#nct dream au series

[mrkis]

you'll never find anyone like me — one. (l.dh)

PAIRING: lee donghyuck x afab!reader GENRE: college au, fluff, mature WORD COUNT: 14.9k

SYNOPSIS: you’ll never find anyone like lee donghyuck, and that’s what makes him so exciting.

CHAPTERS WARNINGS: slow burn(ish) type, so much plot & way too much dialogue, alcohol consumption, explicit language, a lot of mentions of donghyuck being obsessed, heavy tension between reader and donghyuck, mentions of parties & drugs, donghyuck comes across as very straight forward and also flirty, pretty people make reader nervous lol (especially donghyuck), tension between two main characters but no smut yet.

AUTHORS NOTE:: its finally here!! i'm so excited to start this series with you all, thank you for your patience!! also, for anyone new, this is linked to my 'NEO TECH COLLEGE' jaemin series 'the way life goes' although this can be read as a standalone.

[SERIES MASTERLIST]

It wasn’t exactly ideal enrolling into class halfway through the year, knowing you’ll have to go through that godawful stage of trying to make friends with people who already have chosen their own clique to spend the rest of their college years with.

You’re, unfortunately, the new student, the one that’ll be singled out during group projects or the one they pick last for the group because they didn’t want to choose you first… you really don’t know which one is worse.

Looking for a place to settle down was a close second to being one of the worst things to do after enrolling late. You didn’t have enough money to live by yourself and you sure as hell didn’t want to live with someone you hardly even knew, but you had to pick one, so you went with the latter.

Areum was actually the sweetest (and coolest) person you have ever met. 

She welcomed you into her two bedroom apartment with open arms and even helped get you settled into your new room by offering to unpack your boxes and decorate the way you preferred, allowing you to have all the creative freedom you needed to call this place your home too.

Areum had even taken time out of her own busy schedule to show you around, letting you know about all the best food joints, best places to go to get coffee, best album stores to get your preferred music and even the best hangout spots. 

It was, undoubtedly, a lot to take in. 

Areum even introduced you to Minjun, a childhood friend of hers who is a college dropout and now the drummer in a two-man band with his older brother. (They’re pretty good, even though the older brother scares the shit out of you). 

Minjun was the complete opposite of Areum yet they were alike in so many ways, it was easy to make friends with him just as it was with Areum. Minjun was sceptical of you at first though, but he immediately warmed up to you when you complimented his drum set to which he then showed you how to play. (You had no idea, but it was fun).

You cherish the friendships you have made with the two deeply even though you felt like you were intruding at the beginning, especially when you realised how long they have actually known each other and how close they are. But the pair happily invited you into their small friendship with big grins and playful jokes.

You were grateful to be starting something new with people who you felt instantly comfortable with, you were excited to see what your time in college had in store for you. 

“Shit!” You repeatedly curse under your breath as you hurry across campus grounds with your bag strap sliding down your shoulders and your phone held tightly in your grip, staring down at the time that shined angrily at you due to your lateness.

Being late on your very first day wasn’t exactly something you wanted to experience, but the pressure of getting everything ready and the stress of overthinking lead you to being exhausted and oversleeping—you wanted the ground to swallow you up when you received the mass texts from Areum asking if you made it to your class in time. 

You fix the strap on your shoulder as you rush into the building, eyeing the signs on the walls that would easily lead you to your music class and you groan when you realise it’s at the far end of the building, breaking out into another sprint and you’re grateful there’s no one around to see you make a complete fool of yourself as you run.

Glancing down at your phone, you wince at the time and you look back up to make sure you’re going to right way but you curse under your breath when you realise you’re heading straight towards someone’s back and you don’t even have time to stop yourself or control your speed, already bumping into them at full force which causes them to stumble forwards from the impact.

The person they’re with steadies them and you manage to get a quick glimpse at the girl who’s looking at you in shock before the victim spins around, his eyes angry and ready to curse you out but you don’t even notice how his eyes soften when he looks at you as you’re already profusely apologising to him.

“I’m so sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going and I—fuck—I didn’t mean to fall into you like that, I’m just late and—”

“It’s fine.” The girl cuts off your rambling, sending you a reassuring smile as the guy continues to stare at you and you nod, mumbling another quick apology as you turn your head and see the door to your assigned class, quickly slipping through the door and letting it close shut behind you, heart racing rapidly in your chest at the full class of students who briefly glance at you before returning to their work.

The Professor looks up from his computer when you enter the room, gazing at you over the rim of his glasses and he gives you a welcoming smile, beckoning you over with his hand and you head straight towards him, getting ready to apologise for being so late but he’s already opening his mouth to speak first.

“I’m surprised you’re starting halfway through the year, but I’m happy to have you in this class. Welcome,” He smiles warmly at you and it instantly makes you feel better, your shoulders relaxing with a breath of relief as you smile back at him thankfully. “I’m Professor Kim Hongjoong. I’ll be your music Professor during your time here and if you need any help with anything, I’d be happy to give you some guidance… although, I have to encourage my students to ask one another. Team bonding type of stuff.”

“Noted.” You laugh lightly with a nod, adjusting the bag strap on your shoulder.

“Great.” Professor Kim grins up at you. 

He dismisses you to a seat at the far back of the class next to a boy whose face is shoved into his computer screen, chunky headphones resting on his head as his fingers dance across a piano keyboard, nodding to the notes that play smoothly in his ears and you pull out the seat to sit beside him, sliding your bag off your shoulder and letting it rest by the legs of the chair.

Capturing your seatmate's attention, he turns to look at you and gives you a warm and welcoming smile, pulling the headphones from his head to rest around his neck. He introduces himself as Xiaojun and he takes the opportunity to point out everyone in the room to let you know their names, and even though it didn’t exactly help and you sure as hell wouldn’t remember everyone's names, you were grateful at least.

“How come you enrolled in the middle of the year?” Xiaojun suddenly asks you and you give him a sheepish grin in response. He raises a questioning brow, “Wasn’t going to enrol or something?”

“Something like that.” 

“Interesting.” Xiaojun hums and he turns his head back to his computer screen while your attention is brought towards the classroom door that swings open, and embarrassment immediately washes over you when you recognise the guy that steps inside, the one you had forcefully slammed into on your way here.

You sink down into your seat in hopes to avoid him to keep your own dignity and your brows pull together in confusion when you see his eyes glance around the room, tilting his head to the side in thought and tongue prodding at his cheek as he scans over the row of seats before he finds you.

His lips curl into a smirk and his eyebrows raise in a way that has your heart thumping rapidly in your chest, immediately drawing your attention away from him when he drops down into a seat beside Yangyang, (a guy that Xiaojun had pointed out to you when filling you in on everyone’s names), who is too busy scrolling through his phone to notice his presence. 

“Donghyuck.”

“What?” You hum, glancing at Xiaojun when you hear him mutter.

“That’s Donghyuck, the one that just came back in/” Xiaojun tells you and you made a small noise of acknowledgment, taking another peek over at him only to avert your eyes away when you realise he’s already looking at you and you feel hot, a little embarrassed and awkward at being caught.

“Has he got a staring problem or something?” You catch yourself mumbling under your breath and your eyes widen when you hear Xiaojun snort, completely capturing what you had just said and you groan, leaning back into your chair with a frown as Xiaojun looks at you with an amused smile.

“Something like that.”

The class surprisingly goes by quicker than you thought and both Professor Kim and Xiaojun were kind enough to fill you in on what you’ve missed so far, and what’s coming up soon. Luckily, as you enrolled in so late, you were excused from the upcoming assignment but were given a side task to write down everything you had knowledge of, including the instruments that you’re skilled in playing.

You found it quite simple and you’re positive you can jot down everything tonight so you wouldn’t have to worry about it later on. You’ve always been eager to please, so there was no way in hell you were going to leave this until the last minute.

You rise from your seat and grab your bag, slipping the strap over your shoulder as you subconsciously peer over at the other end of the room, your heart thumping wildly in your ears when you catch Donghyuck’s eyes already looking back at you while talking to Yangyang, leaning back on the desk with his hands shoved deep into his pockets and leather jacket draped over his arm.

His deep and intense gaze makes you feel nervous and you find yourself fidgeting in your spot, unable to tear your own eyes away from him, locked under his stare and the smirk that he gives you sends goosebumps rippling down your spine.

It’s when he pushes himself off the desk that brings you out of your trance, panic flooding through you when it seems like he’s about to advance towards you but he stays in his place when a hand carefully touches your arm, causing you to quickly turn towards the person that wanted your attention.

Xiaojun’s smiling warmly at you, but you’re surprised when you see that he’s not alone and instead, there are two other guys standing with him.

One wears a green hoodie beneath a grey jacket and matching coloured jeans, a beanie on his head with blue strands of hair peeking from beneath. The round, thin framed glasses on the bridge of his nose makes him look cute, yet the boyish grin he gives you makes you feel a little flustered and you move your attention to the other boy beside him.

He’s a lot more quiet and awkward, opting to give you a tight lipped smile as a greeting and nodding his head to say he’s acknowledged you. You’re not surprised by his shy demeanour𑁋especially with how he’s refusing to make eye contact and how his fingers nervously fiddle with the bracelet dangling on his wrist. 

“This is Mark,” Xiaojun points to the one in the hoodie. “And this is Jihoon,” He points to the other before he turns to you and gives you a smile, “These guys are who I spent the majority of my time with, unfortunately”

“You love us, dude,” Mark’s boyish grin returns as he pats Xiaojun’s shoulder who playfully rolls his eyes and Mark looks at you. “You’re welcome to join us for lunch if you want?”

“Oh, thank you,” You smile appreciatively but it slowly drops when you realise what you had planned already. “Can I join you some other time? I have somewhere to be today.”

“Of course you can.” Mark’s grin widens as his hand removes off Xiaojun’s shoulder to gently knock yours and you grow nervous under the small contact, a shy smile spreading across your lips as you bid them a silent goodbye, brushing past the trio to get to the door and your mouth goes dry, your nerves amping up to a hundred as you once again meet Donghyuck’s eyes from his position next to Yangyang, how he watches you with a hint of intrigue and interest swimming in his irises. 

You miss the way his eyes snap towards your new friends with a locked jaw, tongue prodding at his cheek as you leave the room.

Watching Areum work has always been fascinating to you: in awe of the talent that pours out of her hands and the patience she has when it comes to sculpting certain objects and/or people for projects or just to pass the time, how every piece is precise and perfect𑁋a complete masterpiece.

It’s the look of determination and joy that seals the deal for you, how happy and content she seems to be whenever she’s in her zone, and having the opportunity to witness her working in the studio at college for the first time is definitely the highlight of your already long and interesting day.

You bite into your lunch as you watch her from behind get her hands dirty while sculpting her recent project, soothing out the curves of a woman’s body that she has been putting together while humming a tune that plays quietly from the radio on the windowsill beside her.

Areum takes a step back to admire her work, a sound of approval slipping past her lips before she decides to take a break, unzipping her black overalls halfway to take her arms out of the sleeves and tying them around her waist securely so the rest doesn’t fall down completely, allowing her tattooed arms to be freed and on show with her white shirt. 

“Did you make it to your class in time this morning?” Areum asks you as she leans against the open window, pulling her strawberry vape out of her pocket to take a drag and you shake your head, causing her to chuckle lowly. “I thought Minjun put an alarm on your phone before he left last night?”

“I slept through it,” You say bitterly, taking another bite of your lunch as she clicks her tongue against her teeth. “Thinking about today got me stressed and I overslept. Ended up almost being an hour late and not only that, I practically body slammed someone because I rushed to get to class. It was embarrassing.”

“Ouch,” Areum teases while scrunching her nose up, taking another hit out of her vape and blowing the smoke out of the window. You roll your eyes, twisting the cap on your bottle of water to take a sip. “Made any friends in your class though?”

You side eye her, “You sound like my mother,” She smirks at you. “Got to know this guy called Xiaojun. He introduced me to his friends Mark and Jihoon just before class ended. I only know those three so far.”

“Good,” Areum hums with an approving nod. “I know Mark and Xiaojun, I’ve bumped into them a few times… don’t know Jihoon though.”

“He’s kinda quiet,” You admit, remembering your very brief encounter with him. You smile, “He didn’t say anything but he seemed welcoming at least. They offered me to join them for lunch but I said I already had plans today.”

“You ditched them to hang out with me?” Areum looks at you with a blank expression and you nod, giving her an innocent grin as you finish off the last bite. “I don’t know whether to thank you or call you stupid.”

You swallow thickly, “I know you better than them so being with you right now is the safest and comforting option to me. I’d like to get to know them more eventually and hang out with them… but it’s kind of hard to do that when I get shy and awkward around people I don’t know.”

“You did well with me and Minjun,” She praises you and you feel your cheeks grow hot at that, trying to fight the smile that threatens to slip onto your lips. “But don’t worry, you got this. Take your time, there’s no rush.”

“I’m not going to rush,” You tell her, resting your chin on your hand as you look over at her, your other hand tapping a mindless tune on the wooden table. “I’m taking everything slowly.” 

It took you just over a month to get comfortable in your new college. 

You managed to remember everyone's names in your course and despite not talking to some of them, they had become easier to remember overtime. 

Xiaojun, Mark and Jihoon never left your side during classes and just like Areum and Minjun, they also welcomed you into their group with open arms and jokes that had you laughing until your stomach cramped up and tears pooled in your eyes. 

Jihoon became a lot more open with you as you did him. He was just like you—shy and awkward around people he barely knew or wasn’t comfortable with yet, didn’t want to speak up or take control of the conversation in fear of saying something silly, but when getting comfortable with the people it was non stop talking and cracking jokes, even pitching a few sarcastic comments here and there to make others smile.

Xiaojun and Mark were similar—outgoing and confident, striking up conversations and making friends as if it was the easiest thing to do, making others feel invited and welcomed although there was a few moments where you see their shy tendencies come through the cracks, noticing how shy Xiaojun got when being compliment on his voice when singing a song to himself under his breath and when Mark gets shy when he receives unwanted attention from others that compliment his work or his looks. 

Aisha, a girl in your class, was one of the people that would compliment Mark over and over again, making him flustered and cheeks grow red with each word and giggle that slips from her lips. She’s gorgeous, so it doesn’t surprise you that Mark gets shy easily when she comes near.

Aisha is one of the people you haven’t properly spoken to yet. Her sociable and popular presence leaves you a little intimidated. You’ve shared a few friendly smiles and some small words in passing, but you haven’t had the courage to speak to her fully. 

You, admittedly, like to admire her from afar. Seeing how confident and friendly she is, how she teasingly flirts and prettily smiles at others who conversate with her, how her delicate hands play with her healthy hair that cascades down her back, how her siren-like voices lures people in when she’s talking or even singing.

It makes you jealous, but not in a bad way. You could only wish you had the same confidence and likeness. 

Donghyuck is another person you haven’t spoken to yet. You feel nervous being in his presence, how his intense gaze leaves you speechless and unable to think properly. How his lingering touches on your skin leaves goosebumps running down your spine every time he brushes past you to either get to his seat or if he was just walking by in the hallways. 

He glances over his shoulder each time, lips curling into a grin, dark eyes piercing through you as he meets your eyes and takes in your appearance, tongue sweeping across his bottom lip before it tucks between his teeth as he takes in your outfit of the day. 

Even if you’re wearing something that completely covers you, he makes you feel bare. 

Xiaojun is the one that tells you to stray far away from Donghyuck, that he’s nothing but a ‘slut who loves attention and flirts with any living thing’. Mark did however clap back and told Xiaojun that he himself loves the attention too, which caused Xiaojun to jut out his bottom lip in a pout and turn away, but Mark mentioned how Donghyuck can be a little crazy sometimes and to try and not let his continuous stares and actions get under your skin. 

You agreed, saying that wouldn’t be the case, even though you’re lying through your teeth already.

He is getting under your skin, leaving his mark on you and truthfully, it’s interesting. 

You will never admit that out loud. 

“Why are you being so quiet?” You hear somebody ask you suddenly and you rip yourself out of your thoughts, blinking at you try to see where the source of the sound came from but you let out a huff as a weight is knocked against your shoulder, hissing as you turn your head to see Minjun who had dropped down to the sofa to sit beside you.

He’s grinning at you in greeting but mumbles a quick apology when he realises he’s hurt you, rubbing the sore area before pulling his hand back to pull his phone out of his pockets.

You stay silent for a moment, staring at him as he mindlessly drums his fingers against the side of his phone as he reads a text and you immediately recognise it as the new song that he and his brother have been working on, the corner of your lips stretching into a smile.

However, his drumming comes to a sudden stop when Byeol pounces up on the arm of the sofa on his left, staring at Minjun with his tail slowly swishing behind him before he steps down onto Minjun’s thighs to find the perfect spot to rest and Minjun clicks his tongue against his teeth in annoyance. 

“I hate this cat.” He grumbles under his breath despite raising his hand to pet Byeol behind his ears, loud purring noises rumbling from his chest. Minjun glances at you, “You didn’t answer my question.”

“What question?” You mutter as you reach over to pet Byeol too.

“About why you’re being so quiet.”

“There’s no reason,” You tell him truthfully, smiling as Byeol nuzzles his head into your palm. “I was enjoying the silence and just thinking about some things.”

“What things?”

Your eyes snap to him, teasing in your tone, “None of your business.”

“Ouch. You wound me,” He speaks monotone, pulling his hand away from Byeol to adjust the beanie on top of his head. “I have a show this weekend at Cherry Bomb, you’re coming right?”

“Obviously,” You hum. “Me and Areum never miss your shows.”

“Lucky charms,” Minjun grins, raising his hand with his pinky outstretched and you snort, wrapping your own pinky around his and squeezing tightly. “EJ and his girlfriend are coming too so we’re going to grab a few beers with them after it, yeah?”

“Sounds good to me,” You nod, retracting your hand from his to pet the cat who’s now climbing into your own lap, rubbing his face in the cotton of your shirt. You purse your lips in thought, “Can I invite people?”

Minjun raises his brow in interest, “Who?”

“Just these guys I’ve made friends with—they’re on my music course,” You briefly explain but you feel the need to go further as Minjun continues to stare at you. “They saw my Instagram post at your show a few weekends back and they asked about you, and they said they’d be interested in seeing you play and—”

“They can come,” He cuts off your rambling, grinning up at you and your brows pull together when he nudges your shoulder. “You don’t have to ask, you know. The more the merrier, right? Besides, Seungwoo will be happy to see some new faces listening to our music.”

“Is he giving you a hard time?”

“Just the usual,” Minjun shrugs. “Worried about the number of people showing up to watch, the amount of unfinished songs he’s written, stuff with our parents too… they’re not exactly supportive of me dropping out of college and him leaving work to pursue music. They say it’s a waste of time.”

“But you’re good at what you do,” You tell him truthfully with a kind smile. “Both of you. You’re booking out bars and performing in front of big crowds almost every weekend, I say that’s pretty impressive.”

The corner of Minjun's lips lift upwards, his head tilting to the side slightly as he looks at you, “You think so?”

You nudge his shoulder, “I know so.”

Minjun breaks out into a full smile this time and he nudges you back as a small gesture of a thank you before he shifts in his seat, getting comfortable leaning against the cushions as he resumes scrolling through his phone.

You relax into him, peering your head over his shoulder to watch the screen as he shows you his current Instagram home page filled with musicians, concert photos and the occasional selfie of those he follows. You hardly recognise any of them, apart from the few Areum had posted and EJ with his girlfriend, but you still wiggle your eyebrows suggestively and make flirty comments when you see the sexy mirror pictures posted by some. 

Minjun just rolls his eyes and tells you to be quiet, huffing as he angles himself away from you.

“Oh, I didn’t realise you were here,” You hear Areum’s teasing voice from behind and you crane your neck to see her make her way over to the both of you, a fluffy white towel wrapped tight around her body and another wrapped around her hair from her previous shower. 

She sits in the single loveseat opposite, crossing her legs beneath herself to get comfy and a smile slips upon her lips as Byeol meows loudly, jumping down from your own lap and to find comfort on hers, nuzzling himself in her towel and Areum holds him to her chest, stroking his fur and cooing softly.

“I’m always here.” Minjun gives her a grin.

“Unfortunately~” Areum hums, pressing gentle kisses on the top of Byeol’s head and Minjun rolls his eyes, clicking his tongue against his teeth as he shakes his head.

Areum grins, already feeling proud at already getting under her best friend's skin but you knew deep down that it was just a little joke, knowing first hand how they always bite at each other to try and get one of them to react and lose, adding another point to their mental tally chart.

She coos as she talks to Byeol, scratching below his chin and rubbing behind his ears as you smile at the sight, hearing his loud purrs resonate from where he’s sitting on her lap and Areum’s phone that’s been gripped in her hand vibrates loudly, causing her to pull away from Byeol for a moment to check her screen.

You watch as her brows raise slightly, a smirk spreading across her cheeks and her bottom lip gets caught between her teeth, thumbs quickly tapping against the phone before she raises her head up, looking over at you with an unfamiliar glint in her eye. 

Your face scrunches up, confused. “Why are you looking at me?”

Areum cocks her head to the side, “How do you feel about experiencing your first college party tonight?”

The sight in front of you is definitely… something.

The house is a lot bigger than you anticipated, expecting to be brought along to a little apartment or even a club for your first official college party, but Areum had thrown you into a complete loop as she brought you to a not so little apartment or club that was already filled with drunk college students, some already even sprawled across the front lawn messily making out or even staring up at the sky giggling to themselves. 

However, you grimace a little when you see someone come stumbling out of the house with their hand clamped over the mouth, barely making it towards a bush before emptying out their stomachs with the most gruesome of sounds. 

A guy comes jogging out of the house shortly after with a water bottle in hand and his phone in the other, your mouth starts to feel a little dry, the attractiveness and confidence that oozes from him as he comes closer stuns you for a moment, the shyness taking over you when he grunts and squats down to tend to the drunken person with their head shoved into the bushes.

The tight black fitted shirt he wears shows off the muscles beneath, how they bulge and tense when he reaches out to caress the person’s back as they retch loudly and your eyes can’t help but shift to his thighs, how the pants are tightening around them which each movement and you gulp, pulling your attention away when you feel Areum slip her arm through yours.

“Seems like you got your hands full already.” Areum speaks first with a teasing tone that’s directed towards the guy and he raises his head, dark eyes glistening under the night sky as he grins at her.

“You got that right,” He chuckles softly, putting the water bottle down on the grass to run his fingers through his dark mullet, gazing at you. “You’re new. I’ve never seen you here before. I’m Jeno.”

You introduce yourself and he repeats your name back to you with a hum and a nod, then he smiles and wishes you a good time at the party before turning back to the person who had seemingly stopped throwing up, ordering them to drink the bottled water and saying how he’s going to call a cab for them to get home safely. 

Minjun, who had been quiet this entire time watching every thing unfold, gently pushes your shoulder to get you to walk and Areum pulls you towards the house by your arm, the loud music blasting inside already hitting your eardrums and you’re instantly hit with the smell of alcohol and weed when you enter. 

The inside is a lot more chaotic than the outside, you conclude. 

Sweaty bodies pressed against each other as they dance or makeout, some even fondling each other to which you immediately avert your attention away when they glance your way. Others are in small groups talking and even playing drinking games, you can just about see a group playing cup pong from where you’re standing at the entrance. 

Minjun leans down to murmur in your ear, “So, what do you think so far?” 

“It’s…” You pause, pulling a face. “Something. Very crowded. There’s people everywhere.”

Minjun’s chest rumbles with a laugh, “And this isn’t even the half of it.”

Your eyes widen at the possible fact of there being more people in the house, already feeling overwhelmed and Areum’s hand slides down your arm to take your own, lacing her fingers through yours as she helps weave you through the crowds, Minjun hot on your tail as he follows behind. 

You glance around while she leads you both to wherever she wants to go and you spot a couple lounging together on the sofa, the pretty blonde smiling at her boyfriend who’s gently tucking her hair behind her ears as he’s mumbling something to her and she nods, causing the boyfriend to grin and clink his drink against hers.

“Here,” Areum’s voice grabs your attention and your turn your head to look at her when you feel her hand slip from yours, noticing that she’s brought you to the kitchen where only a few partygoers are standing, nursing their drinks and chatting with friends. Areum opens the cooler and passes a beer over to Minjun who dips his head in silent thank you before turning to you, “Want a beer? A seltzer?”

“Beer.” You’re thankful she hands you one that you’re familiar with, the ones that the three of you have shared in your apartment during movie and game nights, immediately cracking it open to take a sip and the satisfying burn and flavour that that runs down your throat has you smiling.

It unfortunately doesn’t take long for you to start to feel out of place, your back pressed against a wall in the far corner of the kitchen as you watch Minjun smoke with a guy you overheard is called Sunwoo, a dopey grin smile spreading across his cheeks every time someone had waltzed up to him with money in their hand for one of his baggies that he takes out of his pocket to slip into theirs. 

Areum had politely excused herself from you a few moments prior to greet someone you somewhat recognise as one of her previous hookups, watching as Areum’s hand slips around her waist to hold her close to her body and the girl lets out flirtatious giggles, winding her own arms around Areum’s shoulders as they whisper in each others ears.

You sigh, pursing your lips as you take a glance down at the beer in your hand, shaking the can slightly to feel how much drink was left for you to drink and you frown when you notice it’s empty. You push yourself off of the wall and discard your empty beer in the overflowing trash can, opting to open the cooler and grab another to keep yourself preoccupied but you’re startled when another hand reaches in too, brushing against your own.

“Oh, sorry—” The voice pauses mid sentence and you glance up, your eyes widening in surprise when you see Xiaojun staring back at you with a similar expression. “It’s you!”

“What are you doing here?” You ask with a smile, excitement flowing through your veins as Xiaojun gives you a welcoming side hug, rubbing your back comfortingly. 

“I could ask you the same thing.” Xiaojun pulls back to adjust the backwards cap on his head, not before running his fingers through his hair. You take this moment to take in his appearance, surprised to see him out of his knitted sweaters and chinos which is replaced with a loose fitted grey tank top and dark jeans, showing off his physique which caught you off guard immensely, not expecting to see the muscles.

“My roommate told me to tag along,” You briefly explain to him, pulling your eyes away from his arms and he hums in understanding, handing you a beer before grabbing one for himself. “Are Mark and Jihoon here too?”

“Jihoon’s at home. This isn’t his, uh—” Xiaojun waves his hand around comically. “—type of scene, you know. Mark’s around here somewhere though, lost him when this girl tugged his arm wanting to speak to him in private.”

You make a small noise as you nod your head, assuming that it was another student proclaiming their attraction towards Mark as you have witnessed many times before, feeling bad every time Mark had rejected them even if he was sweet with his words. 

The confidence that people had to confess their feelings to the person they liked always made you jealous, wishing you had the courage to admit your own likeness towards someone but you could never get it out, knowing that the words would constantly get stuck on the tip of your tongue and the fear of rejection wasn’t exactly something you wanted to experience.

So you always held back on telling people how you felt, especially if you liked them. But yet again, seemingly lucky for you, there has never really been anyone that you’ve truly liked. You’ve had small mindless crushes that you knew would lead into nothing and you’ve been in the presence of a few attractive people that definitely make your heart flutter, but it’s never enough to make you want to confess. 

A gentle touch on your arm brings you out of your thoughts and you turn your head to see Minjun standing beside, a gesture to show that he was finally back with you and you couldn’t have been more happier to have more people at your side, giving him a smile to which he returns, the corner of his lips twitching upwards.

“Oh. You’re the guy.” Xiaojun speaks up, eyebrows raised to his hairline in shock as he points at Minjun who looks back at him, seemingly confused but he slowly nods anyways which makes you snort quietly, finding the sight comical. “The drummer from that band, the one on her Instagram—LŒV, right?”

“Yeah,” Minjun hums in surprise before he makes a noise of realisation, piecing two and two together. “You must be one of the guys she told me about, that wanted to come see us play this weekend.”

You zone out of their conversation when Xiaojun praises him for his musical skills, the pair diving deep into the music discussion which usually you would’ve participated in any of time, but you find yourself getting distracted as you watch Areum delicately stroke the back of another girl that she’s talking with, pulling her in closely to whisper in her ear and laughing when the girl pushes her shoulder playfully before tugging her back in. 

Your attention however pulls away from the pair when Areum places two fingers beneath her chin to bring her in for a kiss, feeling awkward to give them an audience and finding interest in a potted plant in the corner of the room, your lips quirking up into an amused smile when you see a drunk cradling it like a newborn, stroking the leaves and cooing.

The sight in front of you is hilarious and you would’ve taken out your phone to take a picture it if wasn’t for the fact you didn’t know this person, not really wanting to be caught and questioned taking pictures of someone you barely knew even if it would make a great memory… and definitely a great birthday card. 

But your eyes flit away from the drunk to the guy that you met outside. Jeno, you remember his name. He strides into the house with a dark wet patch over the front of his clothes and an empty water bottle. 

First, you grimace at the thought of that person he was taking care of outside throwing the water over him in a drunken fit, but then you feel a little warm and flustered when you realise that the water had made his shirt and pants stick to him more than it originally did, outlining his body perfectly, defining the muscles beneath the materials. 

“Why are you ogling Jeno?”

“I’m not,” You immediately defend yourself, attention snapping back to Xiaojun who's already staring back at you with an amused smirk, raising his eyebrow. “I’m not.”

“Pretty sure you are,” Minjun joins in this time and you harden your gaze at him, causing him to grin. “You like him?”

“No.”

“He’s attractive, for sure,” Xiaojun hums, taking a glance at him over your shoulder and watching him as he disappears up the staircase, probably to change out of his wet clothes. “I wouldn’t get too close to him though,”

Now that piques your interest, “Why?”

Xiaojun opens his mouth, ready to tell you what you’re surprisingly desperate to hear until he closes his mouth, brows rising in shock when you feel someone's arms slip around your shoulders to bring your back into their chest.

You immediately recognise it as Areum, the sweet citrus smell of her perfume overwhelming your senses and you turn your head to the side to see her already smiling at you, giving you a comforting squeeze before letting you go to stand beside you to greet Xiaojun.

Xiaojun seems hypnotised by her beauty just like many others are and it doesn’t surprise you, the beauty and the confidence that radiates off of her is enough to have your own heart thumping in your chest and feeling shy whenever she meets your eyes or gives you a pretty smile.

“I’m Areum,” She introduces herself as she reopens the cooler to fetch herself another beer. “Her roomie.”

Xiaojun whispers back in a daze, “Hi roomie.”

The look on Xiaojun’s face was comical when it slipped into conversation that Areum wasn’t interested in men, his eyes widening and mouth dropping open in shock as he profusely apologised, worried that his dazed look and minor flirtatious comments made her uncomfortable but she shook her head, laughing as she explained everything was fine and that he had no way of knowing her preferences. 

Still, the trio got along quite well and even Mark, who joined in a few minutes prior after complaining about how he was locked in the bathroom for five minutes, got along with Areum and Minjun too. It made you smile, seeing the people you liked getting along with each other and exchanging socials and numbers, it also made you miss Jihoon a little bit, wishing he was here so you could introduce them to your duo of friends. 

However, you did make a mental list to remind yourself to text Jihoon tomorrow morning and tell him you’d add him to the groupchat that Xiaojun was desperate to make.

It doesn’t take long for you all to split from each other too: Areum grabbing your hand to steal you away for a little while and you were surprised that Minjun didn’t follow behind like he usually does, but you were happy to see him so comfortable enough to stick around with Mark and Xiaojun who were happily discussing music techniques and even other bands they both seemed to enjoy.

Areum brought you to the living room this time where the music blasted from the stereo, making it a lot harder to hear what she was saying to you but you managed, opting to lean in close so she could whisper in your ear and you did the same. 

You’re feeling awkward and uncomfortable now though, nursing the third beer in your hand as everyone around you either dances or heavily makes out with the person they’ve come with or even just met, finding it hard to focus your attention on anything as in every corner you look, you see people wrapped up in each other.

A gentle touch is placed on your arm, “Are you okay?”

“Hm?” You hum, looking at Areum who is staring back at you worryingly. “Why?”

“You’ve gone quiet,” She points out and a frown makes its way onto your lips, “Want to go home?”

“What? No. It’s fine,” You quickly shake your head. “I don’t want to ruin your night.”

“You’re not ruining anything,” Areum chuckles softly and when her gaze flicks over your shoulder, you see the surprised look on her face. “Seems like you’ve got an admirer tonight.”

Her words have you making a noise of confusion and she nods in the direction of your so-called ‘admirer’ and you’re embarrassingly quick to whip your head around, not making your movements subtle at all which she snorts at in amusement. 

Your heart thumps loudly in your ears as you spot Donghyuck manspreading on the sofa a few feet in front of you, long dark hair hanging over his eyes and a joint resting between his lips which he inhales deeply, holding the smoke in his lungs for what seems to be an eternity until he exhales, passing the joint over to Yangyang all while staring directly at you. 

You feel hot beneath his intense stare, the dress you're wearing now seeming a little too tight and revealing that you subconsciously wrap your arms around yourself to cover up, not missing the way Donghyuck’s lips curl into a smirk before he brings a bottle up to his mouth, chugging the alcoholic beverage. 

You clear your throat, “That’s Donghyuck.”

“I know.”

Your head snaps towards Areum in surprise, “You know?”

“Yeah, of course,” Areum laughs lightly as she puts down her empty beer can on the windowsill. She presses her lips together as she leans back against the wall with her hands shoved into her low cut jeans. “Everyone here pretty much knows Donghyuck. He’s best friends with Jeno and that group.”

“Jeno…” You repeat the familiar name and you jab your thumb in the direction to where he’s standing, now dressed up in something completely different than last: wearing a white and dark grey ombre dress shirt with the buttons left undone, revealing his toned chest. You couldn’t look at him for too long without feeling flustered. “Him?”

“It’s his house—” She pauses, “Their house. They all live together, all five of them. But the sixth one recently moved out to live with his girlfriend.”

“Oh,” You blink, the curiosity inside of you building. “How do you know so much about this stuff?”

“They’re well-known,” Areum shrugs nonchalantly. “Some might say popular, I guess. Everyone pretty much knows everything about them… For starters, Jeno is the main guy that throws all these parties. He’s kind of a gym freak and he’s secretly really smart, he’s an engineering student. Jeno’s also one of those quote unquote ‘renown fuckboy’. He dated Miwoo for a long while—she’s the black haired one wearing a pretty black dress—but they broke up,

“Jaemin is one of the quiet ones, kind of mysterious in some ways too. You’ll hardly ever see him that much though, but he does appear every now and again to be around Jeno—they’ve been best friends for years. He’s a photography student who used to be in a serious relationship with a girl named Eunbin but they broke up. He did end up having a friends with benefits relationship with one of the girls in the group and then they got together, she’s currently away on a writer's trip,

“Renjun’s also one of the quiet ones, more of an observer. He sits in silence the majority of the time but he’s mean when he wants to be, plus doesn’t exactly take shit from anybody either so he can be kind of intimidating to some people. He’s an art student, some of his work is showcased on the walls in the art department. He’s also dating the pretty blonde that he's sitting with his arm around right now—Haru,

“Shotaro is the friendly and cute one that constantly smiles no matter what type of situation he is in. He’s pretty chilled out, carefree. He’s a dance student too… a really good one. He’s practically the baby of their group—everyone has a soft spot for him. He did however end up getting into a fight with Hyunjin because Yeji—Hyunjin’s ex—kissed him at a party. But even though Hyunjin was the one that threw the first punch, he ended up looking worse than Shotaro thanks to Yangyang who jumped in,

“Yangyang is another renown fuckboy, practically fucks anyone with a pussy between their legs. I’m almost positive he has slept with the majority of the girls in this room. He drinks and smokes weed a lot, and recently he’s been taking some harder stuff until he can’t physically function too. He once had a crush on one of the girls in their group—Jaemin’s now girlfriend—but nobody really knows what happened between them. I’m assuming he kept his feelings to himself considering Jaemin and her are all coupled up now, but anyway. Yangyang’s best friend is Donghyuck, you probably won’t ever see one without the other, they’re like two peas in a pod,

“Donghyuck… he’s interesting, I guess. A jokester, pretty dramatic at times but he can also switch into his serious mode which hardly no-one has ever seen. He parties a lot, definitely can outdrink anybody in this room. Smokes weed too and pops a few pills thanks to Sunwoo. He’s a little emo too which gives him a lot of attention—he’s attractive, he knows it. He sleeps around a lot and with anyone too, he plays both teams. But something kinda flipped in him after a while when he got a little obsessed with Aisha who actually rejected him not so long ago—”

“Isn’t, like, obsessed too much of a harsh word?” You cut her off with a frown, not liking the way she explained him to you. “Maybe he just had a crush on her or something? A big one?”

Areum laughs at that, clearly amused as she shakes her head. “No, sweetheart. When I say obsessed, I mean obsessed. The thing with Donghyuck is that he gets obsessed with people he likes pretty quickly… It’s like he gets infatuated with them, wants to give them his all and more.”

You can’t help but ask, “Is Aisha the only one that he’s been… obsessed with?”

“I doubt it. I heard that Donghyick was once obsessed with Jeno when they first became friends. It’s not that shocking, to be honest. Jeno is an attractive looking guy,” Areum explains to you as she pulls her hand out of her pocket, now holding a strawberry flavoured vape and placing it between her lips to inhale. She blows the smoke out of the corner of her mouth, making sure not to aim towards your face. “Donghyuck’s obsession with people can be pretty intense and sometimes I think Aisha made a lucky escape, although I’m familiar with how much she enjoys attention so she’ll probably want it back once she realises he’s got a new obsession.”

“A new obsession?” Your brows raise in surprise at that and you lean in closer as if what she’s telling you is about to be top secret. “Who is his new obsession?”

The smirk that spreads across Areum’s cheeks makes your body buzz and heart beat rapidly in your chest, growing even more curious but also nervous to know the answer as you watch as she takes another quick inhale of her vape before glancing over your shoulder.

“Well, with the way he’s staring at you over there with that look in his eyes, I think you’re the next target,” Areum’s eyes meet yours. “You’re his new obsession, sweetheart.”

His new what? 

“No I’m not,” A laugh forces its way out of your throat, a nervous one at that. You found it slightly ridiculous, really. There was absolutely no way that you could be his ‘new obsession’. It doesn’t make any sense. “He hardly knows me. We haven’t even spoken a word to each other… I think you’ve got it wrong.”

“Maybe,” She hums, eyes flickering over your shoulder once more. “But with the way he’s walking over here, I think I might be right on this one.”

He is what?

You’re glued in place, unable to turn around and see if she’s telling the truth or teasing you. The look on her face seems serious which makes you feel nervous, but the tone she uses is light which makes you think maybe she is playing tricks, wanting to tease you and see your reactions. 

But it’s the deep call of your name and the warm hand touching your upper arm is what makes you realise that she is, in fact, not lying. 

The nerves and the anxiety kicks in as you turn to face the person who had called out your name, your breath getting caught in the back of your throat as you meet Donghyuck’s dark eyes and that smile you have seen plenty of times before in class—the smile he always gives you when you catch his attention and when you meet his gaze. 

Having been this close to him, Donghyuck, without a doubt, is prettier up close and your tummy flutters at the proximity, almost wanting to take a step back just to put some space between you so you can breathe properly, to conjure up a thought or to even start the conversation as it dawns on you how long you’ve been embarrassingly quiet for.

“Hi,” You greet him, mentally kicking yourself for how silly your voice sounded. You open your mouth to speak again and you immediately regret what comes out, “You’re the guy from my music class.”

One of Donghyuck’s brows lifts in amusement, seemingly surprised but also enjoying how you’re pretending you don’t already know him but he plays along anyways, nodding his head slowly with that smile that makes your hands clammy. “I’m Donghyuck.”

“Donghyuck,” You repeat with a nod. His eyes darken at you saying his name, tongue coming out to sweep over his bottom lip to wet it. “I’m—”

“I know who you are.” He cuts you off and the embarrassment you feel amps up to a hundred, remembering how he called out your name a few moments prior. You’re unsure why you’re acting weird and awkward, maybe it was because he made you feel nervous. 

“I’m going to get us another drink,” Areum tells you, placing her hand on your shoulder to get your attention and you turn to her, eyes widening at the thought of her leaving you. “I’ll be right back. Stay here.”

The second Areum slips into the crowd to head towards the kitchen area, Donghyuck takes her place by the wall, leaning against it comfortably as his ringed fingers run through his dark locks, pushing his bangs out of the way and revealing his forehead for a split moment before his hair falls back into place, the tips almost touching his eyes that never seem to leave you. 

He finally asks, “Why did you pretend not to know me?”

“I don’t know,” You immediately reply, unable to stop yourself. “I didn’t mean it. I think I’m just nervous.”

The smile on his face widens before his bottom lip gets caught between his teeth, tilting his head to the side, “I make you nervous?”

“Big parties do,” You partially lie, clearing your throat. “People everywhere, you know… gets overwhelming.”

Donghyuck hums, “Right.”

“I’m serious,” You defend yourself for whatever reason and Donghyuck finds amusement in your voice and actions, eyes sparkling as you seemingly come out of your awkward shell for a few seconds, talking to him in a tone as you would with close friends and he even spots the corner of your lips twitching, almost smiling at him. “Being in a room crowded with people isn’t exactly something I enjoy.”

“I believe you,” He tells you softly. He wants to keep this conversation going, enjoying this side of you that’s slowly becoming comfortable with him already. He likes it, the sparkle in your eyes, the tone of your voice, the subtle peaceful expression on your face. He wants more. “Are you enjoying yourself here?”

That makes you pause. Are you enjoying yourself? You came with Areum and Minjun, two people who you enjoy being in the presence of. You stumbled across Xiaojun and Mark, two other people who bring enjoyment into your life and you were actually ecstatic when seeing Xiaojun for the first time earlier. The beer that was available in the cooler happened to be one of your favourite alcoholic beverages (you’ve had three of those already.) and the music that blasts from the speakers happens to be of a genre you listen to on the regular. 

You finally have your answer, “It’s not so bad.”

“Could it be better?” Donghyuck presses and your lips press together in deep thought before shrugging your shoulders, somewhat agreeing. Donghyuck leans in towards you, “Could I make it better?”

Your brows pull together in confusion, “You can do that? How could you do that?”

Donghyuck can’t help but smile at that and you grow even more confused when he begins to laugh softly, shaking his head. You wonder if you said the wrong thing or if there was a certain meaning behind his question that you failed to pick up on.  

A frown forms on your face due to you feeling a little stupid, thinking that he’s laughing at you or your dumb response and Donghyuck immediately notices you rebuilding the walls, how that look on your face that he adores slowly starts to slip and he straightens up against the wall, toning down his teasing.

“I like your dress, by the way.” His compliment shocks you, not expecting it to come from him and you instantly look down at your dress. 

At first, you wonder what’s wrong with it. If there was a stain you didn’t notice or if there was a tear in the fabric, but then you come to terms with that fact there’s nothing wrong with the dress and, actually, it’s probably one of the best that you own. It doesn’t cling to your body uncomfortably nor does it seem loose, it fits you well. 

You raise your head to thank him, but your words are stuck in the back of your throat when you notice the way he’s looking at you. He’s drinking you in, taking in your appearance, gaze roaming over the length of the dress with a deep inhale before his eyes snap back up to yours, the dark look returning.

“It’s pretty,” Donghyuck exhales, leaning his head back against the wall while keeping eye contact with you. “You’re really pretty.”

You’re flustered now. The attention from him becomes a bit too much and you find yourself feeling hot under his intense stare and there’s an unfamiliar feeling swirling in the pit of your tummy, something you’ve never felt before and it shocks you, but you try to not bring too much attention to it.

You debate on whether to thank him or to compliment him back on his own outfit: a loose graphic white shirt of a band you recognised paired with denim ripped jeans with chains hanging off the sides and a pair of doc martens on his feet. His signature leather jacket, one you’ve seen multiple times before in class, drapes across his shoulders. 

He does look good (really good, but you won’t admit that part.)

As you open your mouth, surprisingly finding the confidence to compliment him on his own outfit choice, it gets taken away from you when Areum announces her return as she comes towards you with drinks in her hand, followed by Minjun, Xiaojun and Mark who decided to tag along. 

You smile when Areum passes you a fresh drink, completely forgetting about the other that had become lukewarm in your hand and you’re unsure on what to do with it until it’s plucked from your grasp and you turn to look at Donghyuck who had taken it from you, clinking the can against your own in a small ‘cheers’ before he pushes himself off of the wall, his shoulder brushing yours as he heads back to where he originally came from.

You’re a little confused on why he left, watching as he drops down on the sofa beside Yangyang who looks like he’s exhausted, slouching against the sofa cushions and nodding to whatever Shotaro—you remembered him from when Areum pointed him out—was talking about and Donghyuck takes the joint from between his fingers, leaning against Yangyang as he takes a drag all while watching you.

It’s almost deja vu, the whole scene reminding you of earlier when he was looking at you from afar before he came on over to introduce himself. You find him odd, extremely odd, but you can’t deny the fact how intriguing he is. 

“So,” Areum’s voice grabs your attention. “How was it?”

“Fine,” You quip, turning to face the four. “He seemed fine. Nothing about that conversation screamed ‘I’m obsessed with you’ so, I think you were wrong with that one.”

Mark almost drops his beer, the alcohol sloshing and spilling over his hands as it almost slips from his fingers as he stares at you in shock, mouth agape, “Dude… you’re the next target?”

You deadpan, “Can you stop calling me a target? It feels like I’m about to get assassinated.” 

Xiaojun frowns, giving you a look of sympathy as he steps in closer to pat your back comfortingly, “You poor thing… my condolences. Stay strong, soldier.”

"Be quiet."

An hour or two later you find yourself standing outside to get some fresh air alone, staring down at the liquid in your cup. You’re not sure how many you’ve had but you hate how you’re unable to feel the buzz that’s affecting those who are around you, glancing up at the few strays of people that are stumbling across the well-kept grass or are giggling to themselves as they stare up at the star filled sky. 

You wonder at first if the drink you have isn’t actually alcoholic, but from the reactions of your friends (who had been drinking the same brand with you the majority of the night.) they were already tipsy, or in Xiaojun’s case, drunk.

Maybe you just weren’t feeling it.

First college party jitters, Areum had called it when you had confided in her about the problem and you were undoubtedly embarrassed to hear her call it that, but she had reassured you that it was fine and that it was normal, and even she had experienced something similar when she came to her first college party at the beginning of the year. 

Still, it made you feel embarrassed.

With a heavy sigh, you finish the rest of your drink, pulling a face at the burn that trickles down the back of your throat as you turn on your heel to head back inside where your friends are but you crash into something hard, causing you to stumble backwards in shock and a pair of hands come out to grab your elbows, steadying you on your feet.

“Careful, princess.” The person speaks. Any other time, the pet name would’ve made you flustered, especially with that deep tone, but you barely acknowledge it as you try to shake yourself out of your startled state and you wince when you put too much pressure on your ankle, figuring you must’ve twisted it awkwardly when you bumped into the stranger. 

You curse under your breath as you feel the throb but you try not to pay too much attention to it as you finally meet eyes with Donghyuck who is already staring back at you, the grip he has on your elbows tightening slightly as you make eye contact with him. 

“I’m sorry.” You apologise instantly, “I didn’t see you.”

“It’s okay,” Donghyuck dismisses it with a shake of his head and his attention drops down to your ankle, his brows pulling together. “Did you hurt yourself?”

“Oh, yeah, just a bit. But it’s fine, honest—” 

The words get caught at the back of your throat as Donghyuck kneels down onto the grass to inspect the damage, cold fingers delicately touching your leg and trailing down to your ankle, the sudden action causing goosebumps to rise to your skin and you can just make out the corner of his lips twitching.

He traces the area with the pads of his fingertips slowly, suddenly aware of how close he’s leaning in as you feel his breath fan over your calf. His hand takes a hold of your ankle gently and carefully not to hurt you, the delicate strokes of his thumb sending a shiver up your spine and you wonder if he notices how nervous you’ve become.

Donghyuck presses his fingers down on a certain spot on your ankle and you hiss in surprise at the throb that comes with it, your hand instinctively slapping down on his shoulder in retaliation for the pain he caused but your mouth drops open in surprise while he glances up at you with a grin, eyes twinkling with amusement. 

“It’s not broken or anything,” He informs you before you could start to apologise again for your sudden actions, raising back up onto his feet. “You just twisted it awkwardly when you bumped into me.”

“Do you major in nursing alongside music or something?”

Donghyuck smiles at that, a laugh leaving his lips. “No. I’m just good at knowing my way around a body,” You immediately pick up the suggestive tone in his voice and your brows raise in surprise, feeling flustered and shy under his gaze that doesn’t waver from you. “You know, that’s the second time you’ve crashed into me—”

“Accidently.”

“Right,” He hums. “What’s that saying? Once is a mistake, twice is a coincidence—”

“And three times is a pattern,” You finish. “It’s not a coincidence or pattern. Both are mistakes. I don’t go walking around searching for you in hopes to bump into you.”

“Aw, that’s a shame.”

“That I’m not purposely bumping into you?”

“That you’re not searching around for me.”

Your face grows hot at his forwardness and your eyes flick downwards to a patch of grass you suddenly find interest in, the shyness that creeps upon you making it hard for you to look at him.

Donghyuck remains staring at you and the corner of his lips curl into a smirk, amused at how easily you seem to be flustered when it comes to him already. He basks in it, he loves knowing how much he affects you and it excites him even more when he dips his head to meet your eyes but you avert your attention elsewhere. 

He dips his hand into his jean pocket to pull out a singular pack of cigarettes, “Do you want one?”

“I don’t smoke.”

Donghyuck pauses, his fingers ghosting over the opening of the pack. “Do you mind if I smoke?”

You frown and that's when you look up to meet his eyes, confused. “Why wouldn’t I mind?”

“Some people don’t like being around smokers,” Donghyuck shrugs. “The smell and all.”

“I’m at a party where the air reeks of cigarettes, weed and alcohol,” You point out, a smile slowly starting to form on your lips. “I wouldn’t be here if I minded the smell. And besides, I can smell the weed on your clothes from earlier too and I haven’t said a word about it. I’m fine.”

He blinks once, twice, “Do I smell bad?”

“No,” You rush out to reassure him, shaking your head. “No, not at all. You smell fine.”

“Just fine?”

“You smell good.” You correct yourself.

The smirk returns as he tilts his head to the side, “Yeah?”

You come to a conclusion that he definitely enjoys making you embarrassed and flustered, and you let out a breathy laugh, tongue prodding at your cheek in slight annoyance at how easy it is for him to make you feel this way. 

If it was anyone else, you fight back. You always fight back. Being roommates with Areum and close friends with Minjun, Xiaojun, Mark and Jihoon had made you defensive, being a victim to their countless teasing and jokes you had learned over time to return it. 

But unfortunately there is something about Donghyuck that makes your words get caught in the back of your throat and your mind go completely blank, unable to think properly or even say something back.

“Whose is this?” Donghyuck’s already changing the subject, almost giving you whiplash at how easily he can switch to different topics without hesitating or missing a beat. His fingers reach out to touch Minjun’s jacket that’s draped over your shoulders, something that he had given you to keep you warm while you stepped outside. Donghyuck hums, brows pulling together. “You weren’t wearing this earlier.”

“Oh.” Your own fingers graze over the leather jacket. “It’s Minjun’s.”

Donghyuck drily asks, “Who?”

“He’s a friend.”

Donghyuck clicks his tongue against his teeth with a hum, “Yeah, well, your friend's jacket is covering this pretty dress of yours.”

The tone in his voice made your brows raise in surprise, the slight annoyance and disapproval of Minjun’s jacket covering—what he claims—a pretty dress was something you weren’t expecting, although it made your chest blossom with warmth and your face grew hot at the subtle compliment. 

He’s not speaking now, which makes you feel a bit awkward having to stand in silence with him, minus the music that’s blasting from inside the house and a few lingering people out in the garden that are having drunken conversations around you. His lips are pressing together tightly, jaw locking and unlocking as his brows furrow as if he’s thinking deeply about something, fidgeting in his spot with his fingers twitching around his own jacket after he retracted them from Minjun’s. 

You think maybe it’s time for you to leave, to say your goodbyes and find your friends so you can be free of the awkward tension you’re feeling. You want to stay with him though, not exactly eager to disappear away from him so soon just like how he practically walked away from you earlier when the others had come to join the conversation.

“Do you want another drink?” You catch yourself asking him before you could ever register the question in your head and your heart thumps wildly in your chest as Donghyuck slowly turns to look at you, “I mean, I noticed your hands are empty—and I want another drink too, so…”

Donghyuck stares at you for a moment longer before a smile breaks out onto his lips and he nods, agreeing to get another drink from the kitchen with you. But what you didn’t expect was Donghyuck to hold out his hand, wiggling his fingers enticingly in the air to coax you into taking his hand in your own. 

You’re hesitant to take it, not wanting him to feel how clammy your palms already are and you most definitely didn’t want to embarrass yourself for being so nervous during this entire interaction.

“I don’t bite, you know,” He says with a whisper and it sends shivers tingling down your spine at how close he leans in to tell you that. He tilts his head to the side as he smirks, “Unless—”

“DONGHYUCK!” 

The unfamiliar voice that shouts out his name startles you and your head whips around so fast you swear you hear a crack, immediately noticing a pretty, long haired girl stumble out of the backdoor of the house, almost tripping over her own heels before she collects herself, bringing her hand up to her forehead and squinting as she scans the garden for the boy in question. 

You slowly face Donghyuck again and he’s still looking at you, not even paying attention to the calls of his name that echo throughout the garden, not even flinching at the loudness. He’s still holding his hand out to you, waiting for you to take it so you could both go inside but you feel as if maybe it’s the wrong thing to do right now, looking back and forth between him and the girl.

You state, “Someone is calling for you.”

“I know, she’s drunk, ignore her,” Donghyuck dismisses it with a shake of his head and he reaches out further towards you, fingertips brushing over the top of your hand. “Let’s go get that drink, princess. Yeah?”

You don’t even get the chance to decide to accept or decline as the girl approaches you both and immediately throws herself at Donghyuck and punches his arm repeatedly, rambling about something that he had kept hidden from ‘the rest of them’ and she even goes as far as shoving her hand into the front pocket of his jeans.

You blink away awkwardly, unsure of what to do or even to say but you look back at the pair when she pulls out a small bag of weed with a wail of victory.

“I knew you fucking had it,” She hisses, landing another punch on his arm and he rolls his eyes, trying to snatch it out of her grasp but she pulls it away quickly out of his reach, almost bumping into you in the process and her eyes widen in surprise. “Shit, I’m sorry!”

You shake your head, “It’s fi—”

“Miwoo.” Donghyuck speaks her name through gritted teeth and it instantly rings a bell, remembering that she was one of the girls that Areum had told you about earlier, one of Donghyuck’s best friends exes. “Why don’t you take the weed and go share it with Yangyang? Yeah?”

“You’re really pretty,” Miwoo completely ignores Donghyuck to compliment you, eyes checking you out from head to toe with a smile that makes you feel a little flustered but it disappears, replacing with a grimace as she jabs her thumb back at Donghyuck, “Why are you talking to him?”

Donghyuck’s hand comes up to rub the bridge of his nose, seemingly getting frustrated with his friends words and you can’t help but smile at that, finding the situation a little comical and you watch as Donghyuck manages to get her attention, the pair getting warped into a miniature argument that has you trying to bite back your amusement, pressing your lips together tightly to try and not smile even wider.

Although, your watching moment is cut short when you hear Areum call out your name and you turn to look over your shoulder to see her beckoning your forwards and you nod, wanting to politely bid your goodbyes to Donghyuck and Miwoo but you decide against it when you them at each other's throats with petty insults, quickly making your escape to Areum who loops your arms with hers, tugging you back into the house where the others are patiently waiting for you.

Donghyuck notices your disappearance almost immediately and his shoulders drop with a sigh, glaring at Miwoo who isn’t the least affected by his darkened gaze as she dips her fingers inside the baggy to pull out a pre-rolled joint.

“You’re unbelievable.”

“I know,” Miwoo grins before she meets Donghyuck’s eye, “She’s really pretty.”

“Yeah, I know,” Donghyuck mumbles under his breath, tongue prodding at his cheek in annoyance as he rips the bag and the joint out of Miwoo’s hands. “Give me that. You don’t deserve it, asshole.”

The amusement on your face is obvious when Xiaojun and Mark step into the Dreamies Café, both dressed in oversized hoodies and wearing sunglasses to block out the brightness of the sun and the lights from burning their eyes, arms dangling at their sides as they drag their feet across the flooring towards the table where you and Jihoon are sat waiting for them. 

You arrived ten minutes before the two of them did and you were surprised to already see Jihoon sitting at the table with everyone's preferred drinks, and even when you tried to hand over the money for your own, he just looked at you as if you deeply offended him and swatted your hand away before pulling out a chair and telling you to sit.  

Xiaojun doesn’t seep a word as he slumps down in the seat opposite you, but he does gesture a quick thank you to Jihoon for the drink and he lifts the straw to his lips to take a long sip, chest rumbling with a satisfied hum as he relaxes into his seat, the ice clinking in his iced matcha as he continuous to drink.

“Hey,” Mark greets you both as he sits on the seat at the end of the table, fingers curling around the plastic cup of his watermelon ade as he glances over at Jihoon. “Thanks, man. I’ll venmo you the money.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Jihoon dismisses with a wave of his hand. “It’s on me anyways. You paid for my drink last time we were here,” His gaze suddenly flicks over to Xiaojun, the corner of his lips twitching. “You look like shit.”

“I feel like shit,” Xiaojun grumbles, craning his head back. “But fuck those cocktails tasted good.”

“You know, you’re probably going to have to give Jeno the money back for raiding his stash.”

“Actually, it belonged to Yangyang,” Xiaojun corrects as he digs his hand through the front of his jean pockets, pulling out his phone and swiping up to get to his notification bar and he angles the screen towards the three of you with a grimace. “He dmed me on Instagram this morning telling me to pay him back but I’m not even going to open it.”

“Dude,” Mark gives him a pointed look. “You can’t do that.”

“But I can,” Xiaojun locks his phone and places it down on the table with a grin. “And I will.”

Jihoon murmurs, “But you drank his stuff without his permission.”

“He uses my laptop in classes without my permission!” Xiaojun argues back immediately, “It’s payback.”

“You shouldn’t have given him your password.”

“I didn’t. I gave it to Donghyuck because he wanted—” Xiaojun suddenly pauses, blinking a few times as he registers his own words before smacking his lips together with a nod, exhaling deeply through his nose. “Yeah. That’s my fault. Should’ve guessed Donghyuck wouldn’t keep his mouth shut about that.”

The mention of Donghyuck has you thinking back on last night and a subtle smile makes its way onto your lips, twisting the straw of your coffee in between your teeth as you go over the interaction in your head.

The smirk he always has, the tone of his voice as he speaks to you, the way he always keeps eye contact and doesn’t even falter once when something else is going on around him. His somewhat flirtatious comments and his lingering touches is what surprises you the most, but you tell yourself that maybe that’s just his personality. 

He’s like that with everyone, he must be.

“What’s got you smiling over there?” A teasing voice breaks you out of your thoughts, startling you as your head shoots up and you see Xiaojun grinning at you across the table, chin resting on the palm of his hand as he waits for you to explain the reason for your smiling but you remain tight lipped, causing his grin to drop. “Don’t be like that.”

“Don’t be nosy.” You fire back jokingly.

A soft call of your name makes you turn your head to Jihoon, “Did you enjoy the party yesterday?”

“It was fine,” You nod your head. “Didn’t get as drunk as everyone else did, but it was fine. College parties can be kind of overwhelming though,” You scratch the back of your neck awkwardly as you admit, “I don’t know why but I didn’t expect that many people to be there…”

“Yeah, Jeno is pretty well-known,” Mark hums as he takes a sip through his straw, leaning back in his seat comfortably. “Don’t get me wrong, like, that entire group are pretty much well-known but it’s mainly Jeno that gets the most attention and rallies everyone up for parties.”

“Areum kind of explained everything to me about them last night,” You say. “They’re an interesting group, I think. They also come across as a little intimidating apart from Shotaro… he was just smiling the entire night.”

“Shotaro’s sweet,” Mark agrees, nodding his head. “Also, once you get to really know them, they aren’t that intimidating—”

“I don’t know about that. Renjun still makes my skin crawl.” Xiaojun interrupts with a shiver.

“Renjun’s just not a people person,” Mark explains with a shrug of his shoulders. “He’s actually really nice if you have a one on one conversation with him,” Mark then turns his attention back on you, “But seriously, none of them are that intimidating once you get to really know them or be around them. Take Yangyang and Donghyuck for example, we don’t find either of them ‘intimidating’ since we share a class with them.”

“They’re just annoying,” Xiaojun chimes in again with a grimace on his face. “Especially Yangyang.”

You can’t help but chuckle at that, “What’s your problem with Yangyang?”

“Yangyang likes to annoy people a lot,” Jihoon is the one to explain to you as Xiaojun rubs at his temples at the mere thought of Yangyang. “He enjoys getting on people's nerves and, fortunately for him, Xiaojun reacts to everything he does so that just makes him do it even more… although, he hasn’t really been doing anything lately. He’s just been kinda numbed out.”

You hum, “Areum also mentioned that he indulges himself into some hard shit, alongside the weed and the alcohol.”

“That’s heartbreak for you, I guess.” Mark mumbles under his breath with a frown, tone sullen and your brows pull together in confusion, wanting to question it a little bit more but you struggle to find the opportunity when another topic is brought up.

“And obviously you know so much about Donghyuck already.”

“No I don’t,” You snip, sending a hard look Xiaojun’s way as he bats his pretty eyelashes at you. You repeat, “No I don’t”

“You were outside in the garden with him for quite some time last night~”

“I’m surprised you even remembered that considering when I walked back into the house, you were on your eighth shot dancing with one of the kitchen chairs.”

“Hey,” Xiaojun points his finger at you, “I may have been drunk but this brain of mine remembers everything.” He then smiles at you, “What did you guys talk about? Did he mention that you’re now his new obsession?”

Jihoon almost spits out his drink, “You’re his new obsession?”

“Why do you all call it that?” You huff with a frown, leaning back in your seat with your arms crossed over your chest. “It sounds mean—and wrong.”

“It’s kinda the truth,” Mark gives you a sorry expression. “Donghyuck does get obsessed with people and I’m almost positive he even knows it himself… He falls for people hard and he becomes so infatuated with them until they say they want nothing to do with him, and he just… stops.”

“He was into Aisha before,” Xiaojun states but you already knew that from Areum’s previous explanation. “He liked her a lot and I’m pretty sure she was into it for a while considering she flirted back and there were even rumours that they hooked up, like, once or twice… but I guess she got bored with that so she made up a lie and told Donghyuck that she was dating Mark—”

“Me. Of all people.” Mark points to himself in disbelief and shakes his head, the expression on his face being enough to get a laugh out of you. 

“I mean, I would believe it,” Jihoon shrugs his shoulders, causing Mark to look at him incredulously. “Come on, you once walked out of a bathroom with her at a Halloween party with your spider-man costume unzipped and your mask gone—”

“I had to fucking piss really bad and I couldn’t get out of the costume because I was drunk so she helped me,” Mark immediately defends himself, a pout forming on his lips. “Besides, it was hot, I wasn’t going to wear the mask all night.” He then fires back up, “I wouldn’t fuck someone in dingy club’s disgusting bathroom, dude!”

Xiaojun blinks, “You lost your virginity in a cheap motel room with your ex-girlfriend.”

Mark bites back, “You lost yours in your grandma's basement, shut up.”

“Okay, wow, uncalled for.”

“Don’t argue…” Jihoon sighs, rubbing his forehead at their raised voices and your brows raise as the pair both turn to look at Jihoon with blank expressions before they speak in sync.

“You lost yours in the college janitor closet and got caught.”“Wait, really?” You gape at Jihoon in shock, not expecting someone like a quiet and socially awkward Jihoon to do something so scandalous on campus grounds. But your shock dies down and morphs into shyness when you realise the trio are now looking at you, expecting you to chime in with your own embarrassing virginity story but the problem was, you had none. Your virginity is still intact.

“Do you not have one?” Mark questions after a few minutes of awkward silence and you shake your head, avoiding his eyes. He questions genuinely again, not a hint of teasing in his tone as he whispers quietly. “Are you a virgin?”

You nod.

“Aww…” Xiaojun coos softly, causing your head to snap towards him as he smiles sweetly at you, “That’s cute.”

Your face immediately burns with embarrassment as you sink further down into your seat, a deep frown settling on your lips, “Don’t ever call my virginity cute again.”

“Wow… I’m immensely impressed,” Professor Kim mumbles under his breath as he slips the headphones off of his head after listening to a little recording you had made on your computer, his lips curled into satisfied grin as he places the headphones down on the table and you beam happily, glancing between him and your computer screen. “I’m also really impressed that you finished this today. I was expecting you to show me the finished product by at least next week… I’m grateful that you take this class seriously.”

“I enjoy music,” You tell him honestly as you tap your fingers nervously on your desk, “Is there anything I need to change or to work on?”

“There’s nothing you need to work on, it sounds great,” He compliments yet you prepare yourself for the rest, “But for changes? I would like to encourage you to partner up with some of the other students in the class, work together on a piece and let your music styles blend together to see how well it compliments each other, or even try and create something new.”

“So, like a group project?”

“Exactly,” Professor Kim nods. “Like I said, you’re impressive. You’re an amazing guitarist and pianist, your music is incredible when you’re solo. But I would like to hear it within a group too. Yangyang is an incredible bass player that you can maybe add. Xiaojun and Aisha are amazing vocalists, Donghyuck too and he’s also great at the guitar. Jihoon is talented with the keyboard and Mark can do just about everything. Seriously, think about it. I would love to hear how you sound within a group.”

With a kind smile and a gentle pat to your shoulder, Professor Kim excuses himself to go talk to another student, leaving you alone to think about his words.

It’s not that you didn’t want to work in a group. You’re almost positive that working with your friends will be a fun type of chaotic mess that will have your stomach cramping and tears streaming down your cheeks from laughing so much.

It’s just that you didn’t know how to work in a group. You’ve always been independent in some sort of sense, especially with your own creations. You preferred sitting alone with your headphones snug on your head, testing out different sounds and techniques all by yourself, choosing what sounds best and what suits your needs.

But working in a group? Settling on one thing that will make each of you happy? That is foreign territory… that is stressful.

“So, what did he say to you?” Jihoon asks with a gentle nudge at your shoulder to get your attention and you pull your eyes away from your laptop screen to give him a tight lipped smile.

“He liked it. He just wants me to try out group work,” You almost start pleading, “Got any room in your group project for me to fit in?”

“Sure,” Jihoon nods with a kind smile, “Although I feel like I should probably warn you by saying that sometimes it’s not just me, Mark and Xiaojun working together… Donghyuck and Yangyang sometimes come back and forth, especially for Mark.”

Your brows raise in surprise, “They’re in your group too?”

“Not exactly. It’s more like them coming to us when we’re working to borrow Mark for their project,” Jihoon explains to you as he nods over at Mark who’s currently leaning on a desk with Donghyuck and Yangyang at his sides, peering over his shoulder to look at his laptop screen. “Mark pretty much floats in and out of other people's groups. It’s what you get for being an allrounder I guess.”

“Professor Kim mentioned something like that.” You mumble as you watch the trio, the corner of your lips twitching upwards in a slight smile as Mark scoffs at something Donghyuck says, swatting him away with his hand as Donghyuck grins mischievously and murmurs something in his ear, causing Mark to push at his head this time and Donghyuck stumbles back with a laugh.

Yangyang remains silent, idly drumming his fingers on the desk and rubbing tiredly at his sullen eyes beneath his hood. He seems to stop when turning his body towards you, as if looking your way to which makes your back straighten up, especially when Donghyuck’s head whips around at a mumble from Yangyang, looking directly at you. 

From across the room, Donghyuck smiles that crooked grin of his and his eyebrow quirks up when he sees that you’re already staring back at him. You can feel the warmth rising to your cheeks at being caught, and though you try to suppress the shy feeling that creeps in, you know he can already tell exactly how you’re feeling as his eyes twinkle with amusement, tilting his head to the side as if to tease you even more.

Donghyuck’s eyes never leave you as you turn away, trying to busy yourself with something else as your heart thumps wildly in your ears, feeling too overwhelmed to glance back at Donghyuck despite seeing him in your peripheral vision.

“You really have caught his attention,” Jihoon mutters beside you with a chuckle and you whip around to face him, eyes wide. “I thought that maybe Xiaojun and Mark were teasing you… but I guess Donghyuck really has started to take a liking to you. You are his new obsession.”

#nct dream fic #nct dream au #nct series #haechan au #haechan fic #haechan series #nct fluff #nct angst #nct smut #fic: you'll never find anyone like me #neo tech college series

[2jisungs]

OPPOSITES ATTRACT - CHAP. O3

SALMA’S NOTES; the neos will have middle school boy humor i do NAWT make the rules here.

[ TAGGING; @mellowdyverse ]

PREVIOUS - NEXT - MASTERLIST

#nct #nct dream #nct imagines #nct 127 #nct scenarios #nct jaemin #nct mark lee #nct jaehyun #nct yuta #nct mark #nct johnny #nct u #nct na jaemin #nct jeong jaehyun #nct jung jaehyun #nct jisung #nct park jisung #nct smau #nct social au #nct social media au #nct series

[suhnshinehaos]

˚ ༘⋆｡˚ free falling

synopsis : nobody believes yn is in a relationship with their boyfriend, mark lee. why? he's a member of a famous band and yn's simply a cafe owner that likes to interact with the fandom on twitter pairing : mark lee x gn!reader genres : smau, fluff, the tiniest bit of angst, band au, cafe au

part two : manager doie is an angel

previous  ➤  part one next  ➤  part three free falling  ➤  masterlist

from reese, with love <3

some markyn lore,,, as a little treat hahaha jk but i am trying to slowly put together the pieces of the puzzle that is their past but at the same time trying develop their relationship in the present and ooooh bit of a challenge but so much fun !! thank you for reading and as always, i would love to know what you think ! asks/replies/rbs are much appreciated !! hope you're all doing well and taking care !

#🍂 — free falling! #nct x reader #nct 127 x reader #nct dream x reader #mark lee x reader #nct imagines #nct fluff #nct smau #nct series #nct social media au #nct 127 fluff #nct 127 imagines #nct 127 smau #nct dream imagines #nct dream fluff #nct dream smau #mark lee imagines #mark lee fluff #mark lee smau

[twilghtkoo]

since haechan’s hair is getting long again (i’m a sucker for long hair haechan), can i ask for a drabble where his s/o is asking him to keep his hair longer for a while because they like it so much when his hair is longer (and maybe make it suggestive slash a little smutty at the end hehe) thank you so much 🫡

pairings. haechan x reader (f)

genre. fluff, suggestive, established relationship

warnings. post sex conversations, indications of oral receiving (f) towards the end, videography during sex

notes. ask and you shall receive,,, i love when haechan grows his hair out a bit I TOO AM A SUCKER FOR LONG HAIR HAECHAN

-

your small fingers compared to his are raking softly through his dark brown locks, your nails grazing his scalp that make his eyes flutter shut. if he kept his eyes closed longer, he could fall asleep just like this. haechan has found his serenity in you as his human pillow. his head is nuzzled in the crook of your neck and his arms are loosely wrapped around your bare waist. he doesn't want to fall asleep, not yet, though the steadiness of your heartbeat is lulling him, he fights back against the drowsiness feeling from previous intimate events that took place twenty minutes ago.

"haechan," you whisper, not sure if he had fallen asleep. you wouldn't want to wake him. he had expressed to you before how his schedules have just been so packed and that he barely gets to rest properly.

he hums, with one arm that's underneath you he gently rubs the area of your side boob, an action that made you shiver but him also telling you he's listening and he is in fact, awake.

"don't cut your hair." you mumble, you comb through his hair with your fingers before pinching the ends with your thumb and index finger. pulling the length to see how much it's grown.

his head rises to stare at you with a grin. "why?"

your bottom lip pokes out as you think. "when you grow your hair out, you look really handsome. i like it."

he smiles, "really? then i won't cut it." he decides.

"just for awhile longer, i know some of your fans like you with short hair. i do too. but i love it this length."

he leans in to give you a quick peck. "you're my number one fan, i'll only listen to you." he buries his head in the crook of your neck once again.

he nuzzled the top of his head against your chin. "scratch my head again."

you do as he says.

"i also like how it looks when i pull it when you eat me out." haechan is just as shocked as you are from the words that left your mouth.

his head snaps up from it's nest, his eyes have slightly darkened but he's smirking wickedly.

"yeah?" you nod as a response.

"you like how i come back up with my hair all disheveled and my bangs are covering my eyes. . . my nose, lips and chin glistening from your juices? you like that?" he teases with his eyebrows raised, he unwraps his arms around you and uses them to hover over you.

your eyes glance from his lips down to his cock that has now hardened back up to his eyes.

"uh huh," you reply, wetting your lips.

haechan bites his lip as he stares down at you amusingly. "can i see how bad you like it?"

you nod eagerly. "should i take a video?" you breathed.

he chuckles lightly, "fuck babe." shaking his head before you pull him in for a kiss.

#yeow6n #haechan smut #haechan suggestive #nct fluff #nct dream fluff #nct 127 fluff #haechan x reader #haechan scenarios #haechan drabbles #nct oneshot #nct x reader #nct imagines #nct scenarios #haechan imagine #haechan au #boyfriend!haechan #haechan drabble series #lee haechan #lee donghyuck #lee haechan fluff

[thatsatricky1]

𝐀𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 || Prologue

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: Abandoned. After going through hell and back together, she was left there to fend for herself. Y/n felt as though they’d left her in the dust at the facility. A facility that had taken young gifted children raising them in secret. The eight of them had been taken as children and grown up together at the facility and just when it they had the chance of escaping they made one crucial mistake, leaving her behind in the dust. One big mistake they hadn’t forgiven themselves for, and she would make sure they’d never forget it.

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: Nct Dream ot7 x Reader.

𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Angst, Cursing, Fluff, Mystery, Psychological, Supernatural, Thriller, Trauma, Weird Humor.

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: Slight gore, mentions of blood, mentions of being wounded, angst, abandonment.

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 1,4k+

𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫: This does not depict an accurate picture of Nct Dream and this is strictly fantasy/fiction for entertainment purposes.

“Run Donghyuck!”

“What do you think I’m doing, strolling through the garden?” Donghyuck replied sharply out of breath as he ran as fast as he could, adrenaline filling his body making him unaware of the stinging feeling in his feet. Jaemin a few paces ahead of him.

Donghyuck skidded to a stop once he finally saw everyone in front of him. Breathing heavily as his eyes scanned over the familiar faces, relief dripping from him but his breath that he finally was catching back was stolen again, eyes widening in realisation.

“Where’s Y/n?!” He barely managed to get the question out from how he was trying to catch his breath back.

“She is coming, don't worry we have one more minute before they start looking for us.” Mark replied, grabbing Donghyuck’s hand, tugging him over to the rest of the group waiting at the mahogany wooden door.

“No this isn’t right, she should have gotten here first.” Donghyuck gasped out in between sucking air greedily back into his body that was desperate for oxygen.

“The security around her hall was timed differently than usual, they changed the rotation early.” Jaemin replied, also heaving in breaths. The whole group needed to gain their breath back.

Renjun winced while checking his pocket watch again, thirty seconds had past, eyes looking down the dark corridor, hearing the blood pulsing behind his ears like a drum.

”Thirty more seconds.” Renjun barely managed to get out.

They’d said from the start that no one would be left behind. The eight of them against the world if they had too. But it had taken months to plan this escape and it looked like one random security route change up would ruin that.

The boys share a glance with each other before Jeno steps to the front deciding something that would change their future.

“We need to leave now.”

“What no. Fuck no. We wait.” Jaemin disturbed as he shook head, eyes widening at Jeno’s words.

“Ten seconds.” Renjun spoke only focusing on his pocket watch hand gripping it tight.

“Our time is limited Jaemin, we can’t wait anymore. She would want us to escape even if she doesn’t get out.” Jeno stressed out grabbing his hair with both hands tugging on it.

Jeno didn’t want to leave her behind but what other option did they have. Stay and continue suffering? They had all been waiting years to get away from the hell hole they were trapped in.

“Jeno is right, there’s no time left.” Mark managed to say even if every fiber of his being didn’t want to admit it.

“Are you out of your mind?” Donghyuck says moving to tug at Mark’s vest slightly red in the face whether from the running or anger no one could tell, most likely both.

“Five seconds.”

“We get it!” Donghyuck spat at Renjun who was still insistently calling out the time left before they really had to go unless they wanted to be stuck there.

“Donghyuck we need to go, she’ll understand.” Mark cut his yelling off lest they get any unwanted attention grabbing his friend's face, cupping his jaw in his hands to face him. Mark noticed the tears welling in his friend's eyes.

”Promise. Promise me that she’ll understand.” Donghyuck all but begged.

“I… I promise.” Mark managed to grit out through clenched teeth.

Mark letting go of Donghyucks face when he finally nodded back.

“Will she be okay?” Jisung finally spoke up, unlike the others who held back tears, his were free flowing.

“Y/n is tough, she’ll be okay Jisung.” Jeno reassured with a tight lipped smile, not sure if he was trying to convince Jisung or himself.

“She will be okay.” Chenle spoke up with a determined look. Out of all of them, Y/n was always the one to keep it together.

“Waiting period is over.” Renjun stated putting away his pocket watch, lip quivering as he watched the hallway in front of them. Silence, with no familiar footsteps coming towards them anytime soon.

Flashes of red neon hued lights flashing on and off. A blaring alarm ringing through the air signally something was wrong in the facility. An attempted escape.

Y/n didn’t know what to focus on. The burning feeling all over her body, muscles aching and screaming for a break, throat dry and swollen from air being swallowed down greedily and being exhaled too fast, blood thumping and rushing. Not to mention the gushing wound on her side.

The stomping of boots fading in the background as she made pace. Always having been the fastest, something the facility took pride in but not at this moment.

For the first time in what felt like days, weeks even she smiled. A smile of relief. Her freedom, her boys freedom so close she could touch it. Somehow the hope in her stomach pushed her faster as she bounded down the second last hallway. Hand still pushing pressure into the side of her torso.

“I’m coming! Boys I’m nearly there!” Y/n let the scream ripple out her dry cracked lips, not needing to be quiet as she was already being chased down. By the ones who’d taken her in the first place.

Taking a sharp right, managing to keep her footing as she raced across the sterile white tiles bare feet staining the floor red in her wake. Seeing the dark mahogany door now.

Her smile dropped into a frown of confusion as she raced down it, not seeing a person in sight. Not the seven figures she’d been expecting to be there. Skidding to a stop a few steps away from the door, that had been left ajar.

Her breathing haggered as she stood wobbling, balance unstable as her eyes trained on the door. Trying to wrap her head around the sight before her. Though it was plain and simple to connect the dots, her mind could and would not accept the sight.

Hand leaving her side slipping away from her gushing wound, slow droplets of blood rolling down her paling hand, falling down onto the once clean white tiles below her.

”No.” Her whisper lost between the loud blaring alarm.

Her figure disappears into the darkness only to reappear every few seconds in the floodlights of red coming from the lights. Swaying slightly now yet her eyes stayed trained on the door, the one that led to her escape.

Her body tried to take a steady deep inhale through her nose but a sudden blinding pain caught her off guard spreading through her head, time seemingly slowing down as her sight seemed to be going sideways.

Y/n not even noticing it wasn’t just her sight going sideways but her body that collapses down onto the ground. A figure behind her being revealed not much older than herself as he stood there eyes wide gazing down at her, his grip on the metal pipe in his hand tighter if possible.

Her body thumped onto the ground in a heap, a mess. Eye glazed over with unshed tears, pain radiating through her. Not just physically but from deep within her.

“Good job Jeongin, very well done my boy.” An older man’s voice cut through the loud alarms.

Y/n not being able to hear it, everything sounding drowned, like she was underwater. She laid there unfocused eyes still staring at that mahogany door from where she was on the floor.

“I told you not to harm my girl, only to detain her!” The older man's voice sounded angry now yelling at people in the distance finally having caught up a bit too late to her.

“Get her to the medical ward, don’t harm her any further or you’ll all be missing a hand as punishment. We’ve already lost seven of my boys, my girl isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.”

Y/n barely felt the touches against her body, not even the hand that pressed tightly against her wounded side. Her body being dragged up, held against someone as they started walking away from the door.

Her hand just barely managed to lift weakly up in the direction of the wooden door that was slowly getting further away.

‘They left me.’ Was all that ran through her head, hand falling limp, her eyes finally failing her as her eyelids felt too heavy to keep open, the pressure of her eyes closing finally letting a tear slip past rolling down her cheek.

They left me.

Prologue || Chapter 1 || Chapter 2

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[hcsarchive]

BOXER III

nct dream (hint of the boyz)

details ␥ fem!reader x boxer!jaemin x boss!haechan x (maybe boxer!jeno???)

genre ␥ series, smut with a plot, fluff, lil angst +

warnings ➠ explicit language, overstimulation, flirty banter, praise kink, cheating, threesomes, corruption kink, dry humping, violence, reader is sexualized a lot, food ~ if there is more please let me know. *some may not be included in all parts*

synopsis: You went to a hidden boxing match and stumbled into some door which led you to be investigated. Before you know it, the leader of the organization wants to keep you for himself but his most famous boxers do as well.

MINORS DNI

!!these characters are completely fictional and do not represent the idol!!

links to previous parts:

part one

part two

“we can’t wake them up, Jaemin gets mad when we do” Renjun says stopping Haechan from entering the room.

Jealousy starts running through Haechan’s bloodstream. You wake up to their whispers “what are you doing” you wake up confused but you remembered you fell asleep crying to Jaemin.

Jaemin made you feel warm and safe even though you met him last out of all the boys. As for Haechan, your heart starts beating fast and you feel like he’s controlling your body.

“I got tired I didn’t mean to-“ Haechan dropped the bags and carried you off of Jaemin and off the bed. “Is this going to be an issue” he places you down on the ground and you try to stand up but he pushes you down.

You have no idea what haechan is going to do, Jaemin is fast asleep and Renjun just left. “It won’t be, plus nothing happened” you look up at him. Haechan grabs your hair and holds up in a ponytail. “No one can touch you unless i tell them to” he pulls your hair harshly and you let out a whimper.

“How about a small tour to my room” he kneels down to you and whispers into your ear “Jaemin never settles for one girl so don’t start with your fantasies” he lets go of your hair and stand up straight. You didn’t even see him that way, atleast not yet.

You follow him but he stops at the door way. “I bought you clothes, try them on for me” he takes the bags that were blocking the door way.

You take one look back to see Jaemin sleeping and you close the door. You avoid making eye contact with any of the guys on the way to Haechan’s room.

He opens the door and sets the bags on his desk. You are amazed at how big and spacious his room is compared to how your room is. “Take that off” he comes from behind you and lifts up Jaemin’s hoodie off of you. “Haechan i’m not wearing anything underneath” you try to cover yourself up with your hands as much as you can.

“I bought stuff off of your wishlist and pinterest”you guess he’s still digging deep into your history. he takes out a black laced bra with a ribbon as the front. That was going to be the one you were going to buy for your anniversary with sunwoo. “I can’t accept that. It costs so much” you turn your back at him again.

Haechan starts putting the top on you and goosebumps start flowing around where he touches you. You buckle the rest up, although it isn’t much coverage it’s better than nothing.

Haechan circles you again and faces you, he comes closer and starts tying the black silk into a bow. “Such a gorgeous present” he grabs onto your hips. Your cheeks are burning and your whole body too, he hands you a bag that possibly weighs 10 pounds "Open it.

"I'm going to open it on your bed this is so heavy" you laugh nervously trying to back away from the tension. You rip open the seal and you see all the clothes neatly folded. "Oh god these are so cute" it is a bunch of folded-up pajama sets. Some were silk or cotton, most were neutral colored, and occasionally pink sets.

"I won't keep you locked up in here forever so this is what you can wear when I take you out" he pulls out three white boxes with gold lettering of a brand you have never seen. One had a beautiful off-the-shoulder slip dress, the other was a two pieces set, and a white dress with pearled details. "You'll look so good standing next to me with those" You start to get shy again.

The both of you silently open the rest, a lot of it is simple basic clothes. "What are you doing?" Haechan asks, taking the receipts out of your hand which you were stashing in your pocket. "This must cost a lot, I am saving them so I can pay you back once I start working again" he holds your thigh still and gets them out of your pocket.

"Like I said you do not have to worry about it, lets go put these in the washer. The maid won't be here til Monday and I want you to have clean clothes" he puts everything back into the bags.

"I'm sorry for making you mad, I feel bad receiving all this" You stuff everything back into the bag. You pick up Jaemin's sweater to put on but he takes it from you. "Take the sweatpants off too, you will not wear his clothes" You take them off and stand there wondering what to wear. "What do you want me to wear?" he scans you up and down, "this" he hands you the matching bottoms to your top.

You switch them fast and he starts walking out. A black button up is lying on the floor and you snatch it and put it on, it covers you up until mid thigh. You start buttoning it up and exit his room.

where's the laundry room?- you ask yourself.

Jeno is walking to his room and freezes when he sees you. He continues to walk to his room, so you just walk down the hall and you see the door half open and it ends up being the laundry room. You walk in and Haechan stops putting clothes in the washer. "That is a better look" he comes close to you and unbottons the first three. "So lovely" he kisses your neck.

"To be honest I have no idea how to do laundry so I will have to ask one of these scum bags" you grab his from his collar before he walks out. "I can do it" you also unbutton his shirt "I don't want you to" he presses you closer to him. "I can handle it," you say, "What this?" he kisses down your neck and to your chest.

"I want to open my present" he whispers into your ear, lightly runs his fingers on the sides of your thighs, and lifts you up on the folding table.

"Haechan do you still want me to wa-" you jump at the sudden new voice. But Haechan doesn't stop kissing you "Haechan," you say but he doesn't stop.

You yank him off by his hair and he lets out a groan. "Sorry," you say to the tall black haired boy. "It's um...fine. I should be the one to apol-" he looks everywhere but your eyes. "Jisung just start washing" Haechan snaps at him and Jisung nods at him. "Words" he raises his voice but you tug on his hair to calm him down.

"Be nice, he is doing me a favor" You let go of his hair and hop off the table. He glares at the both of you and walks out "I'm sorry that he's making you do this. Thank you" Haechan grabs your arms and yanks you out of the room.

"Don't talk to him, I do not need another person to be angry at tonight" he lets go once you guys reach the hallway. "The food is ready" Renjun's voice echoes through the house.

"Let's go eat" he mumbles, his mood changes again. You frown and follow closely behind, you stop midway and tug on his sleeve. "Can you bring me my shorts from my room" you whisper to him.

"It's fine, it's not like they haven't seen legs before" he continues walking and you still hold onto him. "Please," you say but he continues walking and goes into the kitchen. You enter shortly after; Renjun, Jeno, Chenle, and Mark are preparing the food. Haechan is at the end of the kitchen sitting at the dining table on his phone.

The others haven't noticed you entered but you feel a tap on your shoulder. You turn around and it's Jaemin "Here are your shorts" he hands you your spandex and you smile at him. "Thank you" You are about to put them on but he stops you. He unzips his sweater and covers you so you can put them on.

Now everyone in the kitchen has eyes on you...and Jaemin. Mark is laughing and whispering into Renjun's ear, Jeno is staring at you with a blank stare, Chenle smirks and looks back at Haechan. Haechan is eyeing you and back to his phone. "Jaemin you are training the newbies tomorrow," Haechan says.

"What? You said Jeno would be in charge of them, why me?" Jaemin raises his voice at him.

"Oh, you know why?" Haechan sets his phone down and crosses his arms.

"Why 'cause you're a possessive piece of-"Jeno covers Jaemin's mouth.

"You do not want me to tell them what you have done" Haechan walks up to them. Jeno lets go of his jaw but still stands in between them.

"Drop it, I just think you would teach them way better than I can. He was making it a big deal about earlier" Jeno says but he whispers the second part which you hear since you are a couple feet behind them. "Y/N you can take a seat," Renjun says walking through Haechan, Jeno, and Jaemin to signal to break up the trio with his big bowl of meat.

"We have a guest stop acting like animals" Chenle joins the table. Mark comes with a small grill to cook the meat in. "Can the rest bring the rest of the dishes while we grill these" Renjun looks around.

None of them get up because they are angry, Jeno does and so do you. You were a server in high school so handling multiple plates wasn't an issue. As you were putting them down you felt a strong energy of eyes on you. You turn to your right and Haechan is deeply staring at you. You quickly set the last plate and turn away but meet with Jeno's eyes who was standing in the middle of the kitchen with two plates in his hands.

"Sorry, I can get out of your way now" You squeeze past Haechan's chair and Jeno's side. You speedwalk to the kitchen island and let out the air you were holding. Back at home, you were used to being around multiple guys due to Chanhee and Sunwoo being friends with a fraternity but this is different.

You grab the last side dish and the pitcher of water. Everyone is seated but everyone is looking your way, you look at them in confusion. You then remember what you are wearing.

Once you sit down you button your shirt up, and you are seated next to Haechan and an empty seat. The room is silent and you feel so tense, to break the silence you decide to bring up the fact that Jisung is not here. "Is Jisung coming?" you ask Haechan.

"Yeah I sent him a text" Haechan takes your plate and serves you everything. "Oh I don't like carrots" he sets the spoon back down with the carrots. "Thank you" You take the plate from him, and start eating. They all slowly start talking and you finally start seeing them as a group of friends. I guess being business partners and friends is a weird transition.

You eat silently and observe everyone. Jisung finally comes in and sits next to you. They all start serving and offering Jisung food, "aww man there is no more gyeongdans" You look down at your plate with two.

"Here you can have mine" before Jisung even answered, you set both on his plate. "Thank you" he smiles shyly. Haechan sets his free hand on your thigh and your leg twitches at the sudden cold contact.

He starts messaging your bare leg. His hands get closer to your inner thigh, he runs his fingernails up and down. You look at him and he’s casually talking. You stand up and grab the half full pitcher, “I’m getting us water” you walk to the kitchen to fill it up but Haechan follows. “Why did you run away” you felt like his prey that ran away but found you shivering behind a bush.

“I just didn’t want you to go farther in front of everyone” you say looking down at the pitcher. “Did you think I was going that far” he pressed his body to your back takes the pitcher from you. You don’t say anything because you’re afraid to offend him “Did you want me to” he speaks up again.

“I don’t. know” you turn to him trying to back away from the corner where the water cooler was but he is blocking the whole thing. He grabs you by the neck but not enough to choke you. “They’re all shooting glances at you and Jaemin specifically. What did you guys do while I was gone” his expression gets angrier.

“Nothing” he grips your neck harder which makes your body turn hot. “We just watched a movie after I washed up. I ended up falling asleep and I guess he did shortly after since he didn’t sleep at all last night” he releases you.

“If he ever makes a move on you or even touches you, you tell me. Do you understand” he says possessively. You nod yes but he chuckles “you look so cute when you’re scared, he unbutton your shirt again with his free hand.

“I don’t want them to see me” you cover yourself. “I’m just marking you so they know you’re mine” his soft lips are pressed against your bare skin. He sucks and bites a bit of your skin. A small whimper leaves your mouth, the more pain he cause to your body- the more it heats up.

“I don’t want to go back in there. It’s embarrassing” he looks at you and chuckles. “What are all the public humiliation stories that are in your history then. I can make your fantasies come true but if you are all whiny about it, it isn’t all that fun for both us sweetheart” he sets the pitcher down on the counter and leans against it.

“I just didn’t think anyone would find out or want to do it” you whisper. Jeno comes into your view and you try to hide in the corner. He grabs a beer from the fridge and leaves.

Haechan grabs your arm and moves you about two feet from where you’re standing. “Start walking, you did this in front of Jisung earlier. Why aren’t you listen to me” he always gets his way and you not listening is a shock to him.

You walk past him and move your chair next to Jaemin. You stare at Haechan, and he notices where you moved. Everyone goes silent, you eat starring directly towards Haechan across the table. Half of your sleeve slips down revealing more. You lean over the table to grab something.

“Jaemin my office now” Haechan stands up and Jaemin gets up but before he steps out he lifts up your sleeve. You eat in silence look at both of them leave.

It got silent but slowly they started to talk amongst themselves. Shortly after, you were done with your food so you picked up your plate and washed the dishes.

You thank the guys for the food and tell them that you’re going to your room. You laid in the bed just starring at the painting on the wall.

The door open and you jump from the position you were in. “What were you doing?” Jaemin laughs.

“I was starring at the paint” you responded and Jaemin nods.

“Well I’m here to apologize. I was too clingy according to Haechan, and I was just trying to be welcoming since I know this situation can be intimidating. I will be out tomorrow for training so I won’t get us in trouble” he chuckles but is getting a tad bit shy.

“You weren’t clingy. I enjoyed your company, thank you and I’m sorry I got you in trouble. He was making me mad” you look at him and he is smiling at you.

“Don’t worry I am used to his whining. Also you aren’t obligated to listen to him all the time. Go to me, Jeno, or Renjun. We are the ones that Haechan will listen to, well sometimes. goodnight y/n” he grabs the door knob.

“Goodnight, thanks again” you sigh and wave to him. He leaves and you are left in an empty room. You get under the covers and try to sleep but it’s barely 8pm. Having nothing to do and no technology is not helping.

You peek out of your door and you hear that they’re still in the living room. You hear footsteps and you close your door as silently as you can but the door gets stopped by a hand. It was Haechan so you just closed the door. He opens it again “don’t be mad at me princess” and walks towards you.

Haechan sets his head on your shoulder. His breath reaches the side of your neck, he guides your body to walk backwards. You’re laying half of your body flat on the bed while Haechan sets himself on each side of you. His chain is dangling in front of your face and kisses your forehead. You pull his collar to finally kiss his lips, they’re just how you imagine them. He isn’t as harsh as you want him to be so you tangle your fingers through his hair and pull him closer to you.

He starts to be more rough and sloppy. You break the kiss for air and for him to calm down but he continues to cover your collarbones in kisses. “Haechan” you whimper his name as you are still holding onto his soft strands of hair. He stops and looks up at you, he pulls down his loose shirt you have on.

He bites down on the silky bow and he slowly pulls it about to untie the front.

*soft knocks at the door*

“Of course” Haechan gets up and opens the door enough to peak his head out. “Im almost done with her laundry. I came to drop it off” you hear Jisung says and see his eyes peeking over Haechan’s head since he’s taller.

Before Haechan says anything rude you yell thank you to him. “Bye” Haechan grabs the clothes and slams the door.

You run to the door and Jisung is still there with an offended look “Thank you Jisung I appreciate it. You can leave the rest for me to do, don’t worry about it” you smile at him.

“No problem, goodnight” Jisung doesn’t say much because Haechan is behind you glaring at him.

“Why not suck his dick while you’re at it” Haechan says closing the door.

“I haven’t had some in a while so why not” you grab the freshly dried clothes and start picking.

“Don’t tell me you want him instead of me. I can give you more than anyone in this house could” his cold hands come in contact with your bare stomach and his fingertips tease the waistband.

“You probably say that to every girl you meet” you rest your head on his chest still standing against the bed frame.

“You don’t know me sweetheart” he puts his knee between your thighs.

“I could say the same to you” you scoff at his response. Haechan places his hands on your hips and guides your body to move on his thigh.

“What did I say about talking back” you don’t respond because he quickens the pace. You lean over slightly on the bed and arch your back to get more friction.

At this point your feet are floating in the air and he’s moving his knee to match your pace. You try to hold back a moan but it comes out when you feel his bulge getting hard on your ass. “Haechan I can’t” you roll your hips on him faster like a bunny in heat.

“You’re so wet. That pretty little mouth of yours says my name so right” he stops and drops his knee along with you down.

You stand up straight and turn to him. “I want more” your nails scratch down his back. “Please” you take off your shirt and crawl on top of the bed now looking directly at him.

Haechan isn’t moving from where he is. His eyes say something else and so does his hard member. He gets closer to you and whispers “This is your punishment, I suffer too but that’s what makes it fun” he leaves not caring.

You’re left with your mouth open.

Your thighs are literally dripping wet.

I cannot believe i got edged by a knee- you say out loud to yourself.

You scream into your pillow and just feel your cunt pulse. You go and change into fresh new clothes after cleaning yourself up.

This is going to be worse than you thought…

*the next day*

~Jaemin’s pov~

I was already in the bad mood after overhearing the shit Haechan told y/n but I know she won’t fall for his possessiveness.

I get to the training rink at around 7am ready to take out my anger on some of these newbies. I see Jia clinging onto the same guy she always does, you finally have a face to the name. He is the one that broke y/n’s heart.

“Start warming up with a partner. We are uneven so Sunwoo come warm up with me” I try to act professional but something in me makes me want to punch him. After what he did to make a beautiful girl cry to the point where she knocks out is insane to me. If i ever had her, i would treasure her and hold her every bit i can.

“How do you know my name” -sunwoo

“I don’t know you tell me” i swing at him slow but he dodges.

“Know idea man, but I’m honored” he throws a punch at my chest but I don’t move an inch.

“there’s three rinks. I will be observing the five of you. No body work or being a brawler during this. I want to see skill so do not try to speed things up and try to get your partner to ground or off the rink the fastest. Boxing isn’t just a race…it’s a mind game, it takes time to perfect each throw or move, so show me the best you can do” I genuinely like boxing so I’ll try my best to not get my anger in the way.

I am seeing them fight but all I can think of is y/n, seeing how her ex boyfriend is here being watched by another girl. “Jia can you please go rehearse with the other girls or do something else” i sit down in the referee where she is as well.

“why, I am not doing anything. I’m just watching” Jia says but she looks at my annoyed face and she rolls her eyes.

“Weirdo” she leaves.

I circle around looking at them switch partners and keep slamming each other. Three laps around the two rinks, sunwoo was off to the side waiting for his turn.

“Sunwoo come with me” i guide him to the empty rink. “Want to know what a haymaker is” he nods yes and you do it to him.

“Haymaker: A desperation punch thrown with full force and with the intent to knock an opponent out.” i smile down at him in pain on the floor.

“You know the meeting you had yesterday” i ask and he nods struggling to talk because of the pain.

“Take me to y/n’s place or it won’t be easy for you to be here” he swallows nervously and stands up.

“Ok, I have spare key” he shoves his shoulder with mine on the way out to the locker rooms.

“That’s all for today. You’re welcome to stay and practice or head on out for the day”

~end of Jaemin’s pov~

*on the way to your apartment*

The ride is silent, “How do you know y/n and why do I have to bring you?” Sunwoo knows a little bit of what Haechan and his crew do behind doors but Jia never really mentioned much to him.

“She just asked me to mail some stuff to her. I was in some of her classes” Jaemin says coming up with a lie.

“Why would she tell you out of all people? I have a spare key and so does my friend who’s best friend’s with y/n” Sunwoo is getting suspicious not wanting to take Jaemin. If he didn’t take Jaemin it’ll put his boxing career at risk, he already lost his gf due to it.

“Well I’m not sure if you remembered the part of cheating on her for a couple of weeks and she simply doesn’t want to see familiar faces” Jaemin gets out of the car and follows Sunwoo into the apartments.

Sunwoo is cussing Jacob in his head since he was the one who brought her in. He is connecting the dots on where you’re staying. “Is she staying at your house?” Sunwoo says standing in front of the door.

“Don’t worry about it. You aren’t dating her anymore” Jaemin smirks at him wanting to make him mad.

“I still care for her. Plus last time I saw her, your coworkers took her and since you know her…you’re probably the first person she ran to” Sunwoo opens the door.

“Why what would you do if she was at my place” they door enter into your apartment.

“I do want to apologize i���m not a complete asshole” he sits on the couch and Jaemin is observing everything.

Jaemin first takes your pile of mail and your laptop you left on the coffee table before you went to Sunwoo’s place. Luckily you have a online shopping addiction so you have coxes laying around the house.

Jaemin enters your room and starts putting your clothes into the boxes. He opens your underwear drawer and is mixed with other things. Sunwoo comes in and Jaemin picks up two toys. “Guess you weren’t doing your job buddy” Jaemin throws them into the box and covers them with socks.

“You’re lucky you’re stronger than me” Sunwoo clenched his jack. “These are dirty but they’re her favorite jeans. Take her pillow she can’t go to sleep without it. For makeup and everything else is in that desk she’ll probably want that too. Let me go get her shoes, I’m not sure how long she’ll be out but she’s an over packer regardless” Sunwoo paces around your room looking to see what else.

“For someone who cheated. You do sound like you care for her” Jaemin is in shock by what he is doing.

“I mean i’m the bad guy and she deserves to be comfortable wherever she is. If she’s with you man- please take care of her for me” he rubs his face. “I fucked up and I was being selfish” he whispers to himself.

Jaemin sighs “Just help me fill up this box” Sunwoo walks to your closet and picks out different dresses and your platform heels.

“I think four boxes is enough” Jaemin gets two and Sunwoo gets the other.

A security was already picking Jaemin up. “Thank you for letting me in, see you at practice” Jaemin takes the boxes from him.

“See you” Sunwoo is so embarrassed he doesn’t know if he still wants to attend that match.

———

~Haechan’s House~

You were left inside the room the whole day. The only interaction you had was Jeno bringing you food and snacks. Haechan had to deal with something out of town.

Since there wasn’t much to do, you decided to give yourself a everything showed and then a hair blowout. That roughly took two hours out of the day and your hair looks good. Haechan did buy you a little bit of makeup since he looked through laptop…again. It came in the mail today so why not give yourself a full glam.

You wanted to look cute but comfortable so you put on the skirt pajama set that looked like a regular outfit. A quick look in the mirror and you are twirling like a ballerina.

The door opens and it’s Jeno. “Oh i’m sorry i just knocked a couple times i thought something happened” he looked at you up and down. A couple hours ago he saw you with knots in your hair and stains on your shirt. Even then he was still nervous around you but you weren’t aware.

“It’s alright. i was in my zone, you don’t have to bring me snacks every hour jeno. Don’t over work yourself on your day off” you laugh at how he brought another plate.

“Oh ok. I just don’t know how to take care of you. Jaemin made it seem easy” Jeno scratches the back of his head.

“You did a great job, the both of you. I truly feel bad how Haechan puts you guys to do stuff for me because I live by myself for a years so literally anything you guys do i’m appreciative” you grab onto his shoulder and he tenses up even more.

“We don’t mind honestly, i’ve done worse things. I’m going to be in the training room so if you need anything just step over. It’s a couple doors to your right” Jeno avoids eye contact and leaves.

You check if the coast is clear after you hear Jeno head into the training room. You go to the living room and watch the tv on mute with captions.

An hour passes and a door opens you jump to turn off the tv and duck under the couch. “I can still see you” Jeno walks over to you all sweaty in a tight muscle tee.

“Can I please be out here. I promise i’ll be good Jeno” you sit up and plead that he says yes.

“Fine but be in your room before I come out of the shower” he walks to his room and you’re smiling.

Jeno is trying his best to be cool. What no one knows is he was one of your top anonymous gifters on twitter. It was your side hustle every once in a while but Jeno will check everyday. Apparently no one has brought it or Haechan is keeping your account a secret. Sunwoo never knew about it or anyone in that matter.

Jeno is standing in front of the mirror still in shock that you out of all people end up here. You look so pretty today and he just can’t take it anymore. Jeno can’t say anything to Jaemin because he already became close with you. Renjun will freak out and tell Haechan, Chenle and Mark do not keep a secret. Which leaves Jisung but you aren’t too sure if it’s a good idea because he is worse than him at things like this.

Visions of your videos and picture start appearing in Jeno’s brain. He gets out his phone and looks up the username “yup it’s definitely her, fuck” he undresses and turns on the shower. A video of you on a pillow was the latest you posted, he can’t look away. His dick is now hard, he steps in the shower and starts pumping himself. Water droplets hit Jeno’s phones so he throw his phone in the sink. He envisions sneaking into your room and you riding him instead of the pillow.

He releases and sighs. This won’t be easy for him, he washes himself and gets out of the shower. He then gets dressed and dries his hair.

You are still sitting in the living room watching a random episode of regular show. The thousands of locks are opening one by one and you panic. You can’t find the remote or the off button so you run to the nearest closet which is the coat closet.

“Y/N you can come out of the room I have-“ Jaemin opens the closet you were in.

“What are you doing” he laughs.

“Jeno let me watch tv and I didn’t have time to run to my room” you say embarrassed.

“Well you’re lucky it was me because you chose the worst place possible to hide” he pulls you out and you smile at him. “I missed you, you’re the only one that treats me normal here” you hug him and he hugs you back.

“You look extra beautiful today” he strokes the back of your head as he hugs you. “Stop, I got bored” you pull away and see he hasn’t closed the door.

“I have a surprise for you. Since I had training with yk who. I made him take me to your apartment to bring your stuff” he brings in the boxes and you gasp.

“No way oh my god” you screech and jump up and down. You follow Jaemin with a box in your hand. Jeno comes back and sees the two of you on the couch.

“Hey Jeno” Jaemin dabs him up and he smiles at him. He sits next to Jaemin and you’re on the floor opening the first box. “Jaemin brought some of my stuff look” you pull out your plushie.

“I also brought you your pillow sunwoo told me” Jeno chocked on his saliva. It’s the same pillow and pillow case from the video he just watched. He looks away and watches the tv.

The first box had a plushies, your notebook, and the books you were currently reading. You opened the last one and take out some hoodies, you thought you were done but you pull one more hoodie and your toys and underwear are there.

“Oh god” you close the box and look at Jaemin then Jeno. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about princess. Go hide them” he whispers at the end.

You stay silent and slowly get up to your room. You do as told but you cannot believe he found then and also brought them to you. They follow you with the rest of the things shortly after. You put the clothes into the drawers.

You are bent over and your skirt flaps over half of your ass. Their eyes are glued to your exposed skin. You turn around and take the clothes they’re holding. Jeno swallows hard when his eyes meet yours “thank you” you smile and put it in the top drawer.

Jeno leaves without saying anything and Jaemin is still holding your stuff speechless. He did find you attractive but he wanted to respect you since Haechan clearly doesn’t and he can now see why.

“All done” you tasks the last thing off of his hands. “I really appreciate it Jaemin” you smile at him and he does back.

“No problem” he grabs onto your waist. “Sorry that I didn’t ask for your permission to look through your personal stuff” his thumb rubs your bare stomach.

“It’s fine, did he say anything?” he looks down at you concerned. “He does feel bad but it doesn’t eliminate the fact that he hurt you y/n” he gets closer to you.

“I know but part of me still wants him back” your heart breaks. “Jia was there during practice. They’ve been together for a while” your heart shatters.

“He wasted my time, it was too good to be true” you roll your eyes.

“You deserve to be treasured and loved. I beat the shit out of him for you” Jaemin said and your heart starts beating.

“Did you?” you put your arms around his neck. “I did, I had to humble him” you smile at him and his eyes move from your eyes to your lips back to your eyes.

It gets silent but you both lean in, your lips are less than an inch apart. “Can I kiss you?” Jaemin asks.

“please” your lips close the gap. He kisses back and breaks the kiss. “you’re so beautiful” he kisses you again but with passion. He lifts you up and you wrap your feet around him.

You guys look at eachother with huge smiles. “I’m sorry I couldn’t wait much longer. I wanted to do it since the first time we spent the day together” Jaemin’s cheeks turn pink and you giggle at his apology.

“As a boxer you’re such a softie” you lay your head on his chest and he walks to the bed.

“You don’t know that” he sits down with you still holding onto him. You unwrap your legs and reposting yourself, jaemin hisses as you move.

You stop moving and he is looking down. You’re sitting on his bulge. “I can move if you’re not comfortable” you mumble. You get embarrassed because you didn’t realize the movements you were doing.

“No don’t- you’re fine” his hands are still on your hips. Jaemin hasn’t been interested in anyone in years and you are wrapping him around your finger.

“Did it feel good then?” your hands are on his chest running up and down on his rocked chest. He nods yes “you don’t have to do anything if you aren’t comfortable baby” he sets a kiss on your collar bone which are covered with makeup since haechan decided to mark you.

“But i want to” you pout at him and you start moving your hips. Jaemin groans “I’m so glad Haechan isn’t going to be here tonight” he smiles.

“What are your plans” you start to add more weight and friction. “Spending it with you” he guides your hips and you arch your back as you feel him getting hard. Your cunt is already wetting his sweatpants. He starts to lifts himself along with you, “Oh i’m about to-“ you release your liquids but Jaemin doesn’t stop moving your hips.

You grab onto his broad shoulder and let out small whimpers. “You’re doing so good” Jaemin moans when you reposition and sit on his hard member. His pants are soaked with your release and his precum releasing through his pants. He begins to twitch in between your thighs and he releases.

The both of you are panting and smile at how much of a mess you both made. Jaemin lift up your skirt to see your laced panties soaked and stuck onto your skin. You haven’t even gotten touched by him and you’re already wanting more.

“Let’s get you cleaned up and changed” he kisses your forehead. He stands up and you feel guilty because he’s more dirty than you’re.

Jaemin opens the drawer and get out shorts that match your top. “These are perfect” he goes up to you and signals for you to come to the edge. He first takes off your panties and he stuffs them in his pocket. “Jaemin no thats embarrassing” you try to take them away but he grabs your hand. “Can I have them please” he waves his face in front of you and smiles.

“You better not misplace them and someone else ends up finding them” you take the shorts from him and quickly change into them.

“Come to my room” Jaemin grabs your hand and before you guys come out he checks if anyone is coming. Jaemin pulls you and speed walks next door to his room.

Jaemin opens the door and Jeno is sitting there on his phone. “Jeno what are doing in my room” Jaemin puts you in front of him. “I just wanted to hangout but i can leave you guys to continue” your cheeks turn red.

“We can still hangout. We were just going to watch a movie either way, let me just change” Jaemin is still using you as a shield. Jeno stands up and throws boxers and sweatpants at Jaemin. “There you dumbass so you aren’t dragging her across the room” you laugh at how embarrassed Jaemin is.

He goes into the bathroom and changes. Luckily every room has its own bathroom which is so unrealistic. You stand where Jaemin left you and Jeno looks up from his phone and back down. “I’m sorry” you say shyly stand there while Jaemin gets back.

“It’s fine” Jeno mumbles.

It’s not fine for him though.

Two of his friends can have her even though he has wanted her first. If he knew you lived in the area he would’ve definitely dm you and not been anonymous.

Jaemin comes back and sit in the opposite side of where Jeno’s laying down. “Come sit in the middle, you’ll get a better view of the screen” Jaemin opens his laptop and opens the streaming app. You climb over the footboard and lay on your stomach in the middle.

The three of you watch the movie until Renjun and Jisung come home. Mark and Chenle had to join Haechan for back.

“Please don’t tell me you guys-“ Renjun drops his briefcase.

“No” you respond quickly.

“We are just watching a movie. Relax” Renjun sighs of relief after Jeno says that.

“Good because I do not want this triangle to turn into a square” Renjun says.

The three of you are confused but then you get. “Why not a pentagon” you smirk at him. Jisung enters and Jaemin says “or a hexagon”

You and Jaemin laugh while renjun leaves. “Hi jisung” you smile at him.

“Hi” he sweetly smiles back at you “i’m going to order food it’s less of us today anyway” he says. “What do you want y/n” Jeno says.

He catches you off guard because he hardly spoke to you and you felt like he hated you. “I am down for anything, but fry chicken sounds good”

“We can do that” Jisung gets on Jaemin’s bed and pulls out his phone.

You stare at all three looking at Jisung’s phone. They’re gorgeous and you can just stare at them all day. “y/n” you come out of your thoughts. “are you dreaming of something” Jaemin says squishing your cheek.

“No i was just admiring” you smile at him.

“At who” he raise his eyebrow.

“All three” you start giggling like crazy and you cover your face with a pillow.

“Why” Jisung says confused.

“Jisung this is why you don’t get bitches” Jeno mumbles.

“Ha says the one who is in love with a twitter girl” Jaemin snorts.

You stop laughing when you hear that. “I told you to never bring that up” Jeno intensely glares at Jaemin.

“How’s the menu looking” You change the topic.

“Here you can look at it” Jisung hands you the phone.

to be continued…

a/n

i’m sorry if that was too much. i am trying to test things out. tysm for reading :)

edit: comment to be tagged!

[NOT PROOFREAD]

#haechan #jaemin #lee jeno #renjun #the boyz #chenle #haechan smut #haechan x female reader #haechan x reader #jaemin smut #jaemin x reader #jeno #nct dream x reader #nct dream au #nct dream x female reader #nct 00 line #nctzen #nct series #nct 127 #mark lee #park jisung

[hcuyk]

[ 18+ ] . . . . . . . . OUR INFERNO MASTERLIST

⧉ OUR INFERNO // elaborates the complexities within a relationship—the spark, the blaze, the pain. your love with haechan is a never ending fire; it's something so strong, so beautiful and powerful, that it suffocates you both into believing that your relationship would last, only for it to go down in flames ( ☄︎ )

╰  ·  · ALT. VER OF OUR INFERNO — HYUNJAE VER.

› 〉 PAIRING // nonidol!haechan x fem!reader

› 〉 GENRE // varies every chapter : includes but is not limited to — high school au, college au, single dad au, enemies to fwbs to lovers to strangers to fwbs to ????, potential bad ending, smut, fluff, angst

› 〉 WARNINGS // varies every chapter : 18+ MDNI : includes but is not limited to — excessive profanity, cheating, toxic relationship(s), underaged drinking, these two are corruption itself : NSFW TAGS will vary and be stated in every chapter

˖⋆ STATUS ☆ ONGOING

˖⋆ STARTED ☆ 042124

⋮≡ [ OUR INFERNO EXCLUSIVE ] @flwoie @jaeims @n-jules @dnylwoo @milkyway-vxm @smwhrinthehaze — fill out the form or comment/send an ask/dm to be added!

˖⋆ LAST UPDATED ☆ 042124

˖⋆ WORD COUNT ☆ 19k

⋮≡ [ PERMANENT TAGLIST ] @armysantiny @nyujjan @the-kpop-simp @sunwoosberrie @cosmiicdream @maeves632 @hyuckluvr-com — lmk if you're a minor/uncomfortable with nsfw and i'll remove you from the taglist for this series! also lmk if you'd prefer to be tagged for inferno!jae or hyuck (or both)! — fill out the form or comment/send an ask/dm to be added!

||| ⧉ . . PART ONE: CHASING THE SPARK (THE FIRE TETRAHEDRON)

— —|— — i. FUEL, OXYGEN, AND HEAT

(일 ✧ 0001) — 4/21 — 19k

despite being your greatest archnemesis/rival/enemy/frenemy/whateverthefuck he was, haechan had always been by your side. that changed when your boyfriend was brought up, creating a newfound rift in your whateverthefuck relationship with haechan

— —|— — ii. THE FOURTH COMPONENT

— —|— — iii. CORRUPTION’S AFTERMATH

||| ⧉ . . PART TWO: LETHAL INCARCERATION (THE REIGNITION)

— —|— — i. SMOKE INHALATION

— —|— — ii. ASPHYXIA

— —|— — iii. VICIOUS TEMPTATION

NAVIGATION | NCT DREAM MASTERLIST

╰ · · AUTHOR'S NOTE: i hope you all enjoy this alternative of the original! | lovely credits to my beta readers like always — @drunkdrazed @winterchimez @stealanity @simpforsunwoo

© https://hcuyk.tumblr.com/

#OUR INFERNO | lee haechan #lee donghyuck #haechan #haechan series #haechan fluff #haechan smut #haechan angst #nct dream #nct 127 #nct u #haechan masterlist #haechan fanfiction #haechan hard hours #haechan au

[atinyjules]

Broken Melodies: Fake or True? ft. Lee Jeno {mini - masterlist}

"Are the feelings we have for each other real or just fuelled by the desperation of our families to live in peace?"

For as long as you could remember, the Lee family and your family, the Na Crime family had been in a longstanding feud. But as your father and the Lee family's head got older they started to crave for peace and harmony between them. That's where you and their youngest come in. The only way that would get the men of both sides to get along was by declaring their beloved prince and princess as lovers. You and Jeno were out of it, you refused to hold any kind of relationship with each other, whether platonic or romantic but in order to see your fathers happy the both of you didn't have a choice but to come to terms with the situation. But what happens when the both of you or one of you start to catch feelings?

"Don't be mistaken, Lee Jeno. The only reason I'm agreeing to this whole ordeal is my father." Eunbi said earning a scoff from Jeno.

"As if like you're any important to me. I'm doing this for my dad and my family." he said as the both of you looked away from each other.

Lee Jeno

Na Eunbi

Moodboard 1 (Lee Jeno)

Moodboard 2 (Na Eunbi)

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

#spotify #kpop moodboard #kpop icons #kpop masterlist #kpop fic #kpop ff #kpop imagines #kpop oneshot #nct dream #nct dream x reader #nct dream Jeno x reader #jeno x reader #nct dream masterlist #nct dream ff #nct dream fics #nct dream oneshots #nct #nct dream series #nct dream gang au #nct dream au #7 dream #go dream #to the world nct

[writtenbymkl]

who is that fine babe? 🤓☝️

next | masterlist

#nct #nct dream #nct smau #nct dream smau #nct social media au #mark lee x reader #mark lee series #mark lee texts #mark lee au #mark x reader #mark x y/n #mark texts #mark lee #nct texts #mark smau #mark social au #mark social media au #nct social au #nct dream texts #jeno smau #renjun smau #haechan smau #jaemin smau #jisung smau #chenle smau #smau #social au #kpop social au #kpop texts #boyfriend trials smau

[justwritedreams]

Welcome To The Kingdom | Jeno

Chapter Ten: Little Games

Prince Jeno x Princess Reader, enemies to lovers au!, royalty au!

Word count: 4670 Genre: drama, fake relationship Author: maari Warnings: Reader being jealous, the never ending slow burn, both of them being a total menace lol Note: HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!! I was committed to posting this chapter yesterday as a gift for you but I needed to celebrate with my family too, so without further ado here we are starting the year 2024 with a new chapter. Summary: The little games started in the kingdom and are far from over.

<<<Previous | Masterlist |

⪢ NCT Masterlist

Taglist: @floweronacloud, @cookydream, @travelleratheart101​, @ilvaussie​, @tyongf-sunflower99​, @mings-cafe,  @n0hyuck, @waltermitty97, @jihoonismydad, @madaboutjunmyeon, @actually-vl , @neomooniez, @pvppyhao, @ikayyyyyy (can’t tag you honey 😞)

“Your Highnesses.”

Y/N turned back and smiled restrainedly at the royal advisor, Linda had worked at the castle for many years and the best parties were organized by her.

It was one of the reasons for the princess to be there, in the King's office, to talk about the details of the wedding.

She and Jeno. Talking about their wedding.

It didn't feel real yet.

After breakfast, which was as pleasant as possible, the king explained that he would speak to parliament and the press on the same day, to ensure that the attack wouldn’t go unpunished, the atmosphere became more tense.

Although Y/N had suggested that she go along with her father, he denied it. This was a matter that would take up a lot of the princess's time and she would have to decide the details of the upcoming wedding.

“Linda, great to see you again!” Y/N spoke after the woman bowed to the two. “This is Prince Jeno.”

Linda lowered her head again to greet him and he smiled politely.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” she said. “Although I already knew a little about your highness.”

Jeno raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, really? I wonder why.” He glanced at Y/N who pretended not to take the hint.

“Let’s sit down, we have a lot to talk about.” Y/N pointed to the couch and the three of them went.

Jeno sat a little closer to Y/N than he should have and that didn't go unnoticed, Linda smiled discreetly while the princess tried to keep her expression calm.

Although she wanted to move away because the heat of Jeno's leg touching hers was leaving a weird tingling sensation in her stomach.

“I put together some ideas for the ceremony and reception.” Linda handed the folder she carried to the two of them.

Jeno held on, it was incredibly heavy, and turned his torso a little more towards Y/N, getting slightly closer.

She took a deep breath before focusing her attention on the photos.

The parties that Linda had chosen were of different themes, one was completely royal that would have some traditions but was more modern than the last weddings in Y/N's family, another seemed to have a slightly more Greek theme and the last one a little more vintage.

The princess and Jeno observed the photos carefully, all the themes were incredible and the references that Linda had selected made the task of choosing much more difficult.

“What about our clothes?” Jeno asked, after they went through at least half of the photos.

“Well, I left it free for you to choose. We have a few designers who have offered to work for your highnesses' wedding, including Zuhair Murad.”

The princess looked at Linda, surprised.

“Zuhair Murad? That Zuhair Murad?”

Jeno looked at the princess, seeing her eyes shine.

“Yes, your highness.”

Y/N blinked a few times, perplexed. She admired Zuhair Murad's work and loved his dresses, but she never imagined he would be interested in making her wedding dress.

“Would your highnesses like to make any requests for the costumes?” Linda held up her tablet, ready to take notes.

“I can’t know which dress Y/N will choose?” Jeno raised his eyebrow as he looked at Linda, who laughed discreetly as Y/N crossed her arms.

“No, your highness.”

"I have a request." The princess spoke, looking at Jeno. “May his tuxedo have a decent shirt that covers his neck.”

Linda swallowed a laugh while Jeno looked at the princess almost offended, because part of him was even finding it funny.

“Honey, you don’t need to show your jealousy in front of people, soon I’ll be yours anyway.” He winked at her and smirked, amused to see her falter.

Y/N didn't respond right away, she just continued staring at him and then smiled evilly.

He wanted to play, right?

Well, she would have two dresses to get revenge on Jeno.

“You’re right, my love.” This time, it wasn't irony that Jeno found in Y/N's tone, but something he didn't expect, competitiveness.

The princess went back to talking to Linda about the designers and how they would get in touch with them to see the models of the dresses, while Jeno was busy looking at the photos of the buffet that would be hired even though his head was thinking about what Y/N was up to with all that.

She didn't roll her eyes or pinch him without Linda seeing, that was strange.

He was expecting some kind of retaliation and got absolutely nothing.

After everything was agreed with Linda, she left the room and left the two alone, Y/N got up and went to the large window hugging her body while Jeno looked at her curiously.

Y/N took a deep breath and faced the landscape outside, she had only been away from home for a short time but had missed practically everything in her kingdom, in her home.

“You seem happy.” Jeno commented and followed the same path as the princess, stopping next to her to observe what she was looking at.

He was getting used to that kingdom.

Y/N smiled discreetly.

"And I am." he sighed. “You know what it feels like to finally come home.”

Jeno agreed and put his hands in his pants pockets.

“Then why does your voice sound worried?” He asked, curious and that made her look at him in surprise.

Y/N debated whether or not to speak to him, but remembering that Jeno would be her ally from now on made her choose positively.

“So much going on and the two of us here, having to see the details of the wedding.” the princess passed her hand over her face. “It seems kind of… selfish.”

She shrugged, she hadn't gotten the attack out of her head since she had seen it on the news and being there, without being able to do anything useful made her feel… incapable.

"Hey." Jeno brought his palm to touch her shoulder very gently, almost imperceptibly. “It’s not selfish. It’s something that needs to be done, princess.”

“But while people are grieving for their injured loved ones in hospitals? How can this be acceptable?” she questioned, focusing her gaze on a fixed point outside.

“Princess, look at me.” Jeno didn't get a response so he brought his hand to her chin, making her lift her face to look at him. “Y/N.”

She couldn't look away from Jeno, even though in her mind she felt like she had to so as not to get lost in his serene eyes.

And she felt a very slight shiver on the back of her neck when she heard her own name.

“The people of this kingdom deserve a reason to celebrate.”

“Do you think they want to raise the flag on our coat of arms?!”

“That’s not what I mean.” he spoke firmly and she frowned. “I’m talking about our alliance, they will have reason to see security in our union.”

Y/N was surprised by Jeno's sincerity and she herself believed those words, which is why she smiled sideways. Jeno mirrored her reaction and neither of them moved an inch.

They stayed there, looking at each other complicitly until Jeno's eyes went down the princess's face and looked at her mouth.

Y/N swallowed hard and suddenly her lips seemed to have lost all their hydration when Jeno's eyes fixed them, but she did the same.

She stared at the prince's full, pink lips that seemed too inviting for her lucidity.

Y/N stood still without knowing what to say or do, and Jeno interpreted that as a positive response, if it had been negative he would have certainly already been slapped in the face, and he got close enough so that their breaths were closer and he took hand up to Y/N's cheek.

He just needed to get a little closer, she was there and didn't look like she was going to back down.

He was so close that he could smell her perfume…

The door being suddenly opened made them both jump back and move away, Y/N blinked a few times and almost thanked the odds.

If she hadn't seen the maid at the party there with a fake look of shock.

It was enough for her to frown.

“A thousand pardons, your highnesses, I didn’t know you were here.” she bowed before hurriedly leaving the room as quickly as she entered.

Y/N faced the closed door and felt a bitter taste in her mouth as well as her blood bubbling.

She wouldn't be a shrew queen, but she would have to deal with that insolent maid if she wanted to keep her truce with her fiancé.

Worse, if she wanted to maintain the stability of her reign.

[...]

"Mom?"

The queen raised her head when she heard the princess's voice echo through the office and frowned when she saw her there.

"Yes, my dear?" she put down her pen, giving her daughter her full attention.

"Are you busy? I would like to talk with you."

The queen moved her hand, indicating for her to enter and she did so.

“You can come in, I was signing some things about our financial aid for the victims of the attack.”

Y/N took a deep breath, feeling her heart sink and sat down in front of her mother.

“I saw the statement.” she smiled restrainedly.

The king and queen had announced that they would help the victims in every way, with medical and psychological help, as well as their families while investigations were still ongoing. It was the least they could do to alleviate the suffering of their people.

“We had to do it.” she explained and faced her daughter, interlacing her fingers on the table. “But I don’t think that’s what you want to talk to me about.”

Y/N nodded.

“Well, since I know you hate beating around the bush, I’ll be direct. What should I do when a maid can bring trouble to my alliance with Jeno?”

The queen raised her eyebrows, partly shocked to hear that even though it had already been predicted.

"What kind of problem?"

The princess measured her words, she would be honest with her mother but not rudely. She wasn't talking to Yeri, she needed to act like the princess she had been taught to be.

And that's why she went to her mother, she wanted to have a more rational opinion.

“You know I don’t love Jeno the way you love my father.” she remembered and saw the queen reluctant to agree. “And you also know about Jeno’s fame before Prince Romeo’s image, and let’s just say that this maid is an old fling of his.”

The queen understood her daughter's words well and smiled discreetly.

"Of course. What do you think should be done in this type of case?”

“Considering that we have to pretend even to the employees that we are in love with each other, her presence here poses a threat.” she concluded.

“Yes, and threats we eliminate.”

“I just don’t think it’s fair to fire her for sleeping with him.” the princess shrugged, feeling her head spin.

She was fed up with that maid and fed up with that subject.

“Do you know what makes a really good royal maid?” The princess shook her head. "Discretion. Trust. If one of our employees doesn't deliver on either of these two things, then our reign could fall apart.”

“Consequently the kingdom too.” Y/N concluded.

“There are two options, my dear, you fire the girl and run the risk of having a former employee spreading our secrets around or you can strengthen a bond that will be great for both parties.”

Y/N frowned.

"What do you mean by that?"

“Find out what she really wants and make it easier for her to get it.”

She narrowed her eyes, understanding the same line of reasoning as her mother.

“Don’t just give it to her as a deal.”

Her mother shook her head.

“Deals don’t work in situations like this, there will always be blackmail. Show that you have a faster way.”

The princess nodded and an idea emerged.

"You're right." She got up from her chair. “I will resolve this as soon as possible. Thank you, mom.”

Y/N prepared to leave, but her mother called out to her as soon as she opened the door.

"Yes?" she turned around after hearing her name.

“Be careful, maybe you're burying something you don't want to see but it's right in front of you.”

Y/N was confused and stared at her mother, waiting for her to continue but she didn't say anything else, making the princess agree and leave trying to figure out what her mother had said.

But her head didn't focus on that for now, she went to the kitchen where she knew most of the maids were and one in particular wanted to talk.

It wasn't so rare to see Y/N in the kitchen, she had her father's altruistic spirit and didn't follow the house rules about not going to the employees' quarters or the places where they worked, she liked seeing them and especially talking to them. It made her come out of her royal bubble.

However, it was still funny to see the employees stop in shock to bow.

“Your Highness!”

“Nana!”

"Something happened? Need something?"

Y/N smiled slightly at the housekeeper.

"No, it’s alright. Please get back to work, I’m just taking a walk around the castle.”

Nana gave the signal for the employees to return to their duties and the princess had to control herself not to roll her eyes at a specific employee.

“Nana.” Y/N approached and the housekeeper continued listening, attentively. "Can I talk to you?"

“Of course, your highness!”

The princess walked ahead, heading towards the back garden and stopped near the fountain, far away so no one could hear.

“I want to know a little more about the younger maids.” she spoke directly. “They recently came to the castle and I couldn’t pay attention to the details before.”

“Because of your training.”

Y/N nodded. At the same time that new maids entered the castle, the princess was busy with royal tasks.

Studying whatever she could, from geopolitics to the art of using a bow and arrow, she was being prepared to be the queen she was born to be, smaller details like maids were up to her mother.

“What would you like to know, your highness?”

"Everything." she spoke firmly and paid attention to Nana.

The princess heard everything, knew the names of the maids but was still confused about their roles.

And well, apparently the maid in question she wanted to know helped with everything she could or was assigned. From what she heard, she realized that the girl worked harder than she should and knew exactly what to do the moment she heard that she was a little more ambitious than the rest.

It was exactly what she wanted to hear and needed to know. It was enough.

She talked to Nana some more, really interested in getting to know her employees a little more and when she had heard enough, Nana was called and she walked away from the princess bowing.

Y/N took a deep breath, she already knew when she would act and how, she just needed to make a phone call and went back inside the castle in search of her phone.

She would resolve this situation as quickly as she could. She didn’t have time to waste.

She passed by the east side of the castle and would have passed by a room she knew well if it weren't for the reflection she saw in the mirror, she stopped where she was and slowly approached the gym door.

Jeno was preparing to do a series of weightlifting while breathing heavily, his black tank top was clinging as well as his slightly wet hair that fell across his forehead.

Well, of course Y/N's intention wasn’t to stay there and watch Jeno training but when his arms started to move, leaving his exposed biceps, it was a difficult task to move away.

Even because Y/N's jaw dropped because practically accidentally eating his body with her eyes that her brain wasn't working properly.

And when he dropped the weights on the floor and groaned loudly, her legs wobbled.

"My God." Y/N didn't even control her voice, which came out louder than it should have.

Jeno searched the room for the sound with his eyes and Y/N tried to hide before his eyes met hers, uselessly.

Because Jeno not only found her, he spoke to her.

“Princess, to what do I owe the honor?” she closed her eyes to take a deep breath and she could feel his small smile as he spoke.

Y/N turned completely to face him and smiled politely, forcing her eyes to look at his face and not his arms.

“I was just passing by to see if the gym was free but since it wasn’t, I’ll come back later.” she lied and heard him laugh.

"Wait a second." he said, approaching where the princess was. “With a gym this size, I think we can share the space, right?”

Y/N pondered, he was right.

“Unless you will get distracted so easily with me here.”

Jeno crossed his arms, making even bigger and she looked at him boredly, swallowing hard.

She needed to control herself, she wouldn't be tempted to look at his arms. Again.

"You're so funny." she replied sarcastically.

"And you like." he winked.

Y/N snorted.

“I’m leaving before I throw that steel bar in your face.” she replied ironically and Jeno laughed.

“Always running away.” he spoke quietly as soon as the princess turned her back and went back to redo his series.

Y/N clenched her fists and made to turn around to answer him but a more evil idea crossed her mind and she couldn't even hold back the malicious smile.

The princess then projected her torso forward, pretending to pick up something from the floor, leaving her butt exposed thanks to the skirt she wore so Jeno could have a free view.

She heard a crash in the gym and stood completely upright again, looking over her shoulder as Jeno was cursing and holding his foot that had been hit by a weight he had dropped.

"Shit." he complained, jumping up and down as the princess's smile grew.

“Oops.” she spoke with false naivety and left there shaking her booty more than she should have.

How good it felt to have Jeno's jaw dropped.

[...]

“Yes, your majesty.” Nana bowed before leaving the living room in search of what the queen had ordered.

Y/N couldn't hide the small smile of victory that appeared.

“My daughter, why do I have the feeling that this is connected to you?”

The queen then turned to face her daughter, it wasn't like she needed an answer because it was obvious.

"With me?" the princess pointed to herself, feigning surprise. “Now, mother, this is not the first time we have appointed people to perform services for other nobles in our neighboring countries.”

The queen raised an eyebrow.

“I know, and suddenly the Kim family needed maids so much?”

Y/N shrugged.

“Everyone knows that we have a lot of younger employees and in all honesty, the salary they pay is much better than ours.”

“Of course, because not everyone likes working in the winter for 10 months of the year.”

Y/N nodded.

The Kim family, from the northern kingdom, had requested some recommendations for employees as, due to the kingdom being extremely cold practically all year round, they were in short supply. And the princess had kindly offered some of her maids.

She informed the queen who asked Nana to gather the younger ones to find out who would accept the sudden change.

Something very normal between the kingdoms.

But of course, the princess had helped a little by making the process much faster than usual.

And there she was, behind her mother waiting for the maids to arrive to find out who would accept the proposal.

As soon as the girls arrived, accompanied by Nana, the queen began to explain.

“Prince Doyoung of the North Kim family will soon get married and will need more staff in his castle, he kindly asked for trustworthy people who work well and I would like to inform you that you have been selected to make the decision whether you want to go to there or continue here.”

Y/N saw the insolent maid's eyes light up at every detail the queen reported about the partnership between the kingdoms and could see that everything she had heard from her was true.

But she was sure that her plan worked when Nana distributed the papers with the description of the service and values to the maids.

The queen was giving those girls the choice and all the princess saw was that at least whoever she wanted had already accepted before even seeing the prices.

Three of the girls raised their hands to indicate that they accepted, including the one Y/N wanted. She didn't look arrogantly at the maid, she had rather liked the news and was more relieved, but she wasn't going to show the joy she was feeling in knowing that she was leaving today.

“Nana, do you know where Jeno is?” Y/N asked after all the girls were dismissed.

“I saw him in the library, your highness.”

"Thank you!" She smiled gratefully and Nana left, Y/N looked at her mother. “I have to sort out some wedding details.”

“Y/N.”

"Yes?" She stopped where she was.

“Did you happen to suspect something else?” she questioned, curious.

Y/N frowned and shook her head.

If the queen was referring to the fact that they had a spy in the castle, that was the last thing on the princess's mind.

It seemed childish and selfish, but all of this had been done to preserve the love story that had been sold between her and Jeno, nothing more.

“Even if it were, it’s better to nip the problem in the bud.” the princess said before leaving.

Y/N went to the library and even though she tried to be discreet, the huge door let Jeno know she was there as soon as she opened it.

"Princess?" he blinked more than once, to make sure it wasn't a mirage.

"I need to talk to you." she said, closing the door behind her and standing still, far away from Jeno, so that his perfume wouldn't permeate her nose, considering that he seemed to have taken a shower after training.

"Okay." He moved the book away from his lap, placing it next to him on the sofa and looked closely at her.

“We will have changes in employees.” she explained, seeing him looking completely confused.

“And what exactly is important to me?” he questioned and made a pout, which Y/N felt like undoing it.

With her own lips.

She took a deep breath before responding.

“It means that the next time you want to make out with someone in the castle corridors, please be discreet.” she concluded, with a lot of sarcasm in her voice.

This seemed to amuse Jeno, who, in addition to smiling, got up from where he was sitting and crossed his arms.

“Thank you, I am very honored by this.”

The princess raised her eyebrows.

“You would know anyway, we will have selections for replacements.” she shrugged and turned her body partially so she could leave.

However, she was interrupted by Jeno's voice.

“That’s not what I was talking about.” he started walking towards her. “I’m referring to the fact that I caught a note of jealousy in your voice.” The princess's jaw dropped, almost as if she was offended by the discovery, and Jeno didn't stop walking towards her.

In fact, he only stopped because Y/N stopped him, placing her hand on his chest and forcing him to stop before he touched her.

“The day I feel jealous of you…” she began speaking, her voice slightly weak but she could barely finish as Jeno brought his face closer to hers, even though her hand was blocking the contact between their bodies.

He stopped inches away from her, staring into her eyes with an intensity that made Y/N's legs tremble.

“That day has already come and I don’t think it was today.” he teased.

Y/N's chest rose and fell unevenly from heavy breathing, as if she had run a marathon, but in reality all she could do was stare at Jeno as if she wanted to kill him and kiss him at the same time.

“You are very cocky.” she spat out the words, hating herself for not being able to deny it.

“And you’re really cute when you’re angry.”

Y/N rolled her eyes and in one quick movement, Jeno grabbed her by the waist and crossed the gap between them, and then pressed her against the first wall he saw.

The princess could only react with a surprised whisper. Jeno's body was hard, hot and extremely inviting, that wouldn't be good for her sanity.

“How about we play fair around here, princess.” He tilted his head to the side and his breath hit her neck, Y/N squeezed the t-shirt he was wearing with the little strength she still had left in a situation like that.

Being pressed against the wall by him was something from her darkest and most naughty dreams, she didn't know how to react to that in real life.

“If you think I'm going to beg you to kiss me, you can give up. Make out with all the maids in the castle and this won’t happen.” denial was always the only way out she found.

He raised an eyebrow defiantly.

“I think you still don’t understand.” he spoke low, sexy, making the princess swallow hard. Mainly because Jeno brought his face closer to hers and touched their noses. “The only person I will kiss in this castle will be you.”

Y/N didn't have the courage, much less the strength, to respond, he was so close that she felt a slight tickle as he spoke, their lips almost touching.

For a brief moment, she considered giving in, it was true. Jeno was there, ready to end that torture once and for all and the scenes of the intense dreams she had with him were haunting her mind at that most opportune moment.

It seemed to be the answer her body needed but was in constant struggle with her reason.

However, not straying from that unsustainable script, knocks on the door echoed throughout the room and with all the strength she still had left, the princess pushed Jeno away, breathing heavily.

He walked away, clearly unwillingly.

“Honey, your dad arrived. Please get ready for dinner.” She heard her mother's voice and blinked countless times to return to reality.

"All right mother." she replied loud enough for her mother to hear but her voice was shaky.

Y/N stared at Jeno without knowing what to do as she heard her mother's footsteps move away, she wet her dry lips with her own tongue and put her hand to the back of her head, scratching the area.

Jeno ran his hand through his dark hair as he returned the look, a look of someone who didn't know what had happened there but he didn't want it to be interrupted.

Without saying a single word, Y/N left the room feeling Jeno's eyes watching her as her head spun.

Now she knew that it would be practically impossible to win the bet.

#jeno scenarios #jeno scenario #jeno imagine #jeno imagines #jeno fanfic #jeno x you #jeno x y/n #jeno x reader #nct scenario #nct scenarios #nct imagine #nct imagines #nct series #nct x y/n #nct x you #nct x reader #nct royal au #nct fanfic #nct dream imagines #nct dream series #nct dream fic #nct dream fanfic #nct dream x y/n #nct dream x you #nct dream x reader #kpop imagines #kpop scenarios #kpop x y/n #kpop x you #kpop x reader

[dreamzenwrld]

nct dream texts: bf!renjun edition!

info: swearing, suggestive, gender neutral reader

#nct #nct dream #renjun #huang renjun #renjun texts #renjun fake texts #renjun au #renjun smau #texts #fake texts #smau #smau series #kpop smau #kpop texts #smut #fluff #renjun smut #renjun fluff #nct smut #nct fluff #nct texts #mark #mark lee #jeno #haechan #jaemin #chenle #jisung #nct 127 #renjun imagines

[mrkis]

the way life goes — six(final). (n.jm)

PAIRING: na jaemin x reader GENRE: angst, fluff, smut, college au WORD COUNT: 18.5k

SYNOPSIS: it's crazy how everything had came to be in your life, you didn't expect anything to happen the way it did. but you suppose that's the way life goes.

CHAPTERS WARNINGS: absolute mess and head fuck as twlg always is, angsty just how i like it, mentions of heavy emotions, dumb reader and jaemin moments, eunbin and jaemin moments, mentions of alcohol and weed, explicit language (a lot of cursing), kissing, oral (f receiving), unprotected sex,

[series m.list]

Jaemin sleeps soundly for the first time that night.

He would argue that it’s probably the best sleep he’s had in ages—covered in blankets, wrapped up in your arms with his head resting on your chest, legs tangled together… he felt at peace.

He’s pretty sure he dreamt for the first time too. No recurring nightmares appearing or dreamless nights where he wakes up groggy, confused and lonely.

He dreamt. He dreamt of him, he dreamt of you. You looked so pretty—you always look pretty. You were smiling, you were laughing all while holding onto his arm and pointing at the sky. The sun was setting; a mixture of yellows, oranges and pinks. It would’ve been a beautiful picture to capture, especially with your silhouette in the shot.

The group were there too, running across that sand barefooted, screaming and shouting as the cold sea came to shore. But he wasn’t focused on them. He has his eyes set on you. 

But, much to his dismay, he wakes up before he can even finish the dream, and he wakes up alone.

His hand runs across the bed, a frown settling on his features at the cold touch of the sheets pricks his fingertips. Jaemin lifts himself up on his elbows as he stares at the empty spot with fuzzy vision, hair sticking in different directions and muscles aching. 

You’ve been out of bed for a while, He thinks while he sits up, sleeping rubbing at his face as he swings his legs over the side of the bed to stand up. He wobbles across his floorboards, blindly reaching in the dark to retrieve a clean pair of shorts to tug them up his legs to cover his modesty, fumbling to get to his bedroom door.

Jaemin steps out into the vacant hallway, squinting at the light that blinds his eyes as he walks towards the bathroom, dripping the doorknob and twisting with a call of your name, fully expecting you to be sitting on the toilet or even in the bathtub as he peers his head inside but grunts as he’s met with complete darkness, and a empty room.

His brows draw together in confusion as he pulls the door shut, turning to look over his shoulder to eye the closed bedroom doors of the other boys, not fully sure if they all came back home last night after they all ventured to the girls apartment.

Jaemin hovers outside of Yangyang’s bedroom, debating whether to open it up and take a quick peek inside to see if, for some reason, you were in there. But he’s met with darkness yet again, and an empty bed. 

He feels a little uncomfortable and majorly confused, flashbacks of waking up alone after his last night with Eunbin before she disappeared repeats in his head and he feels the panic build up in his chest, trying his best to calm his erratic heartbeat as he ventures downstairs and into the kitchen to grab himself a glass of cold water but flinches in shock when he switches on the light and sees Donghyuck sat alone at the kitchen island with his hand shoved in a cereal box.

Jaemin stares at him in bewilderment, “What are you doing?”

“I’m eating” Donghyuck answers simply, giving him an odd look as he shoves another handful of cereal into his mouth before bringing his attention back to his phone that lays across the marble countertop, scrolling through instagram. 

“Where is everyone?”

“Shotaro’s in his room sleeping, Renjun is with Haru and Yangyang and Jeno are walking Y/N back home”

Jaemin does a complete double take. “Walking her home?”

“She said she wasn’t feeling too good when we came in, caught her just by the door… was afraid she was going to throw up or something” Donghyuck explains to Jaemin who grows even more confused. “We were going to call her a cab but she said she wanted some fresh air so Jeno offered to walk her home. Yangyang tagged along because he got worried”

The panic inside of Jaemin builds at the thought of you not feeling okay, trying his hardest to remember how much alcohol you drank a few hours prior just in case you got too drunk, but he knows you didn’t drink that much and you were completely sober when you got back to the house. He then tries to remember if something had happened when the two of you were together in his room and if he had done something wrong or something to hurt you when you had slept together, but nothing comes to mind, he’s stuck. 

Jaemin leaves Donghyuck alone in the kitchen as he runs back upstairs, not bothering to continue on with the conversation as the latter shouts nonsense behind him about what could’ve possibly happened, too busy searching for his phone to call you.

It rings once, twice, three times before it goes to voicemail and Jaemin huffs, tapping the call icon again and sandwiches his phone between his cheek and shoulder to listen to it ring once again as he yanks open his closet in search for some pants and a shirt, desperate to find something to wear so he can head over to your apartment. 

“She’s home safe, you know” A voice interrupts from behind and Jaemin whizzes around to see Jeno standing in the doorway with his hands shoved deep into his pockets, head tilted to the side as he stares with Jaemin with an amused glint in his eyes when he sees the heap of clothes in front of him. “You can calm down”

“Is she sick?” Jaemin asks, pulling the phone away from his ears when it goes to voicemail yet again and he frowns.

“She doesn’t really seem herself,” Jeno admits, pressing his lips together as he figures out how to word his next question. “Did something happen between you both?”

“What? No” Jaemin's eyebrows furrow at that. “We’re fine. We talked when we got home—about the party and whatever. She was going to tell me something but we got carried away… did she say something to you?”

“Not a word” Jeno shakes his head, shifting on his feet as he straightens his back. “I don’t know if you know but Eunbin—”

“Dude, I don’t give a fuck about Eunbin right now” Jaemin cuts Jeno off with a deep sigh, his arms falling to his sides in exhaustion and annoyance. “Ever since she came back, all you guys have been doing is throwing her name around and shoving conversations about her in my face… I don’t care about Eunbin”

“Funny” Jeno scoffs, his tongue prodding at his cheek as he rips his hands out of his pockets to curl his fist around Jaemin’s bedroom door handle. “For someone that claims they don’t give a fuck about Eunbin, you sure hang out with her a lot”

Jaemin grits his teeth, “You know it’s not like that”

Jeno’s brows raise at that, “Do I?” And with that, Jeno slams the door shut, leaving Jaemin alone in his room with his thoughts.

 Walking out and ignoring Jaemin after spending the night with him is probably one of the stupidest decisions you have ever made, and you have made a few. 

A big part of you wanted to stay—to blurt out your full feelings and admit that you have grown to like him in a way you promised not to, but the conversation with Eunbin and lying about how there were no feelings involved weighed heavily on your chest and you felt guilty.

You felt guilty for lying, guilty for sleeping with him after telling Eunbin that you’d stop, guilty for leaving the second he fell into a deep sleep, guilty for not being selfish and getting what you want. 

But, as always, you’ve never been selfish. You’ve always been selfless, you like making other people happy even if it means hurting yourself. It’s a flaw that the girls have grilled you for more times than you can possibly count. 

You never learn, you never listen.

When Yangyang and Jeno walked you home that night, you could feel their curious and doubtful gazes on the side of your head, desperate to ask what was actually wrong and why you decided to leave early, clearly not taking the ‘I’m sick’ comment as an excuse. You hate how well they know you, but you were grateful they didn’t push for a real answer, there was no way you could be honest to them about what happened at the party. 

“What’s wrong?” Miwoo questions you the next morning at breakfast and you feel your shoulders slump. Miwoo, on the other hand, pushes for the answer while Haru observes, staring at you until you break yourself. This is not what you need. “You’ve been weird since you got home late last night”

“Hungover” You simply lie, twirling your spoon around the cereal bowl. “I drank too much”

Miwoo scoffs at that, “You hardly drank”

“I agree” Haru chimes in softly, watching you over the rim of her coffee as she takes a sip. 

“Nothings wrong,” You tell them.

“Okay”

“Stop it” You warn, pointing your spoon in Haru’s direction menacingly as if it will help, not appreciating the way the corners of her lips lift up in amusement. “I don’t like it when you assess me with your eyes, makes me feel nervous”

Miwoo grins, leaning on her elbow smugly. “Why would you be nervous if there’s nothing wrong?”

You huff in frustration, sliding down in your seat with a frown as you shove a spoonful of cereal in your mouth to not utter a single word to them, casting your eyes down to your bowl as they stare into you, waiting for you to crack. 

You hold your ground, refusing to make eye contact with any of them as you continue eating your breakfast but the quietness that surrounds you three with the occasional crunch of cereal and sip of coffee makes you feel like you’re losing your mind.

“Fine” You immediately crack, your spoon clanging against the bowl as you drop it, crossing your arms over your chest as you turn your head towards Miwoo. “I’ll speak if you tell us why you’re spending so much time with Sunwoo”

Miwoo gasps, palm of her hand slapping against her chest in shock. “Don’t turn this on me”

Haru slowly cranes her head to Miwoo almost comically. “Interesting”

“I saw you talk to him last night so I’m sure he spilled on what I asked from him” Miwoo tuts with a shake of her head. “I just wanted to have some fun and Sunwoo carries a lot of the fun. He didn’t give me anything, but I did sit down with him for like an hour and talked… It was strange, a good strange” 

You stare at her quizzically as you ask, “Do you like him?”

Miwoo snorts. “No. Since breaking up with Jeno, I’m done with relationships for now. I don’t need them”

“But?”

“But I like to think as myself as ‘sex positive’ so if the opportunity comes around where I can get dicked down then—”

“Okay, your turn” Haru cuts her off as she directs the conversation towards you, staring at you expectedly and you mentally groan, biting down on your inner cheek for even agreeing to spill the truth if Miwoo did first.

Honestly, you didn’t think Miwoo would actually talk about Sunwoo. You expected her to change the topic, to talk about something else like she usually does but of course, with just your luck, she was honest.

You sigh deeply, clearly a little frustrated and annoyed but you know your friends mean well. They’re curious—worried—about your sudden mood drop and how weird you’ve been acting since last night. They’re looking out for you, they care.

“I think I’m going to stop sleeping around with Jaemin” Your confession makes the girls freeze in confusion and shock, staring at you across the table and silently pleading for you to continue and explain. “I just thought that maybe it’s been going on for too long, you know”

Haru gives you a disappointed look, “You didn’t talk to him, did you?”

“I couldn’t” You shake your head, knowing what she’s hinting at. Your feelings towards Jaemin. “I couldn’t do it”

“Talk to him about what? How much you like him?” Miwoo asks nonchalantly as she takes a sip of her juice and your head snaps towards Haru for outing you out but she shakes her head, putting her hands up in defence and Miwoo snickers softly, “I figured it out. I’ve known for a while. I was just waiting for you to admit it out loud”

You frown deeply, “Is it that obvious?”

“Not really” Miwoo hums before sending you a smile, “I just know you. You're one of my best friends”

You blink at her sudden kindness, “Well that’s sweet”

Miwoo shrugs her shoulders with a smug grin as she leans back comfortably in her seat, “I try sometimes”

“I still think you should talk to him” Haru brings up the topic once again and your stomach flips with anxiety, a weight laying heavy on your chest. “You won’t know if he feels the same unless you talk to him about it”

“What if talking about it makes it worse?” You ask, voicing your fears with a shaken tone. “What if I’m standing there—blurting out my entire feelings and telling him that I broke the most important rule we made and then he rejects me or something?

“Rejection happens” Haru tells you quietly, giving you a small but tight lipped smile that does nothing to calm your nerves. “Rejection is a part of life. Sometimes it’s unavoidable, sometimes it’s not, but it happens. I think rejection helps us grow too. Sure, it fucking sucks but it’s a pain that will be forgotten in the long run. It’ll be okay”

“Also, there would be something seriously wrong with him if he rejected you” Miwoo chimes in, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively at you from across the table. “I’d date you if you confess your undying love to me”

You can’t help but smile in amusement at that, the corner of your lips twitching upwards. “Thanks, Miwoo”

Maybe you should’ve been completely honest to the girls on why you wanted to stop sleeping with Jaemin, and although you did admit a few of your worries like rejection and heartache, the thought of what Eunbin had asked of you left a bitter taste in your mouth.

You did weigh the pros and cons when you were alone in your room getting ready for the day. The pros being that they would have comforted you to the extreme, perhaps maybe even talked some sense into you and told you that it’s okay to be selfish every once in a while. 

The cons felt heavier, intense. They would have gotten mad, at you and definitely at Eunbin. Haru has always been silent but deadly with her anger while Miwoo has, without a doubt, been more physical and verbal. She would get her hands dirty if someone had hurt you, Haru or anybody she cared about, even herself. 

You didn’t want to cause a fight, that would be a little too dramatic.

You lean back in your chair at the library with a sigh, stretching out the aching muscles in your back and arms before placing down your pen and flexing out your fingers, the numbing sensation spreading to the tips, having been holding your pen in the same position for so long left a dull throbbing in your hand.

The heaps of notes, books and Donghyuck’s laptop that you borrowed from him once again splayed out in front of you proves how long you’ve been studying inside the library, and you mentally curse at yourself for spending your free period cramming all your work into one instead of grabbing a coffee with the others.

But you had your reasons.

A stack of books slam down on the desk in front of you and you jump in fright at the sudden noise, eyes widening in shock as your head snaps up to the culprit, ignoring the sounds of other students around you shushing you or warning you to be quiet as you see Jeno.

Usually, you would’ve scoffed and calmed down once settling your attention on Jeno, but with his jaw clenched and dark eyes staring at you through the messy strands that fall in front of his face, it’s hard for you to calm down. In fact, it makes you feel more scared. 

“Why are you ignoring Jaemin?”

“I’m not!!” You splutter, shaking your head. You are. “Keep your noise down, we’re in a library”

“I don’t care about the library” Jeno scoffs, pulling out the chair vacant opposite you and making himself comfortable, crossing his arms over his chest as he stares at you expectedly. “Why are you ignoring Jaemin?”

“I told you, I’m not” You lie, gesturing towards the mess in front of you. “I’ve been busy with my assessments. The college life is stressful, you know”

“So it has nothing to do with the conversation you had with Eunbin?” That throws you for a loop and your lips press together tightly, unable to control the emotions that are easily now written upon your face and Jeno sighs, dropping his head low with a shake before looking back up at you. “What happened?”

“Nothing—”

“Come on, you know you can’t lie to me,” Jeno says with a teasing smile. “Talk to me. I promise I won’t tell a soul” You give him a disbelieving look, “Okay, depends on what is it because sometimes I can’t keep my mouth shut when talking to Donghyuck—”

“Jeno” You cut him off with a frustrated sigh, rubbing your hand across your forehead at the headache that forms. Jeno frowns deeply at you, his efforts of making you laugh and crack a smile fails him, letting him know that whatever happened between you and Eunbin must’ve been serious. 

He calls your name softly and your hand drops to your lap as you gaze up at him, hating how worryingly he’s looking at you right now but you bite back any comment you want to make, swallowing thickly before you begin to talk again.

“I don’t want to continue being official and sleeping with Jaemin anymore” You admit, the heavy weight laying on your chest once again as Jeno’s eyebrows raise in shock. “I have been avoiding him… but that’s because I’m nervous to have the conversation with him. I’m making it worse”

Jeno’s quiet as he mumbles, “How come?”

“Feels like it’s gotten a little out of hand” You laugh softly, embarrassment filling your tone as you stare awkwardly at your fidgeting hands. “Rules were broken—important rules. I ended up breaking the main one”

Jeno takes a moment to register what you had just admitted, remembering the five rules Jaemin had told him during the early stages of your friends with benefits situation, and everything slowly begins to sink in, a genuine smile threatening to spill onto his lips as he stares at you, “You like him”

You nod quickly, feeling awkward and embarrassed for admitting something to someone like Jeno: Jaemin’s ultimate best friend. You feel a little stupid too, but you push down all regrets and worries as you mutter, “But I can’t like him”

Jeno’s eyebrows furrow, confused. “Why not?”

You finally meet his eyes across the table, giving him a tight lipped smile as the words pour from your lips. “Because Eunbin likes him too”

Jeno promised he wouldn’t tell anyone about your conversation with Eunbin after he made you explain everything in detail, wrapping his pinky tightly around yours to seal off the promise. 

The look of anger and annoyance written across his features worried you a little and at some point you were afraid he was about to burst and curse up a storm, but he kept his cool (much to your surprise) despite his facial expressions giving away exactly what he was thinking.

He accompanies you for his entire free period despite you telling him that you’re fine without the company but he ignores you as he pulls his phone out of his pocket, kicking his feet up on the empty chair beside him as he mindlessly scrolls. You scoff as you catch him glancing over at you from time to time. 

Jeno also decides to come with you when Donghyuck demands his laptop back when he and the others return from getting coffee, sending you an interesting text with a bunch of emojis and light-hearted threats if you don’t return his ‘prized possession’ back in one piece. 

You walk side by side with Jeno now, heading towards the outside grounds where you know the others will be waiting for your arrival and you grow a little nervous when you think about Jaemin. Would he be there? Did he have a free period to go and get coffee too? Or would he stay behind and catch up on his own work?

The questions leave you dizzy and annoyed, huffing at your thoughts which easily catches Jeno’s attention and he gives you a kind smile, reaching his hand up to your shoulder to dig his fingers into the pressure points, causing you to wince upon his first touch but slowly relax in complete bliss as you feel the tension slip away. 

You give him a dumb grin to which he snorts at.

“Hey” A familiar voice calls out and you crane your neck to the side, the grin slowly slipping from your lips as you see Jaemin emerge from a class with Junghoon, who you’ve grown to learn is his nosey seatmate, by his side. It seems like your questions are answered. He did stay.

Jaemin eyes the way Jeno’s fingers are dug into your shoulders, brow twitching upwards in question when he watches his hands slowly trail down your arm and drop to his sides casually, giving Jaemin a smile that, for once, Jaemin didn’t bother giving back.

Your mouth feels dry upon seeing Jaemin, unable to come up with a simple greeting when he makes his way towards you, but he stops abruptly when Junghoon tumbles into him and apologises profusely when he steps on the back of Jaemin’s shoe, yet Jaemin pays no mind to the small accident and instead swats Junghoon away when it dawns on him that he’s trying to follow behind.

Junghoon’s mouth drops open in offence, spinning around on his heel with a scoff and disappearing into the crowd, but not before giving you a wave to which you felt obliged to return and your hand falls to your side when Jaemin brings his attention back to you. 

“Hey” He greets you casually, but his brows pull together in concern as his eyes take you in, roaming your face with curiosity. “Are you okay? I’ve been trying to call you but… it kept going straight to voicemail”

“Yeah, sorry” You apologise, the guilt immediately eating you up and you struggle to look him in the eyes even when he tries so hard to meet yours. “I wasn’t feeling too great and then I had assessments from Professor Moon, I just—” You gulp. “I’ve been busy”

“Are you feeling better now?” Jaemin asks you and you nod quickly, but abruptly stop when he asks the next question, “Are you still busy now?”

“I, well…” You pause, staring down at Donghyuck’s laptop in your hands before looking back up at him. “I have to give this to Donghyuck—”

“Jeno can give it back” Jaemin tells you, not even sparing a glance at Jeno who’s been silently watching the interaction this entire time, his hands shoved deep into his jean pockets with his jaw locked. You’re unsure of what to say back, but the urge to make up a lame excuse on why you should be the one to give Donghyuck his laptop back lays on the tip of your tongue. “I want to talk to you, alone”

You’re about to decline, to follow along with your excuse until you hear the faint ‘please’ that leaves his lips when you take a second too long to answer him. It leaves you crumbling, the walls that you’ve built up fall down just from that word and the tone that was used.

You hate how weak he makes you feel and you mentally scold yourself when you hand the laptop over to Jeno who’s already staring at you, trying to communicate with you through subtle glances but you simply nod at him to tell him that everything was okay, and maybe this could be your chance to end things with Jaemin once and for all.

Jeno bids you both a silent goodbye, giving one last look at Jaemin and Jaemin holds eye contact with him for a few moments before dropping his head low as he remembers the small dispute the pair had regarding himself and Eunbin—but Jaemin didn’t care about that right now, not when he finally has you here in person.

He offers his hand out for you to take and you feel a little dumb staring at it, debating in your head whether to hold it or not. You really want to hold his hand, to feel his warmth against your skin and get that comfort you’ve been yearning for, yet the guilt is quick to rise and the conversation with Eunbin comes to mind. You can’t take his hand.

But yet, you do. 

Your fingers slide through his before you can even register you’re doing it and the squeeze he gives your hand is enough to pull you out of your thoughts that swarm your head. You allow him to take you wherever he wants to go to talk to you alone and the anxiety that surges through your veins at the lingering eyes of others causes you to drop your head low to avoid their stares, especially Mia’s who watches with her arms crossed tightly over her chest and her jaw clenched. 

“What’s going on?” Jaemin asks the question you have been dreading and the silence that fills the empty classroom he had pulled you inside for your one-on-one talk makes you feel uncomfortable, and a little nervous. 

You have no idea how to even talk to him, let alone start the conversation of ending whatever it is you both have. A friends with benefits situation, an official one. That’s all it has ever been. Your stomach twists and turns at that, refusing to make eye contact with him as you look elsewhere, focussing on a board with scribbles from its previous class.

Jaemin calls out your name softly and you almost jump when you feel the palm of his hands cup your cheeks to turn your attention on him, and your heart drops plummets in your stomach. The desperate look in his eyes, the curiosity—the worry—it makes you feel sick.

“I know you said you’ve been busy… but it kinda feels like you’ve been avoiding me” Jaemin laughs lightly despite the crushed tone, his thumbs caressing your cheekbones as his lips press together with a sigh. “Please talk to me”

“Jaemin, I—” You wanted to scream when you heard his phone shrill loudly in his pocket, ruining your chance to explain what was going on. Maybe it was a good thing you were getting interrupted, you weren’t exactly ready to end whatever you both had and truthfully, you didn’t want to.

Although you grow confused when Jaemin allows his phone to continuously ring, not bothering to check the caller ID and answer it as his attention is focused on nothing but you. You would’ve been entirely grateful if this was under a different circumstance, recalling the amount of times he’s answered the phone when you were together but you couldn’t ignore it, not with that annoying ringtone. 

Slipping your hand into his jean pockets, you fish out his phone and you barely bite back a scoff when you see Eunbin’s caller ID. You’re shocked at your complete 180 in attitude, being so used to feeling guilty and ashamed when being in Jaemin’s presence with Eunbin’s name running in your mind, but now you feel annoyed—resentful even.

“You should answer it”

“I don’t want to,” Jaemin immediately says.

“It hasn’t stopped you before” You bite back before you can stop yourself, your bitter tone catching Jaemin off guard and you sigh, closing your eyes in defeat. “I’m sorry—”

“Did she say something to you?” It was your turn to be caught off guard, your eyes snapping open to stare at Jaemin who’s hands drop to his side, head tilting to the side quizzically. 

Jaemin remembered his brief encounter with Jeno during the night you left, how Jeno had brought up Eunbin’s name but Jaemin was quick to shut it down, not wanting to know anything or even hear anything about his ex-girlfriend. 

But he can’t help but piece two and two together: you have been acting weird since Eunbin’s welcome home party and he’s almost certain he saw you and Eunbin together before he was pushed inside of her home by others who attended the party.

Instead of answering him like he wishes you would’ve, you look down at his phone in your hands and slide your finger across the answer button, shoving his phone in his grasp with force and collecting your belongings to leave him alone once again.

A gasp flies from your lips as you feel Jaemin’s fingers wrap around your wrist and tug you back to him, and you almost trip over your own feet if it wasn’t for his tight grip to keep you steady, staring at him in complete shock as he stares back with a unreadable expression on his face.

You hear Eunbin’s voice call out his name from the speaker: asking if he’s there, asking if he can hear her and what he’s doing, but he remains silent with his attention, yet again, focused on you and it makes your heart pound loudly in your ears. 

Your thoughts ramble together, unable to even come up with a clear thought to get you out of this situation. Instead, you do what you know best. 

You kiss him.

You don’t know why you kissed him, you don’t really know what brought on the urge to do so but you did. With your arms wrapped around his shoulders, fingers curled around the hair at the nape of his neck, chest pressed against his, you kissed him hungrily—desperately.

It’s when you feel Jaemin respond to the kiss, letting his phone drop to the ground as his hands come up to rest on your waist that you realise what you’re doing and you recoil back in shock, eyes wide as you stare between him and his phone on the ground, baffled at what you just done.

Jaemin tries to reach back out to you, to bring you back to him and to kiss you again but you refuse, muttering a small apology as you finally gather your things and leave him once again.

It’s been two weeks since Jaemin last interacted with you in the classroom. 

There’s been brief moments where he encountered you with the group, but it’s obvious now when you avoid his gaze or make up some excuse to go somewhere else or that you’re busy, and Jaemin is tired.

What makes it worse is that it seems everyone else around him is knowing what's going on while he’s left alone in the dark to figure it out himself. It makes him upset, even though he’d never admit it out loud to anyone. 

It makes him upset to see you avoid him so quickly, to refuse to meet up with him alone or to talk to him. He’s tried calling you, he’s tried texting you—hell, he’s even tried to talk to Haru and Miwoo who give him nothing in return but a sharp look or disappointing gaze.

He’s sick of it.

Jaemin’s not sick of you, he doesn’t think he could be ever sick of you. He’s sick of the hushed whispers he hears from the group, how they refuse to tell him what’s going on. He’s sick of the looks he gets from them whenever Eunbin makes a sudden appearance to talk to him, whether it’ll be through a phone call or in person. 

He knows Eunbin’s trying to get on good terms with him, to rebuild a friendship with him while she’s back. Some part of him admires Eunbin for her efforts as Jaemin doesn’t bother giving anything back apart from some half-hearted replies or sounds of acknowledgement when she says something to him, but the other part of him is annoyed at how she can pretend that nothing ever happened and that because he forgave her for his closure, Eunbin thinks it’s fine to worm her way back into his life with his friends (who clearly hate her). 

Jaemin feels conflicted. He hates awkwardness and he hates the tension, and he’s not the best when it comes to uncomfortable situations. He can, however, have his moments when it comes to other people. He doesn’t mind being confrontational if it helps the other person, but when it comes to himself he would avoid it at all costs. 

He wouldn’t admit it out loud but he wants his friends to be happy and he most importantly wants you to be happy. Eunbin? He ponders her name for a moment, tongue prodding at his cheek as he stares at his blank computer screen. Eunbin is not his priority. He doesn’t really care about Eunbin’s happiness.

So why was he trying so hard to keep the peace on both ends? Jaemin grows frustrated again, trying his best to clear his thoughts as he busies himself with his computer, editing a picture he had taken of Shotaro recently but he gets distracted when he hears his phone vibrate relentlessly on his desk and he picks it up, brows pulling together as he sees the main groupchat is active. 

[ 𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗨'𝗦 𝗦𝗨𝗚𝗔𝗥 𝗕𝗔𝗕𝗜𝗘𝗦 — 𝗚𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗣𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗧 ]

donghyuck: sunwoos having a party tonight donghyuck: he invited all of us and said he’s got the goods covered donghyuck: i think i love him a lil 

yangyang: i’m down [donghyuck hearted this message]

renjun: who the fuck changed the groupchat name.

miwoo: me❤️

renjun: change it back.

yangyang: 🗣️rare sight of renjun getting overprotective over his gf 🗣️

donghyuck: i screenshot already👍 [yangyang liked this message] [renjun disliked this message]

miwoo: haru is the only one with a big bank account tho bc she works miwoo: its fitting dont u think????

donghyuck: idkkk donghyuck: just wait until me n jeno start our onlyfans account

jeno: 🤨

yangyang: wait hyuck why not ask m e????

donghyuck: no offence but jeno would bring in the views

yangyang: you right you right 

jeno: anyway jeno: im down for the party jeno: haven’t had one in a while

renjun: you had one last weekend.

yangyang: we literally hosted a party last weekend????

donghyuck: did you get so fucked up you forgot we had one last weekend???

jeno: shut up jeno: are we all going or not [yangyang, donghyuck and miwoo liked this message] jeno: what abt renjun, haru, shotaro, yn & jaemin???

miwoo: renjun goes if haru goes miwoo: and shotaro goes if renjun and haru goes [donghyuck questioned this message]

donghyuck: uh no donghyuck: shotaro goes if ME and YANG go

miwoo: idk abt that :/

shotaro: i go if you all go :)

donghyuck: i love you

haru: me and renjun can’t go tonight, we’re packing for our weekend trip

miwoo: THE FCK??? 🤨🤨🤨 miwoo: WHAT WEEKEND TRIP???? miwoo: and without me???

you: haru and renjun have planned this trip for like weeks, that’s why haru asked for more shifts at work [haru hearted this message] [renjun liked this message]

renjun: at least someone listens.

donghyuck: wait what teh fuck

miwoo: thats what im SAYING

donghyuck: what happened to group trips </3 do we not do those anymore </3 

miwoo: ^ ^ ^

donghyuck: this friday is the worst friday to have ever friday [miwoo emphasised this message]

shotaro: is this our first time seeing miwoo and hyuck agree on something?? [donghyuck and miwoo disliked this message] shotaro: sorry.

yangyang: where are u guys going??

renjun: none of your business.

haru: rented out a beach house!

donghyuck: BEACH TRIPS ARE OUR THING!!!!!???

miwoo: how are me and yn going to survive without haru miwoo: i feel so lonely already </3

haru: i’ll be gone for three days…

miwoo: and??? miwoo: do u know how long that is????

yangyang: 3 days lol [miwoo disliked this message]

donghyuck: 3 days??? [miwoo disliked this message]

renjun: 3 days. [miwoo disliked this message]

miwoo: ok stfu

jeno: we’re getting side tracked. jeno: yn? jaemin? party??? 

you: idk you: i’ll think abt it

yangyang: thats a yes yangyang: because i’ll be dragging ur ass out

donghyuck: me too ;)

jeno: jae??

jaemin: no.

And with that, Jaemin shuts off his phone and drops it beside him on his desk, leaning back in his chair with his head in his hands, rubbing at his face in frustration as his chest tightens with an uncomfortable feeling. He hates this.

“Don’t take this the wrong way but, why are you even here right now?” Haru questions you with a quick glance over her shoulder as she restocks the vinyls, rearranging them in alphabetical order for Johnny’s liking.

She spins to face Renjun for a brief moment with a grin, holding up a vinyl with the words ‘COLOURFUL TRAUMA’ scrawled across the front in block letters and Renjun nods, opening up his little ‘misfits’ tote bag and allowing her to shove the vinyl inside for later purchase. 

“Can’t I just come visit you at work?” You question back, finding offence as you frown at her. Your arms cross over your chest as you lean against a pillar, raising a brow in her direction. “Is it wrong for me to want to hang out with you?”

Renjun scoffs, “You’re so dramatic” You retaliate by throwing up your middle finger and Renjun does the same with a smile, causing Haru to give you both a pointed look, clearly unimpressed with your attitudes towards each other.

“I think you’re stalling” Haru tells you, turning back to the vinyls. “He’s not going tonight, you know. Ditch the party and actually talk to him… avoiding him isn’t going to make either of you feel better”

“I can’t bring myself to do it” You admit, staring down at your shoes in disappointment. “I don’t want to end whatever we have for my benefit… but not only do I not know how he feels about me, I have Eunbin waiting to make her move and get her second chance”

“Eunbin doesn’t deserve a second chance” Renjun says, causing you to look at him. “And honestly? I don’t think Jaemin is dumb enough to give her a second chance. At this point she’s just making a complete fool out of herself”

Your lips curl into a frown, “Doesn’t that mean technically that I’m making a complete fool out of myself too?”

Haru turns her head towards you abruptly, “What makes you say that?”

“Think about it,” You start, uncrossing your arms to count off your fingers. “I’ve fallen for him without knowing how he feels about me. I broke the most important rule we had made which, shocker, is the don't fall for each other rule. I’m practically stalling everything just so I don’t have that conversation with him and potentially lose him… I’m a fool”

“You’re just scared—”

You blink at Haru, “That makes me feel so much worse”

“It’s okay to be scared, you know” Renjun speaks this time and you’re surprised by his soft and caring tone, eyes wide as you look over at him. Renjun rolls his eyes at your expression, “I can be nice sometimes”

“Yeah, and it’s creepy” You tell him, causing Renjun to scoff and Haru to laugh at her boyfriend, patting him on the shoulder before resuming in her work. “I know it’s okay to be scared, by the way… I just hate feeling it and I want to get rid of it. I wish I could pull an Eunbin and leave on a trip”

Haru sucks through her teeth, gently whacking you on top of the head with a vinyl. “Don’t use that writing trip as an escape”

Renjun snorts at your choice of words, “Pull an Eunbin”

“It was a joke” You tell her, rubbing the top of your head despite it not actually hurting you. “I have been thinking about it though. Professor Moon asks me about it from time to time, and I still have Mr Nakamoto’s details on a note somewhere in the bottom of my bag”

“Go on the trip if it’s something you really want, but don’t go on the trip if you’re using it as an escape route to avoid Jaemin” Haru gives you a hard look and you’re a little startled, not expecting her to give you that type of expression. “You’ll be worse than Eunbin if you do that”

Renjun spares you a quick glance, “Don’t be Eunbin”

You frown at that, the thought of becoming something like her leaving an uncomfortable feeling on your chest. You regret the joke you made moments prior about pulling an Eunbin and leaving—you’d never do something like that, that would be the last thing you’d do. Jaemin would, truthfully, be one of the first people you’d tell if you decided to go on the trip, remembering how excited he was for you when you first mentioned it to him. 

You wouldn’t do that to him—you wouldn’t leave without telling him, no matter what type of situation you’re both in.

“Do you want a job or something?” The sudden but familiar voice causes you to slowly turn around on your heel, eyes zoning in on Johnny who’s standing behind you with a pudding cup in hand and a spoon in the other, staring at you with a deadpan expression as he raises his spoon to his mouth.

“What?”

“You’re here all the time.” Johnny points out, the corner of his lips subtly twitching which gives you the impression he’s teasing you. “Do you want a job or something? Help organise the shelves? Be my assistant?”

“Fuck off, Johnny”

“Are you really going on a trip?” Miwoo frowns, sitting on the edge of Haru’s bed as she watches her pack her final belongings for the weekend getaway. 

When Haru had finished her shift this evening, she rushed home with you to pack while you had to shower and get ready for Sunwoo’s party. (Miwoo’s orders. You didn’t feel like crossing Miwoo today.)

You’re prettied up alongside Miwoo, wearing your favourite outfit along with some silver jewellery and heavy makeup that you think definitely pulls the look in all together—you praise Miwoo for her talents. And despite not wanting to go in the first place, you have to admit that you feel much better after seeing your reflection. 

“Yes, I’m really going on this trip,” Haru tells her as she’s shoving some hygiene products into her bag. “Why do you keep asking me?”

“The longest I’ve been without you is five hours,” Miwoo explains. “You’re going for three days—how am I going to cope?”

Haru snorts, “Mi—”

“No, seriously. What should I do?” Miwoo deadpans. “You’re, like, my anchor. What am I going to do?”

“It’s three days” Haru repeats to her as she places a comforting hand on Miwoo’s shoulder and gives her a warm smile. “You’ll be fine… plus, you can just call me if you want”

“Everyday?”

Haru gives her a look, “Don’t push it”

“Worth a shot” Miwoo grins before she shoots up from Haru’s bed, quickly excusing herself to retrieve something for her as she dashes out of the room. You snort at her behaviour, turning your head to look at Haru who seems a little uneasy and bothered, it makes you frown.

“Can you do me a favour?” Haru asks you before you can even get the chance to question what was wrong, but you nod anyway. “Keep an eye on Miwoo”

“I mean, I will, but,” You pause, brows pulling together. “Why?”

“She spoke to me last night about some stuff—well, she hinted towards some things about herself and about Jeno. How weird and lost she feels, how different things seem to be without having Jeno there in her life as a boyfriend” Haru explains to you quietly, keeping her voice low and glancing towards her bedroom door to make sure Miwoo wasn’t returning back yet. “Don’t get me wrong, Miwoo can be independent… but I think she also depended on Jeno a lot in some weird sense. I know that people called us the trio, but—”

“It was always Jeno and Miwoo” You finish and Haru nods with a gentle hum, confirming you were right. “I’ll keep an eye on her… I’ll try and talk to her too”

Haru laughs softly, “Good luck with that, Miwoo doesn’t open up easily”

“Found it~” Miwoo sings happily from the hallway as she comes bounding back into Haru’s room, holding something in her hand. 

You watch as she excitingly hands the box over to Haru who looks at it sceptical before unwrapping the pink ribbon from around the box, sliding the top off before slamming it back on with a shocked expression, eyes wide as she stares over at Miwoo who grins.

You’re curious to know what’s inside the box, fingers itching to reach out and see why Haru had caused such a reaction but before you could even get a chance to question it, Haru’s already reacting once again. 

“You’re crazy. You’re insane… how did you even find this?”

“I’ve very persuasive” Miwoo’s grin widens as she settles down on the bed beside you. “Surprisingly had a little help from Sunwoo too—He knew a few people and luckily I’m good at getting what I want”

“Miwoo…” Haru whines with a pout, dropping the box on the bed and launching herself at Miwoo who happily welcomes her with open arms, squeezing her tightly to her chest with a joyful giggle as Haru embraces her while muttering gibberish under her breath.

Feeling left out, you immediately reach for the box and take a peek inside, instantly making a noise of recognition as you see the sage green mesh dress that’s been sitting in Haru’s wishlist for a few months, knowing how badly Haru was wanting the pretty dress and even saving up for it alongside her savings for her weekend vacation away with Renjun. 

You immediately awe out loud, looking over at Miwoo who is beaming with happiness, wrapping her limbs awkwardly around Haru who tries to free herself this time, pinching Miwoo’s thighs in an attempt to force her to let her go and Miwoo’s reluctantly frees her when she squeezes a little too hard.

“I want to hit you for buying this but I also want to kiss you” Miwoo immediately puckers her lips as that confession but Haru places the palm over her hand over her face. “How did you have the money to buy this? Do you realise how expensive it is?”

“I told you. Sunwoo knows people and I’m good at getting what I want” Miwoo explains as she pushes Haru’s hand away. “But if you want the full details… We all know Sunwoo’s parents are rich so they’re involved with a lot of people. When I met up with him for a smoke, he told me that one of the girls he plugs for owns a family boutique. She owed him for the last ‘service’ so I asked if I could get the dress”

“I’m pretty sure this dress costs more than Sunwoo’s goods”

“I don’t know about that…” You pitch in this time, looking between Haru and Miwoo. “Sunwoo does sell some high quality shit. That’s why he’s so popular”

Miwoo clicks her fingers at you, “Exactly”

“When I come back from vacation, I hope you realise I’m paying you everything back”

“Shut up” Miwoo scoffs, shaking her head while gently glaring at Haru before her lips curl into a smile. “You can pay me back by never leaving me again” Haru gives her a blank look to which Miwoo shrugs her shoulders innocently, the smile dropping from her face. “No, I'm serious. I get separation anxiety”

Standing in Sunwoo’s kitchen with him on your one side with Miwoo on the other wasn’t exactly in your plans for this party, nor was striking up a conversation with him as he sits upon the countertop while rolling a joint expertly between his fingers, selling them to people who strolled by and shoved money in his hands. 

You almost snorted when you first witnessed him alone, emoji stickers plastered across his face and glasses hanging off the bridge of his nose and you dared to ask why he was covered in such things, only prompting an actual laugh out of you when he said some girls stuck them on his face as a thank you gift for hosting a party. 

But you immediately stop laughing and stare at him unimpressed as he pulls a lips emoji sticker off his cheek to put it on your own, patting the area softly with a sluggish grin before peeling a devil emoji off his glasses and pressing it in the middle of Miwoo’s forehead, causing her to drunkenly grin as she pulls out her phone to take a picture of you three.

“You know,” Sunwoo begins as he rolls another joint, taking a quick glance at you. “As much as I love you hanging out with me right now, Eric is upstairs. He’s going to come find me soon and if you still want to ignore him, now’s your best chance to go find your friends”

“Thanks for the heads up” You tell him appreciatively, shocked that he’s even letting you know about Eric’s whereabouts. You look over at Miwoo, “I’m gonna go find Shotaro—”

“I think you should talk to him though”

Your head snaps towards him, and so does Miwoo’s.

“I’m not saying you should forgive him” Sunwoo adds as he studies your face. “I’m saying you’re going to end up spending the majority of your life trying to avoid him, making things harder and awkward for yourself. Just talk to him—tell him how he made you feel, hear whatever he has to say back, decide whether he deserves forgiveness or not and get your closure”

Closure. That word leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. Seeing firsthand how Jaemin’s closure has worked out between him and Eunbin, how Eunbin has easily wormed her way back into his life as if nothing happened… you don’t want to go down that path, you refuse, especially with Eric. 

You can’t. 

“I’ll pass” You grab your drink and leave the kitchen, pushing your way through the crowd of sweaty bodies who grind upon each other, allowing the music to take over their rhythm. 

You decline when a girl from your class taps your arm to come join her and her little group, pointing to your cup to subtly tell her you want to finish your drink first and she nods, allowing you to slip by and continue on walking. 

Shotaro is the first person you see and a genuine smile spreads across your lips when you see him talking with Yeji in the far corner of the room, how his cheeks bloom a slight shade of red as her hand caresses the bruise on his face, courtesy of Hyunjin’s punch. 

(You even fight the urge to awe out loud when she leans over to kiss it.)

Not wanting to interrupt their moment, you venture out to find Donghyuck or Yangyang instead, maybe even Jeno if you’re lucky. But, much to your dismay, you can’t find them anywhere and you feel a little silly being left alone.

You’re starting to miss Haru and Renjun, maybe even Jaemin too. 

You exhale deeply and tug your phone out of your pocket as you make your way out to the backyard, eyeing the couples that kiss in the pool and others who cannonball in, three drunk guys sitting on the sidelines scoring them.

Sitting yourself down on an empty garden chair, you sip your beer as you scroll through your phone, hearting Haru and Renjun’s posts on Instagram as they posted that they finally arrived at their destination, leaving a small comment for them to have fun and stay safe to which she, and Renjun too (shockingly), replied back with heart emojis.

You continue to scroll mindlessly, liking other posts from mutuals and you snort when seeing an old post of Yangyang but you feel your chest tighten and your amusement drop when you see a recent post of Jaemin’s, thumb hovering over the heart button. 

‘Taken with my favourite polaroid’, the caption reads and you sigh softly, pressing your lips together. It’s the polaroid you bought him, the one he hasn’t stopped using since you gifted it to him. 

You’d be lying if you said that the caption didn’t affect you, leaving your heart warm and fuzzy. And you’re not sure what pushed you to do it but you tap the comment section of his post, seeing a few comments from his classmates and one that leaves a sour taste in your mouth.

Eunbin.  

She left a smiley face emoji under the photo, a comment that wasn’t liked apart from the others and you begin to wonder if you should comment to, just to test if he would like yours but you figured that would be too toxic and silly, deciding to just heart the photo and continue scrolling but you pause when a notification from Jaemin comes up on your phone the second you heart it, causing your brows to follow as you tap his message.

jaemin: are u at the party?

you: yeah

jaemin: are u drunk?

you: tipsy you: i’ll be fine

jaemin: typing… jaemin: typing… jaemin: typing…

You gnaw at the nail of your thumb, watching the three bubbles on the screen as you wonder what he’s about to say next.

jaemin: stay safe jaemin: i’ll come get u if u need me

Your bottom lip starts to quiver, heart rate increasing as your emotions get the best of you, wanting to spill some tears at a simple and kind message. You shut off your phone, shoving it into your pocket as you bring the beer bottle up to your lips to chug, tears brimming in your eyes and making your vision blurry.

You do need him. You hate to admit it, but you do need him. More than ever. You don’t want to lose him, you don’t want to stop seeing him because of Eunbin wanting a second chance. Maybe you deserve to be a little selfish once in a while

But it dawns on you that you don’t exactly know how Jaemin feels. 

The frustration soon starts to build inside you, realising how secretive and quiet Jaemin is about his feelings, how he doesn’t allow anyone to have a dip inside his head to know what he’s thinking of feeling in that given moment.

You hardly know anything about him, and that’s because he doesn’t let you. 

“There you are” A familiar voice coos from behind you and you peer your head over your shoulder to see Yangyang stumbling towards you, eyes red with a dumb grin and you laugh as he pulls a vacant garden chair beside you to sit down, knocking his shoulder against yours. “I’ve been looking for you”

“Sorry” You mutter, staring down at the almost empty beer bottle in your hands. “I needed fresh air”

“Me too, it was stuffy in there” Yangyang agrees as he mindlessly drums his fingers on his thighs, staring out at the others in the pool. “You missing Haru and Renjun?”

You exhale deeply, “Very”

“Same” He hums, pressing his lips together as he takes a quick glance at you. “Are you missing Jaemin?”

“Just feels different without everyone here” You say, not wanting to jump into full details about how you really are missing Jaemin even if you don’t want to admit it out loud. “I like it when we’re all together”

Yangyang nods slowly to agree with you and silence falls upon you both for a while, basking in each others presence as you watch the other partygoers, some still flinging themselves into the pool or dancing on the well kept grass to the music that plays loudly from the speakers. 

“You look pretty, by the way” Yangyang’s sudden compliment doesn’t surprise you, always have been used to this type of behaviour from him and you roll your eyes as you turn to face him, finally looking straight at him since he first arrived to sit with you and you notice the change in his features, how the grin he had falters into a frown. “Have you been crying?”

You scoff, feeling a little embarrassed. “No”

“Wow…” He gasps dramatically, reaching out to touch your face, his thumb wiping the tears that bubble in the corner of your eyes. “You’re pretty when you cry too? How the fuck is that fair? Hm?” His over the top acting has you struggling to keep your expression stoic. “I look ugly as fuck when I cry… What the hell?”

“Shut up” You crack, a laugh slipping past your lips as you swat his hand away. “Stop it”

“But you are,” Yangyang smiles, dropping his hand from your face to your lap, fingers skimming over your own. He nudges your shoulder gently, “I have this ugly picture of drunk Miwoo crying into a bowl of spaghetti if you want to see it? Surely that would make you feel better, right?”

“You’ve got to stop taking pictures of people drunk”

Yangyang shrugs his shoulders, “Blackmail. You all have photos of me too” He meets your eyes again, turning serious this time. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing—”

“Don’t lie to me” Yangyang cuts you off immediately and this time, he grabs your hand to lace your fingers in a comforting hold. “I know you too well, so don’t lie to me” He squeezes your hand gently. “Tell me”

And you do. You tell him everything.

Everything about Jaemin, everything about Eunbin—even everything about yourself and your feelings, and Yangyang listens to you so intently, concern and sadness written across his features as he nods along with your words.

Yangyang’s chest tightens as he listens to your problems, especially regarding Jaemin as he hears you admit how much you had fallen for him despite it being the number one rule. His heart breaks seeing how sad you are, how the tears threaten to spill again and he wishes he could help make you feel better, to see that smile on your face that he loves so much. 

Love. That word makes him feel a little sick, his stomach swirling uncomfortably at the new and unusual feeling. He’s never loved anyone romantically before, that’s all new and foreign to him. He never expected himself to ever fall in love with someone, especially with how comfortable he is with hook-up culture and how normal is it for him.

Love is scary. It leaves his palms sweaty and he grimaces whenever there’s something romantic happening between him and someone else, which is why he always sets boundaries, boundaries that are not meant to be crossed.

But yet, when it comes to you, maybe love to Yangyang doesn’t sound so bad.

“There’s something I want to tell you…” Yangyang interrupts you, voice soft and timid. Once you look at him, you notice that he’s staring at the ground, refusing to meet your gaze as his fingers timidly place with your own. “It’s important. It’s been on my mind for a while and I… I just need to get it off my chest”

“Okay” You say, nodding your head with a smile despite the anxiety that buzzes through your veins at his unusualness. “What is it?”

“I…” Yangyang suddenly pauses, staring straight at you as you stare back at him, waiting for him to speak. He wants to do it, to tell you everything that he’s been feeling, to finally get it out into the open and be free of all the thoughts inside of his head.

Yangyang has always been honest with his feelings—blunt and straight to the point. He doesn’t beat around the bush when being completely real with someone, so why is he hesitating when he comes to you?

He stares at you a little longer, noticing how red your ears are, how your makeup is slightly smudged from crying, how swollen and bitten your lips are from trying to conceal yourself from any more tears and sadness.

His shoulders sag slightly, exhaling through his nose in defeat as he grips your hand in his own. “I’m proud of you, I always have been. You’re strong and I admire that about you, and I just—” He feels his eyes burn, tears threatening to appear but he holds back with a harsh swallow. “I promise that everything will work out in the end. You’ll be happy… you deserve to be happy. Don’t let anyone, including Eunbin, ruin that for you”

Whatever you were expecting Yangyang to tell you, it definitely wasn’t that. You can’t help but stare at him in shock, taking in his words with a warmth in your chest. You feel emotional and you bite back the urge to make another fool out of yourself by crying but you’re aware of the tears that are already forming in your eyes.

“That was pretty cheesy of you” You joke, unable to hide your smile as a tear drips down your cheek. Yangyang laughs lightly and squeezes your hand once again, using his other hand to wipe the tear away and he caresses your cheek softly, and that’s when you notice the pain in his eyes.

“I love you” He whispers to you so gently that you barely hear him. “You’re my best friend, and I love you”

“I love you too” You repeat back, swatting his hands away so you could lean forwards to embrace him, wrapping your arms around his shoulders as his arms slide around your waist, holding you tightly to his chest with his fingers clutching the back of your dress, not wanting to let you go just yet as the tears freely spill down his cheeks, completely unbeknownst to you.

Jaemin lets out a soft grunt as he raises his arms above his head, bones cracking from the hunched over position he had held for so long over his computer, eager to finish a few photos that were left untouched in his folder, using at as an excuse to get his mind off of everything that was going on. 

He keeps glancing over at his phone, wondering if you would take him up on his offer to help you if you need it, but his mood defleats more and more when it buzzes and your name doesn’t show up on the screen. 

It’s Eunbin’s name that does, asking him if he went to Sunwoo’s party and if he would like to hang out if he didn’t go, wondering if they wanted to go for beers somewhere else or even get a bite to eat.

He ignored every single one, he wasn’t in the mood to do anything but work on his photos and he sure as hell wasn’t in the mood to be around drunk people, apart from you. 

Jaemin sighs as he reaches for his phone, teeth gnawing at his bottom lip as he opens up your chat to see that you’ve left him on read, his fingers tapping anxiously against the sides of his phone.

He wonders if you’ll take him up on his offer if you need someone to come get you and he contemplates on sending another text just to let you know that he was serious about coming to get you if needed, or texting to see if you were still tipsy or getting sober. 

But he decides against it when his phone pings again with another notification from Eunbin and he locks his phone, throwing it back on the desk as he runs his fingers through his hair with a frustrated sigh, pushing his hair out of his eyes as he stares at the computer screen.

Jaemin returns back to his work without another thought, wanting to focus on his main priority of getting this photo done until he hears the front door slam downstairs and his fingers hover above his mouse, listening intently to the sound of someone cursing under their breath as they trip and stumble up the staircase, heading towards the bedrooms. 

He believes it’s Jeno at first, knowing how he likes to go straight up to his room after indulging himself in a few beers and shots, and fall asleep to wake up early in the morning and workout the hangover away. 

But he’s surprised when the door to his own bedroom is forced open to see Yangyang standing in the hallway, swaying side to side slightly with a beer bottle in hand. He leans against the door frame to take a sip of the concoction, eyeing Jaemin who stares back unamused.

“What have you done?” Yangyang suddenly asks him and Jaemin is slightly taken back by the question, but he doesn’t show it, opting to just glare at him and he takes note of how glossy his eyes are. It makes Jaemin’s brows furrow when he realises he must’ve been crying and Jaemin bites back the urge to ask him what’s wrong. “I said, what have you done?”

“What are you talking about?” Jaemin mutters with a roll of his eyes, turning his attention back to his computer as he shakes his head. “Get out of my room if you’re going to talk about something stupid. I don’t want to hear it—”

Jaemin’s cut off by Yangyang’s dry chuckle, making him sound a little crazy. “She’s upset, you know. The last time I saw her that upset was when the Eric bullshit happened… So, what have you done?”

Jaemin’s chest tightens at the thought of you being upset, but he can’t help but frown in annoyance as he looks back at Yangyang. “What makes you think I did something wrong? She’s the one that’s been actively ignoring me this entire time, I’ve tried to get her attention and she leaves. I call her, she ignores me. I message her and she either leaves me on read or gives me blunt replies. I’m trying, Yang”

“So you think you did nothing wrong?”

“No, I just—fuck—I don’t know what I—” Jaemin’s words die down in the back of his throat when he notices Yangyang staggering towards him, feeling slightly uncomfortable and intimidated with the way he’s being looked at by him. 

Never in his years of knowing Yangyang would he think he would come across as intimidating, or scary for that matter, but with Yangyang standing in front of Jaemin with his face a little too close for his liking, Jaemin has never been so uncomfortable and nervous around Yangyang in his life.

Yangyang’s hazy eyes dance over Jaemin’s face, a halfhearted laugh slipping past his lips, the stench of alcohol and weed hitting Jaemin’s nose which makes him grimace. Yangyang’s eyes swirl with anger, sadness and regret, but it doesn’t stop him from slowly raising his hand to pet Jaemin’s blonde head of hair, not even sympathetically, Yangyang was hurting him a little with his rough touch.

“Talk to Eunbin” Yangyang tells him, dropping his hand from his head to grab his phone and shove it into Jaemin’s hands. 

Jaemin’s eyes narrow in on Yangyang, “What?”

“Talk to your ex-girlfriend and ask her about the conversation she had with Y/N” Yangyang knows he shouldn’t have said what he said, having promised you that he wouldn’t tell Jaemin about what happened between Eunbin and you. But he couldn’t stand back and continue watching you get hurt anymore, not when he cares about you so much. “Maybe it’ll finally knock some fucking sense into your head”

Jaemin watches wordlessly as Yangyang leaves his room, slamming the door shut behind himself as he disappears into his own room and Jaemin’s attention drops to the phone in his hands, brows pulled together in confusion at Yangyang’s demands. 

But surprisingly, it doesn’t stop him from unlocking his phone to bring up Eunbin and his chat, ignoring the multiple messages she had left behind as his thumbs tap the screen, tongue prodding at his inner cheek as he presses sent.

jaemin: i want to talk to u 

“Hi” Eunbin greets him with a pretty smile the next morning, gesturing to the empty seat opposite her in the Dreamies Café and Jaemin slumps down in the seat, staring across the table at Eunbin blankly. “I’m sorry about last night. I completely drank too much and sent a whole bunch of embarrassing messages to you, and then I passed out. I’m really sorry”

He wasn’t exactly thrilled about having to wait an entire night to talk to Eunbin due to the previous conversation he had with Yangyang, how questions repeatedly circled in his head and how he was desperate for answers.

It seemed that your unusual actions were because of the conversation you had with Eunbin, as he tried to ask you before in the classroom, and last night it dawned on him after his brief encounter with Yangyang how serious it must’ve been.

Jaemin just wants to get to the bottom of this.

“I bought you an iced americano, by the way” Eunbin speaks up once again, sliding the plastic cup over the table towards him with another smile. “Extra shot, just how you like it”

“Thanks” He says as his fingers curl around the cup, not in the mood to drink as his other hand fiddles with the green straw, swirling the ice around the drink. 

“So,” She leans her elbows on the table, eyes sparkling. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

“Your conversation with Y/N at your welcoming party” Jaemin immediately answers and Eunbin’s face drops. He eyes her for a few seconds, watching how she uncomfortably shifts in her seat as she sits up straight. “What was it about?”

“Jaemin, I—”

“Don’t lie” His sharp tone surprises Eunbin. “I can’t handle being lied to right now”

“We were just talking about me,” Eunbin says softly as she fiddles with the rings that decorate her fingers, twisting the ring that should belong to him on her middle finger. He glances down at it, the pretty black gemstone taunting him and he snaps his attention back to her. “We talked about me in New York, how stupid I was for doing what I did and leaving you behind”

Jaemin fights the urge to roll his eyes, “Anything else?”

“We talked about you—your friends with benefits situation” That seems to grab Jaemin’s interest and he perks up, leaning on the table to listen closely. “I asked her what was really going on between you both and she told me the truth”

“She did?” He questions, his voice quiet this time, almost like a whisper. “What did she say?”

“That you two are just fucking”

Jaemin doesn’t know why, but his heart crumbles and a pain settles in his chest at that, throat tightening and feeling heavy, making it hard for him to swallow. He’s unable to form words or even process a thought, struggling to solve what he’s actually feeling right now.

His lips press together tightly, leaning back in his chair as he looks out of the window, trying to steady his breathing as it seems to get faster and heavier, knowing that he’s about to panic.

“Jaemin?” Eunbin calls out his name softly to grab his attention and he gives a short hum, letting her know that he’s listening. “Do you like her?”

“It doesn’t matter” He’s quick to say, this time grabbing his drink and taking a sip so he doesn’t have to talk anymore.

Eunbin watches him carefully and the guilt eats her away, a frown making its way onto her face and she realises exactly what’s going on. A wave of sadness consumes her, but it doesn’t overpower the absolute regret she’s feeling and she lets out a shaky breath, “Jaemin, this is my fault”

His eyes immediately dart towards her as he pulls the straw from between his lips, “What do you mean?”

“When I asked her about your situation, she didn’t give me an answer straight away… She only gave me an answer after explaining why I came back home and when I asked her to do something for me,” Eunbin begins, nervously staring down at her hands to avoid Jaemin’s deep gaze. “I told her I wanted a second chance with you and I asked her if she could stop being friends with benefits to see if I can get that second chance…”

Jaemin sits in silence.

“I wanted to show you how much I’ve changed and how much you mean to me” Eunbin explains as she reaches over to grab Jaemin’s hand, gripping his fingers tightly. “Even after everything that happened between us, I still cared for you—still loved you. I wasn’t ready to give that up. I wanted to be selfish and you know first hand that I’m the type of person that will fight for what I want, and I want you… Can you blame me for that?”

Eunbin’s honesty baffles Jaemin to the core, his eyes widening at her every word and he listens to her excuses. She has tears in her eyes, filled with desperation and forgiveness but Jaemin doesn’t see himself giving her what she wants, not with the pent up rage and frustration that fills him.

It had been her after all this time. Eunbin was the one that had been pulling you away from him, making demanding requests as it seems. It makes him feel sick to his stomach, knowing that all your sadness had been not only because of him, but because of Eunbin too.

Jaemin knows deep down that he hasn’t been the most innocent or helpful in this situation. He was the one that allowed Eunbin back into his life, allowing her the possibility of friendship just to keep the peace with himself. But he hurt you in the process. He hurt the one person he cares about the most.

“Jaemin?” Eunbin calls out his name once more, feeling uneasy with how he hasn’t said a word since she confessed. “Please say something”

“You…” Jaemin finally speaks up, tone a little too calm for Eunbin’s liking and she watches with wary eyes, nervously biting down on her bottom lip as the tears threaten to fall. Jaemin dryly chuckles with a shake of his head, his tongue prodding at his cheek in pure anger. “You are pathetic”

Eunbin stills, “Wh—”

“I told you. The second you showed up at my door after your trip, I told you how badly you screwed me over. I told you how shitty you made me feel,” He pauses, a laugh of disbelief slipping past his lips as he smiles. “And you think I would still give you a second chance?”

“Everyone deserves a second chance—”

“But I didn’t want to give it to you” Jaemin cuts her off, causing Eunbin to blink at him in surprise. “I spent months trying to move on from you and I was scared it wasn’t going to work, but when you came home that day and you visited me, I realised how I already did. I felt shocked seeing you, obviously, I didn’t expect you to come home. But there wasn’t a slightest part of me that was still in love with you, willing to give you another chance… it was gone”

Eunbin sucks in a deep breath, “Then what about us hanging out together after it? Did that mean nothing?”

“I was willing to give you a friendship for my selfish reasons,” Jaemin nonchalantly shrugs his shoulders. “I hate drama, especially when I’m in the middle of it. I try to avoid it as much as possible and I thought I was keeping the peace by giving you a chance for friendship… but I realised now how my selfish ways actually hurt everyone else I care about in the process. My friends don’t like you, they’re angry at you, angry at what you did and I put a weight on their shoulders in having you around all because I wanted myself to feel fine”

It’s Eunbin’s turn to be silent now, looking across the table at Jaemin in disbelief at his words.

“I got my closure with you, Eunbin. I shouldn’t have kept you around after that” Jaemin admits and suddenly, it feels like a weight has been lifted off of Jaemin’s chest and he can finally breathe, air flowing freely through his lungs. 

He smiles to himself—a real smile, the most genuine one he’s given in the past few days and then he laughs, another real sound rumbling from his chest as he peaks with happiness, staring over at Eunbin with a beam as she stares back at him with sadness and guilt. 

“Thank you, Eunbin” Jaemin suddenly thanks her and she looks at him confused, watching as he stands up from the table. “Thank you for helping me come to my senses”

“Wait, where are you going?” She asks him, abruptly standing up from her own chair, causing it to scrape against the ground and customers stare over at the table in curiosity. 

Jaemin smiles again, shoving his hands inside his pockets. “I’m gonna go make things right”

“I miss Haru” Miwoo pouts over breakfast, stabbing her fork into her plate of scrambled eggs as she scrolls through Instagram on her phone, her pouting quickly disappearing and replaced with a look of awe as she angles the screen towards her. “She looks so pretty”

“The one she posted last night was pretty too” You add with a smile, staring at the photo. “I’m glad she’s having fun. She deserved the break”

“I wish she shoved me in her suitcase” Miwoo mumbles, pulling the phone back from you. “I would love to be anywhere but here right now”

“You and me both” You can’t help but mutter, spooning your cereal and bringing it up to your mouth for a bite, chewing softly before swallowing. “Are you okay? I mean, generally, are you okay?”

“I’m fine” She hums with a simple nod. “I think I’m fine”

“You think?”

Miwoo frowns this time, seemingly worried. “Am I not supposed to feel fine or something?”

“No, no, it’s not that” You shake your head, giving her a reassuring smile. “It’s just that I was talking to Haru before she left and she mentioned that you said some things to her, about you and Jeno” The realisation seems to hit her as her eyes widen slightly and you’re quick to reassure her once again. “It’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it, but I just want you to know that I’m here to listen to you and if you want to talk about anything, then—”

“I’m not fine” Miwoo cuts you off, voice vulnerable and honest which immediately surprises you, but you hide your shock as you nod your head slowly, wanting her to continue at her own pace. “Physically, I’m fine… but mentally, I’m not and I don’t like the feeling”

You dare to ask, “Is it about Jeno?”

“Kind of, yeah” She nods, refusing to meet your gaze as she plays with her breakfast. “I don’t know if it’s because it's my first but breakups are hard… and, as much as I don’t want to admit it, I’m struggling without Jeno. I don’t want to be with him anymore, because I know it’s not good for the both of us. It’s unhealthy, our relationship… but I feel so lost without him. I don’t really know what to do with myself”

“Miwoo…” You frown, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder and she sighs, reaching up to grab your hand to hold it tightly in her grasp. You squeeze her hand, allowing her to have her moment as you both sit in silence, watching her facial expressions.

“He was my person. And even though we fought and bickered sometimes, the happy moments completely outweigh it. Jeno made me happy and now I just feel miserable” Miwoo sighs softly, chewing down on her bottom lip. “I miss being with him in a way where we joked around a lot, how we teased each other and just hung out… excluding the sex”

 “Maybe you should talk to him?” You suggest, causing her to snap her attention towards you. “He’s still your friend, Miwoo. You’re both still in the group. You haven’t lost him since you broke up… he’s still there, he’ll always be there for you”

Miwoo pulls a face, “But he doesn’t talk to me that much”

“You don’t talk to him that much either. Communication is key”

Miwoo shifts in her chair to face you as she deadpans, “Funny how you give great advice but you can’t take it yourself”

“Hey” You point your fork warningly at her. “Stop turning everything on me”

“Just saying” Miwoo giggles, gently pushing your fork away from her as she sighs. “We’re a couple of girls who struggle to communicate… kinda love that for us”

“You’re insane” You snort, dropping your fork to grab your coffee and take a sip, humming at the taste. “I still think you should talk to him”

“I’ll talk to him if you talk to Jaemin” Miwoo grins at you. “I think it’s a pretty decent deal, don’t you?”

“No”

Miwoo groans as you stand up from the kitchen table, offering to clean up the dishes since she was the one that made breakfast. You hear her mumbling to herself behind you but you pay no mind, filling the sink with hot soapy water to wash the dishes and utensils, allowing yourself to think over her deal.

You would like to talk to Jaemin, somewhat. It could solve a lot of your problems, finally being able to put your real feelings towards him and lay everything out on the table. But it’s the fear of rejection that sits heavy in the back of your mind that stops you from doing anything of the sort. 

So, breaking everything off with Jaemin does seem like the right thing to do, even if it leaves you miserable. 

It doesn’t take you long to finish washing the dishes, drying your hands on a paper towel and excusing yourself to go to your room but you pause midway when you hear a knock on the door, peering your head over your shoulder at Miwoo as she announces that she’ll go see who it is. 

You nod, but you remain still, watching as Miwoo’s figure stands at the door and looks through the peephole and the sound she makes causes you to give her a confused expression, feeling even more confused and curious when she slowly turns around with a knowing smirk on her face.

“It’s for you”

“For me?”

“Yep” She nods with a grin, pulling her phone out of her sweatpants pocket. “I think I’m going to have that talk with Jeno now”

It takes you a moment to realise what she means, your face dropping as it dawns on you, “Miwoo…”

“You got this” Miwoo reassures you as she walks on over, wrapping you up in a warm and comforting hug but your arms lay limp at your sides, unsure of what to do. “Just be honest, okay? Don’t hold back and don’t do anything stupid… communication is key, remember?”

“I can’t believe you’re using my own words against me” You mumble under your breath in disbelief and Miwoo laughs loudly, pressing her lips against your cheek in a sloppy kiss before releasing you, making her way back to the front door and yanking it open.

From her previous statement, you knew Jaemin was standing on the other side. But seeing his face in person, seeing him just a few metres in front of you, your heart thumps wildly in your chest and your palms become sweaty. 

Miwoo’s greeting towards Jaemin is brief, a quick ‘hello’ with a hard look as she leaves the apartment, but not before turning around before Jaemin’s back and giving you a thumbs up, something you force yourself to bite back a curse at as you watch her disappear, leaving you and Jaemin alone for the first time in awhile. 

“Can I come in?” He’s the first to break the silence, asking you in such a hopeful tone that it makes your throat tighten in panic, feeling like you’re going to be sick as your head starts to swirl so fast you’re afraid you’re going to get dizzy and faint. Jaemin takes a hesitant step forward as he sees the difference in your expression, “Are you—”

“What do you want?” You force yourself to ask, swallowing the lump in your throat and breathing steadily through your nose. You didn’t mean to sound so rude towards him and you regret it the second you see his face drop. “Just—what are you doing here?”

“I want to talk to you” He says, eyes roaming your face with his brows furrowing. “We need to talk, face to face”

You straighten your back, “What is there to talk about?”

The corner of Jaemin’s lips twitch up subtly, “I think you know what we need to talk about”

You mentally pick a fight with yourself as you nod and tell him to come in, watching as he steps inside the apartment and closes the door behind himself. You bring him over to the living room but neither of you sit, continuing to eye each other to see who cracks first and you feel the annoyance bubbling in your veins, biting down on your inner cheek as you cross your arms over your chest. 

Unfortunately, it’s you who breaks first. 

“Why did you start this friends with benefits situation with me in the first place?” You find yourself asking first, tone slightly harsh and Jaemin blinks at you in surprise, not expecting that to be the first thing you’d ask. You stand your ground this time. “Why, Jaemin?”

His eyes lock on yours. He makes you feel small. You hate it. “You know why”

You let out a dry laugh, “Do I?”

Jaemin shakes his head, “This isn’t what I wanted us to talk about—”

“I want to talk about it” Your finger pokes at your chest. “I want to know. I need to know”

“We started this friends with benefits situation because we missed sex. We told each other at the beginning of it all that we missed sex but didn’t want a relationship to come with it. That’s all it was, you know that” The serious tone Jaemin uses makes you feel sick once again and you couldn’t even bear to look at him, instead finding interest in something in the corner of the room, teeth biting harder down on your cheek to stop the emotions from letting loose. Jaemin’s shoulders sag as he sighs, “Can you please just look at me?”

“I don’t want to” You know you sound childish, especially with how your voice sounds and your stubbornness, but you didn’t really want to look at him, not when you’re on the verge of tears.

Jaemin exhales deeply and you hear him drag his feet across the floorboards, heading straight towards you and you take a step back but Jaemin’s too quick, already standing in front of you with his cold hands coming up to cup your face, forcing you to look at him. 

“I—”

“I refuse to believe it, you know” You blurt suddenly, eyes brimming with tears that burn. “I just—I can’t believe it. Not after everything we’ve practically been through together. You believe that this was just sex? That the months we spent together, we were just two friends having sex? To fill that empty void?”

“Wait, I—”

“Do you realise that you were the one that broke the rules we had first? The rules that were supposed to keep us grounded? To not let us stray down that path of feelings? You broke two of those rules in the first week we got into this and now you’re here? Telling me that sex was all it was?”

“Baby, you’re not—”

You cut him off immediately. “Enough with that fucking name”

“Y/N—”

“You left me confused, Jaemin” You’re refusing to let him talk now but you can’t help it, your emotions and your feelings getting the complete best of you. You can’t stop yourself. “I loved what we had, it was fun, but you left me so confused. You would do things and you would say things that can be interpreted into something completely different. Then the exclusive shit happened and even though it was something I agreed to, it shouldn’t have happened. We went too far”

Jaemin’s hands slowly drop from your face as a frown slips across his, “Do you regret becoming exclusive with me?”

“Sometimes” You admit, causing him to frown deeper and you notice the look of hurt that flashes in his eyes. “This type of situation always gets messy if ‘official’ or ‘exclusive’ titles are added to it. That’s why people set boundaries, rules. But they were constantly being broken by the littlest of things you did… But don’t worry, it was me who ended up being the biggest fool out of the two of us, right?”

“What do you mean?”

You laugh half-heartedly, shaking your head. “It doesn’t matter if you broke the first two rules, Jaemin. I was the idiot that broke the biggest one of all”

Jaemin stares at you now, eyes wide as he repeats with a whisper, “What do you mean?”

“Rule number three, genius” You snort out a laugh. You’re aware of how much of a lunatic you must look right now, laughing with tears sliding down your cheeks, but you can’t bring yourself to care as the emotions you’ve been trying to conceal come slipping through the cracks. “Rule number three was no feelings involved… No. Falling. In. Love”

Jaemin’s unable to gather the right words to vocalise how he’s feeling, opting to just continue staring at you which makes you scoff, shaking your head in disbelief. 

The weight of the subtle confession has been lifted off of your chest, but with how he’s staring at you silently is making you feel worse. You don’t know if you want the ground to swallow you whole or if you want to kick Jaemin out of your apartment, to shut the door in his face and forget everything that just happened, but you know that’s not going to happen. 

So, you decide to keep going. To bite the bullet. To tell him everything.

“I’ve always had some sort of feeling towards you, but I realised I fell for you when Eunbin came back. How jealous and uneasy I felt when she was around or if you were with her. I tried to make excuses for it, but every kiss you gave me—every touch—I realised that I was far too fucking deep and some stupid part of me believed for the smallest moment, you might’ve felt the same way… but nothing changed. Nothing was said. You were still acting as you always did… closed off and unreadable”

Jaemin hangs his head low in shame. He knows well enough he’s closed off and unreadable, having become the type of person that hides his emotions and feelings towards anything and everything. He feels shame for hurting you with it all, not realising the effect it could leave on you and he sighs, an apology resting on the tip of his tongue and he goes to give it to you, but you start talking again.

“Truthfully, I don’t know anything about you” You tell him, rubbing the tears off of your cheeks. “You constantly have these walls built up around you and you refuse to let anyone in… Not only that, but you refuse to show anyone your feelings. Yet again, it leaves me fucking confused. You confused me and I can’t stand not knowing anything about you, your feelings, your—”

“I appreciate the things I love” Jaemin cuts you off suddenly, causing the words to die down at the back of your throat as you stare at him in surprise. “I appreciate my family for everything they have given me. I appreciate my friends for making memories I’ll never forget. I appreciate my camera for capturing the prettiest pictures for me to see whenever I feel sad. I appreciate sunsets because the colours are warm and comforting. I appreciate coffee because it gets me through the day when I’m exhausted. I appreciate the quietness because sometimes it eases me and allows me to think clearly”

You notice how Jaemin’s breathing gets heavier and you take a cautious step forward, eyeing him as he seems like he’s starting to panic. “Jaemin…”

“And I fucking appreciate you” 

You freeze. You can’t move. You can’t breathe. 

The words repeat in your head, the meaning of it all, the rawness in his tone. You’ve heard it before, he’s said it to you twice already but you never knew the actual meaning behind it and now, standing in front of him, hearing him say that appreciates the things he loves, it makes your heart thump.

“I’m sorry” Jaemin whispers to you quietly. “I’m sorry for hurting you. I’m sorry for not being honest and real with my feelings. It scares me, it has since everything with Eunbin—but I’m at fault too, I can’t put the entire blame on her. I hold myself back and I do things for selfish reasons… but I can’t keep doing that. It hurts people around me when I do and most importantly, it hurts you. I can’t handle hurting you. You mean too much to me”

He takes a few steps forward to stand close in front of you, reaching for your hands and caressing them in his own, thumbs smoothing over your knuckles before holding them in his grasp.

“Eunbin told me everything earlier, about what she asked you to do at the party” Your brows raise in shock at that, not expecting Eunbin to be the one that confesses first. “I don’t like Eunbin. I’d never give her a second chance, ever. You’re the only person that matters to me, so… don’t give up on me yet. Don’t let me go”

You can’t help but give him a teary smile, laughing softly as you squeeze his hands, the warmth in your chest spreading, “You still want to continue as exclusive fuck buddies?”

“God, no” Jaemin laughs at that, noticing your teasing tone before he smiles gently at you. “I want to be your boyfriend”

“My boyfriend?” You grow shy, feeling a little flustered and Jaemin’s grin widens at your reaction, leaning forwards to press a soft kiss to your forehead, trailing his lips down to your cheeks and placing a few kisses there. He reaches your nose next, leaving another soft kiss on the tip before his lips brush over your own.

“I’m ready to be your boyfriend if you’re ready to have one” He whispers against your lips and you nod, wanting to close the gap between you both but Jaemin leans back slightly, shaking his head. “Ask me first. I want to hear you say it”

“Will you be my boyfriend?”

“Yeah” Jaemin grins happily with a nod, letting go of your hands to cup your cheeks. “Yeah, I’ll be your boyfriend”

He presses his lips to yours gently and you kiss back almost instantly, lips moving slowly against one another as you melt in his touch, your own hands coming up to rest on the nape of his neck, threading his hair through your fingers.

The kiss turns feverish in seconds, a clash of tongue and teeth, a little nibbling and groping, and you break the contact to let out a surprised yelp when Jaemin bends down to grip the back of your thighs, hoisting you up in the air and you wrap your legs around his hips so you don’t fall.

He laughs, face muffled in your chest as he blindly carries you to your bedroom, a trip he knows awfully too well that he doesn’t make any mistakes or falls even when he’s unable to see the view. 

He closes your bedroom door behind himself with a simple kick of his foot before he drops you on the bed, his own body falling above yours and you laugh as he huffs, shuffling his way between your thighs with a grin. 

You expected him to kiss you again, to leave you breathless and wanting him but you’re surprised when Jaemin does nothing but caress your face softly, stroking your cheek and tracing the outline of your lips with his thumb.

He’s smiling so gently at you that it makes your heart flutter, the look in his eyes causing you to shy away and look elsewhere but your attention is soon back on him when he whispers your name, leaning down to finally reconnect your lips and you immediately reciprocate, pouring all of your affection and want into the kiss as you lips move against his while your hands fist at his shirt. 

Jaemin’s the first to take off his shirt and you follow shortly behind, pulling it over your head and dropping it mindlessly to the floor as Jaemin attaches his lips to your bare chest, leaving light, feathery kisses over your skin and you arch your back with a gasp, watching as he trails over your breast and down your stomach.

His touch is so oddly loving and caring it feels a little foreign, but your chest warms at the thought of him taking his time with you, cherishing this moment and drinking in every part of you. 

Jaemin hooks his fingers beneath your sleep shorts and pulls them down your legs along with your panties, and you squirm at the cold air that hits, knees knocking against his side but he pays no mind, deciding to lay on his stomach between your legs.

The sight of him staring at you from his position makes you feel shy, but the arousal builds up inside of you and you lift your hips to coax him into touching you, tasting you and you clench around nothing when he leans in, expecting to feel his lips or even tongue but you whine when you feel him press open mouth kisses across your inner thighs. 

“Are you doing this on purpose?” You dare to ask, leaning up on your elbows to look down at him.

He smiles, eyebrow twitching suggestively. “Just taking my time with you, baby”

Without warning, you feel his tongue slowly lap over your slit and you gasp, falling back against the bed as the tip wiggles between your folds before flicking over your clit, causing your hands to fly down to his hair and grip at the roots to ground yourself.

Jaemin seems to be enjoying the moment, moaning in your pussy and he messily slurps you up, sucking on your clit with the right amount of suction that has your body feeling electrified, a cry falling past your lips at the pleasure that swirls in the pit of your tummy.

You start roll your hips against his face, tightening your hold on his hair and Jaemin groans, the vibration on your pussy inching you closer and closer to your orgasm, and Jaemin takes it upon himself to hook one hand under your knee to push it up at an angle that helps him burying himself further in between your legs, mouthing at all the right places.

“Fuck” You curse loudly with a moan, unable to control your sounds as your orgasm builds up faster, the band in your tummy tonighting as your pussy clenches around the tip of his tongue that dips inside of you, the pressure and pleasure becoming too much for you to handle that the band snaps as you cum on his tongue.

“Good girl” Jaemin praises you softly, lapping you up eagerly as he helps ride out your orgasm, grinning as he feels your thighs tremble. 

You struggle to catch your breath, dry panting as you arch your hips away from his mouth and Jaemin’s chest rumbles with a laugh, letting go of your thigh as it drops limply to the bed as he crawls up your body to kiss your lips.

You taste yourself on his tongue and you moan, returning the kiss and sucking on his tongue to which he responds by rutting his hips into yours, confined cock pressing against your inner thigh.

“Take them off” You whisper into the kiss, hands grabbing at his jeans. “Please...take them off”

“Okay” Jaemin hums, tongue intertwining with yours as his own hands reach down to pop the buttons on his jeans, awkwardly shoving them down his legs along with his boxer briefs before kicking them off to the side.

You dip your hand down between your bodies to wrap your fingers around his cock, causing him to groan between the kiss as you pump him leisurely, feeling intoxicated with the way he pants against your lips, mouth agape as his breathing gets heavier and heavier with each tug of your hand.

You guide him to your entrance, coating his cock with your arousal as you slide the tip through your folds and Jaemin deeply exhales, pressing his lips together and he cranes his head down to see you position his cock and you awaiting hole, and he pushes his hips forwards, breaching your entrance. 

A strangled moan leaves your lips, having nothing of that significant size been up there in a while and Jaemin coos softly, taking your hand in his own to give it a gentle, reassuring squeeze as you both watch where you’re connected.

He sinks into you deeper as he kisses you, rolling his hips to thrust slowly, allowing your legs to wind around his waist and he brings your interlocked hands above your head, pushing them into the pillow as he gets comfortable above you.

This kiss is needy and affectionate, and each fluid roll of his hips has you seeing stars behind your closed lids, unable to control the sounds that leave your lips and Jaemin’s the same, cursing and grunting every time he bottoms out inside and you squeeze around him in return. 

Your grip on his hand tightens as your stomach knots, breaking the kiss to allow yourself to breathe when you begin to struggle for oxygen, staring up at him in bliss and he’s smiling down back at you, eyes dazed and lids fluttering with every roll of his hips.

But he buries his face into the crevice of your neck, leaving open mouthed kisses on your skin as the pace of his thrusts start to quicken, the wet noises of your pussy sucking in his cock fills the room along with your shameless noises of pleasure, and your free hand reaches up to grab the back of his head, threading your fingers through the roots as you nip at his shoulders.

“I’m gonna cum” You pant heavily as you feel yourself tinkering towards your second orgasm of the night.

“Me too, baby” He mumbles, groaning as your walls clamp around his cock. “Fuck, me too”

Your hand tightens around his as you reach your climax, whining as your legs tremble around his hips as the knot in your stomach loosens, cumming all over his cock. The feeling of your walls gripping him like a vice triggers his own climax and he’s moaning into your neck, releasing with long spurts that paint your insides and you gasp at the feeling of him filling you up, the warmth spreading. 

He stays above you for quite some time, basking in each other's presence and collecting your breath, staring at one another with giddy smiles which causes you both to laugh.

You love being with him like this, holding him in your embrace and seeing the happiness written across his face, the love and adoration that swirls in his eyes when he looks down at you and even though it makes you feel shy, you can’t help but get addicted to it. It’s something you want to see all the time. He looks so beautiful. 

“Hey…” You say softly and Jaemin hums to let you know you’ve got his attention, leaning into your palm when you rest it on his cheek. “I appreciate you”

His eyes widen a little at your words, but the smile gets bigger on his lips and he turns his head to the side to gently kiss your palm before looking back at you, honesty and tenderness within his tone as he says back, “I appreciate you too”

➤𝗘𝗣𝗜𝗟𝗢𝗚𝗨𝗘.

“YOU MOTHERFUCKERS!” Miwoo screams as Donghyuck takes her by the arms and Yangyang by her legs as they both carry her towards the shore, threatening to throw her into the sea for her teasing jokes towards them both, neither of them backing down as they step into the water.

You laugh as you watch the scene play out, bringing the bottle up to your lips to take a sip as you rest back into Jaemin’s chest who sits behind you, his arms winding around your waist and kissing your cheek before resting his chin on your shoulder, watching the trio along with you.

Haru and Renjun sit on the beach blanket beside you both, his arm thrown around her shoulder and she resting into his side, mindlessly playing with his fingers as they speak quietly to themselves about something you can’t make out.

Jeno and Shotaro are sat on the other end of the beach blanket, the former getting up to join in with the trio while the latter stays seated, capturing pictures of the chaotic moment while laughing loudly, causing you and the others to laugh along.

The foursome arrive back to the group and Miwoo flops down beside Haru, grinning happily as the others take a seat too and she grabs her beer, raising it up in the air.

“I’d like to make a very dramatic speech and if none of you are crying by the end of it, I will drown you in the sea”

“Oh here we go” Renjun groans, but the smile on his face shows how much he’s teasing. 

“I just want to say that I’m proud of us. We’ve come a long way since the beginning and I’m happy we’re still here together… I don’t think I would’ve been able to become the person I am today without you guys by my side”

Donghyuck starts to playfully fake gag and Miwoo huffs, throwing her middle finger up at him and he begins to smile, returning her insult with some heart hands. 

“She’s right,” Shotaro agrees, raising his own bottle and Miwoo grins. “I get happy being with you guys. I wouldn’t want it any other way”

“Shotaro” Donghyuck coos as he reaches out to pinch Shotaro’s cheeks and Yangyang throws himself at him, the pair tumbling back into the sand as they laugh. 

“Also,” Miwoo starts up again, looking over at you this time. “I want to congratulate you on signing up for the writers trip you’ve been holding off for so long. You deserve to explore and write about all the places you see”

“Stop…” You chuckle, a little embarrassed under the attention and you feel Jaemin’s chest vibrate behind you as he laughs, pulling you closer to him and intertwining your hands, soothing his thumb over your knuckle. “I’m excited to go, but I’m sad to be leaving you guys”

“You’re acting like you’ll be gone forever” Yangyang says as he nudges your leg with a smile. “You’re only going for a few months”

“I know” You sigh, “I just know I’ll miss you guys”

“We also need to congratulate Haru and Renjun for taking the next step” Jeno announces as he looks at the pair. “Congratulations on moving in together”

“Finally away from you idiots” Renjun teases as he takes a sip of his drink and Haru shoulders him softly with a laugh. “Thanks, Jen”

Shotaro turns to Miwoo worryingly, “Are you going to be okay living on your own for a while?”

“Of course!” Miwoo smiles. “Y/N’s only going to be gone for a few months and I need to learn how to be independent, rely on myself for a little while”

“You know, if you need anything, you got us” Donghyuck speaks this time with a serious tone to Miwoo and she nods. 

“You always got us” Jeno chimes in this time, smiling over at Miwoo who smiles back happily and knocks her beer bottle against Jeno’s who lifts his up for a cheers and your heart warms at the two.

“The sun is setting, can I take a picture of us all together?” Jaemin asks as he points to his polaroid camera that sits on top of his backpack and the group eagerly agrees, standing up quickly and moving to stand in front of the sunset.

You and Jaemin both rise from the ground and you go to stand beside Miwoo as Jaemin sets up his polaroid to take the picture and you take this moment to appreciate everything that is going on around you, how the happy smiles on everyone's faces warms your heart.

Who would’ve thought that this was the way things would turn out after everything began? It baffles you, really. 

If someone told you a few months ago you’d be in a position where you’re happily with Jaemin as your boyfriend, surrounded by a strong friendship group and an upcoming writers trip, you would’ve possibly laughed, calling them stupid and unrealistic… Yet here you are, living out this moment.

You laugh to yourself, shaking your head as you lean into Jaemin as he comes to stand beside you, winding his arm around your waist and pressing his lips to your temple lovingly as he whispers to you those three words.

You’re unable to stop the grin that spreads across your cheeks.

You guess it’s just The Way Life Goes. 

A.N| and that's the final of twlg. this had, undoubtedly, been such a wild rollercoaster to make. this fic has brought me a mixture off all different emotions going between happiness and anger, but it's over. and bro. i'm emotional. thank you for all the support you have given this series, it's been incredible, i'll never forget it.

i appreciate you♡

©mrkis

#nct smut #nct angst #nct fluff #nct dream angst #nct dream fluff #nct dream smut #nct #nct dream #nct jaemin #nct dream jaemin #jaemin fic #jaemin au #nct au #nct series #nct dream fic

[najaemism]

heart can't lose [71]

PAIRING. lee haechan x fem!oc

WARNINGS. very light angst, hurt/comfort

WORD COUNT. 0.8k words

SUMMARY. fourth year pre-med student and neo university student council president, haechan lee does not have the time for relationships. instead, he focuses his attention on his studies and extracurriculars, so as not to disappoint his parents. that is until hera seo came along—and everyone starts to wonder if the university’s golden boy would finally let his heart lose.

IT HAD BEEN about fifteen minutes since Donghyuck had arrived at Hera’s apartment, and since then, the girl had not spoken one full sentence to her boyfriend. They were both in her room, since she deemed their conversation to be something only the two of them should hear, and Nari was in the living room finishing up some work that she had to take home.

Donghyuck was sitting on her swivel chair near her study desk, while Hera was sitting on her bed, brows furrowed as she looked down at her hands, still not sure how to tell her boyfriend about her plans after graduation.

“Juno, you’re making me nervous here,” Donghyuck broke the silence, letting out a nervous chuckle as he looked at her. “What is it that you want to talk to me about?”

“I’ve talked to my family about what my plans are after graduation,” she finally spoke, her voice low as she still looked at her hands, fiddling with the hem of her sweater. 

“Are you still going through with grad school? You told me about that a few months ago.”

“No,” she replied, “not yet, at least.” She finally looked up to meet his eyes. “Remember when I said I’d prefer working first before taking my masters?” she asked, and he nodded, urging for her to continue. “I’m taking the board exams in July,” she said, and she took note of how his eyebrows were raised in surprise. 

“Oh—that’s amazing, Juno. You would have better working opportunities when you have your license,” he commented, smiling at her, “You’ve been reviewing for it, then? While doing your teaching internship?”

She nodded, then swallowed the lump in her throat. “After taking the boards, I’m set to work at this private school while I wait for the results. Dad says it usually takes a few months, and we… we have this family friend who owns a private school, so I’ll be there,” she then explained.

Donghyuck looked genuinely happy for her after-graduation plans that it made her heart ache. “That sounds really good, Juno, I don’t see why you’re—”

“It’s in San Francisco.”

He blinked—once, twice, then let out a soundless “Oh.”

“That’s…” he cleared his throat, “That’s what you want to do?” he asked, eyes still trained on her.

“Yes.”

His lips gently upturned into a smile, the look in his eyes wistful as he said: “Then I fully support you with that, Juno.”

She looked at him in confusion. “You’re… you’re not mad?”

“Why would I be mad about that?”

“For starters, I’d be miles away from you,” she pointed out, “I chased after you for weeks only to leave in a few months, and... and I had these after-grad plans decided already without even telling you about it, and—”

“Juno.”

She looked at him, her shoulders dropping as she felt her tears start to form. “I’m sorry, Donghyuck.”

“Hey,” he called, before standing up from his seat and making his way towards her, kneeling on the floor in front of her while she still sat on the bed. He cupped her cheek before he continued, “You don’t have to apologize about that, I know that that’s what you want to do. I know how much you love teaching, you’re doing what you want to do, and that’s fine,” he told her. “I may not be part of your plans, but I will always support you, baby, you know that.”

She closed her eyes as her tears fell, while Donghyuck pulled her in and leaned her forehead against his, his eyes closing as well. “I love you, you know that, right?”

“I know,” she muttered, “I love you, too.”

He smiled again as he leaned back to look at her, caressing her cheek as her eyes fluttered open. “We still have three months before you leave. It’s fine—we’ll be fine,” he assured her as he wiped her tears with his thumb.

“You’re not—you’re not breaking up with me?”

He let out a chuckle, shaking his head at her question. “Unless you want to break up with me? No, I’m not, breaking up with you,” he replied, “You waited weeks for me to come around and get my shit together just so we could be together—I’m sure I can wait for you, too.”

“This is different—what if I decide not to come back?”

“Then, I’ll go to you,” he answered quickly, as if he’d thought it through before—as if there was no other place he’d rather be than with her. “Of course, I’d have to finish med school first, then I’d be with you—does that sound alright with you?”

She blinked down at him, surprised with how well he was taking it all. “Yeah—yes, that sounds… that sounds alright with me?” she replied a bit hesitantly.

He smiled at her before leaning up to kiss her.

“I love you, Juno. My feelings for you won’t change just because of a little distance. Take your time, and I’ll take mine, and when the time’s right, I know we’ll be together,” he said, “But that doesn’t mean we’ll break up—we’ll just be apart from each other for a while, okay?”

She nodded, smiling through her tears. “Okay. I love you.”

“Okay,” he breathed out before he finally wrapped his arms around her, hugging her while she buried her face on his chest.

There’s no turning back for me, I’ll be I’ll wait ‘til the mountains cross the seas ‘Til all the secrets are set free Meeting you there on bended knee.

SEVENTY ONE. | prev / masterlist / next

NOTE. this was supposed to be a fluffy chapter actually........ yeah...... we're near the end though :p

TAGLIST. @radiorenjun @bluejaem @pink-but-rosie @renjun-pretty @holdinbacksecrets @rynshyuckies @jelllyjae @jenyongcas @whyisquill @beemarkie @morkxlee @hibuki-chan @moonwalkun @lyyhyuck @baekhyunstruly @lilacdreams-00 @ridinhyuck @archivedmkl @najaeminluvbot @jiye0n0 @rensiu @morkleetrash @neo444 @hrjchive @keemburley @soobin-chois @yiz-yo @juune04 @nctasdfghj @hyckio @studywoo @jun5ui @smolpeyy @mahae66 @kkotjia @yoonhanzjaem @goldryush @stopeatread @hibernatinghamster @shwizhies @zgzgzh @bbymatz @eyantice @w0nderr @dinonuguaegi @neozon3nha @mnlylonely 

HCL TAGLIST. @aedreamzy @rrnhyuck @reinde3r @daegalfangirl @yixingtion @dandelionxgal @thesunsfullmoon @yangsbff @y3jiishot @purpleheejin @prdshobi

#haechan x oc #haechan social media au #haechan smau #haechan imagines #haechan scenarios #haechan fluff #haechan angst #haechan x reader #lee haechan #lee donghyuck #donghyuck x reader #nct #nct dream #nct 127 #nct x reader #nct smau #social media au #series: episode #smau: hcl #Spotify

[suhnshinehaos]

through the seasons : treacherous + spin-offs

collection synopsis : stories of the kind of love that lasts through time. the kind that persists. the kind that comes at the right place, at the right time.

featuring ! nct's yangyang, mark, xiaojun, and hendery

TREACHEROUS

synopsis : after a couple of instances of accidental matching clothing, yangyang finds himself in a dating rumor with possibly the most famous person on campus : yn, the bassist of an up and coming band. yangyang doesn’t seem to have a problem with it. unfortunately yn, who has also built up a reputation for being cold as winter, does.

status : completed / [ masterlist ]

FREE FALLING

synopsis : nobody believes yn is in a relationship with their boyfriend, mark lee. why? he's a member of a famous band and yn's simply a cafe owner that likes to interact with the fandom on twitter.

status : ongoing / [ masterlist ]

EVERY SUMMERTIME

synopsis : the marriage of a childhood friend and the return of an old flame turns dejun's life upside down. well, maybe not his entire life. just everything he thought he knew about love.

status : tba

IN BLOOM

synopsis : award winning actor yn ln leaves the hollywood life to open a quaint little flower shop a block away from rockstar drummer hendery. yn insists that love isn't for them. he's determined to prove otherwise.

status : tba

[ important notes under the cut ]

each story works as a stand-alone. you don't necessarily have to read everything, but it would help in getting some of the references as they feature the same characters or the same alternate universe yy, mk, xj, hd.

treacherous is the only full-length series. free falling, every summertime, and in bloom are minis and will only be 10-15 parts.

taglist will open for a particular series when the masterlist of that series is posted or as the series is ongoing. right now, you can only be on the taglist for free falling. it's just easier for me to manage than everything opening all at once.

as the same goes for all my works, there is no update schedule.

from reese, with love <3

my dreamvision... they are so dear to me,, i had to give all of them a love story ;>>

#💞 — through the seasons! #nct x reader #nct dream x reader #nct 127 x reader #wayv x reader #yangyang x reader #mark lee x reader #xiaojun x reader #hendery x reader #nct smau #nct sm aus #nct series #nct dream smau #nct 127 smau #wayv smau #nct dream fluff #nct 127 fluff #wayv fluff

[mins-fins]

☆ 1, 2, 3 NCT DREAM !

❝ jaemin really just broke the expensive ass

coffee machine.. how does he

expect to pay for that? ❞

──── ﹒ 𓇬﹐⬦﹒ ⟡ SYNOPSIS !

𓈒 𓈒 𓈒 it's at times like this that you really wish you were born rich. in your opinion, there's nothing worse than having to wake up and get ready in the morning everyday just to be subjected to verbal abuse from adults who believe the world revolves around them. honestly, the fact that you somehow have enough patience to get up and go through this shit day after day is much more surprising to you then the next women that comes in attempting to assault you because you wouldn't give her a 50% discount.

unfortunately, the expensive ass tuition you have to pay and your basic life necessities mean that you can't exactly up and quit whenever you want to. you know if you hold on for just a little bit longer, you'll eventually be able to get through it, but with customers that enjoy berating you, managers that don't give two shits, coworkers that quite literally make you want to rip your eyes from their sockets, and all while trying to balance college work at the same time, your not sure if your remaining patience is gonna be enough to keep you from finally snapping at everyone.

⌗ PAIRING 𓈒 𓈒 𓈒 nct dream & male!reader

⌗ GENRE 𓈒 𓈒 𓈒 college au, the characters work at unnamed retail place, sitcom style fic, fluff, angst, crack, comedy (attempted 😢), isa's written version of superstore, mostly platonic

⌗ WARNINGS 𓈒 𓈒 𓈒 swearing, explicit language, the horror of retail working environments, shitty managers, mentions of smoking, mentions of mental breakdowns, depression, and verbal abuse, everyone has their issues and it sucks

⌗ STARRING 𓈒 𓈒 𓈒 nct dream (ot7). original characters, other idols, and you of course!

⌗ STATUS 𓈒 𓈒 𓈒 updates every now and then.

⌗ TABLE OF CONTENTS ꜜ

⌗ CHAPTER ONE — killing my boss challenge!

⌗ CHAPTER TWO — DO NOT GIVE JISUNG FIRE!

⌗ CHAPTER THREE — jaemin the virgin sacrifice.

⌗ CHAPTER FOUR — free boba

⌗ CHAPTER FIVE — WE KILLED YOU 😭

⌗ CHAPTER SIX — that's an instruction manual

⌗ CHAPTER SEVEN — no pun intended

⌗ CHAPTER EIGHT — el oh el

. . . more chapters tba!!

⌗ ISA SAYS ! um hello :]!! happy new year if your reading this and you are ahead of me in terms of timezones. during 2023 i had HORRIBLE luck when it came to actually starting a series and finishing it 🙁 and i am very disappointed in myself but tbh i was never really dedicated to all of those series but this is one im genuinely excited about this one because there's mostly a lack of romance and i am HORRIBLE at writing romance so yeah 🙏 i have to go to work now so i wont be around for a few hours but ily all have a very good new year 🫶

#女˚ 1 2 3 ! #nct dream #nct dream au #nct dream x reader #nct dream imagines #nct dream drabbles #nct dream scenarios #mark lee #huang renjun #lee jeno #lee donghyuck #na jaemin #zhong chenle #park jisung #nct dream x male reader #male reader #nct dream series #𑁍 ࣪˖ 𓂃 isa's works!

[thatsatricky1]

𝐀𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 || ‘𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧’ Chapter I

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: Abandoned. After going through hell and back together, she was left there to fend for herself. Y/n felt as though they’d left her in the dust at the facility. A facility that had taken young gifted children raising them in secret. The eight of them had been taken as children and grown up together at the facility and just when it they had the chance of escaping they made one crucial mistake, leaving her behind in the dust. One big mistake they hadn’t forgiven themselves for, and she would make sure they’d never forget it.

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: Nct Dream ot7 x Reader.

𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Angst, Fluff, Mystery, Psychological, Supernatural, Thriller, Trauma, Weird Humor.

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: Angst, abandonment, cursing, mild fighting, talk of possible hallucination, tension.

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 5,5k+

𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫: This does not depict an accurate picture of Nct Dream and this is strictly fantasy/fiction for entertainment purposes.

Taking in a crisp breath of air never felt so fresh to her. Even after a year out of her personal hell every breath she took felt as if she was breathing freely for the first time all over again, not taking any second for granted.

Just like any day she took in her surroundings with sharp calculated eyes only relaxing when everything seemed perfectly in order, not feeling the burning stare of those she was constantly on the run from, when you escape, you never truly escape. Hunted down like a dog until they finally give up hope.

Y/n looked around her differently now that she felt safe gazing at the bustling crowd going about their days, no one paying attention to her too focused on their own lives. How it should be.

South Korea, Seoul. Her current destination. She’d arrived exactly one hour ago and was now taking her time to take in the scenery, deciding to enjoy the sight in front of her before getting down to business. The true reason for her coming to the heavily populated area.

Either the dumbest place to hide seeing as it had eyes everywhere or the smartest place to hide from how many people were there to begin with. It went both ways. Her intentions were to find seven people that would no doubt be all together. It had taken her a year to search for them but she’d located them in Seoul from whatever hints she could find, now all she needed to do was find out where in Seoul they were.

She craved for answers, but not just that. She wanted them to see her, show them just how capable she was, how much she’d changed in the span of two years. What she’d become.

With a low hum her eyes met the sight of an aesthetic cafe, then again every store here in Seoul had its own aesthetic, something she hadn’t cared for in the past but now wanted to enjoy the little things she couldn’t in the past. Seoul stores were all aesthetic but clashed in how they looked next to each other.

Crossing the street to get to the cafe she opened the door, her ears picking up the sound of the doorbell clinging as she went. Not wasting time walking over to the cafe’s counter quickly catching the vibe of the cafe to be a soft and cozy area, not many people there. Perfect.

Her lips automatically slipped on a smile as she approached the counter, a young man in his early twenties like herself looking up at her with his own smile.

“Hello, welcome to Atiny, where our coffee is freshly grinded by us and served with extra care. What can I get for you today?” The man spoke casually, a smile never leaving his face as he gazed at her, taking her in speaking as if he’d said the line a million times. Something Y/n thought must have been true.

He was tall, having dyed his hair freshly silver, wearing comfortable clothing with a beige apron on with a sand timer glass as the logo on it. A sweet vibe coming from the man as if to say this place was safe. Though Y/n knew better than to think anywhere was safe.

“Hello I’m not usually in this area of Seoul often so I’m not quite sure what to order. Do you have any recommendations.” She swiftly asked, her smile softening as she tilted her head in question looking up at the worker.

“Well since it’s my shift I’d recommend either what everyone orders here which is of course an Iced Americano or the drink I make very well, a warm caramel macchiato. If you’re looking to also eat something I suggest the strawberry muffins, Wooyoung just finished baking them so they’re still warm and very fresh.”

The man spoke casually with his comforting vibe listing off some items they had available while trying to keep the conversation light and somewhat humorous.

“Well…” Y/n started off, eyes flickering to the man’s name badge before looking back up into his eyes “Yuhno, I would like a warm caramel macchiato with a strawberry muffin for here please.”

“Great choice, I’ll get it ready for you. Would you like to pay here first or at your table after finishing?”

“I’ll pay now.” Her response was just as fast as his was, not wasting time as her nimble fingers pulled her wallet out of her jacket opening it up.

”Sure thing, that is 7.25. Cash or c- ah alright.” Yuhno cutting off his own sentence watching her hold out a tener. Moving to take it hand brushing past hers noting how soft it was yet in a strange way hard, as if she’d worked a lot.

“Thank you Yuhno, keep the change for yourself or the tip jar, I’ll go find my seat.” Y/n spoke up before he could start handing her the change turning around to find herself a spot to sit.

Yuhno stood there for a second change in hand as he watched her walk across the cafe, eyes taking in her green dyed hair. Not an unusual sight for Seoul as many dyed their hair. Himself included. Not to mention one of his close friends and work colleagues had green hair too.

Clumsily putting the change in the tip jar once he noticed she’d found a spot in the corner booth and their eyes met, moving to grab one of the many clean mugs to start preparing her order.

Y/n watched with a small amused smile before turning to look out the window, quickly getting lost in thought. Her smile slipped from her lips as it usually did in these moments.

Eyes searching the crowd for familiar faces, none welcoming but came up empty. They most likely looked the same, maybe different haircuts and clothing style would be a given style change considering the clothing style they’d left in two years ago would send curious glances their way.

Before she felt lost, missed them even. But now her feelings on them had changed, the two years alone, isolated away from them had changed her perspective on them quite a lot. Of course there was a big factor as to why.

‘They left me’

The thought, consistent throughout the two years and still was there and her main focus and thought when it came to them. Whatever close bond they’d developed from not just surviving day for day together but because of their natural bond was gone, long gone.

“I hate to interrupt whatever has you lost in thought, but I wouldn’t want your drink getting cold.”

Yunho’s voice had snapped her back to reality, having to force herself not to react wrongly letting her body continue its relaxed posture, willing her muscles to not tense as she looked up at the young man who held her order on a tray. Silently scolding herself for being so off guard she hadn’t even noticed his presence.

A smile slipping back onto her face as she gave a nod thanking him quietly as he placed her coffee and muffin on the table. Though he lingered by her side before deciding to do something he normally wouldn’t do with customers. Yunho slipped into the other side of the booth facing her.

“Ah, I may not be familiar with the customs here in this part of Seoul but I’m sure that company from the cafe is not a part of your job with customers.” Y/n points out but her smile didn’t leave her face to show she meant no harm by her words.

“You’re right about that, but I couldn’t help but notice you seemed lost in thought. Not particularly good thoughts either. Plus you’re the only customer we have right now.” Yuhno awkwardly explained his hand automatically going to his neck rubbing it with a sheepish smile.

“Well, you’re right too. But instead of dwelling on the thoughts I’ll try to enjoy this instead. Though I wouldn’t mind the company.” She replied, keeping the warm conversation going as she gestured to her coffee and muffin.

Yuhno nods as he watches her pick up the coffee curious at her reaction as she closes her eyes for a split second taking in the smell of it before blowing cautiously on the caffeinated drink and finally taking a sip. He didn’t know he was holding his breath until she opened her eyes letting out a satisfied hum indicating the drink had been prepared well.

“I didn’t expect anything else, it tastes good.” Y/n complimented Yuhno while taking a longer sip of the drink enjoying how it warmed her from the inside.

“That’s great to hear.” Yuhno spoke giddily before coughing at his overexcited reaction shifting in his seat, coming up with a question off the top of his head on the spot “So, why are you in this part of Seoul if it’s somewhere you don’t come often?”

Y/n eyes that had gazed at her drink flew upwards to gaze at Yunho, to him it looked like any normal gaze but in actual fact it was her calculating the question, analyzing his words.

“Just meeting some… old friends that I haven’t seen in a while.” She casually stated testing the waters.

Yuhno hummed at her words leaning back in the leather brown booth seat hand absentminded fiddling with the sweet table cloth.

“It must be nice visiting old friends. I hope it goes well.” Yuhno replied with a genuine smile wondering what her friends were like.

“Hm, I’m sure it’ll go exactly how I think it will.” Y/n spoke. Yuhno nodded, understanding her statement completely differently than the double meaning she’d truly meant.

“Oh right, I never got your name.” Yuhno spoke up leaning forward slightly.

“My name? How about I tell you that next time?” She responded in a light joking manner, not wanting to give out her name so easily, nothing was safe.

“Another time? So you’ll be back?” Yuhno asked with a tilt of his head curious but somewhere inside him he felt hope light up at the thought of the green haired woman becoming a regular at the cafe.

“I’m not sure how long I’ll be around here, but I’ll most likely visit this cafe a few more times, it's a gem here.” Her words flowed easily as Yunho looked down with a pleased smile.

Walking down the street, Y/n held her posture well, head up slipping past people left and right in the overcrowded as ever city. Making her way towards a crossing standing on one side waiting for the light to turn green, stilling at the edge of the pathway.

Her gaze forward as she watched the light, eyes drifting noticing it wouldn’t be changing soon, deciding to look wherever her eyes gazed during the wait. A flash of pink catching her eyes.

Her focus zoning on the figure, her hand by her side tightening into a fist as she took in the person. She’d been right, different styling but the same face, maybe only slightly more matured.

The coincidence of finding one of seven in the busy city was a slim low chance but it had happened as if the universe always tugged them back together. This just made it so much easier in locating them.

His gaze was unfocused as if lost in thought. How funny. The boy, now a man on the other side of a road crossing, seemed to not worry, as if he was free. The thought only caused her fist to impossibly tight by her side.

The beeping of the crosswalk turning green signaling for the pedestrians to cross had caused the pink haired man to look forward seemingly out of his dazed thoughts. Though his footing stuttered not being able to move forward at the sight in front of him.

As others started walking past himself he watched the other side where others did exactly that as well, all but one. He wasn’t sure if he was hallucinating, he’d done so in the past feeling as if in the corner of his eye he’d seen her here and there before but never like this. Not directly in front of him. The sight stealing his breath away.

She looked exactly like her. Though more matured, more held together. Green hair and a different styling choice, but it was still her. Catching her gaze. His stomach tightening not being able to move much like how she too had yet to move.

Y/n had caught his eye, it was obvious by the way he hadn’t moved a muscle. Not walking in her direction like others. So she made the first move, a slight tilt of her head as she gazed at him. The small action seemingly kicked him into taking one stop onto the crossroad.

But that was enough of a reaction for her. As she easily slipped back into the crowd like a shadow not crossing the road and instead disappearing with the crowd that had come opposite the crossing walk she’d originally planned to cross.

“Wait!” He yelled out eyes widening as he seemingly lost sight of her in a split second, his body properly propelling him forward now out of desperation as he moved across the crosswalk at a fast pace, eyes scanning desperately.

His feet passed onto the pathway now just as the crossing turned red. His body turned in every direction as he searched the crowds around him internally cursing at the heavily dense population of Seoul for once.

He had been so close, if he had of just crossed instead of staring dumbly he could have seen her up close, talked to her, touched her. To know she was really there and not just his mind playing tricks on him.

“Please come back.” He spoke to himself, desperate to believe it was her.

Jeno’s body finally stilling as he gazed at the crowd around him, before letting his head drop in defeat.

Oblivious to the gaze on his side profile inside an antique shop. Y/n stood there watching him. Knowing fully well she wouldn’t be satisfied with just making contact with Jeno.

No, she wanted them all in front of her when she met them properly. Her face that had been void of emotion, though slowly her lips slowly ticked up at one corner in a sort of satisfied way at how he had gazed at her. It was as if a ghost of the past had passed across his vision.

Eye’s trailing over his figure but stuck to one thing in particular, an ironed on badge that said ‘Glitch Mode’ on his bag, her eyebrow raising at this before turning to walk further into the store hidden away from sight.

Sitting down at an internet cafe wasn’t particularly something she liked doing seeing as it had taken her a year to catch up on technology, but now she knew what she was doing.

The search engine splayed across her screen from where she sat in the gaming chair, hand hovering over the keyboard in thought. Her fingers decided for her as they typed out the words still stuck in her head from just a few hours ago.

‘Glitch mode’

The first result was a place in Seoul that came up on the search engine. Her hand moving to the mouse clicking on the first result to be brought to the webpage. Instinctively leaning forward in her chair to get a closer look as she scrolled.

It was an arcade. Though mixed from retro games all the way to its very own new styled gaming station with Pc’s and all the like. Y/n wondering why he had an ironed badge on his bag with the logo.

Though her hand scrolling on the webpage stilled at one particular area of the site eyeing the paragraph.

‘Glitch Mode was created for the youth to be able to enjoy their time away from the responsibilities casted on them by society, a safe place for people to enjoy their time. For teenagers to adults up to their early thirties. A place designed and made by seven individuelles in hopes of creating a new environment for younger people to not only thrive but have a place to be themselves without the prejudice of the system we live in today.’

“Hidden in plain sight, what a bold move. How haven’t you been discovered yet?” Y/n whispered to herself.

“Glitch mode? It’s great there, better than these internet cafes but they always close up early on Thursdays and Fridays.” A voice spoke from beside her.

“They’re closed early today and tomorrow?” Y/n asked moving to look to her left at the person sitting beside her in their own gaming chair.

“Yeah, ever since they opened up last year they’ve been in big competition with places like internet cafes. Usually here and other places are empty when Glitch Mode is open or filled with more older people here.” The young man explained.

“Thank you for the information…” Y/n started to thank the random stranger but stalled not knowing their name, something they caught onto as they moved they dipped their head in a small bow.

“Jung Wooyoung.” Wooyoung introduced himself, causing Y/n to let out a hum at the familiar name she’d already heard from a certain barista this morning.

“Well thank you Wooyoung for the information. I have to go. Enjoy your time here.” She thanked him with a smile getting up after closing the browser search engine.

Wooyoung’s eyes following her action looking upwards once she was standing even when she turned to leave but stilled turning back to give Wooyoung a teasing smile.

“Your strawberry muffins are quite delicious, I can’t wait to taste them again another day.” With that she turned away, moving towards the exit.

Wooyoung staring dumbfounded at the spot she once was in. He’d baked fresh strawberry muffins for the cafe today but how did she know that? Shaking his head away from the thoughts when he heard his phone buzzing with a call.

Pulling the phone up to his ear, shoulders relaxing letting a smile grace his lips once again as Yuhno’s voice came out the other end rambling about a green haired girl who’d visited their cafe today.

“Oh by the way she never had a strawberry muffin before, but she was sure nothing would beat that one you made. She basically said your muffins were delicious Woo.”

“Yeah I know.” Was Wooyoung’s response as he glanced at the empty chair beside him in amusement now getting it, Yunho must have said his name when she’d been there.

“What’s the point of putting a calendar in the watch party room? No one is going to be wondering what day it is while watching movies with their friends, besides the room is bright yellow, and that calendar is literally a white base with blue and black.”

Chenle all but whined out from where he sat lounging on the yellow couch legs propped up on the table.

“Because something else needed to be hung up on these walls, plus the dark blue tilling at the bottom of the room matches well with the calendar now shut up.” Renjun retorted from where he leaned against the edge of the doorway frame.

“We can always swap it out for something else some other time.” Jisung chimed in after hanging the calendar up against the nail in the wall he’d just hammered.

“If we’d just put a poster up we would have avoided the whole hammering a hole into the wall, you know we have to plaster that up if we put away the calendar.” Chenle continued whining, obviously still not convinced.

“We could hide the hole with a poster instead.” Jisung offered up a not so long term idea for the hole in the wall problem if it came up.

Renjun was about to throw the nearest object beside him at the two but before he could the three turned to look in the direction of where they heard a door slamming open and shut.

“Jeno’s back.” Chenle pointed out, letting out a whine at Jisung pushing his legs off the table before following the two out of the watching room to investigate Jeno’s loud arrival together.

Jeno made his way back to the store walking in at a rushed pace, frustrated with the fact he was seeing her now in front of him rather than just the corner of his eye. Y/n was not there yet his mind continuously ate away at him.

“I’d ask who pissed in your cereal this morning, but I cooked fried eggs this morning.” Jaemin pointed out watching Jeno’s entrance coming into the staff room. From where he sat beside Donghyuck, the two passed each other an old retro game boy every time one of them failed a level.

“Just ask him who pissed on his eggs then instead.” Donghyuck piped in though his gaze was glued to the retro game boy, fingers intensely moving around to win the level so he didn’t need to pass it back over to Jaemin.

“I’m not in the mood.” Jeno gritted out through clenched teeth, his hand flying up to his pink stained hair tugging at it.

The two looking up at this, Donghyuck who’d normally whine hearing the game losing theme sound stayed quiet in favour of watching his pink haired friend.

“You saw her again in the corner of your eye?” Jaemin asked out softly, his hand moving to absentmindedly fiddle with his piercings against his ear at the slight thought of her. She’s always wanted piercings.

This caught the attention of Mark who’d been sitting at the desk finishing up some leftover paperwork.

“No… not like that. I swear I saw her, right in front of me. On the other side of the crosswalk. But then when I finally moved towards her it was like she just… just disappeared into the crowd.” Jeno stressed out moving towards where the two were sitting on the comfy worn out blue couch.

“Pretty sure she can’t just disappear in front of your eyes. It was probably just your mind playing tricks on you.” Renjun spoke as the three entered the staff room now two having heard him.

“No you don’t get it. It had to be her. Her face was the same, just a little more mature. She wasn’t wearing the uniform and her hair… It looked freshly dyed. Green it was green.” Jeno tried describing what she’d looked like. Everyone tensed up at the mention of their past uniforms they’d been forced to wear day in day out.

“Jeno, when was the last time you slept?” Mark spoke up for the first time in the conversation, his voice only hinting at concern from where he sat at the desk, paperwork long forgotten now.

“That doesn’t matter right now Mark. I saw her.” Jeno shook his head in distaste for what Mark was trying to do. He was using his lack of sleep against him as some form of evidence that he’d seen wrong.

“Mark’s right. This has happened before Jeno. When you have long periods of time without rest you start seeing her.” Jaemin pointed out trying to dull down the small hope that flickered in his chest at the thought of her managing to escape.

“No, not you too. Look, yes I haven’t slept in a while but this is different. It’s different this time and I know it was her. She looked so…” Jeno stopped defending himself in favour of rubbing his hand down his face. Struggling to find the words he was looking for to describe Y/n.

“It looked as if she saw right through me, I know for a fact that’s impossible she’d recognise me in a heartbeat no matter how different I look just how I recognised her.” He continued on hand returning to run through his hair, evident of stress in his actions.

“If it really was her. She would have approached you Jeno. Y/n… she’s not here.” Donghyuck denied his words, hands clenching hard around the retro game boy. Silence enveloping the room.

All seven wished she was in fact here in Seoul. But the most likely option was that she was still stuck at the facility. Alone. Being tested on like a lab rat. The one who didn’t get away, who did not escape.

“And if it was her? We just sit here? Let her walk around Seoul alone?” Jeno asked out, the slim chance of it being her.

“Stop. Just stop Jeno. She’s still stuck in that goddamn facility doing god only knows what to her. You don’t get to go around talking to us, giving us hope she’s out. Not when you’re the first one who decided we needed to leave without her.” Jaemin bursted, voice full of anger as he stood up now making his way towards his friend.

Though Jeno beat him to it cross the room to grab at Jaemin’s black vest tugging him harshly, fists tight against the material.

“Shut up. You know nothing! I tried to wait. If we had waited any longer none of us would have been able to leave that hell hole. If I hadn't spoken up we would all still be there being poked, proded, beaten and tested on.” Jeno nearly growled into Jaemin’s face.

“Enough!” Mark all but yelled out clearly frustrated as much as the others swiftly making his way over hand placed on top of Jeno’s giving him a stern look. Jeno not giving in, hands still tight against Jaemin’s clothing.

“Don’t forget Jaemin I may have said it, but we all were thinking it. We were desperate. In the end we all made the choice.” His voice, still loud but no longer held as much anger.

Jaemin stared Jeno down for a few seconds before looking away, choosing wisely to keep quiet on his words. His stomach was tightening with guilt, one he’d carried for two years now. One they all carried.

Jeno held back a scoff from Jaemin’s silence letting go of him but didn’t give anyone the chance to speak again as he stormed out of the room.

“I’ll talk to him. I’ll bring him back to the apartment and try to get him to sleep.” Renjun offered, patting both Jaemin and Mark on the shoulders as he went past and through the doorway following their pink haired friend.

“What about the calendar?” Chenle called out, causing everyone to look over at him.

“It stays up!” Renjun called back out loudly.

“Not the time Chenle.” Mark told him off lightly, shaking his head as he made his way over towards the desk again.

“When will it ever be the time? I still think we should get rid of the-” Chenle tried to continue his ideas but Jisung shoved him down against the blue couch and layed on top of him, cutting him off.

“Not the time.” Jisung butted in but let out a choked noise when Chenle wrapped his arm around Jisungs throat and the other hand went to Jisung’s head aggressively messing up his hair.

The two, messing around now on the couch, a leg flying out causing Donghyuck to duck, now focused on playing the level on his retro game boy again. Jaemin watched them but wasn’t in the mood to mess around or play games, deciding to make his way over to where Mark was.

Watching his friend continue the paperwork briefly before gazing over at the monitor next to them on the desk that monitored all the security cameras around. About to look away until something caught his eye.

Moving to sit beside Mark on the other gaming chair leaning forward, eyes squinting slightly at the monitor. Specifically on the back exit camera. Shifting in his seat when he was sure what he was seeing, a hooded figure standing there perfectly in frame. As if wanting to be caught on camera on purpose.

“You okay Jaemin?” Mark’s question caused Jaemin to whip his head towards Mark blinking dumbly for a second before nodding as he stood up.

“Uh yeah, yeah I’m good. I’m just gonna start locking up. I think it’s a good idea for us all to get out early today.” Jaemin thought up on the spot.

“Yeah, I think that’s a good idea. I think we should make it a long weekend too. Keep closed tomorrow and reopen on Monday.” Mark decided thinking all of them needed a small break.

“Yeah great, I’ll be back soon.” Jaemin rushed his words out, turning towards the door to make his way towards the back exit.

Mark watched, his eyebrows scrunching slightly at Jaemin’s hasty exit but chalked it up to him just wanting to leave after what happened with Jeno a few minutes ago. His attention turned to the three left once he heard a thump, Chenle and Jisung now rolling on the floor together.

Mark letting his eyes shut inhaling through his nose trying to have one moment of peace before he’d have to try and break up whatever the two were bickering about now.

Jaemin made his way towards the back, slipping through the side door quietly, eye’s trying to focus on the new darkness surrounding him as it was night now and dark compared to previously inside.

The figure was still there standing still. Jaemin rolled his shoulders back as he spoke loud enough for the hooded figure to hear.

“Who are you? We are closed as of current. Tomorrow as well, come back on Monday during our normal opening hours.”

The figure turned towards him, yet because of the setting it was too dark to see the face that was hidden behind the hood the figure wore. His eyes squinted once again to try making out any detail.

“Do you understand what I just said?” Jaemin asked out yet the figure stayed silent causing warning bells to go off in his head. He’d hoped it was just some teenager due to the height of the person but now all he could think about was the fact the facility could be closer to them then he thought.

Before he could question further the figure finally did something. They turned around to face away from him. Taking a second to start walking away. Jaemin staying still watching the figure slowly leave cautiously wondering why they hadn’t responded and took their time to watch him before taking their leave.

As the figure went to turn the corner they walked under a street light, a small piece of hair sticking out of their hoodie being caught by the light. Green. It was green.

Jaemin’s heart dropped to his stomach connecting the dots fast as he remembered Jeno’s rambling from earlier.

“Wait! Y/n!” He yelled out, his tone bordering desperation.

The figure stalling for a millisecond in their walk but it was enough for him. It was enough for the hope to reignite in him as his body moved, shoes hitting the pavement underneath him heavily to chance her.

Y/n hearing his footsteps easily, racing past the corner as quick as she could causing him to call out once more. Skidding past the corner himself too, stopping in confusion once he came up blank. No one nearby.

“No.” Jaemin whispered hands going up to his head before shaking it off racing down the street taking a few turns that his gut wanted him to take. Almost deciding to stop the chase until he caught a hooded figure pass into an alley. Jaemin racing in the direction once again.

Entering the alley he stopped at the sight in front of him. The hooded figure taking a leap at the fire stairway that was suspended a few feet up in the air. Their hands catching the bottom of the metal ladder pulling their weight upwards.

“Just wait!” Jaemin yelled out making his way towards the ladder attempting to grab at it only to curse out when a boot made contact with his hand preventing him from climbing up with them.

Jaemin’s body fell down onto the dirty alleyway floor as he looked upwards watching the figure climb further up the ladder before disappearing over the ledge of the building's roof.

His hand moving to cradle his other injured hand, the hit wasn’t anything to worry about and would be fine by morning. His gaze lingered in the last spot he’d seen the figure, jaw clenching. He knew he had not been sleeping well either, just like Jeno, but this couldn’t have been a hallucination.

He didn’t want it to be a part of his mind playing tricks on him.

A few buildings was all that Y/n thought was enough to be deemed a safe distance away. Taking a few steady breaths in as she slowly pulled her hoodie down. Her breath catching in her throat, not from being winded from the sudden running but having seen his face.

Na Jaemin even in just two years had matured, taller and looked healthy.

“You’re closed tomorrow on a Friday? Good. I’ll see you soon boys.” Y/n spoke to herself eyes sharp, face highlighted from Seoul’s lights in the city at night, neon green shining against her.

Prologue || Chapter 1 || Chapter 2

𝐓𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭: @rotinyzen @wonyoungmywife @snflwrhaerecs4u

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𝐊𝐩𝐨𝐩 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭:

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