#taehyun high school au | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

daegudrama · 10 months

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Title: You Belong With Me

Pairing: Tyunning

Summary: Sweet high school Kai and Taehyun navigating a change in their relationship.

Word Count: 4,413 words

Taehyun

It's a typical Tuesday night and I'm listening to the kind of music most of my peers wouldn't like. Lately I've been really into music from other countries. I don't know why people think it's weird. Music transcends language in my opinion.

I look towards my window wondering if I'll catch a glimpse of the boy next door. Huening Kai and I have been friends since I moved here in second grade. We know each other better than anyone else and we are always there for each other. Well...we used to be.

Ever since he started dating Cynthia he's acted different. She doesn't want to hang out with me because I'm in pep band and she thinks I'm gay. She hasn't said that to Kai but I've heard her say it to her friends. Cynthia doesn't understand Kai like I do and that has led to numerous fights between them. Someone needs to put that girl in her place.

Kai comes into view of his window and I can see him waving his hand around while holding the other to his ear. Fighting with Cynthia again it looks like. I wonder what it's about this time. I'm always the one to comfort him when she takes a joke too seriously or is overly jealous. She fits every stereotype of a rich privileged cheerleader and I can't understand why Kai even likes her.

His dark brown hair is falling in waves across his forehead and he desperately needs a haircut. He's about a week away from not being able to see anything. Maybe that's what he wants I wouldn't want to see his girlfriend's face every day either. He's wearing a big tshirt and basketball shorts I got him last Christmas.

The sound of something falling in my room breaks my attention. My Junior Jewels shirt from band camp had fallen off my wall for what must be the twelfth time since I put it up. I set it aside not wanting to deal with it right now.

Kai spent the summer at home while I was away at camp learning how to repel any romantic attention that might come towards me. Band camp really is the best birth control money can buy.

My room is filled with pictures of my friends and music that has had deep impact on my life. Each square inch covered with another piece of who I am. A picture from freshman year catches my eye and I can't help but smile. Kai and I after his first junior varsity football game. He was so sweaty and muddy but that didn't stop me from hugging my best friend.

Across the room my phone dings from where I left it on my bed. There is only a few people who regularly text me and a quick glance to Kai's window tells me it's probably him.

Hyuka: do you want to watch a movie in the clubhouse? 🥺👉🏻👈🏻

His emoji choice has me questioning things I shouldn't be thinking about. I can't let my mind go there and cause more of my poor heart strings to break.

It's been awhile since we hung out in the clubhouse because like I said his girlfriend is a jerk. When Kai was eight his dad built him a shed in the backyard where he could play with his friends. As we got older we've redecorated and turned it into a hangout place.

Me: i can be there with popcorn in ten. See you soon

After putting on a sweatshirt and socks I go downstairs to make popcorn. Mom is standing next to the sink but doesn't ask what I'm doing. When the popcorn is done I tell her where I'm going.

"Be back before ten." She says and I nod on my way out the door.

I unlock the gate of the Huening backyard and walk towards the clubhouse. Kai is sitting on the couch with the projector already warmed up and ready to go when I walk in.

"Hey," I say taking off my shoes in the doorway before walking to the couch. "Are you okay? I saw you through the window and you looked heated."

"Cynthia is being overdramatic again." He says as I sit beside him handing the popcorn over. "I was texting one of her cheerleader friends about an idea for a pep rally and she thinks I shouldn't do that. She said that's how it starts."

"How what starts?" I ask genuinely confused as to what she might mean.

"I'm not even sure. Maybe she thinks I'm going to cheat on her? I really have no idea. I like her but sometimes she's too much." He sighs leaning back in his seat eating a piece of popcorn. "I wish I could just date someone that gets me like you do."

Date me. My brain screams and my eyes widen trying to figure out if I said that out loud. Kai's facial expression remains the same meaning I didn't say it.

"I think the same thing sometimes." I say without thinking and quickly change the subject. "Let's watch the movie."

He's chosen Camp Rock like he always does when something is upsetting him. This is his comfort movie and at this point I can quote it without the sound on.

When the popcorn is finished Kai leans against my shoulder sending my heart into a frenzy. I need to get my emotions in check before I ruin the best friendship I've ever had. Lately it's been more uncontrollable. Seeing him running around in his football gear all the time only makes it worse.

"You should find a girlfriend so we can hang out as a group." Kai says leaning against the other side of the couch.

I don't know how to respond to that. I haven't told him I'm gay and I'm scared that he might not want to hang out with me afterwards. Kai is not homophobic but I think he'd be a little uneasy because we're so close.

"I need to tell you something." I say before I can chicken out. This is important and I'm ready for my best friend to know even if I'm scared.

His eyes widen under his shaggy hair cut and his eyebrows come together like he's thinking hard about what I might tell him. Whatever he's thinking can't be close to this.

"Okay, you can tell me anything, Tae." He reaches out to touch my shoulder as he speaks.

"I'm gay." I close my eyes taking a deep breath.

It feels like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders but my heart also feels constricted not knowing how he'll react.

"Taehyun..." he trails off and my eyes open in worry. "I'm so proud of you for telling me. I'm sorry I just said something about you getting a girlfriend, I didn't know. I love you."

He pulls me into a hug and his words are ringing through my ears. I hug him back burying my head into his shoulder.

"I love you too." I reply when he's let go.

"Do you like anyone?" He asks a little while later after I've told him he's the first person I've told.

Yes, only the most beautiful man in the world. I can't say that out loud. He's in a relationship and as far as I know he's not even a little gay. I try not to fantasize too much because all it does is hurt me. There is a very slim chance that I'll ever get what I want and that's something I need to live with.

"At our school? No one has really caught my eye." I lie and wonder if my eyes are shinning as much as I feel like they are.

Every day it gets harder to not lean forward and just kiss him. I just want to know how it feels. Though, if I get a taste I'm sure I'd just want more for the rest of time. Life would be easier if everyone was gayer.

"Sureee," Kai teases wrapping an arm around my shoulder. "What about that Beomgyu guy in your music class?"

Beomgyu is an attractive man but he can't captivate me in the same way Kai does. The way Kai pointlessly lies and is rarely seen without a plushie within a ten foot radius. It's how he can be a football star one moment and a soft boy that will cuddle his stuffed rabbit watching Camp Rock the next. He's been my best friend for so long. I can't imagine having to tell anyone all my childhood memories. Kai experienced them with me and knows me better than anyone.

"He's cute but not really my type." I say hoping for a reason to escape before he asks me my type. Lying to Kai isn't my strong suit. He sees right through me and usually doesn't let it go.

My phone rings and I see a photo of my mother and I breathe a sigh of relief. I quickly answer and my mother asks if I've finished all my homework because she found an English worksheet. I decide to use that as my escape even though that assignment isn't due for another few days.

"My mom wants me to do homework." I say getting up from my seat. "I'll see you tomorrow."

I run out before he can say another word and I feel so awkward. How did I tell him that? I wasn't prepared at all but I'm tired of people assuming I want a girlfriend. Heteronormativity is so strange to my flaming homosexual ass.

My mom watches me finish my worksheet before letting me go to bed. I stay up longer than I should writing a song about what I'm feeling. No one will ever hear it but getting the words out makes me feel better.

Around 11 Kai holds up a sign to the window like we used to do when we were little. Before we got cellphones on our thirteenth birthdays this is how we communicated. I find a notebook so I can respond to his 'Are you okay?'

He's not wearing a shirt and though it's nothing I haven't already seen there are butterflies in my stomach. I grab a sharpie and write 'Yes. Just going to go to sleep.'

I hold it up for a moment before stepping back to close my white curtain. A memory floods my mind and I can't shake it so it becomes part of the song.

Two years ago Kai and I were having a sleepover in the clubhouse and things took a turn. This was obviously before I came out and at that point I wasn't entirely sure of my sexuality. I knew I like boys and I thought I like girls but after deep consideration and trying to be with girls I realized that's not for me.

It was well past two a.m. when Kai scooted closer to me on the bed that is lofted above the main hangout area. Without a word he tilted my chin up and pressed his lips against mine. For several minutes we kissed holding each other closely and then he turned around. He fell asleep and neither of us mentioned it. I can't help but think about that when my feelings for him grow each day.

He's been my best friend for so long it's like we belong together. Kai has a smile that could light up this whole town but I haven't seen as much since he's been with her. She fights him on everything from what he wears to who he spends time with.

Tomorrow is Friday meaning one more week until homecoming. Of course, I'll have to play at the game but without a date I'm not going to show up. Kai talks about wanting me at more school events with him but I just don't feel right about it. Especially not with Cynthia giving me weird looks every ten seconds. It's like she wants me to be jealous and I am but that's a weird thing to do to someone's best friend. Especially when they have no solid evidence that I'm actually not straight.

I decide sleeping is my best option. Maybe if I'm well rested I'll be able to deal with school.

The next week is a mess of perfecting songs for pep rallies and barely talking to Kai because he's so busy with football and trying to deal with his relationship.

On Thursday night he taps a note to his window. 'Movie sleepover @ 8?' I think about ghosting him but we live right next door to each other. If I don't answer he'll come over here.

It's odd that he wants a sleepover since we haven't had one in months. The fact that it's the day before game day makes it even weirder. Maybe he just had a really bad day. Beomgyu told me he heard from his friend on the football team that Cynthia wouldn't answer his calls last nights. Her snapchat location said she was at the co-captains house. I'm not going to mention it unless he says something.

'I'll bring the ice cream' I write taping it to my window because I can't see if he's in his room right now. He's probably eating dinner.

I sit down at my desk to do some homework. I push a few papers aside that I'd rip from my notebook and see 'I love you as more' written in large letters. Before summer I wanted to tell him but ended up chickening out because he left the window before I could show him. I fold the paper and hide it in my desk drawer.

After finishing my homework and eating dinner I contemplate what ice cream to bring. My usually stash hidden in the outside freezer is running low. Maybe I'll go to the store and get some of our favorites.

I tell my mom I'm going to spend the night in the clubhouse and she offers to buy snacks and ice cream for us. I gladly accept promising to do the dishes tomorrow in return.

Kai's is the only place she would let me stay over on a school night. It's right next door so I can just come home in the morning to get ready. If she needs me I'm just across the yard really it's a win that we became best friends.

It's nearly 8 when my mom returns. I'm wearing the matching pajama set she got me and Kai for Christmas last year. She looks happy that I'm wearing it and hands me the bags.

"Don't be late to school!" She yells as I walk out of the door.

I roll my eyes knowing I won't be late tomorrow. Knowing Kai we will be asleep before twelve especially since he has a game. He takes his sports very seriously.

"I brought snacks!" I say as I walk into the clubhouse without knocking.

Kai is lying across the couch staring up at the ceiling with a blank expression. He's wearing the same pajamas as me but his are a little too small. Kai has bulked up a lot this year from practicing so much.

He sits up reaching for the bags before he says anything to me. The ice cream is in his hands when he finally greets me and I can tell he hasn't had a good day.

"I'm sorry we haven't been hanging out. Life's been stressful lately." Kai says stabbing his spoon into the ice cream with a sincere look.

"I understand. Girls and sports..." I trail off trying not to sound sarcastic but knowing I've failed.

"Cynthia has been really bugging me lately. It's like she doesn't trust me at all."

I contemplated whether I want to give him good advice or just tell him it'll be okay. I decide to be a good friend as I shove my hand into the Dorito bag sitting between us.

"If my partner didn't trust me to do simple things I would take that as a red flag." I shuffle in my seat thinking of what to say next. I rest my chin on my hand. "This is high school and this relationship isn't made to last and we both know it. I've been reluctant to tell you this because it seemed like she made you happy but..."

"What is it Tae? You can tell me anything." Kai says when he sees my hesitation.

"Your girlfriend," the word tastes like sour milk in my mouth. "has repeatedly told me to stay away from you because she thinks I'm gay. I've also heard she doesn't want me around because she thinks I'll ruin your popularity."

"Are you serious?" He asks putting the ice cream aside and staring into my eyes.

"I wouldn't lie about this." I say softly my tummy turning with anxiety.

"Taehyun, I'm so sorry she treated you that way. I would've had a conversation with her a long time ago if I knew. Is that why you declined hanging out with us?"

I nod my head and he sets the bags on the floor so he can reach over and hug me. He smells like the floral shampoo his older sister uses and his arms are right around me.

A moment later he sits back putting the ice cream in the mini fridge/freezer combo by the couch. Something catches his eye and suddenly there is two bottles of soju in his hand. He raises an eyebrow daring me.

"Kai, you have a game tomorrow." I say and he juts his lower lip out creating the cutest pout.

"A little soju never hurt. We'll watch Tangled and use our drinking game. Or we could just sit here. I feel like I need to catch up with you."

We decide to talk and drink rather than watch a movie. The snacks sit between us as I update him on what I've been doing this week. I've the next few hours we each finish a bottle than another half before we call it quits.

"Do you remember that time we kissed?" Kai asks when we've made it to the bed lofted above the main area.

It's dark and I can't see his expression. Even my intoxicated brain starts screaming because we don't talk about that. This is really the first time he's ever mentioned it.

"Of course I do. I was under the impression you didn't want to remember it." I say wondering where this is going.

I should turn around and go to sleep before we do something stupid. We are both intoxicated and I don't want to do anything he might regret tomorrow. I'm too intrigued to turn around. I need to know where this is going even it breaks my heart.

"Honestly it was one of the best kisses I've ever had. I tried kissing more boys after you but it was never quite the same."

My heart flutters and my brain is screaming not knowing what to do with this information. He's kissed more boys than just me? Kai thinks he likes boys. This is news to me and I can't understand why he's saying this now. We've drank together before and nothing like this conversation has ever left our lips.

"Why are bringing this up now?" I decide to ask after a few moments of silence.

The tension in the air is thick enough to cut and my chest is starting to hurt. I've imagined this moment so many ways and hoped that some day he'd confess feelings for me. I never thought I actually hear him say I'm the best kiss he's ever had.

"I've been thinking about you in a different light lately. Hearing what Cynthia said about you made me realize I shouldn't hide anymore."

Hide what? Does he have feelings for me? Does he want to kiss me again? I'm about to ask him when I hear a faint snore. He's fallen asleep and I wonder if he'll remember this tomorrow. It seems unlikely and I make a mental note to get up before he wakes up.

In the morning my head is aching and my stomach feels like I might throw up at any moment. Kai is still asleep next to me with his cheek pressed against the pillow. His mouth is open and a little trail of drool is pooling on his pillow.

Quietly I make my way out of the clubhouse and back home. Kai's words from last night are running through my mind and I wonder if he was being honest. I drink three bottles of water before taking a shower to wash off that drunk smell. The last thing I need is to get suspended or called to the office today.

It's homecoming night and I'm not planning on going to the dance because the one person I want to go with is still with someone else. I almost hope he doesn't remember his words so we don't have to have an awkward conversation.

"Did you have fun with Kai last night?" My older brother teases as I walk through the hallway.

I roll my eyes ignoring his attempt to get a rise from me. Instead I make toast knowing I don't have enough time for anything else. My phone dings as I'm leaving my house.

It's a message from Kai.

Hyuka: Why'd you leave before I woke up? 🥺Did I say something last night? It's kind of a blur 😣

He doesn't remember. A part of my heart sinks knowing that if I want a confession I'll have to tell him what he said. Time to swear off alcohol so something like this doesn't happen again.

Me: its nothing...I'll see you later maybe

I can't force myself to sound normal and I hate it. How am I supposed to react to this? My best friend said he really liked kissing me. I've had a crush on him for ages and think we would be perfect together. Of course I'm a little freaked out.

For most of the day I successfully avoid him until he corners me in the empty band room after pregame rehearsal. Everyone has left to get dinner leaving us alone.

"Why are you avoiding me?" Kai asks his eyes wide tinted with sadness. "I've had a horrible day and I wanted to talk to my best friend earlier but you just ran away."

He stands in front of me arms crossed over his chest. What else happened today? All I've been thinking of is his lips and how I wish I could kiss them whenever I wanted.

"We always promise not to lie or withhold information from each other..." I trail off debating whether I should continue. "but last night you dropped a pretty big bomb on me."

"What did I tell you?" His eyes are wide and he won't meet my eye contact. Kai's cheeks are flushed and I can tell he's hoping I don't say what he told me last night.

"You told me our kiss was one of the best you've ever had and that you've tried kissing more boys but it wasn't the same. You also said you've been seeing me in a different light but you fell asleep before I could ask about that."

I try to remain calm but his face is getting redder by the second. He hides his face in his hands and runs way before I can say another word. I let him go knowing that when he's ready he'll let me know. If he doesn't I'll come to him. I don't like being in this limbo.

After dinner I'm back at school waiting for the game to start. I'm in the bleachers warming up my instrument. Kai hasn't come on the field yet but there is still a few minutes until the tip-off.

At the last moment he appears looking confused. He quickly seems to get his head in the game, but during the second half he isn't his usual self. We still win the game but Kai has to be taken out because he can't focus.

Once the game ends I rush home so no one can drag me to the dance. The last thing I need is to be around a bunch of hormonal teens twerking and trying to end the night fucking in the back of a limo.

I'm trying to focus on my homework but I can't. All I want is to have answers. So I do the most cliched and ridiculous thing I can think of. I grab my love declaration from my desk. I get dressed in my nicest clothes and shove the note inside the pocket.

I run to homecoming only stopping when I get inside and see Kai standing with his friends. His face is sad and I just want to make him smile. Kai's eyes sweep the room and land on me. A smile breaks across his face and he pushes his friends aside to walk towards me.

In the middle of the dance floor we each reach into our pockets and pull out a folded piece of paper. He unfolds his first and I see 'i love you (in a gay way)' written on his paper. The paper looks like it'd been folded and unfolded many times and I wonder how long he's had this.

He gasps when I unfold my paper taking the step forward to wrap his arms around me. He's pulled away from me by a well manicured hand. I look up to see Cynthia in a fire truck red dress that comes to her mid thigh.

"Babe, what are you doing?" She says trying to look sweet and innocent.

I don't think she's doing a very good job. One could compare her to the wickedness of Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Making myself happy. You were kissing my teammate a few days ago and bullying my best friend. I'm not your boyfriend. I'm his."

My heart is threatening to dance out of my chest hearing the words I've been waiting years to hear. She looks disgusted and storms off towards her group of friends.

"So you want to be my boyfriend?" I ask as he cups my face in his hands.

"Of course I do silly." He says leaning down to press his lips against mine in the middle of the dance like no one is watching.

#fanfiction #txt fanfiction #txt fanfic #tyunning #kang taehyun x Huening kai #taehyun x kai #taehyun #Huening kai #fluffy #fluff #high school au #very cute and wholesome #Taylor Swift inspired

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kaesficrecarchive · 1 year

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[taehyun x beomgyu]

this sweetness will forever be harmless (my heart is run and gun) by starrycellophane (1/1 | 17,767 | T)

“Kang Taehyun,” he challenged confidently. “And why are you here, wearing a café employee’s uniform?”

For the first time since Beomgyu had known of the boy, the latter visibly tensed, tearing his gaze away.

“I think you’re the one who doesn’t know of our school rules.” Beomgyu grinned, waving his phone at Kang Taehyun like he was a matador, tempting a charged bull with red. “Should we find out what happens if I show this video of you working to the principal?”

Kang Taehyun regained his composure so quickly, Beomgyu almost second-guessed the prior sight of his fleeting hesitance. His large, piercing eyes were downcast in a disbelieving frown. “You’re lying.”

“What’s this? Is our proper little council president suddenly scared?” Beomgyu smirked, leaning back into his seat and folding his arms smugly.

Or,

Beomgyu and Taehyun have been enemies since day one of high school, and discovering Taehyun’s secret (and definitely impermissible) part-time job may give finally Beomgyu some leverage over him. But Beomgyu inadvertently ends up discovering an entirely different side of Taehyun which is not so bad after all, and possibly even lovable…?

(author)

#taegyu fic rec #taehyun x beomgyu #txt #one shot #t: high school #t: bakery au #t: enemies to lovers #wc: 10k-25k #c: kpop

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yeppeudau · 2 years

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Bonus: exhausting

synopsis: In which you and Soobin have a crush on the others bff, who which coincidentally, are dating. So you do what any other people with a common goal would, and try to break them up. Except it doesn't go exactly as planned...

masterlist

♡a/n: they love taehyun don't worry<3 [goes with chpt 16]

taglist(open): @maitenight @kori-roe @rich-man-v @gyuville @darrensos @etherealcherrie @jjunis @i-yeseo @igotkpoops @ashxxkook @ilvaussie @soobin-chois @cha0thicpisces

#wkcnet #txt smau #soobin smau #txt x reader #soobin x reader #txt x y/n #choi soobin #choi yeonjun #kang taehyun #hueningkai #tomorrow by together #smau #social media au #high school au #enimes to lovers #Best Friends🩹: bonus+

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koqabear · 3 months

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chulo

♫: Chulo Pt. 2, Bad Gyal

"Your hermit of a roommate finally decides that he’s had enough of your attitude. And of your constant assumptions that he’s never felt the touch of a woman. "

taehyun x fem!reader

Genre: pwp, roommates au, smut, enemies to lovers if you squint, ft. wingman jjun

Word count 11.4K

warnings: barely edited and barely any plot mwah, use of drugs (weed) and alcohol; mentions of the mc getting drunk (not during any of the smut), jealousy

smut warnings: sub!mc, mean dom!tyun, strength kink !! bratty mc and brat tamer tyun, high sex, shotgunning, degradation, praise, pain kink, spanking, hair pulling, thigh riding, begging, pet names/name calling (slut, baby, princess, pretty/good girl, etc.) manhandling, brief choking, mentions of safeword (it’s not used though), brief marking, biting, oral, (f. rec), face sitting, tyun is a literal pussy fiend. fingering, overstimulation, multiple orgasms, unprotected sex, tyun is thick and big yawnnn what else is new, dumbification maybe, slight humiliation (kink? maybe.),breast play, scratching, possessiveness, creampie (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

(lmk if i should add anything lmao)

Notes: just leaving this here to remind u guys that i am the least sane solomon on this app. i actually only wrote this for myself but congrats u all get to read it too. say thank youuu!

Taehyun was, for lack of a better word, a total goody-two-shoes; always holed up in his room studying, the only times he ever left home being for work, school, or to go run an errand. He was also your beloved roommate.

It was meant to be, really; jumping blindly at the offer your mutual friend Yeonjun offhandedly mentioned, commenting about how his friend was struggling to find someone in order to split rent— “his old roommate moved out, now he’s going broke trying to afford the place on his own.”

And you, in all your bright-eyed and enthusiastic glory, didn’t hesitate to ask for details; one long interrogation later, and you found yourself getting interviewed by the man himself— how you were able to snatch the title of Taehyun’s new roommate is something you’re still unsure of.

Because as far as you’re aware, the two of you couldn’t be any more different.

“You’re going out again?” you hear Taehyun call out from the kitchen, the said man able to hear you approaching from the hallway from the jingling of your jewelry— something he was always on your ass for, never failing to comment how you’re like a walking tambourine with that stupid quirk to his lips— the sound of his voice teeming with judgment only brought about a roll of your eyes, trudging over to the kitchen to send him a harsh glare; you made a point of placing your bangle clad wrists on your hips, the action bringing about another soft jingling.

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” you ask, raising a brow expectantly; Taehyun seems unfazed by your sudden confrontation, not a single muscle twitching at your accusatory tone— his back remains turned to you, leaning on the kitchen counter leisurely while he scrolls on his phone— at the sound of your persistent hmm? He peeks over his shoulder to meet eyes with you.

“You were out till three yesterday,” he says nonchalantly, only turning so he can properly look at you whilst keeping an eye on the stove, “Is partying all you do?”

You can tell he’s trying to provoke you— but you know better than to fall for it and get angry, already victim to his constant mocking and teasing to realize that he seems to enjoy getting a rise out of you— so you simply roll your eyes and scoff, crossing your arms over your chest before you’re turning on your heel and beelining back to the door.

“You know damn well…” you mutter to yourself, sneering at the chuckles you’re able to pick up on, “It’s none of your business anyway!”

“Yeah, it kinda is!” Taehyun retorts, but you’re too busy slipping on your shoes and your jacket to voice out a rebuttal— swinging your purse over your shoulder, you’re able to catch his final comment right as you’re slipping out the door; “I’m not making the hangover soup again!”

“Fuck you and your soup!”

You shut the door behind you before Taehyun can get a word out.

☆☆☆

“How are you two still living together?”

The natural light that streams in through the windows and the sound of Yeonjun’s raspy voice is enough to have you wincing with pain and ducking your head down; hot steam from your bowl soothes your skin and puffy eyes, your body still sore from the night before as you sink into the chair with a tired sigh.

“Because as insufferable as she is, she still pays her share of the rent,” Taehyun mutters bitterly, setting down a second bowl of soup before your mutual friend, pulling out the chair across from your as he goes to sit with crossed arms, “aren’t you gonna eat? You were begging me for this earlier.” Your lips automatically go to form a scowl, but your hand still goes to reach for your spoon— because as much as you hated feeding into Taehyun’s big fat ego, you couldn’t deny that he makes some killer hangover soup; you could already feel the tension easing from your muscles from the first bite—- your eyes remained glued to the table, knowing better than to glance back up and catch the stupid triumphant look Taehyun never bothers to hide.

“Fucking insufferable,” you mumble between bites, glancing at the way Yeonjun seems to catch onto your words, shoulder shaking with the soft laugh he huffs out.

“Me?” Taehyun gawks, leaning forward as though to make sure he was hearing things right; neither of you respond, which only serves to make him more irked.

“As far as I’m aware, I’m the one that has to deal with you— always coming back late and drunk as hell—” Taehyun’s pointed glare jumps over to Yeonjun, who simply flinches and averts his gaze down to the table, “you said you’d be watching over her last night.”

“I’m not a baby,” you butt in, ignoring Taehyun’s look of disbelief, “I don’t need a babysitter.”

“And yet you’re always asking me to take care of you.”

You shrug dismissively, the last bit of your energy spent as you find yourself no longer interested in arguing; staring down at your bowl, you found that you were so busy trying to ignore Taehyun’s piercing glare that you ended up scarfing down your soup in a haste— standing abruptly, you go to place your dishes in the dishwasher before you’re spinning around and sending Taehyun a bright, innocent smile.

“It’s not my fault you always jump to come help me out,” you coo, wincing at the soreness of your body and the sharp ache in your head as you make your way over to him, cupping his face and squeezing his cheeks together, leaning in close to him even as he begins to fuss and swat at your hands angrily, “and you’re just soooo caring and sweet with me— it’s in your nature, don’t lie.”

“It gets tiring listening to you complain around the house,” Taehyun sneers grabbing your wrists firmly and pulling your hands off his face swiftly— the sudden strength catches you off guard, hands falling dumbly at your sides as you can only stare at Taehyun as he continues, cold and aloof as always, “It’s the only way I can get you to shut up.”

“Sureee… sure,” you mumble offhandedly, clearly unimpressed by his excuse as you saunter off to the living room instead, making yourself comfortable on the couch before you’re yelling back to the kitchen one last time.

“Jjunie,” you call, waiting for the muffled hmm? of the said man before you continue, “are we still down for the part next Saturday? Jake’s place?”

“Oh… uhhhm,” he pauses, and you’re sure Taehyun is probably sending him a deadly glare right now, “sure, if you want to.”

“Of course I want to,” you grin, pulling out your phone to look up Jake’s instagram page, scrolling through his feed to get a refresher of what he looks like, the satisfaction of what you see seeping into your voice as you speak, “Partying’s all I do.”

You swear you hear a scoff; it only serves to make you anticipate the weekend a little more.

☆☆☆

“You’re leaving like that?”

Your body is jolting in surprise, the mascara wand in your hand clattering on your desk as you curse in shock— Taehyun stands in your now opened doorway, unable to sense his presence due to the focus you were putting in to make sure your makeup came out perfect— meeting his gaze through the mirror, you frown, nose scrunching in distaste at the way he clearly judges you; your hand reaches for your phone, turning down the music you were playing in order to actually hear him properly.

“Don’t you know how to knock?”

“I tried. I’ve been trying. For the past three minutes,” Taehyun says, ignoring your complaints as he makes his way into your room, coming up behind you as he scans your setup— he ignores the way you continue to glare at him harshly, eyes running slowly over the mess you’ve made before he’s leaning down and reaching across the vanity; you’re pressed back against the chair and left to watch as his arm obscures your vision, hoping he didn’t pick up on the way your eyes glued onto his muscles that bulged slightly as he reached for the charger plugged into the far outlet.

“You never gave this back,” Taehyun sighs, and before you can refute that you were just about to, he gives you a pointed look with that raised brow of his. “It’s been three days.”

“My bad,” is all you can bring yourself to say, picking up your mascara wand again as you go back to applying your makeup carefully— but it’s hard to concentrate, especially with the way Taehyun continues to linger behind you, able to feel his warmth due to how close he is— and you glance over your shoulder, scanning him up and down before you’re turning back to your vanity, “is there something else I can help you with?”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“What, the whole why are you dressed like that thing? Are you seriously expecting an answer to that?” you ask, putting your mascara away as you move to your lips instead, “It’s nothing new, I don’t know why you’re so fixated on that right now.”

“Nothing new?” Taehyun repeats, and through the reflection of the mirror, you’re able to catch the way he frowns in disbelief and scans you once more. “You never dress like this for house parties.”

“Hmm,” you hum softly, doing your final touch ups before you’re standing abruptly, spinning around to face Taehyun with a pout, “it’s the skirt right? It’s throwing the whole thing off.”

Taehyun watches as you push past him and head straight to your closet; glancing over your shoulder and nodding at him to sit on your bed, turning back around before you can catch the way he hesitantly follows your command— and you’re turning back around with three more garments in your hand, each option smaller than the one before— the sight has his brows jumping briefly.

“I was thinking this one at first— I think the darker denim is cuter though, like this one,” you press each skirt to your waist, peeking at yourself in your body length mirror before you switch to the next option; again, you’re pouting and shaking your head, throwing the first two options aside before you’re turning around to show Taehyun the last option proudly.

“But actually, I think this one is the one— look at the pockets, they’re sooo cute,” you smile, flipping the garment over to show him— and indeed, they’re blinged out and sparkly, just like the rest of you; you hold it against your waist, checking yourself out in the mirror with satisfaction.

“That— that barely covers you.”

“So?” you effortlessly reply, tilting your head and meeting Taehyun’s gaze through the mirror; dramatically, you gasp, mouth falling open and brows rising as you proceed to blatantly mock him, “Oh, is this too scandalous for you? Sorry, I forget you’re a bit more… reserved. It’s okay, you don’t have to stay in here if it makes you uncomfortable.”

You’re biting your tongue as you listen to Taehyun sputter behind you in confusion; through the corner of your eye, you’re able to watch as his brows knit together, leaning forward and tilting his head as he struggles to find a response.

“Where the hell did you get that from?”

“Oh,” you trail off, tsking awkwardly and amping up your dramatics as you pause— Looking over your shoulder, you meet Taehyun’s prying gaze, returning it with a faux apologetic smile. “Y’knoww… Yeonjun told me. About you.”

If anything, that only serves to confuse Taehyun even more— and worry him, if the way he stares off into space, visibly deep in thought, serves as any indicator.

“What did he tell you,” Taehyun mutters, the question more directed to himself as he racks his mind for possible answers— but you beat him to it, continuing your efforts to keep a poker face as you shrug innocently.

“Just… about you. Relationships, experience…” and you’re turning your back to him, muttering the last part and taking in the way Taehyun leans forward even more to catch what slips out your mouth, “or, lack thereof.”

“Excuse me?”

“We were talking about our own stuff and you kinda just came up in the conversation randomly!” you say defensively, “It’s nothing to be ashamed of! It’s okay to shy away from… this lifestyle, or whatever you like to call it— there’s nothing wrong with being your little introverted self, tyunnie.”

You’re provoking him— you’re setting up quite the bait, and it’s working, because Taehyun can only find himself able to gawk at you in disbelief, mouth parted slightly in wonder of it all— your cute nickname flies over his head in favor of processing the fact that you basically just called him a homebody. A virgin.

Just when Taehyun thinks he’s found the words to respond to such an outlandish accusation, your phone dings with a notification— you’re all but bouncing over to it excitedly, hovering over the device and letting out a soft ah! In excitement— sending Taehyun a pleading smile, he’s already able to guess what you’ll ask of him.

“Junie’s here! Can you please please please go answer the door for me? I need to change.” you watch Taehyun hesitate for a moment; he then nods reluctantly, getting up slowly before he trudges out of your room, your words still bouncing around the walls of his mind as you shut the door and yell out a cute thank you! As you do.

Taehyun opens the front door to find an equally flashy Yeonjun on the other side— the sight of his over the top outfit is enough to catch Taehyun off guard and have all his thoughts tumbling out of his mouth without restraint.

“Did you tell her I was a virgin?”

Yeonjun’s brows jump up in disbelief— he’s halting mid step through the doorway, sending Taehyun a confused look before he steps inside and closes the door behind him— looking at his friend for further explanation, Yeonjun is only met with Taehyun crossing his arms with an expectant look.

“Dude. What the hell are you on about.”

“Why is ___ acting like I’m a total prude— saying you told her I was inexperienced,” Taehyun isn’t exactly sure why tonight’s comment was what set him off— you’ve been like this for as long as he could remember, always portraying Taehyun as someone pure, innocent, and stuck-up— he always thought you were joking, but as it turns out, that might not be the case.

“Oh— she’s probably not being serious, don’t worry,” Yeonjun shrugs, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets, craning his neck to try and get a glance down the hallway, seeing if you’re finally ready— you’re nowhere to be seen, and Yeonjun sighs impatiently.

“Okay, but what did you say to her?” Taehyun presses on, eyes narrowing at the sight of Yeonjun pressing his lips together hesitantly, “Yeonjun.”

“I just said that it’s… rare to ever see you get interested in anyone,” Yeonjun pouts, but Taehyun can tell that’s not the full truth— Yeonjun caves in after a moment, gulping softly and lowering his voice to nothing but a murmur, “and that she should stop flirting with you, cause you wouldn’t even know how to handle all that.”

“You what?!”

“Yeonjunnie, what do you think?” your voice is sweet and lilted as you finally come out of your room, interrupting Taehyun’s heated outburst with your jingling jewelry— the two men are turning over to you, Taehyun too busy taking in your appearance to notice Yeonjun sighing in relief at your well-timed interruption.

“So?” you ask, doing a cute spin that has Taehyun’s eyes widening and his hands clenching— yeah, that skirt was practically a belt, your pretty skin lotioned up and shining under the lights, the spin only allowing him to get a perfect whiff of your addicting scent, “Y’think I can get Jake’s attention with this?”

The name has Taehyun frowning before he can even process it— behind him, Yeonjun whistles at your dolled-up self, doing a once over as he proceeds to hype you up.

“Are you kidding? I’m gonna have to fend you off from everyone in that place,” he says, reaching out for your hand and grinning at the way you giggle and take it, your fingers interlacing naturally, “he’s gonna be all over you.”

“Jake? You can’t actually be attracted to that douchebag,” Taehyun frowns, watching the way your expression immediately drops at his comment.

“I am, actually. It’s nothing serious, just a hook up at most,” you roll your eyes, voice turning undeniably bitter as you bend down to slip on your shoes, the sight of your panties peeking out from the skirt, tucked neatly between your thighs not lost on Taehyun, “Plus, I heard he really knows how to treat a woman.”

Taehyun’s gaze snaps up to meet Yeonjun’s; his glare is lethal enough to kill, and the recipient can only shrug sheepishly in return.

“Sleep well Taehyun,” you remark, clearly poking fun at the fact that Taehyun usually sleeps much earlier than you, never failing to call him a grandpa for it, (which is ridiculous, considering that you barely sleep.) “You don’t have to worry about me— probably won’t be home tonight.”

You’re closing the door and dragging Yeonjun with you before Taehyun can respond, probably off to pregame outside while you wait for your uber; he’s left staring at the spot you just stood at, jaw clenched and eyes narrowed in anger— a minute goes by, and something decidedly shifts within Taehyun.

He’s gotta do something about this image you have of him. He should probably fix that attitude of yours too, while he’s at it.

☆☆☆

“Where the hell is he?” it’s something you seem to have asked for the umpteenth time tonight, leaning against the wall and pouting at your friend while you stand in line for the bathroom— you’ve been at the party for a solid hour now, and you still have yet to see Jake around. And to think, he was the one who invited you to his place in the first place. How rude.

“I told you not to give him a chance!” Yeonjun yells, leaning in closer so you can actually hear him through the booming music and the crowds of people singing along to whatever’s blasting from the living room, “this party fucking sucks, too.”

You can only exaggerate your pout further with a petulant humph. Your body slouches and you can already feel your heart getting heavy with disappointment, unable to refute the way your best friend proceeds to mutter something about Jake probably being too busy sucking off another girl’s face in a random room of the house.

“You never gave in to his advances— you said he was a man-whore,” Yeonjun continues to recall, wincing at the sight of two random girls rushing past him and to the front of the line, carrying their clearly shit-faced friend and screaming about how she’s going to throw up all over— the two of you cringe, exchanging a glance and mutually agreeing that you two can hold it a little more; you slowly trudge your way back to where everyone else is. “What changed? Why’d you give in?”

You scoff, lips upturned with distaste as you send your friend a glare— the wound still as fresh as ever, voice dripping with venom as you lean close to Yeonjun’s ear so he can actually hear you.

“Junnie, you know why!” you whine, smacking his shoulder and ignoring the way he childishly yelps, “I’ve officially decided to move on— I can’t stand flirting with a brick wall anymore, I need to… need to…”

You’re trailing off, gaze wandering off to a foreign point, Yeonjun’s brows furrowing before he begins to follow your line of sight— and just like you, Yeonjun remains speechless, the unexpected sight leaving your jaws gaping.

“This can’t be real.”

But it is. The way Taehyun is currently leaning casually against the wall, drink in hand and coy smile on his face as he talks to some random girl, is very real. You can recognize that man anywhere— even in this crowded room of dancing and jumping bodies, your eyes still remain glued to him.

But, the more you look at him, the more you realize something— he looks… different. It’s subtle, but it’s still there; the mischievous glint in his eyes, his relaxed posture and the hair that falls into his eyes, he has a confident, sly air to him you’ve never seen before— the girl leans up on her tippy-toes to whisper something in his ear, a hand on his shoulder to get stabilized, and the two laugh; your mind is too preoccupied with the way her hand lingers, the way Taehyun tilts his head in amusement, to realize the frown that has pulled your face together.

Taehyun brings the can of beer in his hand to his lips— he turns his head, and his eyes find yours effortlessly.

“He actually came,” Yeonjun awes beside you, and that’s enough to have your head whipping toward him, trying to ignore the way your face burns at the sudden eye contact, still able to feel his eyes linger on you for a moment after.

“What are you talking about? Did you give him the address?” you say, your voice whiny as you speak, surprised to find that you’re not exactly sure how to feel at his sudden appearance— torn between the sudden interest he piqued within you and the disappointment that festeres in your stomach, knowing that now that Taehyun is here, you won’t think twice to give anyone else any attention.

“Hmm? No, he was invited,” Yeonjun says, glancing back to where Taehyun is, looking back to find your confused expression, “him and Jake go way back.”

You’re kidding.

“Nope. Those two were fucking menaces,” Yeonjun laughs— it seems as though the words must’ve slipped out of your mouth, the shock painted on your face more amusing to your friend than anything, “they used to host the craziest parties— now that I think about it though, that was probably all Taehyun’s work.”

“Wait… don’t tell me that…” you glance over to where Taehyun remains, then glance back at Yeonjun, reading his expression carefully and gasping, “was Jake Taehyun’s old roommate?”

Yeonjun nods, as though the news wasn’t earth-shattering to you.

“After a while, I guess Taehyun just didn’t feel like keeping up with the fast life… I don’t blame him though.” Yeonjun shrugs, his eyes beginning to drift behind you, drawing you to turn around at the sound of the crowd on the dance floor cheering and yelling obnoxiously— and sure enough, Jake can be seen in the middle of a circle, flashlights of phone cameras recording lighting him up clear as day— you wince at the sight of a random girl dancing up on him, the sight leaving you to shudder and wonder why you were even gonna give him the time of day.

Ah, right.

“I can’t believe I was about to rebound on him with an old friend,” you breathe out, bristling at the sound of Yeonjun’s laughter, whipping your head around to send him a harsh glare, “and you were going to let me!”

Yeonjun raises his hands up defensively.

“Hey, I was just being a good friend,” he says, but with the way he smiles mischievously, you don’t buy it a bit. “I support women’s wrongs, or whatever.”

“You prick,” you mutter miserably, gaze inevitably wandering back to where Taehyun remains; frowning at them now being visibly closer, Taehyun’s hand resting leisurely on the girl’s waist as they talk.

And again, his eyes flicker back to meet yours.

“You know, he’s only here for you,” Yeonjun murmurs in your ear, watching your interactions like a spectacle, “he doesn’t care about that girl— probably just trying to get you jealous.”

“Stop lying,” you say, but your voice is weak and your brain is susceptible to his words; you tell him to shut up, but the way you perk up with interest is saying otherwise.

“If I’m lying, then why is he giving you fuck me eyes?”

As if on queue, Taehyun glances back again— his gaze is dark and inviting, scanning you slowly before he turns back to the unknown girl— and his eyes soften; they’re less intense, aloof, clearly uninterested. The final piece of your resolve crumbles to pieces.

“I think I’m about to do something stupid,” you say sheepishly, eyes still glued on the man across the room; beside you, Yeonjun chuckles.

“Do it,” he says, giving your back an encouraging push, sending you stumbling forward, “I support it.”

You don’t bother looking back at your friend for one last word of reassurance— your feet have begun to take you before you could even stop and think.

You’re pushing through bodies; it’s crowded and hot and sweaty, cringing and jumping at the feeling of hands brushing against your bare skin— whether it be intentional or not, you try not to dwell on it, honed in on your goal instead.

It takes a moment for you to finally find yourself on the other side of the crowd— but you’ve lost Taehyun, eyes darting back to where he was just a second ago, frowning and scanning the area for the familiar man— he’s nowhere to be found.

You’ve begun to wander around— exploring the layout carefully, eventually abandoning the living room and making your way into the kitchen instead— and like before, you’re unable to find Taehyun, growing increasingly frustrated the longer it takes to find him; it isn’t until you’re making your way to the back porch that you finally spot a familiar, broad frame leaning against the railing.

“Taehyun,” you call out, the said man not flinching at the sound of his name; his back remains turned to you, but he listens to the sound of your nearing footsteps and your jingling jewelry, the scent of your perfume following soon after; you’re standing behind him, hands undoubtedly on your hips and a pout on your face as you speak. “What are you doing here?”

He huffs out a soft chuckle— his relaxed, slouched posture only serves to annoy you, going to stand next to him so you can get a good look at his face— you try to hide the shock that’s blooming on your face, but then again, you’ve never been good at hiding your emotions.

Taehyun cracks a small, lopsided smile; your eyes are wide and you seem like a deer caught in headlights, watching with fascination as Taehyun continues his attempts to light up the joint caught in his lips— your mouth is falling open to say something, but you’re closing it immediately after; this proceeds to repeat for a few seconds more, only able to find your words once you’ve watched Taehyun take a relaxed, languid hit.

“You… you smoke?” you ask softly, unsure of what else to say as you stand staring at Taehyun dumbly— he raises a brow in amusement, pulling the joint away from his lips and turning to blow the smoke out into the night— it’s a slow, deep sigh, and you’re left in awe as you watch the smoke fall from his parted lips and disappear into the air; his eyes fall back on you, and you gulp.

“Yeah?” he says casually, turning so that he’s leaning his side against the railing, tilting his head and drinking up your every reaction eagerly. “What about it?”

Now that you’re before him, you’re finally able to get a proper look at Taehyun— a good look, unable to stop your eyes from wandering; he’s wearing that usual baggy tee and cargo pants combo that he’s so fond of, but even so, everything just feels so different; his undercut is styled cleanly, his nimble fingers glint with the aid of silver rings, a chain hanging from his neck to match— his tan skin glows under the single light placed on the porch and fuck, has he always smelled this good?

“Nothing, it’s just—” you stop yourself, biting your lip and thinking carefully over what to say; Taehyun quirks up a brow curiously, bringing his hand back up to his lips, taking another slow drag from the joint, watching the end light up before he pulls away— and you huff, hands gesturing hopelessly as you find yourself unable to properly articulate your thoughts, not when he’s staring at you so intensely, “Where did all… this, come from?”

Taehyun doesn’t answer; he simply stares at you with amused eyes. So, you continue.

“You’re always judging me for going to parties, now you’re here? And—” you stammer, pointing at the joint between his fingers in confusion, “I’ve always asked if you wanted to smoke together, and you always said no.”

Gently, your voice trails off— and suddenly, any confidence you had when you initially approached Taehyun is wilting, your gaze averting as you begin to recount his behavior, his words, everything.

“Do you hate me or something?”

Your words are accusatory and petulant; the question is meant to be lighthearted, but Taehyun can tell there is some genuineness to it.

It’s silent; you’re tense. Your gaze remains glued to some distant irrelevant point, finding yourself too nervous to look up at Taehyun’s reaction to your sudden outburst— but nothing happens. Seconds feel like hours, and after what feels like eternity, a hand is gently reaching to tilt your chin up; your gaze meets Taehyun’s, and he smiles— his other hand slowly comes up your face, the joint centimeters away from your lips.

“Wanna hit?”

His evasion to your question is not lost on you. Bitterly, you chuckle, reaching up to take the joint from him— but he’s pulling it away from you before you can grab it, tutting softly and placing it back at your lips; you reach for it again, but this time, Taehyun grabs your wrist to stop you. He taps the joint against your lips and raises his brows expectantly— what he’s asking of you finally clicks in your mind; your lips part, and he holds the joint for you as you inhale.

Taehyun watches you with dark, intent eyes— as though analyzing every move you make, from the way you lean your head forward to the way your eyes flicker up nervously to look up at him— your face is oddly innocent and shy, feeling a lot smaller under the man’s gaze as you finally pull away; you’re exhaling slowly, your mouth slightly bitter from the taste as your swallow nervously.

“So? Are you just gonna ignore all my questions?” you ask softly, suddenly feeling a lot weaker as you lean on the railing, crossing your arms and watching Taehyun bring the joint back to his lips— the edges of his mouth quirk up at the sticky feeling of your lip gloss that lingers on it.

“Well… first of all… I’ve been like this, you just met me during the time I decided to back off and change my ways,” Taehyun jokes, the joint still caught between his lips as he speaks, hanging precariously, “and second of all, I definitely don’t hate you.”

“You don’t?” you ask hopefully, doe eyes lighting up and your hand subconsciously reaching out to ask for the joint; he chuckles and hands it to you, shaking his head and watching you take a long hit with a raised brow.

“No. You’re just annoying,” he mutters, watching the way you bristle with annoyance, “what? It’s true. You drive me crazy, always forcing me to take care of your reckless ass.”

“Seriously? I literally don’t do anything to you— you’re the one who always decides to get involved,” you sneer, your snarky attitude finally back as you glare at an unfazed Taehyun; your eyes run over his appearance once more, unable to control your childish mouth as you continue, “even now— you come here out of nowhere and suddenly you’re all badass.”

“Are you trying to prove me wrong? You gonna go find some girl to bring back to the apartment?” you pout at him, taking one last hit from the joint and smiling wickedly, “I wouldn’t mind if you did, there won’t be anyone else home anyway— I have the same plans as you tonight, remember?”

Your back is suddenly pressed against the railing; Taehyun is close, he’s pressing against you, caging you in and looking down at you with a gaze that makes you feel small— your skin warms and your eyes widen, unsure of what else to do but stand there and take the way he smiles meanly at you.

“Yeah? Where is Jake, anyway?” he asks, taking the joint from your hands and placing it between his own lips, hand steadying himself against the railing as the other suddenly lands on your bare thigh, just below your ass; you jolt at the feeling, his eyes flickering down at your outfit, at the tiny pieces that barely leave any room to the imagination; his skin is warm but his rings are cool against you, fingertips barely digging into the flesh, “or wait— is it not your turn yet?”

Your body flushes with an unexpected heat; his voice is downright degrading, his eyes filled with pity, telling you things that his mouth doesn’t have to— look at you, all dressed up for a man who hasn’t even looked your way tonight.

He looks at you as though you were nothing short of pathetic; it makes your knees feel weak and your stomach flip with an unexpected need.

“Jake isn’t worth my time,” you confess, watching as Taehyun raises his brows as though to say oh really? “I can easily find someone better than him.”

“You could,” he muses, voice mocking and coy, taking another small hit before he speaks, “but who?”

“I— I’m sure there are plenty of other guys here right now,” you breath out, heart thundering in your chest; Taehyun’s face is close, so close, your bodies slowly beginning to get firmly pressed together— your brain is starting to feel foggy, your limbs suddenly much heavier and tingly; your eyes feel heavy and you’re beginning to list off names absentmindedly, all of men who you spotted in the party, all with a reputation as equally notorious as Jake’s.

“Heesung’s in there… and Sunghoon… and…” Taehyun is giving a big nod to every name you list; he’s patronizing you, staring at you with deceivingly big puppy eyes as he hums a soft mmhmm, and who else? His eyes never leaving yours as you both try to pretend that you don’t notice his lips inching closer to yours, the way every exhale of smoke from him goes directly into your parted lips, your voice breathy and weak as you hold back a whimper that threatens to slip through, “And… fuck, and Beomgyu’s in there too… he wanted to come to the party together, y’know. Said we should go to his place after.”

“Hmm, you’ve got quite a few options lined up,” Taehyun hums, his voice sweet and light to your ears, a shuddered sigh leaving you as his hand squeezes your skin teasingly, caressing it softly and wandering up and down, up and down; he tilts his head, low lidded eyes glued to your lips as he murmurs the last part so softly you almost missed it, “but would any of them be able to fuck you right?”

Your mind reels; your chest is heaving with shallow breaths, the two of you stuck in a state of limbo as you feel yourself get lost in the feeling of him, unaware of the way your eyes have begun to gloss over, your hand reaching out to steady yourself on his bicep— your fingers wrap around the thick muscle, and his hand slides up your leg, bold and strong as he squeezes your ass— a soft whine slips out.

“Well?” he asks again, unable to hold back a lethargic, fond smile at the way your other hand reaches up for the joint that’s still between his lips, putting it between your own, pretty glossed lips begging to be devoured— after a second, you shake your head softly, turning your head to the side and sighing slowly; with your eyes averted, you finally decide to bite the bullet.

“No,” you say softly, “don’t want any of them anyway.”

“Then who do you want?” he asks oh so softly, leaning in to place a soft kiss at your jaw; goosebumps erupt all over your skin, and you shudder at the way he hums softly in question, persisting after seeing you get hesitant to respond— after what feels like forever, you turn to look at him; his low lidded eyes, his plump lips— and your nails dig into his bicep subconsciously.

“You.”

There’s no chance for you to take back your words; Taehyun’s lips are rough and desperate against yours, all teeth and tongue as he groans at the feeling of your sticky gloss transferring onto him, your soft whines only aiding him to press himself more against you, to really cage you in and keep you right where he wants you. He’s biting your lip teasingly, sneaking his tongue in and toying with you, feeling him smile lazily against your mouth, wandering hand continuing to caress your skin, fingertips venturing under the hem of your tight denim skirt.

After a while, it becomes too much— your body feels hot, your hand is gripping onto him tightly, as though he could escape if you let him go— your lungs burn and you’re barely able to keep up with him anymore, but Taehyun doesn’t seem to mind; you’re whining and crying softly at the way he continues to squeeze your ass teasingly, jolting at the way he suddenly slaps it— your fingers jump up to tangle themselves into his roots, tugging roughly at them in hopes of getting him to part from you; he seems to understand what you want, but he continues to ravish you for a few seconds more before he finally pulls away.

In Taehyun’s eyes, this is the best you’ve looked all night; out of breath and flushed, pressed between the railing and his body, his cock already half-hard as he wills himself to not rut against your soft exposed skin like an animal— his hand leaves the railing to grab onto your waist, the other reaching for the joint that is still in your weak hold— he inspects the half-smoked, almost extinguished item before he looks back at you; a small, mischievous grin spreads on his lips, and he slips a thigh between your legs.

“Taehyun…!” you gasp, bouncing up as Taehyun presses the firm muscle against your poor dripping pussy; your panties stick to your cunt and quickly create a wet patch on Taehyun’s jeans, and he can already feel the warmth of you through the denim— your thighs close around his own shakily, your free hand grabbing onto his shoulder for support; the glassy, wide eyed look you give him is almost enough to make Taehyun lose it and fuck you then and there.

“Hmm? What’s up,” Taehyun asks apathetically, fishing in his pocket for his lighter, letting go of your waist to relight the joint with a dark, concentrated gaze; his thigh continues to move against you, flexing and bouncing against your cunt, and all you can do is cry softly and plead for him to stop teasing— his lips quirk up into a mean smile, and his eyes flicker back up to your hazy, fucked out face, tucking the lighter back in his pocket and tilting his head curiously at you.

“What do you want, baby?” he asks softly, bringing the joint to his lips and taking a long, slow hit, his eyes never leaving yours as he does.

“Please… please stop teasing,” you whine, and judging by the way Taehyun raises a brow at that, it’s not enough; his thigh has stopped moving, so you resort to grinding pitifully against it, eyes shining with a desperation that intrigues him, “not enough… need more.”

He huffs; his hand comes up to grab your jaw, fingers digging into your cheeks and forcing you to open— you follow his command without a second thought, the last thing you see as your eyes flutter shut being Taehyun leaning in, his own mouth an inch away from yours as he exhales the smoke directly into your mouth.

“Oh yeah? Want it?” he murmurs, feeling you nod in his hold, “tell me then. Tell me how you want it.”

“I— I…” words seem to have escaped you; it’s hard to find the confidence to tell him what you want, the world around you a blurry and lethargic mess, your senses heightened to only feel Taehyun, his skin on yours, his rings that dig into your cheek, his warm thigh that you grind against— peeking through your low lidded eyes, you watch him shake his head disappointedly, taking another hit and proceeding to blow out the smoke into your awaiting mouth once more.

“C’mon baby, use your words. I know you can,” he insists patiently, clicking his tongue and scolding you as you proceed to blank out once more; his fingertips dig into your cheeks roughly, blunt nails threatening to leave indents as he forces you to look at him.

“Want it rough? Want it hard?” he spits out, listening to your whiny mmhmm, mmhmm! with narrowed eyes, and he laughs— it’s mean and condescending, just like his next words, “fucking slut, ‘course you do.”

He’s capturing your lips in another harsh kiss before you can protest; the joint in his hand is snuffed out on the fence and tucked away, his hands falling onto your hips as he begins to press you firmly against him, guiding your pace entirely and forcing you to ride his thigh; you whine and you moan against his lips, fingers tugging at his hair as you grind your soaked cunt against his jeans— when Taehyun pulls away, your lips chase his without a second thought, hands tightening your hold against him in fear that he’ll leave.

“You want it?” he asks once more, bouncing his thigh against your messy cunt, grinning at the way you yelp, “Tell me baby, go on, say it; tell me you want it.”

He won’t let you go quite easily this time. Sharp, intense eyes prying the words out of you, brows furrowing together at the weak, quiet attempts that come from you, fingers leaving a bruising grip on you as he silently commands for more.

“Taehyun, c’mon…” you pout, an embarrassed heat rising up your face, not used to seeing this side of him— you didn’t even know it existed, to be fair, “I want it, please, stop being a tease.”

Taehyun has you regretting your words in the blink of an eye; hand pressing the small of your back, forcing you to arch and proceeding to land a harsh smack on your ass that has you gasping, the skin stinging from the feeling of the rough metal of his rings landing on it— but his hand doesn’t fail to caress the place soothingly, a total contrast to the ruthless glare he gives you.

“A tease?” he sneers, landing another, gentler smack, as though the words are enough to get him angry all over again.

“You mean like when you were showing off this cute little skirt to me? Hmmm? Bending down and showing me your panties? Or when you were talking about getting fucked by my friends?” he can feel you tremble against his hold, your mouth opening to retaliate— but you’re not quick enough, Taehyun’s smart mouth running faster than yours, “Or how ‘bout when you force me to watch you run off to parties and bring a man over to your room, just to have me take care of you in the mornings? Is that what you mean by a tease?”

You shake your head, scrambling to come up with a response; Taehyun seems to have gotten quite fed up with you, because his hand is coming up to wrap around your neck, adding a subtle pressure that leaves you light headed and mushy.

“What, can’t talk now? What happened to that mouthy girl I had here earlier?” Taehyun says, his voice mean and dripping with venom, “tell me you want it, or I’ll leave you here— you said you had some other toys to fuck with inside, right? I’m sure they could help give you what you want.”

“No, no, please, I want it, need it,” you cry, attempting to chase any pleasure and grind your cunt against him; you’re quickly stopped by his firm, bruising hand, “Taehyun, Taehyun, please, please fuck me, I want you, please?”

“I don’t know,” he mutters lowly, eyes glued to the way your hips buck and cant, trying desperately to break free from his hold that prevents you from moving, “think you deserve it?”

“Yes,” you immediately sigh, body restless and hot and overwhelmingly needy, feeling as though you’ve gotten tunnel vision for the man before you; your hand slips from his shoulder and down his chest, finding the hardened bulge that has been pressing against your body with ease— his jaw clenches, and his face remains stoic— but that doesn’t mean you don’t notice the way his lips part or his hips press against your palm reassuringly, “yes– give it to me, want it, only wanted you from the start.”

“Fuck,” he breathes out, heavy eyes locked onto the way you look up at him so prettily, your hand palming and rubbing at his clothed cock only serving to cloud his thoughts further, “C’mon.”

He’s stealing one last slow, messy kiss from you before he pulls away; fingers intertwined with yours, stepping back and proceeding to tug you along— you stumble at the sudden action, your airy self giggling softly at the way you tumble into Taehyun’s broad back; he sends you a fond smile, squeezing your hand reassuringly before he’s opening the door to the house and leading you back inside.

It feels as though the whole environment of the party has changed; the neon lights, blasting music and humid air is a little more welcomed than it was before, unable to contain the dopey smile that grows on your face as you allow Taehyun to lead you wherever; you trust him.

“Wherever” leads you to a bedroom upstairs— Taehyun is slamming the door shut and grabbing your waist, spinning you around and pinning you against the wall before you can even react; his face is inches from yours as he mutters a safeword for the two of you, waiting for you to nod and repeat it back before his lips are back on yours— but this time, he seems to want to take his time with you; plump, swollen lips beginning to trail along your jaw, wandering until he’s peppering kisses along your neck, teasing mouth nipping and sucking at your jaw until you’re holding onto his shoulders and begging for more.

Slowly, he begins to walk the two of you backwards; lips never leaving yours, hands caressing your skin and toying with the hem of your shirt as he sits down on the bed, making you stand between his legs— pulling away, you put your hands on Taehyun’s firm shoulders, sighing shakily at the way he looks at you; as though he were holding back from devouring you entirely, a fondness that makes you weak in the knees undeniably there in his pupils.

“Fuck, pretty girl, pretty body,” he breathes, leaning forward to pepper kisses wherever he can— pushing your shirt up to expose your chest, burying his head in your tits and placing open mouthed kisses, biting teasingly at the flesh, chuckling at the feeling of you jolting and jutting your chest out, your body much more reactive and sensitive— and he trails down slowly, down the valley of your breasts, down your stomach, lingering there for a bit as he kisses and sucks marks into the vast canvas; his hands trail up and down your sides, pulling you in every time you try to squirm away.

“What, you getting shy on me now?” he tuts, nipping at your side and listening to the squeal that escapes you— his hands tighten and he’s forcing you forward, leaning back until he’s laying down and you’re straddling him precariously; your knees dig into the mattress and you’re trying your best to remain stable, but Taehyun doesn’t seem to be satisfied yet— you frown in confusion at the feeling of him trying to tug your hips up more, resisting the motion with a tilt of your head; Taehyun pouts.

“Don’t be like that,” he groans, hands shifting from your hips to the back of your thighs, one cupping your ass and the other falling just below— and you yelp, Taehyun’s muscles flexing as he moves you up forcefully, much too strong for you to retaliate; you’re tumbling down, face burning and planting into the mattress as Taehyun shifts below you— your dripping cunt hovering just above his face, skirt riding up and bunching at your hips, any whines of protests falling on deaf ears as he begins to press soft kisses on your inner thighs.

“T–Taehyun, wait, you don’t—” you stutter through moans, fingers gripping onto the sheets below you as you feel him beginning to trail up, your body revealing just how much you don’t mean your words, “you don’t have to— mmh–!”

His hands are coming up to your middle, pulling and signaling for you to sit up; you do, partly from your own efforts but mostly from his, easily moving you as though you were nothing but a doll— and your cunt is hovering over his face, hungry eyes flickering up to meet yours— he sees the hesitation on your face, the way you’re beginning to ramble once more, and he scoffs; the smack that lands on the back of your thigh is enough to get you to stop mid sentence.

“Just shut up and let me taste you,” he says sternly; his fingers dig into your hips and he’s tugging you down, sneering at the way you continue to hesitate, only allowing yourself to hover over him— he bites at your inner thigh in retaliation, the sensitive feeling bringing out a cry from you, hips bucking and thighs squeezing around his head for a second, “C’mon baby, sit on my face— I can take it, you know I can.”

The hesitant hum you let out is enough for him; he rolls his eyes, and with a strength you forgot he possessed, he forces you to plant your cunt directly onto him.

It feels like a switch has flipped within him. Fuck, you think, your lips parted in a silent scream, a hand scrambling to tangle itself in his hair, fuck!

He hasn’t even bothered to move your panties to the side; he’s eating you out through them, tongue pushing into your hole and lips kissing and sucking at your clit like a man starved, groaning and praising you with a muffled voice; his fingers dig into your ass, making sure to keep you planted firmly on his face as he eats you out.

You think you’re losing your fucking mind.

Just when you thought it was too much, that your body felt like it was buzzing with electricity, filled with a euphoria and pleasure that had you mewling and crying desperately, Taehyun’s nimble fingers finally push the ruined cloth that covers your pussy to the side— and oh, oh, your eyes are rolling back and your mouth is stuck open, Taehyun’s hot tongue lapping and fucking into your hole and his nose pressing firmly into your clit— he’s panting and sighing against your cunt, slurping up any arousal that leaks from your poor hole— his head shakes from side to side, humming into your pussy, and the last bit of resolve within you shatters.

“Taehyun— oh my god, Taehyun—!” you cry, hips grinding down into him, thighs closing around his head; you can feel him fucking smiling lazily into your pussy, rough hand slapping your ass and guiding your movements against him, as though to silently reassure you and ask for more. “Please— oh god, oh— fuckfuckfuck, m’close, I’m close, hnng—!”

Your words are nothing but fuel to the man beneath you— his tongue is flattening against your hole, licking up and flicking at your clit before he begins to suck on it; two fingers prod at your clenching entrance, proceeding to push in without warning, curling expertly and finding your sweet spot with ease; your body shivers and you wail, muscles growing weak as you fall forward once more— burying your head in your arms as you cry about how close you are, the new position only allowing Taehyun to move your hips firmly against him, rocking you back into him; his fingers pull out of your cunt in favor of shoving his tongue back in instead, following every buck and twitch of your hips with ease— his nails dig into your skin as he holds you still, eliciting a dull feeling of pain, and everything falls apart.

Too much, too much! you think— maybe you say it out loud, your mouth open and gasping as you grip onto the bed sheets, feeling as Taehyun continues his same, intense ministrations; letting you ride out your orgasm but not stopping, even after you’ve begun to sniffle and cry about how sensitive you feel— after a while, Taehyun finally gives in, pulling away from your cunt to lick you clean, pressing firm, sloppy kisses against your hole and puffy clit, smiling at the way you twitch with each one.

You feel as though your bones have all melted; you can’t move, face burrowed into the mattress and chest heaving as you try to catch your breath— beneath you, Taehyun moves, slipping out from under you and hovering behind, hungry eyes taking in the sight before him eagerly; ass up and back arched, glistening hole on display as you continue to shudder and breathe shakily— you hear the sound of clothes rustling behind you, followed by the feeling of the bed dipping— Taehyun’s hand rubs at your ass fondly, and you jump at the sudden sensation, eyes screwing shut and a quiet whine leaving you.

“You’re so fucking hot,” Taehyun sighs, biting at his lip and stroking your skin, up your back and to your shoulders, leaning over and kissing gently at the nape of your neck as he whispers, “think you can take more?”

“Yes– yeah, please,” you beg quietly, unable to feel an ounce of shame from how immediate your response is; you can feel his cock rubbing against your ass, the stickiness of his tip that ruts against you subtly— you look over your shoulder with a hazy eyes and a soft, blissful smile, meeting Taehyun’s equally fucked out gaze as you push your hips back, “wanna feel you inside— I’m on the pill.”

The sharp breath of air Taehyun sucks in isn’t lost on you— his cock jumps from the way you grind against him, no longer able to keep up that cold and uninterested facade he’s kept up since the moment you two met up for the first time— he wants you, bad. And to his delight, you seem to feel the same.

“Jesus, you drive me so fucking crazy,” Taehyun breathes, the soft giggle you let out not helping him remain calm; he sits back, a hand grabbing at your waist and the other wrapping around his length— he’s squeezing the base, pumping at it slowly, the gruff sighs and moans you hear behind you enough to have you clenching around nothing— just when you think you’ll have to beg again, you feel his thick tip begin to prod at your entrance.

You think you could cum from the feeling of him stretching you out alone— a broken moan leaves you at the feeling of him entering inside you, so thick and big that you think he might just break you; your head drops back into the mattress and your hips are pulled back against Taehyun’s, soft cries leaving you at the feeling of him bottomed out inside you.

“P-perfect, so… damn perfect,” Taehyun rasps out, head falling back and eyes squeezing shut at the feeling of you clenching around him— you’re so tight and sensitive, walls fluttering around him and sucking him in, tempting him to lose control and pound you straight into the mattress; he has to take a deep breath and concentrate on not cumming then and there, because the way you’re beginning to whine for more like a cockhungry bitch is really getting to him, “shit– stop— ugh– stop squeezing me like that princess, won’t fucking last long if you do.”

You can only whine in protest at that; it’s so hard to remain still, your hazy mind already fucked out beyond belief from your first orgasm— but even so, you still want more, you crave it, you need it; you make sure that Taehyun is aware of it, too, whiny and breathy as you cry and cry for him to fuck you.

“Tyun, come on,” you pout, impatiently moving your hips back, in search of any stimulation you can get, “please, wanna get fucked already, want it hard, don’t tell me that was all talk earlier.”

If there’s one thing you’ve figured out about Taehyun, it’s that he hates when you try to act up on him— because as he tightens his fingers into your plush skin and slowly begins to pull his hips out, you realize quickly that he’s most definitely not all talk.

“Ah—!”

Your body is being driven forward with each thrust— Taehyun is fucking you hard, muttering angry words that you can’t even pick up over the sound of your own moans; his cock is thick and his hips are angled so his head bumps against your sensitive spot with each thrust, harsh pace not allowing you any reprieve as you simply fall limp, unable to move your hips back in tandem with his pace; if anything, Taehyun is doing it for you, rough hands bringing you back against him like it’s nothing.

“Fucking slut— got such a dirty mouth, should make sure you to fuck you good so you can’t talk back to me,” he growls, feeling you clench like a vice around him, even more when he stops thrusting in favor of pulling you back like a doll for him to use, “Oh, you’d like that huh? Like it when I use you like a toy? Stupid pussy’s nothing more than a fucking cumdump for me— yeah, c’mon, move your hips, thaat’s it, just like that.”

His mouth continues to spew filth, a stark contrast to how Taehyun usually is— he’s always been quieter during sex, but the sight of you trembling and struggling to take his cock is enough for his mouth to run faster than his mind— that, and the aid of his high that seems to have gotten rid of any self-control he usually exhibits.

Your movements have become sluggish and weak— you’re getting tired, he can tell, so with one last slap to your ass that has you yelping, he finally decides to take control again.

“God, can’t even fuck me for more than a few minutes? Where’d that cocky girl from before go, hmm?” He asks, voice patronizing as he begins his harsh thrusts— only pulling out halfway before he’s sinking in all the way, hips slapping against your ass creating a lewd sound; your cunt only tightens and gushes around him, hiccupped moans leaving you as he picks up his pace, watching as your arms give out beneath you and your face gets planted into the mattress; he huffs out a laugh, and reaches out to grab a fistful of your hair— yanking your head back, you yelp, left to his mercy as he begins to pound into your ruthlessly.

“Taehyun, wait– slow down…!” you cry, scratching at the bed sheets and feeling tears prick at your eyes— and he does, for a second, waiting for you to say something else, for the safeword you both agreed on— but you don’t, and the laugh he lets out after catching on is enough to have your face burning with humiliation— and his pace picks back up— no, he’s meaner than before, degrading you below his breath and pulling at your hair, pulling you back against him, a hand sneaking down to place sloppy circles at your clit— you’re keening and clenching like a vice around him, a sharp hiss leaving him at the feeling.

“Mmmh, too… too much,” you manage to say softly, immediately given another harsh tug at your hair in response, your eyes watering at the feeling.

“Too much?” Taehyun repeats, and you can practically hear the pout on his lips from the patronizing tone, “thought you wanted it hard? Don’t tell me it was all talk.”

He’s spitting your exact words back at you, watching with amusement as you try weakly to prove him wrong.

“That’s right. You’ll take it like a good girl should,” he grunts, slowing his pace down and punctuating his words with rough, deep thrusts, “Fucking. Take it. All.”

You’re close, he can feel it, he can hear it— and the thought of watching your pretty face screw up into pleasure and bliss is enough to send Taehyun’s mind reeling, not hesitating to pull out and let go of your body— his lips quirk up with satisfaction at the way you’re immediately falling limp, fucked out face peeking behind in confusion, about to complain about why he stopped when he begins to move you.

It feels dizzying, the way he’s able to manipulate you and force you into any position he likes; you’re sure Taehyun can read it all over your face, because he smiles meanly at you, patting your cheek fondly before he begins to busy himself with your clothes.

“Don’t think I never noticed you staring, pretty,” he grins, tugging your skirt and panties down swiftly, eying the soiled underwear before he throws it off to the side, landing directly on his discarded pile of clothes— and he sends you another sleazy smile that has you bringing your knees up and closing your legs shyly— it’s all futile though, because he’s immediately kneeling before you and spreading your thighs open with his warm, large hands, holding onto the underside of your knees as he scoots closer to you, “always getting so touchy with me, grabbing onto my arms and thighs— dumb little thing, bet you thought you were getting away with it each time, hmm?”

“Shut up,” you whine, resisting the urge to cover your face and hide away— but you really can’t, especially with the way his thick cock ruts against your pussy, tip sliding up and down your slit as he teases you by putting it in, only to pull back out again, “Taehyun…”

“C’mon, grab onto me,” he muses, slipping the tip in once more before he begins to slide in slowly, watching your mouth fall open and your eyes grow glassy, “wanna watch you cum on my cock.”

This new position practically has you seeing stars— Taehyun hovers over you and watches intently, chain hanging over your face as he presses your thighs against your body, fucking you straight into the mattress; you tremble and you gasp, a fire festering in your stomach as you beg for more— “m-more, please, faster, harder, s-shit—!”

Taehyun listens to your every request intently— his stamina is impressive and ruthless, and his cock is reaching and hitting places you never knew were there— your back arches and your hands scramble to grab onto something to stabilize yourself, inevitably falling onto Taehyun’s body in the end; one on his shoulder, the other on his bicep that flexes from the effort of keeping your squirming body still.

“So… fucking… pretty,” Taehyun groans, watching your chest heave and your eyes blink away tears, leaning down to suck and bite at your breast, frowning at the bra that still covers them— throwing a leg over his shoulder, Taehyun pulls your bra up roughly, hips continuing to pound against yours as he latches his mouth onto your pretty nipples— you gasp, nails digging into his skin as you begin to cry to him, good, s-so good, fuck!

“Shit, I’m close,” he says after a moment, pulling off your breasts with a lewd pop! That has your eyes rolling back; he moves up to press a sloppy kiss to your lips, murmuring your name sweetly and waiting for you to respond. “I’m close baby, so– so fucking close– where— hah, where do you want it?”

“Inside,” you immediately mewl, hearing him groan unabashedly in response, “Please, pleasepleaseplease, inside, inside—! Fill me, want your cum, wanna be full—!”

“Okay baby, okay,” he says sweetly, kissing at your neck and wandering up to your ear, “gonna fill you up good, just like you want.”

“Oh, are you close too?” he asks, and you nod furiously, watching as he goes back to hover over you, watching every change in your expression intently, “I can feel it, pretty cunt’s squeezing me so good– c’mon, cum for me baby, wanna see it, wanna watch your pretty face, will you let me? Yeah, only for me to see— gonna cum, fuck, make you mine, you’re mine only, okay?”

His words are enough to send you over the edge; you let out a long whine and scratch at his skin, crying out his name desperately as your nails rake down his back, down his arm; he hisses at the feeling, the pain enough to set him off and join you right after; his hips stutter and his face screws up from the pleasure, brows knitting together and teeth gritting together as he lets out soft moans— but his eyes never leave yours, deft fingers circling your clit as he lets you ride out your orgasm— your legs tremble under his hold, eyes rolling back and face smoothing out from the pure euphoria you feel.

“Yours… just yours,” you sigh out, feeling his hips finally still, thick cum beginning to leak out from you, falling onto the sheets and ruining them completely; you pant and try to regain composure, but it’s really, really hard— you feel like you’re on cloud nine, words tumbling past your lips before you can second guess them, “y’have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to hear that.”

“Really?” he asks; the panic you feel in your chest is short-lived, because as soon as you see the soft look in Taehyun’s eyes, you melt.

“Yeah…” you say softly, suddenly a lot more shy under his gaze, “this was like. Attempt number one hundred of me trying to get over you. Or make you jealous.”

“Hmm… well, you don’t have to do that anymore. I’m all yours,” he mumbles, swooping in to steal a slow kiss from you; you can’t control the giddy laugh that leaves you at that, lazy hands tangling into his hair to keep him close.

“Good,” you murmur against his lips, “I was running out of guys to use against you.”

His hand squeezes at your hip in warning— you smile coyly.

“Joking, of course.”

Nipping at your lip, Taehyun sends you a half-hearted glare.

“You better be.”

You give him a giddy nod; after tonight, it wasn’t like anyone would be able to compare to him, anyway. Shifting underneath him, you wince at the feeling of your sweaty body rubbing against the sheets— Taehyun is able to read your face before you can get anything out.

“Wanna go home?” he asks softly.

“Please,” you say, giving him a shy smile that has his heart flipping pathetically, “will you carry me?”

He laughs, placing a chaste kiss on your lips and sneaking his arms under your figure.

“Always.”

#txt fanfic #txt fanfiction #txt imagines #txt oneshots #txt ff #txt x reader #txt smut #txt hard hours #txt hard thoughts #taehyun smut #taehyun ff #taehyun imagines #taehyun oneshot #taehyun x reader #taehyun fanfic #taehyun fanfiction

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acidsoju · 1 month

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CLASS PREZ

genre: smut, high school seniors! nonidol au, enemies to ??? (fuck buddies maybe?) pairing: class president!soobin x troublemaker!reader warnings: nsfw, dom!soobin, a lot of swearing, oral (m. receiving; f. kinda receiving), unprotected sex (dont!), unedited so probably bad writing word count: 4.4k summary: when student council president, choi soobin, becomes the terror of the whole school and you must do something to stop him.

Soobin used to enjoy his time at school. Always having been a lil’ of a control freak, when he was elected as president of the student council he felt as if he held the world in his hands, even thought it was the mere administration of students’ affairs. Still, things changed since he climbed to the top of the student’s pyramid, changed for good if you were to ask him; where you could see students running down hallways before, now there was peace and quiet and those who’d dare to break the not running rule, would have to spend hours scratching gum from down the desks.

Where you could see girls with extremely short skirts, the thin clothe flying mindlessly at their movements putting on disposal to everyone who’d walk by their thighs and, sometimes, even a sight of their panties, now if you were to break the not more than five inches above the knee rule, you’d had to endure the oldest professor in school’s lecturing.

Earrings were gone; make up, gone; comics and non-educational books inside the building, gone. Wearing earphones was a no; nail polish was a crime; no wrinkles in your school uniform were allowed to be seen. Some kids even started fearing talking on the halls, just a normal conversation between friends.

Things had to stop.

“This guy is a tyrant.”

A fist bumped against the cold, single table inside the small janitor’s room. The dim light of the mere light bulb hanging on the center of the room barely made everyone’s faces visible. Vibes were the same from that old mafia movie you had seen last night, except for the fact none of you were rich old men in their forties.

“We have to do something about him.” Beomgyu continued saying, his fist pressing down on the table, eyes looking straight into everyone else’s. “This is too much!”

“Quiet, please, we don’t want to get caught, remember.” You mumbled, your hand going up and resting over his clenched fist. You looked at the two other people in the room.

“But what can we do? I mean, we voted for him.” Said Hueningkai, arms crossed over his chest and a nervous look washing his features, the threat of being caught practically hiding and conspiring against the number one at school making him feel sick on the stomach.

“I didn’t vote for him.” Taehyun added, shrugging.

“Listen, now…” You spoke, getting up from your seat and placing your palms against the table as you leaned closer. “There must be something we can do, we need to break him, make him fall from his position.”

“I may have an idea…”

Oh, Beomgyu and his ideas; somehow you always were the only one getting the worst part.

That was what you thought as you waited at the end of the hall. The boys had cut short your skirt a little too much, more that they had promised, barely covering your ass; your lips shone thanks to the gloss you applied and that would occasionally stain the gum in your mouth whenever you’d make a balloon with it; you were sure the music from your earphones was loud enough to hear it if you passed by. Your tie hung loose around your neck and the first two buttons of your shirt were unbuttoned, showing a little the line of your breasts popping up, more skin that you were supposed to show on the sacred grounds of school.

“And you’re sure this is gonna break him?” You had asked Beomgyu once you had change into your perfect attire. He nodded, looking up and down at you, eyebrows furrowing, looking to whatever was missing according to him before offering you a piece of gum.

“Yeah, just be yourself—And I mean, a pain in the ass.”

Your head snapped to look over your shoulder when you heard footsteps coming down from the stairs. That’s him, you thought after checking at the time on your phone; the student council meeting must have ended around this time. And you confirmed it when his tall, tidy-self appeared in your vision, the widening in his eyes worthy of the cartoon’s praises. He froze in his place, three stairs before reaching your floor, and tilted his head to a side, eyes taking the sight of you completely.

Shit, you even could hear the alarms running off in his head. His eyebrows twitched, looking up from the sight of your bare thighs to your unbuttoned and loose shirt before going back at your eyes, not going unnoticed by him the way you grossly and purposely chew the gum in your mouth, making disgusting sounds. His mouth opened, probably ready to tell you were going to be expelled even though he didn’t have that kind of power in his hands, but the words were caught in his throat when you smiled, grinned, at him, your eyes beaming in mischief before looking away and making a run from him.

“He-hey! No running in the halls!”

Feeling the rush of adrenaline in your veins, you couldn’t stop the giggling that scaped from your lips as you heard his hurried steps behind yours. As some people peeked through the classrooms’ windows and doors at the noise outside in the hall, you spotted Beomgyu reaching out with a file of papers in your direction, that you quickly grabbed and shot them up, papers spreading all over the hall as they fell. You stopped before the stairs at the other end of the hall and looked over your shoulder, caughting Soobin’s angry stare glued to you; his eyes, again, widening at the realization of your next move.

“Wait, wait, wait, wait, don’t-

Pressing down your thighs over the cold railing, you lifted your feet from the floor and suppressed the urge to squeal as you slid down, hair flaying back. It had been some time since last time you slid down a railing, probably since you were fourteen, but it was just as riding a bike.

You still could hear Soobin’s footsteps following close behind you, trying to get a hold on you, so when you reached the last floor, you didn’t stop running and instead, hurried your pace. Soobin stopped trailing you when he saw you exiting the main building and turning on a corner around it, loosing the sight of you. He panted, anger flushing his veins, his ears fury red; lucky for him, as he fixed the slid down frame of his glasses he spotted at his feet a pair of earphones that, oh so responsible of you, had a small tag with your name on it.

The plan didn’t go as you hoped: Soobin’s tyrant habits didn’t stop nor lessened, but you had had so much fun and, one thing you noticed was that things around school sure were so much lively since the rumors of your little performance from a few days ago had spread all over the school.

“Damn, what I would give to see the look on his face!” Exclaimed Beomgyu with daydreaming eyes again and again, fascinated when you had told the boy all about the president’s reaction.

“Maybe next time you should dress up-

Words hung in the air when your classroom’s door opened a few minutes before class was supposed to star. Of course, it wasn’t your professor; the coquettish giggling from some other students gave it away. The student council vice-president, Yeonjun, wasn’t even half-terrible or intimidating as the president was, but still if you were ever to caught him moody, god, it was the end for you.

You hoped this wasn’t the case.

His cold eyes scanned your classroom and when his gaze stopped in yourself, practically hiding behind Beomgyu’s frame, a small smile draw in his pink, puffy lips.

“Y/n?”

“Fuck.”

“Y/n? When today’s classes are over, the student council president would like to see you.”

Oh, oh, oh, you were so fucked.

So, after that day’s final class, while your friends hugged you goodbye as if it was going to be the last time you saw each other, you promised not to follow ever again a plan of Beomgyu, if it, of course, you were to make it alive today.

The student council’s office was on the last floor of the school building and it was as big as two of your classrooms combined. You heard some talking inside when you stopped in front of the tag that read ‘student council member’s only’, before knocking slowly against the door three times. The noise inside stopped.

For the second time of the day, Yeonjun stared at you, nodding as he opened the door and took a step aside to let you in. Some of people inside gave you one of the nastiest looks you had ever received in your life, but instead of looking away you only snarled back at them, some of them gasping at your so rabid reaction.

Soobin was there, of course, sitting down on his personal desk; hands clasped covering the bottom half of his face as his dark eyes followed you closely, like you were some kind of prey.

You stopped in the middle of the room, eyes never looking away from his.

“Leave us.” Soobin spoke calmly to the rest of the people in the room; they, of course, obliged hurriedly, giving you some more ugly stared before walking out. The last one was Yeonjun who, with a lazy and small smile on his lips, just nodded in your direction and walked away with his bag hanging from his shoulder, closing the door behind him. Your eyes went back to Soobin, whose eyes were piercing at yourself, even from behind the glasses on his face. “Sit.”

“No, thanks,” You could tell the way his stare only hardened at the mocking tone on your words. A sigh scaped his lips, before resting down his hands over his desk and leaning back on his seat, head slightly tilting back as his eyes stared holes into you, looking up and down at your clothes. “Needed something from me? I’m kinda in a hurry…”

“What a shame, then.” He licked his lips, eyebrows narrowing in fake concern. His fingers traced down a file over his desk and he flipped it open, eyes flicking to the papers inside and then started reading out loud. “Y/n, senior, nineteen years old, transferred from Daegu with your cousin Choi Beomgyu two years ago, grades average, behavior bad; sleeping at class, eating at class, non-compliance of the school’s policies, making a ruckus in the middle of the hall, taking back at teachers, sneaking from classes and I could go on and on.”

Your eyes fell open into an ‘o’ shape, mockingly. “Don’t tell me you run a background check on me, you perv.”

“Incredibly disrespectful.” He added, his eyes went up to look into yours again, putting down your file. “Now what should I do with you?”

“I have an idea,” You smiled trying to give him the best innocent look you could give him. “Why don’t I just go back home, reflect on my actions and we both pretend nothing of this ever happened, uh, prez?” Soobin cracked a big laugh at your words, throwing his head back and smiling in obvious irony at your words.

“Cute, but don’t even think about it.” He got up from his seat and walked around his desk, stopping in front of it and sitting down, arms crossing over his chest as he faced in your direction. “Since I’m a good prez who listens to everyone’s opinion before making a decision, I’ll hear yours, so you chose; we can give you a three weeks ban from school plus doubling your obligatory homework or you can do some voluntary work with the school janitors for two months.”

You snorted at the terribly, awful options you had; Soobin took in your reaction and licked his lips, smoothing the growing smirk in his lips as your mouth fell open in annoyance and your eyes rolled to the back of your head.

“Well, aren’t you pretty fucking nice, prez?” You snarled, eyes scrunching down at his relaxed frame awaiting an answer from your doomed-self. “This is completely your fault!”

“Excuse me?” Soobin questioned, his back stiffening. “How is it my fault that you’re such a brat?”

“You’re the fucking tight shit that wants us to roam around school like it's some kind of prison,” Soobin’s eyebrows went up and his hands closed in fists against the desk. “I mean, school supposed to be fun- “

“School is for learning.” He cut you off, his frame lifting up from his desk and talking a step closer to you. “Which, if I look at your grades, doesn’t seem like you’re doing.”

“You’re so full of yourself, shitty-head.” You took a step closer to him as well, pointing your index finger to his face, eyes throwing knives. “For some of us it’s actually hard the study part.”

Soobin snorted, his cold breath hitting against your face as you had grown closer to each other. “Agh, please! You don’t even try! All I have ever saw you do is walking around in that slutty skirt of yours and batting your eyes to whoever crosses your path.”

“Oh? What is this? Is the prez an actual perv?” You tilted your head, an amused smile growing in your face as you pushed your finger against his firm chest. Soobin’s stare becoming darker and darker each second as he held your gaze. Still, you traced up and down your finger. “Have you gotten so mad at me because you’re the only loser I haven’t let take a peek under my skirt, uh?” You pouted, mockingly feeling himself shudder under your touch.

His breath hitched when your finger went up from his chest and brushed against his neck, his Adam’s apple moving as he gulped down.

“Such a shame that your pretty face is going to waste when you have this fucked up attitude all the time,” You shook your head, disapprovingly. “why don’t you be nice for once and just let me go, uh?”

“You’re actually such a bratty slut, aren’t you?” He growled, his voice coming off lower and deeper than it actually was, making your knees weaker. His hand closed tightly around the one you held up against him. “Trying to sweet talk your way out of this? Out the mess you made?” He licked his lips, his eyes dangerously glancing down at yours, so closed to his, so pretty opened in amusement at his sudden snap. “Shouldn’t I be a good prez and teach you a lesson myself?”

You weren’t able to react on time before Soobin redirected your hand and pressed your open palm against the dump in his pants, hard, tight. Your eyes widened at his action and quickly tried to pull away, but his hold in you only hardened as he pressed your palm against him, his hips barely rubbing against the touch.

“What the fuck? Are you an actual pervert?”

Soobin snarled. “Such a pretty mouth but you only talk shit every time you open it.” His other hand went up to grab your face in between his long fingers, squishing your cheeks forcing you to pout; his hips rubbed a little harder against your palm. “Let me give your mouth a better use, okay?”

He let go of the hold on your hand against his crotch and used the same hand to unbuckle the belt of his pants that quickly fell to his ankles. Your breath got caught at the prominent bult on his boxers, making you salivate a little. Soobin noticed the look on your eyes because he chuckled darkly, letting you eat him alive with your eyes.

“You’re so quiet now, uh angel?” He mocked, his long fingers tracing down against his own clothed dick, the sight only making you weaker and weaker on the knees. His hold in your face loosened and his hand went up your head, pushing you down to get on your knees in front of him, your pretty, big eyes looking up from underneath him made him want to shove his full length right into your mouth.

And that’s exactly what he did.

You didn’t have time to catch on when he shoved down his boxer and placed the tip of his hard cock against your lips; darting open by surprise, Soobin took the opportunity to thrust his hips against your mouth. A heavy sight scaped his lips as he reached the back of your hot throat that clenched around him; he watched the beautiful scene you made as your eyes filled with tears and some spit trailed down from the corner of your lips.

“So fucking prettier with my cock in your mouth.”

You groaned as he thrusted faster and harder against your mouth, traying to breath from your nose and not to react to those gag reflexes. His big hand grabbed your hair making a sloppy ponytail on his fist and started pushing you up and down his cock. His bottom lip was caught by his teeth as he panted heavily, his dick twitching inside your mouth anytime you’d whine against him.

“Such a little brat taking me so well, oh, fuck, do that again.” Soobin lips darted at the way your tongue danced around his swollen and leaking tip, tasting the pre-cum on your mouth. “Gonna cum and you better swallow every single drop, okay angel?” You hummed at him, the vibrations from your mouth on his dick sending him to heaven as his pace only fastened, his hips uncontrollably thrusting into your mouth and the grip on your hair tightening. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, take it, doll, mmmh- good.”

You mouth filled with the ropes of cum that flew hard against the back of your throat, almost making you choke but you managed to swallow everything, licking clean his dick that sloppily moved inside and outside of your hot and wet mouth.

“Show me.” Soobin said and you obliged, opening your mouth and sticking out your tongue. He hummed pleased and let go of your hair. He caught the needy look in your eyes, his lips stretching into a cocky smirk as he watched you get up and pressed your tights together. Your tights that were so exposed with that little skirt of yours. “Come here.” Soobin’s arm rounded your waist and pressed you against his body, while his free hand traced down from your hips to your ass, grabbing it hard before it went down even further.

His fingers pressed against the wet, dampened clothe of your panties. He chuckled, his breath hitting your neck as he towered over you and look at the glistening on his fingers.

“My dick got you so wet, uh?” He whispered against your ear, before his plump lips nibbled down at your earlobe, making you flinch. “You were being such an annoying brat just earlier, should I just leave you like this as your punishment?”

“N-No…”

“No what, angel? What do you want me to do, then?” Soobin’s nose trailed up and down your neck, taking in your aroused odor, licking occasionally against your skin. “Use your words.”

You inhaled sharply, feeling the pressure of Soobin’s fingers against your wet folds rubbing up and down at such a slow pace. Your hips moved on their own against his hand trying to get as much friction as you could, making Soobin clicked his tongue at your actions.

“Prez, I- mh-“ the words caught in your mouth as Soobin went further with his big hand, cupping your warm pussy, his middle finger barely caressing your clit over your panties. Soobin hummed in your ear.

“Yeah? I’m listening.”

“Want you to fuck me so bad, prez.”

Soobin smirked and turned you around, walking you to his desk until your legs were pressed against it and you fell over, your legs opening as he positioned himself in between them. His large hands grabbed your tights and pushed up your skirt all the way up, his eyes devouring the sight of the dampness in your panties. His fingers slid down the waistband of your panties and pulled down, throwing them somewhere in the classroom over his shoulder.

You, on the other hand, found yourself staring mesmerized at the boy in front of you. This sight was one you never thought, never in your life it had crossed your mind, that you would be able to witness. Soobin’s plump, bottom lip caught in between his teeth, his frames slid down to the tip of his nose, his wet -always so perfectly styled- hair falling over his eyes; and his eyes, that were glued to your core in unbreakable concentration.

Oh, how bad you wanted to touch him even more.

Your hands moved on their own, grabbing Soobin’s tie and pulling him down towards you, forcing his attention back to you. One of his big hands pressed against the wood of the desk on your back, his face just millimeters from yours. You leaned in trying to push your lips against his, but he quickly moved his head down, to your lap. Your mouth fell open when his lips brushed against your wet folds.

“So, so bad, angel. You really think you’re in control here, uh?” His breath hit against your core, making you shiver underneath him. Oh, how he liked that look on your face. “I was going to fuck you because you asked me so nicely, but now I guess I should do something else…”

His hot tongue pressed flat, immobile, against your pussy; eyes flickering up to you before he started moving his muscle up and down, licking you. You moaned, head falling back, and Soobin like that sound so much that he started moving his head, painfully slowly, reaching every inch of you with his tongue; so much more skilled than you ever thought?

His tongue found your hole and he didn’t hesitate before pushing it in and out, earning more beautiful sounds from you as he only went faster; his hands grabbed hard your hips, keeping you in place against his desk. One of his hands went down, two fingers moving faster against your clit, again and again and again, while his tongue thrusted into you unstoppably.

“Ah, fuck, prez- gonna cum, mmh-“ Soobin pulled away, stopping all of his movements suddenly, making you whine in pain and shut your eyes open at his smirking self.

“You don’t get to cum in my mouth, angel.” he got up, his big hand sliding up and down his throbbing dick before placing his tip against your clit and rubbing against it making you buck up your hips. “So needy for me, I’m gonna fuck your pretty hole numb.”

Air left your system when he pushed his tip into you. Your mouth fell open at the feeling of being so filled up and your head fell back, your eyes reaching the end of your head as a loud moan scaped your lips.

“So fucking tight, angel, oh-fuck.” Soobin hissed as you clenched around him. He didn’t wait until you had got used to his side, instead he started ramping merciless against you gaining more louder noises from you. He licked his lips, focused on the spot where his balls smacked against your skin. “Oh, you’re taking me so good, isn’t this pussy made just for me, uh?”

You whined, barely caughting on any words he said and he noticed that. Groaning, he grabbed the back of your neck and pulled you up, closer to him before his lips smashed against your, his tongue bullying into your mouth the same way his cock was going in you. A string of spit connected both of your lips when he pulled apart, dark eyes staring into your glossy ones.

“Out already? But I just started.” He laughed at you, only making you clench more around him. Soobin hissed but still managed to smirk at you. “Such a pretty look on your face the fucked out one, angel.”

Soobin grabbed one of your tights and stretch it up, forcing you to turn to a side as he still snapped his hips against yours. The switching position only making him go deeper in you, reaching the sweetest spot.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, prez s’good.” You mumbled, mouth hanging open. Soobin groaned and turned you around, your chest falling against the desk and your hands stretching to grab onto anything. Soobin’s hands gripped your ass hardly, leaving red marks all over your cheeks. He salivated at the sight of your ass bouncing against his hips. “Agh- fuck, Soobin, more-“

Soobin’s eyes rolled to the back of his head hearing his name left your pretty lips. His hands moved you up and down even more rabidly against his hips, the sound of wet skin against wet skin filling the room as well as your uncontrollable moans.

“Say my name, angel, fuck, say it again.”

“S-Soobin, I’m cumming, cumming, cumming, oh- god.”

You snapped, finally reaching your climax. Soobin’s teeth chew harder on his lip as you covered his dick in your hot juices, making everything even sloppier and the sounds nastiest. It didn’t take much more for him to cum inside you as well, his cum mixing with your own, his hips never stopping even thought you had both finished.

Soobin finally pulled off and you were catching your breath, when his big palm pressed against your back and his hot breath hit against your ass. His hands grabbed your ass-cheeks and pulled them apart, exposing the wet disaster on your entrance, juices mixed and dripping onto his desk. He stuck out his tongue and slurped all of it until you were clean, enjoying the tiny whines leaving your lips and the way you tried to squirm away from him.

“So good, angel.” His thump caressed your ass before he finally, very reluctantly, stepped back from you, admiring your exhausted, ruined self over his desk.

Soobin fixed his frames over his nose.

“See you next week.”

Things started to change around school; the mood was livelier, laughter could be heard around, boys made ruckuses on the halls, girls giggled between them, Beomgyu got back the comics the student council had took away from him, gum wasn’t a crime anymore and, if you were lucky, a slightly mistake on the uniform policy was overlooked.

Yeah, things were great.

“Y/n, do you have a moment after class? The student council president wants to have a word with you.” Informed Yeonjun the same day only one week apart.

485 notes · View notes

thatfeelinwhenyou · 8 months

Text

KINDRED — yang jungwon

It’s your final year of highschool, and your only goal is to graduate top of your cohort, as usual. Except as student council president, your advisor can’t seem to leave you alone. What happens when you take Decelis Academy’s top student, their star taekwondo athlete and put them in front of a camera?

“Kindred” a student documentary. Pilot episode airing tonight on TVN 7PM KST.

PAIRING: athlete!jungwon x stucopres!fem!reader

FEATURING: enhypen, yunjin from lesserafim, ryujin and chaeryeong from itzy, chanelle from runext, beomgyu and taehyun from txt, wonyoung from ive, gunwook and gyuvin from zb1 etc.

GENRE: high school au, enemies to lovers, nerd x athlete, forced proximity, slice of life, coming of age, he fell first and harder, fluff, ANGST, teen drama, slow burn ish?

WARNINGS: contains profanities, horrible attempt at humour, urban lingo, probably cringy, kys/kms jokes, depression jokes, sexual innuendos (nothing too inappropriate), depiction of violence, reader can be a little bit annoying at first, family drama, incorrect timestamps/information, no fixed faceclaims, not proofread etc.

STATUS: completed! (01/09/2023 – 18/03/2024)

AUTHOR’S NOTE: please read! story concept is heavily inspired by the kdrama ‘our beloved summer’ other than that the storyline is completely original (or so i assume since i manifested this out from the crevices of my pea brain). i’ll try to keep this one to ard 30 chapters (who am i kidding). chapters with ‘(hw)’ next to them indicates that they are half-written, in case y’all skip over it! as always, the content and depiction of the characters in this smau do not in anyway represent them in real life. also i know how twitter has been rebranded to x, but we’re just gonna continue calling it twitter. lastly, if you do end up enjoying, please do like, comment (love reading your comments btw), and reblog so this can reach!! without further ado, enjoy!

TAGS: #tfwy kindred #tfwy smau

TEASER

profile. one | two | three

episode 1 - ratatouille and the underdogs

episode 2 - one way ticket to university

episode 3 - do you take constructive criticism?

episode 4 - unsolicited but appreciated

episode 5 - the art of benevolence

episode 6 - taekwondo-anti

episode 7 - beating the mentally ill allegations

episode 8 - can’t help it, i’m a libra

episode 9 - operation we-don’t-really-hate-each-other (hw)

episode 10 - she’s an oscar award winning actress

episode 11 - someone like me (hw)

episode 12 - ‘female-lead-realising-the-bad-boy-isnt-actually-that-bad’ arc

episode 13 - 5 foot 9 garfield meets avatar

episode 14 - yn the heterosexual

episode 15 - the ynwon getting closer montage :p

episode 16 - to the moon and back

episode 17 - eat 2 left toes

episode 18 - you are approved! (hw)

episode 19 - asking for a friend

episode 20 - rediscovering won’s ability to love

episode 21 - beomgyu’s 99999 eq

episode 22 - ynwon get together or else >:(

episode 23 - “hate”

episode 24 - not all problems can be solved with a formula

episode 25 - H.O.M.E.W.R.E.C.K.E.R

episode 26 - collecting facebook milfs like pokémons

episode 27 - you were brighter than the moon (hw)

episode 28 - no matter shrimp or whale, you deserve to flap your tail

episode 29 - the garden is full of surprises (hw)

episode 30 - weapon of mass destruction

episode 31 - the name above me (hw)

episode 32 - no offense but she’s a cockblocker

episode 33 - the bane of my existence (hw)

episode 34 - risky risky wiggy wigi this is an emergency

episode 35 - live my life on my terms (hw)

episode 36 - separation anxiety goes crazy

episode 37 - paparizzki

episode 38 - is it too late now to say Sorry?

episode 39 - everything will work out just the way you want it to (hw)

episode 40 (finale) - her entire being is loveable (written)

epilogue - kindred, signing off part 1 | part 2

bonus chapters!

yunjin x heeseung

i can fight

1K notes · View notes

seongclb · 10 months

Text

CUPID’S MISTAKE ! sim jaeyun

♫ crybaby by the neighbourhood

SYNOPSIS. you’ve never understood why he gets so many dates all the time, he’s bloody insufferable. you can’t stand him at all, yet everyone else is crazy for him. i guess, you’ll find out what’s so irresistible about himself, soon. after all, he’s planning your valentines date together already.

PAIRING. playboy!enha x reader, slight enemies to lovers au, angst & fluff.

WARNINGS. cursing, suggestive ish make outs but they’re not that bad & jake being MEANNN.

WORD COUNT. almost 9k (8,976)

N. hi guys it’s finally out! member reveal omg !! feel like this fic could have been way better but i promise to make the next not as rushed and rubbish :( lmk what u guys think thoughhh .. also big thank you to @dazed-hee for beta reading :)

TAGLIST. @delcakoo2 @flwrshee @woon2u @rikizm @luckyowl @luvistqrzzz @mrchweeee @seungiesluv @x-mbl

1. I THINK I TRY TOO HARD.

You always hated the first days of school, but for some reason, they had always summed up your year perfectly. Something about them was always so exciting.

Every first day of school for four years now, you started your day with a Starbucks accompanied by your best friends: Yunjin and Taehyun. The sweet taste of the coffee greeting your tastebuds first thing in the morning paired with your - somewhat - lovely best friends. They spent the entire morning bickering, but still, it was a pleasant start to the morning.

Entering the school gates, you heard Yunjin beside you say, “Guys, get a good look. This is the last first day of high school we’re going to have.”

Taehyun rolls his eyes, “Literally makes no difference at all. We’ll see this shithole for another year.”

“Do you always have to contradict what I say?” She huffs to which Taehyun happily nods and you laugh at the entire situation.

“What lesson do you all start with?” You ask. “I have Chemistry with Mr Kim.”

“Same,” your friends say in unison, so you make your way to Chemistry, listening intently to the bickering that continues.

Straight away, your teacher puts you in a seating plan, despite the many complaints against it. You get placed at the back corner, the seat beside you remaining empty for now while Yunjin sits a few rows ahead of you to your left and Taehyun sits one seat ahead of you.

Quickly, the class begins to get full but your eyes linger on a certain nuisance strutting into the classroom.

Mr Kim informs him of his seat, which he begins striding to in his tampered version of the school’s uniform that everyone seems to think looks “cool”. Only until he stands right beside you do you realise that his seat is the one right next to you.

“Hi partner,” Jake smiles at you, before taking a seat.

“There has to be some kind of mistake,” You say, raising your hand to protest against this act of horror.

Jake brings his own hand up to pull yours down, “You know how Mr Kim is, he’ll assign you a detention if you make a fuss. He’s short tempered, I learnt that the hard way so trust me.”

You pull your arm away from Jake’s hold, “He’s short tempered with students like you, not honour students like me.”

“Okay, snobby much. You’ll have to lose that characteristic of yourself if you wanna be friends. Or more?” He winks at you, causing your face to deform in disgust.

Jake laughs at the way you cross your arms, “Relax, Jaeyun. I have no interest in you.”

“We’ll see.”

The rest of the lesson is spent working with Jake rather than working against him, since he’s good at Chemistry, which isn’t a surprise as you were aware that science was his strong suit.

The only issue is the amount of jokes he’s made about you and him having Chemistry; they just get worse every single time, too.

“See you on Wednesday, Y/n,” Jake smiles at you. Seeing the way his lips curl into a sweet smile forces you to smile back at him even if it’s against your will, but you catch yourself rather quickly and scoff at him before leaving with your friends.

Yunjin and Taehyun drag you to your usual bench in the school, forcing you to take a seat as they also take a seat to sit in front of you and immediately begin questioning you.

Yunjin is the first to start, “Wow, Y/n. After years of judging me for finding Jake attractive, here you are flirting with him the whole lesson.”

“I was not!” You exclaim in disbelief.

Taehyun slings an arm around your shoulder, “Y/n, I sit in front of you. I heard all of the jokes he made.”

“Yeah, then you also heard the way I told him to be quiet after every single one of his corny ass jokes. He’s a little shit.”

“A little shit who has you wrapped around his finger already,” Yunjin and Taehyun high five.

“I never thought Jake would be the reason why you two are agreeing for once,” You say. “In all honesty, looks and science are his only strong points which is why he uses them for his personal gain. The amount of hearts he’s probably broken in the space of two weeks is probably more than people I’ve ever spoken to in my entire life.”

Contradicting their previous statements, your two best friends nod at this and cease their teasing because it was true, Jake was too much of a flirt. He’s always had that reputation about him; the one where his choice of words can make anyone swoon for a while, until he’s bored of them. Especially if he uses that smile of his, he could get away with anything.

But not with you. You weren’t like that. Not the type to be swayed by his antics.

Perhaps, it was because school had always been your main priority so you never really had time to be distracted by guys like Jake and now that it was your senior year, there definitely wasn't enough time to get distracted by Jake. He just wasn’t worth it.

Or so you thought.

You found now that Jake would always be sitting in his seat before you in Chemistry, greeting you with that smile of his every single time, and even going as far as pulling out your chair for you just like a gentleman would.

“Save it, Jaeyun. We all know that being a gentleman isn't your thing.”

“Of course it is. How do you think I get all the women to fall for me?” He has a response for everything.

“Well, that definitely won't happen this time, Jaeyun,” you remark, smiling teasingly at him.

He pauses for a moment which causes you to look at him - he wasn't the type to pause after something like that.

Jake has a smirk plastered on his lips, “No one else calls me Jaeyun. Why do you call me that?”

With a sigh, you respond, “Because, I know all your playthings call you that, so it would seem inappropriate to call you the name that they do, as I definitely am not one of your playthings.”

He simply just laughs and calls you a nerd under his breath.

“Have you heard about the cupid thing that’s going to happen?” He asks you.

It was called the Cupid Fantasy Draft and it was all Yunjin could talk about for the last three days. The Cupid Fantasy Draft was an odd occasion that your classmates were organising in which there would be students paired together and they would go on dates and stuff for the entire year. You thought it was a silly idea as it was basically forcing people to date, but Yunjin argued that it was a good idea since people could get to know others easier. You didn't argue with it that much since you knew you wouldn't get picked.

“Yes, I have. Stupid idea.”

Jake groans, “Do you have to be so boring all the time? Have some fun once in a while. You never know, you might get picked.”

This causes you to pry yourself away from your books to look at Jake with a stare that seems to catch him off guard.

“Even if someone is dumb enough to pick me, they can’t force me to go to it.”

Once again, he responds to you with, “We’ll see. Did you know that this cupid date is also your valentine? So you don't have to worry about being lonely on Valentine's day like you always have been!”

“Ha ha,” You mock. “Are you even doing this thing?”

“Of course.”

You laugh, “This doesn’t seem like your type of thing. Isn’t this too restricting for you?”

A deep frown washes his face, “What do you mean by that?”

“Aren’t you used to dating two people a day? Why the sudden change of heart?”

Jake shrugs, “Maybe, I’ve met someone.”

To this, you feel a small hit to your chest at the thought of Jake with someone else but you easily brush it off, “Yeah, right.”

What the hell was that?

At lunch, your friends are conversing about the Cupid Fantasy Draft happening later that evening - just like they have been for days now - while your nose is buried into a romance book to make up for the ever so slight damage to your heart in Chemistry. The aim of the romance novel was to remind you that Jake Sim was not worth being hurt over, and instead the fictional character showering his beloved in endless amounts of affection was causing you to swoon.

You’re pulled away from your fictional fantasy by a voice calling you, “Y/n! I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

Jake stands behind you, with Sunghoon and Jay to his side, sending you friendly smiles.

“What do you want, Jaeyun?”

He holds out a familiar pen. It was one of your favourite pens, designed with a bear and had a sweet scented smell to add to the speciality of the pen.

“How did you get this?” you attempt to snatch it away, but Jake is quick to snatch it back.

“I took it in Chemistry, it looked cute,” He smiles and brings it up to his face to smell it. “Smells nice, too.”

“Very funny. Give it back, now. That’s my favourite pen.”

He shakes his head, mockingly, “It can’t be your favourite if you didn’t even notice I took it.”

You huff in annoyance, “That’s because I was rushing to get out of the class so I could get away from you.”

Jake jokingly puts his hand on his chest and rubs it to pretend he’s in pain due to your comment, before placing the pen in his pocket, “I’m sure you’ll be fine for a few hours without it. Come to the Fantasy Draft and you’ll get it back.”

Not missing the opportunity to wink flirtatiously, he turns on his heels with his friends and leaves.

Your protests against the event had no effect on your friends, who dragged you out of the comforts of your bedroom, completely wasting your perfect night of studying. Yunjin even went to the effort of picking out an outfit for you and tricking you into putting it on by pretending she needed inspiration of her own.

“If I come to this thing and none of you get picked, I’m going to lose my shit,” You warn as you walk up to the door of the house that it was taking place at. “Whose place even is this?”

Your question is answered by an immediate swing of the front door opening, revealing Jay in black jeans and a cream jumper.

It was nice to see him in a different colour for once. It made sense that this was his home - you noticed the Porsche parked in the driveway along with the three story house.

“Hey, come in,” He says, leading you through the house, “It’s about to start, so you’re on time.”

Your eyes search Jay’s large mansion looking house until they meet a familiar individual.

You take notice of the girl sitting at his side, recognising her from walking around the hallways at school.

Without taking another look at him, you take a seat on the couch and Yunjin follows.

“Jake strikes again,” She says, staring at the girl beside him who's too busy giggling at whatever he’s saying to notice you staring her down.

“Expected.”

That feeling from Chemistry seemed to make its way back, you felt your chest ache slightly. But again, you pushed it away just in time for Jay to return and for the Cupid Fantasy Draft to start.

Jay takes a seat at the centre and begins explaining the rules, “Listen, I don’t know who made this idea but I’ll just go through the rules and shit. We go in order and you pick someone who is “yours” for the entire year. Get it?”

There are no interruptions, causing the event to commence.

Jay goes first, and soon it goes around in a circle - with Yunjin and Taehyun surprisingly getting picked - until the last one left is Jake.

His turn makes everyone stop and listen. You weren’t the only one surprised that he was taking part in this event, so you knew people would be talking about the lucky pick all year round. After all, it was known that he wasn’t the type to stick to one person, so it was extremely shocking that he was going to choose someone to spend the entire senior year with.

Taehyun leans in to whisper in both yours and Yunjins ears, “Betting 10 that he’ll choose Y/n.”

You shove his arms and moments after, Jake smirks at you, “I choose Y/n.”

Your face drops. Your heart, however, is jumping in happiness while an entire population’s worth of butterflies fly around in your stomach. Fighting the urge to smile at him is almost as irresistible as him.

Fuck, he’s got me, you think to yourself.

Everyone’s eyes are fixated on you as you leave the room, running up the stairs until you enter one of the many rooms of Jay’s place.

There were far too many thoughts running through your brain right now.

Jake Sim, Sim Jaeyun. He chose you for the Cupid Fantasy Draft?

A feeling of sickness started to rise within you. Why, why, why. You probably had a bounty written on yourself now without even knowing the reason why Jake had picked you.

A knock on the door brings you away from the millions of thoughts imprisoning you.

“Y/n?” Yunjin’s voice is clear as day and you open the door. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t know. This is so random,” You respond, putting your head in your hands.

Yunjin nods, “Look. Even though Taehyun and I have made so many jokes over the last two months about you and Jake, we both know how he is and to be honest, even though Taehyun somewhat a predicted it, he’s shocked as fuck right now. We all knew Jake would have picked someone tonight but for some reason, I still thought he wasn’t going to take this seriously.”

“What if he isn’t?” You question. “What if he’s just using me as a plaything?”

“Well, Y/n, you’re smart enough to know when that’s happening.”

She’s wrong though. Over the last two months, you’ve enjoyed your jokes and snarky comments with Jake but most of all, you’ve had memorable conversations, too.

From favourite ice cream flavours to biggest fears in life, you’ve enjoyed every single bit of it, so it was hard to tell if he was really using you. There was something about the way your conversations flowed that made you think Jake was beginning to open up to you. Now, thinking about it, you felt silly for perhaps blurring the line between Jake being a good talker and him genuinely having an interest in you.

Then again, he had picked you for the draft. This was all too confusing, all too much for only your brain to handle alone.

“Yunjin, I have something to tell you.”

Right there and then, you explain the last two months and how with Sim Jaeyun, time means nothing since he’ll have you wrapped around his finger whenever he wants.

By the end of the night, both you and Yunjin have opened the snack drawer in the room you’re in and have discussed quite a lot: Jay, what to do about Sim Jaeyun and how to exit Jay’s mansion without getting caught.

Right now, you’re on the third part where Yunjin is standing guard at the front door and keeping an eye out for Jake or his comrades.

You rush down the stairs, just about to leave the door until…

“Y/n! Jake’s been looking everywhere for you,” Sunghoon puts an arm around your shoulder and drags you to the living room as Yunjin mouths an apology to you.

Once again, your eyes meet Jake’s figure. Only this time, he doesn’t have a companion stuck to his side. Instead, he has a drink in his hand that’s resting on the rip in his jeans and he looks bored to death. Again, hope begins to rise within you.

He looks up and jumps to his feet, “I thought you left.”

“I tried to,” you admit, making Jake laugh heartily.

He beckons to the door, “Let’s get out of here.”

You follow Jake, preparing to yell at him for his actions tonight but your anger disappears when he takes your hand in his and leads you out of the door and into his car. You can feel how cold his fingertips are from previously holding the cup in his hand, but you don’t seem to mind it at all.

Sitting at the driver’s seat, your eyes focus on his face. His nose is perfectly curved, accentuating the other features of his face such as his lashes that lay flat against his eyelids to match the shape of his eyelids. You’ve taken notice of this over the months; watching the way they crinkle when he laughs and the giggle leaves his lips.

“Soooo,” he breaks the silence and tilts his head to look at you.

“Don’t “soooo” me, Jaeyun. What on earth are you playing at? And, where’s my pen?” Even though you’re asking in such an angry tone, Jake can’t help but giggle at how endearing you can be sometimes.

He reaches into his pocket and passes you your pen, “Here. I don’t know what you’re talking about, by the way. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

He’s right, but you still argue, “You knew I didn’t want to be picked tonight, and you did it anyway. Why?”

Jake shrugs, “I took it as a challenge earlier. I thought it would be fun, too.”

Your eyes roll, “Is that all that matters to you?”

He nods, “Is there something wrong with that? Plus, this way we can do useful things that I’m sure are appealing to you, like study dates.”

There goes your heart doing backflips again. Dammit, Jaeyun.

“You don’t have to say yes, you know. You said so yourself that nobodies forcing you to do this. But, I’m just saying that I heard you needed help for Physics and I’m the man for it,” Jake informs you.

That was true, Jake had won every Physics award that existed at school. A few years back, he had even competed nationally and gotten first place.

“As long as you don’t call it study dates, we’re on,” You say, much to both his and your surprise.

“The only catch is,” He says, “You can’t fall in love with me.”

Rolling your eyes, you reply, “As if it was possible, Sim.”

Lie. Your heart was evidence of it.

Jake decides to take you on a quick drive, switching from driving fast and slow just to get a panicked reaction from you to amuse himself.

He parks outside a homely cafe, and exits the car without a word. Seconds later, he opens your door and helps you out with his hand reached out again. You were never one to deny affection from good looking guys.

The cafe owner greets him immediately, “Jaeyun!”

Jake rushes behind the counter and embraces the woman in a tight hug as you watch in shock, your mouth agape but still feeling the warmth radiate from the sight ahead of you.

The woman leaves the hug to look at you standing near the door, a smile creeping on her lips as she looks at Jake for an explanation.

“Y/n, this is my mum,” Jake says, almost sheepishly if that was possible for him.

Your eyes widen as you manage to stutter out, “Nice to meet you, Mrs Sim.”

Why the hell has he taken me to meet his mother right now, you think to yourself. He literally just told me not to fall in love with him, and he’s making me meet his mother of all people?

Jake excuses himself to wash his hands, leaving you and his mother alone. She calls you over with a warm smile.

“Do you want anything to eat?”

You search the menu and end up choosing a milkshake.

“So, are you Jaeyun’s partner?” She asks you.

You shake your head, and she frowns, “That’s a shame. You seem like a nice person . I always hoped the one he would bring to me would be the one he was going to marry.”

Pause.

You were the first one out of the hundred that got to meet his mother? There was no way. Why was he being so confusing?

Jake appears into the room with a smile, “Mum, we’ll take whatever to go. Y/n and I have a few plans for tonight.”

His mum smiles at him, “Bring her more often. I wanna meet her properly.”

Jake’s ears go bright red as he nods, giving his mum a kiss on the cheek before leaving with you.

This couldn’t be possible; this had to be one big nightmare.

“Your mum is very pretty,” you tell him and he smiles at you.

“She reminds me of you.”

Your heart is thumping again, so loud that you’re worried he’s able to hear it. You wonder how he can casually say this and then turn back to whatever he’s thinking about.

“Shut up, Sim.”

You decide not to ask what it is that reminds him of her in you, but instead you bask in the comfortable silence lingering the soft breeze while Jake drives to your next destination of the night.

He lets down your window so that the air can hit your face. He has the perfect view of your eyes fluttering close due to the comfort of how it feels against your skin. Your breath is hitched in your throat, in the most relaxing way ever. As Jake speeds up, you find his hand in yours in an almost reassuring manner; it’s as if he’s letting you know he won’t hurt you, as long as you don’t let him close enough.

Pushing all your anxious thoughts away for later, you decide to enjoy this moment with Jake and the milkshake in the hand that Jake wasn’t holding. It simply felt right to you, more right than anything ever did for a long time.

Jake takes you to a small hill that you both climb together, hand in hand since he says he’s worried that you’ll fall because of the dark which seems like an excuse that you don’t question.

You look at the view ahead of you; you’re encapsulated by it. It’s at a perfect position in the city, there's a perfect sight of all the enormous edifices lit by the hundreds of lights in each of their buildings and the moonlight hitting it square in the middle to only accentuate the beauty further. It takes your breath away so well that you forget Jake is pulling you to sit beside him.

“It’s nice, isn’t it?” He says, softly to which you nod. “I don’t bring many here, even though you probably think I do. This is my place for when I feel anxious or something.”

You look at him, and see that not only are the enormous edifices benefitting from the light of the orb in the sky, but Jake is too. He looks mesmerising under the moonlight.

“That’s shocking, Jaeyun,” You remark. “Didn’t know you felt anxious.”

He nods, “There’s a lot about me that you don’t know.”

You notice that it’s true, all you knew was that Jake was trouble and the small details he began to tell you in your Chemistry lessons. You were intrigued to learn more about him.

“Do you feel anxious right now?” You question.

Jake hesitates, “A bit.”

You nod, squeezing his hand to comfort him, but it was also for yourself. You needed to figure out the boundaries between you and Jake.

You don’t know how it happens, but you spend almost three hours sitting with Jake. Half of it was spent in silence, enjoying watching the city work ahead of you while the other half was spent learning small facts about one another.

A cursed yawn from you brings Jake’s attention away from the warm night and asks to take you home, much to your dismay.

He parks in front of your dorm, “It was a fun night, Y/n. I’ll see you at school tomorrow. Oh, and you have to come to my soccer practice tomorrow.”

“I have to?” You giggle.

He nods, “It’s part of the negotiations.”

You hum in response, walking off into your dorm.

You expected yourself to be a mess as soon as Jake left, but for some reason, you slept better than you did in months as you anticipated the sight of Jake in a soccer jersey.

2. I GOT THIS ANXIOUS FEELING, BUT IT GOES AWAY FOR A MINUTE WHEN I’M WITH YOU BREATHING.

You’ve been at your desk for hours, a coffee placed somewhere in the clutter of it all, seven books are laid out in front of you and not a single one of them makes any sense. You’re starting to see shapes in the paint of your walls and that’s when you decide to head off to bed.

As soon as you reach the comfort of your bed, there’s a ring at the doorbell.

Groaning, you stomp to your door where you see Jake with his hood covering most of his face that’s staring at your cat slippers.

“Nice slippers,” He comments, to which you smell alcohol leaving his mouth.

“Thanks. What are you doing here? Have you been drinking?” You ask, pulling him into your dorm.

You watch as he takes off the hood of his sweater, revealing a scar on his lip along with a bruised up eye. Gasping, you move closer to him to assess the wounds on his face.

“How did this happen?” You ask as you rush to your cupboards for disinfectants.

Jake takes a seat at your counter and begins to explain, “Jay, Sunghoon and I were having some fun when this girl's boyfriend got mad that I dated his girl before him and started to fight me. You should see him, though.”

He lifts his arm to show how his knuckles are bruised up, to which you kiss your teeth at.

Rather than telling him about how maybe this wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t dated so many people, you focus on cleaning his wounds and treating them.

Jake winces when the disinfectant touches his cuts, but allows you to keep cleaning. You only put plasters on them since thankfully, none of the cuts are bad enough to stitch them.

His eyes start to wander along your face so he brings up a finger of his to trace along your features which he decides he’ll blame the alcohol on tomorrow morning.

Before you die of a heart attack, you pull away from his touch, and pass him two ice packs; one for his eye and another for his knuckles, you also lead him into your living room. where you simply stare at the marks on his face until he gets awkward.

“It’s not that bad,” he assures you, rubbing your knee.

“You might wanna tell that to your face.”

He giggles before wincing again and straightening the plaster on the corner of his lips.

You don’t ask him why he’s come to your place, but instead, you grab a blanket from your room and place it over him to make sure it’s known that he can stay here for the night.

As you’re about to leave and walk off to your bedroom, Jake grabs your wrist gently.

“Stay,” He pleads.

That’s all it takes for you to lay in his arms, with one of your hands reaching up to play with his brown locks, causing his eyes to flutter open and close and for his breathing to get heavier.

Just as he’s about to sleep, Jake inches forwards and presses his lips onto yours. The metallic taste of his blood mixes with your saliva, but it’s not enough to make you pull away from your kiss.

The kiss is deep, with both of you not wishing to pull away anytime soon. It leaves both of you breathless and you’re sure that Jake can now taste the cherry lip balm that you applied on your lips. The kiss makes you feel like you’re in the clouds and your head is filled with nothing but Jake.

It feels like years have passed when you both pull away from the kiss, panting and pressing foreheads together.

“Y/n,” Jake breaks the silence and you hum as a response. “There’s something about you that makes me want to change. Don’t leave me.”

It was definitely the alcohol coursing through his veins that urged him to say this. Seeing Jake vulnerable was oddly your favourite version of him, he was always so soft with you and that was the time when he was the most open. For some reason, he kept this side of himself closed off but you didn’t argue with being the only one who saw this side of him, even if it wasn’t frequent.

Clearly, that was the side of you that had become completely infatuated by him over the last few months. Honestly, every moment with him had changed you for the better.

He somehow was always able to bring those stress levels of yours down in every way he could; whether it was taking you on a drive with the wind and Jake taking your breath away, or coming over with ice cream. Or even just coming over to talk with you just helped.

You press a kiss to his cheek and wrap your arms around him to hug him tightly until you fall asleep in his arms that hold you close to his chest where you both felt a sense of security even if you knew he wouldn’t remember this in the morning and that by the time you woke up, there would be a blanket draped over your shoulders with no sight of Jake.

3. I CAN TASTE IT, MY HEART’S BREAKING.

“You ready?” Jake pops out of nowhere, creeping up on you while you're packing up to leave the suffocating Math class.

Before you can even get a word out, he’s helping you pack up by snatching all your things and hoisting it over his shoulder.

“Jaeyun! Give me my things,” You scold him.

He shakes his head, “No, you’re taking too long. You can pack up when we’re sitting on the bleachers on the soccer field!”

Shoot, you forgot he had soccer practice today. This new routine with him wasn’t easy getting used to. Especially, since his reminders were done by force rather than nice texts at the beginning of the day that would have definitely been more helpful and effective.

He still manages to have space to hold your hand with a few fingers, even with many of your belongings in his hands; but you noticed over the months that Sim Jaeyun enjoyed physical contact.

Now, you still had thoughts wondering if it was the vulnerable Sim Jaeyun that enjoyed always having a hold of you, or the generic one that was available to everyone. Either way, all you knew was that it made your heart run a thousand miles per second.

It was funny; you saw the eyes always watching your movements when Jake was with you. The envy was heavy in the air, but you never seemed to care. Everything else was unimportant when Jake was with you.

“When does practice end today? I have plans” You jokingly whine, to which Jake snaps his head towards you, displaying the small pout on his lips.

“It’ll end at 9, so you better cancel those plans.”

“What?! You’re practising for 6 hours?”

Now, Jake laughs, “No, we’re going on a date afterwards.”

Your ears perk up at this, “Where?”

“Not to worry for now, angel,” He presses a kiss on your cheek as he sits you down on the bleachers and returns your belongings while he makes way to the changing rooms.

Angel, angel, angel. All you can hear is the pet name he kept for you, echoing in your ears like a love song on repeat.

Seeing as Jake and his friends liked to take centuries to get changed in their jerseys, you decided to keep yourself busy whilst burying your nose into a book when more people started joining you on the bleachers - one in particular catching your eye and that being a girl named Choi Heejin. You knew of her, but not properly since she didn't go to the same school as you. You also knew that she was Jake’s longest plaything, hence why she had been sending you dirty looks as she took a seat.

Feigning no sense of fear, you watch Jake and his friends walk onto the court and the sound of Jake’s laugh rings through the almost empty field, bringing a smile to your face.

Jake runs over to you, handing you his bag. You watch him glance at Heejin, displaying a somewhat shocked expression which you could tell he was doing his best to conceal.

“Heejin, what are you doing here?”

“I came to watch, like old days,” Heejin smiles at him, her eyes radiating nothing but horrid intentions. Jake nods, taking in her words.

“Well, it definitely won't be like old times, since I have Y/n here with me.”

Jake innocently smiles at you, leaving a peck on your lips before running off back with the guys.

Contrary to what you said before, there certainly was something bothering you about the way this girl was staring at you, but after Jake’s act before, you felt a lot more at ease.

Unfortunately, you had hoped to forget her presence but it seemed that she just had to cheer every time Jake had scored or done something remotely rewarding.

This only just irked your temper, causing you to look at her with the dirtiest look you could muster up.

“Something wrong?” She drawls.

“Only the fact that you’re drooling over Jaeyun when he told you that there’s no chance of him getting back with you.”

She cackles, literally cackles, in your face, “Jaeyun, huh? I thought I was the only one who called him that.”

As much as you try not to show it, you’re sure she sees your face drop.

What on earth did she mean by that?

She only continues to stab you with her words, “Do you really think he means what he said? What, because he’s been with you for a few months? Are you two even dating yet?”

You don’t say anything; no you and Jake weren’t dating but that didn’t mean this wasn’t serious. Did it?

Pleased with the damage she’s done, she gets up and grabs her things, “Well, tell Jaeyun my number hasn’t changed. I’m sure he remembers it - he’s always been good with numbers.”

You stare ahead as she leaves and you can feel the tears brim your eyes as Jake makes his way over, her eyes repeating in your head over and over again. A feeling of sickness rose in your stomach, you felt stupid for even falling for Jake and thinking he would fall for you even in this time. After all, he had told you not to fall for him and here you were, two months away from Valentine’s day with your heart only full with him. It was insane that one could have this much of an effect on you; it was as if the air you breathed in was just Jake. Only Jake. Everything was about him, Sim Jaeyun, your Jaeyun.

But it wasn’t supposed to be, he specifically told you not to. Perhaps this was all part of his plan when he had chosen you for that stupid cupid draft.

You didn’t expect Jake to be running after you but as soon as he gets close enough, Jake immediately wraps his hand around your wrist to bring you to a halt and spins you around to look at him, “Y/n, stop.”

You’re panting when you stop, tears falling down your face uncontrollably that you’re sure are burning into your cheeks. Jake tries to pull you into his arms, but you reject this notion which definitely catches him by surprise judging by the way his eyebrows raise.

“She called you Jaeyun, you said I’m the only one who called you that.”

“Y/n, that was a very long time ago.”

As if that makes it any better. Millions of questions flow through your brain, all wondering almost the exact same thing and you question whether the thought has actually left your head since the day you felt some sort of adoration towards Sim Jaeyun: what am I to him?

So, there goes it.

“What am I to you?” The second the question leaves your mouth, all the strength that you had disappeared and turned into the nerve-wracking sick feeling reappearing in the pits of your stomach.

“I already told you a while ago, Y/n. This is nothing, we are nothing to one another” his words cut you deeper than anything you’ve ever felt before. Deeper than Heejin’s only moments ago.

This was an unexplainable type of pain. Seeing Jake’s eyes look at you coldly, as if he’s disappointed at the fact that you’ve fallen for him just like everybody else. As if the time you’ve spent together has meant absolutely nothing. Then again, this was Sim Jaeyun you were talking about. Of course, none of it meant anything - all the things he said to make you feel special and loved were nothing to him. You were a fool for thinking otherwise even for a second.

The pair of you only stare at each other with every passing moment, looking at one another until you simply can’t recognise the person in front of you, which ultimately brings you to turning away from Sim Jaeyun forever.

4. I KNOW I’LL FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU, BABY. AND THAT’S NOT WHAT I WANNA DO. (JAKE POV)

There was something about the way conversations flowed so easily when I spoke to you. It always led to me wanting more, craving more. Half the time, I didn’t even notice what I was saying until it was too late. But still, there wasn’t the usual feeling of when one overshares. No. Instead, I had felt a strange comfort hug me like a warm, snug air wrapping its arms around me and telling me that everything was going to be alright.

It was odd and unfamiliar to the point where I would feel uncomfortable by all the foreign comfort. I had never felt something like that before.

Often, I would find myself sitting at the top of the hill late at night and staring at the busy city in an attempt to drag my mind away from you. Even so, my thoughts were being invaded by only you, it was so suffocating in the best way possible. All my attempts and not loving you were futile after years of pushing people away, all it took was a single lesson for you to draw my attention. And that was by far the scariest thing I had ever experienced in my entire life. It was enamoring; you were simply enamoring.

I thought it must have been the alcohol that possessed me to choose you for the Cupid Fantasy Draft, but by the end of the night, I came to realise that it was my heart speaking for me. For once, my heart had knocked my brain out of the way and took control but something about it had felt so right even though every single bone in my being was urging me to resist. This was the first time in a while that I felt as though everything was right as it should be. The Cupid Fantasy Draft was the perfect opportunity for me to win you, so I took that opportunity. It would be a lie if I said that I didn’t know how in love with you I would get, but there was nothing I could do about it. I had let it overcome me until it was the only thing I was consuming.

Until, the dreaded moments when you weren’t beside me and I convinced myself that this was going too far and for some reason, I was thankful for warning you about me. You didn’t deserve it, you were far too precious for the ruins of me. You deserve someone better and I was going to make sure it had happened, even if it broke me. Which it did.

Along the way, there were times where I needed you and only you. My heart began to ache when you were not near, the oxygen around me began to seem inefficient because I was not breathing the scent of whatever perfume you had on and for that, my lungs were poisoned by the fumes of an unimportant air, an air that didn't have anything to do with. I began to rely on you for my ultimate survival - I only felt alive with you near me, with your hand in mine. There was no part of me that cared how it looked, or that my persona was being thrown away, until it was too late.

For a while, I contemplated being selfish and letting you completely in. I wondered what it would be like to show the feelings I had for you and to let myself love you and only you. I almost began to convince myself, but it was for the better that I was not 100%. The small percentage of me that was reluctant had saved you from me in the end.

When I saw Heejin that day, it was like a blast from the past; a reality check. This wasn’t who I am, I wasn’t supposed to be with you. You shouldn’t be with someone who only hurts you. I knew Heejin wasn’t just a reminder to me, but to you, too - which was why I had let her stay that day at the soccer practice. It was an impulsive idea that turned out for the better. Although I don’t know what she said that day, I knew whatever caused you to run out the fields that day had done my job for me. Perhaps that was me being lazy, perhaps that was me taking the easy way out, but the good part was that it started off what was pulling you away from me.

I had never felt my heart ache so much after seeing the tears stream down your face, the ache only worsening as time went on and I couldn’t do anything to resolve it but rather, the things I was about to do were probably going to make it even worse. I’m sure it did; I didn’t expect it to be easy after all this time but I had to remain heartless and strong with this last moment.

Watching you walk away had to have been the hardest thing I had ever encountered; the feeling of emptiness being the only thing I could feel for days on end afterwards and rejecting human contact until I could feel something. I longed to see your lips turn upwards to smile widely at me, pulling me into an everlasting enchantment. I longed to be suffocated by your endless love. Wasn’t that strange?

5. CRYBABY.

The soft rain pattered against the window of the cafe that you were sitting at, Valentine’s Day decorations displayed all around the grand shop.

Everything was blooming with love along with the freshness of the spring air flowing through your nostrils, sending a rejuvenating chill down your body. With a smile, you rested your chin on your palm whilst awaiting your date to come and whisk you away.

The bells on the door caught your attention, making you spin around with a smile on your face and your eyes glistening with sparkles.

The excited look on your face only dims when you see the wide smile on his pink lips as he walks in. Your eyes immediately notice the new bright blond locks of his hair flattened against his forehead, and his dark brown orbs finally meeting yours.

Your mouth is open agape, as you stare at the boy at the door while he stares at you as well.

For a moment, you turn back around, as if to dismiss that shared moment with one another and ignore the way the world had paused for you two but the universe must have other plans since Jaeyun walks over to your table and takes a seat in front of you.

Although it's only been a few months, the feeling of being sat with one another is so unfamiliarly strange, until he cracks that smile, “How do you like my hair?”

“It suits you,” You say admiring the colour on him. “Why are you here, Jake?”

Ouch. His heart sinks, evidently since his smile falters.

“Jake, huh?” You swear you hear his voice break.

You almost laugh at him, “Well, I figured I should call you what your playthings called you, since I was one of them, after all.”

“Y/n-”

“Save it. There’s nothing left to say,” You shrug, taking your things. “I don’t know why you’re here, nor do I care. But, leave me alone.”

As you walk out of the shop, the bell announcing your departure, Jake follows after you.

“Y/n, let me explain!” He calls after you.

Your bag is slung over your head to stop the rain from hitting your face annoyingly until Jake drapes his hoodie over your head, revealing his bare arms from the white tee shirt he's wearing. Immediately, the smell of his cologne wafts through your nostrils, sending you in half a trance and halting your movements. In that moment, you’re back a few months ago when your entire being was enhanced by Sim Jaeyun.

“What is there left to say, Jake?” You scream into the rain. Jake stares at you, wondering if the droplets down your face are tears or the rain. Soon enough, he figures out that it's your tears, and there goes the stab feeling at his heart once more.

“I want this back,” Jake spits out. He runs a hand through his hair, catching his thoughts. “I can’t live without you. Every morning, I wake up to an empty feeling in my heart, the same feeling that I sleep with at night while I think only of you. You came into my life so suddenly, I didn’t realise how much I needed you. Well, I did, but I was so scared by it. When I found out you were going to be spending Valentine’s with someone else, I felt a part of me just.. break. I can’t do this without you. You have to believe me.”

Jake takes a step closer and takes your hand in his, awaiting your response to his serenade of love. It feels as though years have passed when you make a movement.

Pushing Jake's hand off yours, you whisper, “I’m sorry.”

The earnest, pleading look in his eyes almost convinced you to stay, but you knew better. You knew better than to fall for this again. You didn't doubt that Jake’s feelings for you were genuine, but you definitely questioned if they would end up in flames again. That was a risk you weren’t willing to take.

Ultimately, you were wiser than your heart therefore, you chose not to fall into the dark abyss of Sim Jaeyun again. It was a choice laced with agony and heartburn but it was a necessary choice for the sake of your heart.

You hoped that, one day, when Jake was better for you, he would be brought back to you as someone you could build something with. But, now was not the time.

Jake watches you walk away for the second time, knowing this time it’s definitely the last time. Pools of tears start to leave his eyes as he clutches his heart. With every step you take away from him, a piece of his heart is carried with you and he wondered if these pieces will ever return to him.

He wondered how cupid could be this cruel and if he could ever get over the mistake that lost him you. He knew that cupid’s mistake was going to leave a permanent imprint on his entire being for the rest of his life, but he knew it far too late.

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niningtori · 1 month

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let me into your world | chapter one: my world is mine

pairing(s): choi beomgyu x you, choi soobin x you

summary: you're a hopeless romantic waiting for your soulmate, but what do you do when you finally find him and he doesn't want you?

genre(s): romance, angst, angst with a happy ending (?), soulmate au

word count: 7.1k

notes: for some reason, i feel SO embarrassed to post this. it was the first series i ever wrote, so it's getting a facelift before seeing the light of day, but it's still a little flabby in some places. bear with me, please! also, shoutout to evie for this layout with the lyrics in the center :') i'm tired of looking at my own uglyass posts so much omg. see ending for more notes!

your soulmate is perfect in every way, or so you've been told, and you're sick of waiting to find out. everyone says meeting your soulmate is like finding the other half you never had, so when the yearning had started when you were a teen, you were eager to find him and put an end to your constant ache. it would be impossible to know who it was until your seal appeared on your skin. where it would land and what it would look like, you weren't sure, but you knew it couldn't come fast enough. in theory, he would complement you in every way. you imagine someone quiet, a little shy, maybe. someone thoughtful, someone patient and understanding. you just hope to god he's everything you wish him to be.

beomgyu has had just about enough of soulmate talk, but unfortunately for him, it's inescapable. when he turned 13, the yearning had already started for most of his peers. when his friends asked if he felt similarly, he simply shrugged his shoulders with a smug little grin while musing that he might not even have a soulmate — maybe he was just partnerless. some of his friends, like taehyun and kai, were appalled by this, almost pitying him. half of his heart was missing, after all. some of his other friends, however, were a bit jealous. their reasoning was "it'd be nice to not be chained down by someone you don't even know". he agreed with the latter sentiment, having seen the effects of being chained to somebody firsthand.

he remembers watching his mother wither away. she had loved his father more than anyone, even him, and got scraps of affection in return. they weren't soulmates — her perfect other half had died not long after she met him, but his father became her second and last love. he didn't concern himself with soulmate talk and eventually married beomgyu's mother. they were happy, very happy, until beomgyu was around 10 and his father met his so-called soulmate. he remembers the sheer despair on his mother's face as she found out her husband was leaving seemingly out of nowhere, her life uprooted because of a fucking pattern imprinted on her lover's skin.

they weren't soulmates, but beomgyu watched his mother die a little every day until she finally passed. dying of a broken heart was the only way he could explain what happened to her, and she did all that for a man who wasn't even her soulmate. if soulmates could make you kill someone innocent for your love, he didn't want to find his at all. if love could make you abandon everything you've ever known, well, he simply didn't want to know what it felt like.

college is a turning point for you, you feel. you had a good time in high school, but you're nearing the average age of the seal and you're more than prepared to find your special someone. you couldn't know for sure, but you have a feeling none of the boys in your high school were your other half.

"why don't you date just to get some experience?" sumin asks somewhat exasperatedly. you had rejected yet another guy with seemingly good intentions for practically no reason.

"i don't know, i guess i just don't want to waste my time on anybody else when i already know my soulmate is out there waiting on me," you shrug. "i want to save all my firsts for him."

"you're hopeless, you know?" she snorts.

"yeah," you smile, "but he's probably the same way." she teases you good-naturedly for this, but even she agrees that you'll most likely fall for a guy just as hopelessly in love as you are. he wouldn't even have to try very hard — you're willing to put in however much effort it takes to find him and love him unconditionally. all he needs to do is reciprocate and you would do the rest.

unfortunately for you, time has passed and you're nearing the end of your time in college with no soulmate in sight. you'd be more upset about it if you weren't so fucking busy with school work and trying to line up a job post-graduation. you're so wound up lately that sumin practically forces you to let loose and go to a house party. needless to say, they aren't particularly your scene. you like to drink just as much as anybody else does, you guess, but that doesn't mean you want to reek of shitty beer, sweat, and premarital sex, which will undoubtedly be the case once you step into a college house party. still, she is as persistent as you are exhausted and you're too defeated to fight.

you're fairly bored after fifteen minutes or so of loitering around all the action, never really joining in on the antics of your friends and all the other party goers unless you absolutely have to. you're absentmindedly kicking around a beer can when it rolls away, straight in front of a couch. you go to kick it again when you look up and see him.

you can't keep your eyes off of him. you've found people attractive before, but he's probably the most beautiful person — maybe even the most beautiful thing — you've ever seen. your heart almost stops when you look at him.

in that moment, the idea that he could be the one blooms in your head and you can't help but stare. you don't how long you keep your eyes locked on him, but he eventually looks up at you and his eyes widen for a split second. you're almost positive he feels what you feel, but not even a moment later, he pulls out what you can only describe as a lascivious smirk as his eyes travel up and down your figure. you feel like meat on display rather than his sacred other half. before you know it, a girl is sliding into his lap and he's turning away from you and planting a heavy kiss on her glossy lips while groping her ass.

"that's beomgyu," sumin says and you're snapped back into reality. "he's really hot, but he's slept with pretty much every girl here."

you're somewhat disappointed before you realize you must be mistaken. there's no way a man like that could be your soulmate. you strangle the bud of hope in your heart mercilessly because your soulmate is somewhere waiting for you and you can't afford to lose him over some pretty boy with community dick.

you said you'd avoid him, but beomgyu is the first one you notice when you walk into the first class of your final semester as a college student. his eyes lock with yours and you hurriedly avert your gaze before sliding into the nearest seat.

"hi," a sweet voice from next to you says. you jolt and turn to look at him.

"sorry, i didn't mean to scare you," he laughs.

"it's okay, i'm just a little jumpy, i guess," you grin sheepishly.

"i'm soobin," he smiles and you can see his dimples come out. you briefly wonder if he'd mind if you poked them, but that sounds weird even to you.

you introduce yourself and find you're forgetting all about beomgyu as you and soobin begin to chat. he's funny in a dorky kind of way, and you can't help but giggle at the seemingly unassuming things he says.

beomgyu notices you when you first walk in because of course he does, but he sees you sit next to soobin, a guy he met in freshman year, and feels a sense of loss he's never felt before. he watches as you grin and giggle at whatever lame jokes the boy next to you is almost certainly making and his eyes darken. yeonjun, his longtime friend and desk mate, notices his sour mood and asks what's wrong. beomgyu can't really answer that question. even he himself doesn't know why he feels so against you, a stranger, spending time with another guy, but he chalks it up to the fact that he thinks you're hot and would very much like to get in your pants as soon as possible.

he supposes he should have done so when he first saw you, but duty called when one of his frequent flyers sat in his lap and he couldn't very well ignore the way her chest swayed in front of him. he doesn't think about it much more deeply than that. he doesn't want to think about how your eyes seem to indicate that you know him — have known him — and he feels the same way about you. he toys with the idea of maybe asking you if you two knew each other at some point, but deep down, he knows he'd never forget you if he actually had known you before. he tries not to think about why that is.

a few weeks into the semester, you've sat next to soobin every day and it's safe to say you have a tiny little crush on him, but you know he's not your soulmate when he rolls his sleeves up one day and you spot a green seal on his wrist. you roll up your own sweater, just to be sure, but there's no pretty green tattoo to match. he spots your empty wrist and the expression on his face looks an awful lot like disappointment.

"i don't really care about that stuff, you know?" he whispers as your professor drones on and on about something you've stopped listening to long ago.

"really?" you ask a little too eagerly before reining yourself back in. what are you doing? you have a soulmate and he's waiting for you.

"really, really," he smiles. you prepare to launch into a long speech about the sanctity of soulmates and how you're waiting devoutly for yours, but instead of pushing the subject any further, he simply turns to the professor again and you're left reeling.

you're pulled back to your senses when the professor announces everyone will be paired up with a partner for an assignment. you and soobin grin at each other and are ready to begin prepping for the project when your professor adds that the partners will be completely random. when he calls soobin's name, your fingers are crossed in hopes that you'll somehow still get lucky, but he ends up pairing him with another classmate named yeonjun. you start getting a sinking feeling, something akin to dread, and you don't know why. clarity overwhelms you when you register that the person your professor opts to pair you with is none other than choi beomgyu.

beomgyu is late to your first library appointment together and though you didn't expect anything less from him, you're still annoyed when he arrives nearly 15 minutes after the scheduled time with nothing but a mumbled "sorry" and a cheeky grin.

"it's fine," you offer, but you both know you're irritated. you're a little bit of a pushover by nature and it's like he could immediately sniff it out. he doesn't even make an attempt to seem like he cares, though.

"are you ready to get started?" you ask.

"of course, what are you waiting for?" you roll your eyes at his shamelessness, frustration melting away without you intending for it to. you're kind of shy, but his presence is so comforting, it's like you've known him for years, so you dare to say your next words without much thought.

"you, smartass." he looks a little appalled at your words but he registers it as a joke when he notices the corner of your lips struggling not to pull themselves up, eyes gazing mischievously from beneath your eyelashes. not for the first time, he thinks you're really pretty. but he, not for the first time, says nothing.

after a few meet ups, you realize being with beomgyu is easier than you thought it would be. sure, he's incredibly obnoxious, but he's surprisingly easy to talk to. he invites you to his apartment one day and, as if he senses your apprehension before you can even feel it yourself, he states his roommate will be there as well. you try not to read too much into it, but you have a feeling he's implying that he won't make any moves on you. you're grateful for this, but unexpectedly a bit disappointed. as for why that is, you don't venture to guess.

being in his apartment is a new feeling entirely. it feels oddly... intimate somehow when you enter his bedroom and see all of his posters, his messy bed, and some vinyls stacked up against his record player. he nonchalantly puts one on and you gasp when you recognize the song.

"i love this band," you say quickly. his eyebrows raise in interest.

"you like them too?"

"of course i do! i've loved them since i was a teenager," you laugh.

"do you like their newer stuff?"

you wrinkle your nose a little bit at this, your answer evident. he laughs his signature squeaky laugh at this and you can't help but stare in awe at his dimples, like whiskers, appearing on his cheeks. you clear your throat awkwardly and begin to talk about the project.

after a few hours and some really great progress, you find you're a little hungry. you're about to mention this, but beomgyu beats you to the punch.

"i'm starving. want pizza?" you smile when you realize you're on the exact same page.

"thought you'd never ask."

you're sitting on his couch now, wolfing down your third piece of pizza while beomgyu slurps the cheese off of his. he's talking about absolutely nothing, but he's still easily drawing more and more laughter out of you with his antics. you tell him to stop because you hate your laugh, but he's addicted to the sound. he wants to keep you laughing. words like "always" and "forever" briefly flicker across his mind, and usually he would force them out with conviction, but he's having such a good time hearing you giggle he can't pay attention to much else. he never says it or gives any indication he feels that way, though. he just tells you "i can't help that i'm so fucking funny and charming and beautiful." you lightly smack the back of his head and he's giggling with you.

things are going remarkably well when his roommate emerges from his room and says a few of his friends will be coming over soon. you don't particularly want to hang around them and you certainly don't want to overstay your welcome, but beomgyu, for reasons unknown, insists that you stick around.

"we can just relax for a bit then get back to work. c'mon, don't you wanna finish this thing?"

"fine, fine, fine. i'll stay." his face lights up at your words and you can't help but blush a little bit at this. why he's so excited, you have no clue. what you also don't know is he has no idea why he's so excited, either.

a few minutes later, a few guys enter the apartment boisterously and you can't help but internally regret sticking around. beomgyu, almost preternaturally, senses how uncomfortable you are and makes an effort to introduce you and include you in conversation. things are going well until one of the guys, whose name you don't know but whose face seems vaguely familiar, makes an offhanded comment.

"y'know, gyu, she's actually very smart. maybe you'll actually pass." the entire group bursts into laughter and joke about his supposed stupidity and laziness.

"he's actually very helpful. i couldn't do this without him," you counter with a little edge to your voice.

"maybe you're not deadweight after all," he says sarcastically. beomgyu just smirks and goes along with it. to the untrained eye, he seems perfectly fine, but to you, he just looks kind of sad. you pull out your phone and decide to text him.

you don't have to laugh if you don't think it's funny

he looks up at you and you nod encouragingly.

it's fine i really am kinda dumb

don't say things you don't mean. you're not their dancing monkey here to entertain them and you're not a fucking punching bag

his heart feels a little sour at this. how did you know he was hurt by their comments, no matter how seemingly harmless they were? even his own friends didn't seem to notice, but somehow, you did. you always seem to notice the little changes within him. like when he's tired and doesn't want to show it, you offer to take breaks or meet another day. or when he's stressed out so you try to wrangle even the smallest of smiles out of him — real ones, that is. he wants to say you're just a thoughtful and perceptive person, but in reality, he thinks it's a little more complicated than that.

it's beomgyu's birthday, which should be a happy occasion, but for some reason, you feel like shit. you wonder if it's a mix of anxiety because of the project or maybe because your time in college is coming to the end, but it feels so much more profound than that. you woke up this morning from a fitful sleep and it feels like there's a hole blown through your heart. if you feel like shit, you don't look much better, but you have to meet with beomgyu at his apartment and you can't be late.

"whoa, you look absolutely awful," he muses when he opens the door and sees you with two appalling dark circles under your eyes.

"wow, thanks, asshole," you mumble. you did, indeed, look and feel like utter shit, but being here seems to bring a sense of relief you did not anticipate.

"hey, i'm just kidding, you look pretty," he laughs. he's been saying things like this, lately. you can't deny the way your heart skips a beat, but you shoot down any further thoughts because you know, know, know he sleeps around and you know that seemingly off-the-cuff comments like this are probably part of the reason why he's able to do so as easily as he does. you're not to be trifled with, though, so instead of letting the comment fly off your back as you usually would, your mouth opens before you know it.

"not as pretty as you, beoms," you smirk. you don't know exactly what you expected, but his ears turning a rosy pink isn't it.

"o-okay," he says sheepishly, clearing his throat. you find him criminally endearing in this moment, and for once, you don't mentally slap yourself for it.

"oh yeah. happy birthday!" you say, pulling out a cupcake and decisively putting an end to the awkwardness.

"thanks," he says with a smile before eyeing you suspiciously. "is this poisoned?"

"give it back," you say monotonously and he giggles when you try to snatch it away from him.

"hey, i'm just kidding! thank you!" he says as he takes a bite and his eyes widen in surprise.

"mmm, how'd you know this flavor's my favorite?"

"i dunno, i didn't. i just kinda figured you'd like it," you shrug. you walk towards his coffee table, which is where you all have been working lately, and again he's plagued with the idea that you know him far more deeply than you should.

working with beomgyu usually goes smoothly, but you're exhausted. you're still incredibly sad for no reason, but being with him makes you feel less... empty? you would try to put a name to the feeling, but you're too tired to do so at the moment.

"want some coffee?" he asks as he watches you yawn for the umpteenth time since you've been here.

"please," you say sleepily. he smiles and gets up from the floor as you bury your head in your hands.

beomgyu has been in a relatively good mood since you've been here, and not just because it's his birthday. he can't explain why, but his mouth has pretty much been etched into a curve ever since you got here. he catches a glimpse of his smiling face in the mirror of his living room before opting to fix his hair a little, mindful of how he looks in front of you. when he does this, he feels a rough patch of skin behind his right ear. he's confused when he runs his fingers over it and feels grooves and lines where there shouldn't be.

he quickly pulls out his phone and takes a picture. what he sees horrifies him. a seal. it's pink and delicate, but has a complicated pattern he couldn't even begin to replicate. the day he's been dreading for years has finally come. he stares at the picture before shaking his head and ruffling his hair to cover it again. no. this changes nothing. he won't let this ruin his day — his life.

he moves to the kitchen and begins to prepare your coffee. when he reenters the living room, he hears you lightly snoring with your head resting on the coffee table. he smiles in spite of himself and places the coffee down. he wants to say you look peaceful, but your eyebrows are furrowed like there's something you can't quite figure out.

he chuckles softly to himself before subconsciously pushing your hair out of your face and behind your ear. that's when he sees it. pink like a blooming flower and as complicated in its pattern as the one on his head. he hurriedly pulls his phone out and compares the picture of his seal to the one behind your ear. he already knows, but he has to be completely sure. he's not surprised in the slightest when he comes to the conclusion that they are, indeed, the same.

when you awaken, you feel a pit in your stomach and you're genuinely on the verge of tears. someone would think you'd had a nightmare, but you hadn't. you're stuck in a whirlwind of emotions when you're snapped away from them by a soft baritone voice.

"you awake?" beomgyu asks.

"shit, i'm sorry!" you exclaim, wiping the drool off of your face and straightening up your hair. "how long has it been?"

"i dunno, an hour or two?" he says nonchalantly. you sense some resentment in his tone and you feel beyond apologetic.

"god, i'm so sorry. let's just finish this really quick and i'll get going. i'm sure you want to be done with this and celebrate your birthday," you say embarrassedly.

"i already finished it," he says, and even through your sleepiness, you feel his disdain.

"you... finished it? alone?"

"why? do you think i'm not capable of doing it by myself?"

"no! not at all! i just feel bad that you had to do it alone," you exclaim.

"well, it's done. so you can leave now," he says, not without urgency.

"leave? but i —" but what? but i wanted to spend more time with you? that doesn't sound right, but that's what you feel.

"you can leave now," he repeats with disgust that you can't quite understand.

"o-okay. i'll get my stuff and go, but shouldn't we review everything together just in case?"

"i have plans, so no," he says firmly. you have no idea why he's so angry. you want to say it's because he had to finish the project alone while you were knocked out and drooling on his coffee table, but it feels much deeper than that.

"thanks for finishing everything. again, i'm so sorry," you say as you gather your things and head for the door. beomgyu is ready to shut the door behind you when you look back to him and softly say "happy birthday, beoms." and the door slams shut.

when you get home, the first thing you do is cry. the pain in your heart is suffocating. you so badly want to know what it is that's causing this seemingly out of nowhere pain, but you can't put your finger on it to save your life. you decide to shower and have another good cry. after you shower, you look in the mirror as you twist your hair up in a towel. your fingertips rub against a rough patch behind your ear when you do so and you're stunned before you register what it is. you take a picture to get a better look at it, but you already kinda know what to expect: a seal.

it's more beautiful than you imagined it'd be, but instead of joy, all you feel is dread. but why? a seal is a happy thing. you should feel relieved to finally have it on you and he should, too. you ponder over this and come to the conclusion that it's not your pain you're feeling, but your soulmate's. you've heard about soulmates feeling each other's emotions before, though it was somewhat rare. the question is: why is he so sad? you don't know how, but you instinctively know it has to do with the seal appearing and it makes you drop to the bathroom floor in tears. this isn't how you wanted it to be. you clutch your chest, willing your heart to stop pounding so hard, but it doesn't.

beomgyu has been avoiding you, that much is clear. as to why that is, you have no idea. he used to greet you and strike up conversation, project be damned. you want to think about this more, but the depression you feel makes it hard to think clearly about, well, anything, really. you feel an emptiness you've never known before, and you can't help but feel like being with him would make it better. in a way, you're glad he finished the project alone because you're sure you wouldn't have been able to be much help at all.

when you walk into the class you share, his absence puts you at a loss you don't understand. you remember that soobin is yeonjun's partner and ask him if he knows anything about beomgyu's whereabouts. he shakes his head.

"i don't know the details, but yeonjun said he's been bummed ever since he got his seal." ever since he got his seal? that means he must have gotten it recently, just like you. the cogs in your brain start to turn and you feel the dread in your stomach again.

"why?” you ask tentatively.

"i dunno. i think he might not like his soulmate, but he won't talk about it any more than that," he shrugs. "hey, are you okay?"

you nod before touching the seal behind your ear. you feel another pang in your heart. what if... what if he has the same seal? what if... beomgyu is your soulmate?

after class, you practically sprint out of the room and to beomgyu's apartment. you pound on his door impatiently and when he doesn't answer, you pound even louder.

"what are you doing here?" he hisses when he swings the door open. you flinch a little, but you're determined to get some answers. you falter when you notice a girl, haphazardly dressed, appearing from behind him.

"who's this, beomie?" she says, voice silky smooth.

"kick rocks," he says simply. she shrugs and makes her way past you while fiddling with her clothes. you don't have to guess what they just got finished doing, and it hurts, hurts, hurts.

"who's that?" you say, eyes glassy.

"what are you doing here?" he asks again, actually a little embarrassed, but never showing an ounce of it. you storm into his apartment and he shuts the door behind you.

"show me your seal," you say determinedly.

"what? no," he answers defensively.

you reach for his long hair to lightly tuck it behind his pierced ears. he wants to stop you, but he can't bear the thought of batting away your hand. he hears you inhale a sharp breath as you see the pink seal behind his ear and he feels his chest becoming heavier and heavier.

"how long have you known?"

"since my birthday," he answers after a slight pause.

"and when were you gonna tell me?"

"probably never," he says truthfully. your hand drops to your side and he subconsciously misses the way your touch felt.

"why?"

"because... because i don't want a soulmate."

"what's so bad about me?" you ask as your lips tremble.

"it's not just you," he sighs. "i've never wanted a soulmate."

"then what's so bad about soulmates?"

"i just don't want one and you can't make me," he snaps and you wince, so he tries again. "look, you're a nice girl and everything, but it's never gonna happen between us, so you need to stop trying."

"even without the seal, i'd still have feelings for you." he looks a little taken aback by this, as if he never expected to hear those words from you or anyone, really, and it makes your heart ache. "can't you just give me a chance?" you look so earnest right now, but he's almost sadistically dedicated to squashing the sprout of hope that is almost certainly peeking out of you right now.

"no, i can't. you're not my type at all. if we weren't soulmates i'd never even look at you." he's lying but if he's not cruel now, he knows you'll never let go.

"but we are soulmates and you are looking at me right now."

"for god's sake, you're not hearing what i'm saying. i will never love you, alright? i tried to be nice about it but you keep pushing me. you look fucking pathetic right now."

your frown deepens, eyes reddened and hot. as a last ditch effort, you hurriedly say your next words.

"i can feel your pain," you whisper and his eyes widen. "i know you feel it every day. i know you're empty and you need somebody — why can't i be that person? i-i'll be whatever you need me to be." you've taken your heart and served it on a silver platter. all he has to do is hold it.

"because you're not what i need! you're not even what i want!"

the silence that follows will haunt him for the rest of his life. you look so small right now, so fragile. he almost wants to take everything back, but he remembers what soulmates mean and what they can do to a person. he looks at how vulnerable you are, how your heart is bleeding in front of him and how easily he can and will break it. he never wants to give anyone that power over him. no fucking way.

"i can feel your pain," you try again, and before he can reply you continue. "can you at least feel mine?" you look absolutely devastated with your eyebrows furrowed pleadingly, sobs racking your body. you look like you're going to be sick.

"i can't and i don't wanna," he answers flippantly with a shrug and a lopsided smile. "that's how much you mean to me." he knows exactly what to say and how to say it, the way only somebody who really knows you ever can. it's the final nail in the coffin for you. you will lock your heart for him in it and bury it as deep as it'll go.

"i've been waiting for you, you know? always. always." your eyes trail down to his hastily thrown on shirt and hickeys adorning his neck. at this, his jaw clenches and his eyes actually close in shame. you're not sure where your pain ends and his begins, but for the first time, you don't really care. a burning rage fills your heart and your dignity demands to be taken seriously for the first time. you're a doormat, sure, but you won't be anymore. not for him, anyway.

"i don't want to see you anymore. don't you ever fucking talk to me again," you finish and with a spin on your heel you're sprinting towards the door.

you are true to your word. when you walk into class after the entire debacle, you don't even spare him a glance. even if you can feel his gaze on you, you remain perfectly unfazed. he asked for this, he thinks. it's the way it should be. still, nothing really consoles him when he sees how tired you look. he can't feel your pain, but he can very well see it, and he wishes he could take it away. he regrets what he said to you, but he knows you'd never give up if he had given you even a sliver of a way out.

you're a good girl, though. a lot of people will come your way if you'll just let them. he feels a pang in his chest when he thinks about what they'll be like. he doesn't like to imagine it very much, but his thoughts wander that way more than he'd like to admit. he can't fathom anyone being good enough for you, really. especially not him.

do you feel the way he hates himself for the way he has to treat you? he doesn't know for sure, but he's pretty convinced when he sees you put your head in your hands, shoulders shaking. soobin quietly asks if you're alright before you bolt out of the room.

it's an end of the year house party thrown by soobin's new friend and former project partner, yeonjun. you truly, honest to god, do not want to go, but sumin really wants you to and you feel guilty because you're unsure when you'll see her again after graduation.

you sit almost catatonically as she does your hair and makeup, dressing you as if you're some kind of doll. when she's finished playing dress-up, you have to give credit where it's due. you look like a new person, but you can still feel the rotten old you underneath the shiny veneer, and it doesn't feel very good at all.

you're sitting in a circle, passing a blunt around when someone mentions him. it's innocuous enough, but you still flinch when you hear it. they joke about how he's probably upstairs getting his dick wet with some exchange student who's only here for a semester. you don't think that's true, if only because you can feel the pull and it feels so fucking lonely and isolated there can't possibly be anyone else around him, but it still hurts to hear all the same.

sumin gets blackout drunk fairly quickly, which is nothing new. what is new, however, is how you match her shot for shot and chug for chug. you know in your head that you should stop, but your heart keeps telling you to drown it, drown it, drown it until you can't feel the pull anymore. so you do.

"my god, you're drunk!" yeonjun exclaims when you're literally about to fall over and bust your head open.

"i'm not drunk, you're drunk!" you hiccup. he almost laughs before he sees you grip your stomach and gag. he thinks it's the alcohol, but in reality, you feel the loneliness beomgyu felt dissipating and you can only imagine what he's doing to cope. fuck, you didn't want to feel this.

"c'mon, girl. don't throw up here. let's go to the bathroom." he leads you up the stairs into some shitty bathroom that doesn't even have toilet paper. you kneel in front of the toilet and let yourself go, tears marring your carefully crafted makeup.

yeonjun gently grabs your loose hair and twists it into a makeshift ponytail. when he sweeps the last few strands from behind your ears, he sees it. all pretty and pink, ornate but unassuming. the seal you share with beomgyu.

"oh fuck," he says simply. you're drunk, too drunk, but even you know what he means.

"don't... don't look at it," you hiccup as a fresh wave of tears stream down your cheeks. "i want it gone," you whine, futilely scraping at it with your fingernails. in your head, you know it won't do anything. seals are permanent and even a tattoo couldn't cover it — it'd just resurface. in your aching heart, though, the thought of having beomgyu's matching seal makes you sick and you're willing to do almost anything to get it off of you.

"what the fuck is going on here?" a voice you'd recognize from anywhere emerges from the bathroom doorway. soobin. "what happened to you?!"

he's kneeling down to your level and wiping the mascara from under your eyes. yeonjun is still holding your hair back, so it's only a matter of time before the seal catches soobin's eye. it takes him a second to place where exactly he's seen it before, but once he does he murmurs a simple "oh shit."

you'd laugh at the similar reactions from the two boys if you felt anything other than misery at the moment. soobin grabs a rag from god knows where and wets it to tenderly brush around your lips. yeonjun tactfully lets go of your hair and escapes from the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. you sit in silence.

"you know, this is a really bad time," he begins awkwardly, "but i want to remind you that the seal stuff doesn't matter to me. i know it matters to you right now, and that's okay, but it doesn't have to be that way forever." it takes you a minute to really process what he's saying and understand the implication behind his words. once you finally do, you're shocked to say the very least.

"do you still like me when i'm like this?" you say, mouth agape, tongue still heavy from the vomit.

"i do," he replies simply.

"really?"

"really, really."

beomgyu knew you felt his pain as soon as you said it, but he didn't know to what extent until he hears you sobbing in the bathroom. the walls are paper thin and you're not exactly quiet, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't straining his ears to ensure he's catching every word. and catch every word he does — even the ones you exchange with soobin — the ones that pierce his heart, and yours, apparently, because you wail when you feel it.

being with soobin is simultaneously the hardest and the easiest thing you've ever done. he starts off slowly, as if he's afraid to break you even more than you're already broken. he's patient with you even when you're sad about a certain somebody, and never makes you feel guilty for it.

when you're bawling your eyes out one night and cancel your plans with him, you're surprised to hear a knock on your apartment door, anyway. you look through the peephole and see a familiar figure with a smile on his face. you hurriedly wipe the mascara from under your eyes and pull your hood up to cover your fucked up hair.

"what are you doing here?" you ask once you open the door.

"i was just in the neighborhood and thought you might want some ice cream," he says simply.

you snort. the "neighborhood" in question is a good 20 minutes from his apartment, but you don't ask any questions for fear that he might actually leave.

and so you sit on the living room floor with a movie playing in the background as white noise. you forgo the formalities and both of you are digging into a, frankly, alarmingly large tub of ice cream with nothing but two spoons. he pokes your reddened nose when you eventually start to drift off into space and remember your soulmate doesn't want you. he doesn't ask any questions, either. just boops your nose and you're back to reality and giggling at his childishness.

being with soobin is so easy, so comforting, that when he eventually asks you to be his girlfriend, you say yes.

on graduation day, beomgyu feels an excitement he sincerely did not anticipate. sure, he was happy to graduate, but he had no idea he'd be fucking elated. he has no clue why he's so ridiculously excited when he's honestly not even sure what he'll do after college, but when your name is called to collect your diploma and his heart is racing so fast he feels like it might explode, beomgyu comes to a damning realization: it's not his happiness he's feeling... it's yours.

the revelation is fully enforced when he sees you leaving the stage and hugging soobin. he feels your heart skipping a beat when he watches your fingers lacing with the other man's. he can't quite understand it, but the contentment you feel juxtaposes the sadness brewing inside of him. the sense that something is missing feels more palpable than ever. you walk off with soobin, swinging your interlocked hands while he gently brushes his thumb against your fingers. you don't look beomgyu's way even once, and his eyes start to burn when he realizes that image will forever be seared into his head. he has nobody to blame but himself.

beomgyu can feel your joy now and it makes him sick. he feels the butterflies in your stomach as you slow dance with soobin. feels your first kiss and the thrums of electricity permeating from your lips to your toes. he even feels your excitement before soobin makes love to you for the first time and the pure bliss that comes after. he feels it all and it's enough to make his stomach churn. he wonders if you can still feel his pain, and on some level, he hopes you do. maybe he's selfish, but it would serve as another reminder that he's bound to you and you to him. it doesn't feel like you can, though. how could you be so happy if you felt even a fraction of the weight on his chest? he's drowning every day and you're out playing first comes love then comes marriage with soobin. he's currently looking at your instagram from a burner account (you blocked him on his main) and he's trying to keep his pain tucked carefully behind his ribs, where his heart is, but it's constantly threatening to overcome him. you look different — not bad — just different. you're glowing now, it seems, and your hair is always down. he has a guess as to why that might be, and it pains him to think about it. this must be the yearning everyone, including you, had felt. he supposes he should be happy that you're happy, but he's never claimed to be a good person, and the sight of a picture of you planting a kiss on soobin's cheek is enough to twist the knife in his chest.

notes pt. 2: hi :,) i hope you all liked this one. if not, i'm sorry :,) my pacing is sooo bad but i'm working on it i swear ( ཀ͝ ∧ ཀ͝ ) feedback is always appreciated!! and yes, there will be a part 2.

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yournameloveskpop · 3 months

Text

Not So Bad Boy

Paring: Taehyun x Reader

Summery: Taehyun and his friends the playful bad boy crew rule the school. They liked to push each other about until Beomgyu pushes Taehyun to hard and making him collide into, y/n, his long time crush.

Style: SFW, highschool AU, romance, friendship, Valentine’s Day special

Word count: 10.958

As Taehyun and his notorious gang – Hueningkai, Beomgyu, Soobin, and Yeonjun – strutted down the school halls, their presence commanded attention, drawing whispers and wary glances from their peers. They were the quintessence of high school rebels, seamlessly stirring up mischief wherever they roamed. Teachers watched with a mix of awe and frustration, well aware that the week would be filled with challenges due to these influential troublemakers.

"Look at them," muttered a nearby student, eyeing the group with a mix of fear and fascination. "They're like walking chaos."

Taehyun flashed a grin, seemingly fueled by the murmurs around him. "Let them talk," he said coolly to his gang. "They know we run this place."

Meanwhile, in a quieter corner of the school, Y/N was engrossed in arranging her books for the day, her bubbly energy reflected in her friend Jim-In's demeanor. The air was filled with excitement about the upcoming Valentine's Day, with Jim-In enthusiastically speculating about the surprises her boyfriend might have in store.

"Do you think he'll go all out with roses and chocolates?" Jim-In asked, eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Y/N shrugged, a soft smile playing on her lips. "Maybe. But you know me, I'm just here for the discounted candy the day after."

Her acceptance of spending another Valentine's Day solo, devoid of secret admirers or grand romantic gestures, was met with a comforting pat from Jim-In. "One day, Y/N, someone's going to sweep you off your feet. Just you wait."

As Y/N signaled to Jim-In that it was time to head to their next class, the focus shifted back to Taehyun and his friends. Their laughter echoed through the halls, their playful shoves showing their camaraderie, seemingly unaware of the annoyed glances they attracted from other students.

"Come on, you guys, we're going to be late again," Taehyun said, trying to herd his friends along.

Beomgyu, always the joker of the group, quipped a particularly bad joke, earning a mock groan from Taehyun. "Seriously, Beomgyu? That's the best you've got?"

In response, Beomgyu playfully shoved Taehyun, but the push was stronger than intended. Taehyun stumbled dramatically, crashing into someone walking by. The impact sent both of them tumbling to the ground, with Taehyun accidentally pinning the other person beneath him.

To his surprise and embarrassment, he found himself looking down into Y/N's startled eyes. Jim-In, along with a few other students, stopped in their tracks, mouths agape at the scene.

"Y/N, are you okay?" Jim-In exclaimed, rushing over to her friend's side.

The boys, initially struggling to hold back their laughter, quickly sobered up at the seriousness of the situation. Taehyun, meanwhile, was acutely aware of the person beneath him. Y/N, who had unknowingly been the object of his secret affection for years, lay there with a stunned expression. She represented everything he felt he wasn't – kind, bright, a beacon of positivity – while he played the part of the misunderstood rebel.

Their faces were just inches apart, creating an intense, unexpected moment that seemed to freeze time around them. The laughter from their peers was immediate, filling the air as Taehyun and Y/N lay in an unexpected heap on the floor.

"Is this a new way to meet girls, Taehyun?" Soobin joked, unable to suppress his amusement.

"Looks like Taehyun's finally found his match!" Hueningkai added.

Amidst the laughter, a teacher pushed through the crowd, his expression stern. "What's the meaning of this? This isn't a playground!" he scolded.

Yeonjun, still chuckling with the others, managed a half-hearted apology. "Sorry, sir, it was just an accident," he said, trying to look remorseful.

Taehyun, his cheeks reddened with embarrassment, offered his hand to Y/N. "I'm really sorry about that," he muttered, avoiding eye contact.

The teacher, clearly frustrated, rubbed his temples. "I expect better from you all. Be more careful in the future," he warned, though his words seemed to be ignored by the still laughing group.

As the crowd started to disperse, whispering excitedly about the incident, Jim-In joined Taehyun in helping Y/N to her feet.

"Are you okay, Y/N?" Jim-In asked, full of concern.

"Yeah, I think so," Y/N replied, dusting herself off.

Taehyun, about to speak, was abruptly pulled away by Yeonjun. "Come on, man, let's go," they said, still laughing.

As Taehyun's gaze lingered on Y/N's retreating figure, Beomgyu's laughter brought him back to reality. Slapping his back with a teasing grin, Beomgyu chuckled, "Hey, tough guy, snap out of it!"

Taehyun sighed, feeling his heart rate finally begin to slow. "Yeah, yeah," he muttered, trying to shake off the fluttering in his chest.

Yeonjun, ever the joker, nudged Taehyun playfully. "Man, you turned redder than a ripe tomato! What's the deal, Taehyun?" he teased, grinning widely.

Taehyun, struggling to maintain his cool demeanor, attempted to deflect. "What are you talking about? There's no deal," he said, feigning confusion.

Soobin, Beomgyu, and Hueningkai exchanged knowing glances.

"So, Taehyun, got a little crush, do we?" Soobin teased, pinching Taehyun's cheek lightly.

"Crushing? Since when?" Yeonjun joined in, his voice laced with mock surprise.

Taehyun rolled his eyes, swatting away Soobin and Yeonjun's hands. "Cut it out, you guys," he grumbled, but his protest only fueled their laughter.

With a shared look, the group decided to skip class, heading to their usual hangout in the field. The air was filled with their laughter and chatter as they playfully pushed each other around, momentarily leaving behind the constraints of the classroom.

Meanwhile, back at the school, Jim-In was buzzing with excitement over the earlier incident.

"Y/N, can you believe what just happened?" Jim-In exclaimed, her eyes wide with excitement.

Y/N, still processing the unexpected encounter, smiled wryly. "Yeah, it was... something," she replied, trying to sound nonchalant.

"But Taehyun! Of all people!" Jim-In continued, her voice rising with each word. "He's like the school's mystery guy, and he just... fell on you!"

Y/N shrugged, feeling a bit embarrassed. "It was just an accident, Jim-In. Don't make it into a big deal."

"But the way he looked at you!" Jim-In insisted, not ready to let it go. "Did you see his face? He was totally flustered!"

Y/N sighed, trying to divert the conversation. "Let's just focus on our next class, okay? Beomgyu pushed him so I don't think his fall was anything more than a clumsy moment."

Jim-In, however, was not convinced. "I don't know, Y/N. There's something there. I mean, Taehyun is always so composed, and then suddenly he's all red-faced and awkward around you? That's not just a coincidence."

Y/N pondered the possibility but quickly dismissed it. "Jim-In, it's Taehyun. He's probably already forgotten about it. Let's just move on."

Jim-In gave Y/N a skeptical look but decided to drop the topic, at least for the moment. "Fine, but I'm keeping my eye on this. I sense a story brewing here," she said with a mischievous grin.

As they walked towards their next class, Y/N couldn't help but feel a tiny flutter in her stomach. Despite her efforts to dismiss it, the encounter with Taehyun, the bad boy, had left a lingering impression. Jim-In and Y/N walked into class, finding their seats as the teacher began roll call. When he called out the names of Taehyun, Beomgyu, Hueningkai, Soobin, and Yeonjun, there was silence. No one was surprised; they were known for their habitual tardiness.

The teacher sighed, shaking his head slightly. "Absent as usual," he mumbled, then moved on with the homeroom activities.

Thirty minutes into the lesson, the boys made a grand entrance. The teacher raised an eyebrow, "Decided to join us? I hope skipping class was worth it."

Yeonjun flashed a grin, "You know us, always seeking adventure."

Beomgyu added, "The hallways were calling our names."

"Take your seats, gentlemen," the teacher directed, his tone firm yet resigned.

As they sat down, Yeonjun immediately tried to catch a quick nap, while Hueningkai and Beomgyu started crafting paper airplanes. Soobin was doodling, and Taehyun tried to focus on the lesson, but his gaze kept drifting to Y/N, who was diligently paying attention.

The monotony of the class was broken when a pair of students entered with a Valentine's gift trolley. "Special delivery for some of you!" they announced, sparking a mix of reactions in the classroom.

Jim-In received a grand bouquet, a stuffed bunny, and chocolates, likely from her boyfriend. "He really went all out!" she gushed, beaming.

Then, surprisingly, Yeonjun's name was called. He received an anonymous gift, causing him to flush a shade of red. Soobin, Hueningkai, and Beomgyu tried to hold back their laughter, earning a glare from Yeonjun.

"Someone's got a secret admirer," Soobin teased.

Yeonjun, trying to regain his composure, shot back, "At least someone appreciates my charm."

Taehyun, seeing Yeonjun's reaction, couldn't help but smirk, "Guess you're not as tough as you thought, huh?"

Finally, Y/N's name was called. Her heart raced as she was handed chocolates and roses, along with an anonymous note expressing admiration and the promise of more gifts leading up to Valentine's Day.

Y/N read the note, her voice tinged with disbelief, "Someone's been liking me for a while?"

Jim-In leaned over, her curiosity piqued. "What does it say? Come on, spill!"

Meanwhile, Taehyun watched from his seat, his heart pounding. He had sent the gifts but remained stoic, fearing his friends would immediately connect the dots.

Beomgyu nudged him, "You see Y/N's gift? Wonder who's got a crush on her."

Taehyun, feigning indifference, shrugged. "No idea, man."

Soobin, eyeing Taehyun, smirked. "You're unusually quiet, Taehyun. Something on your mind?"

Taehyun shook his head, "Just thinking about the test next week."

Yeonjun, still holding his own anonymous gift, chimed in, "Looks like love is in the air for everyone but us, huh?"

The classroom remained abuzz with whispers and speculation as the lesson came to a close. Y/N, her mind racing with thoughts about the anonymous note, couldn't help but keep glancing at it. Taehyun, meanwhile, sat in silence, his mind consumed by his secret Valentine's plan.

As they left the classroom, Jim-In was practically radiating excitement. "Y/N, you have to read me the note again. It's just so cute!"

Y/N, a soft blush coloring her cheeks, unfolded the note and read, "I hope you like the gift. I've liked you for a while but never knew how to confess. I hope I have the courage to tell you on Valentine's Day. I remember your favourite flavour is strawberry chocolate. Love, anonymous."

Jim-In squealed with delight, "Oh my gosh, Y/N, that is so romantic! Someone really likes you!"

Y/N couldn't help but smile, though she felt a bit overwhelmed. "Yeah, it's... really unexpected."

At that moment, Jim-In's boyfriend approached, a curious smile on his face. "Hey, what's all the excitement about?"

Jim-In, beaming, pointed at Y/N's gifts. "Y/N has a secret admirer! Look at this!"

Her boyfriend laughed, "That's awesome! Y/N, you've got a mystery on your hands. Any guesses who it is?"

Y/N shook her head, her curiosity piqued. "I really have no idea."

Back in the classroom, Taehyun and his friends were taking their time to leave. Yeonjun, holding his anonymous gift, looked both amused and puzzled. "I mean, who sends me a Valentine's gift anonymously? It's not like I'm hard to approach."

Beomgyu chuckled, "Maybe it's someone who's been admiring you from afar, Yeonjun."

Hueningkai added, "Or someone who enjoys playing the mysterious admirer."

Soobin, still laughing, said, "Who knows? Maybe they're just shy."

Yeonjun rolled his eyes, "Shy or not, it's got me intrigued."

Taehyun, still deep in thought about his own secret, tried to remain inconspicuous. Hueningkai noticed his quiet demeanor. "Taehyun, you're unusually silent. What's up?"

Taehyun quickly composed himself, "Just thinking about the project due next week."

Beomgyu raised his eyebrows, "Since when do you worry so much about school projects?"

Taehyun shrugged nonchalantly, "Just want to make sure I do well, you know?"

The next day brought another surprise for Y/N. As she opened her locker, heart-shaped balloons floated out, causing her to jump and let out a small yelp. The unexpected spectacle drew the attention of nearby students, many of whom turned to look, some with smiles and others with curious glances.

Jim-In, who was standing nearby, burst into laughter at Y/N's startled reaction. "Oh my gosh, Y/N, this is too cute!" she exclaimed, reaching into the locker to retrieve a note nestled within a basket. The basket was filled with more chocolates and a plush bear, adding to the charm of the gift.

Y/N's cheeks turned a deep shade of red from both the surprise and the attention it garnered. "I can't believe this is happening," she muttered, half embarrassed and half delighted, as she tried to stuff the balloons back into her locker.

Meanwhile, Taehyun observed the scene from a distance, standing by his locker with a subtle smile playing on his lips. His friends, unaware of his involvement, were busy with their own antics. This time, Beomgyu was the recipient of a Valentine's gift, causing the tables to turn as he faced a round of laughter and teasing from the others.

Yeonjun, still amused by his own experience from the previous day, pointed at Beomgyu, "Looks like the cupid's arrow found another target!"

Beomgyu, holding the gift awkwardly, tried to play it cool. "Yeah, well, who wouldn't want a piece of this?" he joked, trying to deflect the teasing.

Soobin joined in the laughter, "Who knew our Beomgyu was such a heartthrob?"

Hueningkai chuckled, "Seems like everyone's getting a secret admirer these days."

Taehyun, joining in the laughter, watched as his friends enjoyed the moment. Despite his amusement, his attention was still partially on Y/N, who was now reading the note Jim-In had handed her. The look of genuine surprise and happiness on her face made him feel a mix of nervousness and excitement for his plan leading up to Valentine's Day.

Back at Y/N's locker, Jim-In was eagerly waiting. "Well, what does the note say this time?" she asked with an expectant grin.

Y/N read the note, her voice soft, "It says, 'Another day closer to Valentine's Day. I hope these gifts bring a smile to your face as much as your smile brightens my day. Counting down the moments until I can finally reveal myself. Love, anonymous.'"

Jim-In squealed, "This is like a fairy tale! You have a real-life secret admirer!"

Y/N, still processing the situation, replied, "It's definitely unexpected. I never thought something like this would happen to me."

On this particular day, Taehyun and his friends, known for their habitual tardiness, surprisingly made it to their science class on time. The class, often a scene of their pranks and mischief, buzzed with a sense of expectation. Memories of Soobin and Yeonjun's last experiment, which had turned the classroom into a gooey mess, were still fresh in everyone's mind.

As Y/N and Taehyun approached the classroom, they accidentally collided at the doorway. They shared a brief, awkward moment of eye contact before Taehyun, with a slightly exaggerated gentlemanly gesture, stepped aside and said, "After you, m'lady," his voice a mix of playful and smooth, accompanied by a cheeky grin.

Y/N, taken aback by this unexpected chivalry, managed a shy "Thank you," and stepped into the room, with Taehyun following close behind. Inside, he seized the opportunity to address a recent mishap. Gently taking her arm to get her attention, he said, "Hey, about the other day... Sorry for crashing into you. Beomgyu pushed me a bit too hard."

Y/N, surprised by his apology, felt a flutter in her heart. "Oh, um, it's okay. I know you guys were just messing around," she stammered, her cheeks slightly coloring as she caught a whiff of his cologne mingling with her perfume.

From behind, Taehyun's friends watched the exchange, barely concealing their smirks. Taehyun, sensing their gaze, tried to maintain his cool demeanor.

The teacher entered the classroom, breaking the moment. "Alright, everyone, take your seats. We have a lot to cover today," he announced, moving to the front of the class.

As the lesson progressed, the teacher began pairing students for a lab experiment. "Yeonjun, you're with Lisa," he said, assigning Yeonjun to a girl in the class. Yeonjun flashed a charming smile and sauntered over to his partner.

"Hueningkai, you'll work with Mark," the teacher continued, pairing Hueningkai with another boy who seemed enthusiastic about the experiment.

Finally, he paired Taehyun with Y/N, causing a slight buzz among their classmates. Soobin and Beomgyu were paired together, much to their delight.

Initially, the atmosphere between Taehyun and Y/N was tinged with awkwardness, but as they began the experiment, they found common ground. They shared jokes, and Taehyun's usual tough exterior began to soften in Y/N's presence.

"So, those gifts you've been getting," Taehyun ventured, "must be quite a surprise, huh?"

Y/N nodded, mixing the chemicals as instructed. "Yeah, I've never gotten anything like this before. It's nice, but also kind of overwhelming. I'm really curious about who it is."

Their conversation flowed naturally, and they laughed together, forgetting the experiment for a moment.

Meanwhile, Yeonjun was laying on his charm thick with Lisa, making her giggle with his playful antics. Hueningkai, on the other hand, looked bored as Mark enthusiastically explained their task.

Suddenly, a loud pop interrupted the calm of the classroom. A bright pink goo exploded from Soobin and Beomgyu's workstation, drenching them and splattering Taehyun and Y/N as well.

Soobin and Beomgyu, caught in the epicenter of the mess, burst into laughter, high-fiving each other despite the disaster. "That was epic!" Soobin exclaimed, covered in pink goo.

The teacher, however, was far from amused. His face red with anger, he glared at Soobin and Beomgyu. "This is unacceptable! Look at this mess! You've not only ruined your own experiment but also disrupted the entire class!"

The rest of the class erupted into a mix of laughter and groans, with some students trying to dodge the flying goo. Y/N and Taehyun, now both splattered in pink, shared a look of disbelief mixed with amusement.

"This is going to take forever to clean up," Y/N said, trying to wipe the goo off her arm.

Taehyun chuckled, "Yeah, but it's kind of funny, isn't it?"

As the teacher began to reprimand Soobin and Beomgyu, the rest of the class started to clean up the mess. After the chaos subsided and the class was brought back to order, Taehyun and Y/N worked together to clean themselves up from the goo explosion. Fortunately, the mess wasn't as bad as it initially seemed.

The teacher, having finished his stern lecture to Soobin and Beomgyu, received only half-hearted apologies in return. The pair, still chuckling from their antics, sauntered back to their desks, Beomgyu clapping his hands joyously, clearly pleased with their mischievous success.

Yeonjun and Hueningkai joined in the laughter, finding the entire situation amusing. Taehyun, attempting to be more mature about the incident, couldn't help but chuckle along, occasionally glancing over at Y/N.

"Your friends are very interesting, huh?" Y/N remarked with a small smile, as she dabbed at a pink stain on her shirt.

Taehyun blushed slightly, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, they are... a bit crazy, but they're the only friends I have. We've been tight since middle school. Almost like brothers, even if we are a bad influence in this school and for each other."

Y/N nodded, understandingly. "It's nice to have friends like that, though. People who stick with you through everything."

"Yeah, it is," Taehyun agreed, a soft smile forming on his lips. "They're a handful, but I wouldn't trade them for anything."

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. As the students began to file out, Taehyun hesitated for a moment before speaking up. "Hey, Y/N? I know this is kind of sudden, but would you like to hang out with us sometime? I mean, it might not be your scene, but it could be fun."

Y/N was taken aback by the invitation, her eyes widening slightly in surprise. "Hang out with you and your friends?" she echoed, a mix of curiosity and nervousness in her voice.

"Yeah, just to, you know, see the other side of us. We're not always causing trouble," Taehyun said with a half-grin.

Y/N considered for a moment, then smiled. "Sure, why not? It could be interesting."

Taehyun's smile broadened. "Great! I'll let you know when. Thanks, Y/N."

As they left the classroom, Taehyun felt a sense of excitement at the prospect of spending time with Y/N outside of school. It was a step forward, a chance to show her a different side of him and his friends.

Back at Taehyun's locker, his friends were waiting, still buzzing from their latest science class escapade. "So, Taehyun, you and Y/N seemed pretty cozy cleaning up together," Soobin teased, wiggling his eyebrows.

Taehyun rolled his eyes, trying to downplay it. "We were just cleaning up the mess you two made. And I invited her to hang out with us."

Beomgyu whistled. "Look at you, bringing new people into our circle. This should be interesting."

Yeonjun chimed in, "I bet she'll run for the hills once she sees what we're really like."

"Or she might surprise you," Taehyun shot back, closing his locker with a definitive click. "Let's just try not to scare her off on the first hangout, okay?"

The group laughed and joked as they made their way out of the school, the bonds of their friendship evident in their easy banter. As Y/N and Jim-In walked home, the balloons and gifts from Y/N's secret admirer were a colorful and tangible reminder of the day's unexpected events. Jim-In was practically buzzing with excitement after hearing about Taehyun's invitation.

"Wait, let me get this straight," Jim-In said, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Taehyun, the notorious Taehyun, invited you to hang out with him and his friends?"

Y/N nodded, a mix of nerves and excitement in her voice. "Yeah, it was really out of the blue. He just asked me after the science class fiasco."

Jim-In's boyfriend, who was walking with them, chimed in, sounding equally surprised. "That's...wow. That's really something. Taehyun and his gang are like legends in our school. And not necessarily for the best reasons."

Y/N glanced down at the gifts in her hands, her mind racing with thoughts. "I know, it's strange. I mean, I'm just...me. Why would he want to hang out with someone like me?"

Jim-In playfully nudged her. "Because you're amazing, Y/N. Don't sell yourself short. But this is so unlike Taehyun and his friends. They're like this tight-knit circle that no one penetrates."

"Yeah, I'm curious about what it's like to be with them outside of school. I mean, they can't be causing chaos all the time, right?" Y/N mused, trying to imagine what an afternoon with Taehyun and his friends might entail.

Her boyfriend laughed, "Well, I guess you'll find out. Just be careful, okay? Those guys are known for being a handful."

Y/N smiled, feeling a surge of adventurous spirit. "I will be. It's just hanging out. What's the worst that could happen?"

As they continued their walk home, the conversation shifted to other topics, but Y/N couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation about the upcoming hangout. It was a step outside her comfort zone, a dive into the unknown world of Taehyun and his friends. Little did she know, this decision would open doors to experiences and relationships she never expected.

Meanwhile, back at school, Taehyun was discussing the plan with his friends. "So, I invited Y/N to hang out with us. Just thought it would be nice," he explained, slightly apprehensive about their reaction.

"So, the good girl joins the dark side, huh?" Soobin joked, elbowing Taehyun playfully.

Taehyun shrugged, "I just think she should see that we're not as bad as everyone makes us out to be."

Yeonjun looked thoughtful. "It's going to be interesting, that's for sure. But hey, maybe it's good for us too, you know? Mixing it up a bit."

Beomgyu nodded in agreement. "Yeah, let's show her a good time. Who knows, she might even enjoy our company."

Upon entering her home, Y/N was greeted by the familiar, comforting sights of her family. Her mother was in the living room, her brother lounging on the couch. They both noticed the gifts in her hands almost immediately.

Her mother's eyes lit up with a warm smile. "Are those from your secret admirer again?" she asked, her tone laced with gentle teasing.

"Yeah, it was like a surprise attack in my locker today," Y/N replied, setting the gifts down on the coffee table. The heart-shaped balloons bobbed gently in the air, adding a festive touch to the room.

Her brother, looking up from his phone, raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Why would anyone want to give you a gift?" he quipped, only half-serious.

Their mother promptly smacked him lightly on the arm. "Don't be rude! It's sweet that someone thinks so highly of your sister."

Y/N rolled her eyes, used to her brother's teasing. "Thanks for the support, bro," she said sarcastically.

Her brother grinned and shrugged. "Just keeping it real. But seriously, do you have any idea who it could be?"

Y/N shook her head, a hint of curiosity in her eyes. "No clue. But it's kind of exciting, not knowing."

Her mother leaned forward, her expression turning thoughtful. "Just be careful, dear. Secret admirers are romantic, but you never know."

"I know, Mom. I'm being careful," Y/N reassured her, picking up one of the chocolates from the basket.

Changing the subject, her brother asked, "So, how was school today? Anything fun happen?"

Y/N hesitated for a moment before sharing the day's events. "Well, something interesting did happen. Taehyun, you know, the one from the 'bad boy' group at school, he invited me to hang out with him and his friends."

Her mother looked up sharply. "Taehyun? Isn't he the one always getting into trouble?"

Her brother whistled. "Wow, hanging out with the rebels, huh? That's unexpected."

"It's just as friends," Y/N clarified. "I think it could be interesting to see what they're really like outside of school."

Her mother still looked concerned. "Just be careful, Y/N. Those boys have quite a reputation."

"I will be, Mom. It's just hanging out. Plus, I think there's more to them than the rumors say," Y/N said, a trace of conviction in her voice.

Her brother smirked. "Well, if you're going to infiltrate the bad boys' club, you'll have to keep us updated. This could be better than TV."

Y/N laughed, feeling a sense of warmth and comfort in her family's presence. "I'll be sure to give you all the juicy details," she promised, a playful glint in her eye.

When Y/N's father heard about her plans to hang out with Taehyun and his friends, his reaction was one of immediate and intense disapproval. "You're planning to spend time with those boys?" he asked sharply. "I've heard nothing good about them. It's out of the question."

Y/N, trying to calm the situation, assured him, "Dad, they're just being playful. Taehyun isn't as bad as he seems. It's just a friendly hangout, nothing more."

Her father, however, was adamant. "I don't want you associating with that crowd. They're known troublemakers. It's my job to keep you safe, and I won't have you getting mixed up in whatever they're involved in."

On the day of the hangout, Taehyun and his friends waited outside Y/N's apartment, feeling a bit out of place in the unfamiliar area. They were excited about the hangout, especially with someone as different as Y/N, but also curious about why Taehyun was so interested in her.

"Man, why are you so keen on Y/N hanging out with us?" Soobin asked, eyeing Taehyun curiously.

Taehyun, his heart racing with both nervousness and excitement, shrugged noncommittally. "I just think it's cool to mix things up a bit, you know? Show her a different side of us."

Beomgyu smirked, "Sure, Taehyun. 'Different side'."

As they talked, Y/N emerged from her apartment, casually yet stylishly dressed. The boys were visibly impressed, having only seen her in school attire before.

She gave a shy wave and approached them, but before they could leave, her father's voice boomed from above. "Y/N! Where do you think you're going?"

Y/N's face fell, and she turned to see her father leaning out of the window, his expression stern. "Dad, we talked about this. I'm just going to hang out with them for a little while."

Her father was unyielding. "I've made my decision. You are not going anywhere with those boys. It's final."

Y/N looked down, disappointment etched on her face. The boys exchanged uncomfortable glances, sensing the tension.

Just then, Y/N's mother appeared at the window, her tone firm yet soothing. "Dear, don't you think you're being a bit too strict? Y/N is a responsible girl. We should trust her judgment."

Her father seemed taken aback, his stern demeanor faltering slightly. "But..."

Y/N's mother continued, "She's growing up. We can't keep her sheltered forever. Let her go, she'll be fine."

After a moment of tense silence, her father sighed deeply, his expression softening. "Alright. But be back before it gets dark." Her father's eyes then shifted to Taehyun and the others. "And you boys, I expect her back home safe and sound. Understand?"

Taehyun met her father's gaze. "Yes, sir. We'll take good care of her."

With a final, cautious look, her father withdrew from the window. Y/N let out a small sigh. "Sorry about that. He's just... protective."

Taehyun nodded, "It's cool. We get it. Let's go have some fun, yeah?"

As they arrived at the arcade, the atmosphere instantly turned energetic. The boys, true to their nature, were a lively bunch, their laughter and jokes echoing around the arcade as they jumped from one game to another.

Taehyun, while still part of the fun, seemed to have toned down his usual antics. It was clear he was trying to make a good impression. He stayed close to Y/N, ensuring she felt included in their group's dynamic.

"This is crazy! I've never seen you guys outside of school like this. It's... different," Y/N commented, a smile on her face as she watched them.

Taehyun chuckled, "Yeah, we can get a bit wild. But it's all in good fun. Are you enjoying it?"

"Yeah, it's fun. You guys are really into these games, huh?" Y/N replied, watching as Beomgyu and Soobin competed fiercely at a racing game.

Just then, Yeonjun came over, a bunch of tickets in hand and a playful glint in his eyes. He casually slung an arm around Y/N's shoulder. "Look at this, Y/N! We're winning big today. You've brought us good luck!"

Y/N laughed, slightly taken aback by his friendliness. "I guess I have. Nice job with the tickets!"

Taehyun, noticing Yeonjun's arm around Y/N, couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy, but he quickly brushed it off and joined in the fun. "Yeonjun, planning to win something big with those?"

Yeonjun winked, "You bet! We're gonna get the biggest prize they have. Y/N, you get to pick it out!"

Y/N's eyes widened in mock seriousness. "Oh, the pressure! I'll have to choose wisely."

The group moved on to try other games, with Y/N occasionally playing alongside them. The boys' enthusiasm was infectious, and she found herself getting caught up in the excitement.

As they played, Hueningkai nudged Taehyun, "You seem different today, man. You're usually the first one to start the craziness."

Taehyun shot him a quick smile. "Just trying to make sure Y/N has a good time, that's all."

"Looks like you're doing more than that," Hueningkai teased, raising an eyebrow.

Taehyun shrugged, a slight blush on his cheeks. "Maybe."

As Y/N and Soobin engaged in a spirited game at the arcade, Soobin casually asked, "So, Y/N, have you figured out who's been sending you those gifts?"

Taehyun, who was nearby, perked up at the question, his interest piqued as he pretended to focus on his game.

Y/N shook her head, concentrating on the game. "No, I still have no idea. But it's kind of intriguing. They knew I liked chocolate with strawberry filling, which is pretty specific."

Soobin paused the game momentarily, thoughtful. "Maybe they overheard you talking about it with Jim-In, or saw her give you that kind of chocolate as a gift."

Y/N considered this for a moment, then shrugged. "Maybe. It is cute that they paid attention to that detail, though."

As the game resumed, Y/N emerged as the winner, her face lighting up with a cheerful clap and a small victory dance. Soobin playfully sighed in defeat, but he couldn't help smiling at her enthusiasm. The rest of the boys, especially Taehyun, found her celebration endearing.

Yeonjun, ever the playful one, approached Y/N with Beomgyu. "Hey, Y/N, how about a game against us next? Let's see if you can keep your winning streak."

Y/N laughed, accepting the challenge. "Sure, bring it on! I'm feeling lucky today."

As they set up for another round of games, Taehyun's gaze lingered on Y/N, his face softened by a gentle smile. He found himself increasingly drawn to her genuine nature and vibrant enthusiasm, a refreshing change from the usual group dynamics.

The evening unfolded with a mix of games and laughter, and Y/N proved to be a formidable competitor, much to the boys' delight. They each took turns playing against her, relishing the friendly competition and the camaraderie that was steadily building.

In between the games, Taehyun often caught himself watching Y/N, admiring the way her energy and spirit seemed to light up the room. He realized how much he valued these moments, breaking away from their usual routine.

Deciding to take a break, the group headed to the fast-food section of the arcade. Amidst the banter and jokes, Hueningkai's attention was suddenly drawn to his sisters, Bahiyyih and Lea, approaching them.

"Causing trouble again, Kai?" Lea, his older sister, asked with a knowing look.

Hueningkai, a bit surprised to see them, retorted playfully, "What are you two doing here?"

"We're keeping an eye on you, of course," Bahiyyih, his younger sister, teased. She then glanced at Y/N. "And I see you've found an innocent victim."

Hueningkai quickly introduced his sisters to Y/N. "This is Y/N, she's not a victim, just hanging out with us today."

Bahiyyih, with a hint of mischief in her tone, then dropped a bombshell. "By the way, the school called about the science room incident."

Hueningkai's face registered shock. "They called our parents? But it wasn't even my fault; it was Soobin's and Beomgyu's doing!"

Soobin, overhearing the conversation, chimed in, "Hey, it was an accident! We didn't mean for it to explode like that."

Beomgyu added, "Yeah, who knew that mixing those two things would cause such a mess?"

Lea shook her head, half amused and half exasperated. "You guys really need to be more careful. You're lucky it was just a harmless mess."

Taehyun interjected, trying to lighten the mood. "Well, at least it made for a memorable science class, right?"

Y/N laughed, "Definitely memorable. I've never seen anything like that in class before."

As they settled in with their food, the conversation among the group was lively and engaging. Bahiyyih, being the social butterfly she was, directed a stream of questions at Y/N, who answered them with ease.

"So, you're in the same school and year as these guys?" Bahiyyih asked, her eyes twinkling with curiosity.

Y/N nodded, taking a bite of her burger. "Yeah, that's right. I've known them mostly just from around school, though."

"And how did you end up hanging out with them today?" Lea inquired, a playful smirk on her face.

"It was actually Taehyun's idea," Y/N replied, glancing at Taehyun, who gave a small, embarrassed smile. "I have to say, I was a bit surprised at first, but they're really fun to be around."

Lea laughed, her gaze sweeping over the boys. "Yeah, they can be a riot. A bunch of misfits maybe, and known to skip a class or two, but they mean well."

Hueningkai feigned offense, "Riot!?" he exclaimed, trying to look scandalized.

Beomgyu joined in, "Misfits?" he echoed, his tone mockingly hurt.

Yeonjun, ever the playful one, flicked a fry at Taehyun, grinning. "At least we're fun," he declared.

Taehyun, dodging the fry, chuckled. "Yeah, we have our moments. But hey, we're not that bad, right?"

Y/N smiled, enjoying the banter. "Not at all. I've had a really great time today. You guys are different than I thought."

Soobin, leaning back in his chair, added, "See, we're not just troublemakers. We have our charming sides too."

Bahiyyih giggled, "Well, I'm glad to see Kai has friends who are as lively as him. Makes for an interesting day, doesn't it?"

Bahiyyih and Lea decided to leave after their meal, giving the boys and Y/N some space to continue their fun. Before leaving, Bahiyyih playfully warned them, "Alright, boys, don't corrupt Y/N too much, or you'll have me and Lea to answer to!"

The group laughed, and Soobin called after them, "No promises, but we'll try our best!"

Once Bahiyyih and Lea had left, the group headed back to the arcade games, their energy seemingly endless. After a while, they decided to switch it up and go bowling. The game was filled with cheers and friendly taunts, and it wasn't long before they amassed a sizable number of tickets.

At the prize counter, the attendant gawked at the mountain of tickets they had collected. He presented them with two prize options, and Yeonjun announced, "This is gonna be a gift for Y/N. You pick."

Y/N's eyes settled on a large plushie. "I think I'll go with this one. It'll go well with the bear I got from my Valentine's gift," she said, a soft smile on her lips.

The boys collectively let out an "Awe," and Taehyun's cheeks turned a light shade of pink, though he tried to hide it.

As the sun began to set, they decided to cap off the day with ice cream. The boys, their energy finally waning, were noticeably calmer, creating a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.

Y/N, trying to juggle her giant plushie and her ice cream, was a comical sight. "I might need an extra pair of hands for this," she joked, struggling to balance everything.

The boys offered to help, with Taehyun taking the plushie off her hands. "Let me carry that for you. You've got enough on your hands with the ice cream."

As they walked Y/N back home, the conversation was filled with reflections on the day's events. "We should definitely do this more often," Hueningkai suggested. "You're a lot of fun, Y/N, and it's cool having you around."

"Yeah, it was great having you with us," Yeonjun agreed. "You fit right in."

When they reached Y/N's apartment, Taehyun walked her to the door, the rest of the group hanging back. "I had a really good time today," Taehyun said, his voice sincere. "Thanks for joining us."

Y/N's smile brightened. "Thank you all for having me. I had a lot of fun too."

There was a moment of silence as they exchanged glances, a hint of something unspoken lingering in the air. Taehyun opened his mouth to say something more, but the moment was interrupted as the door swung open, revealing Y/N's father with a stern expression.

"Ah, I'll see you at school on Monday," Taehyun said quickly, stepping back.

"Thanks again, Taehyun. Goodnight," Y/N replied before turning to go inside, her smile unwavering.

As Taehyun rejoined his friends after leaving Y/N at her doorstep, his usually composed expression was replaced by a more contemplative look. His friends, quick to notice the change, gathered around him. Hueningkai, with a teasing grin, slung an arm over Taehyun's shoulder.

"Ooh, what's with the pensive look? You've had that face all day," Yeonjun prodded, a playful edge to his voice.

Hueningkai nodded, his own smile spreading. "Yeah, it's not just today. We've seen it for a while now. You've got that faraway look in your eyes whenever Y/N's around."

Beomgyu leaned in, his tone mischievous. "And what about when you bumped into her, huh? Plus, that overly dramatic apology in the science class... Were you planning to keep your crush on Y/N secret forever, Taehyun?"

Soobin, who had been observing the conversation quietly, finally spoke up, his gaze fixed on Taehyun. "I bet you're her secret admirer, right? You've been the one leaving those Valentine's gifts for her. You always seem so... happy, content even, when she's around."

The group's playful yet pointed observations finally nudged Taehyun's defenses. He let out a resigned sigh, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "Alright, you guys are too sharp for your own good. Yes, I like her. I've always liked her, and yes, I've been leaving those Valentine's gifts for her. I was planning to tell her on Valentine's Day."

The group erupted into a mixture of surprise and excitement. Yeonjun laughed heartily. "Our Taehyun, the tough guy, turning all soft for the good girl. This is epic!"

Hueningkai, still grinning, gave Taehyun a playful punch on the arm. "Man, you've been playing the mysterious admirer all along. That's kind of romantic, you know."

Beomgyu, leaning against a nearby post, looked at Taehyun with newfound respect. "You've been planning this for a while, haven't you? Going all out with the gifts and the secret admirer angle."

Soobin, who had always been more observant, added thoughtfully, "It's nice to see this side of you, Taehyun. But why wait until Valentine's Day? Why not tell her sooner?"

Taehyun ran a hand through his hair, a bit embarrassed but honest. "I don't know, I guess I wanted to build it up, make it special. I've never felt this way about someone before. I wanted to do it right."

Yeonjun nodded, understandingly. "Well, you've definitely made an impression. She seems to really like the gifts."

The conversation shifted as the boys started offering Taehyun advice on how to reveal his feelings to Y/N. They threw around various ideas, each more elaborate than the last.

"Why not a grand romantic gesture in front of the whole school?" suggested Hueningkai, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

Beomgyu laughed. "Or you could write her a song. Girls love that stuff."

Soobin, ever the voice of reason, chimed in. "Or just be yourself, man. Tell her how you feel, simply and honestly. Sometimes that's all it takes."

As they walked home, the boys continued to discuss plans and ideas, their laughter and jokes echoing in the night. Taehyun felt a sense of warmth and gratitude for his friends. Despite their teasing, he knew they had his back. Monday at school found Taehyun more anxious than usual, his mind preoccupied with the upcoming Valentine’s Day. His friends, meanwhile, were immersed in their usual playful antics. In the midst of a casual game, Beomgyu lobbed a basketball at Soobin, who, lacking any coordination, missed the catch. The ball veered off and accidentally hit a freshman passing by.

“Hey, watch it!” the freshman exclaimed, more startled than hurt.

Beomgyu burst out laughing, followed by the rest of the boys, their apologies half-hearted as usual. “Sorry, dude! Didn’t see you there,” Beomgyu called out, still chuckling.

Yeonjun, always quick to smooth things over, approached the freshman. “You alright, man? These guys are a handful,” he said, playfully rubbing the boy’s head.

Taehyun, although part of the group, was distracted. His gaze followed Y/N as she approached her locker and discovered another gift he had left. He had noticed over the weekend that her favorite lip gloss was almost finished, so he had replaced it with a new one, along with a matching lipstick from the same expensive brand.

Y/N’s reaction was exactly what Taehyun had hoped for. Her eyes widened in surprise and delight. Jim-In, who was with her, exclaimed, “Wow, Y/N, these are seriously pricey! Whoever your secret admirer is, they have great taste.”

The boys’ laughter subsided as they overheard Jim-In’s comments. Taehyun felt a flutter of excitement but also a twinge of apprehension. What would others think if they found out about his crush? What about the teachers, or worse, Y/N’s father?

Meanwhile, Y/N and Jim-In continued their conversation about the gift. “It’s crazy, right? Someone actually knows I love this brand,” Y/N said, still marveling at the gift.

Jim-In, her eyes sparkling with curiosity, asked, “So, how was hanging out with Taehyun and his gang? They’re quite the notorious group at school.”

Y/N smiled, a fond look in her eyes. “It was actually really fun. We went to the arcade, played some games, met Hueningkai’s siblings… They’re not as bad as they seem. They’re mostly just jokers and pretty playful.”

Jim-In noticed the change in Y/N’s demeanor. “Sounds like you’re quite fond of them, especially Taehyun?”

Y/N pulled out the almost empty lip gloss and compared it with the new one. “It’s funny that someone knew I like this brand. I only buy it once a year because it’s so expensive.”

Then, a realization dawned on her. “I was using this when we were hanging out over the weekend.”

Jim-In’s eyes widened. “What if it’s Taehyun or one of his friends who’s your secret admirer? Who else would know about the brand you use unless they were around you?”

Y/N paused, the possibility sinking in. “That… that would be something. But why would Taehyun do something like that?”

Jim-In grinned, nudging Y/N playfully. “Why not? Maybe he likes you. It would explain a lot, actually.”

Y/N blushed, the thought both exciting and nerve-wracking. “I don’t know, Jim-In. It seems far-fetched.”

“Maybe,” Jim-In conceded. “But it’s kind of romantic, isn’t it? The bad boy falling for the good girl?”

Y/N laughed, shaking her head. “You sound like you’re describing a movie.”

As the girls walked to their next class, their conversation continued, with Jim-In playfully teasing Y/N about the possibility of Taehyun being her secret admirer. Y/N, although unsure, couldn’t help but feel a flutter of excitement at the thought.

The school day concluded with Taehyun caught in a whirlwind of emotions. Every glance towards Y/N was a mix of anticipation and anxiety. The thought of revealing his feelings in a matter of days filled him with a sense of dread and exhilaration.

Back at Y/N’s home, the latest gift from Taehyun sparked a mix of reactions from her family. Her mother and brother examined the expensive lip gloss and lipstick with wide eyes.

“Wow, your secret admirer must be loaded,” her brother remarked with a chuckle. “I say go for it. Anyone who gives gifts like these is a keeper.”

Her mother, amused but thoughtful, added, “It’s certainly impressive. Someone is going to great lengths to impress you.”

Y/N laughed, slightly embarrassed but also intrigued by the idea. “It’s just a gift. I don’t even know who it’s from.”

Her father, however, still harbored reservations from the weekend’s events. He glanced at the gift, his expression one of caution. “Remember, Y/N, expensive gifts don’t always mean good intentions. Be careful about who you trust.”

Y/N nodded, understanding her father’s concern. “I know, Dad. I’m not taking it too seriously. It’s just nice to receive something like this.”

The conversation at dinner revolved around the mysterious gifts and possible admirers. Y/N’s brother kept teasing her, suggesting various dramatic scenarios of secret love confessions, while her mother enjoyed the playful banter. Her father, though participating in the conversation, maintained a watchful eye, protective of his daughter.

Meanwhile, at Taehyun’s home, he found himself in his room, lost in thought. His mind kept replaying the day’s events, especially Y/N’s reactions to the gifts. He felt a mix of hope and trepidation about revealing his feelings.

As he lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, his phone buzzed. It was a message from Soobin.

Soobin: “Hey, how are you holding up? Nervous about the big day?”

Taehyun typed a response, his fingers hesitating over the keys.

Taehyun: “Yeah, kind of. Just hoping it goes well.”

Soobin: “It will. Just be yourself. That’s who she’s been hanging out with, right?”

Taehyun smiled, feeling a bit reassured.

Taehyun: “Thanks, man. It means a lot.”

Soobin: “Anytime. We’re all here for you. You’re not going through this alone.”

Closing the chat, Taehyun felt a sense of gratitude for his friends. Their support was a constant in his life, something he could always rely on.

The night passed with Taehyun’s thoughts alternating between optimism and worry. He tried to distract himself with music and games, but his mind invariably drifted back to Y/N.

The next day at school, the atmosphere was charged with the excitement of the upcoming Valentine’s Day. Students were abuzz with plans and speculations about who would confess to whom.

Taehyun tried to focus on his classes, but his attention was frequently drawn to Y/N. He noticed her cheerful demeanor and the way she interacted with her friends. She seemed oblivious to the effect she had on him.

During lunch, Taehyun and his friends gathered at their usual spot. The conversation naturally drifted to Valentine’s Day.

Beomgyu leaned in, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “So, Taehyun, got any last-minute jitters?”

Taehyun gave a wry smile. “Maybe a little. It’s just… a big step, you know?”

Hueningkai offered, “You’ve got this, Taehyun. No matter how it turns out, it’s better to express your feelings than to keep them hidden.”

Yeonjun nodded in agreement. “Yeah, and who knows? She might feel the same way. You’ve been nothing but thoughtful and kind to her.”

As the school day progressed, Taehyun’s nervousness was almost palpable. He found himself constantly glancing at the clock, each tick bringing him closer to the moment he would reveal his feelings to Y/N.

In a rare occurrence, Taehyun and his friends arrived to class before the bell, surprising everyone, including Y/N and Jim-In. Jim-In, ever the playful one, couldn’t resist making a comment. “Look who decided to grace us with their punctuality,” she quipped, eliciting laughter from the class.

The boys tried to maintain their cool, but they couldn’t help but playfully point fingers at Taehyun. “Yeah, Taehyun here wanted to be an exemplary student today,” Soobin joked, drawing more laughter.

Y/N took her seat next to Taehyun, who noticed she was using the lip gloss he had given her. It suited her perfectly, he thought, but he refrained from commenting.

Noticing Taehyun’s unusual demeanor, Y/N leaned over. “Are you okay, Taehyun? You seem a bit… off today.”

From behind, Hueningkai chimed in, trying to cover for his friend. “Oh, he’s fine. Just got a lot on his mind, right, Taehyun?”

Y/N smiled, seemingly unconvinced, but didn’t press further.

Jim-In, seizing the opportunity to tease, joined in. “Is it because tomorrow’s Valentine’s Day? Why would a bad boy like you be nervous about that?”

Taehyun, caught off guard by the comment, managed a weak smile. “Who says I’m nervous? Just another day, isn’t it?”

Yeonjun, overhearing the conversation, couldn’t resist adding his two cents. “Maybe our Taehyun has a secret Valentine he’s worried about impressing.”

The class erupted into whispers and giggles at Yeonjun’s implication, while Taehyun tried to play it cool, despite the heat rising to his cheeks.

Beomgyu, leaning forward, whispered teasingly to Taehyun, “Smooth, man. Keep it mysterious.”

Y/N looked at Taehyun, a curious glint in her eyes. “Do you really have someone you’re thinking about for Valentine’s Day?”

Taehyun, feeling the weight of the room’s attention, shrugged nonchalantly. “You never know. Maybe I do, maybe I don’t.”

The bell rang, signaling the start of the class, and the teacher walked in, drawing everyone’s attention away from the banter. Throughout the lesson, Taehyun found it hard to focus, his thoughts constantly drifting to Y/N and the impending Valentine’s Day.

As the day came to a close, Taehyun felt a mixture of relief and heightened anticipation. The final school bell rang like a clarion call, marking the end of the day and bringing him one step closer to his confession.

Y/N, packing up her things, turned to Taehyun with a friendly smile. “Well, whatever your plans are for tomorrow, I hope they go well for you, Taehyun.”

Taehyun, looking into her eyes, felt a surge of courage. “Thanks, Y/N. I hope so too.”

As they left the classroom, Taehyun’s friends rallied around him, offering last-minute words of encouragement and advice. The walk home was filled with their laughter and teasing, but Taehyun’s mind was elsewhere, focused on the day that lay ahead.

Valentine’s Day had dawned with a mix of trepidation and excitement for Taehyun. He walked through the school corridors, carrying an unmistakably large Valentine’s gift basket, drawing a mixture of whispers and giggles from the students. His friends, Yeonjun, Soobin, and Beomgyu, were at his side, providing a blend of teasing and moral support.

“You got this, man,” Yeonjun encouraged, clapping Taehyun on the back. “Who knows, maybe Y/N’s good-girl vibes will rub off on us. Well, on you at least,” he added with a half-joking tone.

Soobin, with a wide grin, ruffled Taehyun’s hair. “In every story, the bad boy changes for the good girl, right?”

Despite their comments, Taehyun felt a surge of nervous energy. Beomgyu, sensing his hesitation, gave him a gentle push towards Y/N, “Go on, man. This is your moment.”

At that moment, Jim-In was deep in conversation with Y/N about her boyfriend’s plans for the day. She stopped abruptly as she saw Taehyun approaching. With a nudge, she turned Y/N around to face him, drawing Y/N's attention to the spectacle unfolding.

Y/N looked up, her eyes widening in surprise as she saw Taehyun standing before her with the large basket. “Taehyun, what’s this?” she asked, a mixture of shock and curiosity in her voice.

The corridor fell silent, all eyes on Taehyun and Y/N. Taehyun took a deep breath, his heart pounding in his chest.

“Y/N,” he started, his voice barely above a whisper. “I need to tell you something. I'm the one who's been sending you those gifts. I've... I've liked you for a long time. I just didn't know how to say it, you know, with me and my friends... our reputation.”

Y/N's eyes widened in surprise. She looked at Taehyun, then at the basket, and back to him, her expression a mix of astonishment and curiosity. “Taehyun, this is... I had no idea. You've been...”

Taehyun paused, searching for the right words. “Yes, it's been me. I wasn't sure how to approach you, given how different our worlds seem.”

Y/N, still processing this revelation, took a moment before responding. “I've always seen you around, Taehyun. I thought you were just this unreachable bad boy. I never imagined you’d notice someone like me.”

Taehyun stepped closer, the noise of the corridor fading into the background. “Y/N, you’ve always stood out to me. I've always seen you.”

In a moment driven by pure emotion, Taehyun gently pulled Y/N by the waist towards him and kissed her. Startled at first, Y/N soon responded, wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him back.

Their kiss, amidst the hustle of the school corridor, was a silent confession of the feelings they had harbored. Around them, cheers and applause erupted from their classmates.

Yeonjun, Soobin, and Beomgyu were cheering the loudest, their voices resonating through the corridor. “Look at Taehyun go!” Yeonjun exclaimed.

Soobin added, laughing, “Who knew our Taehyun was such a romantic?”

Beomgyu shouted, “This is one for the school history books!”

Their cheers were so loud they attracted the attention of nearby teachers. “Enough with this commotion!” one teacher scolded, but the jubilant atmosphere was undeterred.

As Taehyun and Y/N broke apart from their embrace, they were both flushed with a mix of excitement and bashfulness. Y/N gazed up at Taehyun, a soft smile on her lips. “I didn’t see this coming, Taehyun. But I'm glad you told me.”

Taehyun, his nerves eased by her smile, replied warmly, “I'm glad too. Happy Valentine’s Day, Y/N.”

Jim-In, who had witnessed the entire scene, approached them, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Wow, Y/N, this is like a movie! You and Taehyun, who would’ve thought?”

As the day unfolded, Taehyun and Y/N’s relationship became the highlight of the school’s gossip. They, along with Jim-In and her boyfriend, found themselves at Taehyun’s usual hangout spot. Taehyun kept his arm casually draped around Y/N’s waist, a gesture that symbolized their new bond.

The group was in the midst of lighthearted banter when Hueningkai, with a twinkle in his eye, turned the conversation to the Valentine’s Day gifts. “Hey, Beomgyu, Yeonjun, did you guys ever figure out who was sending you those secret admirer gifts?”

Yeonjun, who had been momentarily caught up in the couple’s closeness, was jolted back to the conversation. “Oh man, I almost forgot about those. No, I still don’t know who it was.”

Just then, Lisa, the girl Yeonjun had flirted with in science class, approached. She looked slightly nervous but determined as she focused on Yeonjun.

“Hey, Lisa,” Yeonjun greeted her with his characteristic charm. “What brings you here?”

Blushing, Lisa handed him another gift. “I… I wanted to give this to you. You were always nice in class, and I just thought you should know…”

Yeonjun, taken aback, found his usual suave demeanor slipping as a blush crept onto his cheeks. “You’re my secret admirer? Wow, I didn’t expect this. Thank you, Lisa, this means a lot.”

Y/N leaned towards Taehyun, whispering, “Looks like the romance bug is catching on.”

Taehyun laughed, watching his friend’s bashful reaction. “Yeonjun losing his cool - now that’s a rare sight.”

Beomgyu, feeling a bit left out, remarked jokingly, “Hey, what about me? Don’t I get a secret admirer too?”

Almost on cue, a girl from another class, who had previously given Beomgyu a small gift, approached him with another gift in hand. Beomgyu’s playful demeanor shifted to a more bashful, appreciative tone as he accepted it. “Looks like I spoke too soon. Thanks, this is really kind of you.”

As the break ended, Taehyun escorted Y/N home, ensuring she arrived safely. At her doorstep, he tentatively suggested, “Would you like to go out somewhere nice this weekend? For a date?”

Y/N’s eyes lit up. “I’d love that, Taehyun.” She pulled him in for another kiss, a gentle confirmation of their feelings, before walking into her home.

Inside, Y/N’s brother, who had been watching the door camera, smirked and turned to their parents. “Guess what? Taehyun’s Y/N’s secret admirer. He was the one sending those gifts all along.”

Their father, who had been wary about the mysterious admirer, almost choked on his drink. “Taehyun? The boy with the… reputation?”

Their mother, more amused than concerned, added, “Well, it seems like he’s quite smitten with Y/N. Maybe he’s not as bad as his reputation suggests.”

Y/N’s brother, still smirking, quipped, “Seems like our Y/N has tamed the school’s bad boy.”

As the evening wore on, Y/N’s family engaged in playful banter about her budding romance with Taehyun. Though her father was initially apprehensive, the warm and affectionate way Taehyun had acted around Y/N softened his concerns.

Months had passed since Taehyun and Y/N began dating, and their relationship remained strong. The dynamic within their friend group was lively and joyful, with Taehyun and his friends maintaining their playful, slightly rebellious streak. Y/N, now an integral part of the group, often played the role of keeping Taehyun in check, something he surprisingly didn't mind.

One particularly vibrant afternoon in the school corridor, the group's energy was at its peak. Beomgyu was giving Yeonjun a piggyback ride, skipping along with exaggerated steps, drawing laughter from the students around them.

"Beomgyu, you're going to drop me!" Yeonjun laughed, holding onto Beomgyu's shoulders for dear life.

"Not a chance!" Beomgyu replied, a mischievous glint in his eye.

As they passed by Lisa, Yeonjun saw her and swiftly jumped off Beomgyu's back, sliding over to her with his signature charm. "Hey, Lisa, saved by the bell, huh?" he said with a wink.

Meanwhile, Beomgyu spotted his own girlfriend in the crowd and jogged over to her, playfully making her jump as he approached. "Gotcha!" he exclaimed, laughing as she playfully hit his arm.

Soobin and Hueningkai, still enjoying their single status, watched the scene unfold with amusement. Hueningkai's gaze then met with Mark, the science enthusiast he had been paired up with for a project.

"Hey, Mark! Ready for our science presentation?" Hueningkai called out, waving him over.

Mark, pushing up his glasses, walked over with a smile. "Absolutely, Hueningkai. Our project is going to rock the class."

Y/N and Taehyun stood off to the side, watching their friends with affectionate amusement. Taehyun wrapped an arm around Y/N's shoulder, pulling her close.

"Looks like we've created quite the lively bunch," Taehyun remarked, a content smile on his face.

Y/N chuckled, leaning into him. "I wouldn't have it any other way. They're all crazy, but it's our kind of crazy."

Jim-In, overhearing their conversation, chimed in with a laugh. “You two have really brought some balance to this group. It’s like watching a rom-com unfold every day.”

Her boyfriend nodded in agreement. “It’s great seeing how everyone’s changed, especially you, Taehyun. You’re still the bad boy, but now you’re also, like, the romantic lead.”

Just then, the school principal walked by, shaking his head at the commotion but unable to hide a small smile. "You lot are quite the spectacle. Keep it down a bit, will you?" he said in a tone that was more amused than stern.

"Of course, sir," Yeonjun replied, giving him a mock salute as the principal walked away.

As the bell rang, signaling the end of the break, the group gathered their things, still chuckling and joking with each other. They made their way to their next classes, their laughter and chatter echoing through the hallways.

As they parted ways, Taehyun gave Y/N a quick kiss on the cheek. "See you after class, Y/N. Can't wait for our date tomorrow."

Y/N's eyes sparkled with anticipation. "Me too, Taehyun. It's always an adventure with you."

As they walked into their respective classrooms, Taehyun couldn’t help but think about how much his life had changed for the better since Y/N came into it. He had found love, strengthened friendships, and even discovered a softer side to himself.

When the next day arrived, they all gathered for their group date, the laughter and fun continued. They ended up at a local amusement park, where Yeonjun tried to impress Lisa by winning a giant teddy bear at a game stall, only to be hilariously outdone by Beomgyu, who won two.

Soobin and Hueningkai, meanwhile, engaged in a friendly competition to see who could eat the most cotton candy, resulting in both of them feeling slightly ill but laughing nonetheless.

The day ended with a group photo, everyone’s arms around each other, big smiles on their faces. This photo would later find its way into the school yearbook, captioned, “The Unforgettable Bunch.”

As they all said their goodbyes, Taehyun looked at Y/N, happiness evident in his eyes. “You know, I used to think being the bad boy was all there was to me. But you, all of you, have shown me there's so much more to life.”

Y/N smiled, squeezing his hand. “And you’ve shown me that there's more to the bad boy than meets the eye. I wouldn’t change a thing.”

They walked away, hand in hand, under the starlit sky, surrounded by friends, laughter, and the promise of many more adventures to come. In the world of high school, where everything seemed fleeting and temporary, Taehyun and Y/N had found something enduring – a love that was as unexpected as it was genuine, and a friendship that would last a lifetime.

#fanfic #fanfiction #txt #tomorrow x together #txt x reader #txt x y/n #txt x you #txt x fem reader #taehyun txt #txt taehyun #taehyun x y/n #taehyun x you #taehyun x reader #taehyun fluff #taehyun imagines #txt fanfic #kang taehyun #kang taehyun x reader

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dropsofletters · 9 months

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you're so-dium fine!

—SUMMARY: chemistry nerd and teacher jeon wonwoo is not so different from her; almost always with his head pressed in a book and ignoring unnecessary conversations, but she can’t still get a word across towards him. a man that beautiful shouldn’t walk around student grounds and she, as the school’s therapist, shouldn’t be ogling him that openly, either.

when a little mishap with bicarbonate happens to wonwoo, leading to her helping him get cleaned up, she realizes that each minute she spent trying to ignore him as not to get feelings for his obvious good looks and tender personality, was another minute she wasted of meeting a man that could, potentially, most likely, hopefully, worth it.

and he’s so damn fine, on top of all that.

—TITLE: you’re so-dium fine!

—PAIRING: jeon wonwoo x reader

—GENRE: chemistry teacher!au ; school’s therapist!au ; shy!wonwoo ; idiots in love!au ; strangers to friends to idiots crushing on each other to lovers!au

—WORD COUNT: 12,918 words

—TYPE: fluff ; over-the-top fluff ; humor ; suggestive if you squint.

—NOTE: this was a kofi request! if you want me to write something for you, go request over there!

She should’ve made a run out of it.

Not to say that she doesn’t enjoy what her job partakes; the help that a school therapist can muster in the life of high school students is important, but when she’s on her third cup of iced coffee to stay awake and just another call away from going back home, she’s feeling a bit desperate. All because she just felt like saying ‘yes’ to the commands her coworker, Taehyun, pleaded to as he spat out that he really needed to buy a gift for his girlfriend after having forgotten their anniversary and he was on the brink of getting broken-up with.

She tosses her head back after finalizing a call, inspecting her office and feeling awfully constricted in it. Her legs are sore from sitting down for so long and she squints at the desk parallel to hers, where Taehyun should have been attending his own students. Alright, maybe, it’s her fault. She knows the terrible outcome of being a people-pleaser, but she felt generous and kind today. The tips of his ears were red, eyes watered, not crying, but he was almost there and perhaps, the empath in her felt like doing a great action. The great deed shouldn’t have included four calls with four different students with their own issues to talk about, but…sometimes, that’s precisely what she gets for not saying a word.

Standing up comes with the cracking of her knees and a tinge of pain that shoots from her lumbar up to her thorax. She clasps a hand on the small of her back, moving over to the window and parting the white curtains in hopes of seeing students mingle around. Not a single one. The skies have started to turn orange, indicating that she should have gone home hours ago, and before she could sulk and turn bitter about the fact that she’s not in her very comfortable couch watching that Park Seo Joon film that she promised she’d watch, she pulls away from the window.

Now, off to walk to the resting room for teachers at the end of the hallway, where she’ll fill her coffee cup and finally, do the last call of the afternoon.

Her sneakers drag across the tiles after closing the door of her office with a slow movement. She doesn’t check if it’s truly closed, moving ahead with a yawn escaping her lips. She’s sure she’ll head to bed once she gets to her apartment, but even when the moment comes close, it feels awfully far. Not letting that thought linger inside her head, she swings her face from side to side in hopes of waking up, speeding up her steps so she can get her coffee, return to work and just finish for the day.

Though, as she hears a manly, quite raspy, screech coming from one of the classrooms, she is sure her afternoon will take an even odder turn.

Thinking it was one of the students that must have been in trouble, she drops her mug to the ground and moves over to classroom number 703. The door clashes against her palm, pushed open with a bang until she sees the culprit of the scream. It wasn’t a student asking for help, neither was it one of the janitors or even a rat passing by that happened to make too much noise. The first things she notices are a pair of long legs that fold over each other, crimpling against the material of the gray slacks, belonging to the man kneeled behind the desk, covered from what she can judge on his white button down and baby blue tie some kind of white chemical. Teacher Jeon, whom she recognizes as the chemistry teacher that joined their team a year ago, four months after her arrival, has his profiled nose scrunched up, glasses tinted in the same substance, heart-shaped lips parted in surprise.

In any other occasion, she would have ignored Teacher Jeon’s existence. Or Wonwoo, as everyone calls him around here. Not because Wonwoo is anywhere near mean, but because their personalities are just not meant to blend in together. He prefers not talking much, and in her case, she has a thousand opinions that she voices out at times, but she hides away in awkwardness after the societal anxiety attacks her, recoiling on what she just did. However, her anatomy moves to her own accord, clasping his hands that were pressed on the edge of the desk to pull him up.

“Goodness, are you okay?!” She questions him, ready to put him inside that shower they have in the chemistry classroom for when toxins or chemicals come in contact with the students. However, Wonwoo wipes at his glasses with the back of his shirt, leaving a small line of sight for him to peep through with his right eye before he extends his hands to his side.

“Yes, I just got…drenched…” His voice is uncommon to her, still. Even though they see each other every day, mostly when she comes into the resting room to microwave her food and he’s most likely having a talk with the good-old Teacher Gong, who extends his legs on a chair in front of him and prides on his soccer team as if they were his own children. He almost always gives her a short nod, a greeting and then, she returns it, before plopping her meal out of the microwave and leaving to the comfort of her office.

“You should wipe all that away from you—”

“It’s bicarbonate. Don’t worry.” Wonwoo explains, grasping a bottle that he had on the desk before she notices it. He was working on a volcano and judging by the numbers of materials and wrappers stacked on the surface, he clearly used too many ingredients. “The kids in my class wanted to have colored, non-chemical and non-toxic lava to come out of their volcano, and I had a few ideas but I didn’t want to try them in front of them in case they…” He rubs the back of his neck, exchanging a smile that bares his gums and has her looking away from him. The students that gossip about wanting to be in his class just because of how handsome he is aren’t wrong. “Saw me embarrassing myself. Which would be this.”

“I’m no chemist.” She says, pointing a finger towards the volcano. “Is bicarbonate supposed to explode like that?”

“I added soda, mixed with bicarbonate to have a white surface that we could color with…I don’t know, food coloring, and mints. The mint is what made it explode.” Wonwoo takes off his glasses, lurking to rub them on his shirt to wipe them, but he realizes just how messy the fabric is, as well. At the end, they look at each other, with him moving his hand at the same time that she does, face heated when she clasps the glasses in between her fingers and wipes them on her cardigan. “I wanted a real big volcano explosion, so I added too many, maybe.”

“Maybe?”

When she returns the glasses to him, Wonwoo has an ashamed smile on his features. “Sorry, I must’ve bothered you. I thought I was alone. If I knew, I wouldn’t have screamed…like that.” He tells her, stammering a bit before grasping the glasses in both hands and bowing the slightest. Alright, she may not be the best at public speaking, much less when Wonwoo hovers in elegance with just the nicest touch of simplicity.

“You…I mean, you scared me, not bothered me. Different things.” Shit, how does one talk to a good-looking man? Even worse, she has to see him every day, which includes some kind of nervousness that lingers on the pit of her stomach and has her cursing the moment he puts on his glasses, hoping that he doesn’t catch the racing of her breathing and the way she tugs at her clammy hands in front of her body. “You are sure you’re okay Teacher Jeon?”

“Should head back home to take a shower, take off these clothes and admit that my plan wasn’t really wrong, just a little bit over the top.” Teacher Jeon starts packing up his things, as well as tossing the envelopes in which the mints came in to the trash. “You’re going back home, too?”

He turns around from the squatted-down position he had taken in front of the trash and she stops looking at the length of his legs when she recognizes that he’s talking to her. “Huh?”

Wonwoo’s cheeks tinge pink, burning from within him and electrifying up to the tips of his ears. He coughs into his fist, once and twice, before he’s speaking again. “I think some of the bicarbonate got inside my throat. I asked if you happened to be going back home, too.”

“Uh…no.” She trails, interlocking her hands behind her back and swiveling on the heels of her boots. “I have another student to call and then, I’ll head home.”

“Are you sure you’re okay staying alone at the school at this time?”

“You were doing the same thing.”

Wonwoo shows the best of him when he grins. The corners of his eyes crinkle, cheeks rounding up, and while he doesn’t bare his teeth and only gives her a tight-lipped smile, it’s enough to warm and awaken her as much as caffeine would. “Bad decisions that I happen to make in the name of science.” He pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Gosh, I can’t see a thing. Well, I’ll head home then.” He puts his backpack on top of his broad shoulders before quirking an eyebrow at her. “You have my number, don’t you?”

“Oh…I’m not sure.” She replies, lurking for her phone only to realize it is back in her office. “Why? Do you need me to check something while I stay here or—?”

“I want you to text me when you get back home safe. You take a bus, a taxi or—?”

“I have a car.”

“Okay.” Wonwoo replies, running his fingers through the messed-up and damp strands of his head, with none other than the white, bubbly substance that he dared call lava. “I think I have your number. It’s in the teacher’s group chat, so I will text you when I get back home so we can talk there. I’ll wait for the text, alright?”

The depth of his voice is the pacific ocean, but it does nothing to fill her heart with peace. Her heart hammers against her chest, perhaps because his face already does wonders, but his personality is what truly highlights the attractiveness of Jeon Wonwoo.

He moves towards the door, pointing at it. “I have to close. Don’t think I’m kicking you out.”

She opens her mouth to say something else, perhaps ask him something about him, how his day was doing or what group he was working with tomorrow just to keep the conversation going. However, she settles for what she knows how to say best. “Yes, don’t worry.”

With that, she’s waving at him, watching him when giving a few steps backwards towards the resting room. She almost trips on the mug she had dropped to the floor, losing her footing and earning a gasp from Wonwoo, who is ready to throw himself forward to catch her, but she stops herself before hitting the floor by extending her hands on the side. Fucking great, she’s made even more of a fool of herself.

She turns her back towards him when she watches his shoulders shake in silent laughter, eyes closed tightly and cursing under her breath before moving towards the resting room and closing the door behind her with a bang that points the obviousness of the quickness in her movements.

Alright, now that’s out from his line of sight, she can confirm what everyone, from teachers to students, say about Wonwoo.

That smile is what electrifies the edges of one’s muscled heart, contracting for him, beating to a rhythm that he doesn’t realize, but dances to the tune of his voice.

“Teacher Jeon should be expelled! He asked me to open a frog. That’s like…so not it.”

Drama is never lacking in a place where teenagers coexist, and she can understand where the student Minhee is coming from. She had not prepared for the class that they had planned with Teacher Jeon for the last month of the school year, perhaps not studying the anatomy and microbiology; for, as far as she understood, the biology teacher and the chemistry one wanted to be able to unite their classes and have something educative take place. In some way or another, as she was perching her notebook under her armpit to go to a few meetings, she was interrupted by junior claiming that one of the teachers was, quote-unquote, ‘teaching murder’.

Hence, she sat down with her and tried to calm her down to get the whole version of the story she had portrayed. Written like a drama would. Instead, what she got was the most innocent of answers, and she has never been happier that there is not an actual murder class happening under these roofs. Minhee has calmed down the slightest when the class is finished and she calls Wonwoo to her office, and he has never looked more adorable.

A pair of clear, safety goggles wrap around his face, black hair sticking out at some parts because of the elastic that keeps it in place. Wonwoo still wears a colorful tie, this time in the shade of green—quite ironic for the frog dissection that was taking place, the root of the reason she had called him. He doesn’t even realize he still has those goggles on when he spares a look at Minhee and asks:

“Minhee! I thought you had left to the bathroom. Are you feeling better?”

Minhee perks up her chin when he takes a seat next to her, wrapping her arms over her chest and adding: “Teacher Jeon, I was here talking about the absolute atrocity that is murdering frogs in front of everyone. That poor frog didn’t deserve to die, much less by a knife—”

“Alright, I think she has already given some hindsight on why I called you here.” And the only thing she wants to do right now is stand up from her seat and go have lunch so she can attend to real matters, with students that have severer problems instead of calling her because they wanted to skip class. “Minhee informed me that you were dissecting a frog and didn’t give her another option to be evaluated by. She doesn’t feel like studying a frog is appropriate.”

Wonwoo blinks a few times, lost in the words that are being told to him, before he turns on her wooden chair. He looks at Minhee, but said gaze goes ignored by the student. “I gave her the chance to only do the written portion of the evaluation because she stipulated that she didn’t want to dissect the frog beforehand. I asked the students if they were fine with dissecting a frog for the sake of having a practical biology and chemistry class, but I was the one performing the dissection alongside Teacher Long. It wasn’t…Minhee, God, we talked about this.”

��The perch of the student’s tongue against the expanse of her cheek says a little bit about her ridden-of-speech situation. Minhee swings back and forth on her seat, lurking for something to say, when she decides to interrupt: “Minhee, I understand where you’re coming from and your interest in animals and their well-being. I stand with you on that. However, if the teacher gave you options that went well with your belief to be evaluated, which is why you’re complaining the most, the fact that you decided not to do the written test falls on you. If you’re not going to perform the practice, it’s Teacher Jeon’s duty to make sure you have the theorical recognition of the subject.”

“I understand,” Minhee says before leaning back on her seat. She splays her arms on each of the armrests before sighing. “I—Uh, I still think the rest of the class is wrong for wanting to do this.”

“It’s the same frog we use every year. No frogs have been harmed since, at least, 2015.” Wonwoo recoils, sparing her a look before taking off his goggles. It takes strength not to stare at the sprinkles of pink that scatter across his face because of the heat, and the way he talks to his students is far more poised and smarter than she recalled him speaking when it was just the teachers getting together. Wonwoo has various sides to him, and his serious one is just as enchanting. “Minhee, is there anything you want to tell me directly? As your teacher, because this feels like it’s going somewhere it shouldn’t have.”

“I…” Then, her cheeks tinge pink. Minhee sits up, hoisting her books towards her chest and bowing deeply at Teacher Jeon. “I am sorry for the inconvenience. I’ll wait for you in the classroom after class with me and my team.”

With that, she’s giving her another bow before scavenging away from her office as if she hadn’t knocked on the door like a madman over an hour ago. That leaves her in complete silence alongside Wonwoo, who frowns at the door before shaking his head. A sigh escapes his lips and she almost thinks it’s paradoxical, how given he is to his job but how tired of it he looks as of right now. Perhaps, she’s projecting what she feels onto him, exhausted of the same four walls and the feeling of not moving forward. Instead, she clears her throat, extending her legs under the desk and accidentally touching his calf.

She moves away in the matter of seconds.

“I think Minhee was just trying to get away from the test. Don’t worry. I don’t think any differently of you, Teacher Jeon.” She tells him, for she knows that Wonwoo cares about his title as a teacher as much as the next person. If not more. He wants his students to learn, almost always ending up on the last day of school in every student’s picture, thankful for his will and hard-working nature. However, a simple student is enough to shatter that to the ground.

“I’m just surprised, that’s all.” Wonwoo mentions, widening his eyes for a fraction of a second. “I…I shouldn’t even be talking about this with you, but I had planned that class with all the good intentions and the fact that I had one of my students just barging out the door saying she won’t even complete the test was a surprise. It made me wonder if I’m just…too nerdy to be giving these kinds of classes. If I’m not as strong willed as some of the other teachers with more experience.”

“Teacher Jeon,” She can’t bear to listen to more of his insecurity, because he doesn’t deserve that seed of doubt that settles in his brain and will grow to be a tree far bigger than what it should. “Education is not about being strong. It’s about listening and shaping our students to have knowledge that will work for them in growth, studying methods and their future careers. I can let you rest easy by saying Minhee won’t be a chemist, most likely, and this is just another student trying to get away from a class. Like how they say they have an stomach ache and then, you see them downing a whole bag of sour candy. My job is to listen to students, but…” She trails her voice, almost losing her breath when she watches Wonwoo’s eyes glimmer when staring back at her, from under the fringe of his black hair, thus a few hairs had escaped their usual confines sleeked back by gel. “It’s also my job to listen to the teachers sometimes, and I know how you are as an educator, so don’t even worry.”

“I—Thank you.” Wonwoo’s cheeks lift up in a gentle smile and she thinks it’s the first moment she actually sees him baring his teeth when grinning. She had seen it in pictures, almost always wondering how he made a school photograph look so goddamned fine, but now, seeing it from up close, she gets to see the fold of his cheeks, the rosiness of his lips and how warm a simple gesture can be. “You never texted me that night.”

“Oh.” Now, she’s been caught by her shyness. She turns on the chair, pretending to be looking for something on her laptop, while she’s just clicking in and out of Google. “I…I didn’t want to bother, that’s all. You were kind that night, but I got out so late and—”

“I was worried.” Wonwoo completes, only to have her laughing softly.

“You shouldn’t be.”

“We may not be friends, but you’re my coworker. We’re one of the few people here who are young enough to support each other and not shake our heads at our own jobs by saying ‘younglings just want to pass students without doing much work’. Of course, I care about your wellbeing.” He stops for a moment, standing up and resting his hands in his pockets. “Hell, it wouldn’t hurt us to actually be friends. You support me. I support you.”

Friends. The term would come easily between the two of them if she didn’t remember the exact thought that passed by her head each morning when she came across Wonwoo. That he was over-the-top gorgeous, and judging by his actions alone, the way he organizes his textbooks and sheets of paper before a class to revise, how he silently listens but is also incredibly witty in everything he says, getting to know him would be even worse. It would mean that she’d end up, at least, liking him to an extent that isn’t professional.

She smiles at him, standing up and extending her hand towards him for him to take. Once their palms come in contact, she realizes by the bunched-up fabric of his button down that the veins in his forearms pop out the slightest at the force, clear sign that not only the nerd that is Teacher Jeon works out, but he does it so well that the button down is not enough to conceal the strength of his body. Well, if his shoulders were anything to judge him by…

“I’d like that.” She confesses, because attraction or not, she hasn’t been able to find a true friend here at the school. And she’s starting to become incredibly irritated just passing by the entrance door of the establishment. Perhaps, all she needs is someone to brighten her day, be it with endless conversation or just by a smile from that nicely sculpted face of his. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, Teacher Jeon, I have a few appointments with the students—”

His cheeks turn crimson, nodding profusely as he lets go of her hand. What a bummer, it is to feel, the tingling of emotions that transcends from her thorax, her heart and towards the tip of her fingers, aching to interlock with his and keep him in place. That’s not appropriate, much less something that friends—who are purely friends in a professional manner—would do. Instead, she concentrates on the way he parts his lips to speak.

“Sorry for the inconvenience once again.”

“Sorry for never telling you when I got home.”

“Well, I’ll text you once I get home this afternoon. Just to check up on you.” When she doesn’t reply anything to that, petrified by the fact that he’s so utterly nice and handsome at the same time—if that’s even possible—, he counterparts. “…As a friend. Friends text each other all the time.”

“Absolutely. Friends.” She tells him, walking over to the door as he does just to keep it open as he says his goodbyes. And she’s enamored by the way her name goes past his lips as he waves at her through the air of uncertainty.

Better not think that way about her new friend.

If she had been asked earlier this school year to attend the seniors’ last school trip before vacation and their small step into adulthood, she would have said ‘no’. Indeed, she thinks she denied the idea back then, too, but the principal was adamant on having all the teachers there. For extra care, she had said. Apparently, this class of students was a tad bit wilder, and while they were just staying at a camp for two days to share marshmallows and tell ghost-stories, while being near a lake and living through the woods for the slightest bit, the vape that they had found on a students’ backpack just a week ago while in student grounds was enough to have her there. Just in case.

Now, she’s starting to regret it.

Her roommate, the math class teacher, snores like a bear in the middle of hibernation, mouth widened, saliva trailing onto their shared bed, thankfully not her pillow. So much that three in the morning strikes the clock when she decides to stand up and make a run out of it. Wrapped tightly in her fluffy, white blanket, she tip-toes out of the small cabin and walks into the center of the camp. Where the numbered doors shine in their green wood stance, under the lonesome yellow light from a pole not too far and the stars that scatter across the sky. She had heard from the principal that there was a cabin that was only meant for activities for the students—like dynamics and playing-time, but fuck it.

Sleep-ridden and a bit dazed, she walks, half-tripping on her bunny slippers before reaching the cabin’s door. She twists the doorknob, happy to find it unlocked, smelling the scent of turned-off candle-wax, hearing the swishing of trees, clashing against each other’s leaves because of the wind, before she plops herself on the ground with a sigh.

That’s when she hears moving around from a spot near hers on the floor. She sees a silhouette, big and unrecognizable, enough to steal a scream away from her lips as she lifts a hand in the air and slaps whatever animal is in the cabin with her.

“Ouch! God!”

“Wonwoo?”

She didn’t think of bringing her phone with her—sadly—but Wonwoo makes quick work on igniting a lamp that he had brought with himself. Golden hues scatter across his easily-recognizable features, though a bit different with his glasses off. His hair messes up on the bangs, parted by the force of the pillow that she now realizes is underneath him and he has his phone on one hand and a half-eaten cookie on the other. Wonwoo shows the expanse of his shoulders as his yellow sweater falls off one shoulder, squinting his eyes at the harsh light.

His eyes trail across the blanket wrapped around her, placed like a burrito around its contents, though he puts on his glasses as if to inspect her further. She moves farther away from him, covering the bottom half of her face with her blanket before saying:

“I didn’t know it was you. I just…saw a strange figure that looked like a bear and I started to hit it.” She commands, only to have Wonwoo frowning before laughing joyfully. Even at this hour of midnight, he looks like he couldn’t enjoy life more.

“So, you’re brave enough to go around hitting a bear? It would’ve eaten you, no questions asked.” Wonwoo reiterates, making her think about her decisions. Her fight-or-flight reaction was probably not the best to use when she’s in the middle of the woods, scattered around a bunch of teenagers. Had they heard her scream? “Any reason why you couldn’t sleep?”

“How do you know I couldn’t sleep?” She questions, only to have Wonwoo leaning back on his pillow once again. He runs a hand through his hair, unlocks his phone and munches the rest of the cookie he was eaten before she had so-rudely interrupted him.

“Your eyes are a bit puffier. Also, no one roams a camp around three in the morning without any apparent reason. If we’re including the blanket, that’s another sign.” Damn him for being smart. She remains seated still as he opens a bag of cookies that he had next to him, the scent of cinnamon flickering against her nostrils and stealing a grumble from the depths of her stomach.

“My roomie snores like a bear.”

“Ooh, so that’s where the bear thing is coming.” Wonwoo jokes around, offering her a cookie which she accepts gladly, giving it a slow bite as she lets the savory sweet intertwine with her palate. “I was assigned to stay with the soccer team in one cabin, but if I had to hear one more kid say ‘bro’ unironically I was going to lose it, literally.”

She chuckles, resting her cheek against her blanket before taking another bite of her treat. “I thought this was supposed to be like a play-room.”

“Reason as to why I came here. The principal gave me the keys so I took charge of it because I’m supposed to wake up the earliest because I’m the youngest.” He dangles the bag he has in his hands to have the cookies coat with the substance that lays on the bottom of the plastic before munching on another one. “Hence, no one will enter here other than myself. I must have forgotten to knock the door—”

That’s when she’s awakened of her sleepy state. Of course, Wonwoo planned on sleeping here on his own. How would she even be able to stay in the same cabin as him? “Oh, right. I should be leaving then. You must’ve been asleep.”

“Nope.” Wonwoo conquers. “I was playing Animal Crossing,” He waves one hand in the air before rubbing his cookie-dusted hands on his shirt. “And then, I was trying this set of cookies my real roommate gave me before we headed on this trip. I thought they would taste like burnt hell, as if hell could burn, but Soonyoung didn’t do half as bad as I thought he would.”

“This Soonyoung guy, you don’t trust very much.”

“With everything except my kitchen, thank you.” Wonwoo replies, quirking an eyebrow at her before extending one of those ungodly trained arms behind his head. She’s fighting against her will to look him directly in the eyes and not elsewhere. “You don’t look very happy to be here.”

She shakes her head, honest and curt as ever. “Mosquitoes are biting my ankles. I don’t really like the fact that I’m surrounded by the kids I look at every single day. The principal is getting on my nerves with the whole against-vape campaign that he’s making us do and—” Realizing that she’s speaking too fast, she looks at him from the corner of her eye before chuckling. “I would have preferred to start my summer break earlier. I don’t know, my bed misses me, and sleeping on a hard-wooden floor is not really my style when I can’t even sleep well on a bed most times.”

Wonwoo takes her words as a grain of salt, internalizing it before he’s up his feet, getting out of the sleeping bag he brought with himself. “Use it.”

“Wonwoo, no—”

“I don’t know if it’s the midnight haze or the fact that it’s the first time we talk as friends apart from our texts.” That normally consist of exchanging series recommendations, but she won’t say that out loud. “But it’s the first time you call me Wonwoo and open up about something that truly bothers you, so—”

“I’m not accepting it.”

“Accept it or I won’t forgive you for the whole bear-smacking thing.” Wonwoo threatens, though nothing about his face could ever feel like a threat. He organizes the sleeping bag before placing his hands on his waist, as if waiting for her to move.

“No.”

“God, don’t be stubborn.”

“I’m not being stubborn! I just want you to be comfortable—”

Before she could finalize her sentence, she feels Wonwoo’s arms hoisting under her knees and behind her back, lifting her as if she didn’t weight a thing before carefully settling her on the sleeping bag. The worst part is when he pulls away, because his breath cascades over her face as he fixes the blanket she had around her body over her frame before patting a hand against her shoulder.

“Now, off to sleep.”

“Wonwoo…” She trails, a whine to her tone that has him humming as he fixes his slim blanket to rest on top of his body, his frame entirely on the hard floor. “You could’ve slept so much better with this.”

“I can’t hear you.”

“You hear me completely.”

“I choose not to hear you complain about me putting you first for once.” Wonwoo whispers, putting the bag and his phone aside before sighing. “It’s not wrong to be selfish for once. I’ll be fine, just sleep so we can wake up for the group activities and get this trip done and over with.”

She smiles at the ceiling, calling him name once again and getting a hum.

“…You didn’t really like coming to this trip either, did you?”

“I, also, happen to dislike singing hymns about not vaping.”

That steals a loud chuckle from her mouth, covering it up as the flutter of butterfly wings settles on her chest, only because of him.

“Night, Wonwoo.”

“Or morning, respectively.” He corrects, a low-toned laugh spared by him. “Good night.”

“Today, we’re doing an egg race!”

…It’s about time for her to run away from this summer, pre-graduation getaway. This is it. The moment physical interventions such as exercising happen is the second she decides enough is enough.

She ventured into the sun with her own umbrella, ready to lean back and watch the students spend the last day of the camp enjoying the company of one another. As a matter of fact, she imagined the principal would ask for more ‘sentimental’ activities to take place. Nonetheless, a race while holding an egg is not really what she imagined. The worst part is that a group of students wanted her to be part of their team, as their leader nonetheless, and she wanted nothing more than to run away. As in, the other direction, not towards the finish line.

Maybe, running to the entrance of the camp is not really that bad.

She’s not dressed for the occasion, either. While all the other teachers, in hopes of being picked for a team, had worn their best school-themed t-shirts and shorts, she’s left in her jeans and her sweater, swatting away mosquitoes with a book that now is left abandoned on her seat. However, as she’s standing alongside all the other teachers, she voices out her concerns.

“Guys, I’m not really dressed for this and I don’t think I feel all that well—”

Jiho, one of the youngest of the class, takes her by the shoulders and speaks in a rushed tone: “Come on, teacher, you’re one of us now. We’re the best team there is, so we chose you for a reason—”

To lose. That’s precisely the reason they didn’t intend on choosing, but what they were capable of getting.

“I’m being serious.”

“Please, just do it for us.” Another student pleas and she groans, getting into position and hearing a seas of hollers that trail behind her as they cheer her name on.

When looking to the side, she knows she’s doomed. Wonwoo was also picked by a team of students, his black hair pushed away from his forehead by a elastic band, wearing the camp-themed t-shirt everyone had decided to sport and shorts that cling to his long, sculpted thighs. Once the beeping from the referee interposes in between the seas of teachers, they start running, her hand carefully wrapped around the spoon, giving long steps but not enough to keep up with the man that has already sprinted into the finish line.

Wonwoo has a smile to his features, enjoying the game as he manages to rush without dropping the boiled egg on his spoon. Soon after, even the students that had been cheering for her are clapping and laughing along to the other teachers trying to keep up with him, so, for some reason, she wants to be able to have that smile that he has painted across his face. She stops holding back, sprinting on her own and laughing when the egg falls miserably to the floor, reaching the finish line being third or fourth, but that’s not what surprises her.

It's Wonwoo, who had obviously finished first, seeing her with sweat pooling at his forehead and a hand still holding the spoon as the principal, with all the glory basking her tone, grasps his hand and lifts it to the air to say: “We have a winner! All cheer for Teacher Jeon!”

Though, what they don’t expect to happen is for Wonwoo to accidentally drop the egg at the motion, causing his eyes to widen and a bead of silence to fall upon the seas of people before they cheered for him again. She moves closer to him, giving him the towel that her team had passed over to her before he shakes his head: “You totally did this. Made me lose my focus so I would drop the egg.” His voice is hushed and perhaps not heard as the students take pictures of their teachers and start making loud-voiced jokes, but she nudges her side with her elbow.

“Not really, no.” She answers, inspecting his features as he passes the towel she didn’t use over his forehead. She should really stop looking at him from up-close if she doesn’t want this crush to go any further. They are supposed to be just really good friends. “Wait, did you just say I made you lose focus?”

Wonwoo finally puts on his glasses again, stammering a bit as the tips of his ears grow roses on them, perfect in color. “Oh…Did I say that?”

“I heard that, yes.” She comments with a chuckle, only to have Wonwoo shaking his head.

“God, I make things awkward, don’t I?”

“Why would it be awkward?” She questions, though when his eyes divert elsewhere, counting the leaves hanging from the trees over them, she realizes that, maybe, just maybe, Wonwoo doesn’t see her as an absolute friend completely. He could think of her the same way she does him; as a friend that could, coincidentally, pass over the barrier that is the friendzone and they would turn a blind eye on it before feigning surprise over the trespassing. “So, last day of being here and you’re officially the graduates’ favorite teacher.”

“Seems like it.” Wonwoo announces, speaking lowly. “They still love you.”

“Oh no, they don’t.”

“Yes, they do. The students are always talking about how no one hears them like you do.” He peels the towel away from his face, resting it on his shoulder and spreading his hands on his waist to breathe in deeply. He doesn’t look tired, while she’s still trying to manage their breath. “Last day of being around the kids also means I’ll have to find more…ways of us to meet as—”

“Friends.” They both say at the same time, only to smile at each other before she hums. “I think so, yes.”

“Teacher Jeon!” Minhee says, and while she had gathered the information that she didn’t pass the test that Teacher Jeon performed on her because she hadn’t studied, she seems like she doesn’t hold any grudges as she wraps her arms around their shoulders and drags them to the center. “Come take a picture with us!”

“Uh, I’m not really—” She starts lurking for an excuse when Minhee tugs them down, smiling towards the camera that is set in front of them.

“Say cheese!”

When she looks to the side, she catches a glimpse of Wonwoo’s careful smile. His head is tilted, elastic half-undone at this point, bathed in a pink glow that captures her amazement when the flash shuts off. The picture, sadly, shows her looking directly at Wonwoo and she’s mortified at the idea of the students seeing it, but when Minhee lets them go and he immediately goes over to say:

“Let me take a picture with you.”

She almost forgets that she must have made a fool of herself.

Wonwoo’s arm wraps around her shoulder, holding a peace sign in the air as the students start screaming from their spots. Some are just excited, while others are mumbling to each other as she mimics his pose. They have a few fingers of distance between each other as not to make it uncomfortable or unprofessional, but the warmth he emanates and the heat of his skin has her wishing to stay in this position forever. Even closer, perhaps. Though, that will obviously not be possible.

She rushes to look at the pictures in the camera, where everyone gathers just to see the obvious. She’s looking at Wonwoo in the group picture, hearts practically plastered in her gaze upon just being close to him, but the sternness of the line in which her lips are perched in could be confused as just being uncomfortable and awkward in front of a camera. When the head of the photography team of the school switches to the other picture, she wants it framed in a portion of her heart that no one can reach.

They look like friends, but some pictures just transcend towards the skin, gleaming and burning, tracing portions that could be felt even from afar. She feels hugged by Wonwoo just by that picture alone, and he must feel the same, judging by the smile he has on his face.

Or maybe, she’s reaching. This could be just a very pure friendship.

Delayed flights and cancelled trips lead up to here. To him. She would have never thought that her otherwise lonely summers would be filled with the image of Wonwoo, be in the light casted from her phone as she sits with her family across the table, smiling at texts that he has sent of memes that reminded her of him. Or, as a matter of fact, when she returns home after feeling like she’d stay at the airport for a little longer than necessary—forever, she means—. Wonwoo invites her over to his place time and time again, most of the time to play games with her and share dinner, coated in the grease, hidden or not, that takeout is characterized by.

Wonwoo has a red lollipop in between his lips today, using one hand to play Mario Kart with her on the old Nintendo console that they both had hidden in between their things. She’s in her own console, last place, but inherently confused and distracted by the perfect curve of Wonwoo’s lips and the tranquility he exudes when in his household. His apartment is a tad bigger than most, thanks to his hours of hard work, but that’s the least of his worries. He wraps his mouth around the lollipop again, sucking it in, coating his lips in a red shade that she’d kiss if given the chance.

“Are you even trying to win?! Come on!”

She pulls away from her train of thought at that exact moment, returning her gaze to the Nintendo and continuing with her game. Striking over bananas and causing a chaos along the way, but she’s chuckling. Something that seems easy to do with Wonwoo. “I’m just awfully losing at this point. No point in trying to save myself now.”

“Don’t give up that easily,” Wonwoo responds, though he has already won the game, leaning back on the comfortable couch, a cushion pressed against his abdomen as she turns off the console with a quick swipe of her finger against its side. “Hey!”

“I don’t like losing. Not made for me.” She says, earning an eye-roll from Wonwoo, who lifts the cushion in the air before pressing it to her face in a playful manner.

“That’s how a loser would speak. You’re a game-ruin-er.”

“That’s the concept gamers are trying to push to replace party-poopers.” She adds, toying around with the cushion as she avoids it pressing to her face. A spurt of laughter leaves her lips when she pushes his hands away and ends up with his wrists pressed to the backrest.

Wonwoo looks up at her with a surprised expression, her knee pressed to his thigh to keep him in place, strands of his hair intertwining with his glasses and covering a bit of the gleam that shadows his eyes. She realizes the closeness then, when the scent of the strawberry lollipop he had merges in between the two, sweetening the atmosphere, dazing her at the warmth he emanates and the sudden need she feels to try the dulcetness of his mouth, clashed against hers in a battle not for dominance, but for speaking through actions.

“Ooh, this is spicy. Reminds me of that one drama I watched last week.”

A half-muted screech leaves her lips when she pulls away from Wonwoo, who does so much as move the slightest before frowning at Soonyoung’s appearance. She knew that he was somewhere around the house, but she had not noticed when he slipped into the living room. Soonyoung is not a teacher, but a dancer trying to open his own academy, so he knows about education…and manners, apparently. He has a smile plastered on his features, brown hair parted in the middle and framing his rounded cheeks, as he leans on one of the walls, arms crossed over his chest.

“Soonyoung, is there anything we could do for you?” Wonwoo prompts, and that earns a wiggle from Soonyoung’s eyebrows which has her body heating up entirely, from head to toe. If he hadn’t gotten there, would she have surpassed the invisible line of friendship and kissed him as if her life depended on it? She’s not sure of it. Probably not. Actions as such wouldn’t come so easily to her. “That doesn’t include you being a voyeur.”

Soonyoung claps his hands at the delighted laugh that leaves his lips, and she’s a bit surprised that Wonwoo says that out loud with so much ease. Perhaps, there is a bit of bite to the man she is slowly falling for. Is that the word? God, thinking had become more complicated than usual now that Wonwoo is in her life.

“I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go grab dinner with me. I was on Yelp and found this Peruvian restaurant nearby that I wanted to try.” Soonyoung says, battling his eyelashes as he pulls away from the wall. “And considering that when one third-wheels, one gets their meals paid, I wouldn’t be against to going with you two.”

Wonwoo blushes in all the possible shades of pink as he stands up, tossing a look over his shoulder. “Are you okay with having Peruvian? I’ll only go if you want to.”

She thinks about it for a moment, trying not to get lost in the way Wonwoo’s hand splays forward for her to take. She intertwines the tips of their digits together, barely grazing as she stands up, nails coming in contact with each other when she pulls away. Electrified by the motion that is Jeon Wonwoo, a movie that displays just for her to enjoy. “Of course, I’m feeling hungry and getting my ass kicked on Mario Kart is probably not how I expected this day to go.”

Wonwoo looks at her for a fraction of a second longer, toying with a strand of her hair before pushing it past her ear before shrugging. “I’ll lose next time. Just for you.”

“That’s a shocker coming from you—”

The sound of the shutter of a flash has both of them looking over at Soonyoung.

“Soonyoung, I swear to God—” Wonwoo threatens, only to have Soonyoung clasping his phone towards his chest.

“You’re just too cute together, don’t blame me.”

“You’re totally paying for our meals.”

“But—”

Wonwoo widens his eyes comically, which has her sniffling a laugh into the sleeve of her shirt. “I said what I said, Soonyoung.” Though, she knows how Wonwoo is, and at the end, he might end up paying for his meal—and hers, but she always goes against it—. “I’ll grab our coats.”

He moves over to the hanger near the entrance, pulling her coat and inviting her to get in. Once she does, his hands wrap around her forearms, hoisting the length of the sleeves to fit around her wrists snugly. He’s looking down, while her eyes are forever settled on him. Counting the stars in the speckles in his eyes, shining just for her.

Please, let it be just for her.

“There.” Wonwoo mumbles, turning around to grab his own coat and leaving her with a dazed feeling rising from within her chest.

Please, let him be hers.

Routines shouldn’t feel comfortable, much less should she sparce portions of her in the life that Wonwoo breathes and goes through. When entering Wonwoo’s car, one can notice that her favorite jacket is still draped on the passenger’s seat, and that, most of the time, he buys her favorite bubble tea for her to have on the way to his apartment. Sometimes, he stays over at her place, but it’s a very rare occurrence—for, believe it or not, her neighbors are a little too loud for her to enjoy the quietness that Wonwoo exudes. As she’s seated on the car, she watches the polaroid that they had taken on the last day of the students’ trip hanging, rolling with each swivel of the wheels that Wonwoo makes to create a turn and she’s…comfortable with it.

She leans back on her seat, listening to Wonwoo speak about this fishing trip that he’s planning on partaking on with his dad, head tossed back on the seat, ever-so-relaxed even when driving at night. He still has his seatbelt on, but she remembers him saying that he was too full to even close the seatbelt on top of his torso. On that same line, she ate like a madwoman, bloated against her shirt, and she still didn’t feel the slightest bit self-conscious. The magic that he gives into this world comes with comfort, hearing him speak with endless poise and expertise, as if every sentence was constructed to deepen the storyline that he represents and gives to the world with so much ease.

She blames the people that hurt him in the past for making him such an empath, enough to translate each of his words into the most respectful of stances. And when Wonwoo turns to look at her for the briefest of seconds, she realizes that she has left portions of herself in him, too. In the words that he didn’t use before but now repeats ironically, just by spending almost every day together. He quirks an eyebrow when pulling up in front of her apartment, patting a hand against her knee before undoing her seatbelt.

“We’re here. You spaced out.” And she doesn’t feel the slightest bit ashamed of staring endlessly at Wonwoo’s face, tracing the outline of every doodle of his face that the universe had created for him to sport. When he aims to pull away, she doesn’t let him, splaying one hand on his arm and tracing the skin with the tip of her finger. That causes him to breathe in deeply, sending a smile her way that is a little too close to her mouth. “Anything you want to say?”

She’s tired of speaking, because she has never been that talkative, but with Wonwoo just feels so easy. She just wants, for once, that he reads in between the lines and justifies the motions of her body. Confirming what has grown for the past month, perhaps close to busting like a bubble would do in the air if she lets this aching in her chest prolong any longer. “I just want us to stay like this…” She mumbles, earning a hum from Wonwoo.

He leans over the seat, resting his elbows on her thighs before looking into her eyes. “This close?” Though he doesn’t pull away, drawing the lines of her face with his gaze, claiming with one lonesome look what she deems as imperfect to be precise and flawless. “What’s the matter?”

“Should there be a matter for us to be this close?”

“Mhm, not really…” Wonwoo trails, breathing mingling with hers. Her eyes feel heavy enough to close on their own, but she doesn’t want to miss a bit of what Wonwoo represents. That blurring line between love and friendship that feels so comfortable, exactly what she wanted when she woke up to an empty bed. “But I need a reason. I’m a man of science.��

“So am I.” She tells him, tracing his cheekbone before caging his cheek in her hand, breathing out deeply. She swears she feels his body shiver, a palm spreading across her thigh and caging it in a tight hold. “I have a reason for this, but I can’t voice it out.”

“Why not?” Wonwoo asks in between a complaint and a whisper.

“It’s embarrassing.”

“It’s not something I don’t know already, that’s for sure.” Wonwoo, confident under all his shyness, replies before leaning forward just a bit more, until their lips are almost closing in together. “I really want to kiss you. May I?”

She doesn’t say much more, because, of course, he had to be knowledgeable of what has grown between them and the consent that she expected out of him. Leaning in, she captures his mouth in a soft kiss, trapping his upper lip in between her own and sighing out of delight at the taste of the tea that mingles in his mouth. He sighs in spurts, a careful hand reaching for her neck as he moves her to the side to deepen the kiss. It’s then that she pulls him by the waist, as if inviting him to hoist over to her seat.

“I’m too heavy.” Wonwoo says, only to have her shaking her head.

“It’s just a few kisses. I won’t die, I promise.” That gains some laughter from him, and if the car was more lighted, she would see him hiding in embarrassment, perhaps. His strong thighs sparce on top of her own, parting and granting himself entrance to her mouth once again. This time, he pecks her lips a few times, before he dives in completely, mindfully roaming the outline of her bottom lip before tasting her tongue. Skillful. Obviously prepared. Strategical and logical even when kissing.

She cages her hands on his hips, keeping him in that spot and hearing him say her name in a mumble. Maybe, she must think of not falling in love with Wonwoo—because of what students or their representatives could say if they were ever to know. Because falling for someone that seems so fitting for her will only hurt more when she realizes that there are things that they won’t connect with in each other’s lives. However, she keeps going, only because kissing him feels like she has finally been found in the island of solitude that is waiting for true love. For him.

She has always wanted him. Not someone like him, but Jeon Wonwoo himself.

She may have fallen before he did, but in the way he kisses her, she knows that he’s still just as nervous, waiting for the next move but also giving a few steps in the dark. Without knowing, she’s mumbling that she likes him against his mouth, which causes him to kiss her with more fervor. Not without missing that beautiful smile that he lets slip in between a few of their mouth-to-mouth action.

Certainty seems to fit them right now.

Wonwoo has been absolutely obsessed with this coconut bread that he buys on a bakery near her home. As a matter of fact, he has insisted on their dinner times to be there now that Soonyoung has found a new person to date and has partaken the couch in which they normally lingered around in. He hasn’t voiced out the obvious, what the kisses and the lingering touches mean, what the ‘good morning’ texts aspire to be, but she’s certain that there is something. Some comfort and title that is just unspoken about as of now.

He is only midway out of the bakery, his glasses on the crown of his head, when he opens the paper bag and gives her one of the heated, soft breads. He dangles one from his mouth, closing the bag and putting it inside her purse before he continues to munch on it. “This is heaven on earth. I’ve never loved anything more than I do this.”

She’s happy to see him so content, much more when the school year is mingling to come any time soon. Just nine more days and they’ll be back to their routine. “I like them, too, but was it necessary to wake me up this early to come pick them up?”

Wonwoo turns around, walking backwards and nodding at her words. “Of course. They are the softest at this time of the morning.”

“We could’ve slept more and used the microwave to have them soft and warm.”

“Not the same.” Though, Wonwoo looks forward once again, walking by her side and placing his arm for her to slot hers through. Once she does that, her habit becomes apparent, even when their arms re close, she needs to have their fingers interlocked. It makes her feel closer to him. “Besides, I want to have you some more time for me before we have to go back to hell on earth.”

“School. And you love your job, liar.”

“I do.” Wonwoo replies, his eyes widening once they feel a few droplets of rain fall on them. The coldness surprises her, letting go of his hand to pathetically place her hand over her head to keep her from the rain, growing stronger by the minute. “Shit, was it supposed to rain today?”

“I’m not sure! We got out too early and I didn’t check the weather.” Before they could get some roof and shelter to protect them from the water, the rain pours with more strength, causing Wonwoo to chuckle as he puts on his glasses and extends his hands on his sides, walking in circles in approval of not having anyone around them. “You’re going to get sick, Woo. Come here.”

“No.”

“Wonwoo!” Though, she’s chuckling when he uses his hands, now that they are free of the bread he had just eaten, to wrap around her waist. Her hair plasters to her vision, not being able to see Wonwoo completely as he bares his teeth in the most gorgeous of smiles. He’s deepening her waist the slightest, hovering over her.

“Tell me this is not the most romantic thing that has happened to you.”

“Having to do the laundry after this isn’t…” She mumbles, pushing his hair away from her face before pressing a sweet kiss to the corner of his mouth. “We’re really going to get sick.”

“Our first flu together as a couple. Doesn’t sound so bad. We’d have to be locked in our houses for a while. Maybe, not start the school year so early…” She knows Wonwoo would never be irresponsible enough to do such thing, but she forgets the last part quickly when she remembers what he said first. Couple. He had called them a couple.

“Did you just say couple?”

Wonwoo frowns, pulling away from her a fraction of a centimeter. “Huh, are we not…?” He trails, only to have her resting both of her hands on his chest, forgetting the half-eaten bread on her hand, damp because of the rain, probably uneatable as it lays on the ground. “I mean, I never asked, but we…we have been going out as a couple for a while now.”

“Those are things you need to say! Now, I don’t know when our anniversary is.”

“Hey! I just…I thought we were on the same page. I thought you considered me your boyfriend!”

“I was waiting for you to ask me officially, though.”

Wonwoo chuckles, deep and with a rumble to his chest that has him shaking against her body. Or he could be cold, she doesn’t know because he’s not listening to her about the possibility of getting cold out of this romantic action that he wants to perform. “Alright, today. This is our official anniversary date. A year from now, we’ll look back and think about how I asked you to be my girlfriend under the rain.”

She rolls her eyes, smiling when he presses a kiss to her cheek. “You haven’t asked.”

His mouth sparces on top of the shell of her ear, whispering: “Will you be my girlfriend, gorgeous?”

Her brain has melted within her body just at the mere sound of those words, pulling away to look into his eyes before catching his cheeks in between her hands. She nods once, perhaps feeling a few tears gliding at the corners of her eyes that she blinks back so they don’t drop. “Of course. I’ll be your girlfriend.”

“Teacher Jeon is the most graceful person to ever land a foot on this earth. That’s it. If I’m not marrying him, I won’t marry ever.”

She can understand that freshmen are a little bit out there. In the past, or when she was a freshman in high school all those years ago, she was a little bit timid, if not overly quiet, embarking in books, fandoms and whatever it was that she fit into that time. Maybe, videogames, the slightest. However, as she has grown older, she’s surprised to be getting out of her office and into the parking lot to grab a folder that she had forgotten only to hear the new students talk about Wonwoo. Who had given them the best class of their lives, apparently, and only with his face alone.

She doesn’t know if she wants to laugh or frown. Showing affection or even talking as much as they do usually is something that they have forbidden each other to take place on when in school grounds. However, she does open her car and get her folder out, making extra notice of closing the door with a bang to see if students would stop objectifying their teachers after taking hours out of his days to prepare excellent classes. That happens to be to no avail, nonetheless.

Giving up, she goes past the group of students with a sigh. That’s the difficult part; knowing that Wonwoo is hers but she can’t even say the slightest thing so they would have, at least, a bit of shame about speaking of him so openly. The folder rests under her arm when she moves through the hallways, returning to where her office is, wishing to be locked up for the rest of the afternoon as she works on her paperwork.

When she opens the door, she’s surprised to hear it closing with a bang after her, an arm splaying on the wooden surface, the body of the culprit hovering over hers. She’s about to scream, but when her eyes trail upwards, she sees Wonwoo smiling down at her. Making quick work of locking the office, too.

“Wonwoo, what are you—?”

“It’s lunchtime and I just knew you’d stay back and try to do some more work, so…” He pulls away from her, sadly leaving her without a kiss before he moves over to the desk. He rests on the edge of her wooden desk, to which she’d press him into to kiss him to oblivion—and perhaps, more—if it wasn’t for the place they are in. His digits hold a bag that has plastic containers inside of it. “I was lazy and didn’t prepare something extraordinary, but sandwiches never killed anybody, have they?”

“You almost killed me.” She breathes out deeply, walking over to him with a smile on her face. “I just heard a group of students say they are going to marry you.”

Wonwoo quirks his eyebrows at that before shaking his head. “Oh God, no. Don’t even try to tell me about it. I want to concentrate on you for the half an hour we have to spend together.” Before she could take a seat on her chair, she feels him tugging at her forearm. “There are no cameras around, right?” His eyes trail towards the corners of the room before she chuckles.

“Not that I am aware of.”

“Oh well, worth the risk.” Wonwoo mumbles, pressing a chaste kiss to her mouth before pulling away. “So, tell me about your day. How did you sleep?”

This is not what she looked for, but precisely what she wanted. Maybe, the chemicals in her body only swirl and ignite in emotions that she can’t pinpoint when around him. Wonwoo is the kind of person she’s sure she won’t let go of any time soon. If she’s lucky, maybe never.

#wonwoo x reader #wonwoo scenarios #seventeen x reader #seventeen scenarios #wonwoo #seventeen #writing #kpop scenarios #seventeen au #seventeen fluff #wonwoo au #wonwoo fluff #just teeth-rotting fluff #this is super sweet #wonwoo is super shy no pun intended

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wave2tyun · 3 months

Text

rain and vanilla lattes | ☆

pairing: classpresident!taehyun x fem!reader

genre: highschool!au, mutual pining?? kinda??, fluff, a bit of angst, a bit suggestive (? making out)

summary: kang taehyun, smart, attractive, sweet, class president. the kind of boy that anyone would fall for. he never thought that love could tug at his heartstrings so intensely, until his eyes landed on you

warnings: none!

word count: 4.5k

a/n: because of uni i sadly have not been able to write anything new for tyun's bday, i apologise😖 however!!! i really wanted to repost "rain and vanilla lattes". this was my first ever fic so please don't judge it too harshly asdbdjdsh i personally shudder when i try to reread it but i am very emotionally attached to it + i know that it used to be a big favorite!!! :0 enjoy!!! :D<33 (also i REALLY hope those were the pics i used for it before asdbbhsd)

☆ = repost from my old blog!!

the loud sound of the school bell was more than enough to wake you up from your deep slumber. you only had to push through for one more hour and survive literature class, before you could finally head back home and rest. it’s not that you didn’t like the class, in fact, mr. kim was a lovely teacher, he knew how to explain concepts well and never overwhelmed you with work, it’s just that expressing yourself wasn’t really your forté. mr kim knew that, yet still picked you regularly to answer regardless, not sparing you the embarrassment. this time you really weren’t in the mood for his schemes, so you could only pray that he would leave you alone, just this once. he was punctual, as always, and as soon as he sat down on his chair he made an announcement:

“class, i know you’re not gonna be happy about this, but it’s not long before the end of the semester and i need you all to get started on a project for your final grade.”

groans and complaints erupted throughout the class. nobody was happy about having to start a project so early, and his next statement just made the situation even worse.

“this time, however, you’ll work in pairs. and no, you will not be able to choose your partner. i’ve already prepared the list myself.”

even more complaints could be heard. certain students tried to negociate with the teacher in an attempt to change his mind, but he wouldn’t budge.

“i’ve already made up my mind. you’re not the ones making the rules, i am.”

you let out a sigh and tapped your pencil on your leg nervously as the teacher revealed the project partners. this could either take a turn for the better, or the worse.

“y/n! your partner will be taehyun.”

‘shit-’ you thought, almost dropping your pencil. you glanced over at taehyun, who flashed you a small smile. flustered, you quickly turned your head the other way. shit. you were screwed. you could feel the glares from the other girls in your class, almost drilling holes in your head, but your mind was busy overthinking about the millions of ways that you could possibly embarrass yourself in front of taehyun. after all, kang taehyun wasn’t your ordinary high school boy. he was class president, top of his school, hot, the kind of guy that everyone was head over heels for. love didn’t seem to be a priority to taehyun. girls used all kinds of excuses to talk to him or hang out. however, he would never show any interest back, only letting these interactions happen to a certain extent. you couldn’t deny that he wasn’t attractive, but you knew that he was way out of your league, which is why you never tried to approach him. you were so lost in thought that you didn’t even notice him walking towards your desk.

“y/n, would it be okay for you as well to meet up tomorrow? i think it’s best if we get started early.”

“y-yeah, i think so too. does 2 pm at the library sound good?”

“it’s perfect. see you then y/n!”

you didn’t even realise how fast your heart was beating during your short conversation. why did you even stutter...? you genuinely wanted to slap yourself in the face. you took a deep breath and tried to calm yourself down. 2 pm at the library tomorrow, just you and taehyun, surely you can handle that, right?

───⋆☆─────────────

the next day came by so much faster than you were expecting. it was a saturday, and yet you woke up at 7 am, unable to fall back asleep. giving up, you brushed your teeth and had breakfast...then what? there was still so much time left until your meeting with taehyun. you found yourself pacing back and forth in your room for hours on end. your room became a mess as you kept on trying outfits, struggling to find something that was casual, but not too casual, something that made you look like you’ve put in effort, but not too much effort. there were clothes piled up on the floor and on your chair and your coffee mug was still sitting on your desk. you didn’t want to be late so you couldn’t bring yourself to clean up the terrible mess you’ve made. with that fear in your mind, you decided to leave your house early. you didn’t want to make the boy wait, that wouldn’t leave such a good impression.

you pushed the heavy library door, stepping foot into the quiet room. 1:50 pm. good. looking around for a place to sit until those last 10 minutes passed, you were surprised to see taehyun at a table with a book in his hand, and another stack right in front of him. he was wearing a white button-up shirt, specs on his tall nose and brown eyes shining from the ray of sunshine peeking through the blinds. you couldn’t help but fidget your hands as you were making your way towards him. there was something about his appearance alone that just made you feel nervous.

“y/n, hi! please take a sit” he said once he saw you.

“hii, i’m sorry if you’ve been waiting for long.”

“ah, you’re actually right on time, so no need to worry. i just got here earlier to gather some research material beforehand. here, have a look through this.”

he handed you an exact copy of the book in his hand. a midsummer night’s dream. right...you could vaguely remember mr. kim explaining the project to you. you were supposed to write an essay based on a classic shakespeare play. you completely forgot about it. at the time, you were too busy stressing over your chosen project partner to pay attention to the teacher’s words.

“a midsummer night’s dream has a pretty complex plot...i thought it would be a good pick. i didn’t know how familiar you were with the play, so i brought the copies for us to read.”

you nodded in agreement. you weren’t very familiar with shakespeare, but you trusted that whatever choice taehyun made was a great one.

you both started reading in silence. taehyun seemed to be completely immersed in the story, meanwhile you were thirty pages in and felt like you didn’t absorb one single word. taehyun was already far ahead from you, he was reading with such ease that you were embarrassed by how little you could understand from the play. you were peeking at him over your book. you wanted to say something, yet you couldn’t muster up the courage to form any words. taehyun must have sensed your constant glances over his figure, he cleared his throat and broke the silence:

“is there anything i could help you with?” his tone wasn’t irritated though, but rather calm and sincere. he leaned over the table to get a look at your book and you could suddenly sense the sweet scent of his cologne, making your heartbeat raise its pace.

“i’m having trouble understanding, i guess the writing style is much more difficult than i had anticipated” you couldn’t look him in the eyes as you admitted that.

he hummed in agreement and furrowed his brows “you’re right…shakespeare isn’t an easy read, especially if it’s your first time” “say, would you prefer if we go somewhere else where we can talk more freely? i can explain it to you right here as well, but i wouldn’t want to disturb the other students”

you were taken aback by his proposal. you were expecting him to burst out laughing or make a snarky remark, even though you knew taehyun wasn’t the type of person to do that. you just weren’t used to people treating you this nicely in such situations.

“sounds good” you responded with a smile.

───⋆☆─────────────

taehyun led you to a small coffee shop near the library. the place was covered in plants from top to bottom, it had vinyl records hanging on the walls and faint jazz music playing in the background. it was the perfect place for you to continue your work. however, the wide variety of options displayed on the menu made you feel slightly overwhelmed.

“what are you having?” you asked taehyun.

“the vanilla latte here is really good, so i’m going with that.”

“i see…then i’ll have one too”

taehyun was quick to order both drinks and pay for them as well. “here. don’t worry, it’s on me.” your fingers brushed lightly as he handed you the warm drink and you tried to act non-chalantly about it, but your stutter gave away the fact that his actions did have an impact on you “t-thank you.”

settling for a table near the window, you took a few sips from the beverage. the coffee wasn’t too strong, and the vanilla syrup left a pleasant taste on your tongue. taehyun had excellent tastes indeed. he brought out a small black notebook from his backpack, which seemed to have older notes and analysis from the play. he took his time to explain the plot to you, the usage of the words and their modern equivalents. it would be a lie to say that you didn’t get distracted every once in a while, especially when his sharp jawline was revealed whenever he took sips from his own coffee. he only continued his explanations after making sure you truly understood what he was saying, and by the time he finished, you had a much clearer image of the play in your mind.

time passed without either of you realising. just as you were about to leave, you could see a few raindrops starting to fall down from the sky through the window. you hurriedly gathered your things to leave. nonetheless, once you opened the door to step outside the coffee shop, the rain was already heavily pouring.

“what do we do…the bus station isn’t that close to here” you muttered.

“we’ll have to make a run for it”

taehyun grabbed you by the shoulder and placed his jackets on top of your heads to protect you from the rain. you both arrived at the bus station out of breath and giggling.

“i would have stretched a bit if i knew we were gonna run this much” taehyun’s smile revealed his cat-like fangs, which you’ve never noticed before. ‘so cute’ you thought. “are you okay? i hope i at least managed to protect you well.”

“nothing i can’t handle” you replied, but in reality, your lungs felt like they were on fire “thank you, i really appreciate it. i just wish the bus won’t have a delay like it usually does.”

“i wouldn’t mind that actually, that would just mean that i get to spend more time with you.” he responded playfully, flashing you another one of his charming smiles, making you blush for probably the 10th time that day. “do you live far away from here?”

“hmm kinda. i don’t usually take this route but i believe it’s gonna take at least 40 minutes to get back. not that i would mind though, i enjoy longer rides.” you wrapped your arms around your body in an attempt to get a bit warmer. you spent so much time at home overthinking about what you were gonna say and do that you didn’t even bother to look at the weather. taehyun seemed to notice how much you were trembling though, so he put his jacket over your shoulders again.

“here, this should keep you warm.”

“but then you’re gonna be the one who feels cold…” you argued, almost taking the jacket off completely. taehyun put it back on you in an instant.

“no, please take it. i’ll be fine, that run got me warm enough. i’m the one who suggested coming here, so i wouldn’t be able to stand the thought of you catching a cold because of me.”

the bus arrived right as you were about to open your mouth, not giving you the chance to fight back. you hopped on, taehyun following after you.

the ride was mostly quiet. it wasn’t an awkward kind of silence though. during this time you were finally taking in everything that happened today. you couldn’t remember the last time you felt this good with someone. sometimes not even your friends could make you feel so at ease.

“i wish we could do this more often” you muttered.

“do what more often?” taehyun asked. you froze. you didn’t mean to say that out loud. you weren’t the type to act this bold and straight-forward.

“ah, well- i mean this, you know. us meeting together to study and stuff” you blurted out and looked down. you were trying to prepare youself for the rejection. what if he’s gonna think you’re weird? he probably prefers to meet up with someone who matches his own level of intelligence. what if- “i agree, i really enjoyed our time together today.” you looked at him with wide eyes, taken by surprise. “then…are you free tomorrow as well? same hour? for the project of course.” you rambled again. “sounds great.” he responded tenderly.

you looked out the window and notice that the area was starting to become familiar, meaning that you had to get off soon. but oh my, you just wanted to stay there and keep on talking to the gorgeous boy. he was kind enough to wait until the bus stopped at your location, before finally going back to his own house. and once you did get off, you could see him waving at you from his seat. exhausted, you collapsed on your bed, heart still fluttering at his sweet gestures.

───⋆☆─────────────

your regular meetups were something that you were looking forward to. they didn’t stop even after your project was done, instead they became your own litte thing, a safe space. taehyun would always wait for you at the exact same table with a set of books and two vanilla lattes from that same coffee shop that you’ve visited on your first meeting. you adored being around him, it didn’t even feel like you were going for school work anymore. you loved how comfortable he made you feel and how caring he was, how he never looked down on you and how his eyes gleamed whenever you told him you understood his explanations. he always looked forward to the silly doodles you would leave on his notebooks whenever he lent you one. he also loved how you were shorter than him, teasing you whenever you were unable to reach a book. you pretend to be mad at him when he makes jokes about it. in reality, you found it endearing simply because it was him doing it. shit. you were head over heels for kang taehyun, there was no point denying it anymore. the realisation hit you like a truck and you were suddenly nervous to see him today at the library again, even though you’ve been doing that for months now.

taehyun didn’t show up for the first class that day though. it was weird, especially since he’s class president. his attendance is supposed to be mostly perfect. at first, you tried to brush it off, thinking that he might have just overslept. your suspicion was proven wrong, as he didn’t show up for the rest of the day either. after pretty much dragging your feet along the hall, you anxiously opened the library door. however, taehyun wasn’t there either. ‘strange…’ you thought. it was already past 2 pm. your table was completely empty. there was no sign of the boy, nor could you see his notebooks or any vanilla lattes anywhere else. maybe he was somewhere hidden among the shelves? you frantically looked for him, yet you couldn’t see him anywhere in the library. you sat on a chair and tried to calm yourself down. maybe he was just late, after all he’s human too. you sent a message to check:

( tyun :p )

[y/n, 14:24]: hey, i’m at the library :)

[y/n, 14:36]: is everything okay? you didn’t come to classes today either :(

[y/n, 15:05]: tyun...?

you closed your phone with a sigh, nervously playing with your rings. now you were really starting to panic. what if he picked up on your feelings before you even did? have you been so oblivious towards your own actions? you wanted to cry at the thought of accidentally making him feel uncomfortable. god you were so stupid. he had all those other girls in your class chasing after him, prettier, smarter and richer than you. you couldn’t help but compare yourself to them. why would kang taehyun choose you out of everyone who had shown interest in him? he was clearly way out of your league. you hated your heart for even letting you catch feelings for the boy. you left the library with a heavy heart. your mind was overwhelmed by your own thoughts and you didn’t want anyone there to witness your mental breakdown.

───⋆☆─────────────

it was ridiculous how much the situation affected you. you contemplated staying at home the next day, after just barely getting a wink of sleep. in the end, you forced yourself to get out of bed, you already had enough absences for the semester and didn’t want to get more.

you weren’t in the mood for mr. kim’s class either, so you put your head down on your desk ready to doze off for an hour. a familiar voice snapped you out of your daze:

“sorry for being late mr kim.”

you glanced at the door and right there stood taehyun, out of breath and with messy hair. he looked just as tired as you were. you quickly looked away though, not wanting to have eye contact with him. even today your messages were still left on ‘delivered’. you could feel his gaze on you during the entire class, but you chose to ignore it.

you cursed mr. kim in your mind for making you and taehyun permanent project partners. you still had one more project left for literature class which you and taehyun already started 2 weeks ago. you didn’t want to see taehyun nor did you want to be the one to let down the project and ruin his grade. you somehow managed to successfully avoid him for the rest of the day, sometimes skipping a few classes. you didn’t go to the library like you were supposed to either.

it hurt, but your brain told you that the only way to escape your feelings was to distance yourself from the boy. all the project work would go down the drain if you didn’t finish it, therefore you chose to go to the library at night one last time, hoping that he wouldn’t be there at such an ungodly hour. the place was quiet and deserted, with only a few people seemingly stressed out being scattered around the tables. you were a bit unsure what you were supposed to be looking for, since you didn’t have taehyun around to guide you anymore. you headed towards a familiar section and scanned the shelves for something that could help you conclude your essay. but while you were busy searching, you didn’t notice that one particular boy you were avoiding searching for you. you were startled when two hands suddenly entered your vision, hanging on to the shelf right above your head, trapping you.

“there you are” he breathed out.

you turned around with wide eyes, looking like a deer caught in headlights. taehyun was right in front of you, looking at you with narrow eyes and a slight frown on his face.

“i was worried sick, i’ve been looking for you everywhere” he whispered

“i could say the same thing about yesterday” you replied trying to act coldly. your heart felt warm at the thought of him looking for you.

“yesterday….?”

“you ghosted me yesterday, you didn’t come to meet me nor did you bother to answer any of my messages.” you answered, blinking back your tears.

“i wanted to talk to you all day, but you didn’t even give me a chance to explain-” he furrowed his brows “i had an urgent meeting with the student council yesterday. mr. kim then asked me to retrieve a parcel for him and i left without realising that my phone was still in the meeting room. he took it for me and only returned it to me today after class. i wasn’t ignoring you on purpose. i know it seemed that way and i apologise. i would never do that, especially to you y/n.” he explained. you could tell that he was being sincere and you felt so bad for acting the way you did. why did you let those stupid thoughts push him away? you covered your face with your hands, you wanted to die of embarrassment. “i am so dumb tyun, i’m so sorry. i shouldn’t have acted like that, i shouldn’t have been avoiding you i should have talked to you about it then-”

“hey, you’re not dumb.” he interrupted your stammer. he took your hands in his and kissed the inside of your wrist. then, he gently cupped your cheeks, his gaze softening when he noticed that you were holding back tears. “please, just don’t run away from me again.” he enveloped you in his warm embrace, and you accepted it, slowly wrapping your hands against his waist. this time, you were not going to run away.

“come on, let me help you finish this.” but just after he said that, the lights went out, covering you in complete pitch black darkness. you checked your phone. it was almost 1 am, way past the library’s closing time. you didn’t want to know what would happen if somebody were to find you there, so you both sneaked towards the exit. everything seemed to go too well. as you were passing through the hall, you could hear footsteps going down the staircase. without much thinking, taehyun quickly grabbed your hand and sprinted towards the janitor’s closet, shoving you in before the security guard could see you.

“i’m sorry, i couldn’t risk him seeing us.” he whispered

once again, there was almost nothing but darkness surrounding you. you could barely make out taehyun’s face in the dim light of the closet, so close next to yours. you ended up in a similar position as earlier, taehyun trapping you between himself and the door, with his arms on each side of your head.

“we should probably stay in here for a bit more until it’s safe to go out. are you okay? you didn’t get hurt or anything, right?” you could hear the genuine concern in his voice.

“i’m good, don’t worry, but…tyun, can i ask you something?” he nodded in response “why did you decide to come looking for me so late?“

“why? why do think i didn’t just go on and act like nothing happened?” you looked down and gulped, unable to answer him. he gently lifted your chin up with his hand.

“do you think i like you?” he said trying to gaze into your eyes, looking for an answer. “that’s right…”, but there was a shift in his demeanour. his usual confident façade crumbled, he chuckled weakly and left his eyes on the ground, shoulders going down. “in fact, i like you so much that i can’t even stand the thought of being away from you. during this time where i haven’t been seeing you, i felt like i was going crazy.” you blushed at the boy’s confession. “oh, well then…that means that we both feel the same way” you whispered. you almost wanted to pinch yourself to see if this wasn’t a dream. kang taehyun, the boy who managed to steal your heart so easily, did actually like you back.

“i’m really glad to hear that” taehyun chuckled lowly. the cramped space didn’t allow for much distance between the two of you. you could feel his hot breath on your neck and the familiar scent of his cologne, warm chest on top of yours making you feel dizzy. without realising it, you were holding your breath. you prayed that he couldn’t hear the loud sound of your rapidly beating heart.

“do i make you nervous?”

you couldn’t see him clearly, but you knew that there was a smirk sneaking its way onto his face as he said that.

you didn’t reply this time. you could barely even handle his intense gaze on you, yet alone talk. he somehow got even closer, his lips sitting just a few centimeters apart from yours.

“can i kiss you...?” he asked, voice barely above a whisper.

you nodded, unable to utter a single word. his hand cupped your face, thumb lightly brushing over your cheekbone. he waited for a short moment, as if to reconfirm your permission, then he finally closed the gap between your lips. his kiss was soft, yearning…his other hand grabbed your waist and you moved your hand to the back of his neck, deepening the kiss. you found your fingers tangled in the soft strands of his hair as he kissed you passionately, biting your lip. you pulled away for a second to catch your breath, cheeks burning like they were on fire. taehyun took his glasses off with a swift movement and placed them in his chest pocket before going back to your lips, kissing you more. “we shouldn’t be doing this…” you managed to whisper between the kisses. he rested his forehead on top of yours. “unless we get caught, we’re not breaking any rules”. he started to trail down kisses on your neck, all the way down to your collarbone, not daring to go further and cross any barrier that would make you even in the slightest bit uncomfortable. “but what if we do…you’re class president and i don’t want to get you in trouble-” he pressed his lips against yours in an attempt to stop your ramble. “darling, if you continue talking, then we might actually risk getting caught.” your body was melting against his touch. you were so glad he was holding you because you were afraid your legs might actually give out from the intensity of the situation. he left a few more kisses on your swollen lips.

“as much as i’m enjoying this, we should probably make our move now. come on, let’s get out of here.” taehyun said quietly.

“only if you buy me a vanilla latte.” you replied. taehyun placed a sweet kiss on your forehead and grabbed your hand before making a run towards the exit.

“anything for you, darling.”

taglist: @huekalover3000

#wave2tyun #txt #txt fluff #txt x reader #txt fic #txt imagines #txt scenarios #txt smau #txt headcanons #txt taehyun #taehyun fluff #taehyun scenarios #taehyun fic #taehyun x reader #taehyun imagines #taehyun headcanons

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blossom-hwa · 1 month

Text

the words I say, and the words I mean | h.k

pairing: Huening Kai x gender neutral!reader genre: fluff, a touch of angst, high school!au, childhood best friends to lovers!au warnings: cursing word count: 2.5k notes: this was originally a story for jay written for chip as a lovely birthday present, I've repurposed it for hyuka because I think he'd fit the lovely lovestruck trope just as well :) hope you enjoy! On a cool golden afternoon on the cusp of winter, Kai falls for you again.

Jay (Enhypen) Ver. | TXT Masterlist

At precisely five fifty-three on a Friday afternoon of a crisp fall-turning-winter day, Kai comes to this conclusion:

He says a lot of shit.

Which, in hindsight, any of his friends could have probably told him. Taehyun for certain—and Beomgyu too just by virtue of him being a paragon of evil or something. But there’s that whole saying about having to realize things about oneself by oneself, or whatever, because you’ll never listen to anyone else, not for real.

Or maybe there isn’t a saying. Maybe someone just told him that and he’s remembering it now.

Doesn’t matter. The point is, Kai walks into the coffee shop where you work at exactly five fifty-two pm on this wonderful Friday afternoon in the crisp intersection between fall and winter where the sun is beginning to set noticeably earlier but not so much so that it fucks up his entire brain, locks eyes with you behind the counter, and says:

“Hey, doofus.”

Which is certainly a substitute—if not a very good one—for what he says in his brain:

You look really beautiful in this lighting, and I kind of want to kiss you.

You roll your eyes and it’s still beautiful, somehow, in the golden afternoon sunlight spilling through the cafe window, and once again Kai is reminded of how hard he’s fallen for every single bit of you—the childhood best friend who lives next door, who’s seen him from his grubby little toddler days to his ratty pre-teen years to his ungodly mess of existence in this last year before college. You’ve seen everything about him, he’s seen everything about you, and if Kai hadn’t realized it before (a year ago, you fell asleep in the passenger seat as he was driving the two of you home from school and he got a slap of cold reality from God Herself when he looked over to see drool trickling down the side of your face and the first thing he thought was cute) he’d certainly realize it now, at five fifty-two pm on a Friday afternoon at the cusp of fall-turning-winter where the sunlight shines so warm on your half-annoyed, half-fond expression that Kai can proudly say is reserved solely for him.

But it’s kind of like a second realization of love, he guesses. Because apparently once wasn’t enough. And it comes in the form of him calling you a doofus when he just really wants to kiss you instead.

He really, really says a lot of shit. More specifically, a lot of shit he doesn’t mean. Mostly because you don’t know how he feels, and he’s too scared to ask if you might feel the same way.

“Good afternoon to you too, doofus,” you snip, sliding a cup of coffee across the counter. He hands you the exact amount for the drink like clockwork because it’s a routine at this point, and then, also in routine, he eyes it exaggeratedly.

“There’s no poison in this, is there?”

There it is. Again. There’s no poison in this, is there?

How about this instead:

Thanks for the drink, I really love you.

You roll your eyes again and he has to curb the smile on his face, in case it betrays the way his heart is pounding in his chest like it does a lot these days at the sight of you. “No, asshole,” you intone. “If I wanted to kill you, I’d make sure there was blood.”

“Aw, so you don’t want to kill me?”

I’d probably let you stab me for free.

“I’m waiting for the right time.” You snicker. “You know, Beomgyu already offered to help me hide the body.”

Kai would respond, and if he did he’d probably say something equally dumb that he didn’t really want to say because his heart keeps screaming for him to tell the truth of his emotions but his mind keeps telling it to shut the fuck up, but the door opens again with a little ring of bells and even though it’s now five fifty-four pm, six minutes from the end of your shift, six minutes are still six minutes and he’ll have to wait those six minutes to walk you home.

Your manager’s a bitch.

So he parks himself at a table, idly scrolling through his phone while sipping at the bitter Americano you gave him (perfect for keeping him somewhat awake for the late night studying that will definitely happen tonight), and also sneaking glances at you when he’s more or less certain you’re busy. He does good today, doesn’t manage to get caught staring even once before you disappear into the back, presumably to strip off your apron and clock out.

Soobin sends him about five cat pictures in the several minutes it takes for you to change. Kai giggles into his drink and hearts them all right before a shadow looms over his seated figure.

“What’re you laughing at?”

In response, he lifts his phone and watches a smile bloom across your face at the cat pictures. “They’re adorable,” you coo.

Kai’s brain reacts before his mouth does, which sucks because it only gives further proof to his realization earlier which he’d kinda hoped was a fluke but was pretty sure it wasn’t.

So are you.

He doesn’t say that, because he doesn’t have the guts. “Yeah, if only I could convince my parents to get one,” he pouts instead, pocketing the phone. “Let’s go home.”

The bells above the door chime merrily as the two of you walk out into the golden sunshine, a subtle warmth that curls even through the sharp bites of wind that nip at his nose and cheeks. When winter comes with its snow and ice, you’ll switch to taking the car home—him driving over to pick you up instead of walking in the snow—so he cherishes the walks for now, a bit of peace and calm in the silence of the neighborhood air.

Well, not exactly peace and calm. Because the two of you are best friends, and so you bicker, and most of that bickering gets pretty loud and your neighbors probably hate you both even if they haven’t said it out loud yet, but to Kai it feels peaceful anyway. Calming. A breath of fresh air, a moment in which he can forget about the stress of school and college applications and just focus on being here with you.

You’re telling him a story about work today, gesticulating wildly as you reenact some woman telling you that her drink wasn’t frothy enough, that she expected two full fucking inches of froth so you’d better shake it again or remake it. Kai laughs, and cackles, and commiserates when you say you’d like to hunt her down and put her six feet under, and all the time his heart feels like it’s blooming, blooming under not the sun itself but the light of your smile as you laugh with him.

Like a sunflower, he thinks. A sunflower, always chasing the sun across the sky.

Holy shit, Yeonjun’s poetry is rubbing off on him. This is terrible.

And then you laugh again, this brilliant sound that’s like a cross between a pig’s snort and wedding bells, and yeah. Okay. Whatever. Maybe Yeonjun’s poetry is fine. Because at least it’s getting things right.

“I never want to work in the food industry again,” you complain, shaking your head. Your scarf seems to be slipping around your neck and Kai’s fingers itch to rearrange it, but he keeps his hands to himself because you’ll notice it, right? You’ll notice the slipping scarf instead and then he won’t have to risk having you feel the tenderness in his fingers that isn’t supposed to be there because he’s only supposed to be your best friend, not someone who has a crush on you. “All the horror stories are so real.”

“Okay, but have you considered...” He pauses dramatically as you look at him, eyebrows raised. “Maybe you’re the problem.”

“Kai Kamal Huening—”

“If everything’s happening to you, I’m just saying, maybe there’s some correlation there—”

You punch him in the arm. Hard.

He wails.

“Oh my God, you fucking baby,” you hiss, all the while also holding your sides that are shaking with laughter as Kai flops to the ground, gripping his arm like you just attempted to cut it off. Good. Because he’s exaggerating, clearly, but only for your sake—so you can laugh. Just a bit. Enough to bring light back to your face that isn’t just from the sun.

“You punched me,” he whines, “and you’re calling me a baby?”

I’d let you punch me any day. And if I deserved it, I’d probably punch myself in the face, too. For you.

He’s going insane, he really fucking is, with the disconnect between the shit he says and the shit he wants to say. But the banter comes so easily, too easily—maybe that’s the reason why he can’t speak the words buried in his heart. Because it’s so much easier, so much simpler, to just pretend. To just bicker his way out of ever revealing anything to you.

“Oh my God, just shut up.” You haul him up and—holy shit, maybe he’s just some Victorian woman in disguise or whatever because he could swoon into your touch. He really could. But he doesn’t, because even to his dumbfuck lovesick heart, that’s overkill. “Come on, punch me. We’ll call it even.”

Kai stares at the arm you proffer to him, covered in the coat you’ve worn for several years at this point. He doesn’t know why, but for a moment, he can’t move. Can’t bring himself to.

Which is dumb as fuck. Because this is a thing you two have always done, jokingly hit each other at one point and when the other complains loud enough to cause a neighborhood ruckus, let them hit back to call it even. It started with your first fight as kids and it just...stayed. Until now. At this moment at sometime past six pm on a Friday evening, now, on a crisp fall-turning-winter day where wind has mostly carried away the coffee smell from your job and Kai is having a crisis about punching your arm.

But he has to do it. So—

He punches you.

Very softly.

Nothing at all like you punched him.

You blink. So does he.

“What the fuck was that, dude?” You narrow your eyes at him playfully, though something uncertain dances in your gaze. Alarm bells start ringing at full force in his brain—fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck—“Are you going soft?”

He’s looking at you and you’re looking at him and a gust of wind blows the scarf around your neck and fuck you still haven’t noticed that it’s loose and he wants nothing more than to grab it and fix it so you won’t get too cold but he can’t, now, because he’s already revealed too much by not punching you the way you (and he!) expected and the uncertainty is still there in your expression and FUCK he needs to say something, he needs to say something—

No, it’s because I like you so much it hurts.

“No, it’s because you’re weak and you wouldn’t be able to handle a real punch.”

You screech and Kai screams and then you’re chasing him down the block, one fist held high as you yell something like I’ll give you a real fucking punch to whine about and even as he runs away from you he can hear the laughter in your voice even as you spout bloody murder and promises of revenge behind him, your screams blending with his gasping laughter as he stops, sides heaving with cackles, and you bowl him onto the cold sidewalk that still feels warm, somehow, warm with your giggles as you slap him in the shoulder, threats of violence still dripping from your lips—

“I give up,” he gasps, tears squeezing out of his eyes as he tries to stop laughing. “I give up.”

In other words:

I’ll let you win, always, because your happiness means everything to me.

You collapse to the ground beside him on the cold concrete, and there has never been anything more beautiful, Kai thinks, than the medley of your cackling laugh fading in the air and your expression scrunched in giggling happiness as you sit up to face him. “Good,” you sniff, eyes sparkling in the fading sunlight. “Glad you know your place.”

Kai watches you stand, then extend a hand to help him up. His eyes linger on that hand, the hand he held so much as a kid, the hand he stopped holding in middle school because it’s icky and we aren’t dating, the hand he’s wanted to hold for several years now and even more so since last year when he saw you drooling in the car and thought you were so, so cute. He reaches up, takes it, and in the moment where your palms are connected, his heart aches, aches so much for him to just say—

I love you.

But you let go of his hand, still smiling, so oblivious to the way his heart sags and cracks with the weight of those three words he can’t say as the warmth of your palm leaves his, and he knows—it isn’t meant to be, you loving someone as ratty and messy and damaged as he. You’re best friends. Nothing less, but certainly nothing more.

So he leaves the words in his overflowing heart, locks them away with a cold key made of the sudden absence of your hand’s warmth against his. “Come on,” he says instead, smiling the crooked smile that you always say makes him look like a stupid little rugrat on the streets. But he gets the patented Kai Kamal Huening smile on your face in return, annoyance and exasperation and fondness all mixed into an expression that nearly explodes the box where he keeps those three words, eight letters, carefully locked away, so it can’t be too bad. Not really. Not if it gets him the sunlight of your smile on your face.

Nothing’s so bad, really, not even the weight of all the words he means but can’t say, not when you smile at him like this under the shimmering golden sunlight of a fall-turning-winter evening, not when the two of you are alone in the street glowing warm with laughter, not when it feels like nothing in the world can tear the two of you apart. It’s enough, really. Having you here, and knowing you’ll always be here, even if it means keeping secrets locked carefully away in his heart.

“Come on,” he repeats, and his smile isn’t even that strained as he jerks his head towards the end of the street. “The sun’s setting. Let’s get home.”

Reblogs and comments are deeply appreciated! Hope you enjoyed this, and have a lovely day :)

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