, isn’t it? I was going to break up with her anyway when she cheated, so I didn’t care. I liked her for years and then I finally got with her, and I wasn't even happy. Being with her made me realize how much an emotional connection mattered more in a relationship, not just what that person looked like on the outside.”

“I guess that’s a good lesson to take out of it,” you noted, finding it weird how he was saying all of this.

“I was going to break up with her for you,” he admitted almost hesitantly. Feeling the tensions rise, you retracted your hand as your mouth went dry. “I missed you so much back then but then you started to date that Mark guy and I don’t know, you just looked so happy without me and I hated myself,” he gazed at you so intensely and his face was suddenly even closer towards yours now. And for a split second, you swore he was going to lean in and kiss you. “I hated how I let the idea of being popular get between us. I hated how I pushed you away.”

You felt a lump in your throat. Just why was he going to break up with Seulgi for you? He idolized the ground she walked on back then. You remembered how in love they were as they showed off their PDA in the hallway. And this was near the time Suelgi cheated too. Did he realize he wanted to be friends again or was it something more? You tried to read him but he had a stale expression and you didn’t know how to react with the silence that followed.

But before you could even collect your thoughts, he cleared his throat and changed the subject. “I’m hungry,” he began with a crack in his voice. “Where did you want to eat again?” he asked as he got up from the bed. And it was as if the ‘I was going to break up with Seulgi for you’ thing never came out of his mouth.

For some reason, you felt disappointed. Was that it for this conversation?

You were sure he was going to kiss you too. But maybe you were wrong. Just like how you were in highschool, the first time he kissed you. And maybe everything was just in your head again.

“What do you mean you broke up with Seulgi for me?” you decided to ask further, now standing up.

“It doesn’t matter,” he insisted, putting on his coat. He was being dismissive and cold again. “So you wanted to eat at the student center or the dining hall, or?”

“The student center,” you muttered, in absolute disbelief at how he was brushing off the topic when he was the one that brought it up in the first place. “They have good sandwiches there.” You wanted to ask him more about what he meant by this but instead you pushed it to the back of your head. Things didn’t need to be any more awkward than they already were. Because if there was one thing you knew about Jaehyun, if he didn’t want to talk to you, there was nothing you could do to make him do so.

01 MARCH 2024- FRIDAY

After the review with the TA, you felt a bit dejected. Jaehyun wasn’t there. He didn’t come to class on Wednesday either and you could only assume it was because he was trying to avoid you. At the beginning of the semester, you would beg for days like this but now that you and him were somewhat friends, it made you feel so discarded and empty that Jaehyun would just push you away like that again.

Despite this, you sucked up your pride and tried to text and call him but he still wouldn't answer. It felt like highschool again with the ghosting and how much you yearned for him. You hated how much he was consuming your thoughts again. For weeks he had been by your side and now that he wasn't, you were getting withdrawals.

You thought you had moved on from him. You really did. But then you started to reflect on all the little moments where he would make your heart flutter. Some mornings, he’d buy you a coffee, somehow getting your order right even though you’d never tell him. Maybe he’d saw your order on the coffee cup? You weren’t sure but regardless, it never failed to make you feel looked after. Then on some days, he’d even bring you a snack in class since your stomach was always growling. And food was always the way to your heart.

You tried to ignore the ache in your heart as you studied for the midterms but it was painfully impossible. Your mind just kept drifting off to Jaehyun.

Later that night, your head was still in your textbook. You managed to get some studying done but not much before Yunjin started to go on about a party her acquaintance was throwing. She tried to convince you to go but you were reluctant. It wasn’t until she made a dig at your social life that it had you reconsidering. It was halfway into your life as a university student and you didn’t even know how to have fun. All you did was frequent the student center, dining hall, library, and class before going back to your dorm. Although it wasn’t as depressing as she had made it out to be, she did have a point.

So throwing on a pair of jeans and one of Yunjin’s party tops, you agreed to accompany her to the party.

The moment you stepped inside the huge house, your roommate pulled you towards the kitchen for cheap beer and seltzers. You grabbed a White Claw and took a sip while Yunjin opted for a cheap beer.

“Do you want to do something fun?” Yunjin asked as she looked around. “There is beer pong, cards, body shots, pool… Oh, and there’s spin the bottle. I haven’t played it since middle school.”

“I don’t know,” you sighed, swirling your White Claw around. The idea wasn’t tempting at all. The loud music was annoying enough, and the last thing you wanted was to kiss a stranger because of a dare. Or worse, drink toilet water. Did the dares even get that extreme? You weren’t sure, but you didn’t want to find out.

“Oh come on, let’s have some fun to look back on,” she insisted, dragging you to the area where people gathered in a circle. “It’ll be fun, I promise.”

You finished your seltzer before you sat down in the circle to play spin the bottle.

A random guy then started to explain the rules and you needed another seltzer already. Scratch that, you were fine with anything and so you grabbed Yunjin’s cheap beer and drank it too, ignoring her whining. It was your first time playing this game and if you had to kiss a stranger, or even worse, give them a lap dance or something, you needed some liquid courage to take off the edge. Thankfully, it didn’t take much for the cheap alcohol to start loosening you up. Especially since you were a lightweight that forgot to eat before drinking.

Right as the game was about to begin, you saw Jaehyun jog towards the game and your whole body tensed. “I’ll play too,” he said, dabbing up a friend before sitting next to him.

Jaehyun’s eye bags were prominent, his cheeks were flushed, and his hair was messy. He looked visibly more exhausted than the last time you saw him. But still, he managed to look so ethereal under the dim lights. And that was one of the things you hated about him. He was so breathtaking and he didn’t even have to try.

You accidentally made eye contact with him though when you were staring at him and he shot a shy smile at you. Jung Jaehyun confused the hell out of you. Because first he ghosted you and now he was smiling as if everything was fine.

Despite how you felt, you were just glad to see that he was okay. Maybe luck would be on your side today. And maybe he’d finally want to talk.

A couple rounds would go by and surprisingly it was more entertaining then you had expected. The circle was mostly strangers but it was still fun watching people describe their first times, kiss the person to their right, receive lap dances, and french kiss.

That was, until the bottle landed on you.

“Truth or dare?” a guy by the name of Yangyang asked you.

“Dare,” you said after Yunjin kept nudging your side to choose dare.

Yangyang smirked, then looked around the circle until his eyes landed on the boy beside him. “I dare you to go into the closet. Seven minutes in heaven with my brother, Jaehyun.”

You glanced at Jaehyun who seemed just as speechless as you. It was the perfect opportunity to talk to him but at the same time, you were hesitant. Nervous, almost. You thought about backtracking but with how people were whistling and encouraging you to go inside the closet, you couldn’t just back out. And lowkey, a part of you wanted this to happen too.

The next thing you knew, you and Jaehyun were both pushed into a stuffy closet and the door was closed. "Seven minutes on the clock!" Yangyang shouted and you turned on the lights. It has never felt more awkward than this as you stood in front of Jaehyun.

"Hey," Jaehyun whispered softly.

You swallowed thickly. "Hi.”

"I didn't think you liked parties,” he began, and a part of you couldn’t help but take it in the most negative way.

"Why? Because I'm that much of a loser to you?”

“You know that’s not what I meant,” he deadpanned.

“No. You don’t get to tell me that. Not when that’s what you made me feel like all throughout high school and with how you’ve been ignoring me the past week."

“I’m sorry I’ve been MIA, okay? I just needed time to think.”

"Are you sure you're even sorry? Were you even going to talk to me today if we weren't shoved inside this closet right now? You ghosted me all week.”

“I’m sorry." And his voice this time sounded more genuine. "I was just scared of losing you again. I don't want things between us to get messed up because of me."

"You say that but then you ghost me. Make it make sense, Jaehyun.”

"It’s because I wanted to kiss you that night, okay?” He didn’t mean to raise his voice but it just happened. “That was why I needed space. I got scared and I just didn't want to mess things up. Not when we’re finally friends again.” He ran his hand through his hair. “You have no idea how hard it is to be just friends. Every time I'm near you, it drives me crazy and I just... I just don’t want to lose you again." His voice cracked a bit at the end. There was a hint of hesitance in his voice and you could tell this really took a toll on him.

"You won't lose me," you said softly. Maybe it was the alcohol that made your mind cloudy. Or maybe it was just Jaehyun and the way his eyes twinkled. But you couldn’t help yourself from staring down at his lips. They looked so soft and kissable, just like how they did a few days ago. And before your mind could even register what your body was doing, you took a step towards him and wrapped your hands around his neck. "You should've just kissed me then. Because I wanted to that day too."

Jaehyun inhaled sharply. His gaze flickered to your lips then back to your eyes. And before you knew it, his lips crashed onto yours and his hands went to your waist. The kiss was eager and hot, almost as if he had been waiting to kiss you for ages. He backed you up against the wall and kissed you even harder, sucking on your lips.

"We should really talk now though," he said between breaths.

“Just kiss me,” you groaned, hands running down his chest. You should’ve definitely talked first but you could always do that later, right now, you just wanted to taste him again.

Kissing him was magical and intoxicating. You were drunk off the feeling of him and in that moment, nothing else mattered. All you could think about was how soft his lips were and how they would feel on your neck. You drowned in his scent, letting yourself fall deeper into his touch.

He was the first to pull back and when he did, his hands were on your jaw as he mumbled, “I love you.”

And that was when you completely froze. Because never in a hundred years would you think Jaehyun could actually reciprocate your feelings. Sure you guys just kissed, but that was just affection. This? This was more than that. Just those three words alone made you feel like maybe things were not in your head all along and that luck was finally on your side for once. Because he loved you. And he didn’t hesitate. He just said it so casually as if it was just natural for him.

But before you even had the chance to say anything back, the door abruptly opened and you jumped. Everyone in the circle was focused on you and Jaehyun but thankfully nothing was going on at the moment Yangyang had swung the door open.

“Let’s talk outside,” Jaehyun said before grabbing your wrist to lead you both outside towards a more quiet area of the lawn. The moment you both did, he held onto your hands and he looked softly into your eyes. “I meant what I said in there. The moment I saw you in class, I knew it was my chance to make things right again. I really just wanted to become friends again, but along the way, I realized that I still loved you. And I guess I was just scared because we were finally friends again and then you didn’t say anything when I told you I broke up with Seulgi and I just thought maybe I messed things up-”

“Well you didn’t,” you said, cutting him off. Your eyes trailed over the bridge of his nose to the slight downturned curl of his lips. It was obvious how nervous he was to be so vulnerable and you saw yourself in his eyes. “Because I love you too.”

And you didn’t miss how he said he still loved you.

4 MARCH 2024- MONDAY

Your first midterm of the day was over. For an elective course, this class truly didn’t feel like one. So much for wanting an easy class to breeze through. But that much didn’t annoy you anymore. Because without this class, you would've never reconnected with Jaehyun.

Despite it being a demanding class, you managed to finish the exam before the allotted time. And so you waited for Jaehyun on a nearby bench outside of the auditorium. You scrolled on your phone for the most part while waiting and glanced at the door every time it opened. Who knew love could be so consuming? You just saw Jaehyun in the auditorium and yet you missed him already. And then you saw him.

“How did you think you did?” you beamed as he was walking out the door.

“I did well. Thanks to your studying technique,” he grinned as he pulled you in for a hug. “How did you do?”

“I was stuck for ten minutes trying to figure out how to compare a painting to a Greek play but I think I did well.”

“When are you finished with midterms this week? Let’s celebrate then,” he smiled as he pulled back.

“I have my last midterm on Wednesday.”

“Me too,” Jaehyun smiled. “Tell you what. How about we go on our first date that night?”

Your face lit up. “You’re asking me out?”

“Yes,” he said confidently. “So what do you say?”

“I’d love too,” you replied as you gazed lovingly into his eyes. Your heart was swelling so much from how he looked back at you. So eager to be closer, you leaned forward and pressed your lips against his.

He was warm. He was intoxicating.

And finally, he was all yours.

#jaehyun angst #jaehyun fluff #nct angst #nct fluff #jung jaehyun #nct imagines #jaehyun imagines #jaehyun x reader #nct x reader #nct 127 imagines #nct 127 fic #jaehyun fic #jung jaehyun fic #jaehyun scenarios #nct scenarios #jung jaehyun x reader #jaehyun oneshot #jung jaehyun fluff #jung jaehyun angst

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promise-you-doie · 3 days

Text

K. Doyoung | From Home

Feeling overwhelmed by leaving everything familiar behind, you find solace in meeting Doyoung, who exudes a comforting familiarity that reminds you of home. His presence ignites a passionate fire within you, drawing you closer and easing the transition into your new chapter of life.

Doyoung x Reader (Strangers to lovers)

12k words

Mainly fluffy, a little angsty, suggestive.

Playlist

Part 1 - Coming Home

No smut, but this is a bit more suggestive than any of the other things I've put out. (Don't make fun of me, please; I'll cry.) This was only supposed to be 6k words, but I didn't wanna make you guys wait for a part three. Feedback is much appreciated. Thank you. :)

It was just another Saturday night. Your window was cracked half open, and the breeze from outside allowed itself in, brushing past the skin of your arm while you reviewed the notes from Thursday's lecture. Your roommate was long gone, so you had the room to yourself. This meant you got to play your music as loudly as you wanted without her complaining that it was "trash" or "boring."

You hummed along to the song and tapped your pen against the thin paper while checking the time on your alarm clock. Then, you tap your phone to see if you've received any missed calls or messages in the past two minutes.

You hadn't.

With a long, deep sigh, you returned to your notes and continued studying—until you heard your phone ring and Jaehyun's name flash across your screen. You rushed to answer your phone, your grin wide, your eyes bright.

"Hey, beautiful." When you accepted the call, Jaehyun's smile was as big as yours. You watched him rest in his bed, and you went to do the same. "I miss you."

"I miss you too, Jae." You pout. "I really wish you were here."

"I wish you were here." His voice is clear through your phone speaker, causing butterflies to erupt in the pit of your stomach. If this wasn't love, you didn't know what it was. You had your whole life planned around Jaehyun, and so far, everything has been going exactly as planned.

"I can't wait 'til you come back," he added, wiping the smile right off your face.

"I'm not coming back." You whispered.

He asks, "Why not?" You watch him shift on his bed to look at you. He's obviously confused; it doesn't take a genius to see it. His smile of adoration is long gone, and his eyes aren't as gentle as they were when you first answered the call.

"There's nothing there for me. Everything I need is here in L.A." You explain.

"What about me?" His voice was soft, but not the kind of soft you were used to. It was different; it almost broke you.

"Well… I thought you could come here." You flashed your doe eyes into the camera and mustered up a sincere smile to hide your nervousness about his reaction. You never talked about life after college; you just kind of assumed that he loved you enough to come with you.

You were wrong.

"Why would I do that?" His eyebrows furrowed, his tone almost degrading.

"I just thought you would because then we could be together. I hate long-distance—you know that—and I just want to be with you." You began rambling and rubbing your hands against each other to distract yourself from crying.

"The city has never been my thing; I don't see why you won't just come back home. What does Los Angeles have that Connecticut doesn't?"

"Everything, Jae. Nobody knows me here. I can start over, pursue my career, and live the life I have dreamt of since I was a little girl." Your voice was shaky, and you hated it. It felt like the air was fighting against you as you began choking over your own words.

"This is stupid." He laughed and looked away from the camera, unintentionally flashing his dimple as he did so.

"Stupid?" You repeat

"We've always talked about finding an apartment here and moving in together. Now, suddenly, you're in L.A. and want to abandon me?"

"I'm not abandoning you, Jae; I just really, really don't wanna go back there." You stress. He missed when you dried the warm tears on your cheek with the balls of your wrists.

"It feels like you are."

"I'm not." You murmured, looking down and tugging at the ends of your shirt.

"Well, you don't want to come back, and I don't want to go to L.A. So now what?" he asked. He's almost three thousand miles away, but the way he looks at you through the camera makes you feel like he can see right through you.

You mumble, "I don't know." Before you hear a loud sigh come through the phone's speaker, Jaehyun presses his lips into a thin line and throws his hand over his head to wipe his face once.

You could tell that he was frustrated, and you hated that you were the reason why. You thought to apologize, but you knew that it wouldn't help anything. So you remained quiet and waited for him to say something to break the awkward silence.

"Maybe you should get some sleep. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Okay, I love yo-" Your boyfriend wastes no time hanging up the phone and leaving you to sit in your own quietude.

That was your first argument, and after that, everything just went downhill. Your phone calls got shorter and shorter. Some nights, he wouldn't even call, and when he did call, it always ended in an argument. You tried dragging out your relationship for as long as possible, and you knew he was doing the same.

But eventually, it grew to a point when you started to dread his calls. Eventually, you started questioning whether you were still in a relationship. Eventually, you began to wonder if you even wanted to be in a relationship anymore.

Another Saturday night, spent in your dorm room alone. This time, instead of studying, you chose to order in and watch Netflix. You're three episodes in when your phone begins to ring. You pause your show and pick up your cell to find Jaehyun's contact flashing across your screen.

Hesitantly, you swipe to answer and prop your phone up on the table so you don't have to hold it.

"Hey, baby." His baritone voice rings through your ears in a way that no other voice could. Things might've been rocky, but you loved him—you were sure of that.

"Hey, Jaehyun." You chipped, leaning back against the couch so he could see your complete frame.

"Jaehyun?" He repeats, obviously dissatisfied.

You ask, "What?" And look closer to see the displeased look on his face.

"What happened to Jae?" He queries.

You frown, "Could we not argue today?" Ending your sentence with a "Please."

"Okay, y/n." He's being sarcastic, and you can tell. You overlook it and move on to the next subject because you'd much rather end the call with "I love you" than another heated discussion that causes one of you to hang up abruptly.

"How was your day?" You ask, hoping to change the subject.

"Boring, but I've been thinking about you all day." You watch his frown grow into a smile, which makes you feel at ease.

"Oh yeah, What were you thinking about?"

"Remember when we used to sneak out at night?" He reminisces. "The things we used to do." His smile shines on your screen; you can see his dimples and crescent eyes.

"You know your mom started calling me her son-in-law?" He brings it up suddenly.

"She's annoying." You roll your eyes and feel a sense of peace—finally, you can have a normal conversation with him.

"So when you come back, I was thinking that we could try out this restaurant that just opened. Everyone's been talking about it, but I didn't wanna try it without you." You didn't know if he was doing this on purpose or if he really just ignored everything that ever left your mouth.

"We talked about this, Jaehyun. I'm not coming back."

"Listen, I know L.A. seems new and exciting, but this is your home, whether you like it or not."

"I'm not doing this with you tonight." You breathe, picking up your phone to get ready to hang up, when he sighs and says, "I don't understand why you're being so stubborn."

"I'm not being stubborn. You just aren't listening to me."

"Okay, so now this is my fault?" He sits up and picks up the phone to see you better.

"I'm not blaming you. I just wished you cared enough about me to know that I'm happy here." He remains quiet, so you continue. "I don't wanna go back to Connecticut, and if you don't understand that, then maybe…" You pause, tears already beginning to form and your voice shaking just at the thought, "We should break up."

It falls quiet for about ten long seconds. Suddenly, you become hyper-aware of his background noises, his lack of facial expression, and the breath that you've been holding since you last spoke.

"Okay," he sighs, "If that's what you want." The call is dropped as soon as those words meet your ears. Once again, you're left to deal with your own silence and a fresh new set of warm tears that stroll easily down your cheeks.

"Hey girl, I—" Joy stops when she notices how puffy and red your eyes are. With that, she closes the door to console you. Nothing else is said when she wraps her slim arms around you to pull you into a hug, holding your head to her chest and patting it softly.

"I don't know about this." You look down at the dress Joy picks out for you. At first glance, it seems that the dress is two sizes too small for you, but that's the least of your worries. You were more concerned about coming up with an excuse to get you out of going out tonight.

"We have to get you out of this room. The energy you're harboring here is not healthy for your soul. And—" You hold your hand and nod to stop your roommate before she goes into another one of her lectures.

"I'll go. Just give me the dress."

The bar is small and intimate. You notice that everyone here knows each other. Everyone except you. Joy loosely holds your wrist in her hand as she drags you around to meet different people. You recognize a few of them, and most of them you don’t.

"Oh, there he is." She squeals, tightening her grip on your wrist and pulling you towards the tall, dark-haired stranger who already has his eyes on you.

"Doyoung, this is Y/n, and Y/n, this is Doyoung." Joy greets both of you and brings both of her hands to her cheeks when you both say "Hi" at the same time.

You don't notice when Joy slips away; you're too busy staring at the beautiful stranger in front of you. "I don't think I've seen you around before. Are you new?" He asks first

You nod your head, "Yeah, I'm a first-year."

Your eyes never leave him; there's some type of gravitational force pulling you closer to him. Something about him feels different, something no one has ever made you feel—not even Jaehyun.

Oh, Jaehyun.

"Sorry, I gotta go." You unintentionally stop him mid-sentence, unaware that he was even talking. And you run off faster than it took for him to say, "Okay." He blinks once, and you're gone.

Joy watches you leave the bar from afar, chasing after you before you can get too far. Nearly twisting her ankle in the high black heels she was wearing, she catches up to you but not without asking, "What happened?"

She doesn't get a verbal answer or any response at all, but she knows. She knows all too well.

Joy lets out a long sigh, "Let's go home." She holds her hand out, and you take it, once again allowing her to lead you back home.

You sat curled up in your bed with the prized bear that Jaehyun won you from the fair two years ago at the fair and his contact pulled up on your phone.

Your fingers dance around the phone, trying to find the right words. You want to tell him you miss him and you're sorry, but you're also afraid. What if he's mad at you? What if he had already found someone new? What if he never really loved you and was just waiting for you to break up with him?

All these questions swirl in your mind, and that should've been enough to stop you from texting him, but you let your heart take control. Mindlessly, you begin typing out, "I miss you; please call me." Just before you can hit send, you get a notification for a text message from an unknown number.

Unknown: Hey, this is Doyoung. Joy gave me your number.

Joy's already watching you from the corner of the room. When you look up, she's nervously gazing at you. Biting her bottom lip in anticipation.

"I know I should've asked you first, but he's a good guy. I think you should give him a chance." She defends herself, although she doesn't really have to. You could never be mad at her.

"Fine." You roll your eyes and pick up your phone to answer him.

Unsure of how to respond, you just typed "Hey," hoping that he would carry on the conversation.

"He's asking to hang out." You confessed to Joy when you held up your phone for her to see, even though you knew she couldn't see anything from where she was sitting.

"Tell him yes." She says urgently, jumping in her spot.

You obey her and use your thumbs to type out, "Sure, what time do you have in mind?"

He replies not even a second later with, "How about tonight?"

"He wants to hang out tonight," you shoot your head up.

"Oh, he's really interested in you.' Joy squeaks,

"What do I say?"

"Yes!" She squeals again, and you listen.

Jaehyun was long forgotten as you walked along the dark beach, listening to the sound of waves crashing in. The sky was pitch black; the only visible light was the moon, and the street lamps lined up a few yards away.

You can see Doyoung's face visibly; he's just as handsome as you remembered him from earlier in the evening, although you weren't expecting him to change in just a few hours.

"I love the beaches here," you admit.

He sounds, "Yeah?" While looking down at you and, you nod

"They're the reason I chose to come to California." The weather was warm on a Friday night, but the breeze coming in from the shore had you pulling down the sleeves of your turquoise blue sweater.

Doyoung noticed it and slipped his jacket off to drape it over your shoulders, asking, "Where are you from?"

You answer, "Connecticut." As you continue walking along the dark beach, taking in the warmth of his blue varsity jacket.

"Wow, you're far away from home, aren't you?"

"I guess." You agree. The waves come in just a little harder and leave your feet set and sandy.

"Well, how do you like California?" He asked

"It's beautiful. Very different from Connecticut," you boasted, feeling a sense of achievement since you had lived out your childhood dream. A subtle smile fell upon your face.

"I'm glad you're here," Doyoung said.

"Me too." You reply, looking up at him.

You aren't thinking about your ex for the first time in two months, and it feels nice.

You hated the student library, its familiarity, its blandness, and the fact that the staff always kept the air conditioning so high. But you needed to study, and this was the best place you could think of since your roommate took over your dorm to have her boyfriend over.

The library was awful, but you got used to it after a while. All it took was some warm tea and a set of earphones for you to lose track of time. Two minutes turned into an hour, and an hour turned into three. So, what should have been a 30-minute study session became a five-hour study day.

Granted, you did get distracted a few times.

The library is relatively full, but Doyoung still easily picks you out. He slides into the empty chair behind you and taps your shoulder. "Have you been here all day?" He asks.

You lie and answer, "No." But the snack wrappers and coffee cups tell him otherwise.

Knowing you aren't telling the truth, he asks, "What time did you arrive?" Resting his cheek on the palm of his hand to look at you.

You feel the heat rush to your cheeks before your turn to avoid his gaze. "Um, probably around like… 2ish?" You mumble to where he can barely hear you.

"You ever been to Karaoke?" He asks suddenly, causing you to whip your head around at his odd question.

"No." You answer.

Doyoung doesn't ask any further questions before he reaches to clean up your notebooks, and you do the same. "What are you doing?" You ask, still packing up the rest of your stuff.

"There's a karaoke spot around here." He takes your bag and swings it around his shoulder.

Your eyes widen instinctively when you stand up beside him. "Doyoung, I can't sing." You whine, but he only laughs, flashing arguably the prettiest smile you've ever seen.

"You don't have to know how to sing; it's just supposed to be fun," he says, guiding you out of the library with your bag still hanging off his shoulder. No matter how much you protest and argue, you still end up in a karaoke booth.

"No," you shake your head and wave your hands around. "You don't want to hear me sing, I promise."

"I do." Doyoung insists, pushing the microphone in your direction. Despite his charming smile and persistence, you're still reluctant.

It takes him putting on one of your favorite songs for you to start humming along. He makes you comfortable by randomly singing along to the words on the screen and pressing the microphone to your lips so you can sing with him.

Which you do. Your anxiousness is long gone, and you begin to dance to the beat with him beside you. You're lost in the moment, but Doyoung is smiling at you as if you hung the sun, moon, and stars with your own two hands.

"Where were you?" Joy scolds before you fully walk into the dorm.

"I was studying." You shrugged and closed the door behind you.

"Libray closed an hour ago," Your best friend stands up to you and folds her arms over her chest. "And it only takes 15 minutes to walk back." She continues. "You can't lie to me, Y/n."

You mutter, "And then I went out to karaoke with Doyoung." As you plop down on your bed with a slight grin, you say, "Well, that, and we got something to eat afterward."

That's when you see her glare change, and her smile grows wider than yours. "Why didn't you just say that?" She sat down right next to you. "You should've stayed out longer."

Your best friend slips her arm around yours and rests her head on your shoulder. "How did it go? Did you kiss?"

Joy is fully dressed, hair and makeup done, and ready to head out the door. Meanwhile, you're still slouched on your bed, hair pushed up into a messy bun, and glasses hanging loosely above your nose. "I don't wanna go," you whine, arms crossed over your chest.

"Doyoung is going to be there," Joy sings, hoping that will be enough to get you out of bed.

It's not.

"You're terrible at lying," you mumble, unconvinced.

"Please, Y/n. He'll come if you're there," Joy pleads, her hands clasped together as she does her best to give you puppy eyes.

"I'm not going just because he's there," you attest, but you still push your glasses up against your nose and roll off the bed to get dressed.

The "party" isn't really a party. There's just a small selection of people gathered around Kun's place. Most of them are familiar, as in you can put a name to a face. But there are still a few that you have to be acquainted with.

You occupy yourself with the snack table, seeing that Joy is too concerned with her boyfriend to notice that you're gone. Occasionally, you scan the area to see if Doyoung has shown up yet.

"Hey." You hear a somewhat familiar voice come from behind you, and when you turn around, you're faced with a broad, pearly white smile and long black locks of hair.

"Oh hey, Yuta." You smile to match his.

"I didn't think I'd see you here," he comments as he passes you a bottle of water. "You're always so hung up on that imaginary boyfriend of yours."

You press your lips into a thin line. You could try to convince him for the hundredth time that Jaehyun actually existed, or you could protect your energy and peace tonight by simply ignoring him.

You choose to argue.

"I don't know how else to prove to you that he's real. I'm starting to think that you're choosing to stay in denial because it makes you feel better for trying to flirt with someone in a relationship." You say calmly before opening your water bottle to take a sip.

You can feel his smirk from the corner of your eye before he opens his mouth to say, "I'll believe it when I see it."

That's when you feel that sharp feeling in the pit of your stomach, "Actually, we broke up." You look down to close your water bottle to avoid eye contact. "So you probably won't ever see it."

Yuta only laughs, "That's a new one."

"Will you leave her alone?" Joy waltzes in, "She doesn't want you. Go find some other freshman girl to bother." Your best friend wraps her arm around yours to pull you away from him.

"We were just talking." He defends, but she doesn't stick around to listen, and neither do you with you tied to her arm.

"Doyoung's been looking for you." She gushes and gestures her head towards the tall brown-haired boy conversing with Kun. He looks up almost as if he can feel your eyes on him, and his hands wave around as a greeting.

"Hey." You say first, a little too happily for your own liking.

Doyoung opens his mouth to speak, but nothing comes out when he's interrupted by Taeyong.

"Alright, guys, we're playing truth or dare." He calls loudly by Doyoungs ear. You can't help but wonder if it was on purpose or not.

"Truth or dare?" Joy repeats, "Isn't that for kids?" She insults but moves towards the living room where everyone else is, her arm still hung around yours.

Everyone gathered around in a circle, Joy on one side of you and Doyoung on the other.

Taeyong starts the game off with "Y/n!" He yells suddenly, and you quickly learn that he likes to startle people. "Truth or dare?"

"um, dare." You murmur.

"I dare you to make out with Yuta." Taeyong grins. You don't have to look at Yuta to know that he's doing the same.

"She'll pass," Joy speaks up for you so you don't have to. Then she reaches for the cup in front of you to drink your penalty for not going through with the dare. "Next." She hisses when the cup is empty, and her eyes are squeezed shut.

You hear Yuta mumble "Boring" under his breath, but he's not looking in either of your directions.

Kun speaks next, "Doyoung truth or dare?" And Doyoung doesn't give him the opportunity to further the question before he's downing the cup in front of him.

"Wow." Kun presses his lips into a thin line while the rest of the group laughs at the interaction.

The game goes on smoothly. Doyoung dares Taeyong to eat a spoonful of crushed red pepper, and Kun gets asked about his "daddy kink." Eventually, it becomes your turn. You scan the room for possible candidates, but you only have one name on your mind: "Doyoung," you utter. "Truth or dare."

"Dare." He confidently answers.

"I dare you to make out with her right now," Joy yells as you devise a dare to give him. And before you could take back what she said, Doyoung leans in to kiss your cheek. It's not anything significant, but it's more than enough to leave you flustered.

"I said make out, as in tongue her down. But that's good enough, I guess." Joy rolled her eyes.

"I wonder how her boyfriend would feel about that." Yuta grimaces, his head cocked to the side. That's what breaks you out of your little love trance. You chose to ignore him, and thankfully, your best friend does too. Even though you see her glaring at him with her tongue poking through her cheek as she tries to hold her composure.

"Hey." Doyoung reaches beside you to help clean the floor once the party is over.

You stand up straight to face him, "Hey."

"Joy told me to take you home," he says, pulling the bottles out of your hand.

"You don't have to."

"I don't mind." He speaks faster than it takes for you to finish your sentence.

"Oh- okay." You nod, "Let me just get my stuff."

Your third time in Doyoung's car is more awkward than your first. The music fills the silence, but you still feel obligated to say something. The only issue is that you don't know what.

"Are you cold?" Doyoung asks, dragging his hand to adjust the heat while leaving his other hand on the steering wheel.

"Just a little." You say.

And then it falls quiet again, which only leads you to think. Twiddling your thumbs when you blurt, "I don't have a boyfriend. Well, I did, but we broke up. But that was a while ago. I haven't talked to him since."

"Joy already told me," He stops you.

"What all did she tell you?"

"Just that you were feeling down since your breakup, and to be patient with you." He answers casually and politely. His focus is on the road, but you're still watching him.

"I'm not feeling that down. I mean, it's been months. I'm sure he's not thinking about me anymore. So I should move on." You stop when you realize you've been rambling again. "Right?" you ask.

"What do you think?" Doyoung flips the question back around.

"I think that I'm young," The car's quieter than it was when you first got in, possibly because the music had magically stopped playing in the middle of your conversation. Doyoung glances at you, but only for a really quick second before his eyes go back to the road ahead of him. "and I deserve to be happy. It's always been a dream of mine to go to school in California and start a new life. And now I'm here in L.A." You finish with, "So I should be happy."

"I agree." Doyoung nods. He pulls into the parking lot of your dorm and turns to look at you with a subtle smile.

This is the part where you're supposed to confess. Tell him that you really like spending time with him and possibly even making out in the back of his car.

But you don't.

You simply match his smile and say, "Thank you." You add, "For giving me a ride home and for listening."

"Anytime."

Your dorm room is just big enough for Joy and you. Although sometimes it got a little stuffy, it was usually really fun. Living with your best friend meant that every night was girls' night.

The only thing between you and your roommate was two boxes of pizza because you couldn't decide on toppings.

"So~" Joy drags out as she sets the crust of her pizza down in front of you.

You sound, "Yeah?" before taking another bite.

"How are things going with Doyoung?"

"You keep asking me this." You laugh and roll your eyes. You're furthest from annoyed, but the question started to get a bit old. "We're just friends."

"Oh, 'just friends,' my ass. I see the way you look at eachother." She attests.

"It doesn't mean anything." You shrug

"It means everything. It's like Shakespeare said 'eyes are windows to the soul."

"Shakespeare wasn't talking about me and Doyoung," you retort. Plus, he couldn't even spell, so why would I trust his judgment?"

"Okay, fine. Forget about Shakespeare. Even a blind baby could see that you and Doyoung are into each other, and it's not just as friends." Joy drags her index finger out to prove her point.

You feel your phone vibrate by your leg but ignore it while making your next point. "Even if we did like each other, I just got out of a relationship. It wouldn't be fair to him if I'm not emotionally available."

When you finish speaking, you reach out to pick up your phone and check your alerts.

"It's been six months. At this point, you're just wasting both of your time," Joy says while you continue reading your messages. "You can ignore me, but you know I'm right."

"You are," you reply, preoccupied with your phone, which has Doyoung's contact information pulled up on your screen.

"Exactly- wait, really?"

"No, I was just trying to shut you up." You laugh as you throw your phone down and rest back on your palms. "We're just friends, nothing more."

"We'll see how long that lasts." Joy counters.

Joy was right, although you can't really recall a time she was ever wrong. Your feelings for Doyoung were growing rapidly by the day, and there was nothing you could do to stop it. Everything in L.A was new and different; sometimes, it got overwhelming. But Doyoung made it easier. His presence felt so familiar, almost like you had known him your whole life.

You began to spend more and more time around him, whether meeting him at the student library to study or going out for ice cream. Sometimes, you'd spend hours talking on the beach, and sometimes, you'd just sit in his apartment and watch movies.

Joy noticed that the more you guys hung out, the less you talked about your ex, but she tried not to bring it to your attention. She was too afraid that she might accidentally stir up some hidden emotions.

Unfortunately, you only needed alcohol to bring those emotions out of you.

It's Friday night, and you're sitting drunk in a bar that Joy dragged you to again, crying over the ex you hadn't thought about in over six months.

With your head tucked into the crease of your elbows, you cry, "I miss him." To your best friend, who's trying to say anything and everything she can to take your mind off of Jaehyun.

"Look, girl, they have those burger nachos you like." She points to the menu, but none of it catches your attention.

"What are you doing?" She snaps her head, even though she already knows what you're doing

"I'm gonna call him."

You struggle to enter your password and pull up his contact information, but when you finally do, a hand rests on your shoulder—a hand you're sure doesn't belong to your best friend. When you turn around, you see Doyoung and his ever-so-sweet smile.

"Doyoung?" You call out.

"Let's get you home," he says loud enough for you to hear. You don't fight when he tugs on your arm to get you to stand up, and within seconds, you're being lifted off your feet as he carries you out of the bar and into the car.

You slur, "I can walk," but you don't make any attempt to escape his arms. Instead, wrap your arms around his neck and rest your head against his chest, close enough to hear and feel his heartbeat.

He gently seats you in the passenger seat of his car and reaches over to put your seatbelt on. Suddenly, you're no longer thinking about your ex. The familiar scent of Doyoung's car puts your mind at ease as you curl up in your seat and gaze out of the window. Eventually, you close your eyes when you begin to feel motion sickness.

Doyoung carries you into his apartment when Joy texts him that it's probably best that you stay with him for the night. He asks, "Why?" But she never responds, and he doesn't ask again.

First, he lays you down on his couch. You're just half asleep when he does so. You're barely awake to know that it was Doyoung's arms. You feel managing your body weight and his voice telling you to stay put while he goes to get a washcloth.

When he returns, he gently uses the warm cloth to scrub the makeup off your face and his thumb and index finger to turn your head to ensure he has everything.

"Okay, here, drink this." He almost whispers, sitting you up against the arm of the couch as he puts the bottle of water against your lips. You tilt your head back so the water can easily flow down your throat.

When the water is gone, Doyoung helps you lie back on the couch so he can slip your shoes off and lay the polyester blanket over you.

His eyes trailed over you, and seeing that your feet fell off the couch and your neck was propped on the arm of the sofa, he shook his head.

"This isn't going to work," he says mostly to himself. With that, he lifts you off the couch and carries you to his bedroom, where he lays you in the bed and tucks you under the covers.

"Is this comfortable?" He asks, and you nod with your thumb in the air.

"This is perfect; thank you, Doie."

He smiles at the nickname. "Alright, get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay." You sing and roll over in his bed.

The following day, you wake up to the smell of bacon and other breakfast foods. Turning in the bed, you realize that the room you're in and the bed you're lying in isn’t yours. You jump up with widened eyes, forgetting everything that happened last night.

When you remember who the room belongs to, Doyoung knocks on the door. "Are you awake yet?"

You shuffle more in the bed before you call out, "Yeah." He slowly opened the door. Doyoung was fully dressed, with a brown leather backpack hanging off his shoulder.

"I have to go to work, but there's food on the stove. You're welcome to stay here if you'd like."

"Okay." You nod, and so does he before he turns to close the door behind him. You go to lie back down on the bed when he nearly barges back into the room. "Oh, I left a set of clothes for you if you want to change. Towels are in the bathroom, and there's extra soap in the cabinet. I don't know if there's a specific brand that you prefer."

When he sees you smile, he smiles, "Thank you, Doie." You say.

That's all that needed to be said for Doyoung to nod "Of course" and softly close the door behind him.

You knew Doyoung's apartment like the back of your hand; that's how much time you spent there. His place was clean and beautifully decorated, so it looked bigger than it actually was. However, you liked it because it was cozy and warm. His apartment was much better than the little dorm you shared with Joy.

You tiptoed around his place in the oversized gray t-shirt he left out for you to wear, just searching for something to do. Peaks of sunshine snuck in through the cracks in his curtains as you walked from ‌room to room.

Seeing that there's nothing much to do. You heat up the food he left on the stove for you and sit on his sofa to watch television. Flicking through the channels for a good 20 minutes before you hear the door knob rattle.

"You're still here?" Doyoung speaks first, seeing you get up off the couch to greet him.

"Yeah, I just didn't wanna leave your apartment unlocked." You hesitate.

"I'm glad you're here." Doyoung's eyes trail over your figure. Specifically, the skin of your bare legs. He tried not to be too noticeable, but you caught it. "I brought dinner." He holds the bag up.

An hour passes, and you're still on his living room floor in front of him, talking about anything and everything. One minute, you're laughing about your childhood. The next minute, you're talking about your dream superpowers.

"So what's Connecticut like?" Doyoung asks.

"Umm." You go to push your hair out of your face, but Doyoung reaches to do it before you can. "It's boring. Well, to me, at least." You explain. "It doesn't have palm trees. There are beaches, but they aren't as pretty as the ones here." You conclude with, "I don't know everything is… just different."

"There wasn't anything you liked about it?"

"The food was good, I guess." You tilt your head back and forth. "I spent so much time thinking about getting away that I never really took the time to get to know and love it."

"Maybe we should visit sometime." Doyoung offers. He takes his eyes off of you for just a second, but in that small second, you feel cold and a little pathetic because of how sad you got just because you didn't have all of his attention on you.

You shouldn't feel this way about someone you consider a friend. You shouldn't be looking at him, hoping that he'd kiss you or just touch you or something. Anything other than just looking at you.

You utter, "Yeah, I'll probably like it more if I got to experience it with you." The words escape your lips in a soft murmur, barely audible. You quickly look down. Your eyes dart around, searching for anything to distract you from the moment's awkwardness. You notice a loose thread on your shirt and begin to fiddle with it, trying to calm your nerves. As you stand there in silence, you can't help but wonder if he heard what you said or, worse, if he knows what you're thinking. The tension between you two is palpable, and you feel a knot forming in your stomach.

"Are you okay?" Doyoung asks, dipping his head down to see your face.

You nod, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little hot."

"Why didn't you say so I can turn the air on." He wastes no time getting up and treading to the thermostat. You just sit there, watching the distance between you grow. You roll your eyes and let out a deep sigh.

"I turned it on, but it's going to take a while to kick in," your friend informs you as he claims the spot in front of you. You're still avoiding eye contact, and he notices it almost immediately. "If it's too hot, I can get you some water."

"Doie?" You mutter instead of responding to his previous statement.

He responds, "Yes?" growing concerned at your sudden change of tone.

"Can you kiss me?" The way he looks at you makes your face feel warm; you're nervous, but you can't look away from him.

"Are you sure? I don't wa—" You kiss him before he can finish his sentence. Your lips are on his when you scoot the rest of your body closer to him—close enough to claim your spot on his lap. His hands immediately crawl under your shirt to wrap protectively around your waist, ensuring that you can't go anywhere.

Breathless, you roll over to lay your head on Doyoungs chest. That's when he wraps his arms around you and lets out a slow, exhausted laugh.

"What?" You smile, looking up at him.

"We did this all out of order." You wait for him to continue, "I like you, Y/n, and I want to be your boyfriend more than anything else."

You try to sneak into your dorm early the following day, assuming that Joy would've been in one of her classes or maybe out at her boyfriend's. But she's up, sitting on the edge of her bed with her laptop propped up on her lap.

"Oh… you're still here." You laugh to divert the attention away from you.

"Welcome back." Your best friend says. She doesn't spare you a look until you plop down on your bed. "Why are you so happy?"

"I'm not." You press your lips into a line, trying your best not to smile. Joy stands up and hovers over you to examine you. The first thing she notices is that you're wearing Doyoung's sweatshirt and a pair of his sweatpants, which means that you left your clothes at his place. She then grabs your face and turns your head from side to side.

"You're glowing." She says, almost like a question.

"I used some of Doyoungs skin care."

"Oh please, not even he glows like this." Joy debates, standing up straight to put her hands on her hip."You had sex, didn't you."

"No, of course not. We just sat around. We watched TV and stuff, you know, normal things." You look anywhere but at her as she squints her eyes to you. "We had sex." You murmur sheepishly.

"How was it?" She rushes to sit next to you.

Joy would always say that you and Doyoung were a very cheesy couple. "You guys are worse than me and my boyfriend." She'd say.

Whenever you were around him, you had to touch him. You couldn't help it, and he didn't make it any better. Doyoung had the habit of pulling you into his lap and leaving a trail of kisses on your shoulder, even in public.

If you weren't sitting on his lap, you were wrapped in each other's arms. Holding hands was too casual; you wanted to encase yourself in his skin.

It was another "party" at Kun's. You were seated in Doyoung's lap, and the rest of your friends were sitting in a circle around both of you.

"Okay, your turn." Taeyong turns to Doyoung.

"Y/n?" Doyoung calls, looking down at you. The entire circle lets out a collective groan of annoyance, but he still continues, "Truth or dare?"

You answer, "Dare."

"Just kiss and get it over with." Taeyong grunts, and you obey.

"I think we can skip her turn. She seems occupied." Kun comments. You don't agree or disagree with your lips getting tangled with your boyfriends.

"Alright, that's enough." Joy slaps the side of Doyoungs arm, but it takes for you to pull away for him to stop kissing you.

"Y/n, truth or dare," Yuta speaks up from beside you.

You answer "truth," and he asks, "What do You have Doyoung saved as in your phone."

You hesitated to answer the question, not because you were ashamed but because you were confused. "I have him saved as Kim Doyoung." You say it almost like a question.

"Really?" Doyoung darts down at you.

"Yeah, that's your name, isn't it?" You ask, "What do you have me saved as?"

Doyoung doesn't answer verbally; he only pulls out his phone and opens your contact information so you can see it for yourself. A small awkward smile grows on your face when you read "My Angel," with a picture of you on top and your number below it.

"When did you do that?" is all you can ask. Your friends continue playing the game around you, not caring about the world you and your boyfriend are in.

"As soon as we started dating." He answers, closing his phone and laying it down on the ground next to you.

Following his actions, you pull your phone out and begin typing something. Doyoung is curious to see what you're doing, but he patiently waits for you to reveal it to him on your own.

Soon, you're holding your phone right in front of him. For him to see his own contact pulled up on your screen. His name on top, his number below it, and "My love ❤️." Written right in between it.

"Is that better?" You ask

"Much better." He leans in to kiss you, pulling you closer to him than you already are.

"They're doing it again." Kun mumbles.

"Could you two please get a room?" Taeyong calls out after.

Even though Doyoung made life easier for you, things still got hard. Unfortunately, he couldn't stop the troubles of everyday life.

You had graduated, thankfully. But now you were struggling to find a job. You spent too many days on Joy's couch with your eyes glued to a computer screen, sending emails to various corporations, all of which seemed like they just didn't want to hire you.

With each passing day, you felt yourself getting more and more discouraged. You hadn't even noticed that you were unintentionally blowing your boyfriend off until he brought it to your attention.

The beach was the one place you could go to forget everything. Your mind is completely blank when you sit next to Doyoung in the sand, your head propped up on his arm as you listen to the waves crashing in.

The fact that it was pitch dark just made everything so much better. You wished you could give up everything and just make this your life.

"How have you been?" Doyoung asks randomly. Your heavy eyes force themselves open as you pull yourself off your boyfriend's arm.

A tired, breathless laugh leaves you when you say. "What do you mean?"

"I haven't been able to speak to you in almost a week." He answers, "I just wanna know how you've been."

"It hasn't been a week."

"It's been 9 days," Doyoung responds rather harshly, but you don't pick up on it at first.

"Well, you know I've been busy." You say in defense.

"I don't know that." He says, "You don't tell me anything. You just call me when you wanna hang out or have sex, then you leave me to worry about you for a few days."

"I didn't realize I was doing that, Doyoung. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, angel. Just at least update me sometimes. I still like talking to my girlfriend." Doyoung coos, leaning in to kiss your cheek.

You agree, but it happens again. You go without talking to him for nearly two weeks, only to call one day in the middle of the night.

"Hello?" Doyoung shuffles in his bed to answer your call. You can hear in his voice that he's been sleeping.

"Doyoung…" You whine, "I need you."

"No." He states sternly.

your eyebrows furrow unknowingly when you mumble, "What?" You ask, taken back by his sudden sternness.

"You haven't spoken to me in two weeks. You don't call, text, or tell me anything, Y/n. I'm starting to feel more like a hookup than your boyfriend." He almost yells.

"I told you I was sorry." You reply.

He sighs. "You also told me you wouldn't do it again, but you did. I love you, angel. I love you a lot, but I'm not gonna run back to you whenever you finally decide to call me." He finished.

"I've been busy. What do you want me to do?" You plead

"I'd like for you to text me every once in a while. It's nice to know that you're still thinking about me even when we're not together. Or that you're still thinking about me during the day and not just in the middle of the night when you're needy."

"I don't wanna argue with you." You say after a long period of silence.

"Neither do I." He breaths. The next thing you hear are three beeps telling you that the call has been dropped.

In disbelief, you look at the phone and throw it on the opposite side of the bed. You roll over and try your best to sleep. But that doesn't come as easy tonight, no matter how many times you toss and turn.

Eventually, you reach for your cell to call your boyfriend again, but each time, you get, "You've reached my voicemail. I'm probably busy right now, but I'll call you back when I get the chance."

The following morning, you find yourself back on your best friend's couch, feeling restless and anxious. You try to distract yourself by scrolling through your emails and filling out job applications, but your mind keeps drifting off to Doyoung. You can't help but wonder if he's thinking about you too. You check your phone repeatedly, hoping to see a missed message from him, but every time you look, it's the same - nothing. The silence is deafening, and you can't shake off the feeling of unease that's been gnawing at you since the last time you spoke to him.

You weren't used to this from him. It was very rare for you to open your phone and see that he hadn't tried to call or text you. This only meant that he was really mad, and that made you feel uneasy.

Mindlessly, your thumbs hover over his contact, and you begin to call him.

The phone doesn't even ring once before Doyoung picks it up. "What do you want?" He spits.

You're more excited about the fact that he picked up to even care about the tone of his voice. "I missed you. and I just wanted to talk to you."

"So now you wanna talk?"

"What is your problem?" You mumble.

"I told you what my problem is. I don't like feeling neglected," he answers.

"I'm sorry, okay, I really am. I don't know what more you want from me?"

As you listen intently through the speaker of your phone, you can sense his reluctance. You can almost feel him holding back his true emotions as he takes a deep breath and responds, "There's nothing I want from you, Y/n."

"Then why are you acting like this? I just wanted to talk," you yell, despite his calm demeanor.

"I guess you're just too selfish and self-centered to understand," he insults. There's no point in me even wasting my breath," he says last before you hear that beeping again.

You don't know what irritates you more: the fact that he keeps hanging up before you can get your point across or the annoying beeping sound that comes right after. As if, to rub in the fact that your boyfriend is mad at you and you aren't making anything any better.

Neither.

It's the fact that he called you selfish and self-centered, as well as indirectly telling you that you lacked the brain capacity to even understand why he was mad in the first place.

Angrily, you click on his contact, but once again, you're met with "You've reached my voicemail. I'm probably busy right now, but I'll call you back when I get the chance."

You patiently wait for the beep to come in for your thoughts and insults to spew. Most of it you don't mean. You want to hurt his feelings like he hurt yours.

"You know you aren't such a saint yourself?"

"Selfish and self-centered, Really? Nice way to talk to your girlfriend."

" Fuck you, Doyoung. Fuck you."

"You don't have to talk to me, I know Yuta will."

"Doyoung, please, I'm sorry. I don't mean any of that. I just want you to talk to me."

"Whatever, I didn't really like you like that anyway. I was just bored."

"I've been cheating on you this entire time. I've been cheating on you, and that's why I haven't been texting you. Because I've been too busy having sex with other men."

"There aren't any other men, Doyoung. It's just you. I love you. Please call me."

By the end of the day, you had filled your boyfriend's voicemail until you couldn't send anything else. You went to sleep that night, thinking that he'd be over it by the morning, but the next morning rolled around, and he still wasn't talking to you.

Soon, a week had passed, and still, the same thing.

Things weren't working with Doyoung; your job search was getting nowhere, and you were losing weight from the amount of meals you skipped. Nothing seemed to be on your side.

"I think I'm going to have to stay in Connecticut for a little while." You cry into Joy's lap as she tries to comfort you.

"You know you don't have to do that." Joy stops you.

"I'm trying, but I really can't find a job, and I don't want to stay here and mooch off of you. Plus, I know you want to spend time with your boyfriend. I just don't want to get in your way," you explain.

"Please, y/n, you're not getting in my way, and my boyfriend doesn't mind having you around. If you feel like it's best for you to stay in Connecticut to get back on your feet, I understand that. But you're always, I mean always, welcome here." She smiles, smoothing the hair on your head. "But if you go, you need to fix things with Doyoung. He'd be heartbroken if you just up and left while you two were going through a rough patch."

She was right. She was always right. So that night, you ended up right in front of his apartment door. You didn't bother trying to call. You knew he wouldn't answer. The best approach was to face him in person, and that you did.

You knocked one, two, three times and waited patiently for him to answer, which he did in less than fifteen seconds. Your heart nearly jumps when you see his face, and you can tell that he was just as shocked to see you, too.

Neither of you says anything for a good long while. You're searching for the right words to say, and Doyoung's trying to stop himself from embracing you into a long-awaited kiss.

"Doyoung i-" He fails as soon as he hears your voice. Within seconds pulling you closer to him just to lay his lips on yours. Not caring what it is you have to say.

You end up in the shower together, and he's gazing at you lovingly. You're still just trying to figure out what to say to him.

"Do you really think I'm selfish and self-centered?" you mutter first, warm water spilling over your head when you look up at him.

"Of course not, Angel. I was just mad." He brings his hand up to caress your cheek and the outline of your lips. "I love you. Nothing could ever change that."

"I love you too, Doyoung." You murmur. "I don't like fighting."

"'Me neither." He says, more sincere this time.

"I don't like when you're mad at me." You continue.

"I don't like it either, angel." He whispers, closing in the space between with your hand still wrapped around your cheek. "and really don't like denying you." He says against your lips.

You can only close your eyes and whine, "Doyoung." Before he shushes you, connecting lips and tugging on your hips.

You can tell he loves you by the way he kisses you, the way he touches you, and the way he talks to you. You wish it weren't so evident. You wish he made it a little less obvious. Because then maybe you wouldn't have fallen for him as hard.

The thought of leaving him here in California pains you. Even if it's just for a few months. You don't know if you could bear long distance again, or if you could even look him in the eye when you tell him that you were breaking up with him.

You dry your tears before you leave a faint kiss on his lips. It takes a lot of strength for you to pull away from his sleeping body. You want nothing more than just to lay next to him, to stay there forever and for eternity after. But all good things must come to an end, and your flight was leaving in two hours.

You left with nothing but a note with tear stains that read,

I'm going back to Connecticut. I came over to tell you that, but I couldn't get it out. I hope that you can forgive me for leaving so suddenly, but I'll be back, I promise. For now, I think we should break up. I don't wanna hold you back, and I don't want you sitting around waiting for me. I want you to be happy. Even if it isn't with me.

If in the future we meet again, I hope we can work things out.

I love you, Doyoung. I'll love you forever.

-Y/n

and with that, you were gone.

Now, as you stand in your old room, the brown paper box at your feet, you can't help but feel a strong sense of nostalgia wash over you. You take in every detail: the way the sunlight filters through the window, casting a warm glow on everything in the room; the creaking sound of the wooden floorboards under your feet, each one carrying a memory of its own; and the scent of your old perfume that still lingers in the air, like a faint echo of a bygone era.

This time, as you prepare to leave, it feels different. It feels like you're saying goodbye for good, and the thought of leaving this place forever fills you with a deep sense of loss. When you first arrived in Connecticut, you couldn't wait to leave, but now you find yourself wishing you could stay just a little bit longer so you could relive the memories of your past, which you hold so dear.

However, you know that the real reason you're dreading going back is that you don't want to face your Doyoung. The thought of telling him that you're now in a relationship with the man you used to cry to him about fills you with anxiety. You're unsure of how he'll react, and the mere prospect of facing him makes your heart race with fear.

The more you think about it, the more you realize that things are not looking good for you. You're caught between your love for your new partner and your fear of the unknown.

Suddenly, your mom yells from downstairs, "Y/n, someone is here for you." You don't pay much attention to the hesitation in her voice, too lost in thought. You wish you had because when you reach the bottom of the stairs and look up, Doyoung is standing right across from you with a saddened smile and a black duffle bag. Your heart skips a beat as you see him. You hadn't expected him to be here, but now that he is, you don't know how to react. You mutter, "What are you doing here?" As you wrap your arms around yourself.

He doesn't give you a verbal answer; one second your hear the heaviness of his black bag when he drops it and the next he pulling you into a tight hug.

You immediately melt in his arms. There was no point in trying to build walls around Doyoung. He could always break them down with little to no effort.

"I missed you, Angel." He breathes, separating just enough for him to wrap his hands around each side of your face and bring you into a deep kiss. You kiss him back without much thinking; your body knows who Doyoung is. You can't deny him.

"Joy sent me." He finally answers when he breaks the kiss, but it doesn't take long for him to rush back to your lips.

"Are you still unpacking?" Doyoung asks when you show him your room. He eyes the brown boxes sprawled out around the floor.

"I'm packing up." You answer, "Joy found me a job, so I'm going back to L.A."

You don't have to face him to see him smile. The way his hand tightens around yours tells you all that you need to know. Soon, his other arm snakes around your waist to pull you back towards him. "We talked about visiting Connecticut together," he says next to your ear.

"We didn't know it would be under these circumstances though." You respond. Turning around in his arms.

"We're still here." He smiles. "What do you suggest we do first?"

"I don't know. I guess we can probably find a restaurant. But the food is way better in L.A."

It feels weird seeing Doyoung in your childhood room. It was like seeing two worlds collide, but it was nothing like seeing both of your exes in the same room.

"Baby! dinners ready." You didn't even hear when Jaehyun showed up, and nothing could've prepared you for this moment.

Doyoungs eyes divert from you to the man standing at your doorway, and Jaehyun eyes him back. Neither of them says anything, and thankfully so.

"Umm… Jaehyun, this is Doyoung, and Doyoung, this is Jaehyun." You gesture your arms to introduce them.

"Her ex," they both say at the same time. You glance between them, trying to figure out how to get yourself out of this situation.

"I-" "We're working things out." They interrupt you in sync.

"Huh?" You call out, walking past them. "Yeah, we're coming down now." You respond to nobody. Anything to get out of that stuffy room.

You take a seat at the end of the table, and your mom sits directly across from you while Doyoung and Jaehyun sit across from each other at opposite ends of the table.

They're both eyeing each other but as long as they're not bickering you do nothing to stop it. Although the air is quite thick, and you want nothing more than to just vanish into thin air.

"So, Doyoung, how was your flight?" Your mom asks to break the tension.

Your ex pulls his attention away from the man across from him to say, "It was long."

"Oh you must be so tired." You coo, reaching out to caress his cheek and the skin of small eye bags.

"I'm fine now that I got to see you." He wraps his larger hand over yours.

"I guess we should prepare for our flight," Jaehyun speaks up. He's talking to you, but his eyes are trained to Doyoung.

"You're coming to L.A.?" Doyoung asks, digging his spoon through the food.

"Yeah, I'm moving down there for Y/n," Jaehyun states.

"It's about time." Doyoung laughs mostly to himself.

"What was that?"

"It's about time," Doyoung repeats sternly.

"what's that supposed to mean?" Jaehyun furrows his eyebrows and throws his spoon.

"Nothing, he doesn't mean anything by it. Can we please just sit here and enjoy dinner without the two of you going at each other's necks?" That's all it takes to shut them up. "Thank you." You mutter as you breathe and go back to eating the food your mom worked so hard to cook.

"Drive safe." You stop at the door, and Jaehyun stops shortly after you do.

He turns around to ask, "You're not coming?"

You shake your head, "I don't wanna leave him alone."

Jaehyun purses his lips together, he couldn't lie, your answer disappointed him. But he didn't press, "Okay, I'll call you." He pressed a kiss to your cheek. "Goodnight, baby."

"Goodnight, Jaehyun," you murmur faintly. Watching as he turns to walk to his car. When he pulls off the driveway, you head into the house. Closing and locking the door before you trail upstairs to your bedroom.

You take a deep breath and push your hair back, thinking about how long and eventful your day has been.

Doyoung's seated on the edge of your bed, patiently waiting for you to get back when you walk into your room. Giving him a half smile as you make your way to your bed to sit next to him.

Although Doyoung just tugs on your wrist to pull you right into his lap. You don't fight it, his lap was warm and familiar. The perfect way to end your stressful day.

"How do you feel, Angel?" He asks above your head, his arms wrapped tightly around you.

"Tired." You answer, breathing in the scent of him. The scent of home. You were crazy to ever think that you could live without him. Without this.

"I love you," Doyoung says in the crook of your neck. He starts to leave a trail of kisses from your neck and across your shoulder. His arms are still wrapped right around you. You couldn't leave even if you wanted to.

But both of you know that's not what you want.

"I love you." He shifts to your other shoulder, "So much." You can only moan his name. His touch leaves you speechless as he reaches to pull your shirt over your head.

"You're mine, right?" He whispers against the shell of your ear.

"All yours, Doie." You spur when his hands tread into your underwear.

"I know Angel." His open-mouth kisses subtly turn into soft bites that have you squirming against him. "I'm gonna make sure he knows that. Okay?"

"Yes, Doyoung." you cry.

"You gotta keep it down." He coos. "Can you do that for me, Angel?"

You simply nod and that brings a smile to your ex's face. Warranting him to lay a kiss on the back of your neck while his fingers continue working.

Jaehyun's name is flashing across your screen, but you're too busy to notice anyone calling.

"Goodmorning!" Your best friend chirps the second you answer your phone. "Oh- someone had a wild night." She giggles, referring to the love bruises you have planted on your neck.

"You just wait till I get back." You hiss into the speaker of your phone. Be careful not to wake your boyfriend up.

"You're gonna thank me? Kiss me and hold me and tell me I'm the bestest best friend in the whole wide world?" Joy smiles fondly into the camera.

"You have no idea." You poke your tongue through your cheek. Although you weren't mad at her, you couldn't be even if you wanted to. And you really wanted to.

"Oh please, girl. I saved you, and you know it." She smirks knowingly.

"You might have, but I'm still mad at you." You glare into the camera.

"And you're still really bad at lying. I'll see you when you get here." She grins, ending the call with "I love you. I knew you'd do the right thing."

Just as soon as she hangs up you're getting a text message from Jaehyun.

Jaehyun: I'm outside.

You rush to your window to see that, sure enough, he's standing right next to his parked car. You glance one more time at the man in your bed and remember the marks you have as evidence of last night's events.

"You're early." You say, when you open the door. One hand hanging from the back of your neck.

"You didn't answer my call last night, I couldn't sleep," Jaehyun explains, looking down at you.

"I was so tired, I just fell asleep. I'm sorry." You gulp, knowing that he could see right through you. You tried your best to keep a straight face, but that was the problem. Jaehyun could tell you were hiding something by how still you were.

You don't blink, breathe, or say anything until Jaehyun mutters, "It's okay. Baby. I know how tired you can get."

The nickname causes you to grimace, and he quickly notices it. He noticed everything, the way you avoided eye contact, the way you held your hand over your neck. How clingy you were with him just a few days ago, but distant with him now.

He's lost you, and he knows it. He's just not ready to accept it yet.

"Do you maybe wanna go out and get a bite to eat?" He asks.

"Jaehyun," You trail off, "I'm going back to L.A."

"I know, I've got everything packed. We-" "I'm going back with Doyoung." You blurt out nervously.

Jaehyun doesn't say anything, so you continue. "You knew this only temporarily. I mean, you hate the city; this is your home, and I can't take you away from that." You continue rambling

"But I love you y/n, and I'm willing to make it work to be with you. I really, really don't wanna lose you. Again." He pleads, reaching for your hand.

"You'll find someone else. You'll find someone who loves you and makes you happy. Someone that won't ask you to leave everything behind." You subtly pull your hand away from him.

"What aren't you understanding? I don't want someone else. I was here first, and I think that should count for something." This time, when you don't say anything, he continues, "I thought you said you missed me? Just a few days ago, you asked me to come with you."

"That was a mistake." You finally look at him. "I was sad, and lonely and you were here. I was confused, and I wasn't thinking straight. I said a lot of things I didn't mean."

Each word that left your lips was a blow to his heart; all he could think was, "Mistake?"

"We both know it, Jaehyun. I loved you once, years ago. I don't feel the same way anymore."

He remains silent as he gets closer to you. Your breath gets stifled with each step he takes towards you. Without a word, he pulls your hand from your neck, revealing the bruises lined up along your skin. His stomach churns, seeing marks on you that aren't from him. His heart aches knowing that the person who left those marks is the person you're probably gonna end up with for the rest of your life.

"So you really do love him," Jaehyun utters.

"I do." You're certain this time. "I love him a lot."

"I guess that's all that matters then." Jaehyun's eyes dart from your neck up to your eyes. "I wish you the best of luck."

And with that you never saw him again. You never heard from him or about him. He just disappeared from your life, almost like he's never been there at all.

8 months later.

You prop your chin up on your palm as you review your emails. It's 3:45 a.m.; you should be sleeping. But sleep didn't come easy, and you always found that you were way more productive at night anyway.

You keep your eyes on the screen of your desktop when you hear Doyoung shuffle into the office. You can't see him, but you hear him pull a chair up beside you, and you can feel his gaze on you. After a few seconds, you go to remove the hair from your face, but Doyoung is faster as he pulls the strands behind your ear. Then, without a word, he goes back to watching you work.

"I can't focus if you're watching me," you say, finally, but your attention remains on the computer in front of you.

"I can't sleep if you're not next to me." He softly responds.

Finally, you divert your attention from the desktop to look at your boyfriend. "I'm sorry, it's just hard for me to sleep." you pout.

"It's okay, angel. Just keep working." He rubbed circles into your back while you continued answering the emails you couldn't finish the day before.

Not even five minutes pass, and you feel your eyelids grow heavy. "Fine, you win." You whine just loud enough for him to hear. "I'll come to bed."

You roll the chair around so your whole body is facing him. As soon as the words meet his ears, Doyoung grips the back of your thighs to carry you back to your shared bedroom. You wrap your thighs around his waist, with your arms around his neck.

"Would you like some tea, Angel?" he asks, and you can feel the vibrations through his chest when he does.

"no, thank you."

Doyoung smiles at your use of manners and carefully lays you down on the bed. Laying a kiss or two on your lips when you refuse to unwrap yourself from around him.

Taglist- @bluebeard67 @sofix-hc7 @jenmongiii

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ghostofhyuck · 2 days

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NCT Dream and your first time with them.

AN: Another suggestive scenario??? ngl this is more on the crack side tbh, just two awkward virgins trying to navigate sex lol. Still minors do not interact.

Mark Lee

You and Mark are touchy as a couple, loves making out BUT just never went that far, because both of you don't know WHEN you two should have sex. Your first time would be in a romantic way, like celebrating your first anniversary with him. You just wanted it to be special, and you're 100% sure that you want him to be your first. SO, the setup was cute, with all the candles and rose petals! But as soon as you two lay on bed, you two are unsure of what to start, but eventually, Mark leads you on. It was cute, and definitely a lot of giggles and awkward things happened, like stopping midway and watch Mark struggle to unwrap the condom.

Huang Renjun

Listen, Renjun loves you so much AND respects you so much. So when you two had sex, it was definitely a case of a drunk sex. Both of you don't know if it was the alcohol that's talking, or just you two who are very horny at that moment. It was just supposed to be a heated make-out session, until Renjun keeps asking you questions, and you can definitely feel he's hard at that moment! So in the end, you two agreed to have sex. You two stumbled on his bed, clumsily removing each other's clothes, and the lights are still on. It was okay to say at least, but you two woke up and just had a euphoria moment that you two just had sex. Renjun swore to you that he'll do better next time.

Lee Jeno

Probably happened at the spur of a moment. You just REALLY really had the urge to be fucked, maybe you were ovulating during that time it happened LOL. Jeno hesitated at first, keep asking you a hundred times if you really want it, but eventually complied. Jeno is such a gentleman to you, and tried as much as possible to make you feel good BUT he keeps on asking "is this okay?" EVERY MINUTE, but that's just because he doesn't want to cross your boundaries. :( in the end, you told him just do whatever he wants, but he still glances at you every time he does something, so you have to nod as a go signal. The sex was gentle. Very vanilla and you two cuddled after finishing.

Lee Haechan

Another case of a drunk sex. You two decided to do it after a minute of teasing each other, you two are just really horny for each other that you two did it with clothes on. You two aren't just in the right mind that moment, so it's the alcohol that's doing the work. You two did it at his dorm by the way. You probably won't remember a single detail of your first time with Haechan but you did remember giving a blowjob the first time and as he pulls you up so that you can switch position, you bump your head on the top bunk bed. There's definitely lots of laughter and playful slaps and punches that you two woke up bruised and with hickeys all over.

Na Jaemin

OH TRUST NA JAEMIN would give you the best first-time sex of your life. Really, when you told him that you're ready to have sex with him. His mind went blank for a minute, and as soon as he processed the information, he assures you that he'll take care of everything. LITERALLY, everything. Even though it's his first time, Jaemin wanted to make sure that you enjoy it more than he could. You two did it in his place. Set up a romantic vibe, (pulls up a sex playlist.) and was very gentle to you. He makes sure that you're feeling good, and you don't need to do the same as him. (you did, because you think it's unfair.) overall, just like Jeno, the sex was very vanilla but he gave you aftercare though.

Zhong Chenle

Yes he is confident with everything, but I feel like deep inside Chenle would be panicking when you open up the topic about having sex with him. He's definitely assured you that he'll take care of you BUT he's definitely sweating inside. Sure, you two made out a hundred times but sex is a different thing, so he probably tried to look about it first ??? just make sure he has the right knowledge about it. Chenle would definitely try his best to lead everything, even though he's panicking if he's hurting you or making you feel good. The sex was fine, and as soon as you two finished, you two passed out because of how tiring sex can be.

Park Jisung

Pray for the gods because Jisung is definitely doing it the moment you talked about having sex with him. When you open it up, you were actually shy about! You were stuttering and couldn't even look him in the eye. You two made-out a few times, and there were definitely a lot of touching too! So sex wouldn't be a problem, right? WRONG. You and Jisung are the most awkward one, really really shy with each other and did it with the lights off, with a small lampshade on a corner. Lots of "Is this okay?" with Jisung doing most of the action. After finishing you two just lay there for an hour and pondered about what just happened.

#nct dream #nct imagines #nct dream fic #nct fic #nct x reader #nct #nct dream imagine #nct fluff #nct scenarios #nct dream reactions #nct dream imagines #nct drabbles #nct jeno #nct mark #nct renjun #nct haechan #nct jaemin #nct chenle #nct jisung

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layuhsblog · 3 days

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Fluster- Nakamoto Yuta X reader

req: Flirty Yuta imagine

SERIES: NCT UNDERRATED LINE FICS (You can always request ideas for fics of any member of nct you feel the app is lacking fics of)

Osaka Bang: A playful inside joke where if you point a finger gun at someone from Osaka, they play along and either play dead or put their hands up in surrender.

To sum it up: Yuta having a bad day, the reader flirts with yuta and makes him laugh

Warnings: suggestive if you squint. flirty yuta. bad pickup lines. bad jokes. yuta snaps at the reader once but its nothing mean. reader is shy because of yuta.

Yuta was having the worst possible day he could. He was practicing for Nct 127's last tour and today was just not his day. He kept getting everything wrong.

When he came home, he quickly showered and got ready for bed. It was around 9pm when you came home and rushed to your room to see Yuta trying to sleep on his back, his arm covering his eyes.

"YUTAAAA!!!" You excitedly exclaimed as you laid on top of him, putting all of your weight on him and hugged his sides. Still in your work clothes. He grumbled a little and easily pushed you off him to which you frowned.

"I'm tired and you stink, go shower." You let out a fake gasp at that,

"How dare you. I don't care we're cuddling." you said as you repeated your old actions and laid on top of him again. He looked at you with annoyance. Before he could snap at you, you started kissing all over his face to which he let out a smile whine. You internally laughed at the power you held over your man.

"Y/n, I had a rough day. Please leave me be for a while."

"Okay okay, fine I'll get off of you on the condition that we talk about your day and then order takeout later."

He agreed and after you freshened up, you both talked about work and all the stress you had been going through in your individual lives.

You could tell he was feeling better but it wasnt enough. You wanted to make him laugh. Make him forget all the stress he was feeling.

"Yu, are you a fart? Because you blew me away." You laughed at your own joke but Yuta only gave you a disgusting judgemental look.

"You call that flirting? I've taught you better baby. Go ahead, try again. Try to make me flustered." He leaned back on the bed and gave you a small smirk. A glint of playfulness in his lovestruck eyes. You wouldn't lie, he made you flustered, that man always had an answer for everything. Your boyfriend was so hot like that and you swore you wanted to catch him off guard today, a payback for all the times he's made you speechless. Just then, a silly idea popped into your head,

"Yutaaa~"

"Hm??"

"Where are you from?"

He tilted his head in confusion at you,

you were together for so long, you ofcourse knew where he was from. After carefully thinking about every single pickup line that your question could lead to he carefully replied,

"Japan..?"

"No silly!! City."

"Osaka??" You bit back your laughter as you slowly pointed your index and middle finger at him,

"Bang!" it took him a minute to register before he gave a defeated laugh and a look that could only be perceived as,

'I'm so done with you.'

as he slowly clutched his hand on his chest and made fake dying noises as you laughed out loud at your own silly humor. He couldn't help but laugh along with you.

"Okay, not gonna lie, that did catch me off-guard. You're becoming funny like me."

"Hey! I was always funny."

"I beg to differ, you made a bad pickup line like a few minutes ago."

"You're awfully chatty for someone who was old man grumpy like a minute ago."

"What can I say, I can't stay mad at my baby she's too perfect and sexy for me to resist." He comes closer to you and whispers. You slap his chest as he laughs at your flustered state. He had forgotten everything about his sour mood and stress the moment he saw you and you and your reactions were just so cute.

"Thankyou baby, your jokes are still so, so bad, but I feel so much better now."

"Yes yes, who will find my jokes funny when he has Mark to laugh with and flirt with, I'm a mere sidechick.

Be honest- if we were dying inside a building in a fire and you could only choose one, who would you save, me or Mark?"

"Know your limit, peasant." He laughs at you, you sulk at him and get up to "storm out" of the room, pretending to be mad.

He grabs your wrist and sits you back down. He moves closer and pushes you into the bed as he pins your wrists above your head. You try to look away from him. Your face feels hot and flustered and you didnt want to show him how shy he made you feel.

He tilts your face and forces you to look at him as he gives you a hearty smile, full of love.

He slowly kisses your neck and moves up to your ear,

"Let's keep this a secret between you and me, I'd always choose you baby." He gives you a wink as he giggles and kisses you again, sweetly.

The more he kissed you, the more lightheaded you felt. No matter how much you plan to fluster him, he'll always be one step ahead of you.

#nakamoto yuta #yuta fluff #Nakamoto yuta fluff #nct yuta #yuta nct #nct 127 fluff #nct 127 yuta #nct dream fluff #nct dream #nct fluff #nct 127 #nct #nct wayv #kpop

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starryhyuck · 2 months

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pairing: prideandprejudice!jeno x afab!reader

words: 17.8k+

summary: lee jeno is the furthest idea of a possible suitor in your mind. yet somehow, fate continues to pair you together.

genre: fluff, angst, smut

warnings: loss of virginity, cunnilingus, penetrative sex, creampie, slight breeding kink

this is basically pride & prejudice (2005)

“You are behaving foolishly,” you comment as Minji runs around the room, encouraging your headache to grow. Jimin exhales from her spot next to you, hands folded in her lap like one of those formal ladies you used to make fun of when you were younger.

“Minji, please sit,” Jimin sighs exasperatedly. Minjeong giggles from her position on the opposite couch, slouching even though she’s not meant to look so unseemly.

Minji finally takes her seat and rolls her eyes at Jimin. “Sister, you must feel some ounce of joy. It’s our first time at a ball!”

It was true — your family had been all but shunned from any formal engagements due to your lack of wealth, but lately, your father has climbed up the ranks and gotten respect from some of the rich parties across town. His hard work resulted in you and your sisters being invited to your first ball, an elite event made up of high society members.

Your mother took this as a sign of a wedding on the horizon since none of your sisters have received formal proposals yet despite being of age. Minji is overjoyed, Jimin is stressing out, and Minjeong is displeased with the situation at hand. Minjeong has always been proud of your family, regardless of status, and she hates the social climbers that migrated around these parties.

You’re indifferent to tonight’s events, willing to tag along to whatever boisterous adventures you find.

Your mother comes frantically into the room just as Minji has finally calmed herself down, hair tied messily on top of her head and corset barely laced up.

“Girls, we must leave soon!” She declares, stroking her fingers through Minjeong’s hair to perfect it.

“Mother, you look unkempt,” Jimin scolds, standing from her spot to finish lacing up your mother’s corset and taming her unruly hair. Your mother profusely apologizes before shooing her away.

“This night is not about me. It’s about you girls. Now remember, Mr. Lee and Mr. Na will both be in attendance. They come from very affluent families, and it would be in your best interest to invest your time into them as they are the most desired bachelors of the season.”

Minjeong scoffs. “Mother, I highly doubt entertaining these men who deny our self-worth is in our best interest.”

Your mother’s mouth opens to scold Minjeong until the click of your father’s shoes come padding down the hall. In his old age, your father traditionally expects all of you to be married off before he passes. Otherwise, the estate transfers over to your cousin, Nakamoto Yuta, who has always been less than kind to your family. You know he would wed you and your sisters off to the first men he comes across just to keep your family’s earnings for himself.

“Are we ready to depart?” Your father asks, smiling proudly in his formal wear. All of your sisters rise from their seats, with Minji nearly jumping out of hers and Minjeong being heavily prodded by your mother.

It’s a long ride to the ball with your family’s estate being located further away from higher society. You and Minji play games on the journey as Minjeong sleeps and Jimin frets over what to say when you arrive.

Jimin has always been the more responsible one out of your sisters, and you understand she has a heavier burden on her shoulders to be married first. Luckily with you being one year younger, there wasn’t as much of an expectation for you to be wed so fast.

The arrival of your family is greeted with a hesitant welcome, most of the men smiling at your father and the women analyzing your sisters and your mother. You grip Minjeong’s arm for dear life, feeling a little more hesitant about the experience now that you have stepped foot on the grounds.

“This is absurd,” Minjeong whispers in your ear as you enter the expansive ballroom. People are gathered in some of their most formal outerwear with music echoing around the dance floor.

“Would you not enjoy a dance?” You ask your sister, heels clacking against the wood floors as you scurry your way through the crowd. You imagine dancing would be quite nice — you and your siblings have spent nights practicing in your rooms, hands joining together as you pretend that you all are actually on the dance floor. Tonight would be perfect to bring those memories to life, but Minjeong doesn’t seem very fond of the idea.

“Have you forgotten that we are not allowed to dance with one another? We must find a partner,” she reminds you, and your eyes flutter around the room to see the prospects.

You’ve seen most of these men in passing, like Lee Taeyong or Lee Mark. You have heard that the brothers are kinder than their appearance might make them seem and perhaps they would entertain you with a spin on the floor.

You suddenly feel Minji grip your arm and she squeals in your ear. “There they are! Lee Jeno and Na Jaemin!”

Your eyes turn to the entrance, where the men of the night are starting to flock in. Lee Jeno, a known affluent man, owns one of the largest estates in the country and has been one of the most desired bachelors for years now. His friend, Na Jaemin, has just moved to the country, making this ball his first public appearance. Similar to Jeno, Jaemin owns multiple estates with an abundant fortune sitting in his bank.

In this world, they are a girl’s one way ticket to safety.

You see Jimin’s back straighten in anticipation, and you know she has her eyes set on Jaemin.

Your mother approaches your side, squeezing your arm. “Behave now, girls.”

Your family gathers to present yourselves in front of Jeno and Jaemin, bowing and curtsying in respect. Jeno simply appears bored, eyes scanning the room in an air of confidence and arrogance. Jaemin immediately smiles at Jimin, who grows slightly bashful under his gaze.

“Mr. Na, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” your father greets first, shaking Jaemin’s hand with fervor.

“You as well, sir. I’m taken by the people’s hospitality to my arrival,” Jaemin remarks.

“It’s rare we get a new face in this town,” your mother replies happily. “And such a handsome one at that.”

Jaemin’s smile is blinding, basking in the compliments and attention. Jeno, on the other hand, looks like he wants to leave and never return.

The music suddenly changes to the tempo of the traditional dance, and Jaemin asks Jimin to join him on the floor. Your sister shyly accepts and you hear both your mother and Minji squeal to one another. Minjeong rolls her eyes and informs you she’s going to find some refreshments for herself.

She leaves you with Jeno, who still appears stiff and unapproachable. You decide to take the first leap into conversation.

“Do you like to dance, Mr. Lee?”

He blinks once, scanning you before answering. “Not if I can help it.”

You’re deterred by his answer until Minji tugs you forward, nudging you to join her on the dance floor. You’re paired with Taeyong, who politely bows to you.

You feel a pair of eyes follow you while you maneuver around bodies of the elite, and your mind lingers on the disdainful presence of Lee Jeno.

Once the music subsides, you take another politeful curtsy to Taeyong before sweeping the room for your fellow companion, An Yujin. Yujin, like your family, was not born into wealth and struggles in society as you do. However, because of her charisma, she is able to sneak her way into parties by charming some of the men for an invitation. You spot her in between a few other guests and eagerly pull her away.

“You did not tell me you were coming!” She exclaims, wrapping you up in a hug.

“We were not informed until earlier this week,” you share, walking along with her as you move your way through the crowd. “Is it not so lovely?”

“Very,” she giggles, her voice turning down when you spot Jeno and Jaemin walking very close to you two. They do not catch sight of you, speaking quietly to one another.

“What a splendid night, so many lovely women,” Jaemin chuckles.

Jeno replies in a bored tone. “You were dancing with the only lovely woman in this room.”

“Yes, she was quite a keeper, was she not?” Jaemin hums, and you and Yujin exchange a look. “I saw you speaking to her sister. She was quite admirable as well.”

Jeno scoffs. “Admirable? Barely tolerable, I would say.”

The conversation is cut short when Jaemin’s sister sweeps them away to meet another family. You huff at Jeno’s clear dislike of you and Yujin pats your hand in comfort when they disappear into the crowd.

“What a horrid man,” you comment.

“Do not fret,” Yujin smiles. “If he liked you, you would actually have to speak with him.”

You giggle in agreement. “Yes, imagine having to entertain a man like that.”

“Jimin looks rather happy, though,” Yujin remarks fondly. “She’s thoroughly taken by Mr. Na.”

You gaze over at your sister, who is happily chattering with Minji. “It seems so. I hope mother is taking her bearings and not placing too much pressure upon her shoulders.”

“I think it might be too late for that.”

Your mother has suddenly grouped Minji and Jimin into directly speaking with Jaemin and Jeno. You exchange a look with Yujin before walking over to save your sisters from this debacle. When you step into their circle, you hear Jaemin compliment Jimin’s dancing.

“She is quite the dancer, if I must say.”

“Yes, yes!” Your mother shouts. “She and her sisters practice all the time. My handsome Jimin, you see, is definitely the most well-rounded of all my daughters!”

“Mother!” You scold, trying to stop her as she continues to embarrass your sisters.

However, she ignores your protest and Jimin’s visible contempt. “Jimin’s always had a vast amount of suitors, you know. There was this one bewitching gentleman who I thought would propose to her last spring but alas, all the man did was write a few poems.”

“And that ended it completely,” you cut in, and Jimin throws you a grateful look. “Who ever decided that poetry was a suitable medium to a woman’s heart? Very poor choice, might I say.”

Your statement earns you a few laughs until a haughty voice interrupts.

“So what do you propose?” Jeno retorts, and it’s the most engaged he’s been with you all night. His eyes bore into yours with the most intense observance. “Poetry has been the love language for suitors across all ages. What do you propose is better to take its place?”

You smile mischievously. “Dancing, I believe. Even if one’s partner is barely tolerable.”

Jeno’s face morphs into a mix of understanding and discomfort at your recall. You smirk, offering him another curtsy before vanishing back into the crowd.

You feel the burn of his stare follow you.

—

“Shopping for such a simple piece of clothing must seem so benign, do you not think so?”

“Yes, it quite certainly is,” you reply, tugging Minjeong into a nearby fabric store. “But it is necessary in order to impress the likes of the Na family for Jimin’s best interest.”

You and your sisters have made a trip into town to purchase new dresses for another upcoming ball planned by Jaemin. Since your first encounter with him, he and Jimin have made slow strides into courting one another, and this dance may be an opportunity to make it more official. Therefore, you have taken the role of stringing your family into the best shape to appease high society.

Jimin is already browsing through a variety of pinks and blues, carefully explaining to the seamstress that she has no desire for lavish embellishments to her dress. Although she would never admit her nerves, you can detect it from the way she frantically combs her fingers through her hair.

“Play nice for once,” you say to Minjeong, stroking her arm in consolation. “This could mean wonders for Jimin.”

“I can play nice,” Minjeong agrees hesitantly, pretending to be interested in some of the frilly ribbon decorating the store.

The bell above the door rings, signaling another customer walking in. You all turn to see a gentleman come inside, and you curtsy to greet him.

“My apologies for the intrusion,” he smiles, and you take note how captivating he appears. “It’s pouring out there and I was hoping to take shelter in here.”

“Of course, Mr. Lee,” the seamstress nods, gesturing for him to walk about as he pleases.

His eyes zero in on you. He takes your hand and presses a kiss to your knuckles. You bow your head coyly.

“Lee Donghyuck, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Are you ladies also shielding yourselves from the horrid rain?”

You smile and return your hand to your side.

“In contrast, Mr. Lee, we are prolifically finding ourselves a manner of dress for the Na ball,” you share, and his eyes sparkle at your response.

“Ah, I see. It must be an extremely difficult decision for you then.”

You laugh. “Yes, it’s quite the hunt for us.”

Minjeong suddenly reappears next to you. “And what brings you to town this evening, Mr. Lee?”

He offers a nod to your sister. “Some of the men from our militia district are in town for our homecoming. We have gathered into town to see what we all have dearly missed from our time away.”

His eyes flit over to you once more, and you bashfully glance down at your feet.

“I must come and see what beholds the community of this ball,” he states, hands wringing together behind his back. “It looks to be an event of importance.”

As soon as Jimin finds the right fabric for her dress and you review the designs for the rest of your family, Donghyuck offers to walk you all back to your estate. Luckily, the weather clears by the time you finish shopping.

You speak with Donghyuck on the way home, with Minji throwing the two of you suggestive looks as you break off from the others.

“How long are you in town for then?”

“Another fortnight or two, dependent on the weather,” he replies, his shoulder brushing against yours as you stride along.

“It must be pleasant to be back home. I cannot imagine how much you have missed it,” you say, enjoying the warmth of his figure every time his arm presses against yours.

He opens his mouth to respond before Minji’s loud hollers interrupt him.

“Oh, Mr. Na! Mr. Na!”

Minji calls out to Jaemin across the river, who is riding horseback alongside Jeno. Your eyes narrow at Jeno’s appearance, still feeling offended from his malicious comments against you. He, in turn, returns your heated glare but to your surprise, it’s not directed at you. His focus is solely on the man beside you, and you notice how Donghyuck tenses at his presence.

“Mr. Na, we just came from the dress shop to look fitting for your ball!” Minji calls happily.

Jaemin gives a nod, his eyes floating to Jimin.

“I’m happy to hear of it!” He replies.

The conversation is cut short when Jeno suddenly instructs his horse to trot away. You observe his abrupt exit, with Jaemin promising to see your family at the ball before following his friend.

“Very ill-mannered, that one is,” Donghyuck comments, scoffing as Jeno’s figure disappears further and further in the distance.

You begin the trek home again as Minjeong speeds up her pace and Jimin tugs Minji along to keep up. You fall behind in order to uncover the deeper meaning of Donghyuck’s words.

“You seem to have an uncivil assumption of Mr. Lee,” you note to him, and he hums in agreement.

“Mr. Lee and I do not get along well.”

“May I inquire why?”

“I have known Mr. Lee since birth, you see. Our families were very close and I thought of his father as mine and he thought mine as his. When my father passed, I became closer to his own as a result. Eventually, when Jeno’s father grew sickly, he asked that the rights of the Lee estate be passed onto me. At that point, you must imagine, we were closer than he and his son ever were and it drove Jeno wild with jealousy.”

You can visualize Jeno as the epitome of bitterness, envy blazing his form as he watches Donghyuck grow closer to his father. You fail to realize how your bias towards disliking Jeno prevents you from questioning the truthfulness to Donghyuck’s story.

He continues. “After his father passed, Jeno willingly sought my demise by forcing me into the militia and preventing me from inheriting his estate. I hope you can see now why I do not enjoy entertaining his presence.”

“That is purely vengeful,” you say with sympathy, almost wishing to apologize on Jeno’s behalf. “It pains me to think you had to go through such a thing.”

He smiles and shrugs it off.

“It is in the past, and we must look towards the future. I shall be delighted to see you at the ball, miss.”

You curtsy and grin. “You as well, Mr. Lee.”

—

Donghyuck is the first person you search for when you arrive at the Na estate.

You spot Yujin in between bodies, tugging her along in your search. She laughs and follows you as you weave your way through the crowd.

“How handsome is he that has you so besotten?”

“He’s just wonderful, Yujin!” You exclaim passionately. “If you spoke to him as well, you would know!”

You pass by numerous familiar faces, asking them if they have seen Donghyuck lingering around. You disappointingly receive a resounding denial at the sight of his presence.

Jimin calls your name quietly when she approaches you and Yujin in the drawing room.

“I do not believe Mr. Lee is here. It seems he has been sent off.”

You frown. “Sent off? Oh, but he must be here!”

“There you are.”

All three of you jump at the sound of a male voice entering your conversation. You turn to see your cousin, Yuta, staring at you intimidatingly. You curtsy in respect.

“I was wondering if it would please you to join me.”

He gestures to the dance floor and you almost choke.

“Mr. Nakamoto, I did not know you danced.”

If you did not know any better, you would guess Yuta was glaring at you judging by the weight of his stare.

“I do not think it so inappropriate for a gentleman of my status to ask a woman for a dance. As much as I think it is not inappropriate for you to accept.”

You flounder. Your sisters had gossiped a few days ago about Yuta being in search of a wife, but you would have never guessed he had his sights set on you.

You nod timidly, trying your best to ignore Yujin and Jimin’s incredulity. He guides you to the floor and you make your best attempt at taking him seriously.

The dance is almost comical to you, suddenly burdened by Yuta’s intense gaze. He has never shown the slightest interest towards you until now, and his advances only bring you laughter.

As soon as the music ends, you grab Yujin’s arm and pull her away to avoid Yuta’s further questioning. The two of you giggle at the spectacle that just took place.

“Can you believe Mr. Nakamoto just-“

Your voice catches in your throat when you almost collide into someone’s chest. Your eyes drift up to catch the sight of Jeno.

He still has that same bored expression painting his face but you can see a hint of nervousness clouding his eyes.

“May I have the next dance?”

You are slightly startled by the question, but you manage to keep your decorum intact.

“You may.”

He offers you a nod before disappearing into the crowd once more. Yujin squeezes your arm.

“Did you agree to dance with Mr. Lee?”

“For heaven’s sake, I believe I have. I must be going mad, Yujin. He is the man I have sworn to hate,” you gasp.

She shakes you from your trance and guides you back to the dance floor, bringing you face to face with Jeno. He is a lot more restless than usual, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he avoids your gaze.

The dance begins with a respectful curtsy and bow. You begin to move to meet Jeno at the center and remark, “This is a beautiful dance.”

He curtly nods. “Yes, I think so.”

He is rather lucky you’re determined to be on your best behavior or else you would have rolled his eyes at the simple comment. You turn past Kang Seulgi’s figure and meet him again in the middle.

“It is your turn to make conversation, Mr. Lee. Usually, you would compliment the host of the gathering or comment on the people who have attended.”

“Is that so?” He muses, taking slow steps around Lee Mark to circle back to you. You join your hands in the middle and pace quietly to the hum of the violin playing. “Please do tell what invigorating subject you would like for me to focus on.”

You can tell he’s trying to push your buttons and you grit your teeth. “A lady must not lead the conversation so easily, Mr. Lee. It is your job to set the tone.”

You separate to continue the dance, rotating again around Seulgi and Mark’s figures.

“Do you and your sisters go shopping in town often?”

You hesitate, knowing he’s beginning to broach the subject of Donghyuck. You connect in the middle, the bottom of your dress skirting by him.

“Lately yes, we have. We find it a great opportunity to get out and meet new people. In fact, we had just met a lovely man that day you saw us by the river.”

His lips press into a thin line. “Lee Donghyuck is charming, indeed. His ability to win over women’s hearts is quite notable, but it does not fare in comparison to his ability to quickly lose that adoration.”

You bite back, dancing in another circle and attempting to keep your composure. “Yes, and it was so devastating to hear that he has lost that devotion from you. Quite irreversible, is it?”

“Indeed,” he nearly hisses, stopping in the middle to sneer at you. The dance continues but you hold your ground, staring at him with as much anger as you can muster. “Why do you ask such a question?”

“To inquire into your character, Mr. Lee.”

His eyes burn with an unanticipated flame. “And what did you discover?”

“Very little. I hear quite different stories about your character and it baffles me exceptionally.”

“My apologies,” he states, eyebrows furrowed in frustration. “I hope to clear your troubled thoughts going forward.”

You both resume the dance, but it somehow feels like the entire room has disappeared. The weight of your words builds the tension and you follow the steps of the dance you know by heart, but your eyes no longer drift to different parts of the room. They stay focused on Jeno, who is equally captured by you.

The two of you speak nothing more until you return to the same spots you started the dance in. The sound of applause jolts you out of your stupor and you take one last look at Jeno, offering him a polite curtsy before exiting the floor.

You’re startled when you nearly run into Yuta again on your way to the drawing room.

He says your name in a rigid tone. “You’re well acquainted with Mr. Lee?”

You almost stutter. “Not very well. I will admit, I’m surprised to see you at such an event, Mr. Nakamoto.”

“Are you? Your mother has brought it up to me on many occasions, especially noting that you would be in attendance.”

You clench a fist behind your back and silently curse your mother.

“Did she? I cannot imagine why she would think that would be of importance to you.”

“I am sure you have heard of my search for a companion to my estate. Lady Park has been stressing the issue and I am not one to avoid her suggestions,” he shares, taking a small step closer to you.

You take a step back. You and your sisters know all about Lady Park — the woman who financially supports Yuta until he gets a hold of your family’s fortune when you and your siblings are married off and your father has passed. She dictates every aspect of Yuta’s life and he must engage in her wishes to ensure his funds are properly taken care of.

“Mr. Nakamoto, I will save you the trouble. I have no desire to be married at this time, so whatever offer my mother promised you cannot be fulfilled on my account.”

He frowns. “Surely, a girl of your age understands the need for a husband in this economy. A comfortable life could save you the misfortune of attending these dances.”

“If you do not mind my candor, I do not believe a comfortable life for me would include you in it. I sincerely hope you are able to find a wife who is best suited to help you run your estate.”

You curtsy for him, ignoring the malicious sneer he throws your way. You scurry into the drawing room, searching for Yujin and finding her near the piano. Minji is playing to her heart’s content and it seems she has been doing so for hours, and your father walks over to tell her to be mindful of other people’s time.

You loop your arm around Yujin’s to get her attention.

“Oh, how was it?” She exclaims enthusiastically as you pull her away. “You did not look so pleased to be in Mr. Lee’s presence from what I could see.”

You huff. “Truly an understatement. And you will not believe the kind of proposal Mr. Nakamoto approached me with.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Do not tell me-“

“I denied it, of course. It would have been a loveless coupling, much to my mother’s chagrin.”

She frowns at your indifference. “You know, you are blissfully lucky to even have such an offer come across you. Your family has only been in high society for a few months yet you have already gotten a marriage proposal from a wealthy suitor.”

“Is that all you heard? A wealthy suitor,” you repeat with a scoff. “Yujin, Mr. Nakamoto has despised my family since Jimin came of age. I would like to think I should get a say in who I marry and not just because he is inheriting my father’s pocket.”

You brush off her continued sorrow over your situation. Your eyes scan the room, seeing your mother hang by the staircase with a glass of wine in her hands, loudly praising Jimin for catching the attention of Jaemin. Jimin, on the other hand, is conversing quietly with him a few feet away, awkwardly tucking her hair behind her ears and avoiding his gaze. Minji is tugging Minjeong along now that she is not berating a crowd with her piano playing, the both of them laughing at some of the guests around them.

“I believe my family is entertaining the masses well enough,” you muse.

She laughs and nods, sweeping your previous conversation about Yuta under the rug.

“The upside is that Mr. Na does not seem to mind,” she says, and the two of you watch him laugh at something Jimin has whispered.

“I think he is quite devoted to her.”

She hums. “But does she return his favor?”

You chuckle. “What are you on about? Of course she does! He’s all she ever thinks about.”

“All I am saying is that having a wonderful man like Mr. Na becoming smitten is a rare chance. However, if Jimin does not outwardly express her intentions, he could be deterred from continuing his advances.”

You shake your head. “She’s just shy, you know that. She is not the type to wear her heart on her sleeve like most other women.”

“But Mr. Na is not well acquainted with that fact. He does not know her as we do. She has to take advantage of his love before the clock runs out.”

You study your sister and her suitor, wondering if Yujin was right.

Your eyes drift over to catch Jeno’s, who is intently watching you from across the room. His hands are folded behind his back and despite the many women surrounding him, he only has his gaze directed at you. You interpret it in the wrong fashion, assuming he has once again taken on a mission to taunt you.

You hold your head high, hauling Yujin to the next room and disregarding the irritating presence of Lee Jeno.

—

It is weeks later when your family catches news that Jaemin is leaving the city.

Jimin is utterly distraught, ostracizing herself in her room while your mother frantically runs around the house, insisting the news cannot be true. You hesitantly approach Jimin as she is crying on her bed, curled up with her face stuffed in her pillow. You brush back her hair and sigh.

“Mr. Na is an idiot for leaving without proposing to you,” you say, trying your best to comfort her. “All of us could see he was so taken with you. I am sure he will return soon and bring you with him.”

“Do not bother,” she sniffles, wiping the tears falling down her cheeks. “I knew I could never be an acceptable fit for him. He saw our family and ran for the hills.”

“Stop putting yourself below him,” you scold. “You were a very acceptable match for him and it is his fault if he could not see how uniquely extraordinary you are. He will learn his regret soon.”

You leave her to wallow in her sadness, telling your mother to stop her fussing and leave Jimin alone. You catch some fresh air outside, basking in the sunlight before you hear the crunch of leaves from behind you.

You barely register Yujin’s form until she’s tackling you in a hug. You gasp and lock your arms tight around her.

“What on earth are you doing here?” You laugh, and she gives you another squeeze before pulling away. You take in the anxiety clouding her face.

“I have come to tell you the joyful news — Mr. Nakamoto and I are engaged.”

You take a step back, astonished by the reveal. You blink rapidly and stutter. “E-Engaged? To be wed?”

“Of course, silly. What other kind of engaged is there?” She drinks in your nauseated expression and sighs. “Do not give me that. You should be perfectly happy for me.”

“But he is ridiculous! And so much older than you. Yujin, you cannot possibly-“

“Yes, I can,” she replies in a stern tone. “Not all of us can afford to have choices. He is offering me a comfortable life and a beautiful home. And now, your family will no longer have to worry that some tyrant will swoop in and steal your father’s earnings.”

“But Yujin-“

She continues. “My father is very close to losing his job and my family is in danger of falling from high society. I do not have many prospects, and I am very thankful that Mr. Nakamoto approached me. I am terribly frightened, do you not see? So please, do not judge me.”

You embrace her. “I apologize, I did not realize how tough it must have been for you.”

She shakily returns your affection. “Promise me you will come visit when you can? Lady Park has a wonderful cottage that we will be staying in when we are married.”

You nod. “I most certainly will. I have to ensure you are being taken care of properly.”

She giggles. “I will miss you.”

After a tearful goodbye, you watch Yujin’s figure disappear into the horizon and return home. You feel a plethora of emotions swirling around your head from Yujin’s future — mainly concern but also a feeling of happiness for her safety. As much as you were not fond of Yuta, you know he would still treat her with respect.

You are taken aback when you enter your home to see your mother with a handful of garments in her arms. She rushes up the stairs with Minji following closely behind. You fume when you see her entering Jimin’s room.

“Mother, I told you to leave Jimin well enough alone!”

You ascend the staircase and follow them, confused when you see a suitcase splayed out on Jimin’s bed as your mother stuffs clothing into it as fast as she can.

“Oh, there you are!” Your mother exclaims at the sight of you. “Come here and help Jimin pack for her trip. Where in heavens did you disappear to?”

Your eldest sister is now up on her feet, looking slightly more lively. Minji is eagerly folding dresses for her.

You speak slowly. “I was out speaking with Yujin. She is betrothed to Mr. Nakamoto.”

They all pause at the news. Your mother is the most engaged, furious by the revelation.

“I told you! Mr. Nakamoto is a reputable man who could have brought you wonderful children.” You wince at the thought. “You should have accepted his proposal when he offered!”

“Oh mother,” Jimin interjects, coming to your defense. “The man did not even have the decency to ask father for permission.”

“What exactly are we packing for?” You ask, desperate to move the topic of conversation far from you.

Your mother immediately brightens, forgetting about nagging you for a second. “Jimin is going out of the city to stay with your aunt and uncle! She will remain for a visit until Mr. Na sees the error of his ways.”

You frown, approaching them as they continue to pack Jimin’s belongings.

“Are you sure this is what you want?”

“Of course it’s what she wants!”

You and Jimin ignore your mother’s enthusiasm. She nods at you, smiling softly.

“I think so. No, no, I believe so. I want to fight for him.”

You smile at the sparkle of determination in your sister’s eye. You happily help her fold the rest of her belongings.

Your mother has already called the carriage, with Minjeong holding the door open with a disinterested look on her face. Jimin envelops her in a hug as she passes and you see Minjeong’s hardened expression melt a little.

You all help Jimin into the carriage and wave her off, praying to the heavens that Na Jaemin will offer her a second chance.

—

You breathe in the smell of the quaint countryside, laughing when Yujin comes bursting out the front door of her cottage and embraces you tightly.

“I cannot believe you are finally here! I have waited so long for your arrival,” she says.

“I am delighted the weather was favorable enough for the trip,” you murmur, pulling away and smiling softly. “This is a lovely home, Yujin.”

“Oh please, you flatter me so. You have not yet seen the inside!”

She pulls you through the door, and you drink in the sight of the living room. It feels warm and cozy, which is exactly what you would expect from a home decorated by your friend.

Yuta comes walking down the long hallway, eyeing you.

“I see you have made a successful trip here.”

You curtsy. “Yes, Mr. Nakamoto. I am honored that you and Yujin have allowed me to stay for a short period.”

“You know you can stay for as long as you like!” Yujin exclaims. “I have missed your company a great many.”

She guides you into the room where you will take your stay. She helps you unpack your luggage, admiring the new dresses you have acquired in her absence.

“And how is Jimin? I was curious to know of her whereabouts since the last letter of yours arrived.”

You sigh. “It has been months since she left to stay with our aunt and uncle. No progress has been made for her and Mr. Na, and I fear for her heartbreak when she returns to us.”

Yujin frowns. “How dreadful. I do hope she is able to win his affections before it is too late.”

“Whatever the case may be, Mr. Na has surely lost a beautiful bride.”

She hums in agreement.

Yuta interrupts your conversation hours later, rushing into your room with a delighted expression.

“Yujin! Lady Park has asked us to come to supper,” he declares.

Yujin stands from her spot on your bed, clapping her hands in excitement.

“Oh, wonderful! That is absolutely delightful.” She turns to you, gripping your elbows. “You must come with us. Lady Park would be overjoyed to meet you.”

“O-Oh,” you stutter, unsure of what to say. “I haven’t got much to wear.”

Yuta brushes off your concern. “Lady Park is not averse to your manner of dress. Simply put on your best and you can accompany us.”

You join Yujin and Yuta that evening to meet Lady Park at her grand estate, which is merely a few miles away from their cottage. You hold your breath as you enter the grand drawing room, where Lady Park sits with her daughter, Chaeyoung.

You curtsy in respect alongside Yujin, and Lady Park eyes you warily.

“We are honored you have asked us to dine with you tonight, Lady Park,” Yujin says, hands folded neatly above her stomach.

You are about to voice your agreement until a creak in the hardwood distracts you. Your eyes flutter over to the doorway to catch the sight of Jeno entering.

“Mr. Lee,” you murmur in surprise. “I did not expect to see you here.”

The familiar burn of his stare welcomes you. He bows his head and you return the favor.

He says your name, and you feel a rush travel down your spine. You have not heard him speak since the night of the dance.

“I am a guest here,” he explains simply.

Lady Park stands from her seat on the chaise lounge.

“You are familiar with my nephew?”

You digest the information, storing away the fact that Yuta never mentioned Jeno was related to Lady Park.

“Yes, I had the privilege of meeting your nephew a few months ago, ma’am.”

You hear Jeno almost scoff at the suggestion of your encounter being anything but dreadful. You clench your fists behind your back to prevent an outburst.

“And this is my cousin,” Jeno introduces, stepping aside to allow another man to come into your line of vision. He smiles and bows. “Park Jisung.”

You pay your courtesy and Lady Park instructs the group to gather in the dining room for supper. You take a spot next to Jisung and across from Yujin.

Before you can get comfortable, Lady Park scolds Yuta. “Mr. Nakamoto, you cannot sit next to your wife and only converse with her. Switch with our guest.”

You awkwardly switch places with Yuta, now sitting next to Yujin and Jeno. Your shoulder brushes by his, and he instinctively leans closer to you. Your breath hitches slightly at the proximity.

With the seating arrangements in order, you all take your seats and begin dining into the feast.

Jeno clears his throat. “Has your family been faring well?”

It takes a moment for you to register that he is speaking to you. You glance at him, only to find him engrossed in his meal.

“They have been doing well, all things considered,” you reply. You cannot help but prod him for answers. “Jimin has actually gone to stay with our aunt and uncle, close to where Mr. Na is staying. Perhaps you have seen her.”

He looks at you. “I have not had the pleasure, no.”

You purse your lips. “What a shame. I know she would be delighted to have your company.”

He hums. “Is that so? Is she the only one who would enjoy my companionship at this time?”

Your mouth hangs open in surprise at his confidence. A sliver of his true personality shows, with the corner of his lips threatening to lift.

Lady Park interrupts your exchange as she calls your name.

“Do you play the piano?”

You shake your head, trying to disregard that Lee Jeno’s character seems to be more than that of a boring nobleman. “Not very well, ma’am. I’m afraid that is a talent reserved for my youngest sister.”

“And your sisters — how many of you are out in society?”

You smile as politely as you can. “All of us, ma’am.”

Lady Park is shocked by the revelation. “All of you? All at once? The youngest being out before the oldest ones are married? Why, that is unheard of.”

“I should not think to burden my younger sisters simply because the oldest ones are not yet wed. They deserve to have their fair share of enjoyment,” you voice, ignoring her continued surprise by your candor.

“You have a lot of opinions for a girl so young and still not in charge of her own household,” Lady Park sighs. “It would do you well to hold your tongue.”

Your fingers tighten around your spoon but you’re amazed when Jeno speaks up.

“I think she is very gifted for her age, considering her family was not born in the faces of high society. I do not think playing the piano would truly showcase the talent she encompasses.”

Lady Park’s lips dissolve into a thin line at her nephew’s impudence. You swallow the jarring emotions you feel at Jeno’s blatant defense of you.

“Well, I must be carrying the customs of my time then. However, I shall hear you play a piece for us after supper.”

“Ma’am, I stress to you that I do not lie when I say I play the piano poorly-“

Yuta hisses your name across the table, throwing you a stern glance. Yujin has a pleading look painting her own features.

“She would be happy to play for you,” Yuta says firmly, with no room for argument.

You swallow your dispute, looking back down at your bowl of soup as Lady Park scolds her daughter for her poor posture. In the corner of your eye, you see Jeno’s hand twitch.

Your head raises and you catch his stare — his eyes no longer holding the small glimmer of amusement you caught earlier.

The last thing you want is for Lee Jeno to feel sorry for you, so you return to finishing your meal, brushing off his concern.

After dinner, you go back to the drawing room and hesitantly take a seat at the grand piano in the corner of the room.

Your fingers clumsily press down on the keys, playing an off-tune version of the last piece you memorized. The group continues to chatter behind you as Lady Park invites Yujin to come visit whenever she pleases. Jeno slowly approaches you and you shake your head.

“There is no need to point out my terrible sense of musical inclination, Mr. Lee. It is a flaw I’m very well acquainted with.”

“I had no intention to do so,” he replies. “And no gentleman would ever raise attention to a fault a woman believes she has, even if he disagrees with her.”

You stop playing briefly to look up at him. He’s already staring back at you, his eyes now conveying an emotion you cannot recognize. You wonder what you would find if you peeled back a few layers of his hard exterior.

Jisung draws near, his hand cupping Jeno’s shoulder with familiarity.

“You must tell me how my dear cousin behaved when he was in your town.”

You laugh under your breath. “I must disappoint you, Mr. Park, as your cousin was very indifferent during his stay. Despite the many women begging for a dance and the lack of suitors on the floor, Mr. Lee still insisted on keeping to himself and refusing to make conversation with others.”

Jisung chuckles. “Truth be told, that sounds very akin to the cousin I know. I have never seen him dance with another woman willingly.”

You pause, remembering how Jeno asked you to dance the night of Jaemin’s ball. You recall how nervous he looked when he faced you, almost as if he was jumping out of his socks.

Jeno clenches his jaw. “Well, dear cousin, I am sure you understand how difficult it is for me to gab about with people I’m not familiar with. Dances are not something I take pleasure in.”

You interject. “Even if it is a woman’s choice of love language? A way you can show her your affection?”

The corner of his mouth twitches as he catches on to what you’re referring to.

“Perhaps then, there could be an exception.”

Lady Park admonishes you for not playing as instructed and you return to the piano, paying no heed to Jeno’s presence for the rest of the evening.

—

Your hand aches as you finish writing your letter to Jimin, sealing the envelope carefully.

You are anxious by the state of your sister’s duress, as it seems Mr. Na has still not come to visit her. Jimin is growing more and more disappointed by the day, feeling as if she has burdened your family with this ridiculous adventure. You wish you could see her and tell her that she would never be a burden to you, but writing a letter is the only communication you can give to her at this time while you continue your stay with Yujin and Yuta.

Just as you place the envelope back down on the table in your room, the door swings open.

You’re startled when Jeno walks through the door, his eyes frantic.

“Mr. Lee,” you say, failing to hide the surprise in your voice as you stand.

You both pay your respects and you wait for him to explain the meaning of his visit, as it has been a week since you saw him at Lady Park’s dinner festivities. However, the words seem to be caught in his throat because he says nothing to you, opening and closing his mouth furiously.

“Mr. and Mrs. Nakamoto went to the village,” you bring up, pondering if that was the reason he was here.

“Yes,” he clears his throat, fiddling with the sleeves of his coat. “Yes, it is a nice day to go to the village.”

You nod, still trying to decipher the reason why he’s here with no notice.

“This- This is a beautiful home,” he notes, bouncing from one foot to another.

It is the most disheveled you have ever seen him.

“Yes, I think so as well. Should I fetch us some tea?”

He immediately shakes his head. “No, no.”

You sit in an unpleasant silence for another few moments before you hear the front door open, signaling Yujin and Yuta’s return.

“Have a good day,” Jeno quickly says, walking swiftly down the hallway and out the cottage, not even bothering to acknowledge Yujin’s presence when he passes by.

Yujin stares incredulously after him, eyes darting over to you.

“What on earth have you done to poor Mr. Lee?”

You shake your head, puzzled by the odd interaction.

“I have no idea.”

—

“There are many conveniences which others may supply and which we cannot procure for ourselves…”

You fight the yawn threatening to come out as Yuta drones on in his sermon. One of the downsides of staying with Yujin and Yuta was the weekly attendance at the local church, where Yuta often read verses for the people. Yujin is always enthralled by her husband’s lectures, but you do not share her level of enthusiasm.

You lean over to whisper to Jisung, who is seated next to you.

“How much longer will you be in town, Mr. Park?”

“As long as my cousin needs,” he answers. “I am at his disposal.”

You scoff, imagining exactly how many people Jeno had at his disposal.

“I wonder why he does not marry so he can bring a woman alongside him instead of dragging you,” you quip.

Jisung laughs quietly. “If he did choose a woman, she would be very lucky. Jeno is a loyal man to both friends and family alike. I heard he recently helped save a friend from an unwise marriage.”

You frown. “Who was the friend?”

“One of his closest companions, Na Jaemin.”

Your features twist into a scowl, and you spot Jeno sitting across the church. Your chest fills with an indescribable rage.

“Did he explain why?” You ask Jisung.

“There were a lot of objections to the lady. I believe her family was not considered to be the right fit for a nobleman of his status.”

You could nearly feel the steam coming out of your ears. So this was the truth — Jeno found your family completely unruly and unfit for his standards and in return, he cut off Jimin’s chance of finding love. All of the pieces click into place and you clench your fists, wondering who gave him the right to dictate the fate of your family.

As soon as the sermon ends, you find the quickest exit, refusing to wait for Yujin and Yuta. You decide you must get back to their cottage to write to Jimin, insisting she come home and end her useless pining after Jaemin.

You gasp when you realize it’s raining, the heavy downpour soaking your dress. You waste no time, running as fast as you can until the church is no longer in sight.

After a mile, you see a nearby gazebo and decide to take shelter there to catch your breath. You place a hand on your chest, staring down at the hem of your dress, which is now covered in mud and dirt.

The call of your name causes you to gasp, and you look up to find the main character of your distress.

Jeno is also completely soaked from head to toe and offers you no time to say a word. “I have struggled in vain and I can bear it no longer. These past few months have been a torment. I came here with the sole purpose of seeing you and I must tell you how I am feeling. I am fighting against my family’s expectation and the inferiority of your birth because I am asking you to end my agony.”

You shake your head. “I do not understand-“

“I love you,” he confesses. You freeze, appalled by the revelation. “Most ardently. Please do me the honor by accepting my hand.”

You grit your teeth. “I apologize, Mr. Lee, for having caused you pain since our first meeting. I assure you it was not my intention.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Is this your reply?”

“Yes.”

“So it is a rejection?”

“Yes.”

He swallows. “May I ask why you are so quick to voice your refusal?”

You laugh. “Then may I ask why you think it is so brave of you to confess your love for me against your better judgment? I must be so uncouth for you to hold onto your feelings for so long instead of speaking them to me!”

“I did not mean-“

“And I am frankly horrified to think that you believe me to have no dignity that I would accept the hand in marriage of a man who has ruined the fate of my eldest sister, whom I admire with all of my heart!”

His expression falls at the mention of Jimin, and you laugh mockingly at catching his lie.

“Do you deny it, Mr. Lee? Breaking up a young couple in the height of their affection and forcing my sister to question her self-worth?”

“I do not deny it,” he replies sternly.

“What gave you the right-“

“I watched them out of respect for my friend and realized his attachment was deeper than hers,” he explains, but it only causes you to grow angrier.

“She’s shy! She has never been courted so seriously by another man before, especially not one that became so public,” you vouch for her.

He stands his ground. “Jaemin had realized she was not returning his affection with the same amount of passion-“

“Only after you suggested it!”

“I did it for his own good!”

“My sister rarely shows her true feelings to me,” you yell, and Jeno is taken aback. “You will never understand the burden an eldest sister has to face when there are no sons born to the family. You will never understand the weight on her shoulders when Mr. Nakamoto is knocking on the door, waiting to take away what little fortune your family possesses!”

He continues to defend himself. “There was a call into the character of your family and the suggestion of an advantageous marriage-“

You sneer. “How dare you assume Jimin would pursue such a thing!”

“It was not her, but your mother, on the other hand-“

You taunt him. “And what of Lee Donghyuck?”

He narrows his eyes and takes a step closer to you. “Lee Donghyuck?” He speaks the name as if someone poured acid on his tongue.

“What excuse could you possibly conjure of your behavior towards him?”

He purses his lips. “You take a great deal of interest in Donghyuck.”

“How can you defend the misfortunes you have put him in?”

He smiles mockingly. “Ah yes, I’m sure his misfortunes are vast in comparison to mine. I see that this is how you view me — a horrible villain who casts a dark shadow wherever he goes.”

“You are the one who has decided to insult the inferiority of my birth, which is beyond my own control! That arrogance and selfish disdain for the feelings of others is why I believe you are the last man in the world I would ever consider to marry!”

His expression crumbles. It is only now that you recognize how short the proximity between you two has gotten. He seems to have grasped the situation as well, eyes flickering downwards to stare at your lips. You swear that he begins to lean in before he stops himself.

You think you would let him kiss you, despite all signs pointing to it being a bad idea. The desire building in your stomach has you questioning your common sense.

There is no possible way you want Lee Jeno to kiss you, to mark you as his, to marry you in front of all those presumptuous nobles like Lady Park-

“Forgive me for taking up so much of your time.”

He turns and walks away, leaving you panting with a gaping hole in your chest.

—

Days pass before you hear from Jeno.

You contemplate returning home, but Yujin convinces you to stay for a little while longer. You write out a letter to Jimin to tell her everything, but for some reason, you never send it. You fear the gruesome picture you will paint of Jeno and consequently, Jimin’s feelings towards him. You somehow care for your sister’s approval for the rich nobleman although you turned down his proposal.

It’s another dreary night when Jeno shakes the cottage with his presence. You hear his blazing footsteps behind you but you refuse to look at him, staring at the wall in your room with your back turned to him.

He clears his throat. “I came to drop off this.”

You do not know what he has left, ignoring the miniscule part of your brain that screams at you to check.

You speculate on what he looks like — was he wearing that dreary trench coat he likes to walk around in? Was he wearing a mask of contempt at his behavior? Did he really mean what he said? Did he really love you?

“I shall not repeat the confessions that were so insulting to you, but if I may, I will address the two offenses you have laid against me,” he says.

You want to see him. You want to see if he has that stricken expression on his face, if he still has a hint of playfulness hidden in his eyes.

But when you turn around, he is gone. You would believe you had imagined him if not for the letter sitting neatly on the windowsill.

You swallow and open it, eyes scanning over his neat penmanship.

My father loved Donghyuck like a son. After his passing, my father left him a generous living, but Donghyuck made it clear that he would not be taking orders. He gambled away his living within weeks and demanded for more money from me, insisting it was what my father would have wanted. I refused, and he severed all acquaintance thereafter. He returned to us last summer in an attempt to court my sister, Jayoon, and convince her to elope with him. My sister is to inherit half of our estate. When it was made clear Donghyuck would not be receiving a penny of that inheritance, he disappeared once more. I will not try to explain the depth of Jayoon’s despair.

You gasp, eyes shuffling through the ink in disbelief. You could not comprehend the deceit and maliciousness Donghyuck possessed. The man you met was so poised and charismatic, but you suppose all the best con men were.

As for the matter of your sister and Jaemin, though the motives which governed me may to you appear insufficient, they were in the service of a friend.

Yujin’s voice pulls you out of your stupor. She enters your room, carrying a tray of your meal for the night. A worried look crosses her face at the sight of you, and that is when you realize you have started to cry. You wipe the tears falling down your cheeks.

“Are you okay?” Yujin asks, frantically coming over to you.

You hide Jeno’s letter behind your back, clutching onto it for dear life.

“I-I hardly think so.”

She lays her forehead on yours, understanding what you need.

“I believe it’s time for you to return home.”

—

“Honestly, if he passed by me in the street, I would hardly even recognize him.”

You brush off Jimin’s blatant lie and ignore the way she is combing her fingers through her hair as a nervous tick. She frowns at your faint smirk.

“It is true!” She claims, hitting your arm with mischief. “Anyway, what news comes from your visit with Mr. and Mrs. Nakamoto?”

You returned home shortly after Jeno delivered his letter. Yujin was sorrowful to see you go, but she recognized you needed to be with your family, no matter how loud and boisterous they could get. Jimin arrived a day before you, declaring her efforts worthless, much to your mother’s displeasure.

Jimin insists the experience was a pleasant one and that she learned a great many, and you would not dare refute her claims despite the numerous letters you received that say the opposite.

You smile at your sister’s question. “Nothing exciting.”

You had decided to keep the contents of Jeno’s letter for yourself, afraid to admit your blossoming feelings and ignorance at your accusations towards him. Considering Jimin is handling the loss of Jaemin better than expected, you also did not want to burden her with the truth.

The door to the drawing room bursts open and Minji comes parading through, screaming wildly.

“The heavens have truly blessed me!”

You raise an eyebrow at her as she collapses on the lounge, dress flowing across her hips in an improper fashion. Minjeong follows her into the room, looking cross with her hands folded across her chest.

“They are not sending you there because you are a suitable wife, they are sending you there because you are a disgrace to the family!”

“Minjeong!” You scold her, watching as Minji simply laughs at her sister’s insult. “What on earth are you two jabbering about?”

“Father is sending me to live with the Baek family,” Minji divulges, wiggling her feet in excitement.

Jimin stands, outraged by the information. “What? Minji, the Baek family live across town!”

“Yes, and is it not so delightful?” She giggles, ignoring you and Jimin’s worries. “There will be a handful of suitors there at my disposal!”

You and Jimin exchange a knowing glance before heading to your father’s office. He appears to be expecting your arrival, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose in anticipation of your anger.

“Father, you cannot send Minji away to the Baek family,” Jimin begins.

You continue. “She will make a fool out of herself and ridicule this family! She needs to be educated properly here, at home.”

Your father sighs. “Girls, you know I have tried with your sister, but she has become too complacent for my teachings. I trust Colonel Baek and his family to educate her about becoming well-behaved.”

“Father!” Jimin yells, utterly displeased. “Minji is not some farm animal you can dispose of as you please! She is part of this family, and her careless behavior is ours to own.”

“You cannot send her away or we might lose her forever.”

Your father shakes his head. “I’m sorry, girls, but my decision has been made. Minji will live with the Baek family and we will pray for success to come her way.”

You both scoff at him, infuriated by his carelessness. You leave his office and travel to the den in the kitchen, where your aunt and uncle are quietly eating. They have decided to stay for a while after dropping off Jimin.

Your aunt calls your name with joy. “Oh, you must join us this time out to the gardens in the district. It would do you well to take in some fresh air.”

You smile politely and take a seat on the bench across from your aunt. Your mind is still whirling at the thought of Minji, all alone, faring for herself at the countryside.

“I am satisfied staying here. I just returned from a trip to see a friend.”

Your uncle waves you off. “Come with us! There are many soldiers stationed in the area and plenty of suitors for your eyes to take in.”

“I have no desire to converse with them, uncle. Men are overtaken by their own arrogance or stupidity, and it would be a waste of my time to entertain them.”

Your aunt laughs mockingly at your pessimistic declaration.

“Well, what a voice of bitterness! My dear, do not allow your opinion of one man to cloud the wonderful soldiers who could bend and worship the ground you walk on,” your aunt advises.

You shake your head in disagreement.

“Men bring nothing but heartache.”

—

Much to your chagrin, your aunt and uncle convince you to travel with them through the district.

You are slightly grateful for their coercion as the breathtaking weather allows you to take a break from your resounding problems, albeit momentarily.

You stop in the middle of the journey as one of the wheels on your carriage is starting to lose its weight, and the coachman requires you to pull over so he can fix it. You lean on one of the nearby trees as your aunt and uncle sit beside you.

“Where exactly are we?” You ask, taking a look at your surroundings, yet all that encompasses you is trees.

“I believe we are close to the Lee estate.”

Your ears perk up. “Lee Jeno?”

“Yes, that’s the fellow,” your uncle murmurs. “I heard his estate is surrounded by a great lake. I have an immense desire to see it for myself.”

“Oh, let’s not,” you immediately object.

Your aunt and uncle turn to you with a raised eyebrow, curious about your swift rejection.

You clear your throat. “I mean, he is awfully busy, I am sure. We would not want to bother him.”

“Do not fret, dear,” your aunt assures. “Great men like him are usually never home.”

You swallow down your further protests, refusing to tell your aunt and uncle the real reason why you cannot see Jeno again.

Once the carriage is fixed, you travel to the Lee estate. As many have vouched, the estate expands beyond your wildest dreams. A large lake covers the entire front yard, with more windows and doors around the house than you could ever conjure up in your mind.

One of the maidens comes out to greet you. Your aunt and uncle are eager to receive a tour and you glance around, picturing the spots where Jeno would walk through, probably dragging that awful trench coat behind him. You giggle at the thought.

“Has something caught your interest, ma’am?” The maiden asks you and you jump, quickly wiping the smile off of your face.

“Oh, no, no. I was simply wondering if Mr. Lee’s sister was home.”

She nods. “Yes, the young girl is likely wrapped up in her piano lesson. You may go search for her while I show your aunt and uncle the gardens if you wish.”

Your aunt touches your arm fondly. “Meet us back at the lodging when you are finished.”

You faintly hear the sound of the piano drift from upstairs, and you follow the noise. You drink in your sights as you go, marveling at the expensive marble columns and gold accents of the house. You ponder over the idea of Jeno choosing the decorations himself.

You finally find the door to one of the drawing rooms, and you open it by a sliver. You catch a glimpse of Jayoon’s long hair with her back turned towards you, her fingers playing a melody as if she had memorized it from birth. You gape at the young girl’s talent.

Your heart beats wildly in your chest when Jeno’s frame comes into view, tapping Jayoon on the shoulder and surprising her. She gasps and jumps into his arms, clearly not expecting his presence.

You make the mistake of moving your foot, which causes the hard flooring to creak beneath your weight. The sound alerts Jeno and his head turns to the entrance of the doorway, where he catches your eye.

You wheeze, quickly spinning around and darting back down the stairs. You must look like a clumsy oaf but you do not care, trying your best at getting as far from the estate as possible. You manage to find yourself outside, but before you can descend down the back entryway, you hear Jeno calling your name.

You squeeze your eyes shut momentarily before slowly facing him.

“I-I apologize, I thought you were out of town.”

He swallows, his once confident stare now filled with nothing but anxiety.

“I came home a day early,” he explains.

He’s wearing that long trench coat again. You wonder if he ever takes it off.

“We wouldn’t have come if we had known you were here-“

“I had some business with my steward-“

You both pause when you realize you’re speaking over one another. His eyes soften at the sight of you.

You avoid his gaze.

“I’m visiting with my aunt and uncle.”

He nods. “And are you having a pleasant trip?”

You blink nervously. “Yes. Tomorrow we are heading to the district before going back home.”

“Tomorrow?” You swear you hear the disappointment in his voice, but it could be a figment of your imagination. “Are you staying nearby?”

You nod and tell him where you’ll be lodging. You place your hand over your chest in an attempt to control your frenzied heartbeat.

“I apologize again for intruding. They said the house was open for visitors and I had no idea you would be home-“

“You’re always welcome here,” he says, his voice filled with honesty. Goosebumps rise on your arms at his frank statement. “Shall I see you into town?”

“No, no,” you object, taking a step back. “I would much prefer to walk. I like to do that — to walk.”

You want to hit yourself over the head. You sound foolish.

Jeno just smiles, laughing to himself. You do not think you have ever seen him this way. Your stomach erupts with butterflies at the sight of his handsome grin.

“Yes, I’m well acquainted with that fact.”

You stare down at your feet, recalling the day you had run nearly three miles in the rain instead of waiting for Yujin and Yuta’s carriage. You’re curious if Jeno had to also run that far just to catch you. Did he catch a cold?

“I shall see myself off then. Goodbye, Mr. Lee.”

You curtsy, refusing to take another glance at him before fleeing the grounds of the estate.

You think about him on your walk back into the village. You envision him as a child, running through the gardens and playing games with the staff. You smile at the thought.

When you find the inn you’ll be staying at for the night, you inform your aunt and uncle of your return before slipping into your room. You decide to freshen up before supper, ridding your mind of any thoughts related to Jeno. You remind yourself that you will likely not see him again, so any of these confusing feelings that are rising need to be squashed.

Your aunt and uncle, however, have a different idea when you join them downstairs.

“My dear, Mr. Lee was just here!”

“What?”

“Yes!” Your uncle is overjoyed. “He invited us to dine with him tomorrow. You don’t mind delaying our journey another day, do you?”

“I-I suppose not.”

An ominous shiver runs down your spine.

—

A lively tune greets you at the Lee estate.

You pause when you see Jayoon playing at the keys with Jeno standing beside the piano to hear her. She stops when she sees you enter the drawing room, jumping up and running over to curtsy before you. She says your name with clear fondness.

You smile and return the curtsy, a little startled by her warmth towards you.

“My sister, Jayoon,” Jeno introduces, walking over. Your breath hitches at his presence.

“My brother has told me so much about you,” Jayoon beams. Your eyes flit to Jeno’s frame, and his head is bowed slightly in embarrassment. “I feel as if we are friends already.”

“It is an honor to finally meet you,” you say. “You play the piano beautifully.”

She bashfully stares down at her feet. “You flatter me so. My brother tells me you’re an exceptional player as well.”

You laugh. “Then he has uttered the most ridiculous lie.”

Jeno chuckles, staring yearningly at you.

“To be fair, I said you were a good player.”

“Ah, well good is not quite exceptional, now is it?”

He smiles at your jest. You both fail to notice how long you have been gazing at one another until Jayoon clears her throat. You divert your eyes and Jeno ignores how red his ears have gotten.

He addresses your aunt and uncle, who are standing behind you.

“I have heard your uncle is fond of fishing.”

“Yes, very much so,” your uncle replies with elation.

“I would be honored if you joined me out on the lake today,” Jeno invites, and your uncle nearly jumps for joy.

“And what about you?” Jayoon asks. “Do you play duets on the piano?”

You chuckle. “Not if I can help it.”

“Oh, brother, you must make her!” Jayoon says playfully.

Jeno looks at you. “She has quite the independent mind, dear sister. I am afraid I cannot make her do anything she does not wish.”

You do not return his stare, fearing you’ll get lost in his eyes.

Jeno and your uncle head to the lake to begin their fishing session while you and your aunt stay with Jayoon to chat and play the piano. You’re in the midst of drinking tea when Jayoon says something that nearly causes you to choke.

“My brother talks of you quite a lot,” Jayoon reveals with a knowing smile. Your aunt’s eyebrow ticks up. “He says you are different from the noblewomen we usually conversate with.”

“Yes, that sounds like something he would say,” you murmur, refusing to peer over at your aunt, who you know has a million questions to bombard you with. “I do not believe your brother chats with many noblewomen to begin with.”

Jayoon giggles. “You would fare on the correct side in relation to that guess. I have desired for him to find a lifelong partner but there has been no one who has peaked his interest until recently.”

You fiddle with your teacup, ignoring Jayoon’s smirk.

Your aunt’s puzzled tone speaks first. “How long has Mr. Lee been acquainted with my niece?”

“A few months only,” you answer before Jayoon can say something else that would embarrass you. “We met when Mr. Na first came into town.”

“Ah yes,” your aunt sighs, very familiar with Jaemin considering Jimin stayed in her home for weeks to capture his attention. “Does Mr. Na come to visit here often, Jayoon?”

She shakes her head. “Not as much lately. I believe he has been preoccupied for most of the season.”

Your aunt grumbles under her breath. You’re pleased by her disdain for Jaemin, understanding how tough this time has been for Jimin.

A maiden suddenly knocks on the door and Jayoon instructs her to enter. She says she has a letter for you and you furrow your eyebrows, taking the envelope from her hands. You recognize Jimin’s handwriting and rip open the letter immediately.

You gasp when you read its contents, placing Jayoon and your aunt on high alert.

“What is it, dear? What’s happened?”

You clutch your chest, heaving. “W-We must return home! At once!”

The two women try to stop you but you sprint out of the house and onto the lake, calling for your uncle with the most desperate voice you can muster. Jeno spots you first, quickly dropping his fishing rod and rushing over to you.

“What’s wrong? Are you injured?”

He clutches your elbows, scanning your figure for any visible wounds. You cannot stop the tears flowing down your face, your mind too overtaken with fear to think about how close Jeno is.

“It’s Minji,” you cry. “S-She has run away! With Lee Donghyuck!”

You crumble and he wraps his arms around you. Your uncle hurriedly comes to your side.

“What? When has this happened?”

“I do not know,” you choke back on your tears as Jeno gently wipes them away. “They do not know where she has gone! She has no money, no connections, no future!”

“This is my fault,” Jeno whispers. “I should have exposed Donghyuck.”

Your uncle gently takes the letter from your fingers, reading the words for himself. You hear Jayoon and your aunt approach, catching their breath from chasing you.

“What is it? What has her so enervated?” Your aunt questions.

Your uncle relays the message, including the part where your father has gone to the Baek family to search for Minji.

Jeno strokes your hair in comfort and you knock back your better judgment, digging your face into the collar of his trench coat.

“We must find Minji as soon as we can,” your aunt gasps. “If the news gets out, the family will be ruined!”

“I will fix it,” Jeno says with conviction.

You shake your head. “You can’t. This is my fault — I should have told my family the truth about Donghyuck or this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Do not blame yourself,” Jeno hisses, cupping his hands over your cheeks and forcing you to look at him. His eyes are filled with steadfast determination. “We will get this sorted.”

“I shall join your father in his search for Minji,” your uncle declares. “Mr. Lee, I ask for your favor in borrowing one of your carriages.”

“Of course,” Jeno agrees. “Jayoon, please show him the way.”

Jayoon casts another glance at you embraced in Jeno’s arms before guiding your uncle away.

“I will ask for our carriage to be prepared to take you home,” your aunt says, also leaving the two of you.

You sniffle, feeling shameful by your appearance in front of Jeno. He stares at you in distress.

“I apologize for my behavior-“

“I wish you would cease asking forgiveness in front of me. You never have to.”

Your breath hitches at his candor. Your bodies are as close to one another as the rainy day he first confessed to you. If you tilt your head forward a few inches, you could plant a kiss on his lips.

You compose yourself and take a step back.

“Mr. Lee, I-I should go.”

“Yes, yes,” he mumbles, clearly taken aback by his own actions. “I hope your family can remedy the situation.”

You turn to leave but he stutters out a request.

“And please, take care of yourself.”

You glance back at him, eyes welled with tears.

“You as well, Mr. Lee.”

—

When you return home, your mother is bedridden and wailing.

You and Jimin gather around her bed as she sobs. “Oh, what shall we do? You are all ruined. Who will wed you now with a fallen sister? And now your poor father will have to go off and fight Lee Donghyuck!”

You and Jimin exchange a glance. Jimin clears her throat.

“Father hasn’t even found Mr. Lee yet, mother.”

Your mother ignores her and continues. “And then Mr. Nakamoto will turn us out when your father is killed! Oh, Minji must know what this will do for my nerves. How can she vex her poor mother like this?”

You decide to head downstairs, agreeing that your mother’s avid concerns would not be subdued any time soon. You frown when you see Minjeong in the kitchen, holding a letter in her hands.

“What have you got there?”

Jimin snatches it out of Minjeong’s grasp and scans it herself. “It’s addressed to father. It’s in uncle’s writing.”

You hear the familiar sound of the carriage pulling up and you all dart outside, frantically waving the letter around.

“Father! Father!”

He groans, taking a step out of the carriage. “Let me get my bearings first.”

“It’s a letter for you! From uncle!” You say, thrusting it into his hands.

He opens it as he walks back to the house, dismissing your frantic jumping to read the contents.

“Well?” Minjeong says impatiently. “What does it say?”

“He’s found them.”

Jimin gasps. “Are they married?”

He squints. “I cannot make out the script-“

You seize it and read it for yourself. Jimin and Minjeong lurk over your shoulder.

“Are they married?” Jimin asks again.

You sigh. “They will be, under the condition that father pays Lee Donghyuck a small sum for Minji per year.”

Minjeong scoffs. “A small sum! How barbaric!”

“Well? Will you pay it, father?” Jimin questions. Minjeong takes the letter from you to read it again.

“Of course I will agree. The matter of the question is how much your uncle has already laid on this wretched man,” your father exhales, walking back into the house sluggishly.

You turn to Jimin. “What does he mean?”

She shrugs. “Uncle must have threatened Mr. Lee wickedly. For the situation, with the three of us still unmarried and the family’s reputation hanging by a thread, Mr. Lee would be foolish to only settle for a small sum.”

You scowl. “Heaven forbid the day we have to welcome that wretched man into the family.”

The day comes sooner than you think. Minji and Donghyuck arrive a few weeks later, with Minji beaming at her newfound status as a married woman. You roll your eyes at her airy nature at the dinner table.

“You must all visit the Baek family soon. That is the place to get husbands! I hope you have half of my good luck.”

“Good luck?” Minjeong scoffs. “You nearly ruined our family!”

Your mother scolds Minjeong for her outburst before turning to Minji with a smile.

“I want to hear every detail, my darling Minji.”

You and Jimin chuckle at your mother’s quick change in heart. She was out of bed and celebrating as soon as you told her the news of Minji getting married.

You exchange a look with Donghyuck across the table, and he appears remorseful. You mock him and laugh.

Minji rattles off the story about the last few weeks with Donghyuck and their wedding. You tell her you do not want to hear it but she ignores you.

“I wondered if my dear Donghyuck would be married in his blue coat, as I love the way he looks in it. And of course, because of the quick ceremony, I worried that uncle would not make it in time to be the best man. Luckily, he arrived on time or else I would’ve had to ask Mr. Lee Jeno but I don’t really like that man.”

You pause. “Lee Jeno?”

Minji gasps and covers her mouth, making sure no one else at the table heard her slip up. “Oh heavens, I forgot. I should not have said a word.”

You prod her further. “Mr. Lee was at your wedding?”

She lowers her voice into a whisper, and you realize she cannot help herself in dishing out the truth.

“He was the one who discovered us. He paid for everything — the wedding ceremony, Donghyuck’s sum, all of my new dresses, everything!” Her elated expression turns serious. “But do not say a word to anyone! He told me not to tell.”

You’re astounded by the secret. “M-Mr. Lee?” You clarify for your own sanity.

She shoots you a sour look. “Quit it!”

You sit back in your chair, feeling as if you need to catch your breath. You cannot believe Jeno went out of his way to save Minji and fix her horrid nuptials to Donghyuck. It’s no wonder that Donghyuck only asked for a small sum from your father as Jeno must have paid the rest.

You digest the information, wondering how it was possible for a man like Lee Jeno to exist and how it was possible that he so clearly loved a girl like you.

—

You hear rumors of Jaemin’s return to town, pushing Jimin to a state of disarray. She insists she does not care about his arrival, but when a local butcher tells you that he comes without a woman by his side, her interest is clearly piqued. You attempt to convince her to locate him, but she still persists she does not care about the origin of his visit.

You are lounging in the drawing room when Minjeong comes bursting through the door.

“He is here! Mr. Na is here!”

Her announcement sends the room into a frenzy, with your mother gasping and shooting out of her chair, nearly tripping over the furniture. Jimin is on her feet, combing her fingers through her hair and straightening her dress. You flee to the window, shocked when you see not only Jaemin approaching, but Jeno walking right beside him.

“Act natural, girls!” Your mother shouts, struggling to stand.

You quickly draw back from the window, hand over your heart. You are not thoroughly prepared to face Jeno again, especially now knowing how far he has gone to ensure your family wasn’t laid to ruin.

Your mother pushes Minjeong down into a seat and shoves some fabric into her hands to make it appear like she’s been embroidering. Jimin cries at you in despair and you help her tie a ribbon around her waist and brush her hair.

Your mother throws you a book and you all hurriedly sit in different areas of the room, looking as natural as you possibly can.

There is a knock on the door before one of your handmaidens enters.

“Mr. Na and Mr. Lee,” she introduces, stepping aside so the men can set foot in.

You all stand, curtsying as they bow. You beg your heart rate to stop thumping in your ears.

Jeno looks so attractive that it makes you want to curl into yourself and scream. He avoids your gaze, and you contemplate if he no longer wants to be with you because of Minji’s incident.

Jaemin opens his mouth to speak, but your mother beats him to it.

“How glad we are to see you again, Mr. Na! I am sure you have heard of my youngest getting married while you were away. We are very proud of her accomplishments.”

Jaemin smiles politely. “Yes, I heard the great news. I offer my congratulations.”

His eyes drift to Jimin’s form, and you see your sister smile timidly at him.

Your mother continues. “It is a shame that Mr. Lee Donghyuck lives so far. Having my youngest taken away at such an early age is no easy feat.”

You interrupt her, hoping to salvage the conversation for Jimin’s sake.

“How long are you in town for, Mr. Na?”

“Just a few weeks for the hunt.”

You forget that now is the best time for hunting season, and many men in town partake in the activity. Your eyes flit once again to Jeno’s form, and you catch him staring at you briefly before he looks away. The butterflies in your stomach will surely make you ill.

“Oh, Mr. Na, you must come here once you get bored of the game in town. My husband would love to oblige you,” your mother invites.

Jaemin’s smile never wavers. “Yes, that sounds splendid. Thank you.”

“How are you, Mr. Lee?” You ask.

You cannot help yourself. You have dreamed about him since you left the estate and he has to take accountability for your sleepless nights.

He momentarily glances at you. “I’m quite well, thank you.”

“I hope the weather is favorable when you go hunting,” you say.

He nods. “I return home tomorrow. I will not be participating in this year’s hunt.”

Your heart drops. “So soon?”

He refuses to look at you again.

“My Jimin looks beautiful, does she not?” Your mother questions Jaemin.

He stutters. “O-Oh yes, she does indeed.”

The room is filled with silence, and while you’re pleading for Jeno to look at you, Jimin is desperately wanting Jaemin to say more.

Jaemin swallows before clearing his throat. “W-Well, we must be going, I think. It was lovely to see you all again.”

“You must come visit,” your mother reminds him. “You promised last time you were in town that you would attend a family dinner.”

Jaemin awkwardly nods before scurrying out of the house. Jeno lingers, looking disappointed.

He bows his head. “Excuse me.”

The request for him to stay lays on the tip of your tongue but he exits before you can ask.

Once the two men are gone, you all collapse back in your seats. You rush to Jimin’s side as your mother voices, “How unusual!”

Your sister seems as optimistic as ever, despite the gloomy look in her eye.

“Perhaps that was for the best,” she hollowly laughs. “Now I will not have to go to bed wondering about my fate. He’s clearly moved on and is no longer interested.”

“Jimin,” you sigh, placing a hand over hers. “You do not have to fabricate your feelings to me. I may also be hiding some truths that I am not content with.”

Her head whips around. “Like what?”

Before you can finally tell her your secret, Minjeong’s voice screeches.

“He is back!”

“What?” Your mother screams, flinging her body at the window.

You catch the billowing of Jaemin’s coat before you’re being hauled up again by your mother. Jaemin enters the room in a more uncoordinated fashion, not even alerting the handmaiden so she can announce his presence. His hair is sticking up in random directions, indicating he was likely running his hands through it nervously.

“I apologize for my abrupt actions, but I would like to request an audience with Jimin if I may.”

All of your mouths drop open. Your mother speaks first.

“Everyone into the kitchen,” she instructs, and you nearly trip when she pushes you forward.

You grab Minjeong’s wrist and tug her with you. Your mother closes the door behind her and all three of you immediately press your ears against it to listen in.

“First, I must tell you that I have been a halfwitted and reckless fool,” you hear Jaemin start to say. You scoff, internally agreeing with him. Minjeong elbows you to be quiet. “And second, I want to atone for the months I have been away. My fair Jimin, I will wrong you no further. Would you do me the honor of accepting my hand in marriage?”

You all gasp.

Moments pass before Jimin’s shaky voice replies, “Yes, a thousand times yes!”

Your mother bursts open the door and screeches in delight.

“My heavens, I never believed the day would come!”

You hurry in to envelope Jimin in a hug and congratulate her. The embrace gives you a direct view of the window, where a stony Lee Jeno stands in a far distance. You hold your breath, hoping he would come inside as well and give his own second version of a proposal. You would not hesitate to accept this time.

However, he merely situates himself there for a few seconds longer before turning away and leaving. You shut your eyes, quelling the ache in your chest and pulling Jimin closer to congratulate her once again.

—

That night, you giggle as you lay in bed with your sister.

“A spring wedding!” She exclaims, and your heart is full at the sight of her happiness. “Oh, he just looked so nervous but he had no idea how my heart was pounding out of my chest, sister. I wish for you to be this happy one day.”

Unlike the way Minji declared it to demean you, Jimin says it with pure virtue.

You fake a smile, thinking about how you screwed up your chances of ever being with Jeno.

“Maybe Mr. Nakamoto has a friend.”

She bursts into laughter at your joke and you pretend to share her joy. Your satisfaction, however, is broken by the sound of a carriage pulling up outside.

You frown. “Do you hear that?”

It was already well past midnight, so if a visitor was approaching, it must have been with urgent news. You and Jimin hop out of bed and rush downstairs, where the rest of your family is also starting to gather.

There’s a knock at the door and your father wobbles over to answer it.

You gasp when you see who is behind it.

“L-Lady Park?”

The woman shuffles in haggardly, and you all curtsy and bow at her presence. She looks disturbed, mouth twisted into an angry frown.

Your father awkwardly talks first. “May I offer you a cup of tea, madam?”

“Absolutely not. I need to speak with your second oldest alone.”

All eyes turn to you. You swallow and step forward, gesturing to the drawing room and leading Lady Park inside. You shut the door, placing a candle on a nearby table to provide you some semblance of sight.

Your palms sweat at the thought of what Lady Park had to confront you with. Perhaps you should not have messed around with Jimin — maybe Lady Park really was here to marry you off to one of Mr. Nakamoto’s friends.

“I am sure you are not puzzled by the reasoning behind my visit.”

You blink. “You are mistaken, ma’am. I cannot conjure up why you have honored my family here tonight by your presence.”

She scowls. “I warn you, dear girl, I am not one to be trifled with. A message has reached me that my nephew, Mr. Lee, has intended to unite you in the union of marriage.” You freeze, your mind running through a myriad of scenarios. “I know this to be a scandalous falsehood, so I instantly traveled here to make my sentiments known.”

You narrow your eyes at her degrading tone. “If you had thought the rumor so impossible, I ponder why you decided to travel so far.”

She steps forward, her scowl transforming into an expression filled with more hatred.

“I came to hear it be contradicted.”

“Your appearance will only serve as a confirmation if indeed such a report exists,” you say.

“If?” She spits out bitterly. “Are you meaning to pretend to not know of it? Were you not the one who started such a malicious lie to bring down the reputation of my dear nephew?”

“I have never heard of it!” You defend yourself.

“So my nephew has not made you an offer of marriage?”

You raise your head high. “You are the one who has declared such a thing to be impossible.”

You can practically see her shake with rage. “Mr. Lee has been engaged to my daughter since their infancy. Now what have you to say?”

“If that is the case, then there is no reason Mr. Lee would make an offer to me.”

“You listen to me, you selfish girl — if you think a woman of inferior birth with a scandalous sister who married the first suitor she came across can come in and tarnish Mr. Lee’s reputation, I will surely prove you wrong. Now tell me the truth, are you engaged to him?”

You contain yourself. “I am not.”

“And do you promise to never enter such an engagement?”

You put your foot down. You refuse to allow this woman to come into your home, insult you, and forbid you from marrying the man you know you yearn for.

“I shall never promise such a thing. You have traveled here in the dead of night to offend me in every possible way and I will tolerate it no longer. I must ask you to leave.”

You swing open the door, exposing your entire family on the opposite side of it, who were likely listening in on your ordeal. Lady Park gives you one last glance, and if looks could kill, you would be six feet underground.

“I have never been so disrespected in my entire life!” Lady Park declares before taking her leave, shutting the front door with great force.

“My dear, what is going on?”

“Why does she think something is happening between you and Mr. Lee?”

“Did Mr. Lee propose to you?”

You flee from your family’s questioning, running up the stairs with tears in your eyes.

“For once in your life, leave me alone!”

—

It is the break of dawn when you decide to take a walk.

You could not sleep all night. Jimin slipped into your bed at one point and comforted you wordlessly, wrapping her arms around you. You thought about Jeno and Lady Park’s scornful words. If you had a little less dignity, you would have told her how her nephew proposed to you but in all your stupidity, you denied him. She would probably get a laugh out of that.

You stare down at your feet, kicking around the patches of weeds childishly. Your breath hitches when another pair of shoes land before you.

You raise your head to see Lee Jeno standing there in all of his glory.

You say the first thing that comes to mind.

“I couldn’t sleep.”

“Nor I.”

You nod, pulling your jacket tighter around your shoulders. “Your aunt was here-“

“I should make amends for such insolent behavior.”

You shake your head. “After everything you have done to save Minji and I suspect to help Jimin, I should be the one apologizing for my behavior.”

“I told you that you never have to apologize to me, didn’t I? You must know I did all of it for you.” He says, smiling. You wonder if you could ever be this infatuated with another human being. “I came here because I beg you not to trifle with me. My aunt’s visit has provided me hope — a feeling I thought had disappeared months ago. I plead with you to tell me if your affections have changed.”

He takes a step closer to you. His eyes melt with a familiar fondness.

“If they have changed, I must tell you that you have bewitched me, body and soul. I love you, and I wish to never be parted from you from this day forth.”

You can no longer hold back your grin. You close the distance, gently tugging on the lapels of his dreary trench coat. You press your lips to his and his control officially snaps, one hand wrapping around your middle and tugging you closer. He kisses you with fervor, as if it is the last thing on earth he will ever get to do.

You giggle and pull back to catch your breath.

“Tell me, please,” he whispers with desperation. “I can bear it no longer.”

“I love you,” you say, stroking your fingers through his hair. “I love, love, love you.”

He kisses you again, hand traveling to the back of your neck and pulling you as close as humanly possible. He kisses you like he is afraid that you will slip out of his grasp. Warmth pools at the bottom of your stomach at his obvious desire.

“W-We should speak to my father,” you pant against his mouth.

“Yes, yes,” he agrees, catching his own breath. “A spring wedding? Or we could get married now, I have no objection-“

You giggle. “Mr. Lee, don’t get too ahead of yourself.”

“I cannot help it. I have waited too long for you to be in my embrace.”

“Then we shall not wait a second longer.”

—

You marry Lee Jeno on a beautiful day in spring.

The ceremony is simple at your request, and your mother cries when you walk down the aisle. Yujin sobs when she sees you in a veil, joyful that you have finally found your happy ending.

Your father was initially confused when you came to his office hand in hand with your betrothed until you explained to him the true nature of your feelings and all of the actions Jeno had taken to save your family. Jimin and Minjeong demanded to know all of the details you kept from them, and Minji even traveled into town to also hear your side of events.

Jeno has the wedding planned faster than you can blink, stressing that he cannot endure another day without you as his wife.

You have awoken something primal in him, and it shows on your wedding night.

He nearly breaks open the bedroom door as he pushes you in, shutting it loudly and practically throwing you on the bed. You laugh when he hovers over you, pressing kisses down your neck.

“Jeno, Jeno,” you hum, smiling as he tugs your wedding dress up. “Slow down, my love.”

“I want to taste you,” he groans against your collarbone.

His deep voice sends a shiver down your spine. You have only heard stories about what happens between a husband and his wife in their bedroom. They were usually filled with salacious recountings from many of the schoolgirls around you growing up. You honestly have no idea what you’re in for tonight, but all you know is that you would let Jeno take you at his heart’s desire.

“Too many buttons,” he grumbles against your chest, and you gasp when he rips your dress clean down the middle.

“Jeno!” You begin to scold but it turns into a moan when his lips latch onto your left breast, tongue flicking at your nipple lewdly.

“You’re mine, are you not? My wife, my forever,” he mumbles, kissing down your stomach until he is face to face with your core.

You tense at the sight of him being so close to an intimate part of your body. He senses your nerves, looking up at you and interlacing his hands with yours.

“It is quite alright, Mrs. Lee,” he smirks at your new surname. “You can trust me.”

You take a deep breath and relax. “I trust you.”

The first swipe of his tongue against your core takes your breath away. Your spine arches at the exhilarating feeling. He moves your hand until it is resting on his hair, urging you to pull at the strands as you please.

He laps at your folds eagerly, lips mouthing over you passionately. You cry when he suddenly takes your clit in his mouth and sucks hard.

He unlocks a new type of pleasure you never believed was possible — tremors running down your body as you chase the high. You fail to realize your hips are moving on their own accord, twisting and riding his face.

When the pleasure begins to subside, Jeno pulls away and lets you catch your breath.

“What was that?” You wheeze.

He chuckles, hoisting himself up to kiss you. He trails kisses across your cheek.

“Did it feel good, my pearl?”

“I-I need to feel that again.”

His laughter is like music to your ears. He nuzzles his face into your neck.

“Would you like me to show you how much better I can make you feel?”

You nod and he raises his head to see you. “I love you,” he murmurs, leaning forward to kiss you again.

Since the day you confessed your feelings, he hasn’t failed to remind you of his love nearly every hour of every day.

“When this is over, will I bear your child?” You ask, genuinely curious about the answer.

He strokes your hair gently. “Is that something you want?”

You laugh and bob your head. “Of course. We simply cannot live in this grand house by ourselves. I fear I will go hysterical.”

“Then we will have as many children as you like, Mrs. Lee.”

He begins to undress and you eye him as respectfully as you can. You wish you had known Jeno was hiding his muscular glory underneath those boring trench coats. You likely would not have rejected him the first time if you were made aware.

“Please resist drooling.”

You narrow your eyes playfully. “You’re my husband. I may drool as I please.”

He grins and throws his coat and shirt to the side, slowly unbuttoning his pants. Your mouth waters when he finally takes off his undergarments.

His cock is beautiful, if you’re even allowed to say that. Pretty and pink and long. A bit of liquid leaks from the tip and you suddenly get a craving to taste it.

“We have all the time for you to do that later. I want to show you a good time now,” he says as if he can read your mind.

You smile and pull him close, pressing your lips together. You watch as he gives his cock a few tugs before lining it up to your entrance.

“This may hurt at first, but I promise it will feel satisfactory if you loosen your body,” he says, ensuring that you are listening carefully.

You nod, happy twinkle never disappearing from your eyes.

“I trust you.”

The first thrust is painful. You exhale, focusing on not tensing up your body too much as Jeno instructed. He soothes you, fingers running up and down your sides lightly.

“You are so perfect for me,” he hums. “I should have married you sooner.”

When he’s finally all the way inside, you take a deep breath. He rests his forehead on yours.

“Good?”

You stroke his cheek fondly. “Good, my love.”

He rolls his hips into yours and you groan. He picks up a steady beat until the furrow in your brow vanishes. A wave of pleasure shoots up your spine and you gasp, triggering Jeno to pick up his pace.

He grips the headboard tightly between his fingers, planting his knees on the mattress before driving into you.

“O-Oh!” You moan, not anticipating how intoxicating this would feel.

You raise your hips and subconsciously move to meet his thrusts. He groans at your effort, slowly losing it at how tight you feel around him.

“Here,” he says, moving one hand downwards to pinch your clit and roll it between his fingers.

“Ungh,” you wail, throwing your head back. “That’s so good, Jeno. Keep going.”

Vulgar sounds fill the bedroom with skin slapping skin and your moans mixed with his grunts. You probably look maniacal with the way you’re desperately chasing your high, but you have no care in the world right now.

Your mind is merely screaming Jeno’s name.

He collapses back on you, kissing you with an intensity you could not describe. You swear you see stars explode behind your eyes.

“May I try something?” He pants into your mouth.

You agree and he withdraws himself from you, nearly causing you to whimper at the loss. He grabs your hips and twists you around, taking off the scraps of your dress and flinging it to the floor. His hand pushes down your head and arches your back. You turn your head to the side and moan.

“Please, Jeno, please-“

He eases himself back inside, answering your pleas.

He breathes heavily, squeezing his eyes shut. “You are torturing me beyond no end.”

This position hits a different spot inside of you. You mewl, clawing at the sheets. You have never felt closer to Jeno until this moment with the way his cock fits so perfectly inside of you.

He leans down to press kisses to your shoulders.

“May I use you as I wish?”

The question almost has you whining.

“Whatever you like, my love. Please, use me for your pleasure.”

He drills into you, forcing his cock into your dripping hole until you weep for him. You bury your face into his pillow, preventing your screams from growing too loud when you ultimately fall into your second climax. It hits a lot harder than the first, especially since Jeno shows no signs of stopping.

You cry when he changes positions again, falling to his side and moving you to do the same, hiking up your leg until it’s wrapped around his hip. He angles himself so that he hits you deeper.

You wonder if you look like a woman vexed, completely overtaken by lust. He pounds into you to coax your third orgasm to come to bay.

You beg for him, unsure of what you’re pleading for.

“Please, please, please-“

His hand strikes at your clit, slapping it with an unexpected force. You dive headfirst into your peak, crying and whimpering until your throat is sore.

Your body tries to squirm away from Jeno’s sharp thrusts but he doesn’t let you, holding you down and turning you so that your stomach presses against the mattress again.

His cock beats into your soaking cunt before he reaches his own high, groaning loudly as he spills his seed deep into you. It is only then that he finally slows down, collapsing onto the bed and pulling you into his arms.

You both pant, trying to catch your breath as his cum leaks down your thighs.

“So we can do that all the time now?” You huff.

He laughs and kisses your forehead.

“Whenever you would like, Mrs. Lee.”

#nct fluff #nct smut #jeno #jeno smut

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