love you in slow motion (psh) | one.
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—summary: seonghwa will go through hell and back for you, as long as he can continue to see that smile on your face. because to him, that smile feels like a rainbow after the rain, the warmth of the sun on a winter day. because to him, you’re more than just his bestfriend—you’re love. even though everyone seems to see that except you.
—pairing: park seonghwa x f!reader
—genre: (18+ - minors dni) bestfriends to lovers | fluff, angst, eventual smut
—word count: 5.7k
—chapter warning: cussing/mature language, hints of a toxic relationship & ex-bf, mentions of a broken family and death, just a good ol' intro to hwa and oc + their dynamic + their family dynamics, buried feelings and overthinking!!
"Seonghwa?" Your cousin, Soyeon, calls for him on the other line. Soyeon rarely ever calls Seonghwa, but when she does, it's usually for good reason.
"Soyeon, what's up?" Seonghwa says, hand on his hip as he tries to regulate his breathing after a late night boxing session with Wooyoung and Hongjoong.
"Y/N said she would be home earlier, but she hasn't been. Yaya's worried, I'm worried. It's pouring outside." She says frantically. He sighs, stomach slightly dropping at the statement.
"Okay, where did she go last? I haven't heard from her since earlier this morning." Soyeon lets out a hefty sigh.
"Of course she wouldn't tell you. She was with Mingi." She says sarcastically, knowing Seonghwa would be upset with you for giving in, yet once again. Seonghwa had no issues giving you the 'I told you so' every single time you've been with your shitty ex-boyfriend. He always makes you cry, and it never fails. He doesn't understand why the fuck you keep running back to him. So to Seonghwa, it's not surprising that you kept this from him. Doesn't stop him from pinching the bridge of his nose before nodding, though.
"Alright, I'll find her. Don't worry."
"Thank you. Seriously. When you see her, you better tell her to stop seeing that fucking asshole. All he does is treat her like shit."
"Yeah, I know. Are you and Junseo home now?"
"Yeah, we are. We were gonna go to Yaya's but she told me to call you first before anything."
"Good, stay put. I'll take care of it and text you. She won't be far."
"God, such a headache. Thank you, Seonghwa."
"Course." He sighs as he ends the call, tossing his phone onto his duffle bag before un-doing the wrap around his hands.
"Done already?" Wooyoung asks, making Hongjoong shift his attention to the platinum blonde while they stand near the bag.
"I gotta go find Y/N."
"What? What happened?"
"Who knows, she was with Mingi."
"Dude is always bad news." Hongjoong chimes in, watching as Seonghwa throws his hoodie on and slings the duffle bag strap over his shoulder.
"Tell me about it." Seonghwa rolls his eyes and shakes his head. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."
"Text us when you're all good. Hope she's okay."
"She's fine. Just needa get her out of this rain." He says, giving them one last wave as he walks out of the studio and down the steps. Soyeon is right; the rain has picked up over the last few hours, creating huge puddles near the sidewalks and curbs due to the intensity. The stream of water makes a loud noise as it falls into the drain nearby, the loud pour of the rainfall echoing throughout the empty street. Seonghwa drags the hood over his head, doing a slight jog to his parked car on the side of the studio. Luckily for him, he knows where Song Mingi lives. Luckily for him, this town isn't that big and you couldn't have gotten far.
Luckily for him, he's right.
He finds you walking about two blocks away from Mingi's place, just getting ready to turn the corner to lord knows where. He slowly drives alongside of you, rolling down his passenger window to peak over at you. He's glad he found you when he did because you have a flimsy hoodie and leggings on, the hood completely drenched and barely doing anything to protect you from this rain.
"What are you doing, Seonghwa?" You ask, eyes glued forward as you continue to walk.
"What does it look like? Get in, you're gonna get sick." You squint your eyes at him as you continue to walk. "Y/N."
"How did you even know where to find me?"
"It's not hard to figure out when you're with Mingi." He quickly glances at the street ahead, making sure there are no oncoming cars or passengers in the way. "Plus, Soyeon called. Her and Yaya are worried because you told them you'd be home earlier."
"Of course." You mumble.
"Y/N, get inside and stop being stubborn."
"Seonghwa—" He starts to obnoxiously honk his horn on the quiet street, making your eyes widen at him. You continuously tell him to stop and to quit being so loud, however, his efforts don't stop. "Park Seonghwa, what the fuck! Fine!" You groan loudly, quickly opening the door when he stops the car. You plop yourself onto the seat, glaring at him. "Happy?!"
"Not really, but at least you're in the car." He locks the doors and turns up the heat, driving off to his 1 bedroom apartment. "You can stay at mine for tonight so you don't stress out Yaya." He keeps his eyes on the road, thoughts shifting to your grandma and how worried she might be right now.
"She won't even be that—"
"She sure as hell will, Y/N. Besides, who the hell wants to argue with you this late at night? It's almost 1am. Knowing your ass and how you never listen, even though you should." He sighs. "I'll take you home tomorrow morning before I head to work."
"Whatever." You cross your arms, still feeling cold and uncomfortable after being in the rain.
"Why were you walking in the rain?" He asks, most definitely knowing the answer already. Your nights with Mingi always end on some toxic shit, all this yelling and back and forth— arguing over empty promises and issues from the past.
And for what? The dude is never gonna change. Seonghwa isn't sure what the hell you're holding out hope for.
"I'll tell you if you spare me the 'I told you so.'" He shakes his head.
"Can't promise."
"Then you don't get shit from me."
"Why do you let him do this to you?"
"Wow, that's actually worse than an 'I told you so.'"
"I'm being serious." He glances at you with a very mixed expression, mainly serious and worrisome tones.
"I don't know, okay. I wish I could tell you." It's silent for a minute, the only sounds filling the car are the rain pounding against the windshield and the heat on high.
The thing about Seonghwa being your bestfriend of 16 years is the fact that you can always rely on him to be there no matter what. He's always so, so good to you; always so caring, so supportive and so protective. You've never had to ask Seonghwa for anything because he always gives, and is always ready to give. Just like tonight, when he shouldn't be here but he is.
He had been yours, just as you had been his since the beginning.
Sometimes, it's easy to believe you don't deserve someone like Seonghwa by your side.
You met this adorably shy, sweet kid when he was introduced to your class as a new transfer in the 3rd grade, most kids in your class politely saying hello but going about their own business afterwards. You, though, had stuck around to show Seonghwa his new school and to eat with him. Since then, your relationship had flourished. His dad had become bestfriends with your own dad, the two of you always going on family trips together, hanging out at each other's homes, going to the same schools onward— Seonghwa was always there, you were always there. He had seen you through your very best, seen you through your very worst. Was there during your highs, was there during your lows. Knows exactly how to push you right to the very edge, but also knows how to make up for his dumb mistakes. Knows exactly how to handle you, attitude, temper and all, knows exactly what makes you happy, what makes you sad.
He knows you like the back of his hand.
Probably better than you know yourself.
Seonghwa became the golden child though, you know? He had loving parents who supported him through everything. He was a superb student [a teacher's pet, if you may], an athlete, a prodigy; always winning numerous awards and medals throughout his academic and athletic career. He had countless talents and a positive energy that people admired him for, though shy and timid in the beginning. He got along well with people and was the ultimate charmer. Attractive, had his way with the ladies— albeit, he can be an idiot when he thinks with his dick from time to time and not his brain. But nonetheless, Seonghwa is Seonghwa. He would never intentionally hurt a soul, would never intentionally give people what they didn't deserve. To be clear though, Seonghwa has his fair share of mistakes and fuck-ups, but in the end, he would always apologize when in the wrong and make up for his actions. While you, on the other hand, were his polar opposite and struggled to find your place in this crazy, crazy world.
You had never met your biological mother, and your dad had spent majority of your earlier years working graveyard to keep food on the table, to keep sending you to a good school. You spent most of your childhood growing up at Yaya's house, where your dad's sister and her family lived for awhile. That's how your older cousin Soyeon became the sister you've never had, somebody else you could rely on, fight with and experience the ups and downs with. Things were good, and they were good for awhile until you lost your dad to a rare and sudden illness.
Then, things went downhill for you.
You continued to stay at Yaya's, only having her, Soyeon and her family, Seonghwa and his family by your side. You began to push people away, you got into trouble and made dumb mistakes that hurt your loved ones more times than you'd like to admit. You had your moments where you acted solely on feelings instead of being rational. You had no filter, not being afraid of telling people if they were wrong even if it meant hurting their feelings to no end. You no longer got along well with most people, finding it hard to vibe well with majority of the crowd. No longer caring about what was in the know, what was trending; was incredibly selective about who you gave your time and effort to in fear of losing more loved ones dear to your heart.
Without Seonghwa at your side, you're not sure where you'd be. Because truly, if it wasn't for him, you don't think you would have continued to try. He was the only thing that remained constant in your life, one of the only people who continued to show you genuine care and love despite your flaws and all.
"Have you eaten?" He suddenly speaks and changes the topic, not wanting to upset you any more than you already are.
"I'm not hungry."
"You need to eat something." You don't respond. "Mom made some kimbap today, I can set some aside for you."
"Thanks." You say softly, watching as the car finally drives into the familiar apartment complex. Seonghwa turns the wheel with one hand, pulling into his assigned parking spot before shutting off the car. He lets out a sigh before looking over at you, noticing you're still in your sad, sulky position in the passenger seat.
"Ready? Or should we just sleep in here tonight?" You slowly turn and glare at him, mocking him before answering dramatically— knowing it's the most childish thing you can do right now, especially after Seonghwa took the time to find you and pick you up in this rain.
"Why don't you just leave me here?"
"Good with me. At least I don't have to lend you any more of my clothes and have you sleeping on my couch. Matter of fact, more kimbap for me." He says, stepping out of the car, keys rattling in his pocket as he turns to shut his car door. He continues to walk without worry because he knows the shit you pull.
You'll end up following him.
He doesn't even have to turn over his shoulder to make sure you do. He hears the car door slam after a few minutes, and he smirks a bit to himself before locking the car using the key fob in his pocket.
"You really have to slam my car door like that?" He asks, slightly looking over his shoulder before climbing up the steps.
"Sorry." You mumble, pathetically following your bestfriend with your arms crossed tightly against your chest. He unlocks his door and waits for you to make it up the steps, letting you step in and out of your shoes first before following you inside. He tosses his keys onto the entryway table before walking into the kitchen and pulling out his phone to text Soyeon that you were safe with him for the night.
"You can go shower first. Just take whatever you want from my closet." He says, eyes focused on the bag of kimbap his mom had dropped off earlier in the day. You simply nod and head straight to his closet, grabbing some pajama pants and a longsleeve. You toss your clothes into the bathroom sink, mentally making a note to ask Seonghwa if you can throw in a load of his laundry with your clothes. The last thing you wanna do is make a mess in Seonghwa's super clean apartment, let alone drag home some wet clothes from the night prior.
The shower you take is short, but relaxing. You let the hot water beat down on you, thoroughly scrubbing and scratching every inch of your body, your scalp. When you finish, you lather some lotion and pad back out to his living room. Seonghwa glances up, watching as you come towards him with his long pajama pants and a long sleeve with sleeves that falls past your hands. He thinks you're the cutest thing he has ever seen [especially in his clothes], but he subtly bites onto his bottom lip to suppress the smile forming at his lips.
"Can I do some of your laundry so I can wash my clothes? They're just sitting in your bathroom sink." He shrugs.
"Don't worry about it, I'll toss it in there before I hop into the shower." He slides a small plate on the counter of his kitchen island bar area, before handing you a hot cup of green tea. "Eat at least one." You nod, watching as he washes his hands and begins to make his way to the bathroom. You're hungrier than you thought, popping in all the pieces of kimbap Seonghwa prepared for you before downing the green tea. In the end, you feel full, satisfied.
Content.
Warm.
After a good thirty minutes, Seonghwa is out of the shower and tossing the load into the dryer. He's ruffling his semi-dry hair as he brings out a thick blanket for you, glancing at the random Cars movie playing on the tv.
"Here." He says. "You finished eating?"
"Mhm."
"Okay. I'm gonna go to bed then." He turns to head into his room.
"Hwa, can't you just sleep out here with me?" You point at the free part of his L-shaped sectional couch.
"Why, when I have a perfectly comfortable bed to sleep on in here?" He points to his room, but you pout.
"But, you also have an amazing couch that you can share with your bestfriend."
"You snore and you move around too much."
"I do not, and you'd be on that side of the couch anyway!" You furrow your brows. "You snore, too!"
"Not as loud as you, sounding like you belong in that Cars movie." He glances at the tv screen while making the dumb joke, and you groan.
"Okay, fine. Whatever." You succumb to defeat and wave the white flag. "I just don't necessarily wanna be alone."
"You're not, I'm right here."
"Pichu." Ah, there it is. That stupid nickname he's painfully grown to adore after you've told him time and time again that he looks just like the pokemon. He sighs, realizing you probably won't let this up. On top of that, he knows he can't say no to you regarding most things. So, he drags himself into his room and rips off his duvet comforter from the bed to bring with him into the living room. He sets himself up on one section of the couch, while you take up the other— heads meeting at the corner.
"The moment you rip out a big snore, I'm leaving you out here." He warns and you snort.
"You're a dick. I don't even snore like that."
"And how would you know, sleeping beauty?" He looks at you, heart content with the way you happily look at him from your side of the couch. You have no rebuttal though, so he shuts off the tv and rests his hand on the back of his head while closing his eyes. "Thought so. Get some sleep, it's getting late." He hears you rustling underneath your own blankets, head gently knocking onto the side of his that makes him suck his teeth. "Y/N." He groans with a whiney tone. "This is what I mean."
"Sorry, sorry." You pout, rubbing the side of his head. "I'm good now." You mumble underneath the blankets as you settle, satisfied with your warm and bundled position. You can hear Seonghwa's soft breathing behind you, signaling that he'll probably fall asleep soon [and quick, too]. "Hwa?" You softly call for him one last time.
"Hm?" He hums.
"Thank you." You pause. "For everything."
"You know I care about you more than anything, right?" He says, close to a whisper. "You deserve way better."
"Yeah." Is all you respond with before closing your eyes, hoping to finally be at peace for the remainder of the night. "Love you, pichu." You say sleepily.
"Love you, too." He feels the statement tug at his heart strings because Seonghwa does love you, he has loved you for years. Been in love with you for years. But you were always the most important, this dynamic and relationship was the most important, that he's learned to suppress and live with it— even though at times, he feels like he gives it away pretty easily, or lets his emotions get to the best of him.
Everyone can tell.
Everyone knows.
Everyone but you.
Surprisingly, you do fall asleep before Seonghwa. He can't help but peek from his peripherals, noticing your steady breathing under the covers. Your head is barely poking out from the covers, making Seonghwa smile to himself. He settles a little closer to you, top of your head tucked near the crook of his neck as he slightly turns towards your side and finally shuts his eyes to get some sleep.
When you wake up the following morning, it's because Seonghwa's cussing to himself as he runs to grab his ringing phone on the island counter. His eyes quickly dart to you as he snatches the phone and answers the call, noticing you're starting to wake up.
"Sorry, Y/N." He apologizes and you let out a small squeak as you stretch and shake your head.
"It's okay, Hwa. Should probably get up anyway." You rub at your eyes, watching as he paces back into his room to finish getting ready for work. He's apparently talking to Wooyoung, agreeing to pick the guy up after bringing you home since they work at the same place— two athletic trainers for the men's sports teams at one of the universities in town, Wooyoung and Seonghwa mainly taking care of the football and basketball teams, popping into other sports if the help is urgently needed. They've both worked really hard to earn their current positions, being two of the leads who focus on training, treatment and rehabilitating their athletes at homebase, and only participating in a few quick trips for away games if asked.
As you stand and start to fold the blanket, you catch sight of how tired Seonghwa looks and you feel terrible. You know Seonghwa loves to test his limits, working out late after his shifts and barely getting 8 hours of sleep right before a busy day of tending to athletes. Despite your nagging and lecturing him on getting more rest, Hwa has gotten used to doing things this way.
However, part of you still feels guilty that he doesn't look as bright and alert this morning because of you. Because you needed more saving, because you chose to be stubborn and listen to Mingi even though he hasn't given you a reason to trust him since you've broken up.
"I didn't mean to wake you so early."
"I mean, you do have to leave soon, don't you?" You check the clock, peeping the current time as 8:27am. "Isn't this really late for you, actually?" Especially during the season, Seonghwa is always at work by 6AM, leaving super late in the afternoon. Off-season is a little easier for him, being that practice schedules are spread out due to sharing space with other sports/teams.
"Not for today. The team is lifting right now, I need to work on some rehab reports first before training and practice later today." You nod. "Are you good to leave soon then?"
"Of course."
"Okay, let me just grab a few things so we can head out. I need to pick up Wooyoung's lazy ass."
"He's not in to help with lifting?"
"Not anymore. Dude overslept." You snort.
"Why am I not surprised?"
"Director Shin loves him. She would never get him in trouble or scold him."
"She loves you, too." You say.
"Not as much as Wooyoung. She'll bite my head off first before she ever thinks about coming for him." He throws in some food into his duffle bag solely for work. The duffle bag is huge, having the university's name plastered on the side in big, bold letters— followed by his name etched onto the corner with his athletic training certification. "By the way." He points at your neatly folded, washed clothes on the coffee table. "Don't forget your clothes."
"Thanks."
"Are you just gonna go home like that?" He eyes his clothes on your figure.
"Yeah, why not?" He shrugs.
"Alright then. Let's go." He pats himself down to double check that he has everything on him before heading out of the door. You lazily follow behind after slipping into your sneakers, having to roll up Seonghwa's pajama pants so that they don't reach the floor and get dirty. You plop into the passenger's seat with your clothes on your lap, rubbing at your eyes once situated. "You didn't have to get up so early. I technically don't need to be there until 10."
"It's fine, Hwa."
"Did you tell Yaya we were on the way?"
"No, I'll just surprise her when I get there." You smile and he shakes his head.
"You need to stop worrying your grandma and your cousin."
"I'm not even doing anything!"
"You're not? Then, what was last night?" He glances at you then lets out a small scoff. "Exactly. And please stop running back to Mingi. That dude isn't gonna change, and you know that. All he does is make you upset and I can't stand it. You two aren't good for each other."
"I hear you." You say lowly, head leaning against the passenger window.
"I'm sorry." He lets out a breath, genuinely just worried about you and your wellbeing. "I don't mean to do this so early, but I just get worried about you." He ruffles your hair a bit, causing a small smile to creep up on the corners of your lips.
"It's okay. I need to hear it." He chuckles.
"Yeah, you do. You're such a fucking headache." He jokes. "But you're important to me, and all I want is for you to be happy." He pinches your cheeks, making you scrunch your nose.
"Thanks Hwa." He looks at you while posted at a stop light, admiring the way you scrunch your nose and let out a little giggle. That's how he likes to see you. Not upset, sad, or crying. Especially over Song Mingi.
The drive to your house isn't too far, or at least, it never feels too far since you and Seonghwa always engage in conversations about various things while in the car. He pulls into Yaya's driveway, parking right next to Soyeon's car. You occupy the tiny detached in-law suite in the corner of the backyard, so Seonghwa isn't surprised when you try to scurry to the backyard to avoid Yaya and Soyeon.
"She's here!" He yells and points at you.
"You're a pain in the fucking ass, Park." You glare at him while you simultaneously hear Yaya telling you to come into the house and to not even think about running into the backyard.
"Oh, Yaya! Miss damsel in distress just walked in."
"Y/N. You should've called or texted. We were worried when we didn't hear from you." Yaya looks at you disappointingly while whipping up some breakfast.
"Sorry." You mumble as Seonghwa brushes past you to kiss ass to Yaya.
"Always needing her bestfriend to come and save the day." Soyeon says sarcastically before crossing his arms. "Seriously, what the hell would you do without Hwa? And why the hell didn't you make it home in time or text to let us know you'd be late?"
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Hi to you too." You squint at her. "He was supposed to bring me home but we got into another stupid fight, that's all." You roll your eyes before glancing at the empty luggages she has next to her.
"So, he just let you walk in the rain? What a fucking dick."
"Language." Yaya warns, glaring at the two of you from the kitchen next to Seonghwa, who is quickly peeling a banana he took from the fruit basket.
"Where are you going?" You nod at the luggages.
"Me and Junseo are heading to Japan in a few days." She smiles. "We're way overdue for our anniversary vacation. Meaning, you're gonna have to man the restaurant." You groan. "And watch Charli? Pretty please." She pleads in a sweet tone, knowing you'll always do anything for their 3 year old daughter.
"Seriously?!"
"Charli loves staying with you and Yaya! And all you have to do for the restaurant is make sure everything runs smoothly and be the cute waitress that you already are! It's nothing you haven't done! Plus, Yoongi and Jini will be there, and Charli will be in preschool for the most part." At this point, you whine [moreso about maintaining the restaurant] while Soyeon continues to check the list on her phone.
"Speaking of the restaurant, are you free tonight?" Seonghwa chimes in, looking at his phone.
"I don't know, depends on my boss here." You glare at Soyeon before looking back at Seonghwa. "Why?"
"San is back home so we're going out to the bar."
"Excuse me?!" You yell. "What the fuck!"
"Hey!" Yaya glares at you again. "Say that word one more time in my house."
"Okay, I'm sorry!" You point at Seonghwa. "But, you! Why didn't you tell me about Sannie coming back?!"
"How could I? You were too busy sulking over Mingi." He says, furrowing his brows with a cheek full of banana. Soyeon snorts and shakes her head, making you glare at the both of them.
"Ha-ha very funny. You didn't think you could tell me any other day?"
"Well, he wasn't even supposed to be coming back until next week. But he just texted us saying he decided to come back early and that he's already settled at the condo his uncle owns."
"Why aren't I getting these texts?" Seonghwa smirks and flicks your chin with his finger.
"Because boys need to talk about boy things."
"Oh whatever, it's not like any of you are getting any—"
"Seonghwa, please. Tell that girl to stop talking like that." Yaya pleads for him to tell you to keep it quiet. He chuckles a bit before looking at you pointedly, tapping the tip of your nose.
"Stop that." He smiles down at you. "And who said we weren't?"
"Please, all you guys do is yell while playing FIFA and Mario Party." You sigh. "Anyway, I'm going back to sleep for a bit. I'll come in for an earlier shift at the restaurant so that I can see Sannie." You direct the statement at Soyeon and all she does is nod.
"Pick you up afterwards then?"
"Ah, it's okay. Usual bar, right?" He nods. "I'll just bus over." You tap his chest. "Thanks pichu, see you later. Have fun at work!" At this point, Yaya is walking towards Soyeon and Seonghwa, hands placed on her hips as she observes you skipping to your in-law suite.
"Hwa." Yaya tugs on his arm before he can help Soyeon pack the large luggages in her trunk and head out to pick up Wooyoung.
"Hm?"
"It should just be you two." She pouts, making Seonghwa laugh. Time and time again, Yaya has always pushed the 'you and Seonghwa' agenda, stating that you two were meant to be together. And Seonghwa doesn't mind, he always laughs about it. He kinda likes that Yaya [everyone, really] thinks so, and if things were easy, he'd make it happen without question. But things aren't— because there's always that voice in the back of his head that tells him he needs to leave things as they are or else everything will be ruined.
He doesn't want that.
He would rather bury his feelings than lose you.
There's no way you'd go that route with him. You've made it clear to everyone that Seonghwa was your bestfriend and your bestfriend only. That people need to quit shoving the idea down your throat because you could never; he'd be lying if he said it didn't hurt to hear it.
"Yaya, you already know the answer to that." He says anyway and she pouts even more, leaning her head against his firm bicep.
"But you're the only one who knows how to handle her. She's such a handful but you've always stayed by her side."
"Mm, I don't think I necessarily had a choice." Yaya chuckles and gently swats his arm playfully.
"You two should just kiss and get married."
"Kiss and get married? Wow. What a plan." Soyeon says sarcastically, making Seonghwa laugh.
"No can do with that one." He places a small kiss on the top of her head before helping Soyeon with the last large luggage. "I gotta pick up Wooyoung and head to work. Text or call me if you need me." Seonghwa says.
"Make sure my baby cousin doesn't do anything reckless tonight when she's out with you guys? Like, I don't know, run to Mingi while drunk?" Seonghwa shakes his head at Soyeon's response.
"Won't let her out of my sight." He waves one last goodbye before settling into his car and driving off.
It's 20 minutes to Wooyoung's apartment, and another 15 to the university from there. When he arrives, Wooyoung tosses his own duffle bag in the back and plops into the passenger's seat before slouching into it.
"Did you find babygirl?" Wooyoung asks, making Seonghwa furrow his brows at him.
"Yes I did, and stop calling her that."
"Why, are you jealous? You can't gatekeep Y/N to yourself. I'm close to her, too." Wooyoung smirks.
"Shut up before I make you walk to work." Seonghwa glares at him. "It's not even that, it's just weird."
"Why is it weird?"
"Because it is."
"Because you love her?"
"Get the hell out—"
"I'm sorry! I'm kidding!" Wooyoung says in a high-pitched tone before laughing. "But, really, it's not weird."
"Yes, it is."
"She loves it and she's used to it. Therefore, I'll keep using it. Resting my case, your honor." Wooyoung snorts. "What happened last night anyway?"
"I don't know, she got into a fight with Mingi and walked out."
"He didn't come after her? It was pouring."
"Nope. She was gonna walk to.. I don't know, actually. She was just walking in the rain."
"That's not okay." Wooyoung sucks his teeth and does a slight head tilt. "They're toxic as hell to each other." Seonghwa shrugs.
"I know. I tried to tell her but at a certain point, that's all I can do. It gets really hard to control someone's behavior and police their actions."
"Can I ask you something?" Wooyoung looks at him with a small smile. "I'm genuinely curious."
"What?"
"Why haven't you made your move on Y/N? Your feelings for her have always been obvious."
"Have they? Seems like she's the only one who hasn't seen it." Wooyoung shrugs.
"Yeah. I mean, you drop everything— and I mean everything— for her without question. And you get all affectionate with her!" His tone raises a bit. "You hate initiating affection! If that ain't love.." Wooyoung tilts his head again and squints at Seonghwa.
"She's my bestfriend. All of that happens naturally."
"It's not just that, and you know it. I know people really do put their bestfriends on a pedestal, but you put babygirl before anyone and anything. Even yourself." Seonghwa slightly winces at the Wooyoung's nickname before shaking his head.
"Not true."
"Very true. Look, dude. It's not bad, but I do hope you leave some space for yourself. I know she would never intentionally hurt you, but it still doesn't eliminate the possibility of getting hurt at some point. I don't want that to happen, especially if you've poured everything in her over these years." Seonghwa lets out a breath and pauses for a moment because for once, Wooyoung makes sense. And he's right. He has poured everything in you, continues to pour everything in you very willingly— sometimes, he doesn't even realize he's doing it. Sometimes, he doesn't even realize he's putting you before everything, that he's dropping everything for you.
Hell, it's even to the point where he can't even date properly and sleeps around from time to time to let out steam. It's because he just feels this attachment to you; an attachment past being your bestfriend— like some thread of hope he holds onto, thinking that some day, you'll see him in that light.
Someone who could genuinely, deeply and strongly love you, care for you, support you, with no boundaries.
"I know."
"Why don't you just tell her? You know, be honest." Wooyoung shrugs.
"I don't wanna lose her, and I'm afraid I will if I do. I'm afraid I'll fuck everything up between us and change the dynamic just because I wanted to be selfish."
"I don't think you'd lose her. I'm sure she wouldn't let that change anything between the two of you, either. And why don't you think she'd go for it?"
"I just don't think she would."
"Maybe she's thinking the same way as you." Wooyoung sees the university in sight and starts to loosen himself up, getting ready to head out of the door as soon as Seonghwa pulls into a spot. "I think you should go for it, Hwa. You can't live like this forever. You love her, she should know. And if things don't work out, I doubt she'll let that change things between you two. You two understand each other well, and you both make sense together."
"Mm, yeah. Thanks." Seonghwa gives him a pursed smile before Wooyoung slips off his seatbelt and smiles.
"Guess that means I can tag along again tomorrow?" Seonghwa rolls his eyes and steps out of the car before slamming his door.
"I'll think about it, lazy ass."
♡ taglist: @hwasbabygirl @fairyofhueningkai @chngbnwf @tinyteezer @everyonewooeverywhere @pearbunny @mxnsxngie @starhwahwa @woosmaid @cheolliehugs @asjkdk @bintificreads @interweab
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Hi hi!! It's unfair of me to ask you to actually write the full essay on the rwrb red room kiss scene, but I saw your tags and am very interested in at least what the main thesis would be, if you feel like sharing!! No worries if not 😊 Have a good night/day/whatever time it is where you are!
The last few weeks have been, well. They've Been™ and I'm going to use this wonderful ask to dust off my overthinking tag and write a meta post on this movie, these boys, and then hope more than three people care what I have to say.
The Red Room kiss scene is Iconic™ and Important™ and in this essay I (really) will discuss agency, framing, and why it always had to be Alex to be the one to make the move.
While book!Alex takes book!Henry to the Red Room, here he's waiting. Bundle of nervous energy. He doesn't know what to do with himself, how to hold himself, how to present himself when Henry turns up. He's backlit in this (which is a theatre technique, I see you Matthew) but it also adds to the drama and tension of the scene.
The (in)famous painting of Hamilton, about to bear witness to things.
We jump cut between Alex trying to find... something. Here he is realising his shirt has come slightly undone and he wants to try and be somewhat presentable. At least for the moment. But it speaks to Alex's physicality in this scene because he is shifting and moving so much that his clothing is shifting. There's also an interpretation that this suit represents the formality of the situation - the Prime Minister's dinner, at which he (the First Son) and the boy he wants to kiss (the actual Prinec) are supposed to be front and centre and the picture of formality.
He's coming undone in this moment because he's the First Son and he's waiting for the Prince, but he's also Alex and he's waiting for Henry.
Ah, yes. The casual lean against the wall. Fancy seeing you here, your Royal Highness, what do you think of the menu? But there's grounding here too. When you're spiralling focusing on a physical point of contact between you and and something can help ground you.
It's also a defensive stance in a way. You shall not pass, I'm not moving. Alex is claiming space and territory and he's controlling it.
"How dare you fucking kiss me, run away, ghost me, then walk into the White House like nothing changed." This is closed off, defensive, protective - probably why it's the quickest of the poses to be dismissed. He's got his back against the wall like he's scared or ready to come out fighting. And, in a way, both of those are true.
Book!Alex is mid-crisis on his bisexuality and while he logically knows he is very much into Henry, he's not gotten to the point of turning theory into reality.
Movie!Alex is more chill about being into guys, but this attraction to Henry is confusing him. He hates the guy. He wants to punch him in the mouth. With his mouth.
(What? That's literally book canon: and if he weren’t already hell-bent on destroying Henry’s infuriating idiot face with his mouth right now, he would consider doing it with his fist.)
Casual lean against the table, less staged and jarring than the extended arm against the wall.
But then Henry walks in and Alex stands to attention and he is... rapt. He is calm and composed and he is focused. We're back to the back-lit position which helps frame him with a near-halo effect.
And you can see that he is relaxed. There's a slight drop in the jaw, his shoulders are sloped and rounded. Because none on what he was trying to convey before matters. Henry is here.
"Look" he starts with - he's expecting a fight. He's expecting Alex to go off on one for the kiss, for the liberty taken. Even if Alex is willing to forget that it ever happened, take Henry's secret to the grave, Henry gets one thing right in this.
"my behaviour was appalling"
Because it was. Look, Hen, I love you and I'm with Alex in the feeling that I will go to war for you to see you happy and safe. But you did kinda kiss him without consent (harsh reading) and you did ghost him without apology (soft reading) and for a boy raised in the Royal Household that... well... it's pretty much top items on the Very Bad Behaviour list. He did not act with decorum or dignity, he did not act in the way that his status and position demands.
(That's OK, Hen. Because the boy under the linden tree wasn't the Prince. It's OK to not be him, and Alex is going to spend the rest of his life loudly loving the man, not the prince.)
"Shut up, stop talking." // “Shut up, shut all the way up, oh my God,” Alex hisses
Because even though both versions of Alex said he wanted to talk to Henry, in the moment that's the last thing he wants to do. And actions speak louder than words, right?
Why it had to be Alex
Henry needed to make the first move, that New Year's kiss, because there needed to be something to make Alex realise that this thing he's feeling is very much reciprocated, and that Henry wants it too. If Alex had kissed Henry for the first time on New Year's Eve/Day then it would have been too much of a leap. Alex, at whatever stage of his bisexual journey, has no clear idea of Henry's orientation at that party. It's only with retrospective viewing that he realises that Henry was low-key flirting, and that the sharing of these deeply personal moments wasn't just a "two bros in a hot tub" thing.
So Henry had to kiss Alex first but then he had to run because there was no way that the mostly-closeted, private Prince could accept that a) he fucking kissed a boy, b) said boy is the one he's been dreaming of since Rio/Melbourne, and c) the boy kinda?? kissed him back?? Henry will have been having a low-grade anxiety attack all through January (and trying to reclaim some control with the date he went on in the book).
In this moment, Alex knows all the pieces. He's played this logic game to its conclusion and he knows all the facts. 1) Henry is gay. 2) Henry is into him. 3) He's into Henry. That last fact is something Henry isn't fully aware of (or at least can't bring himself to believe it to be true) and so it has to be Alex.
He doesn't want Henry to say something that would get in the way of this, doesn't want to hear any kind of pre-prepared speech of "yeah, we're better off as friends" that always happens when the couple get too close to getting together too early in the run time. Alex is full on shutting that down, shutting Henry up, and he gives as good as he got.
"Wait a minute" // Henry’s too shocked to respond, mouth falling open slackly in a way that’s more surprise than invitation, and for a horrified moment Alex thinks he calculated all wrong, but then Henry’s kissing him back, and it’s everything.
And this time it's both of them. Framed between Hamilton and the books. The American political trailblazer and the literary. In the space between? There's our boys.
Alex's hand is on the wall again and he's controlling the space but Henry is very much in it. He's protective but in a different way.
In one frantic motion, Alex knocks the candelabra off the table next to
them and pushes Henry onto it so he’s sitting with his back against—Alex
looks up and almost breaks into deranged laughter—a portrait of Alexander Hamilton. Henry’s legs fall open readily and Alex crowds up between them, wrenching Henry’s head back into another searing kiss.
They’re really moving now, wrecking each other’s suits, Henry’s lip
caught between Alex’s teeth, the portrait’s frame rattling against the wall
when Henry’s head drops back and bangs into it. Alex is at his throat, and
he’s somewhere between angry and giddy, caught up in the space between years of sworn hate and something else he’s begun to suspect has always been there. It’s white-hot, and he feels crazy with it, lit up from the inside.
Henry gives as good as he gets, hooking one knee around the back of
Alex’s thigh for leverage, delicate royal sensibilities nowhere in the cut of
his teeth. Alex has been learning for a while Henry isn’t what he thought,
but it’s something else to feel it this close up, the quiet burn in him, the
pent-up person under the perfect veneer who tries and pushes and wants.
He drops a hand onto Henry’s thigh, feeling the electrical pulse there,
the smooth fabric over hard muscle. He pushes up, up, and Henry’s hand
slams down over his, digging his nails in.
The sensibility of the suits is on its way out, they're not the First Son and the Prince. And Alex is taking the lead.
Agency
Henry is somewhat passive in this - although he is fully engaged - but it's Alex who set this in motion. Pun intended. Alex who pushed him against the wall. Alex who pushed him up onto the table and hiked his leg up around his hip, Alex who is driving in. Because Alex needs Henry to know that third fact. The one he's worked out, the one that Henry is just catching up with. This isn't payback, it's not some prank. Alex Wants™.
There's a scene I'm writing in my current FirstPrince WiP in which Alex and Henry have a charged moment. And Henry wants to act on it but those princely sensibilities get in the way and he can't let himself be led into doing something that could be used against him. If Henry made all the moves then the accusation of him taking advantage, of the inherant imbalance that comes with status and titles and positions of power. So in the scene, and here, Alex takes the lead. There's no way anyone could accuse Henry of forcing Alex into doing this.
(Good luck getting Alex to do ANYTHING he doesn't want to.)
So Alex gives and Henry takes and he gets the memo very quickly.
Fact number three. Alex wants this too.
Then Movie!Amy walks in on them (which IMO is way funnier than Book!Amy hissing through a crack in the door) and these idiots try to act like they weren't redefining International Relations a second ago. Alex is by the painting, Henry is by the books. They've gone back to their sides and they're playing at being interested in what they find there. But they're not, it's all for show, someone who gives a passing glance at this point sees this part of them, this side of them The First Son and the Prince: the politician and the literary.
They're both backlit, they're in line even if it doesn't look like it, Alex is no longer on Henry's right, and they're both trying to act like the people that others could see them as.
But we - and they - know better. 1) Henry is gay. 2) Henry is into Alex. 3) Alex is into Henry.
4) Everyone is on the same page now.
(Also I know Casey talked about seeing the Red Room on a White House tour and so that's why they included a scene in that room in their book, but I cannot ignore the fact that red = love and passion and danger and fire [the counter to the water motif] and it's a warm colour designed to excite.)
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They Can't Take What's Ours
idol!Yoon Jeonghan x reader
Sometimes, we just need to be reassured in order to survive.
TW: online bullying
a/n: I tried to write for Jeonghan but I don't know if I gave his character justice. But either way, I had fun writing this, especially since I want to make a tribute to Taylor Swift and her newly released album, The Tortured Poets Department. This was also inspired by her song, Ours. Anyways, have fun reading caratdeuls!
~Main Masterlist~
Hanniemyluv: What did he even see in them?
Jeongcheol4ever: No wonder Jeonghan’s having a hard time lately. I mean, just look at that poor excuse of a person he calls his significant other. They don’t deserve him.
JeongieHannie: HANNIEEEE I LOVE U PLEASE LEAVE Y/N AND JUST BE WITH ME ALREADY
Sighing, you rolled on your other side before hugging your pillow tighter to yourself. You felt a stray tear rolling down your face and landing on the pillow but you made no move to wipe it off. You weren’t typically the type of person that would let a stranger’s words get to you but when you’re already having a bad day so far, they tend to cut deeper than they normally would. You were only trying to relax and put the day behind you while checking out the notifications that you got on your latest post that featured you and your boyfriend on a date night but it only made things worse. You already promised Jeonghan once before that you wouldn’t even try to look at the comments but you just can’t help yourself this time. It was already served on a silver platter before you even got a chance to look at the menu.
That was how Jeonghan saw you once he got home four hours later. It was also a long day for him resulting from a full schedule due to his work as an idol. Now, he just wants to relax his mind and body while cuddling up to you all night long.
Opening the door to your apartment, he took off his shoes one by one before trudging towards the living room. He sat down unceremoniously, closing his eyes for a bit. He called out to you, announcing his arrival, but when he didn’t receive any response after a few minutes, that’s when he opened his eyes wide and alert. It was unusual for you to be this silent whenever he arrived. And it was far more unusual for the apartment to be this dark and quiet every time he got home before your usual bedtime. Music would typically be blaring from the kitchen which will then be accompanied by your singing. He then will walk towards the source of the sound only to find you dancing wholeheartedly to the song while preparing for dinner. But now observing the room, Jeonghan knew that it wouldn’t be a time like that tonight.
He immediately stood up, searching for you in every room before finally reaching your bedroom door. As he neared the door, the sounds of your sniffles and quiet sobs reached out to his ears. Even more alert than before, he called out to you cautiously while trying to contain his panic and overthinking tendencies. He opened the door, slowly revealing your bundled-up figure on your side of the bed. At the sound of the door, you turned towards it. Once he sees your tear-stricken face, he then wonders if you can hear his heart breaking in pieces or if it is just in his mind.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Jeonghan calmly asked sitting at the edge of the bed closest to you. He’s trying his best not to let you hear the panic in his voice knowing that any sign of distress can only make the situation worse. If there’s one thing he learned as your partner for a few years now is that it is best to just let you take your time to gather up your thoughts and just be there for you in any way that you need. And just like any other time, that was what it took for you to finally open up.
You let him pull you into his arm once he saw your eyes filling up with tears once again but it only made you cry harder. You tried to tell him the reason behind your breakdown but all that came out were broken words and hiccups. Jeonghan only shushed your attempts, replacing them instead with reassuring and calming words in your ears. Based on the snippets of your jumbled-up thoughts you were trying to convey as well as your phone facing up and showing a portion of your post’s comment section, he can already tell what happened and it only broke his heart even more. You didn’t deserve any of this hate in any way whatsoever. He then started to plot how he would address this the next time he went live for his fans and the general public.
It took you some time but eventually, you started to calm down. Even then, Jeonghan stayed quiet, waiting for you to start talking while still rocking the both of you.
“I’m sorry.” you sniffed. Jeonghan gently pulled you apart only to make you look at his confused face.
“What are you apologizing for?”
“For crying all over you,” you pouted. He swears that if you weren’t just recovering from your breakdown, he would coo over how cute you were right now. But alas, this wasn’t the case so he kept his thoughts at bay albeit unwillingly.
“Oh honey,” he sighed, “there’s no need to apologize for that. You know I’m here for you no matter what.”
“I know,” you sniffed, “but you’re already tired enough from practice and you don’t need me to add to your exhaustion. Speaking of, did you have dinner already? I can fix something up for you. I’m sure there’s food in the fridge I can heat up for you. What do you wa—”
Jeonghan put his finger on your lips, effectively shutting you up. You can only slump your shoulders in protest knowing this is his way of letting you know that you don’t get to get away from talking through this with him. Once he was sure you wouldn’t be attempting any escape plans at the moment, he took his finger off your lips and softly cradled your face with both of his hands.
“You do know that I love you, right?” he asked. You nodded in response with a pout but Jeonghan only shook his head.
“That’s not enough.”
“Okay, fine,” you sighed, “yes, I know.”
“No. still not enough.”
“What do you mean it’s still not enough?”
“I want you to repeat after me.”
“Okay?” you answered unsurely.
“Jeonghan, my most handsome and loving boyfriend, loves me.”
You blinked twice, trying to make sure he’s serious. But when you only saw genuine determination in his eyes, all you could do was sigh and follow his words.
“Jeonghan, my most handsome and loving boyfriend, loves me.”
“I am the most beautiful human being to ever grace this planet.”
“I am the most beautiful human being to ever grace this planet.”
“Haters gonna hate so I’m just gonna shake it off.”
“Haters gonna hate so I’m just gonna shake it off.”
“Shake it off.”
“Shake it off.”
“The stakes are high.”
“The stakes are high.”
“The water’s rough.”
“The water ’s rough.”
“But this love is ours.”
“But this lo— are we actually just quoting Taylor Swift lyrics right now?”
“...no.”
You narrowed your eyes at him but he didn’t even budge for one second. You then rolled your eyes before fully repeating the last line.
“See? That wasn’t so hard. Now I need my kisses.”
You shrieked when he pushed you onto the bed and before you knew it, he started showering you in kisses all over your face. You can only laugh over his antics, trying and failing to push him off of you. At the sound of both of your laughter, it was safe to say that the darkness of the night was now ignored by the lightness you both felt in your hearts.
Taglist: @moonwonuu @belladaises
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IS THIS WHAT LOVE FEELS LIKE?
tags :: @yjjnfied
summary :: sooyoung finally gets something off her chest
sooyoung couldn’t keep her eyes off of wooyoung.
she couldn’t stop staring at him, she couldn’t stop admiring all of his features, his beautiful eyes, how his hair was so fluffy yet looked so perfect, how his dimples show when he laughs, how his lips were so pink and so soft — which was her main problem. she couldn’t stop staring at the boy’s lips. she kept having the desire to kiss him, to feel his lips pressed up against her own, but she couldn’t help but feel guilty about her thoughts.
was it wrong, to imagine kissing wooyoung? they had gone out quite a few times, and wooyoung has always given sooyoung the impression that he was interested in her, but what if she read him wrong? what if he only sees her as a friend? she would be devastated and forever embarrassed if she went to kiss him, and he only rejected her.
wooyoung must have sensed her overthinking, because he had turned his head from the tv to look at her, placing a gentle hand on her thigh. “is everything alright, sookki?” wooyoung asked, smiling softly when sooyoung blushed at the nickname. sookki was the nickname wooyoung had made up for her, and no one else had ever called her that (he took part of her name, and the ending of bunny in korean). “you can talk to me, you know.”
sooyoung only laughed and looked down, biting her lip when wooyoung had started to slowly rub his hand up and down her thigh. he was not helping her inner debate whatsoever,
“i don’t know…im just thinking.” sooyoung managed to get out, bringing her hands to play with the ends of her hair, a nervous habit she had since a kid.
“what thoughts are going on in your pretty head?” wooyoung asked, turning so his body was completely facing sooyoung - his hand still on her thigh. wooyoung was smiling at her, but she could see that he was genuinely concerned for her. sooyoung wanted to voice her feelings aloud, but she couldn’t find the words for them.
she could hear monique in the back of her head, telling her to “stop overthinking, whats the worse that could happen?” …. the two girls had just had a conversation the night before, monique was the only one who knew her true feelings for wooyoung. if monique was there, she would be telling her to let all of her anxieties go, and just do it.
so that’s what sooyoung did - she leaned forward, wrapped her hand behind wooyoung’s neck, softly playing with the ends of his hair, and she kissed him. she could feel her body heating up from wooyoung’s plump lips, kissing him in reality was so much better than what sooyoung could have ever imagined. before sooyoung could kiss him longer, she quickly regained her thoughts and immediately backed away, gasping when she saw wooyoung’s shocked face.
“fuck, wooyoung - im so —” sooyoung mumbled out, but wooyoung didn’t even let the girl finish apologizing before he crashed his lips back to sooyoung’s, grabbing wooyoung’s waist and swinging her into his lap, pulling her even closer. sooyoung really could feel the warmth all through out her body, and she swore nothing had ever been better than this. she loved every second of it, she loved the tight grasp wooyoung had on her waist, how she could feel his heartbeat against her chest, and most importantly, his lips. she loved how he kissed her with such passion, such desire, with love.
when wooyoung had pulled away to get air, it took awhile for sooyoung to regain her thoughts again. his kiss and touch had sent her in a cloudy daze - she was still in shock that it had even happened.
“that was my first kiss,” sooyoung sheepishly mumbled, hiding her face in her hands when wooyoung’s face lit up in suprise.
“i was your first kiss, are you serious?” wooyoung asked, wrapping the girl in a tight hug when she nodded. “that makes it even more special, doesn’t it?” wooyoung said, gently patting her head when he saw that she was still embarrassed.
“don’t be embarrassed, my love. i’m not judging you! i’m happy that you chose me to be your first kiss.” wooyoung said, almost instantly making sooyoung feel better. “what, do you like it when i call you ‘my love’?”
“it has a nice ring to it,” sooyoung whispers, nuzzling her face into wooyoung’s neck when he cooed at her shyness. the two of them sat in silence for a few minutes, regaining their ability to breath, and soaking in a few minutes of peace, relaxing against one another.
eventually, sooyoung sat up, awkwardly scooting off of wooyoung’s lap and bringing her legs to her chest. she wanted to end her overthinking - but she knew she had to take some brave steps to be able to do that. so with a deep, shaky breath, she finally expressed her feelings to wooyoung.
“if you haven’t noticed already, i like you…i have for awhile. do you like me, too?” sooyoung asked, smiling when wooyoung nodded.
“i do in fact, like you. i like you not just a little bit, i like you a lot! i like you this much!” wooyoung chuckled, extending his arms to show his arm span. sooyoung smiled and tackled the man into a bear hug, squeezing his waist. she felt so safe in the arms of wooyoung, she realized, when he hugged her back and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead.
“do you think we could…i don’t know,” sooyoung trailed off, looking up at the boy, resting her chin on his chest. she wanted to ask him out - but finding the wording was so hard. she didn’t want to sound eager, or cringy, but she also didn’t want to give wooyoung the wrong impression. sooyoung could sense his hesitancy, quickly adding, “if you want to go slow - that’s fine…” sooyoung mumbled, frowning when wooyoung still looked full of worry.
“i want you to be my girlfriend, soo, but what about your stalkers? what about Bora?” wooyoung asked, pursing his lips, “i know we can’t let them dictate our life’s forever, but are you okay with facing the backlash if they find out?”
sooyoung thought about it - she knew it was more likely that they were going to find out about the romance between wooyoung and sooyoung, and she knew that when the news broke out, it wouldn’t be pretty. she was so sick and tired of letting people dictate her life, just because they want to control her. even if bora hated her even more than she already does, she knows her members would have her back, no matter what the conditions were.
“yes…i think i would be ready to deal with the backlash. even if it’s bad, i know i have you and my members to support me.” sooyoung said, placing another kiss on wooyoung’s lips, hoping to reassure him more.
“so, park sooyoung, does this mean you’ll be my girlfriend?” wooyoung asked, and the both of them couldn’t help but giggle at the cheesiness of it all.
“yes, wooyoungie, i’ll be your girlfriend.”
with that, wooyoung scooped the girl back into his arms, smiling when the girl practically melted on top of him, and placed one more kiss on her lips, allowing himself to linger for a bit more, feeling the softness of her lips before pulling away.
sooyoung decided that if falling in love felt like this - then maybe it wasn’t so scary after all.
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