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goldentournesol · 3 years

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The Receptionist and the Profiler (Seven)

Chapter Seven: Sweet Fulfilment

(Spencer Reid x f!Reader)

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The silence that fell upon them in Rossi’s backyard was so heavy, no one dared to break it. Derek was brave enough to stand and follow Y/N into the house, most likely to drive her home. The rest received the message and began to dwindle away, until only Ashley and Spencer were left.

Spencer absentmindedly fiddled with the top of his cane, still stunned into silence from Y/N’s heavy confession. He could feel Ashley’s eyes on him, but didn’t bother looking at her. His mind was racing ten times faster than it ever had before.

Ashley breathed out a sigh and kept it simple and straightforward, “Do you love her?” She asked softly.

He wished to hear some malice in her tone, thinking it might make him feel something other than shock, but all he heard was curiosity. He didn’t even have to think to find the answer, but which answer was he willing to give?

“Yes.” He said, not even having the audacity to see the reaction it brought upon her eyes.

He should have felt horrible for hurting Ashley, but he couldn’t bring it upon himself to feel anything but relief as he replayed Y/N’s words in his head. He heard her move to stand up and remained motionless as she left him on the couch. She went inside and Spencer deduced that she’d probably already taken her car and returned home. He’d have to find a different ride home but that was the least of his problems right now.

No one knew what to tell him as he passed them in the spacious living room a half hour later. No one knew where to start with him, but their unrelated hushed conversations continued on. Y/N had stupefied them all, but him especially. His heart should have been soaring because of her confession, but he knew he’d have to give Ashley a proper goodbye. She deserved one, even though he had quite literally used her in the most ungentlemanly of ways. He hadn’t let themselves get too invested in the relationship, though. He’d always kept her at arm’s length for fear of getting too attached.

The next day, he’d promptly gone to her apartment and given a heartfelt apology. She’d let him know how hurt she was and that she was not going to be returning to the BAU. He still felt bad, but once again, he felt like he could breathe. Like the air knew its way back to his lungs.

The weekend came and went, silence on both ends. Both lovers just stewing in their own pots. Both pots teeming with unadulterated, unconditional love and affection for one another. It could barely be contained at this point. Time seemed to float by and before they knew it they were back in the office. A new month had just begun. She felt new, she felt like she’d peeled off a layer of her skin, one that had been holding her back, trapping her within the confines of herself.

With the new month, she was called in early to have the routine monthly meeting with Hotch where they went over the itinerary of the next month. They liked to plan whatever they could given that half of the BAU’s job was unpredictable.

“So, I have here the form that Strauss asked for. Also, the 6th floor’s printer is a literal piece of junk and I’ve typed up a formal proposal so that maybe we could get a new one? I coordinated with Penelope about the funds and she says there are sufficient funds for a new printer.” Y/N said, handing Hotch a typed document.

Even after all these years, her dedication to this job continues to blow him away. He’d come to see her as a work-daughter. He has taught her so much over the past few years and he’ll always have a special place in her heart. He nodded, glancing over the document.

“Great, I trust you and Penelope will pick an adequate printer.” He paused, sending her a smile. He noticed the slight glimmer in her eye, “I know you’ve been having a rough few months, Y/N, and it’s not technically my place to get involved in your personal life, as your boss, but as your friend, I hope you know that I am available to help you in any way I possibly can.”

Her whole face formed into a fond smile, “Thanks, Hotch and yes, I know.” She chuckled slightly.

“You are a dedicated employee and a wonderful person. If you ask me--” He was interrupted by his office door slamming open, showcasing an absolutely beaming Dr. Spencer Reid in the doorway.

“Hotch, I am so sorry to interrupt your meeting,” Spencer’s eyes flew from Hotch to Y/N, his attention now zeroed in on her. He leaned into the office, not fully entering, “are you free for dinner tonight?” he asked in a rushed manner, as if not getting a fast answer would somehow make him lose all the confidence he’d mustered up.

“M-me? Yes! I mean, yes, I’m free tonight.” Y/N answered, flustered at the interruption as well as the question. Spencer’s face split into a grin and he tapped the doorframe once awkwardly.

“Great, then...it’s a date.” He raised his brows and tried to lessen his grin as he snuck a glance at Hotch before gracelessly forming his lips into a line and scurrying out of the small office.

Y/N turned back to Hotch quickly with eyes widened with disbelief and a face totally failing to contain the utter joy she felt, “I’m sorry, what were you saying?”

Hotch only responded with a knowing smile at the precious interaction he’d just witnessed firsthand.

First dates were supposed to be awkward, however, their first date was anything but. Spencer had showed up with a fresh haircut, his shoulder length hair cut into a dreamy, swoopy style that sat along his forehead comfortably. It was so much more attractive than Y/N could outwardly-or inwardly- admit. His knee was now fully healed and no longer needed his cane which allowed them to walk around the city freely.

They’d both realized how stupid and blind they’ve been over the years. Y/N confessed to feeling especially stupid for staying with Anderson for so long, even when she had realized her true feelings for Spencer. Time had passed them by like it was nothing.

Spencer, like the true gentleman he is, insisted he’d walk her home. He’d feel more comfortable knowing she was safe, not to mention that he was extremely curious about her new apartment. He hadn’t expected Y/N to invite him in, but of course she did, because that was who she was. She was warm and inviting, and if she was being honest, she didn’t want the night to end yet.

“I’m sorry about the mess, I haven’t really been in the right headspace these past few weeks.” She said, walking him inside. He took a look around and noticed a few unpacked boxes out of place but he definitely wouldn’t characterize it as messy.

He chuckled softly and shrugged, “Trust me, it’s fine.” Her shoulders dropped with relief slightly and she returned his lightheartedness by smiling and flopping onto the couch.

“It’s been so long since I’ve lived on my own. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the silence.” Y/N said, but only realized how sad it must have sounded after she said it. Spencer took a seat next to her on her small, but comfortable couch.

“I feel quite the opposite, I think I’ve been living on my own for--for a long time.” He said, thinking back to his days but pushing away the especially dark parts.

She dared to glance at him, seeing him in her space was so...different. So refreshing. It’s like this apartment needed Spencer in it for it to feel complete. Or maybe that was her heart speaking. Maybe both the apartment and her heart needed Spencer to feel whole. Her glance had long been forgotten and had turned into a longing gaze instead.

“Spencer, I-” She gazed at him, feeling the words get caught up in her throat before she could have had the chance to voice them. Besides, what words would ever be able to convey the way she felt towards him?

Words escaped her when he looked at her like that--all soft eyes and a fond, lopsided smile, despite his curiosity at her interrupted sentence. She made the mistake of glancing at his lips, the lips that were so appealing, practically calling her name. The ones she’d caught herself daydreaming about for years and years on end. His proximity was intoxicating and before she could doubt herself, she closed the gap between them, her hands attaching themselves to the lapels of his blazer to pull him ever so slightly closer.

His lips were just as warm and inviting as she’d remembered them, but this time the kiss tasted sweeter, it was no longer tainted with suppressed guilt and confusion. His lips tasted like certainty. It was clear that she’d finally found what she’d been missing all these years. The gentle push and pull of the kiss was invigorating to them both. His slightly calloused hands found her flushed cheeks, each thumb delicately caressing the delicate skin beneath the pads of his fingers. They’d savored the kiss so much that when they pulled away, two, three, four tender, short kisses followed the initial one.

Almost as if they’d never get enough of each other. Like if the world was ending, it wouldn’t matter, they’d go peacefully, knowing that this is what it was like. That this is what quenched thirst felt like.

“I love you.” She murmured against his lips, breath uneven. She’d known it for as long as she could remember and he’d known it too, but she was past the point of timidness to admit it now. There’s no use in prolonging it, not when she was this certain.

The pad of his thumb traced a line across her jaw slowly as he heard the words. His face couldn’t contain his smile, teeth almost clashing into each other from their closeness. His warm, amber eyes flitted to hers, visible comfort and reassurance filling his irises. He was transported back to Rossi’s garden when he’d first told her he loved her. She knew, she knew he loved her too, which is why it was so easy.

“I love you, too.” He murmured back, pressing another passionate kiss to her lips, as a quiet admission of love. She could feel the tears gather underneath her closed lids almost as quickly as relief flooded her chest.

They’d decided to keep things under the radar for a while, neither of them too eager to showcase their relationship to the world just yet, excluding Hotch of course. They did their best anyway--or at least they thought they did. Their recent smiley faces and cheery attitudes were not invisible to America’s top profilers and well, Penelope, who was perhaps the sharpest of them all, despite not being trained to analyze behavior like the others.

Exactly two weeks after their first date, Penelope cornered Y/N at her desk around lunchtime, right before the two lovebirds took their daily lunch walk.

“Spill.” Penelope demanded, her colorful teapot earrings swayed, contradicting the sternness in her voice.

“What are you talking about?” Y/N gazed up at her with genuine confusion.

“Uh-uh, don’t give me that. I know something fishy is going on. I can smell it.” Penelope leaned in closer and began pointing fingers. Y/N barked a laugh.

“Garcia, nothing is going on. Please tell me what you’re talking about.” She laughed, amused at the sight of her friend being so outwardly nosey.

“You think I haven’t noticed you and Boy Wonder--” She was interrupted by a loud clearing of the throat noise from Spencer to announce his presence.

“Garcia, Derek said something about making hot chocolate in the kitchenette and you know how he dips the sugar spoon back into the chocolate mix? Yeah, you should probably--” Spencer lied through his teeth but Penelope wasted no time in rushing off to the kitchenette, groaning about how she hated finding extra sugar in the chocolate.

Spencer caught Y/N’s eye and they both burst out laughing. They quickly made their exit, whispering about how close of a call it was with Garcia. Little did they know, Rossi had caught every little bit of the very tender, intimate kiss they shared before the doors of the empty elevator had closed, leaving him shaking his head at the obliviousness of the two.

The team decided to make a game out of it very quickly when they all realized. They wanted to see which of them could expose the couple the quickest.

JJ found extreme joy in trying to set Y/N up with one of Will’s friends right in front of Spencer.

“Come on! This guy’s totally your type, Y/N.” JJ pushed, showing her a picture of a man on her phone, leaning towards her over the top of her desk. Y/N laughed uncomfortably and glanced with panic at Spencer who was watching curiously.

“I don’t know, I d-don’t think I have a type, JJ.” She tried to brush her off, continuing to laugh in discomfort. Emily and Derek almost split their lips as they bit them to try and keep from laughing. They watched Spencer shift nervously in his seat.

“I’m just not interested.” Y/N said, “Thanks, though.” JJ finally gave in and accepted that she’d lost the bet.

Emily tried her hand at “girl-talk”, hoping that maybe Y/N would slip up and tell her about Spencer, but to no avail. That woman’s lips were sealed shut.

Derek and Penelope both tried to follow them around but Spencer and Y/N were far too cautious at work now. Derek actually had to convince Penelope to take the moral high road and refrain from tracking their devices or hacking into their messages.

After trying and failing for so long, the team finally gave up on trying to rat them out and instead decided to respectfully wait for their announcement.

Y/N realized that she hadn’t technically invited anyone over to her new apartment and decided to throw a somewhat delayed “welcoming party” for herself. She’d cooked dinner, which Spencer did his best to contribute to, decorated the place nicely, and invited the whole team over.

“Thank you all so much for being here. I know this has been a long time coming. I’ve missed our little get-togethers and thought it’d be fitting if I finally host one, given that I now have my own apartment.” Y/N spoke from her place at the head of the dinner table which had barely ever been used before this night. It was a tight squeeze, but her heart soared as she saw the faces of her caring coworkers and friends staring up at her. They all lifted their glasses and gave her a silent toast of appreciation.

Spencer stood from his seat that was to the right of Y/N’s and cleared his throat, “Also, we have an announcement to make.” He timidly began, catching the eager smiles. “Y/N and I are, finally, together.” He waited for the cheers of excitement but nothing but an eerie knowing silence befell the dinner table.

Something clicked in Y/N’s brain as she spotted Rossi handing Hotch something under the table not-so-discreetly, “You all knew?!” She gasped in disbelief. The team broke out into fits of laughter.

“The whole time!” Garcia guffawed. Spencer and Y/N shared a look of incredulity before breaking into laughter themselves. Y/N shyly hid her face in Spencer’s shoulder as he wrapped an affectionate arm around her back.

“You guys thought you were so sneaky.” Derek threw his head back, laughing.

“Wait, so what was all that about?” Y/N asked, referring to Rossi handing Hotch something, “You guys had a bet going?”

“Technically there were two bets going. Everyone else was determined to expose you, which they all failed at, thankfully, while Rossi and I had a separate bet. I said that you’d announce it first and Rossi apparently had more faith in the team.” Hotch explained, smirking triumphantly at Rossi, who appeared delighted despite having lost the bet.

“Bet or not, you two deserve each other. I’m glad you two are happy together. To the lovely couple.” Rossi raised his glass and everyone followed in pursuit.

Spencer turned to Y/N to place a sweet but chaste kiss on her lips, leading everyone to cheer in response.

There was little he could compare to the feeling he had then, but if he had to, he’d compare it to being whole.

previous chapter/epilogue

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gallivantingheart · 3 years

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Me, a Princess? Shut Up!

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⏮️ chapter 6: mulan ⏭️

who?: jihoon/woozi x (f)reader

word count: 1717

genre/s: fluff, humour, social media!au

warnings: mild coarse language

synopsis: Life’s pretty good for y/n. Easy, even. Until someone claiming to be her grandmother says she is the queen of a small island country - and y/n, a princess.

a/n: i have no reason as to the TWO WEEK wait, but i still hope it’s okay. Also, I know nothing of international politics or table etiquette, don’t @ me

**please ignore the timestamps - they are not accurate**

TAGLIST: @strykiss, @karrotkarrotkarrot, @3sriracha, @minkwans, @annakemi, @chaseyui,

don’t hesitate to send an ask or dm to be added!

Soonhee follows you with eagle eyes as you circle the dining room, elaborate table setting laid out along with decorative lemon themed table centrepieces.

“And who sits next to France?”

You rush to answer, not facing her. “Belgium. Like on the map, because France and Germany don’t get along politically.”

“And across from Germany?” She calls, idly adjusting forks and spoons.

“Thai - uh, Spain, sorry. Thailand is next to Spain, before myself. Then Soonyoung and yourself at the head of the table, north.”

You pause to turn and wait for Soonhee to assess your answer. She’s dressed in a silky champagne two piece blazer and skirt, her blouse designed with a high neckline and thin necktie. The click of her heels are a constant, reminding you of a metronome - just to torment you a little more. She nods, finally.

“I didn’t quite ask for all of that, but yes. You are correct. Have you had your final fitting? You must be presentable before the attendees. Reputation and first impressions are vital.”

You bite the bottom of your lip, nodding. “I had it the day before last. Everything is as ready as can be.”

“Hmmm. You are dismissed. I suggest you study on the conversation topics from last week and compose yourself before tomorrow. Please be here at 1pm, sharp. Antoni insists on natural light and I wish to be ready as early as possible.” Soonhee still doesn’t look at you when she speaks.

As much as it makes your blood boil from the aloof and disparaging manner in which she speaks to you - and only you, it seems - you push down any unpleasant urges against her. She’s a queen; a ruler of a country. No doubt not used to her opinion being challenged, much less by someone your age. There are better things to utilise your energy on rather than fighting the brick wall that is your grandmother.

“Yes, grandma.” You’ll still push the envelope and call ther that though, something a little less formal for the times. “See you tomorrow.”

You instantly turn out the room, pulling your phone out of your back pocket. Those dreadful heels click hastily after you.

“And no socialising tonight! We can’t afford any bad press or late nights for anyone.”

Her voice has never been loud but it carries remarkably well. You huff and jam your phone away, a chicken and drinks session with the boys off the cards. Mingyu is out of town on another holiday with family, so it would have been Minghao and Jun, your fellow foodies.

Despite the early bedtime, you can’t seem to sleep, tossing and turning, tangling yourself in your sheets. You hope Antoni is as good at hiding sleepless nights as he is at shaping eyebrows.

The dress is beautiful, of course. (You had the wine gang help you choose over text. Secretly, of course.)

And while you’re still sceptical of Antoni after the debacle he caused concerning your identity, he blathers on and on in apologies as he pins and fiddles with your hair so you don’t mind too much by the end of it all. Soonhee seems to think he’s redeemed himself - the queen’s word is law. Soonyoung looks super chic in his blazer and turtleneck. You pout at him in his fashionable attire no one else in their stuffy suits appears to bat an eye at.

“Soonie you look great.” You say from the bottom step of the main staircase - grand entrance and all.

He can’t help but preen. “Thanks, as do you, Boss.”

“Gross. But I look like a glitzed up puffball. If I had known that it could have been more casual I-”

The queen cuts off your whining as she glides over in a gauzy ivory gown, crown glittering with every light fixture. “Y/N. Very appropriate. Soonyoung, handsome as always. Are you sure you don’t have my genes?”

What? A - A joke? Where? You have to forcibly shut your mouth from the conversation in front of you. Soonyoung has a steady dancers’ posture - or maybe just a royal one. Straight spine, relaxed held back shoulders and a level gaze. You twist your fist in the many layers of your skirt, to both hide and release the frustrating tension radiating through you. The ambassador laughs, fluffing shyly at his bleach blonde fringe.

“Oh, ahaha. Your Majesty, no. No, I do not.” He mumbles.

You dip yourself in a short bow before dodging the pair in order to attempt to mingle. Droning conversation topics flick through your mind, like forcing the pages of a book. Finally, you set your sights on the Swedish ambassador, if only to talk about Eurovision - the one fun subject allowed to be discussed with you.

You find though, that most of the conversations you attend cycle through the same process. The notice of your presence and an introduction between you all - ministers, ambassadors and their companions. Then a resuming of the current conversation, you being too afraid of looking stupid to add any effective input. You have to bite back a sigh of relief when dinner is announced.

Soonyoung is right. You need a spoon for the cool soup served. He flicks the edge of the one you are supposed to use and you kick his ankle in thanks. The conversations from the foyer are carried into the dining space and you lose India to Thailand. Soonyoung is chatting avidly with Scotland across from him, his hands gesturing from their place on the table cloth. Despite this, main course goes swimmingly, a chicken lemon dish on rice with a hint of garlic and herbs. You hesitate on your chopsticks before picking up a knife and fork like most of the other dignitaries. You feel eyes on you and glance over to see Soonhee evaluating you from the head of the table. She still manages to look severe to you, even with the amicable situation - but maybe you’re just imagining things.

It’s when dessert is around the corner that it falls apart. Spain’s representative, a lovely man named Eduardo is discussing the lemon market of Amaide with you, something you are luckily very proficient with. As you speak, you demonstrate the incline of the market, you tip your water glass over. The elder man, easily in his fifties, smiles warmly and lets you fix it up with an apology to him and the waiter on hand to clean it up. Thailand’s eyes squint at you dubiously and you bow back to them. You describe the style of orchard the royal lemon ceremony is held in, gesturing over your shoulder at the Queen Mother, and the critical breeding of the trees that grow all over the country. A stray hand wave collides with the melting ice bucket with a clang, tipping it sideways… all over Eduardo. Now the pleasant man is drenched from head to toe, Portugal catching the spray and flying bottle of champagne. Thailand is awash as well, nowhere near as bad, but he seems to seize up in panic, dabbing and pressing at his shoulders and sleeves. The dining room is in a commotion now as you bite your lips and frown, grabbing your own napkin to dry down the man next to you. Your hair is damp, slowly going fluffy and frizzy from the water. People are standing up, including yourself and Soonhee.

“I-I-I’m so sorry. I’m not usually this clumsy! Are-are you okay, Eduardo?” You protest.

He shoots you a severe look, only tempered by the reputation of every single person in the room. Obviously not. You chew harshly at your lip as the waiters fuss and someone talks quietly about offering a change of clothes.

You look around the dying chaos - even Soonhee is amongst it, joining in on the many dabbing gingerly at the spanish ambassador’s suit with a napkin. Soonyoung catches your eye as you slink backwards towards the ajar french doors, leaning over to the waiter.

“If anyone asks, I’ve gone to the power room, okay? I-I, uh, shouldn't be too long.” You murmur out the corner of your mouth.

He glances at you, nodding. Soonyoung frowns, gesturing with a discreet finger back to his side. You shake your head, signalling a time-out. You hike up your skirts the moment you turn the corner, clacking down the dim hallway as fast as you can to pick up your purse from the cloak room. Making a detour, you go for the east bathroom, in favour of the north one closer to the dining room.

Slamming the door behind you and locking it, you turn the toilet lid down to sit on it for a moment. A time which gets longer and longer the more you worry your lips to oblivion, thinking on your next move. There is no salvaging what you just did. Humiliating yourself, your victims and the Queen Mother - and by extension, your entire country. No. Surely you couldn’t stay. But how to get out of the embassy without causing more of a fuss? You check the time. Only forty minutes left of the dinner anyway. They couldn’t miss you while still cleaning up. Your stomach turns and lurches heavily, so you turn to press your face into the cool tiled wall.

So, leave. But to where?

No one was in the city, having gone away for the break. Certainly not just home. You wanted just a moment away from everything. You peek your head out into the empty hallway. There is an employee exit next to the kitchens - only the cctv would see you then. But where to? Jihoon? Would he still be around? Would he be okay with seeing you?

You set up a ride for the university before making a break for it, gasping as you lose a bracelet, snagged on the curled handle of the door. Punching in the default entry code, you power walk over the concrete and gravel out to the side street as a little green bug of a car pulls up.

The window winds down to show a man in his early 30’s. “Ride for Y/n?”

“That’s me. Thanks.”

You glance back over your shoulder, through the wrought iron gates to the deadly still building. Jumping in, you tug your long, fluffy skirt in after you.

Bonus

#caratwritersclub #seventeen au #seventeen fic #seventeen social media au #seventeen scenario #seventeen imagine #jihoon fic #jihoon imagine #jihoon scenario #seventeen smau #woozi fic #woozi imagine #woozi scenario #woozi x reader #jihoon x reader #seventeen woozi #seventeen jihoon #mapsu fic #written

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ppangjae · 4 years

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made to fall in love | one

SERIES MASTERLIST

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SUMMARY. Seoul’s finest 30 under 30. The country’s youngest billionaire. 2019’s richest bachelor. But of all the women he could go after, he goes after.. her?

GENRE. fluff and angst + ceo!jaehyun (someone stop me) + nerd!reader + enemies to lovers!au + long lost friend!au

WORD COUNT. 2.2k+ words

warnings. tooth-rotting fluff, swearing, and tons of bickering!

author’s note. a new day, a new update! here she is! also i just wanted to let you know that this series is inspired and based off of the kdrama she was pretty! so if you come across a part in the series that reminds you of this kdrama, it’s because it’s inspired by it :-)

ONE. gold • it feels so gold, so gold

Sixteen year old Jaehyun ran so that present day Jaehyun could walk. If present day Jaehyun told sixteen year old Jaehyun what his life would be in the future, little Jaehyun would never believe him. Even until this day, he still can’t believe it.

Seoul’s finest 30 under 30. The country’s youngest billionaire. 2019′s richest bachelor. Jaehyun is all of those things and he worked hard for them. Those things didn’t come to him on a gold plate nor was it fed to him with a gold spoon. They came to him as products of his hard work.

His eyes flutter open at the sound of the pilot’s voice, announcing that the private jet will be landing soon. As he gets up, he rubs his eyes and opens the blinds to look out the window. The skies are a bright blue on this lovely morning, he thinks to himself. He overlooks the city of Seoul and lets out a groan. Just the sight of office and corporate buildings make him wish his vacation was a bit longer.

“I know, I miss Singapore too.” He glances to his right to see Johnny waking up from his nap. He chuckles, chucking his neck pillow straight into his face. Johnny blocks the attack right on time.

“Do we really have a choice?” Jaehyun sighs. “We have to go back to our busy lives and build a bigger empire.”

“You make it seem like you’re the king of a huge city.” Johnny rolls his eyes. “Please don’t ever say that again. It doesn’t make you look cool. It doesn’t make us look cool.”

“You know what’s cool?” Jaehyun quirks an eyebrow at Johnny. He points at a huge building in the middle of the city. Surrounding the huge building are small company buildings, entertainment companies, law firms, etc. Johnny looks out the window and spots what his best friend is pointing at. “We own that.”

“No,” Johnny shakes his head. “You own that.”

BREAKING NEWS: Jung Jaehyun tops richest bachelor for a third consecutive year.

“Wow. You’re telling me that he’s your childhood friend?”

You and your roommate, Mark, are sitting in front of the TV. You’re both huddled around the coffee table, eating breakfast together. As you’re shoving a mouthful of cereal into your mouth, you nod your head. “Don’t believe me?”

“Pictures or it didn’t happen,” Mark squints his eyes at you suspiciously.

You dust your hands off and get up from the floor. As you walk into your room, you rummage through your closet to take out a memory box covered in dust. You blow the dust off the lid of the box and erupt into soft coughs. Mark watches you as you come back into the living room with a box.

“Where’s the receipts?” Mark asks.

“Someone’s impatient.” You mumble.

As you’re looking through your memory box, you can hear the reporter speak more about Jung Jaehyun. You finally find the graduation book and pull it out before handing it to Mark.

“Page eighty-seven, fourth row, second picture on the right.”

You fold your arms and quirk an eyebrow. Mark’s eyes scan through the page and once he finds it, he looks back at the TV screen. His eyebrows raise.

“So you weren’t lying to me,” Mark says with an astonished look on his face. “Damn, you must secure the bag, then. The guy’s hella rich, he could pay off our student debts combined.”

“I just hope he remembers me,” you rest your chin against the palm of your hand. “He went to college abroad. He came back home rich. He moved out of our neighbourhood. The chances of him remembering me get slimmer and slimmer.”

“I’m pretty sure he remembers you. He should remember you. You’re a part of his childhood. You both graduated elementary and high school together.” Mark tries to convince you. He shoves another mouthful of cereal into his mouth.

“Do you think he would remember me? Me? When I look like this?” You ask, pointing at yourself.

“You kind of have a point.” He shrugs his shoulders. “You lost your sense of fashion ever since you started university.”

Mark yelps in pain when your spoon hits him in the arm. You glare at him as if he had earned himself a death wish. He rubs the spot, glaring back at you. You pout, breaking your gaze from Mark to stare at Jaehyun’s picture on your TV screen.

Jung Jaehyun is your childhood friend. The two of you lived in the same neighbourhood, went to the same elementary school, and graduated from the same high school. He’s not what he is like now. The Jaehyun you met and befriended was a quiet boy who barely had any friends. He had two friends, you and Johnny. He loved to play the piano and if you were lucky enough, you would hear him sing or hum a soft melody. He had a dream of becoming an architect, someone who drew buildings and watch them come to life. The Jaehyun you met and befriended was always picked on. He was mainly picked on for two things: for being too quiet and for being the chubby one. You and Johnny were the only ones that defended him from the bullies.

The Jaehyun you see on your TV screen is far from the Jaehyun you met. You never saw him or Johnny ever since your high school graduation. You’d often wonder if he’s doing alright, if he’s making friends, if he’s pursuing his future of being an architect. But once he came back to Seoul after studying abroad, all of your wishes for him were answered. Jaehyun is doing alright and he’s pursuing his future, he runs and owns a successful architecture company. He’s making friends, in fact, everyone wants to be friends with him. Sometimes, it makes you doubt that he’ll ever remember you.

You doubt that he’ll ever remember his childhood friend who grew up with him, who defended him from the bullies, who stuck with him no matter who he was.

“I guess we’ll just have to find out on your first day at work,” Mark says as he brings up the bowl of cereal-flavoured milk to his lips. He gulps down the milk and sets down the empty bowl back onto the coffee table. “We’ll have to find out whether he remembers you or not.”

“This is all you guys prepared?”

Everyone seated in the meeting room gawk at Jaehyun. He sighs, folding his arms and takes one last look at the PowerPoint presentation. The project manager nervously fiddles with his fingers before nodding his head in reply.

Jaehyun gets up from his seat and walks towards the front of the room. He points at the 3D plan of a building. The building looks poorly made, almost as if it was done last minute. “How long did it take for you to do this?”

“Well―”

“You don’t need to answer my question because I can see it.” He cuts him off. “Just from how it looks, from how the lines are crooked, I know this took you less than half an hour.”

“Sir―”

“I was gone on vacation for two weeks. Even though I was gone on vacation for two weeks, I still did work during my downtime. What did you all do during those two weeks? Did you all have a good time?” Jaehyun shakes his head in disbelief. “I expected you to do a good job with this project. But after I go on vacation for two weeks, you all suddenly get lazy?”

“We tried our best, sir.” The project manager mutters softly and Jaehyun’s head snaps in his direction.

He raises an eyebrow and scoffs. “You tried your best? Sure, let’s say you tried your best. But your best wasn’t good enough.”

Everyone falls silent in the meeting room. They have guilt written all over their faces.

“Let me remind you that you’re working at Jung Architects,” he tells them. “I hate looking at poorly made projects because they don’t reflect our company values. We build and create buildings and structures to the best of our ability. They have to be functional and safe. They have to be perfect. They have to be economical.”

“We’ll try again, sir.” The project manager mumbles. “Sorry, sir.”

“You don’t need to apologize to me.” He sighs. “You have to apologize to all of your coworkers in this room for wasting their time.”

“Sir―”

“The new interns and engineers are coming in tomorrow.” Jaehyun announces and everyone’s eyebrows raise in surprise.

“T-Tomorrow? Since when did we hire new employees―”

“Don’t be surprised if you lose your jobs because of them. The moment I find them more competent than this?” Jaehyun gestures to the presentation. He chucks the folder away from his hands. “I’ll be firing you from the company.”

They all bow their heads. Jaehyun grabs his coat and exits the meeting room, making sure that he slams the door shut. The moment he’s out of the room, everyone erupts into whispered complaints about how rude their boss was, if he woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, or if someone spoiled his daily coffee.

Ever since you started to hate working at your previous job, it drove you to start searching and applying for other jobs. It was just a huge coincidence that Jung Architects was looking for a structural engineer.

For most of your life, you’ve dreamed of becoming an engineer. It didn’t matter what kind of engineer, you just wanted to be one. It was either an engineer or a mathematician ― it was your last resort only if your dreams of being an engineer were crushed. You have a gift in math. And so when you got accepted into a structural engineering program, it was all just meant to be.

Getting hired as a structural engineer at Jung Architects made your dreams even more real. It just seems too good to be true. But here you are.

Here you are, sitting in front of your laptop, deleting all the emails you’ve gotten from other companies and jobs. You didn’t need to respond to them anymore. Deleting them felt theurapeutic.

Just as you’re deleting your emails, you stumble across an email you’ve sent to Jaehyun a couple of years ago. You laugh in disbelief. Did you really keep an old email in your inbox? Why? You click on it anyway.

to: [email protected] from: [email protected]

SUBJECT: jaehyun!!

hey jae! you’ve probably landed by now. i hope you got my email. i wasn’t able to say a proper goodbye to you because johnny was too busy crying and i had to comfort him. well, i hope you do great in university! i wish you nothing but the best on all your endeavours. always stay true to yourself and don’t let anyone step on you! let me know if someone does because i will be ready to fly over and beat them up! also i hope you always remember your two best friends waiting for you and cheering you on here in seoul. you can always email me back! or text me. or call me, even.

until we meet again, ____.

You clench your tummy as you burst out into laughter. You vividly remember typing this email out while bawling your eyes out. On the day that Jaehyun flew out for university, you didn’t give him a proper goodbye because Johnny was crying like a whale swimming in the ocean. After that day, you and Johnny kept in touch. But that didn’t last long until Johnny found himself new friends. Ever since you sent that email, you sent him another email every now and then. But you never got a reply.

You sigh. That was the start of your separation from the two of them.

Just as you’re about to delete the email, you see a new email in the thread. The email is dated today and was sent a couple of hours ago. You quirk an eyebrow, adjusting your glasses to get a better look at the email. You click on it and your mouth falls open in shock.

It’s an email from Jaehyun.

“It comes in rose gold, gold, and sterling silver.”

Jaehyun picks up each necklace and analyzes them carefully. The jeweler waits for his decision, but he’s not sure if he could hardly wait anymore. Jaehyun has been looking around the jewelry shop for heaven knows how long. It’s getting quite dark outside and the shop is nearing it’s closure for the remainder of the day. Before the jeweler could let out a sigh, Jaehyun places down the silver necklace and points at the gold one.

“I’ll take the gold one, please.” He smiles.

He steps out of the shop with a new purchase and heads home. Once he arrives home, he goes straight to his home office. He plops down onto the chair and places the jewelry box onto the table. He glances at his computer and decides to check his email before heading to bed.

He clicks on his inbox and the smile on his face gets wider when he sees two new emails. One of them is from a client. The other... well, the other email comes from someone special.

email delivered. email read. from: [email protected] to: [email protected]

SUBJECT: you replied?? omg??? hi????

author’s note. the first couple of chapters are going to be short but they will be longer soon! just sit tight some more lmao. anyways i hope you liked this short update!

send me a message! let’s be friends!

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