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silurisanguine · 4 months

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OC mega Q&A

I did this many moons ago for my Deus Ex OC Zofie Orel from this user's posts. The original posts seem to have vanished but credit where credit is due. I've also added a section from this post as well. Now i'm going to do it for Seren Jones as it really does flesh out her character quite a bit, even more so that i've already done. It's also a good reference to show anyone who asks. I'll tag the Coemancer crew if you fancy doing it for yours and anyone else who wants to give it a go.

LONG post behind cut.

BASICS

What’s their full name? Seren, (Coe) Jones. She takes the Coe surname in her OG verse after marrying Sam, but drops it again whilst Starborn so as not to draw attention to herself. She plans to take it again should the stars align.

What does their name mean? Why were they named that? Seren is welsh for Star. She understands the irony. Her parents named her Seren after her mum saw her open her eyes for the first time and knew she'd want to explore the stars. Her father being a history professor with interested in the cultures their ancestors came from suggested the Welsh word for star.

Do they have any nicknames? Star, Ren. She also went by Dusty James when in the protective programme.

How old are they? 30 years old as of the start of her story.

When’s their birthday? 12 9th month 2300 Akila City

What’s their zodiac sign/element/birthstone/etc.? Do they believe that holds any significance? Earth astrology means nothing in space. She has no idea and doesn't care.

What’s their species/subspecies? Do they have any special/magical abilities? Starborn. All the powers that come with that. She is naturally empathic and can sense the emotions of others, which is both a benefit and hindrence. She now also has the ability to manipulate minds, thanks to Ryujin. She uses it as a tool should the need arise, but doesnt rely on it.

What “class” do they belong to (for fantasy characters)? If none, what weapon do they favor? They favour the Va’ruun Inflictor rifle, Hard Target sniper rifle and Magsheer. Occasionally using a Big Bang or Breach shotgun for close quarter’s ship fighting. Her specialities in her og verse were stealth, but since becoming starborn, she has developed more close quarters fighting skills that utilise her abilities. APPEARANCE

What do they look like? 5’5” athletic build woman. Original universe she had a silver coloured pixie haircut, Currently sporting a turquoise blue bixie cut. Has a few tiny scars on her face from mining, one on her forehead, the other on her jaw. She has a body encompassing tattoo of a trail of stars around her body. She now also has a band tattooe'd around her ring finger to symbolise the wedding ring she lost.

Do they have a face claim? Myself in my 30s but with full health and video game perfect.

What’s their style like? Clothes, hair, makeup? Her original universe she wore sleek modern dark clothing. Whether it be formwear or suits. Now she wears what ever is comfortable under her starborn suit which she mostly wears. She does prefer dark colours still and prefers formwear, cargos and long sleeve tops or settler wear in shades of black. She does like to wear makeup, sticking to smoky eyes and dark lipstick. Her hair is one of her signature things and the blue colour is because of a certain pendant someone once wore.

How do they carry themselves? What’s their default expression? Her Og verse, she carried herself with humour and a twinkle in her eye. Since becoming starborn, she’s become more reserved and there is a constant sadness in her eyes.

Do they have any physical ailments or disabilities? Not any more. Noel once called her the physically healthiest person she’s ever met- One benefit of becoming Starborn. Mentally though, she is traumatised and has higher functioning depression.

Any defining features to their character? Her accent isnt definable as she moved from Akila to New Atlantis a few times. She now doesnt really have an accent but can take on any and often does when in proximity to them, becoming more Akilan the longer she is there and same in New Atlantis.

PERSONALITY

What’s their alignment? Chaotic good. She is compassionate and believes in doing good, but she hates beurocracy and sees the corruption in both the UC and FC. But she loathes the Crimson Fleet, seeing them as nothing more than 'coloured coded Spacers'.

Which one of the 16 Personality Types do they fit into? She finds that whole thing very problematic and does not subscribe to it.

What are their hobbies and interests? Do they have any particular “favorites” (food, books, and so on)? Houseplant gardening, Music and reading. She also now loves customising her weapons. She secretly loves Chunks cheesecake and cherry Boompop! She can cook, but tends not to bother much by herself. Though she did learn to cook her grandpa's famous meatloaf after the recipe was passed to her. Favourite book is Bram Stoker's Dracula.

What are they bad at? Delegating. They have a perfectionist streak and feel they need to do everything themselves to make sure it's done right.

What kind of things do they dislike/hate? Cruelty, The Hunter, The Crimson Fleet in the OG verse, Corruption, Injustice and evil corporations.

Do they have any vices/addictions/mental illnesses? Her main ‘vice’ is always having bourbon or a Solomon beer on her person to toast the universe she leaves. She also has higher functioning depression.

What are their goals and motivations? To find a universe she can finally stop in and find a Sam she can be with again after losing the love of her life in her OG verse. To survive until then.

What are their manners like? Any habits? Her OG verse , she was polite at first until she got the measure of someone. Now she knows people, she behaves exactly as she needs to. Habits - saving every fishbowl, jellyfish tank and plant from ships. She also always toasts a universe before she leaves it.

What are they most afraid of? Never finding ‘home’. Finding a Sam she hates.

BACKGROUND

Where were they born? What was their childhood like? Akila City. But at 5 left and moved to NA with her parents. Start of war left NA and returned to Akila at 8. Stayed there until she was 16 when her dad got a new job in NA uni and moved back there again. She was a lone child and was bullied most of her childhood due to being Freestar in UC space, then an expat back in Akila. She was nerdy and kept to herself, a little baby goth that liked to read and learn things. She had few friends, most expats like her that stuck with each other until something better came along for them, often leaving her alone again. Wasn't until she went to university she started making friends that had similar interests to her.

What’s their family like? Her dad Michael is a university professor, occasional poker player and the one who showed her how vital a good education is. Her mum Anne mostly worked in the diplomatic sector, as an assistant to the consulate dealing with businesses. She taught Seren how to deal with both. Seren had a good relationship with her parents, though as a kid didnt fully understand why they had to keep moving. But it forced her to have a strong sense of independence that allowed her to survive her life now. She misses them dearly but hopes they are doing well with the vast amount of money she left them. She avoids meeting them in the new universes, especially ones where she doesnt know what happened to the Seren of that universe.

What factions or organizations are they a part of? What ranks and titles do they hold? She was born in Akila City, so is Freestar Collective. She believes in what they stand for, but doesnt ignore the corruption with the governors. She became a Ranger because of her sense of justice, though hates the black and white views of some of them and the corruption in others. In her OG verse she also joined the UC Vanguard as she realised very quickly there was a bigger story going on that would effect the whole settled systems. Same reason for joining Sysdef to take down the Crimson Fleet. Other accomplishments of her og verse were being a Ryujin operative that managed to prevent the Corp from releasing some dangerous tech. Of course her title now as Starborn brings it’s own complications and accomplishments in each universe she travels through.

How do they fit into their “story”? She was in protective custody under a cover name Dusty Jones, working as a miner. The day she was told the company she had become whistleblower to, was no more was the day she was asked to collect what ever was in that cave on Vectera. She became the lead explorer of Constellation due to her connection to the Artifacts and ended up becoming Starborn after losing everything that meant anything to her in her original universe.

Where do they currently live? What’s their place like? Now? On their ship: The Valkyrie. Before she builds that, her Guardian ship and sometimes the Lodge beds to rest. Before that in her OG verse- the Lodge, her home in Akila and her cabin aboard the Star Eagle. The Guardian of course is minimal. She adds a bed roll to one side and any cuddly toys she finds she places them around her cockpit seat as it amuses her. Same with fishbowls and jellyfish tanks that she puts by the main viewing window. Once she's built the Valkyrie, she sets it up with an infirmary as the first thing you enter upon, crew quarters one side should she chose to have some and her captain's quarters the other, which is always a Nova galactic hab as its cosy and has a built in galley. Upstairs is a workshop and small internal storage. Her priority is always have a cabot4 bridge so she can avoid ladders. Her home in Midtown, Akila in her og verse was cosy, mixing Akilan furniture with more modern New Atlantis stylings. One day she might rebuild it.

How do they eventually die? She’s ‘died’ many times already. Each time she enters the Unity her body dies and part of her being joins that universe, the rest being reborn again in a new verse. She hopes one day she’ll find her new home to stop in and die of old age with the one she loves…and maybe start all over again when they feel like it.

RELATIONSHIPS

Do they have any friends? Would they consider anyone to be their best friend? She was best friends with Sam. Also in her og verse she was great friends with Andreja and Barrett. To a far lesser extent Sarah until after she loses Sam, where Sarah is a great comfort. She found it easy to make friends with lots of people around the systems too. Now? She has become friends with her counterpart from one universe and the Sam they are married too. It always ends though, so she tries not to become too close to anyone.

What’s their friend group like? What role do they play in it? Before - like family. As an only child who was bullied growing up, she didn't really have friends. So to be with people who accept and get her was a wonderful feeling. She was part of Constellation and became almost the main go person thanks to being connected to the Artifacts the group were looking for. Now She is quite the self imposed loner. Sometimes guiding those she likes in a verse she comes across, helping them in some way. She sometimes takes crew aboard her Valkyrie so she isnt so alone, giving them her ship before she leaves that universe.

What’s their love life like? Do they have any kids? She was married to Sam Coe. They had an incredible relationship of best friends, soulmates and lovers. Passionate and full of fun. But he was killed by the Hunter in her Og verse and she has been in mourning since then. She became the closest thing to a real mother Cora Coe ever had considering how bad her birth mother was, but lost her when Sam died and Lillian took her. She will meet that Cora again some day though.

Who do they look up to? Who do they trust? She admires her parents for doing what ever they had to do to keep her safe and comfortable during the Colony War. She admires/d Sam for how he turned himself around and became such a wonderful father to Cora. So far, the Sams she's met, she would trust, even the one who was cold to her, because she understood his reasoning.

Who do they hate? Do they have any enemies? The Crimson Fleet. The Hunter, Lillian Hart and Jacob Coe. Benjamin Bayu, Vae Victis. They made plenty of enemies in her og verse, what was left of the Crimson Fleet for one and who ever Vae Victis was working with.

Do they have any pets? No. She always wanted a cat, but they were too expensive and being she is Starborn now, it isn't fair to have one (cats are seen in a movie poster so i think they exist, we just never see them). Perhaps when she finds ‘home’ she’ll get one for her final home. She does save all the fishtanks and jellyfish tanks though for her ship, who get to see space as she sets them in her cockpit.

Are they good with kids? Animals? She adores Cora like a mother. She never thought she’d feel that way, but Cora is special - also a teenager. She still doesnt go googly over babies. She has no intentions of more children and isn't even sure Starborn can have children. But adopting might be on the cards..maybe. She likes animals and prefers not harming wildlife, using creator's peace on agressive species. FACTS

Which tropes do they fit? Which archetypes? The Hero, The Chosen One, The Sage and Explorer all rolled into one.

Do they play any instruments? Sports? She likes to sing along to songs when she’s alone. She is naturally stupidly fit thanks to her new nature, but as an explorer keeps it that way.

What are some items they always carry? Her favoured weapons, medical packs, alien boba tea and Chunks cakes. Bourbon. Lots of credits.

Do they collect anything? Her ship Valkyrie. Fish and jellyfish tanks. Succulents.

What position do they sleep in? Side sleeper, curled up usually with a plushie for comfort.

Which emoji would they use the most? :cowboy:

What languages do they speak? Standard universal (Mix of British and US English). Akilan slang.

What’s their favorite expletive? Shit.

What’s their favorite candle scent? Amber and vanilla.

What songs remind you of them? Evanescence - Far from Heaven and Starset - Telescope

Which animal would you say represents them? A russian blue cat.

What stereotypical high school clique would they fit into? The weirdo.

What would their favorite ride at an amusement park be? Rollercoasters. She loves swooping around in her ship during combat.

Do they believe in aliens? Ghosts? Reincarnation or something else? She believes the Creators are something otherworldly and she still believes some planet has sentient aliens comparable to humans. But she’s seen plenty of alien creatures! Ghosts? yeah she believes in them after finding the Pale Lady. Re-incarnation? Does Unity count because she’s been reborn a few times now.

Do they follow any religions/gods? Do they celebrate holidays? Her parents are both Enlightened and she does agree with the philosophy, though doesn't practice. Even with becoming Starborn, she can't subscribe to the Universal view. She refuses to celebrate UC Foundation day, but does enjoy the Solomon festival in Akila. ( Earth equivelent US 4th July and UK Midsummer)

Which Deadly Sin do they most correspond to? Which Heavenly Virtue? Not catholic so closest might be wrath for her hatred of The Hunter. Virtue? Compassion.

If you had to choose one tarot card to represent them, which would it be? Strength: UPRIGHT: Strength, courage, persuasion, influence, compassion. REVERSED: Inner strength, self-doubt, low energy, raw emotion. Both aspects fit her. SOCIAL

How does your OC feel about their full name? They find it quite ironic their name means star, when they are in fact Starborn. But she loved when Sam called her his star, so she loves her name.

What do strangers notice about them first? Her eyes usually. they are very pale green and striking, usually accentuated with makeup to enhance them. next would be her hair colour, which is usually unnatural.

How does their social personality differ from how they act when they’re alone? In her OG verse she comes across as polite and professional to strangers but also empathetic due to her natural ability. As The Marshall once said, she could sell dirt to a dusty (aka miner.) She's quite chatty and enjoys company. Alone, she talks to herself whilst doing things and especially now as Starborn where she finds herself alone a lot she often sings to herself. (the Guardian ship has great acoustics she'd found.

How do they act around a crush? She was smitten the first moment she saw Sam and worked very hard to make sure he got her signals. But always behaved as a friend would to him, just now and then dropping hints that she was interested.

Do they have a “tell” for when they’re lying? No, she has a killer 'poker face'. If only she knew how to play poker. But It's how she was able to fool the Crimson Fleet when she went undercover in them, playing them whilst taking their support from them. She enjoyed being the Mantis in her OG verse, seeing as much like one of her favourite earth movies Atomic Blonde.

What do they smell like? In the OG verse, her signature scent was amber, Akilan bloodrose and vanilla. She's been told she now has a incense like scent they can't place. She wonders if all Starborn smell like that?

What is their hair texture like? Very straight, silky thick hair.

How much jewelry do they wear, and do they have a favorite or distinguishing piece? She wears two sets of little hoops in each ear, which she gets redone every universe. She once had a platinum wedding ring, made from metal she mined.

Do they have a word or phrase that they tend to overuse? My Sam.....

What is a weird quality that they have (ie their hands are always cold, they’re always hungry, they snort when they laugh, etc)? Apart from the fact they are a being beyond space and time now? ... They have a high tolerance for alcohol, it seems even more so now as Starborn.

What color do they look strikingly good in? Deep dark red or teal blue. But they look and feel great in black. Andreja would be proud.

How do they show affection to someone they love? Small touches of affection, making them a hot drink when they wake up, Finding them little gifts that mean something personal to them. Having a secret language that includes jokes only they get. Always having their back.

Do they make strong/frequent eye contact when they talk to someone? Yes. Their eyes often reflect the emotion of the person they are talking too.

What attributes do they have that are inherited from their parents or shared with their siblings/other relatives? Courage and stubborness, compassion and empathy (the latter from her mother. )

Are their greatest flaw and their greatest strength related and in what way? (ie very caring and helpful but a doormat, or very observant and shrewd but often paranoid) Being stubborn can be both an asset and a flaw!

How has their childhood affected the way they view an aspect of their life (people, education, society, themselves, etc)? She saw the two main factions of the Settled Systems as a child and how it treated a child, so as much as she is more a Freestar supporter she knows it isnt perfect. She was often alone and is cautious about making friends although she desperatly wants companionship.

#MASSIVE OC Q&A #Seren Jones #Starfield OC #The Coemancer Crew

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stuffed-starfield · 7 months

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Muse List

Here are the lardy ladies of the Starfield~

More will be added as I find them in game~

The Starstrider/ The Feeder: Slim weight (Player Character insert, a Starborn who travels through the multiverse providing food and affection to numerous ladies she encounters. Similar to an anon in many ways.)

Sarah Morgan: 230lbs (All over fat. Leader of Constellation, but starting to get plump due to stress eating to hide her worries. However her weight is also adding to that list of worries, causing something of a viscous cycle. Not helped by the Starborn constantly offering her snacks~ Can get quite blushy when flirted with~)

Andreja: 450lbs (Growing fatter thanks to anon intervention. Pear-shaped fatty, but still strong underneath it. Formerly a member of House Vaa'run, Andreja now assists Constellation with their search for the fabled Artifacts. She can find social interaction tricky, so be patient with her. Don't get on her bad side, she is much better with her fists and weapons than with her social skills. Quite blunt and to the point. Chocolate is her favourite snack~)

Noel: 225lbs (Soft, belly-heavy body. It's pronounced No-el. Spends most of her time in The Lodge, handling scientific conundrums and getting into debates with her peers. Snacks heavily during her working hours, it helps her to concentrate.)

Lin: 200lbs (Soft "Mom-bod". Lin is the tough-love type, who looks out for those close to her, including making sure they're eating enough and getting enough to drink. Acts like a stern mother, but would only ever admit it to those she is absolutely close to. Will likely nickname you "Dusty".)

Marika Boros: 240lbs (Pear-shaped body. A fairly cheery gal from Hopetown, hoping to get her parents out of there by earning credits while exploring the galaxy. Had history with both major Factions in the Settled Systems, she wants to set up her own settlement one day.)

Imogene Salzo: 330lbs (Belly-heavy. Middle-management for Ryujin Industries. Thanks to the help from Starstrider, her job became a lot easier, so she could afford to relax a little more. With plenty of snack deliveries and persuasion from the Starborn Feeder, she is putting on the pounds at her desk~)

#muse list

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shopfiorire · 27 days

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꒰ა ♡ hey JACKIE and NOEL! what are you doing here in uniform?! your shift doesn’t start for another SIX HOURS, i’ll see you then ! ꒰SHIN RYUJIN and YOON KEEHO ARE NOW TAKEN꒱

꒰ა ♡ shin ryujin. 23. they/she. — congratulations JACKIE KIM welcome to the sunrise family! It looks like you’ll be working at THE BARKS MEOW as a CASHIER! we’re so excited to have another LEO here! there’s just a few things to verify and then we can see when your first day is — so, you said friends would describe you as being UNSERIOUS…? i do get that vibe from you! when you’re clocked out, people would be most likely to find you at AREA69? heard there’s going to be a special event there in a few weeks, hope to see you! lastly, you said the one song you’d overplay on the store speakers is MOVE ALONG by THE ALL AMERICAN REJECTS? i can’t wait to see you here! ꒰ E. 22. CST ꒱

꒰ა ♡ YOON KEEHO. 23. HE/XE/THEY. — congratulations (NOEL JUNG) welcome to the sunrise family! It looks like you’ll be working at (RADIO STAR) as a (MANAGER)! we’re so excited to have another (SCORPIO) here! there’s just a few things to verify and then we can see when your first day is — so, you said friends would describe you as being (ESCAPIST)…? i do get that vibe from you! when you’re clocked out, people would be most likely to find you at (BLOW O’S)? heard there’s going to be a special event there in a few weeks, hope to see you! lastly, you said the one song you’d overplay on the store speakers is (MOONLIGHT) by (KALI UCHIS)? i can’t wait to see you here! ꒰ MI. 21+. EST ꒱ ꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱

#twitter rp #accepted!#tysm for applying!

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svnnysidevp · 4 years

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@cherrykisscs asked : 🗑️ 4 ryujin !

send a 🗑️ to my inbox for an unsent message from my muse to yours !

[ 10.24.2018 ] 𝐬𝐦𝐬 ↺ 𝐫𝐲𝐮𝐣𝐢𝐧 💓 [ 𝗗𝗥𝗔𝗙𝗧𝗘𝗗 ] : did you have a safe flight? tracked it as u landed

[ 10.24.2018 ] 𝐬𝐦𝐬 ↺ 𝐫𝐲𝐮𝐣𝐢𝐧 💓 [ 𝗗𝗥𝗔𝗙𝗧𝗘𝗗 ] : just wanted to make sure u got in ok even if

[ 10.24.2018 ] 𝐬𝐦𝐬 ↺ 𝐫𝐲𝐮𝐣𝐢𝐧 💓 [ 𝗗𝗥𝗔𝗙𝗧𝗘𝗗 ] : u know

[ 10.24.2018 ] 𝐬𝐦𝐬 ↺ 𝐫𝐲𝐮𝐣𝐢𝐧 💓[ 𝗗𝗥𝗔𝗙𝗧𝗘𝗗 ] : wes said i shouldnt be sending these but fuck what he thinks right

[ 10.24.2018 ] 𝐬𝐦𝐬 ↺ 𝐫𝐲𝐮𝐣𝐢𝐧 💓[ 𝗗𝗥𝗔𝗙𝗧𝗘𝗗 ] : esp when everything reminds me of u here

[ 10.24.2018 ] 𝐬𝐦𝐬 ↺ 𝐫𝐲𝐮𝐣𝐢𝐧 💓[ 𝗗𝗥𝗔𝗙𝗧𝗘𝗗 ] : god i miss you

#emo hrs .....#cherrykisscs #noel + ryujin !

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cherrykisscs · 5 years

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soft interactions for my muse to respond to ! | accepting @svnnysidevp / [ caught ] for your muse to catch my muse wearing their shirt.

gosh, noel has a bunch of crap. she’s made it somewhat of a rule to clean their places at least once a month, for no other reason than in the interest of comfort. not to mention, it’s kind of fun for her--- blasting music while trying to get noel to clean with her is always a good time. today, though, ryujin let him go out while she got a head start, and that’s the way he finds her;

dancing around his living room, wearing a shirt he’d left lying around so she’d remember to put in the wash later as she sweeps the floor. ryujin doesn’t hear him when the door opens, but she jumps when she seems him standing by the door, staring at her. ‘ jesus, noel! why are you just... standing... there? ’ her words trail as she follows his sight to the shirt she’s wearing. oh. ‘ --- don’t look at me like that! you just left it lying around, what was i supposed to do? why’d you just dump it out on the couch, y’weirdo? ’

#svnnysidevp #svnnysidevp ! noel.#➳ ❪ answered by … ! ❫ ryujin michaud-park.#qts!!!!!!!#also domestic behavior!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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raplinesmoon · 2 years

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Love Hard (KNJ x F!Reader)

Pairing: Kim Namjoon x F!Reader (ft. Jeong Jaehyun)

Genres: crack, fluff, slight angst

AUs: childhood acquaintances to lovers, fake dating AU

Word Count: 10.8k

Warnings: hidden identity, catfishing-adjacent behaviour, OC and Namjoon play themselves and each other and everyone around them, cursing, excessive drinking, drunkenness, Jin being lowkey shady, OC takes an edible, lots of soul-searching and self-discovery, Namjoon is very shy and insecure and sweet uwu

Ratings: R

Summary: After reconnecting with a high-school classmate on a dating app, you fly home for the holidays to chase your perfect love story. However, a misunderstanding waits for you on the other end.

A/N: Surprise @mintkims! It’s Noel!! Idk if you ever thought it was me, but here I am with your gift, and I hope you like it and it helps make your holiday season a little brighter. This is based on the cringy but kinda cute Netflix movie Love Hard. A big thank you to the lovely Fi @taesinferno for reading this over for me!

◦◦,`°.✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽.°`,◦◦

Heels click-clacking down the sidewalk, the pink and orange neon lights of the hot new bar in town, Hope World, greet your view. You flash a smile to the handsome bouncer, two adorable dimples poking out of his cheeks as he gives you one in return, bunny teeth peeking out from under his lips.

Hope indeed. If tonight’s blind date was a failure, you could always double back to the cute guy at the door. The truth of the matter was that another year had gone by, and your family was still asking if you had anyone to bring to the annual holiday party.

Letting out a deep sigh, you think back to how much of your life (and your wallet) has been spent in the modern pyramid scheme known as dating. Several new pairs of heels, that shiny new lip gloss from Sephora, all those trips to the parlor to get your eyebrows done, and you still find yourself back exactly where you started.

Ever the cynic, you’ve compiled more than enough evidence over the years of why you should just give yourself a break and quit the dating scene. However, there’s a part of you that doesn’t buy into the whole dating culture, but sings at the thought of finding your other half. Your parents were it for each other, shyly falling in love despite having an arranged marriage. Growing up, you saw the intensity of their love and affection for each other every day, and it had you longing for a soulmate of your own.

Ping!

The chime of your phone interrupts your thoughts, a notification from CheckMate, the latest dating app that had gone viral, flashing across your screen.

JB: I’m here! All the way in the back.

You: Sounds good! Just walked in.

After asking the hostess to direct you to the table, you head away from the entrance, heart racing as you approach what could be the one. JB had seemed pretty perfect on paper - likes to cook, loves cats, has a successful job as a lawyer--

A loud sigh escapes your throat as you take in the sight of the empty table. No cat-loving man in sight.

Yet again, you’d been played.

◦◦,`°.✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽.°`,◦◦

“Good morning my lovely ____! How is my favorite columnist doing on this fine winter day?” Ryujin slides up next to you, the wheels of her office chair squeaking against the cold tile.

“It’s not even snowing outside. How much money do you need?,” you grumble, clacking away on the keyboard.

Ryujin sticks her head in your line of vision, a sheepish look on her face.

“Soooo, how was the date?”

“Non-existent, Ryujin. It was non-existent,” you cry out. “This is such a joke! How am I even supposed to keep writing this stupid column about dating disasters when the dates have stopped happening?!”

“___, I know you,” Ryujin gives you a comforting pat on your shoulder. “You’re a brilliant and talented writer. You can take even the most mundane, normal situations and spin them into something that keeps readers engaged. You’ll find a way.”

“You better be right,” you sigh, leaning back in your chair. “Ji-Hoon is going to have my head if I have nothing to turn in at the end of this month. And then I’ll never get that promotion.”

“Well,” Ryujin chirps, snatching your phone away. “This is a team effort. Not only do you have to get laid, but you also have to get paid. And that means extending your search nationwide.”

◦◦,`°.✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽.°`,◦◦ You let out a groan, slipping into your coziest fleece and swiping your mug of hot cocoa from the counter. Cracking your neck, you open your laptop, the comforting notes of the Christmas pageant scene in Love Actually punctuating your anxiety as you check your email.

From: Ji-Hoon ([email protected])

“Okay, it’s December. And you know what that means. Lots of lonely people. And do you know what lonely people want to hear this time of year? That they’re not alone in being lonely. So, I better have your latest edition of Never Have I Ever in my inbox before New Year’s Eve, or you can kiss that investigative piece on the healthcare system goodbye.”

Ji-Hoon knew how to hit you where it hurt. Your boss had been keeping you on as the main dating columnist for your publication since the moment you stepped foot into the office as an intern, claiming that the real topics were “better left to the men”. You’d fought tooth and nail to prove yourself to him, your once measly column skyrocketing to become one of the publications’ most read. Begrudgingly, he declared that if you ended the year successfully, he’d give you a shot at tackling your own exposé.

Letting out another sigh, you shut your laptop closed and pull out your phone. Time to get to work. You flip through CheckMate, the first couple of matches doing little to capture your interest. The next face that greets you on the screen makes your heart drop, and you silently curse Ryujin for expanding your location settings that morning.

Jeong Jaehyun. Your hometown heartthrob from your childhood. The boy that you (and every other person in your year) had a crush on in high school. Looking as fine as ever, with his bio stating that he worked as a fitness instructor for your local gym.

What took you more by surprise than seeing the former (still current?) object of your affection on this godforsaken app was the little blue bar on the top, saying “Jaehyun likes your profile! Match now to see if you two can reach CheckMate.”

Heart pounding in your ears, you feel a flush coming over your face. You’d gone all the way through high school being the painfully shy, awkward girl. Someone who’d never had a chance of catching Jaehyun’s eye. And now he likes you on a dating app? This had to be the universe playing a cruel joke on you.

Suddenly, an idea comes to your mind. Cursing yourself for diving headfirst into another masochistic dating pursuit, you take comfort in the fact that if this turned out to be a disaster, the heartbreak would fuel you to write another edition of Never Have I Ever, and the coveted exposé would finally be yours. After all, Arthur Eddington did say that time only moves forward. So what did you have to lose?

Drawing in a deep breath, you squeeze your pupils shut and press the icon on the right.

It’s a match.

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“You’re doing it again,” Ryujin chuckles, glancing over at you from the driver's seat as the two of you make your way to the airport.

“Doing what?” you sigh dreamily, eyes never venturing from your screen. Over the past few weeks, you and Jaehyun had spent every day chatting with one another, joking about everything from the horrible traffic in your city to your favorite Christmas movies. It had surprised you how well the two of you had hit it off, making plans to meet up when you arrived home to your parents’ for the holidays.

“Acting like a damn fool, that’s what!” Ryujin moans. “Seriously, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile so much. Like ever. You don’t even smile at me most of the time, even when I bring you coffee in the morning!”

“I am not acting like anything,” you proclaim. “He just said something really funny, that’s all.”

“Oh yeah?” Ryujin jeers. “What was it then?”

“He asked me if my name was glucose, because I’m so sweet,” you mumble, eyes looking down at the floor as your face heats up at the mention of the nerdy joke.

“Y’all are whipped for each other with a capital W,” she grins.

“Seriously, Ryujin, this feels different from all the other times I’ve chatted with someone. There’s something more there. It feels like this could actually be something.” A smile lights up your face as you gush about your interactions with Jaehyun.

“Well then, you gotta go for it!” her grin matches your as the car comes to a stop outside the terminal. She jumps out of the passenger seat, popping open the trunk to hand you your bags.

“Seriously, ___. I’m so happy for you,” she wraps her arms around you in a hug. “I hope you have the best holidays ever. I can’t wait to hear about it all when we get back.”

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“____! My poor baby, you’ve gotten so thin! What are they feeding you over there??” your mother’s voice reaches you across the terminal, causing a smile to break out on your face as you bound towards her, nearly tackling her tiny frame to the ground with a hug.

“___,” your dad chastises, wrapping his arms around you both. “Careful now, you know your mother has high blood pressure. Welcome home, my child.”

“So happy to be home, Baba. I missed Mama’s cooking so much,” you feel yourself tear up. It had been so long since you’d seen your parents, spending every spare moment of your time working for the promotion Ji-Hoon had promised you.

“You must tell me,” you mother clasps your hands and guides you into the car. “Any news from the big city? Have you found a boy you’d like to marry?”

“Mama!” you groan, settling in as the car starts. “You know I’m busy with work all the time, where would I even find a husband? And besides, it’s not like any of these city boys are husband material anyway.”

“I know my daughter is a very hard worker,” your mom says, a wistful note to her voice. “But I worry about you, living in that big place all alone. I just want someone to help take care of you when I’m not there, someone who makes sure that you’re not lonely.”

“I’m trying Mama,” you whisper, staring at the snowflakes that fall outside the window.

“___!” your dad interjects, thankfully steering the conversation away from this dreaded topic. “Did we tell you about the new pressure cooker we got, Mrs. Sharma’s family brought it with them from their trip…”

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Shivering, you wrap your parka tighter around your frame, knuckles reaching up to rap on the door. You’d never seen Jaehyun’s house in high school. Rumor had it that he always threw the craziest parties at his parents’ house, but you’d never been invited.

The house looked cute and cozy, bedecked with twinkling lights and vibrant green garlands that emanated the warm, earthy scent of pine. You hear footsteps approaching the door, and it swings open to reveal a short woman with kind eyes that crinkle upon seeing your figure waiting outside.

“Hello,” she says. “And who might you be?”

“Hi! Hey, hi, uhhhh,’ you blurt out, the woman’s eyes twinkling. “My name is ___, I’m a friend of your son’s? I’m here to see him for the holidays.”

“Oh!” the woman exclaims. “Oh my goodness, come in, come in! He didn’t tell me we should expect company tonight. Please, please, take your shoes off and make yourself comfortable. My name is Se-ah, here, let me warm you up with some tea.”

“Yah! Are those stupid telemarketers back again? Tell them we don’t want to switch to Verizon,” a man’s voice calls out from other room.

“It’s not Verizon, Joon-sang,” she yells back. “It’s a woman, and she’s here to see our son!”

A tall, dignified man walks into the room, accompanied by a much older woman, both of their eyes widening at your presence in their home.

“This is my husband, Joon-sang, and my mother-in-law, Eun-hye, but we just call her Halmeoni,” the woman smiles.

“Ahhhh, 환영합니다 (welcome)!” the older woman reaches out to envelop you in a hug. “Are you friends with my grandson?”

“Uhhh,” you flush, giggling. “I would say we’re a little more than friends.”

The three pairs of eyes light up in glee at your statement, Halmeoni bouncing up and down and clapping her hands.

“당신은 그의 여자 친구입니까? (are you his girlfriend)?” Halmeoni questions, her eyes twinkling with hope. Sheepishly, you rub the back of your neck. You should have brushed up on your Korean skills before paying Jaehyun’s family a visit, but at least they seem happy to see you.

You hear a thump from below, causing you to raise your eyebrows at the family.

“That must be him coming back from work!” his mother claps. “Ahem, Joon-ah, there’s someone here to see you!”

“Eomma, I told you to just please sign for the packages when the UPS guy comes!” the voice from downstairs yells back.

“A girl!” his mother chirps out through gritted teeth. “There’s a girl here to see you, my dear.”

“Aw shit!” you hear a crash.

“Language!” his mother groans, stomping her foot. “Just come upstairs!”

Smiling at the chaotic scene that unfolds, your heartbeat accelerates as you hear the sound of steps coming up from the basement. This was it, you’d finally see Jaehyun in person, and sit down with his family to have a nice, holiday dinner. The love story of your dreams began now.

The door bursts open, and a tall, gangly frame wearing glasses and grey sweats stumbles through, brown shaggy hair falling into his face. You pale as you recognize the man in front of you. Jaehyun this was not.

“____? What the fuck are you doing?” he yells.

“Namjoon-ah!” his mother scolds him. “What did I tell you about language? This poor girl is here to surprise you for Christmas!”

A knot forms in your stomach, and you feel bile rise up in your throat. Looking back and forth between Namjoon’s shocked face and the smiling faces of his family members, the sudden urge to vomit overtakes you.

“I’m sorry,” you say, backing towards the door, turning as you hear Namjoon run after you. “I have to go.”

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“No, no, no, no, no, this cannot be happening!” you stumbled down the steps of the Kim family home. Kim Namjoon, the equally awkward kid who’d been your senior physics partner, could not have posed as Jaehyun and catfished you. The universe hated you, but not this much.

“Fuck! ___, wait up please,” you hear Namjoon’s desperate cries echo behind you. “I-,I- can explain.”

“I don’t understand,” you turn around, meeting his flustered figure. “Jaehyun, as in Jeong Jaehyun, as in not you, told me to meet up with him here at this address when I came home for the holidays. I figured I’d just stop by, say hi, meet the man of my dreams, and this is what I get?”

“I-, shit,” Namjoon runs a hand through his hair, his glasses fogging up from the frosty winter chill. “This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. You didn’t give me, I mean him, any warning that you were coming by, he was supposed to be here to meet you, I swear.”

“Hang on, stop right there,” you lift a finger to shush him. “What do you mean he was supposed to meet me here? Why would he meet me here, at your house?”

“You can’t be serious, right?” Namjoon breathes out. “You really thought all those cute lines were Jaehyun’s? Jaehyun, who’s never had a romantic bone in his body since he first walked onto the high school football team.”

You feel the blood leave your face, the tip of your nose becoming red and chapped as it begins to leak from the cold air.

“W-what do you mean?” you wail, warm tears pricking at your eyelids.

“____,” Namjoon reaches out to put a hand on your shoulder, but you flinch from his touch. “The silver lining here is that Jaehyun likes you, he really does. But we both know he’s shit at romance, especially if words are all he has. The dude saw you on CheckMate, remembered you from high school and thought you were hot, so he paid me to woo you back here for Christmas so that you two could hit it off.”

“I’m sorry,” Namjoon’s voice is remorseful. “I didn’t think it would turn out like this. He really does like you. Maybe you should just go find him, talk to him in person, I’m sure he can help sort this all out-”

“NO!” you interrupt, causing him to jump. “I’m so fucking done. I don’t want to sort this all out. In fact, I never want to see either of you ever again!”

Your scream echoes down the street as you huff, turning on your heels and running as fast as you can.

God, you really needed a drink.

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“Another one of the candy cane cocktails,” you slur, slamming the glass down onto the countertop.

“Afraid I’m gonna have to cut you off soon, kiddo,” the bartender smirks from across the countertop, his cat-like eyes taking in the sight of your inebriated figure.

“Shut it Min!” you groan. “We may not be in high school anymore, but don’t think for one second that it’ll stop me from telling Ms. Davis that you sold everybody weed behind the dumpsters.”

“Damn,” he slides you a glass of water. “Tell me, when did you get so feisty?”

“It’s called being done with the dating world, Min,” you gurgle. “You should try it some timeeee, a load off your shoulders, let me tell you! Everybody fucking sucks, that’s just the cold hard truth.”

Shoving a stack of bills in his hands, you lift yourself up, and take a few wobbly steps to the bathroom, slumping over the toilet and puking your guts out. You’re found a few minutes later by Yoongi, who takes in the sight of your figure and makes a phone call.

-----

Blinking, the bright fluorescent lights burn your retinas as you look up, the sterile smell of a hospital flooding your nostrils. Squinting, you listen closely, catching the sound of meows and woofs from around you.

A vet hospital. You were in a freaking vet hospital. How did you end up here?

“____? My name is Dr. Jung,” a sincere looking man with a heart shaped smile greets you, taking notes on his clipboard. “You’re probably still a little drunk, but I gave you some fluids and ibuprofen for the headache you’ll have tomorrow. You’re lucky that Namjoon was nice enough to bring you here.”

You whip your head around, a worried looking Kim Namjoon greeting you, and the pounding in your head becomes worse.

“I’m sorry, ___,” he says shyly. “I was worried about you and it was the first place I thought of.”

“Rest up.” Dr. Jung says, giving you a wave. “Namjoon will take you home when you feel ready.”

As soon as he walks out the door, you turn on your companion.

“You!” you screech. “What are you doing here?”

“Ummm, I think I just saved your life,” Namjoon quips, mockingly lifting his hands up next to his ears.

“I thought I told you to leave me alone!” you scream.

“Ahhh yes, about that. Well you see, there’s been a bit of a problem,” Namjoon gulps. “My parents are under the impression that we’re dating, and now they want me to bring my ‘girlfriend’ back for Christmas dinner.”

“You are crazy, Kim Namjoon! I thought you were the smart kid. Why would I ever help you?” you yell.

“Please, ___.” Namjoon drops to his knees. “You saw the way my parents looked at me tonight when they thought we were dating. I can finally be the son that they’re proud of. Just one week. I need you to accompany me to a family dinner or two. You’re totally free to do whatever you want in your free time. You can date Jaehyun. You can not date Jaehyun. I can even pay you, just please please please help me out.”

You scoff at his pleas, when your phone pings with a text from Ji-Hoon.

Tick-tock, your time is on the clock, kiddo. It’s nearly the 22nd and I haven’t gotten a peep from you. You can kiss that exposé goodbye.

This was a disaster. In the span of less than four hours, your life had turned from the sad, sorry joke it was, to an even bigger dumpster fire. At this point, the article was the only thing you had to look forward to.

“I’ll do it,” you declare, swinging your feet side to side, avoiding meeting Namjoon’s eyes. “One week, and then we break up, and you never talk to me again.”

Namjoon offers his hand, and you shake it.

“Deal.”

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“____, my baby, you look so pretty, I can’t believe it!” your mother coos, smoothing down the part where your dress has ridden up.

“Mama!” you groan. “What are you doing?”

“Shhh, just making sure you look all prim and proper to meet Namjoon’s parents!” she smooths your hair. “Of course, I would’ve preferred that he come over for dinner first, but who am I to complain! My baby is finding love!”

Sighing, you’re relieved when the doorbell ringing allows you an excuse to escape her doting, swinging open the door to reveal a shy looking Namjoon, dressed in a brown turtleneck and peacoat, glasses askew and holding a bouquet of poinsettias.

“Namjoon!” your dad bellows. “So nice to see you, my boy. It’s been so long!”

“Since high school,” Namjoon whispers, avoiding your eyes. “Here, I brought these for your home. I’ll be sure to have her home before 10:30, sir.”

“Nonsense,” your mother grins. “No need to rush. You two youngsters have fun, okay? We’ll be here waiting for her to come back whenever you’re ready.”

“You look nice.” Namjoon smiles. You offer him a weak smile in return, but don’t say anything.

“Okay,” he breathes, shoulders slumping slightly. “Let’s get going then.”

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Warmth. The Kim household radiates it, extending far beyond the crackling of the fireplace. Namjoon’s family reminds you of your own fond holiday memories with your parents, full of laughter and jokes, and more importantly, good food.

“___, Namjoon, where did the two of you rush off too that night?” his mother asks, causing you to choke on the piece of bulgogi you’d just swallowed.

“Ahhh nothing much, eomma,” Namjoon steps as you continue to hack. “We just went to Min’s to talk over a few drinks.”

“___,” Halmeoni’s attention turns to you again, and you know you can’t escape her question. “How did you and my grandson meet?”

“Ahhh yes, Halmeoni, it was uh-,” you stumble over your words. “Just some good ol’ online dating! Just text, text, send, and the next thing you know, we’re reconnecting over an app.”

“내 시대에는 사람들이 글에 사랑에 빠지곤 했습니다 (in my day, people used to fall in love over the written word),” she smiles, and you nod frantically as you see Namjoon clench his jaw.

“So sorry,” his mother apologizes. “You know, she’s a bit old-fashioned. Now, uh, what’s caused our Namjoon-ah to catch your eye, anyway? I mean, he’s an extraordinary young man, it’s just, we’re not used to him bringing anyone home.”

You feel Namjoon stiffen next to you, his shoulders tensing before they droop, and a defeated look crosses his face.

“Namjoon has such a way with words,” you start, feeling him jolt next to you in surprise. “I have to admit, I’ve been using apps for a long time, and I’ve never enjoyed conversation as much as I have with him.”

A small grin crosses, Namjoon’s face, tiny dimples poking into his cheek as his face turns pink.

“You know,” his grandmother responds. “I was telling Ms. Jeong about these apps too. Poor woman, I told her grandson should try them. After all, if my handsome Namjoon-ah can find such a pretty girl, why can’t Jaehyun?”

The smile drops from your face at the mention of his name, and Namjoon sputters, choking on his water.

“You know, Halmeoni, I, uh-, I promised ___ I’d show her my room!” he grabs your hands, causing you to let out a small gasp at how warm it is. “Yup, we were just gonna go hang downstairs, maybe play some League of Legends, you know!”

Nodding along with him, you give the three of them a wave, standing up and following Namjoon’s lead as the two of you descend into the basement. Just a little longer, and you’d be able to head home, warm up a nice cup of tea, and watch Twilight in your pyjamas.

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“So,” Namjoon says, supporting your arm as he leads you down the creaky steps. “Welcome to my crib. This is where the magic happens.”

You take in the sight of half read books and his messy sheets, raising a quizzical eyebrow at his statement.

“That was a joke, I mean, I was just kidding,” he grunts, looking at the ceiling. “Not a lot of magic has happened here. At least not for me, anyway.”

“I love what you’ve done with the place,” you say, giving him a warm smile, his face lighting up at your words.

“I have a mini fridge with some beer, soda, you know all that jazz,” he gestures, looking for you, only to find you crouched over his weight set.

“No way! You lift?” you grab the dumbbell, testing out a few bicep curls.

“I may be a nerd, but I don’t just sit around at my computer all day,” he snatches the dumbbell effortlessly from your hand. “It’s important for me to stay healthy.”

“Namjoon,” you whisper, your voice dropping into a hush. “Why did you do this in the first place? I mean, help Jaehyun. It’s not like the two of you were even friends to begin with. Didn’t he shove you into the lockers once in high school?”

Namjoon’s eyes meet your own, and there’s a hint of glassiness in them before he turns away and scans his room, taking in the rumpled pillows, discarded beer cans, and ink splotches from where he left his marker uncapped the other day.

“I didn’t mean to get involved in this, I swear,” he begins, fidgeting with his hands. “But you see me, right? I’m nearly 30 and I still live in my parents basement. I thought that I’d go to college, get my engineering degree, and work in some high-powered job by now. But, life had different plans.”

“What do you mean different plans?” you question, moving to sit next to him on the bed, your heart falling slightly at the way he awkwardly shifts his body away from you.

“Wait here,” he says, the bed lifting as he lumbers to his feet. “I’ll be right back.”

Namjoon was turning out to be full of surprises. While the two of you had never gone beyond being acquaintances in physics class, you knew he’d been an awkward kid growing up, always too tall and too clumsy. Yet, you’d never forgotten his kind heart, him always offering to lend you notes, or stopping to water the tiny flowers that grew outside the school. He was a good person, and it made you upset to think that he could’ve been caught up in one of Jaehyun’s schemes.

A loud thud disrupts your thoughts, and you hear a shit! in the background, looking up to see Namjoon drop a large cardboard box in front of you.

“Here’s to hoping I didn’t do much damage,” he worries, a furrow in his brow. He reaches into the box, and pulls out a glass jar, which he drops into your hands.

“I don’t understand…” you take in the jar, which has the lovely scent of freshly mowed grass emanating from it.

“Well, you see, there’s been a gap in the candle market,” he wipes the dust of his pants, standing up excitedly, ready to lecture. “I’ve been to too many of my friends’ houses, and their rooms smell like bong water. It drives me crazy. I know a lot of them are too fragile to light something that smells like vanilla or flowers, so I created my own line of scents to cater to the underserved candle-loving population.”

Your mouth is agape at his revelation, and for a second, Namjoon rubs the back of his neck, seeming embarrassed that he even told you this in the first place.

“That’s amazing!” you smile, causing Namjoon to flinch slightly at your excitement. “That’s so genius, I can’t even tell you how many guys’ apartments I’ve been in that smell like ass. Why hasn’t this taken off yet?”

“Because,” Namjoon sighs. “A business requires money. It’s not like I can just ask my parents or Jin for money, they’d laugh at me. So when Jaehyun reached out asking for help, and offered to pay, I knew I couldn’t turn it down. It was wrong, but I hope you can forgive me for it.”

“Give me a discount once you launch them,” you say softly, his dimples poking into his cheeks at your words. “And I think that can be arranged.”

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The bright, white screen of your laptop burns your eyes as you stare back at the empty Google Doc. You’d been home for a little over a week, and no progress on the article. There was no explanation for why you were so stuck. You wrote about stuff like this all the time, right? Why was it so hard now?

Taking a sip of your peppermint latte, you muse, wondering if you’d finally reached your end writing about disaster dates. At some point, it had been fun, and you’d just been so excited to write about something, anything at all. You loved how the words flowed from your mind onto the page, and your humor while you recounted the miserable events of your life was in it’s way, a form of healing for both you and your readers.

However, amongst the jokes and the mishaps, the emptiness of being alone had started to set in. Not only that, but you began to question whether it was okay for you to consistently undervalue yourself and portray yourself as a caricature, when in reality, you were a strong, hard-working woman. That was the moment you begged Ji-hoon to start considering giving you different assignments.But only after you finished this damn piece.

And here you were, sat in a café, with no progress made at all. Your dreams had never seemed further away.

The bell tied to the door jingles, signaling the arrival of a new customer. Ever the people watcher, you tilt your head up to acknowledge the new entry, when your jaw drops. It’s Jeong Jaehyun. And he’s heading right towards you.

“____!” he yells, waving his hand, cheeks red from the cold. “It’s so good to see you, you look great! How has everything been?”

You gulp, not knowing what to say to him. On one hand, he’d deceived you by using Namjoon as a front for the conversation you two had. On the other hand, Jaehyun was who you’d fallen for in the first place.

“Listen,” he says. “I know it’s a busy time of year, but I was wondering if you still wanted to meet up? We were supposed to when you first got here, remember?”

Your thoughts drift to the day that had started this whole mess. What puzzled you was that Jaehyun seemed to have no awareness that you were in a fake relationship with Namjoon. Then, you remembered the two of them were barely friends, and Namjoon only got caught up in Jaehyun’s harebrained scheme to woo you. Still, Jaehyun had been the initial person that had caught your interest. It would be unfair to play along with Namjoon and also not give him a chance, right?

“Ummm,” you begin, your hesitancy to jump into the situation evident. “Yeah sure! Sure, we can do that. Let’s meet tomorrow morning, at the new brunch place that opened on Oak?”

He winks in response, causing your face to heat up. You look back at him, widening your eyes in expectation of some verbal confirmation.

“It’s a date.”

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“The prodigal son is here,” an obnoxious voice has you jolting awake from your afternoon nap, blearily rubbing your eyes when you see it’s gotten dark outside. You’d passed out after your fun date with Jaehyun that morning. He seemed like a much nicer person than you’d known in high school, and the buried teenager within you squealed at the fact that you’d finally gone on a date with the man of your dreams.

“What,” you squint, making out a shirtless Namjoon changing in the corner. You gasp, averting your eyes, hoping he didn’t catch you ogling him. “What in Rudolph’s name is that? It sounds like a siren upstairs.”

“That,” Namjoon fusses, picking lint off his sweater, offering you his hand to lift you out of bed. “Is my brother Jin. Ready to meet the favorite son?”

You open your mouth to argue-, still wearing the clothes from your date with Jaehyun, when Namjoon puts out a hand to stop you.

“___, you look fine. You look pretty actually.”

Your face breaks out into a smile, taking his hand as the two of you bound up the stairs from the basement. Looking around, your jaw drops at the cosy Christmas scene in the Kims’ living room, the whole family dressed in knit sweaters as the fireplace hung with stockings roars behind them. The two new additions catch your eye, a pretty, well dressed-woman and a tall man with shoulders so broad you can’t take your eyes off him.

“What the fuck,” you lean in and whisper in Namjoon’s ear. “You never told me your brother was so hot!”

“That’s before you hear him speak,” Namjoon shoots back. “Braincells down the drain.”

“Joon-ah!” the pretty man screams, reaching out to slap Namjoon on the back. You wince as you watch Namjoon recoil from the force of the slap. “My favorite brother! What’s going on, man?”

Finally noticing you, he cranes his head to get a better look, throwing a questioning glance in Namjoon’s direction.

“This is ___,” Namjoon steps back, and you give the family a little wave.

“Is she in Mom’s bookclub? One of Halmeoni’s knitting club friends?” Jin jeers, unable to fathom an explanation for your presence.

“Seokjin-ah, don’t be rude,” Namjoon’s mother pulls his ear, earning a yelp from her older son. “This is Namjoon’s girlfriend!”

“OH!” Seokjin sputters out. “Oh, you guys are serious! Well, I-, I, for one, am so pumped! You know, Irene and I were just wondering how Namjoon was still single. I mean, granted, he lives in the basement, and the glasses aren’t doing him any favors, but this is a Christmas miracle.”

He comes up to you, vigorously shaking your hand and thanking you. You look at him in disgust, put off completely by his rude comments about his brother. Never one to back down from putting a jerk in their place, you decide to say something.

“The pleasure’s all mine, Jin,” you reach over to sling an arm around Namjoon’s shoulders, pulling him closer to you.

The evening with the Kims passes by relatively uneventfully, well, except for the fact that you and Jin almost started a boxing match over who got to put the star on the tree. When you’d won and claimed your shiny trophy, Jin had only mumbled about how you’d put it on crooked and that he’d go back and fix it when everyone was asleep.

Yawning, you slip under the covers, the dim light of Namjoon’s desk lamp preventing you from falling asleep as your eyes begin to droop.

“Jin loves being the center of attention, doesn’t he?” you whisper, not expecting Namjoon to hear you as he works at his desk.

“He’s just used to it,” Namjoon sighs, taking off his glasses and running a hand through his hair. “He’s always been Mom and Dad’s favorite.”

“The next time he tries to steal the spotlight from you, Namjoon, steal it back,” you mumble sleepily.

Shocked, Namjoon turns to respond, tears building up in his eyes at your encouragement to stand up for himself. But when he looks, you’ve already dozed off. Smiling to himself, he flips the lamp switch and lays his head on the desk, ready to join you in the land of dreams.

◦◦,`°.✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽.°`,◦◦

“We wish you a merry Christmas… and a Happy New Year!” Seokjin’s melodic voice rings out into the cold night as he finishes the song with a pair of jazz hands amidst raucous applause.

“Your brother seems a little too into this,” you lean over and whisper in Namjoon’s ear. The Kim family had made their way down to the local nursing home to carol, as they did every year, and you’d be surprised at seeing how invested they were in spreading cheer to the older residents. Particularly Seokjin with his overzealous renditions of every song punctuated with runs and falsettos.

“He does this every year,” Namjoon grins, his dimples popping as he pushes his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose. “It’s his way of establishing dominance.”

Seokjin asks the crowd if there are any more requests, and Ms. Mehta, the sweet old lady who never speaks much, enthusiastically makes her plea for “Baby It’s Cold Outside.”

“___ and I got this one!” Namjoon blurts out, and you whip your head to the side and give him a look that has him gulping.

“Namjoon,” you seethe, as he holds your hand and guides you to the front of the room. “I am not singing in front of these people. Over my cold, dead, lifeless body.”

“You said not to let him steal the spotlight from me again,” Namjoon mumbles, eyes downcast. “Besides, I have an idea. Just follow my lead, okay?”

Seokjin squints at you both, and you shudder under his scrutinizing gaze as he switches on the music.

“I really can’t stayyy,” you begin, your throat burning from your off-key singing voice being unused for many years. You hadn’t sung since the seventh grade play, where you played a background shop worker.

“No problem, there’s the door,” Namjoon responds, and you’re taken aback both by his change in the lyrics, but also the pleasant quality timbre of his voice. It’s raw from disuse as well, but there’s a mellifluous sincerity to the way he belts out the words in his breathy tone.

“This evening has been,” you continue on, a smile lighting up your face and a giggle escaping when Namjoon responds with “totally consensual.”

“I hope you get home safe tonight,” Namjoon croons to the coos of the nursing home crowd as they take in your non-traditional rendition.

The two of you work your way through the song, smiling when Namjoon offers his phone to give your worrying mother a call, assuring you that the drink is just lemon Lacroix.

“I ought to say no no no,” you smile as the crowd begins to clap along and you see Seokjin’s fuming face turn red.

“I’ll call you an Uber, they’re close,” Namjoon belts.

“Well you better go outsideeee!” the two of you harmonize, finishing up the song as the room erupts in cheers, many of the residents concerningly standing up from their walkers and wheelchairs to give you their kudos.

A strange feeling blooms in Namjoon’s chest as he stares into your sparkling eyes, laughing as you chat with the crowd and blush at their compliments.

“Excuse me, everyone!” Seokjin interrupts the festivities with his booming voice. “Irene and I have an announcement to make. Mom, Dad, you’re going to be grandparents.”

The crowd goes even wilder at his announcement, and you see Mr. and Mrs. Kim rush to his side, tears in their eyes, as they take in the happy news. Looking to your other side, you see a dejected Namjoon offer you a weak smile before he turns his head away and stares at the wall. Your heart drops at his sadness, remembering how happy he’d been moments before.

“May I have everyone’s attention please?” Namjoon barks out, his voice clipped. You can feel the acrimony radiating off him in waves. “Hyung, I just want to say congrats to you and Irene, it’s a dream come true for you both. Seeing you so happy and in love… it was a dream I never dared to have for myself. Until I met ___.”

You balk as Namjoon approaches you, dropping onto one knee, clenching your teeth as you motion for him to stop.

“___,” he begins, and you want to lift a hand to stop him right there, but fear doing it in front of so many people.

“Get up right now,” you hiss, rage crawling up the back of your neck.

“I know we haven’t known each other for that long,” he continues. “But they say when you know, you know. Will you marry me?”

A hush falls over the crowd as Mrs. Kim lets out a loud gasp, tears of joy flooding her eyes, and through the pounding of your heart, you hear Seokjin mumble about how Namjoon doesn’t even have a ring. Everything feels so blurry and out of focus, and your feet feel stuck, almost absorbed in a pool of quicksand. You want to do something to escape this situation, to run away, but you can’t.

Suddenly, you hear a shuffling to your side as you see Halmeoni come to stand right beside you, pulling off her mitten and slipping the dainty emerald ring off her finger and offering it to Namjoon.The cheers from the crowd become louder, all of them pleading for you to say yes.

You close your eyes, sighing and taking a deep breath as you try to calm your racing heart. This has to be the stupidest thing you’ve ever done, but you’d find a way out of this later.

“Yes,” you breathe out shakily, gasping as he slips the ring onto your finger. It’s a perfect fit.

◦◦,`°.✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽.°`,◦◦

“Listen,” Namjoon stutters, chasing after you as you stomp down the stairs to the basement. “I know you’re mad, but you told me to stand up for myself!”

“I told you to stand up for yourself, Namjoon, not fucking get down on one knee!” you seethe, feeling your face heat up with fury. “Your grandma gave me a ring off of her finger!”

You collapse onto his bed and sob. Namjoon reaches over to pull you against him, but withdraws upon seeing your anger.

“Nothing has to change,” he says sadly. “We can make it through Christmas and then you’ll go back to the city and we’ll tell everyone that things didn’t work out.”

“Trust me,” you feel the bed dip as he sits down next to you. “I’m used to being the family disappointment, they won’t think anything of it at all.”

“I have a date with Jaehyun tomorrow too!” you wail. “What if he finds out? Fix this!”

. . .

Startled, you run up the stairs straight into Namjoon’s father bringing in firewood from outside.

“Ahhhh ___,” he remarks. “Would you like to help me out and get the fireplace going?”

“Sure!” you say a little too desperately, wanting anything to get your mind off of Namjoon. You watch him hunch over the fireplace and start scrunching up bits of newspaper along with the wood, and are taken aback by how much Namjoon looks like his father. Looking for any form of distraction, you peer at the framed photos that rest on the mantle, one of them in particular catching your eye.

“Who’s this?” you point to an older photo, recognizing all of the members of the Kim family except a man with gray hair.

“That was my dad,” Mr. Kim reminisces. “He passed a few years ago. There were two things that man loved more than anything - Namjoon and Christmas. He would always play pretend with Namjoon and climb up on the rooftop and stomp around like Santa had come. Joon couldn’t get enough of it!”

A smile breaks out onto your face at the mention of the happy memory, and you hold the frame in your hands to see a small Namjoon in front of his grandfather, dimples on display and glasses too big for his tiny face.

“You know, ___,” Mr. Kim interrupts you. “We’re really happy to have you joining the family. Namjoon hasn’t been the same since his grandfather passed. He’s always been quiet and shy, but he seems even more reserved now. I’m so glad he has you to break him out of his shell.”

Your heart drops in your chest at the tenderness in his voice. You’d have to break all of their hearts soon.

◦◦,`°.✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽.°`,◦◦

“Namjoon, you have to help me, I’m freaking out,” you heave, sitting on the floor of the public bathroom as you panic.

This morning, you’d gone on a lovely hike with Jaehyung through the forest, the two of you exchanging shy glances and laughing over family stories. You had just been in the middle of thanking him for such a wonderful hiking date when he’d sent your expectations crashing down in one second, informing you that the real date was going downhill skiing with him.

“Ok, just breathe,” Namjoon’s voice crackles over the speaker. “Do you have your AirPods? Just put them in and listen to music.”

You frantically rummage through your bag for the earbuds, heart dropping when you realize you’d left the one item that could’ve saved you from ruin at home. Instead, your arm closes around a small item wrapped in plastic, and you smile to yourself as you pull out the gummy from your backpack.

“I found something better than Airpods.” A smug smile lights up your face.

. . .

Swaying, you bound down the basement stairs with a skip in your step, greeting Namjoon as he sits hunched over his desk.

“Glad you’re not dead,” Namjoon quips, taking in the sight of your exuberant figure.

“I’ve never felt more alive!” you shout into the void, protesting as Namjoon clamps a hand over your mouth. “Jaehyun asked me out on a date tomorrow night. You know, it feels like things are finally looking up. I finally met someone who’s as perfect on paper as he is in real life.”

A grim look colors Namjoon’s features as he juts his jaw out, clenching it to bite back his counter-argument to your statement.

“You know,” Namjoon begins, unable to contain himself. “Jaehyun is far from perfect. In fact, in some cultures, perfect eyesight and facial symmetry are considered repulsive.”

“Why are you being so weird?” you scrunch your eyebrows, hopping over to join Namjoon’s side at his desk. “Whatcha doing?”

“Just mixing some new scents,” Namjoon mumbles, staring at the wall.

You lean over him to pick up a candle, inhaling deeply as the smell of freshly cut grass permeates your senses. Namjoon is quick to tell you that the candle is named Lawnmower, and you roll your eyes at his lack of creativity. The next one you sample has the smell of sweat, but also motor oil, lending itself to a surprisingly pleasant scent. Namjoon raises yet another eyebrow, telling you this one is named Jiffy Lube.

You pick another candle up from the batch, but before you can begin to smell, Namjoon reaches over and attempts to snatch it from your grasp.

“Sorry! That one’s for me,” he squawks, but you move your arm out of the way just in time. Taking a deep whiff, you nearly groan at the delightful scent that meets your nostrils, the notes tinged with eucalyptus, Old Spice, and the tiniest hint of what you presume to be gasoline.

“What is this one?” you sigh, taking another deep inhale. “It smells so good.”

Namjoon stares tenderly at the candle in your hands, a far-off look in his eyes.

“It’s called Grandpa,” he smiles wistfully. “I started making candles because of him in the first place. The ability to take a scent, and create something so thoughtful, something so familiar. I-, I thought it would help keep his memory alive. It’s lame, I know.”

He chokes on the last few syllables, eyes misting as he quickly turns his head, not wanting you to see his emotions shine through.

“It’s not lame, Namjoon,” you whisper, putting a hand on his shoulder and leaning in to rest your head in the crook of his neck. “It’s really sweet. You’re really sweet.”

◦◦,`°.✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽.°`,◦◦

“Pass the popcorn please,” your mother asks, the two of you curled up underneath the blanket while your father sits on the armchair next to you.

The soft hum of Silent Night echoes in the background as Love Actually plays on the tv. With all the craziness of the past few days, it was nice to be able to sit down and enjoy your time with your parents.You had yet to tell them about your “engagement”. It all seemed so surreal, and you wanted to have the peace and quiet that came with being home for the holidays.

All of a sudden, your phone pings, a notification from Namjoon lighting up your screen.

“We have a problem. The engagement announcement was sent to the paper by my grandma. Meet me outside your house in 20 mins. We have some papers to steal.”

. . .

“Slow down, Namjoon,” you whoop, as the two of you run off into the night, clad in hats and scarves in the winter chill.

You grab the last stack of newspapers from the Mins’ front porch, and jog for your life, meeting Namjoon in front of his car parked down the street.

You throw the papers in the trunk, slamming it shut before you jump into the backseat, along with Namjoon, the both of you ducking your heads to avoid arousing any suspicion.

“I’m pretty sure we’re gonna get the paperboy fired from his job,” Namjoon chuckles, and the two of you collapse into a fit of giggles at the exhilarating run you’d just gone on in the early hours of the morning.

“I think we got all of them,” you muse, opening up one of the papers to see Namjoon’s smiling face greet you on the front page along with your awestruck one. “I look like a deer in the headlights. You, on the other hand, look pretty good for the front page!”

“Ahhhh,” Namjoon lets out a groan. “That’s probably the only decent photo of me in existence.”

“Why do you do that?” you question, causing Namjoon to shift uncomfortably in his seat. “You’re not ugly, Namjoon. I know for a fact there’d be so many girls who are into you.”

“You should give up writing texts for Jaehyun, and put yourself out there!” you say enthusiastically, your face lighting up at the idea of Namjoon finally finding the love he deserved.

“I don’t think that’s going to work out,” Namjoon mumbles, looking out the window.

“Why not? Namjoon, you’re smart, sweet, hard-working, in love with your family, and not to mention, built! Tell me what girl wouldn’t want you!” you give him a playful tap on his shoulder.

Scowling, he shrugs his arm away, sighing deeply as if he’s lost in thought.

“It’s not going to work,because I’ve tried it all, okay? I’ve tried messaging other girls, but I don’t even want to pursue anything with them, because there’s only one woman I want. And I fucked it all up with her.”

Your face blanches at his admission. Surely, he couldn’t be talking about who you thought he was talking about. Heart racing, you try to open your mouth to respond to his admission, but no words come out.

“Namjoon, who are you talking about?” you whisper softly, but sternly. “Tell me, please.”

“I lied when I said I wanted to help Jaehyun get you,” he said. “I’ve always liked you, ___. Ever since high school. And when I was sitting with him that day and your picture came up, all I could think about was how much you’d changed, how cool and confident you seemed, and how much I wanted to talk to you again.”

“So I played it off as me helping Jaehyun,” he continues, taking in the sight of your furrowed brows. “I thought that, maybe if you saw the texts, and fell for the guy behind them, and not just Jaehyun’s profile full of workout selfies, that maybe you’d consider giving a nerd like me a chance.”

“I don’t understand,” you breathe out. “Why would you tell me this now? You had so many chances to say something, Namjoon.”

“I don’t expect you to respond to me,” Namjoon sighs. “That would be ridiculous, considering how much I’ve lied to you and how much I’ve made you sacrifice for me. I just wanted to stop the lies, and be honest with myself, and with you for once.”

Tears prick your lids as you sit there and ponder Namjoon’s confession. A funny feeling blooms in your chest, and suddenly, you feel as though a thousand butterflies have taken up residence inside of you, flitting their tiny wings and sending tiny shivers throughout your body.

Before you can speak, Namjoon lumbers over the console and jumps into the front seat, firing up the engine.

“Cmon,” he nods to you in the back. “I’ll drive you home. You have a date with Jaehyun, remember?”

◦◦,`°.✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽.°`,◦◦

The quiet din of the chatter from the steakhouse patrons echoes in the background as you sit and listen to Jaehyun drone on about his latest workout routine. Before, you’d found him so riveting, unable to tear your eyes away from his angular jaw and tousled hair. Now, when you look at him, all you can see are crooked glasses, and the glimpse of two deep dimples poking out from his cheeks.

Namjoon’s confession had been sitting with you ever since the other night. Namjoon had done so much wrong, had lied to you countless times, but why did your relationship with him feel more true than anything else you’d ever experienced in your life? All the texts you’d exchanged beforehand, the warm smiles and knowing looks from hanging with his eccentric family, the laughs as the moments you shared painted vivid pictures in your memory, cementing themselves in your mind like pictures on the pages of a scrapbook.

Your mind wanders back to a few hours ago, when Namjoon caught you in the middle of leaving for your date with Jaehyun. The air between the two of you had been awkward, yet Namjoon had quelled the frigidity with a smile, remarking that you looked perfect, and that Jaehyun was “one lucky man”.

Sitting with Jaehyun, you’d always considered yourself the lucky one, capturing the attention of your high school’s former “it boy”, or who you thought would have been the man of your dreams. Now, it all felt like a devastating lie, not unlike the one you were caught up in with Namjoon.

Jaehyun was wonderful, spectacular even, but he wasn’t the one for you.

◦◦,`°.✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽.°`,◦◦

The dawn light filters into the basement, and you open your eyes to see Namjoon curled up in a pile of blankets on the floor, snoring away. Smiling, you think back on your revelation from last night.

Today, the Kims were making a trip to the nursing home again. Halmeoni had roped the residents into accepting a class on online dating in their old age, taught by both you and Namjoon, her so-called experts. Today was also the day you decided to confess your feelings to Namjoon, to let him know that somewhere down the line in this comedy of errors, you’d fallen for him too.

You’d never seen a group of older people so enthused about putting themselves out there, bouncing ideas off of each other about what to put in their profiles, chattering loudly amongst themselves. You think back to the article you’d promised Ji-Hoon, and your brain lights up at the thought of finally abandoning your search for love, and instead showcasing these residents and their quests.

Looking over at Namjoon, you see a tick in his jaw at the sight of all the residents, and he lets out a deep sigh.

“Okay, everyone, let’s all calm down,” his voice booms out, creating a hush amongst the crowd.

“I get that you’re all excited,” he begins. “I really do. You want to put your best foot forward. All of you have lived such full, vibrant lives, with so many interesting stories to tell. But then the insecurities creep in. So you tweak your story a little bit. Still you, just a shinier version. And you keep going, until the real you, which was probably amazing to begin with, is unrecognizable.”

Namjoon turns to look at you, and you see him swallow as the faint glimmer of tears coats his eyelashes.

“I think we all forget though,” he chokes out. “That on the other side of the lie, there’s a real person. Falling in love with a version of you that doesn’t exist. And that’s not fair to either of you, because for them, it’ll end in disappointment. And for you, it’ll end in heartbreak. If I’ve learned anything from my relationship with ___, it’s that love doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be honest.”

You feel your heart drop in your chest as Namjoon turns his face away from the crowd, looking out the window amidst the boisterous applause. Stepping towards him, you reach for his hand, ready to give him the present you’d gotten, only for him to excuse himself, saying he has to step outside to speak to his parents.

Head spinning, you indulge Mrs. Khan’s inquiries for a few brief moments about which selfies are the best to put on her profile.

“I’m sorry,” you put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. “I have to step out for a moment.”

Making your way to the doorway, you conceal yourself from Namjoon’s view, as he’s deep in conversation with his very flustered parents. Mrs. Kim’s eyes are red, like she’s been crying, and Mr. Kim wraps a sympathetic arm around her shoulders.

Listening in, you catch winds of “I’m sorry I lied”, to “I was only trying to help ___ get Jaehyun” and “I know you’re disappointed”. To your horror, you look up at the most incorrect time to see Seokjin glaring daggers at you from the staircase. And that’s when your face blanches in horror. He knows. They all know. Namjoon told them everything.

Bile rises up in your stomach as you feel vomit rise up in the back of your throat. Namjoon had taken the fall for you once again. You think back to how you could have easily avoided this mess by confessing to him sooner, making sure that he didn’t have to out himself to his parents like this, with only the bitter sting of disappointment and a broken relationship in his wake.

You feel a pair of eyes on yours, and look to see Namjoon staring at you in the doorway. His parents and Jin have both retreated into the main room. Looking at his guilty face, you feel tears seeping down your face, shaking your head as you turn on your heels and run out the front door.

Namjoon wants to run after you, to hug your shaking body and wipe your tears away, but he knows he doesn’t have a right to anymore. His eyes catch the glint of sparkly wrapping paper on the floor, and he drops to his knees to examine the gift that had fallen out of your hands, addressed to him.

Tearing away the crinkly paper, his eyes fall on a candle, a note attached to it.

Dear Namjoon,

A passion whose flame fails to be fanned eventually burns out. You are the brightest light I’ve ever met. Please don’t be afraid to be you.

Love (I guess I mean this literally),

____

◦◦,`°.✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽.°`,◦◦

New Year’s Eve

Waiting for the fireworks was always the hardest part. Your parents had gone to sleep long ago, claiming they were too old to see the promise of what a New Year brought.

Since the nursing home debacle, you’d made some sort of progress in terms of getting your life together. Realizing you couldn’t keep chasing after the promise of love to provide fulfillment, you’d reached out to Jaehyun, telling him you enjoyed your time together, but unfortunately, you didn’t feel the same way. You’d also come clean to your parents about the entire Namjoon situation. While they had been shocked, and slightly upset, your mother had pulled your head into her lap and combed your hair as you cried. She’d told you to find him again and tell him about your feelings, but you didn’t know if you could stomach hurting him anymore.

Pulling up your laptop, you see an email from Ji-Hoon, which causes you to roll your eyes. Of course your boss would be on your case during a worldwide holiday. Opening it, you read over his threat.

____,

Christmas has come and gone, and no article! I’ll be seeing you in my office when you come back.

Sighing deeply, you make a vow to yourself once you got back to the city, you’d stand up to Ji-Hoon, telling him you were tired of writing about dating, and that you wanted to prove yourself as a real journalist. You’d had enough of going along with other people’s plans for you, deciding to take charge of your life.

Unfortunately, that also meant deleting CheckMate from your phone. Before you’d gotten rid of the app for good, you’d paused upon seeing there was one new profile in your area. Opening it up, you’re greeted with Namjoon’s smiling face in various photos, from him riding his bike to hugging a puppy. You break out into a grin at the caption underneath.

Looking for someone who can see me for who I am.

A knock on the door interrupts your musing, and you furrow your brow. Who could be here at this hour?

Twisting the doorknob, you gasp as you’re met with the sight of Namjoon, decked out in a cosy sweater and scarf, a beanie on top of his messy hair. He smiles at you, and that’s when you realize he’s holding something in his hands. They look to be giant poster boards of some sort.

The reference isn’t lost on you as your heart begins to race, and you give him a slight nod, urging him to move forward.

Namjoon flips over the first card.

I’ve spent my entire life trying to be the perfect guy, hoping to catch the attention of the most perfect girl.

You feel your face heat up as he changes over the cards, your heartbeat continuing to pound in your ears.

But there’s perfect, and then there’s me.

A sad smile crosses your face as you read the card, but you look up, and Namjoon lets out a chuckle.

Most people want someone to read the Sunday newspaper with. I want someone who steals it with me on a Saturday night.

A giggle escapes your lips, and Namjoon’s smile grows wider, eyes turning into half moon crescents.

So can you ever forgive me? For taking so long to realize that it’s you, I love, actually?

You don’t even wait for Namjoon to drop the last card before you’re bounding down the steps, tackling him into the snow and crashing your lips onto his. You feel Namjoon let out a small groan, wrapping his arms around you to push you closer into his chest.

As you break apart, the two of you exchange shy smiles, faces heating as you stare into each other’s eyes.

“I got your gift,” Namjoon whispers softly, pausing to press a kiss to your nose, which has become chapped and red from the cold.

“Until I read that tiny note,” he says, breathing fogging in the winter air. “I was so prepared for this whole thing to be a sour memory, another thing that I let my insecurities ruin for me.”

“But I thought more about it,” he says, “And I realized that you, ___, you taught me how to be brave. How to make daring, and sometimes stupid decisions, but to never be afraid of going out on a limb and expressing myself.”

“So, I want to give this a shot,” he declares. “I told my dad about my candle-making business. And, he didn’t think I was weird for it! I got a loan from him, and I’m moving to the city next month.”

He beams, and your eyes widen in surprise. Gazingly tenderly at him, you brush the messy strands of hair.

“Love stories for me have always had bad endings,” you respond. “But I’m excited for this one to be a new beginning.”

Throwing your arms around him, the two of you stay there, holding each other for who knows how many moments, until the first firecracker lights up the sky.

“Happy New Year, ___,” Namjoon says softly. “Here’s to being us.”

Taking your hand in his you, lay your head on his chest, looking up at the spectacle that signals the promise of new hope.

“Here’s to us.”

A/N pt. 2: Onyx, I really hope you enjoyed this 10k long crack fest lmao! I loved being your secret santa. Thanks for reading! As always, any feedback or comments are much appreciated, but I appreciate you all anyway. Lots of love, Isi 💜

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wmushy · 3 years

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♡̸ ryujin - itzy lockscreens

𝂅 ۫ ݂ ۫ ݂ 𝂅 ׅ like or reblog if you save and dont repost.

☆ by mia ☆

⌁ @lightmomori @natal-zitas @noel-zitas @choefleur @choervi @min4flour @yunabearx @ryuvinhas @tzuyurls @iugurtes

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mahouhqs · 3 years

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⠀ ⠀ ⠀⸢ ⠀ ⠀魔法処 𝗠𝗔𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗧𝗢𝗞𝗢𝗥𝗢 𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗢𝗟 𝗢𝗙 𝗠𝗔𝗚𝗜𝗖 ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀RESERVED [ 3 ] ― Cha Eunwoo of Astro; Korean Pureblood ― Kim Jongin, Kai of EXO ― Manoban Lalisa, Lisa of Blackpink (Amarin Skeleton, pureblood position) ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀WAITING FOR ARRIVAL UNTIL 28.11 [ 3 ] ― Choi Beomgyu of TXT as Choi Seojun ― Kim Seokjin, Jin of BTS as Levant Kim (Herbology Professor) ― Reol as Nakamura Riyoko ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ARRIVED [ 22 ] ― An Jaehyung as Raven Alina Ho (Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor) ― Bae Jacob of The Boyz as Youngjun Bae ― Cheng Xiao of WJSN as Meng Rushi; Chinese pureblood ( Skeleton Meng ) ― Choi San of Ateez as Saetbyeol ― Hirai Momo of Twice as Shinoda Izumi; Japanese pureblood ― Han Jihyun, Actress as Han Hera; Korean pureblood ― Hwang Hyunjin of Stray Kids as Nero Hwang ― Jeon Jungkook of BTS as Mok Minjae; Korean pureblood ( Skeleton Mok ) ― Kang Hyunggu, Kino of Pentagon as Yoo Hikari; Uwabami Position ― Kim Hyungseo "Bibi", Soloist as Seon Jinae ― Kim Minjeong, Winter of Aespa as Ji Chaeyoung; Metamorphmagus position ― Kimata Syoya of JO1 as Arata “Benjamin” Keito; Animagus position ― Kim Taehyung, V of BTS as Mae Noel (Skeleton Kwak; halfblood) ― Lee Min-hyung, Mark of NCT as Lee Raiden ― Lee Yong Bok, Felix of Stray Kids as Phoenix Darius Lee ― Minatozaki Sana of Twice as Namigata Sara; Japanese pureblood (Skeleton Namigata) ― Park Chaeyoung, Rosé of Blackpink as Han Rael "Elijah" ― Park Sooyoung, Joy of Red Velvet as Kwon Haru; Korean Pureblood ― Sevdaliza as Ashavan Anahita; International pureblood, Ancient Studies Professor, Animagus position ― Shin Ryujin of Itzy as Kitally Jang; Uwabami position ― Song Minho of Winner as Woojin Han; Alchemy Professor, Lycanthrope position ― Tao Tsuchiya as Amatake Ren, Actress; Japanese pureblood ( Skeleton Amatake ), Seer position ― Tuan Yien, Mark as An Jing Xuan; Chinese pureblood ( Skeleton An ) ― Uchinaga Eri, Giselle of Aespa as Watanabe Karin; Animagus position ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀PUREBLOODS Korean: ( 4/4 ) Japanese: ( 3/4 ) Chinese: ( 2/4 ) International ( 1/5 ) Thai ( 1/2 ) ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀BEINGS Animagus ( 3/3 ) Metamorphmagus ( 1/1 ) Uwabami ( 2/2 ) Lycanthrope / Werewolf ( 1/1 ) Seer ( 1/1 )

#reserved

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perpetuallyixolated · 1 year

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Everyone gets a kiss on the forehead, how do they react?

((I have. A lot of muses so I'm going to put them in groups. And im gonna assume this is from someone they know

Kanon, Dal: Not react much, though Kanon would be surprised you gave her one...mainly bc of how tall she is.

Fang, Ryujin, Scout, Kihyun: a huge smile on their faces and an enthusatic thank you. They love forehead kisses!

Haneul, Sooyoung, Renn (Kosaka), Minjun, Jaehyun: They have that Motherly Smile on their face and gives you a head pat in return

Noel, Jason, Tsurugi, Hyunsik, Kiriya, Kousuke, Brendon, Kaito: Grin on their face. Feels loved. Will most likely brag about it to the group. Some might even...flirt.

Thana, Renn (ZODIAC), Aya, Bamba, Sento, Taiga, Ahn, Violet, Byul: Very shy. Will have a horrible blush on their face. Head in hands. Girl help...I got kissed on the forehead....this still surprises me....))

#answers.mp3 (answered)#((god this might be sloppy and it's not like tailored to that specific muse But. This is a general reaction))

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svnnysidevp · 4 years

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mixtape for all the dummies baby hell yea!!!!! hav fun!!!!!!!

MIX TAPE MEME / ACCEPTING !

holy shit gi. NSJFNSJDFNSD

this is : noel & ryujin

adore you — harry styles !

real love — carly rae jepsen !

what a man gotta do — jonas brothers !

lovin’ is bible — the aces !

in my way — muna !

jiae & younghyun heavy rotation

nothing — bruno major !

feels so good — honne !

best part — daniel caesar ft . her !

electric love — børns !

the hoodie song — mae muller !

the quintessential miles & auggie

soulmate — zico ft . iu !

who’s got you singing again — prep !

waterloo — abba !

best friend — rex orange county !

cliche — mxmtoon !

the paxton & valentine collector’s edition

falling for u — peachy ! ft . mxmtoon !

all that and more ( sailboat ) — rainbow kitten surprise !

1950 — king princess !

i’m with you — vance joy !

i like u — niki !

the colin & penelope original soundtrack

the louvre — lorde !

pete davidson — ariana grande !

make you feel my love — adele !

tear in my heart — twenty one pilots !

toothpaste kisses — the maccabees !

the ballad of wyatt & jina

i’ll be your girl — carly rae jepsen !

pool — paramore !

fallingforyou — the 1975 !

heart out — the 1975 !

dancing on my own — robyn !

#cherrykisscs #WHEWWWW ......#i had so much funJNDSND #i love our kids n i love gi #// * noel seong ! a meme .#noel + ryujin !#// * na younghyun ! a meme .#younghyun + jiae !#// * miles shin ! a meme .#miles + auggie !#// * paxton lim ! a meme .#paxton + valentine !#// * colin arciga ! a meme .#colin + penelope !#// * wyatt dae ! a meme .#wyatt + jina !#yeah .#YEAHHHH ...#under a read more bc there r SO MANY SHDJFKNSFNSD

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svnnysidevp · 5 years

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“𝐆𝐎𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐒.” words are spoken nonchalantly, stark contrast to the broad smile that traces lips and the way he holds out the bouquet in uninhibited grandeur; they’re all variants of her favorite flora, just as he remembered, and noel likes to be awfully smug about those things — especially when it comes to her. “your class took for fuckin’ ever by the way. i really ought to have a word with your lecturer if she’s going to keep you away from me that long.” it’s an exaggeration, on his end, but there’s no saying as to whether or not he’d seriously do so ( he would ! anything to get to spend more time with ryujin ), daring, smug smile adorning otherwise softened features once he laces his fingers through her own. “choices for dinner ? thinkin’ bibimbap, but y’know — always your call, babe.” / @cherrykisscs !

#this got so long i didnt meaN ITNJSDNFJDF #i love u i love them im READYYYY #// * noel seong ! a conversation .#noel + ryujin !#cherrykisscs

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cherrykisscs · 4 years

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protective sentences ! | accepting @svnnysidevp / “[choked up] I thought I lost you.” + noel & ryujin

“ i'm right here, baby, i swear. ”

she’d just left for a few minutes; unfortunately, due to the time difference, the only moment the university had available to give her some call was during her nighttime. it’s a bit annoying, ryujin had no interest in leaving her boyfriend’s ( her heart still races at the title ) sleeping arms, but she’s nothing if not responsible. just a few seconds, answer their survey thing, then she’d be back cuddled up to his side.

ryujin hadn’t expected to take so long and, before she knows it, she’s scrambling to reach her panicking boyfriend. sleepy, babbling about some nightmare where she’d never come back made worse by waking up to an empty bed. pungent guilt crawls over her ribs as she cradles him, lips pressing determined kisses wherever they could reach. “ i’m so sorry, ” jin mumbles between them, nails raking through his hair. “ i’m so so so sorry. ”

“ i was wrong, i’m sorry it took me so long to realize it. ” ryujin hums, tilting his chin to properly bump noses. she was an idiot for ever thinking she was nothing more than a game to him, doesn’t know if it’s even possible to describe how much she regrets leaving him, even if it was for a few ( horrendously long ) months. “ but.. m’not going anywhere, okay? i’m all yours, noel. always. ”

#svnnysidevp #svnnysidevp ! noel.#➳ ❪ answered by … ! ❫ ryujin michaud-park.#SO THIS IS ME SWALLOWIN MY PRIDE STANDIN IN FRONT OF U #SAYIN IM SORRY FOR THAT NIGHT..........

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svnnysidevp · 4 years

Note

c can i hab the s ship meme ??? 🥺 for all of them hehehehe

𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗲 / * ACCEPTING !

i love gi n thats on periodt

𝒏𝒐𝒆𝒍 & 𝒓𝒚𝒖𝒋𝒊𝒏 !

𝐰𝐡𝐨 . . . .

001. . . . 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 ? noel . no questions asked . he used to be very picky about touching gross things but he’d do it for ryujin , as she is , as in most cases of his life , the exception ! if not noel he’d get one of the other guys to do it LOL

002. . . . 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 ? noel and YES of course the ring is massive and brag-worthy . who do you think he is ?

003. . . . 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 ? noel . it was when he was still an idol and ryujin was their makeup artist . he’d done it backstage while waiting for their performance at a music show and was being a menace , as usual ( not that ryujin turned away ! ) .

004. . . . 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 ? noel , at first ! it’s mostly noel , but over time ryujin starts to plan things for them even if he insists that she just sit back and relax as he spends most of the time planning and deciding what would make her feel happiest .

005. . . . 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 ? ryujin , because technically she did and it was the worst few months of noel’s life .

006. . . . 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐣𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐬 ? both ! only they show it in different ways : noel unleashes a total verbal smackdown on his target and ryujin just gets extra affectionate with him ! it’s worth noting that ryujin got very jealous even before they’d start officially dating so . :)

007. . . . 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐞𝐫 ? noel , surprisingly enough . for someone with such an active social life and penchant for butting into other people’s circles he’s discovered he really likes staying in bed with ryujin and watching dumb videos and letting her put makeup on him .

008. . . . 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝟑𝐀𝐌 ? noel ! hc that the first few days after their first breakup and also pre-auggie he would still be sending her daily updates about what he did that day and all the piece of shit things he did and he’d end it , always , saying that he missed her . nowadays they don’t really text each other at that time because they rarely spend nights apart !

009. . . . 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 ? noel . no contest . he’s also the same person who gets ryujin to discover this side of herself that no one else has managed to crack so . :~)

010. . . . 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐢 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 ? noel !!! it took a while before ryujin said it back but when she did , it was overdue , but still glorious .

𝒋𝒊𝒂𝒆 & 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒈𝒉𝒚𝒖𝒏 !

𝐰𝐡𝐨 . . . .

001. . . . 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 ? younghyun doesn’t kill it , only takes it outside .

002. . . . 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 ? younghyun !!! it’s with a ring he worked really hard to buy because he wants jiae to have the best things : (

003. . . . 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 ? younghyun . it was after this whole ’ you’re a camgirl and i know ! ‘ confrontation but it was very soft and sweet , especially compared to the kisses that happened …. after that ….

004. . . . 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 ? younghyun ! like noel , he likes planning things for jiae , although with him it’s more of a collaborative effort .

005. . . . 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 ? neither are u kidding me … he’s been in love with , AND having wet dreams abt her since forever why wld he stop his dreams from coming tru now .

006. . . . 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐣𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐬 ? both ! jiae is jealous of all the attention he gets as the campus track star and younghyun is acutely aware of the way ppl look at her . luckily they like to remind each other exactly who they belong to :-)

007. . . . 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐞𝐫 ? jiae ! i wouldn’t say either of them are particularly lazy , but since younghyun’s an athlete and works at his family’s store he can’t really afford ? to be lazy ? but he does like the days he can just sit back and unwind w his gf .

008. . . . 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝟑𝐀𝐌 ? jiae sends him tasteful nudes . younghyun doesn’t reply except two seconds later he’s already knocking at her door .

009. . . . 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 ? jiae due to profession ? but younghyun is aware of how nasty he can be so they’re both experienced in their own ways :~)

010. . . . 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐢 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 ? younghyun , the sap he is .

𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒔 & 𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒈𝒊𝒆 !

𝐰𝐡𝐨 . . . .

001. . . . 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 ? miles .

002. . . . 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 ? miles ! god ok im getting emotional thinking abt just how hard he worked for his ring too : (

003. . . . 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 ? auggie . tbh miles was still on the fence abt dating one of his best friends’ exes and was nervous and sweaty palmed all night . but the date turned out really well and ended with her kissing him as sweet as he thought it’d be and suddenly all thoughts of betrayal ? OUT THE WINDOW BABY !!!

004. . . . 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 ? auggie ! miles , too , but tbh it’s nice to feel like he doesn’t have to be super … on top or in charge of things with her ? when he pushes he feels the push back and it’s new and takes getting used to but also very nice .

005. . . . 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 ? auggie did , technically , during their first big fight ! since they got back together though it’s never crossed either of their minds :~) .

006. . . . 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐣𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐬 ? miles ! auggie being a youtuber means lots and lots of fans coming up to her and trying to get too close but miles tries to keep it in line because it makes her happy ! beside he’s the one who gets to eat her out every night anyway !

007. . . . 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐞𝐫 ? auggie ! miles is notorious for working to the point of fatigue . auggie is his rest .

008. . . . 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝟑𝐀𝐌 ? miles ; see above . auggie’s reply always comes kind of chiding or chastising , telling him to stop working and just come home .

009. . . . 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 ? auggie ? not by much , but auggie . miles has always proven too busy for romantic affairs !

010. . . . 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐢 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 ? miles , through tears as auggie patched him up after his fist fight with noel !

𝒋𝒊𝒏𝒂 & 𝒘𝒚𝒂𝒕𝒕 !

𝐰𝐡𝐨 . . . .

001. . . . 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 ? jina . NSJKDFNSJ

002. . . . 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 ? wyatt ! he puts together a little short film for her before getting down on one knee . it’s beautiful and jina hasn’t said yes to anything faster .

003. . . . 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 ? jina . highkey it was when wyatt had had a fight with his girlfriend and jina had to pick him up from a bar kinda tipsy too and after a drunken confession spills out it just … happens ! it was only inevitable !

004. . . . 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 ? wyatt ! jina is very new to this whole romance thing , so wyatt is kind of ? leading the way for them , trying to figure out at what pace she’d be most comfortable since she doesn’t want to overwhelm !

005. . . . 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 ? jina , being as flighty as she is , would occasionally feel like she’s too much for wyatt ?? or feel like she doesn’t deserve him n baso just gets anxious and uncertain abt their future . but it’s always wyatt coaxing her back to bed , reassuring her that for her he’ll always be around : ( .

006. . . . 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐣𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐬 ? wyatt ! at first , at least . then when he gets a girlfriend the turns …. they table ….

007. . . . 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐞𝐫 ? wyatt ! he and jina take naps until noon some days it’s peak romance .

008. . . . 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝟑𝐀𝐌 ? probably jina ?

009. . . . 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 ? jina !!! wyatt’s been hung up on the same girl for a while now so he hasn’t that much time to get … out there .

010. . . . 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐢 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 ? wyatt , thanks to alcohol and how pretty jina looked and how nice it felt when she kissed him for the first time , finally !

𝒑𝒂𝒙𝒕𝒐𝒏 & 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒆 !

𝐰𝐡𝐨 . . . .

001. . . . 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 ? neither . they’re both afraid . SNFKJDSNF

002. . . . 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 ? paxton ! it’s at disneyland on an anniversary date and valentine cries .

003. . . . 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 ? valentine . it was for the fake dating exp obv ! we don’t talk abt how much pax actually liked it !!!

004. . . . 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 ? valentine ! paxton gets v overwhelmed and anxious and uncertain planning things so for the most part it’s her holding the ropes . when he does plan things for her though he tries his best !!!

005. . . . 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 ? paxton feels like he isn’t enough for her sometimes and probably deserves someone better , especially when they’re months into fake dating and haven’t broken up yet . he thinks she wants to break up but is too scared of hurting his feelings so he brings it up only for them to have a fight . NJSDFNSJDF

006. . . . 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐣𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐬 ? valentine ! she’s v aware of how many people flock to paxton after his band performs . not like he notices or anything . he’s very one track minded ( aka valentine-centric ! ) .

007. . . . 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐞𝐫 ? paxton !

008. . . . 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝟑𝐀𝐌 ? probably valentine ? with a new idea for a youtube video , or their plans for the next day . pax replies and tells her to get some sleep !

009. . . . 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 ? paxton !!! valentine’s had boyfriends but none of them have made her nut so . NFJKSDNFJS

010. . . . 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐢 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 ? paxton , thanks to the aforementioned fight in number 5 !

𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒏 & 𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒆 !

𝐰𝐡𝐨 . . . .

001. . . . 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 ? colin . it’s a very easy task for him to do .

002. . . . 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 ? colin ! it’s set like a mystery scavenger hunt akin jake and amy’s proposal in b99 and it’s v cute .

003. . . . 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 ? penny . colin missed too many hints !

004. . . . 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 ? colin , because he likes to plan things for her !

005. . . . 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 ? penelope because uhh hes a murderer . NSDKJFNS and yet …. the way they find their way back to each other regardless …..

006. . . . 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐣𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐬 ? colin ! it manifests after after . every hickey on penny’s neck has a different name .

007. . . . 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐞𝐫 ? penny ! colin usually doesn’t take days off but at pen’s insistence he does like spending more time at home , now that he doesn’t feel lonely in it .

008. . . . 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝟑𝐀𝐌 ? probably colin ? because he’s on business trips all the time !!

009. . . . 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 ? penny ! colin just also happens to . know what he likes :innocent: NJFKSNF

010. . . . 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐢 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 ? colin , and penny says it immediately back !

𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒔 & 𝒏𝒂𝒐𝒎𝒊 !

𝐰𝐡𝐨 . . . .

001. . . . 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 ? naomi . she’s a lot tougher than he is .

002. . . . 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 ? moses , within the comforts of their apartment and probably the morning they first got together , so high on love , was like ‘ i’m so happy with her i could lit rally spend the rest of my life with her …. so I SHOULD !!! ‘ naomi said no , of course , but moses asks again a few years later . properly this time .

003. . . . 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 ? moses . on the one night nao decided she was going to put herself first and actually go on a date with someone else ! the clown she is !

004. . . . 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 ? moses !

005. . . . 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 ? naomi after she’d get fed up with pining after moses for so long and all the hot and cold and push and pull and his total lack of consequences … honestly even berlin thinks she deserves better dont quote her. NJSDFN

006. . . . 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐣𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐬 ? naomi at first ; she’s been jealous for years ! moses only realises he’s jealous a few years too late .

007. . . . 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐞𝐫 ? both of them ! they work well as roommates , have this unspoken agreement to just stay in and cuddle on some days .

008. . . . 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝟑𝐀𝐌 ? probably moses ? when nao isn’t on tour with him and the band he sends her quick snaps of his day , no matter how blurry .

009. . . . 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 ? moses ! he falls in love in every city so duh . NSJKDFNS

010. . . . 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐢 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 ? moses , and of course he says it with the worst timing ever , thank u v much !

𝒔𝒆𝒖𝒏𝒈𝒚𝒆𝒐𝒏 & 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒊 !

𝐰𝐡𝐨 . . . .

001. . . . 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 ? neither ? somi serenades it and seungyeon lets it rest on one of her flowers on their porch , so long as it isn’t bothering anyone !

002. . . . 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 ? somi , with a slow song she prepared for her and a dance to accompany it . she picks out seungyeon’s fave flowers and scatters it on the floor ! true romantic .

003. . . . 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 ? seungyeon during their fake dating shenanigans , but it’s somi who initiates the first real kiss when she realises she can’t keep pretending this is just pretend !

004. . . . 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 ? somi !

005. . . . 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 ? somi after her ex came crawling back to her but honestly it only took her a few dates to realize that … oh … she doesn’t … like her anymore ???

006. . . . 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐣𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐬 ? seungyeon ! because she’s obliv to the LITERAL HEART EYES somi has when she’s around .

007. . . . 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐞𝐫 ? somi operates on a more flexible schedule so she’d be more relaxed with a day indoors with her , dancing ‘round the room in their underwear and doing couple things even if they are … surprise …. NOT a couple !!!

008. . . . 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝟑𝐀𝐌 ? somi sends her snippets of songs she’s working on because they’re all dedicated to her .

009. . . . 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 ? somi !

010. . . . 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐢 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 ? seungyeon ; somi has always said it in other ways that didn’t require words , but that doesn’t mean her heart doesn’t stop when seungyeon tells her that for the first time !

#cherrykisscs #wheWWWWW ......#not the way i LOVED these #not the way i love GI #this is missing one but it still in d oven .... we still bakin that bread .....#the world aint ready for is and gi pt. 9 ....#noel + ryujin !#miles + auggie !#younghyun + jiae !#wyatt + jina !#colin + penelope !#paxton + valentine !#moses + naomi !#somi + seungyeon !

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