aectpen

[aectpen]

seunghan..💔

[aectpen]

[aectpen]

lee heeseung idol!bf x idol!reader headcanons

idol!bf heeseung who would always be the first to watch your group’s new comeback and send you lots of compliments and praise.

idol!bf heeseung who would always make funny inside-joke gestures only you would understand while you were watching at award shows.

idol!bf heeseung who would always send you a message saying he’s going live so you’d always be the first one there.

idol!bf heeseung who would always come to your group’s dressing room to give you hugs.

idol!bf heeseung who would always buy clothes that only he could see you in.

idol!bf heeseung who would always steal glances at music shows and *accidentally* brush hands with you.

idol!bf heeseung who would always talk about you vaguely to his fans without telling them who you were. the other members would look at each other wondering if it was okay.

idol!bf heeseung who would always play your group’s songs on live and smile at your parts.

idol!bf heeseung who would always come to your dorm and bring your favorite snacks with him when you felt down.

idol!bf heeseung who would always discreetly mention you with a special nickname in his thank you message on albums.

[aectpen]

Love Fades ° Lee Heeseung

genre: angst, hurt no comfort

word count: 0.8k

pairing: lee heeseung x gn reader

you had been sitting on this feeling for a while, and honestly, it was getting hard to breathe. you and heeseung had confessed to each other two years ago—one day, he was just your best friend, and the next, he was your boyfriend. it felt like a fairytale, and you both thought there was no way your friendship could be ruined. after all, you were perfect for each other, right? right?

but things changed. heeseung started getting annoyed at your presence. every time you suggested doing something together, there was this tension in the air, like he was holding back something he wanted to say. and when you did manage to hang out, he’d suddenly claim he was tired and cut the night short, leaving you feeling more confused than before.

tonight was no different. you both sat in silence, watching a movie, but you couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. you noticed how heeseung left a huge space between you, almost like he was trying to create a barrier. finally, you scooted over, closing the distance, hoping for a little warmth and connection. but when you did, he leaned away from you, discomfort written all over his face. it felt like a punch to the gut.

“do you have to be this fucking clingy?” he finally snapped, breaking the silence.

you froze, taken aback. “do you have to be so harsh?” you shot back, trying to mask the hurt with anger.

“it’s annoying, yn. am i not allowed to say that out loud? god.” he rolled his eyes, frustration spilling over. “it’s just… you’ve changed, and honestly, it feels like being your boyfriend isn’t what I want anymore.”

your heart dropped, disbelief washing over you. “what do you mean? we were doing good before.”

“good?” he scoffed, running a hand through his hair. “it’s not like it used to be. I miss the days when we were just friends, when you were carefree and fun. now, it feels like I’m constantly walking on eggshells, worried about how you’ll react to everything I say.”

“so you wish I was still that person?” you asked, your voice cracking. “is that what you want?”

he hesitated, and for a moment, you thought he might actually say something comforting. but the silence hung heavy between you, filled with unspoken words. “what do you want, heeseung?” you pressed, your heart racing.

he stayed quiet, the tension building as you waited for him to find the words. finally, he took a deep breath, his expression somber. “I think… we’ve grown apart. I don’t know if we should even be friends anymore.”

the words hit you like a punch to the gut. “you don’t mean that,” you whispered, disbelief mixing with a rush of panic. “we can work through this. we can go back to how it was.”

“it’s not that simple,” he replied, his voice devoid of warmth. “I care about you, but it’s different now. I can’t keep pretending everything’s okay when it feels like we’re just holding onto something that isn’t there anymore.”

tears streamed down your cheeks as you tried to process what he was saying. “so, what? you want to throw away everything we built together?”

“maybe we need to,” he said, his tone firm yet resigned. “it’s hard to see you like this, and I don’t want to keep dragging this out if it’s not working. I don’t want to hurt you, but I think we need to let go.”

the ache in your chest felt unbearable, a hollow pit where your love for him had flourished. “you’re really choosing to walk away from our relationship, from everything?” you asked, your voice barely above a whisper.

“it’s what’s best for both of us,” he replied, his gaze steady but filled with sadness. “I hope one day you can understand that.”

as he turned away, it felt like the air had been sucked out of the room. losing him wasn’t just about losing a boyfriend; it was losing your best friend, the one person you’d shared countless laughs and late-night talks with. the silence wrapped around you like a heavy blanket, suffocating and cold. you stood there, staring at the closed door, your heart racing and your mind spiraling. how did everything go so wrong?

you wanted to scream, to tell him how much you missed the way things used to be, how you’d give anything to go back to those carefree days. but instead, you were left with this unbearable ache, a hollow feeling in your chest that refused to fade. it hit you hard that the laughter and warmth you once shared had faded into distant memories, replaced by this painful distance. love had morphed into something heavy, and now you were standing here, wondering how to pick up the pieces of a friendship that felt irreparably broken.

[aectpen]

𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 ❆ 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐍

m.list

pairing: sunghoon x ex figure skater->idol!fem oc

synopsis: 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧'𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐲 𝐤𝐩𝐨𝐩 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩, 𝐤𝐚𝐲𝐨, 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐇𝐘𝐁𝐄.

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬.

chapter five: memory lane

[unknown]

are you up?

[chaerin]

and this is?

[unknown]

sunghoon

any trace of fatigue exited her body. she practically jumped up from her position once she saw who messaged her. she propped herself up on her elbows and laid on her belly, swinging her feet like a little girl.

[chaerin]

hm where'd you get my number?

[sunghoon]

you never changed it

i remember your ringtone was you singing it when you got your first phone

"he remembers that?" she asked herself, dumbfounded. she had always assumed he kind of forgot about her existence once he debuted let alone remember minor details.

[chaerin]

so

what are you up to?

he was typing for quite a while, but the speech bubble disappeared.

[sunghoon]

not much i just can't sleep

[chaerin]

do you have a schedule tomorrow?

chaerin watched the speech bubble again, anticipating his response. insteading of just disappearing, chaerin was met with her reflection paired with a facetime call. she looked back at herself with pure horror. why was he calling her so suddenly?

this must be by accident, right?

either way, she rubbed the tiredness from her eyes and fixed her hair before accepting the call.

"sorry, i was too lazy to type," sunghoon laughed. he was laying on his side, snuggling into his pillow. "but to answer your question, no. we have an off day for once."

"i wish, we have practice really early," chaerin pouted. she couldn't wait until they had their comeback, but the process of getting there was grueling.

"practice is... fun!" he tried his best be enthusiastic, flashing his smile.

"you don't sound so convincing, but i'll try to be optimistic." she responded, her pout turned into a forced grin.

sunghoon turned onto his back, using the facetime screen as a mirror to fix his hair. chaerin only watched quietly, lips slightly parted. she knew he was hot now, but she was at a loss for words.

"chaerin," he sing-songed "you're staring."

"i was actually looking at myself. who knew i'd look this good at this hour." she dramatically posed for the camera.

he gave a side eye "i'll take your word for it."

an awkward silence lingered before sunghoon decided to break it. "do you want to meet up tomorrow after you're done practicing?"

chaerin stroked her chin, "i'll check my schedule" she brought her face out of frame for 5 seconds "okay, i guess i'll see you tomorrow!"

sunghoon shook his head at her foolishness, "okay, goodnight!" he waved.

"goodnight!" she waved back.

once the call disconnected, the smile didn't leave chaerin's lips. she didn't have anything to look forward to tomorrow, but now she did.

“what is this girl smiling about?" jie nudged haru. chaerin was looking rather cheerful on their way to practice at the crack of dawn.

"she was up late too, maybe she's delirious." zena added, chaerin oblivious to their discussion about her mood.

throughout practice they noticed her particularly eager for it to be over and glancing at her phone in the distance. "is it crack?" sujin asked.

"huh?" chaerin had no clue that they had clocked her anticipation.

"crack. are you on crack?" haru deadpanned.

"i wish i was. it would probably help me get through this," she plopped on the couch to check her phone.

[sunghoon]

i got us some milkshakes

when will you be finished up

the moment she read his message, their dance instructor announced that practice was over for the day. chaerin quickly told the girls not to wait up and that she wasn't going home with them. they were all confused, but tired enough to let it slide.

[chaerin]

im done now

where are you?

[sunghoon]

look behind you...

[chaerin]

creepy...

sure enough, sunghoon was a few feet behind her holding up two vanilla milk shakes, smiling.

"how long were you standing there?" she side eyed him, grabbing the milkshake.

"i just got here, i just wanted to say that." he began walking away from her.

she speed walked to catch up to him "so, what do you want to do?"

"i have an idea of what i want to do, but my manager has to get back to me on it" his phone began buzzing in his pocket "that's probably him."

chaerin waited around, looking out the window while he took the call. she sipped on the milkshake wondering if he remembered that it was her favorite treat after practice.

"okay, my plan is happening. come on" he didn't let her ask any questions, so she silently followed him.

"the garage?" chaerin asked.

"well isn't that where cars are?" sunghoon asked in a mocking tone.

"where are you taking me?" chaerin crossed her arms, still following his lead.

"i told you no questions ten questions ago." he opened the door to a van for her. his manager was in the driver's seat waiting for them.

"it better be good. i don't like surprises." chaerin stared out the window of the van. the entire ride, she concocted multiple outcomes in her mind. sunghoon laughed at her impatience which only made her more impatient.

once they arrived at their destination, chaerin recognized that building from anywhere. sunghoon looked back to see her reaction. she looked back at him wide eyed. it was the ice skating rink she had first learned to ice skate as a child. sunghoon remembered her mention this to him when they drove by it to get to a competition.

"thank you, thank you, thank you!" she ran to the entrance like a child. sunghoon's manager had rented it out for them for the entire afternoon.

chaerin strolled around the building reminiscing on her childhood memories there. at first, she was terrified of the idea of ice skating, but this is where she fell in love with it.

"sunghoon, come here!" she pointed at a wooden bench. she carved her name into it when she was ten years old. she spent a lot of time here, evidence of her presence scattered all over the place.

she noticed he didn't walk over, but was staring at a photo. so she went over to see what he was looking at.

he smiled down at her and pointed up at the photo. she was around six years old, her two front teeth missing from her wide smile. "cute!"

"let's skate already!" she pulled his arm towards the rink.

chaerin was a little rusty, so she kept coming close to falling. "hey. its not funny!" sunghoon could barely get out a "sorry" in his fit of laughter.

once she got her balance back, the two challenged each other to their old tricks the rest of their time there. one upping one another just like old times.

[aectpen]

𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 ❆ 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐍

m.list

pairing: sunghoon x ex figure skater->idol!fem oc

synopsis: 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧'𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐲 𝐤𝐩𝐨𝐩 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩, 𝐤𝐚𝐲𝐨, 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐇𝐘𝐁𝐄.

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬.

chapter four: dear diary

in the spirit of reminiscing on the old times, once chaerin got back to the dorm, she opened up her "home" box. its where she kept her valuable items that brought her comfort away from home. the items include her diary, photos, jewelry, and more precious items. she hasn't written in her diary in a while, but its a relic of all her experiences. she was especially into journaling during her figure skating and trainee years.

as she sifted through the pages, she landed on a page that stood out. her fingers trailed over the tear smudged ink. her anger was evident through the force she used while writing the entry, almost tearing through the page. she felt like she teleported back to the moment she wrote it.

february 4, 2020 dear diary, i hate park sunghoon. i thought he was playing a sick prank on me, but he never turned around. how will i compete without him? how could he do that to me??? after how hard we worked.. i've never met anyone more selfish than him. he just laid it on me like it wasn't that big of a deal i'm gonna burn everything that has to do with him.

chaerin paused her reading to look back into the box. she most definitely didn't burn nor throw away anything that had to do with him. she picked up a polaroid she took with him on a day out. they went to the movies and got milkshakes afterwards. she put whipped cream on his nose and snapped the photo while he pouted and she smiled. it was the first time they had hung out outside of skating. it was the day they became friends rather than just partners. they realized they liked each other's company much more when they weren't so serious.

i'm crying but i'm not sad.. i'm angry i have cried out of frustration and obviously sadness but i never cry when i'm mad but honestly he will regret it when i'm at the olympics and he is in the dungeon training to be a flop idol god i really hate him fuck park sunghoon

"wow," chaerin whispered to herself. she forgot just how harsh her feelings toward sunghoon were. she continued flipping since she was so immersed in the angst of it all.

march 8, 2020 dear diary, i miss sunghoon skating is so boring it feels like a chore and my new partner is way too serious like wtf today i laughed after i fell on my ass and he was all like "is this a joke to you?" all stern boy bye i know sunghoon would've mocked his voice and we would laugh about it i was angry before but now im sad he was more than my partner, he was my friend and now i miss my friend sunghoon

chaerin reached for their good luck bracelet they made during practice. their initials separated by beads. they always wore it during competitions. they were undefeated since they made them, so they swore it was magic.

a month after writing that entry, she threw in the towel. she quit after a competition she had placed first in. she knew it was over when everyone was happy, but her.

june 1, 2020 dear diary, so today my friend told me about that new mnet survival show i-land right and i'm like okay i like txt so i'll tune in and today they revealed some trainees and you won't believe who i saw PARK SUNGHOON like you have to be kidding me my fantasy about him being a flop idol won't come true i will NOT be tuning in

june 26, 2020 dear diary, i lied i tuned in he looked okay i guess.. alright he looked good and he was really good perhaps i guess so maybe fans are loving the whole ex figure skater thing but its triggering me i kinda regret quitting figure skating. i could've went to the olympics and rubbed it in his face i thought i stopped hating him but i didn't. seeing his smug smile while everyone praises him and here i am hate-watching from my bedroom. if he didn't quit on me i would be so much more productive with my life i still hate park sunghoon.

september 18, 2020 dear diary, does the universe hate me? i cracked my phone, lost my keys, missed the bus, got an F, and park sunghoon made it to the debut lineup. i know one is not like the other but it was the cherry on top to my suffering :( i feel like an absolute failure doing nothing with my life while he's a famous idol my mom said i was used to be the child a mom would brag about, but now i'm the child you don't mention she said it so casually but i went to my room and cried for an hour straight i really have nothing going for myself

chaerin felt guilty looking back on how she treated sunghoon's success. she felt nothing but jealousy and hatred. how could he leave her and be successful? she thought he was making a big mistake quitting, but the truth was that was the best decision he could've made and she hated that. she wanted it to hurt him the way it hurt her, but not everyone gets what they want.

sunghoon's members began teasing him when they found out who he was with when he went missing for an hour.

"streets are saying sunghoon is already making a move on chaerin," niki announced.

"is sunoo's nickname streets now?" jay laughed.

sunghoon put his hands up in defense "oh come on, i was just catching up with her."

sunoo gasped "catching up? we missed out on some sunghoon lore."

"elaborate," heeseung crossed his arms.

"she was my figure skating partner."

"and they were figure skating partners." jake mocked.

"so you don't have a crush on her? i was really gonna take credit for introducing you guys." jungwon scoffed.

"i don't have a crush on chaerin."

the same was happening at kayo's dorm.

"chaerin!" haru barged into chaerin's room.

chaerin scrambled to put all the items back into her box, but she missed one.

"what's this?" haru asked picking up chaerin's polaroid with sunghoon. "oh my god? is that? that has to be a look alike."

"come on give it back!" chaerin chased after her.

"you guys have to see this." haru passed the polaroid to jie.

everyone gathered around to see while chaerin watched their reactions.

"how do you date park sunghoon and not tell us?" sujin shook her head in disbelief.

"i didn't date him, he was my figure skating partner."

"emphasis on partner, this is totally a boyfriend girlfriend pic," zena laughed.

"we were just friends that's all."

"no wonder you two were so buddy buddy earlier," jie was now much more confident in her prediction.

chaerin stared at the ceiling, trying to sleep, but she couldn't stop thinking about sunghoon. the time she spent with him reversed all those feelings she angrily wrote down. her thoughts were interrupted when her phone buzzed beside her pillow.

[unknown] are you up? [chaerin] and this is? [unknown] sunghoon

[aectpen]

𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 ❆ 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐍

m.list

pairing: sunghoon x ex figure skater->idol!fem oc

synopsis: 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧'𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐲 𝐤𝐩𝐨𝐩 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩, 𝐤𝐚𝐲𝐨, 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐇𝐘𝐁𝐄.

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬.

chapter three: it went... great?

the word of a girl group joining the hybe family reached the ears of existing hybe groups. they pondered about the new edition and potential new friendships that could form.

"have you guys hear about a girl group joining hybe?" jungwon turned his screen to the rest of the boys.

niki raised his brow. "no? i swear we live under a rock."

"what are they called?" jay asked, leaning in closer to get a better look at jungwon's screen.

"i think kayo."

"i heard they said we have to greet them or welcome them something like that." jake added.

"that's awkward, let me see the picture." sunghoon grabbed his phone. he fell silent, zooming into the screen.

"what, do you know them?" sunoo asked.

"no. but one of them looks like this girl i used to know." he handed the phone back.

"chaerin, zena, haru, jie, sujin." jungwon read the names off.

"chaerin." sunghoon whispered to himself. he brushed it off thinking the chance of it being her was impossible.

"everyone!" their manager interrupted. "get up and greet your juniors."

"meeting enhypen themselves, wow." haru whispered.

"girl, you sound like a fan. we need to act like colleagues." jie whispered back.

chaerin stayed behind everyone despite being the leader. she didn't want to imagine the horrors of introducing the group to him herself.

"chaerin stop being a baby. you go in first." sujin pulled her forward, but she resisted.

"zena, i think you should go first." chaerin suggested.

"ugh, whatever." haru took the first steps inside the room.

"hello!" they all bowed, chaerin continuing to hide behind everyone.

the girls began introducing themselves individually, making chaerin feel like banging her head against the wall.

"hi, i'm chaerin." unfortunately for her, the girls moved aside, giving her a clear view, and, of course, she found herself directly in front of sunghoon.

she made eye contact with him for a millisecond before her gaze darted to the ground.

"show them around the building, you guys. don't be awkward strangers," their manager requested before leaving them alone.

they awkwardly laughed and stood in silence for ten seconds before heeseung cleared his throat. "shall we start the tour?"

the girls followed behind them, mostly making small talk about their old company building being a closet in comparison.

chaerin watched sunghoon from a distance. although she felt a bit like a creep, it had been so long since she had seen him in person. she observed every aspect that had changed about him. he was no longer the kid she used to skate with. she watched his mannerisms as he walked, noting how he looked for ways to place his arms while casually glancing around the area.

"chaerin, right?" jungwon walked in the back alongside her. "i'm the leader too, jungwon."

she shook his hand and gave him a smile. "of course jungwon. you're famous, you know."

they walked in awkward silence afterward. chaerin struggled to figure out how to strike up a conversation with someone she had never met. even her body tensed up as she became overly conscious of how her actions might be perceived.

"you remind me of sunghoon." jungwon laughed.

"really? why?"

"he acts really awkward with new people. i think you guys would get along. sunghoon, come here!" he called sunghoon over, who was walking alone. he hesitantly walked over to the two, awkwardly putting his hands in his pockets. "sunghoon, chaerin. chaerin, sunghoon."

they gave each other stiff half smiles and half hearted bows to each other.

"come on, get to know each other." jungwon pushed them closer before leaving the two alone.

chaerin took in a sharp breath before they continued walking alongside each other. "you don't have to walk with me."

"why wouldn't i want to?" sunghoon asked.

"i don't know? forget i said anything." she wanted to crawl in a hole and die. she didn't expect to be talking to him directly this fast. it felt like she was thrown to the wolves.

"do you not want to walk with me?"

"no! i mean no. that's not what i meant. i just didn't want to make anything awkward for you." she shrugged.

"it's okay." he laughed. "i was just playing."

chaerin let out a sigh of relief. "i was prepared to walk on egg shells."

"so."

"so."

they watched their members ahead of them conversing and looking in different rooms.

i guess we're just gonna ignore the elephant in the room, she though to herself.

heeseung and jie exchanged a quick glance as they observed the pair walking alongside each other. surprisingly, there was little hint of awkwardness in their demeanor. they knew their friends well, and any discomfort would likely be dismissed with a simple clearing of throats before they walked independently. yet, an invisible force seemed to act as a magnetic pull between them. when sunghoon had initially joined her, they stood a couple of feet apart, but now they were nearly brushing shoulders.

"how much you wanna bet they start dating?" jie playfully nudged heeseung.

heeseung was caught off guard by her directness. "oh! does she have a crush on him or something?"

"i had a vision," she deadpanned.

heeseung stared at her, attempting to decipher her expression.

"i'm just playing! loosen up a bit!" she chuckled at his reaction.

later that day, both groups remained in the building but went their separate ways after the welcome tour. some of them exchanged contact information for any future queries, expressing their gratitude to the boys for assisting them in getting adapted to the company.

as the other girls ate together, chaerin chose to explore the surroundings, curious about what she might have missed while lagging behind the group. she discreetly peeked into rooms, attempting not to appear too intrusive, and at some point, even entertained the idea of "accidentally" crossing paths with newjeans during her self-guided tour.

one of the rooms was rather dim, so she assumed it was empty and walked in. you can only imagine her shock when she spotted none other than park sunghoon. he was resting his head on the table, engrossed in his phone.

"god! i'm sorry. i thought no one was in here." chaerin quickly apologized, even offering a slight bow to him.

"it's alright, i was just killing time," he reassured her, patting the chair beside him.

chaerin gave him an inquisitive look, squinting her eyes slightly, before walking over to the empty chair beside him.

"what do you wanna do?" chaerin swiveled the chair to face him. she felt all the uneasiness surrounding being around him again leave her body. if he wasn't going to act weird about, why should she?

he unlocked his phone and showed her what he was watching when she walked in. it was a video of their very last competition together four years ago. they had won gold, as expected. chaerin held that memory dear to her heart, she was touched to see that sunghoon felt the same.

"if i tried that today, i would've dislocated my hip." she laughed.

sunghoon nudged her. "i'm sure you would've landed it easily." 

"these bones don't work like they used to, i'm afraid." she stretched out her arms.

they continued scrolling through old competition footage, reminiscing on the old days.

"you were so adorable omg," chaerin mindlessly commented.

"were?" he raised his brow.

"i mean you're more manly now, so i don't think that's the right word."

"i think handsome is the right word," he dramatically brushed his hair back. 

"yeah okay arrogance," she rolled her eyes.

"i mean you've grown quite, um, pretty." he averted his gaze.

"is park sunghoon calling me pretty?" chaerin poked his side. she played it cool, but in reality it felt like her stomach was on fire. what was more nerve wracking? sunghoon calling her pretty? or him being shy about it.

the two went their separate ways after an hour of banter and a trip down memory lane. they both were quite nervous to meet again, but their worries were put to rest once they actually spoke to each other. as much as chaerin hates to admit it, she's glad that she reconnected with him as if nothing happened. she did harbor resentment towards him, but his warm smile towards her melted her once ice cold heart. 

[aectpen]

STRAWBERRY ✯ 𝙕𝙃𝘼𝙉𝙂 𝙃𝘼𝙊!

m.list

synopsis: 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐥

pairing: Zhang Hao of ZB1 and fem!oc

status: ongoing

chapter 13: texts go green

what had she done.

ever since he hung up on her, he never contacted her again. no good night, no good morning, nothing. rina never saw him angry, but she could imagine that he was angry with her right now. she stared at her phone hoping for a response to her slew of "i'm sorry, let's talk about this" texts, but he didn't budge.

she watched their new music video and stages with a heavy heart. she left likes and texted him how well he did, still nothing. she scrolled through the blue boxes hoping she'd feel her phone vibrate in her hand.

throughout her shift, she watched the door with a glint of hope that he would come by. even if he didn't talk to her she just wanted to see him. she didn't even care about hyemi or haemin at this point, she was scared of genuinely losing hao.

when rina is drowning in anxiety, she makes rash decisions. she just wants the angst to go away by any means necessary. but, once she is faced with real life consequences, it all becomes clear to her. call it dramatic, but she never had a relationship. she had no idea how her behavior would ruin it all until she experienced it.

for the next couple of days, rina gave hao space. she not once looked at the delivered messages, she left zero voicemails. her feelings remained strong, but she put herself in his shoes. she truly messed up. if he had done the same to her, she would feel terrible.

she did her best to give him space, but she wanted to send him a good night text to test her luck.

do you know what's worse than no response?

a green text.

rina practically jumped from her bed when she saw her goodnight message accompanied with a lime green bubble.

maybe he just got a new phone that happens to be an android..

but her posted a mirror selfie with his iphone this morning.

"this can't be real," rina furrowed her brows in disbelief.

hao had blocked rina's contact.

if it wasn't over before, it's over now.

with no way to contact hao, rina had to let it go now. she didn't realize how much he took over her life until he was completely out of it. he was the first thing on her mind in the morning, and the last thing on her mind at night. every time she saw something online she liked, she would send it to him.

without him in her life, she went back to her bleak pre-i'm dating a super hot idol life, but now she had no friends to make it less bleak. she went to work, and went straight home to bed. if she wasn't working, she was sleeping. a dangerous routine that slipped her straight into depression. she thought she had nothing to look forward to, so she slept most of the time. then she felt horrible about sleeping most of the time and wasting her day away.

rina had an earlier shift, so she was able to go home in the afternoon. she dragged her feet miserably on her way home.

"you look like shit," haemin sounded amused at her state.

"why must you be such a pest in my life, genuinely." rina didn't stop walking.

"are you guys seriously over?" hyemi asked

"leave me alone."

"come on, what happened." haemin playfully nudged her.

"leave me the fuck alone." rina pushed her away harshly.

"what the fuck is your problem?" hyemi got in rina's face.

"what is my problem? are you two fucking insane? get away from me." she pushed past them.

"we told you to get us information a month ago and here we are. that's not so polite is it?" hyemi pulled rina's arm back.

rina clenched her fist and swung her free arm square in hyemi's face. a few "ohs" could be heard in the distance.

"is this bitch crazy?" haemin lunged at rina, pushing her onto the hard, cold pavement. hyemi took this as an opportunity to hit her back, again, and again, and again as haemin held her down.

an older man pulled the two off of rina. a couple of people kept asking her if she was okay, but there was a frog in her throat. a mixture of tears and blood stained her face. the concern of a bunch of strangers only made her feel worse, so she just nodded and rushed home.

gyuvin, gunwook, and their manager returned home with groceries. gyuvin and gunwook seemed to be reenacting a fight playfully.

"and then she was like 'what the fuck is your problem'" gyuvin waved his finger around, he was telling his members all about the fight their manager broke up.

"no, she was like 'bitch i'll kill you'" gunwook pulled out an imaginary knife, dramatizing the scene.

"but you know what was crazy, she looked exactly like rina." gyuvin added nonchalantly.

hao wasn't paying attention to their story until his ears perked up at a familiar name.

"look at how he just jumped from hearing her name, he's still hooked." ricky laughed.

"i'm not, i just haven't heard of her in a while. she's not the type to be fighting in the street though." hao shrugged.

"that girl was barely fighting, she got jumped." gunwook clarified.

now hao couldn't shrug away the worry.

once rina got home, she slid down the door and let the tears fall. sure she has cried about the situation, but this time she felt like she couldn’t breathe. even when she lost him, there was still no peace. even when there were no tears left to cry, she stayed silent, holding her position.

her quiet atmosphere was interrupted by three knocks on the door she leaned on.

“who is it?” she tried her best to yell.

“come on rina.”

she immediately jumped up from her position to open the door. she didn’t even think of her current appearance or the mess in her apartment.

“hao,” she thought her eyes were out of tears, but the sight of him caused her eyes to water.

“they really did this to you?” he walked into her apartment and closed the door behind him.

“i’m sorry hao. for everything.”

“you’ve apologized enough, i just came to see if it was really you.”

“what?”

“gunwook and gyuvin saw a girl that looked like you in a fight, so i came to see if it was you.”

“and that’s all? you could’ve texted me.” rina’s high hopes were once again crushed.

“i didn’t want to text you, i wanted to see you.”

“hao, i really don’t get it.” she didn’t understand his mixed signals.

“i still care about you a lot. i came to see if you were okay. if i texted you, you would just say that you’re fine when you’re not.” he rummaged through her cabinets for alcohol wipes.

“its only some bruising and minor cuts, i will be okay.” she sat on the counter next to him.

“see, you’re always acting like everything is good. it’s not normal to be beat up by two girls in broad daylight.” he titled her face to examine the damage. he took the alcohol wipes and cleaned up her face, applying bandaids to the scuffs on her arms.

an awkward silence engulfed them, something that they weren’t familiar with.

“i thought i would never see you again.” rina broke the silence.

“yeah, me neither.”

“i was having a hard time dealing with the fact that it’s over. when you blocked my contact, i was like damn.”

“that was really childish of me to do, i just didn’t want to see your messages because they made me feel horrible.” hao admitted.

“it’s crazy that this was all avoidable if i was just honest about it, but i just didn’t want to bother you. i hate bothering people by introducing yet another stress to their life.”

“but i’m not just any person, we should work things out together and not alone.”

“i understand that now, but you being seen with me would have such a bad impact on your career that i felt guilty. and that you’d be better off without me having the potential to tarnish your reputation.”

“i would rather be with you with that possibility than without you. i really love you and i wish you’d value that love over possible outcomes.” hao didn’t even realize that was the first time he said it.

“i love you too.” rina wrapped her arms around his torso.

they remained in the hug for what felt like hours. neither of them knew where it will go from here, but they both knew they are better off with each other.

[aectpen]

STRAWBERRY ✯ 𝙕𝙃𝘼𝙉𝙂 𝙃𝘼𝙊!

m.list

synopsis: 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐥

pairing: Zhang Hao of ZB1 and fem!oc

status: ongoing

chapter 12: we don't talk anymore

that evening, rina bid farewell to hao without discussing the confrontation she had with hyemi and haemin. she avoided contemplating the potential consequences of her actions, realizing that no positive outcome seemed likely. despite her certainty that she would never reveal confidential information to them, she remained on the fence about the possibility of cutting contact with him.

hao observed a shift in her demeanor that evening. it appeared as though her thoughts were elsewhere. whenever he attempted to approach her, she withdrew. each time he asked her about her well-being, she simply shrugged. she longed to confide in him, but with his packed schedule, she hesitated to burden him further. despite his numerous commitments, he chose to dedicate his free day to her, and she was reluctant to spoil it for him.

it had been three weeks since they had last seen each other. rina continued working at the store, while hao fulfilled his idol duties. they texted each other the mandatory good morning and good night, without any teasing or jokes like they usually did. it started with rina's texts getting dry as she had something else in mind, then it became intentional.

on hao's end, he interpreted it as her losing interest in the relationship. he blamed his idol schedule for keeping him away from her. no matter how many times he asked her what was wrong, she assured him that she was fine and everything was okay. he never believed her, but he left it alone.

as for haemin and hyemi, they were frustrated with the state of the two's relationship. they couldn't get any dirt on hao if rina wasn't seeing him. they left rina alone in hopes of her thinking they weren't keeping an eye on her, but they got nothing from it.

"rina," hao spoke through the phone. he gave rina a call while she walked home from work.

"hi hao, what are you doing tonight?"

"nothing, you?"

"nothing."

the line was silent for a moment. "great, i'll come to your apartment."

"no!" rina responded a little too fast.

hao tried to mask the lump in his throat with a sly comment, "you got a guy over, or what?"

"hao, don't you have your comeback showcase tomorrow? you should rest well."

"rina, seriously what is wrong? did i do something bad? please tell me so i can fix it." he sounded devastated.

"you didn't do anything wrong. i'll explain it to you, but i don't think now is the right time. you shouldn't be stressed." rina's heart ached for him. she didn't know that he blamed himself for her actions.

"be honest with me. just because i'm an idol doesn't mean any conflict in my life will make my head explode. stop treating me different." hao struggled to not raise his voice.

rina stayed quiet for a while. this is exactly what she didn't want.

"we can't see each other in person for now, we have to be careful."

"why? did someone figure us out?"

"it's haemin and her friend, and they threatened to expose us if i don't give her information. i didn't want to tell you because i thought i should just handle it myself."

"how would you even handle it yourself? why wouldn't you just tell me this in the first place?"

the thing is, rina could ask herself that same question. if there's one thing she hated the most in life, it was conflict. the moment haemin and hyemi brought conflict to their relationship, she felt like it was over. she couldn't handle the anxiety of maintaining a relationship with a popular idol, especially now when there is people close to her trying to take them down.

"i don't want you to have problems, that's all," her voice just above a whisper.

"were you going to break up with me?"

rina didn't want to answer that question, it was quite obvious she was pulling away to soften the blow, she just didn't want to admit it. admitting it would make her come to terms with the fact that she was never ready for this relationship in the first place. she would also have to admit that she is not always rational.

"i guess i'll take your silence as a yes." and with that, he hung up on her.

[aectpen]

STRAWBERRY ✯ 𝙕𝙃𝘼𝙉𝙂 𝙃𝘼𝙊!

m.list

synopsis: 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐥

pairing: Zhang Hao of ZB1 and fem!oc

status: ongoing

chapter 11: deal

the next day, rina woke up to a slew of good morning messages to hao. 

haohao 🐼:

good morninggg nanabear

10:15am

good morning?

i rlly pulled out that cringey nickname for u

and this is how you repay me ?

11:00am

even he was weirded tf out..

12:15pm

you better be dreaming abt me

12:45pm

riri 🐼

i was dreaming abt juyeon actually 😘

good morning haohaobear 

that doesn’t sound as cute as nanabear

haohao 🐼

yeah you're sick

and it’s afternoon now idk if you know this yet

riri 🐼

wrdgaf

what are you doing today?

haohao 🐼

im literally about to die of boredom

i kept scrolling youtube and got to the point where i’m watching a honey

badger fight off a bunch of lions

riri 🐼

you know what would make your day better?

haohao 🐼

hmm idk humor me

riri 🐼

buying breakfast and bringing it to meeeee

haohao 🐼

you're gonna give me a house tour?

riri 🐼

house is a strong word

it would take one 360 spin and you're done!

haohao 🐼

send me the address and i’ll be there asap 

riri 🐼

this is why you’re my favorite person on the planet kinda

rina sprang up from her bed, eager to get ready to see hao. she may or may not have hastily stuffed everything in sight into her closet to create the illusion of cleanliness. when he said "asap," he meant it. in the midst of fixing her hair in front of the mirror, the doorbell buzzed.

"who is it?" she teased.

through the peephole, she could see his amused expression. "vogue 73 questions."

the moment she opened the door she yanked him in roughly.

“are you trying to dislocate my shoulder?” he pouted.

“my neighbor is on the balcony.” she closed the door behind him.

“you’re acting like i’m beyonce. i promise you the grandma living next to you has not a clue who i am.” he plopped on her couch, laying out the breakfast on the coffee table. 

the two shared a meal while binge watching dramas. "watching" might not be the most accurate term; they chatted incessantly, offering commentary on every single scene. they were the kind of people you should never go to the movies with—they'd talk your ears off, sounding more like characters themselves than the ones on screen.

as they progressed through the episodes, they found themselves gradually edging closer on the couch. each thought they were slyly shifting a millimeter every ten seconds. eventually, they both scooted over at the same time, resulting in them turning to each other and bursting into laughter at their synchronized stupidity.

“you thought you were slick,” rina laughed at hao’s shocked face.

“me? you were doing the same thing!” he poked her side.

he gave in to his wants and snaked his arm around her, snuggling into the crook of her neck. even peppering faint, feathery kisses on her collarbone.

“hao, are you trying to put me into cardiac arrest?” rina whined.

as his kisses ventured lower, rina’s doorbell buzzed unexpectedly. they looked at each other confused as she wasn’t expecting anyone.

peering through the peephole, she was met with haemin and hyemi waving at her. she quickly turned to how and signaled him to go hide in her room. she opened the door just enough for her to stick her head out, “can i help you?”

haemin pushed the door open, “i thought we could all hang out.” she looked like she was looking for something, more specifically someone.

rina watched them make their way to the couch and tried to sneakily kick hao’s shoes out of sight.

“big breakfast?” hyemi snarked.

“can you guys come another time? i’m planning to go out right now.” rina knew she shouldn’t piss them off given what they know about her.

“where? can we tag along?” 

haemin was almost a whole new person—someone that was one the sweetest best friend rina could ask for turned into somewhat of a mean girl. it was totally out of her character. it truly doesn’t take much for a friendship to turn sour.

“okay, i’m not going anywhere. what is this about?” 

“is there a reason you don’t want us here?” haemin tilted her head with a mocking tone evident in her voice.

“what do you want from me. we all know what this is about; let’s not play dumb.”

“i have a deal for you,” hyemi walked closer to rina “get me jebewon’s phone numbers and address, and i won’t spill the beans about your little relationship.”

rina looked at the girls incredulously. she knew they had bad intentions but this crossed so many lines. haemin was always a big fan of idols, but never displayed sasaeng behaviors. this revelation was a punch to the gut for rina. it always hurts when someone you know so well proves that you didn’t know their true nature

“you don’t even have proof of anything.” she forced out a nervous chuckle.

“you think we don’t know about your park dates? could you be any sloppier?” an insulting tone laced in haemin’s words. “i know he’s in your room, you are so predictable, rina.”

“what would you even do with the phone numbers and address? they could easily change their numbers, and they have security.”

“we could sell information on them,” hyemi chimed in “it’s your choice, you wouldn’t want to see your baby boy get hate, would you?”

“text me your decision, or we’ll do what we have to do.” haemin said before the two finally left.

rina walked over to her room to see hao fast asleep on her bed, she could’ve sworn they only talked for five minutes. she sat next to him and smiled at his cute expression—eyebrows furrowed his lips slightly parted. however, her smile faded once she realized the choice she had to make. how could she possibly win in that situation? she knew the difficulties that would come with dating an idol, but she didn’t know those difficulties would arise from her supposed best friend.

she looked out her windows and doors to see if haemin and hyemi were watching her. she wouldn’t put it past them to do a stakeout for blackmail.

should we just stop seeing each other? she thought to herself. she didn’t want it to come to this, but she felt a great sense of guilt. dating scandals can very well ruin images. she didn’t want to be a source of stress and trouble for him and his group. all these thoughts caused tears to well up in her eyes and soon stream down her face. she didn’t want to lose him, but she didn’t want to hurt his livelihood. i can’t tell him about this.

[aectpen]

STRAWBERRY ✯ 𝙕𝙃𝘼𝙉𝙂 𝙃𝘼𝙊!

m.list

synopsis: 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐥

pairing: Zhang Hao of ZB1 and fem!oc

status: ongoing

chapter 10: she knows

as he had promised, hao secured a front-row ticket to the concert for rina. he chose to deliver it discreetly during her shift at the convenience store, which happened to be at its busiest. whenever these two met in even mildly crowded environments, their behavior became unbelievably suspicious. one might assume that the ticket he was passing to her was a bag of cocaine.

as Rina sat, waiting for the concert to start, she couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. the only other time she had attended a fan event featuring him was when she didn't realize they were acquainted. now, with that knowledge in mind, she felt somewhat awkward sitting with a group of people who were enthusiastically gushing about seeing jebewon. When it came to him, her excitement made her feel a bit jittery.

"hey! do you bias zhang hao?" the girl next to her asked, holding out a zhang hao banner.

"no!" rina replied promptly. her nervousness made her feel as though almost everyone was onto them, even though in reality, only haemin and his fellow group members were privy to their relationship.

the girl gave her a quizzical look. "i just assumed he was your bias since you have his photocard." 

rina hesitated for a moment, then scratched the back of her neck. "oh, yeah, i guess i do like him, yeah." she accepted the banner with a slight smile.

once zerobaseone took the stage, rina tried not to seem too excited. she knew dating an idol wasn't easy, and that there's always a possibility of someone connecting the dots. but 30 seconds in she realized she was about as relevant as an needle in a haystack. and decided to enjoy herself.

several of the group members, including hao, made their way over to her side of the stage to engage with the audience. rina couldn't help but smile and wave with the same enthusiasm as the people around her. she knew that once he had his phone in hand, she wouldn't hear the end of it from him.

hao scanned the area, searching for his girlfriend as he mentally tallied the seats, committing the number on her ticket to memory. when he reached her seat, he immediately noticed the expression on her face. she gazed back at him with a look that clearly conveyed, "i know you were searching for me, you're not slick."

hao playfully formed hearts for the crowd while keeping unbroken eye contact with rina, even adding a few winks for good measure.

"am i dreaming, or is he looking directly at me?" the girl next to her nudged and whispered.

"yeah, totally!" rina laughed.

after the concert was over, rina waited around the venue lobby scrolling though her phone. she wanted to leave when the area cleared up.

"rina?" she recognized that voice instantly. 

"hey," she forced a smile, still feeling a bit miffed about being brushed off earlier. 

"i didn't see you. you must've been far back," haemin chuckled. 

"no, actually, i was far front," she replied, mustering another smile. rina waited for haemin to introduce the friend she had brought along. 

"oh, this is hyemi. hyemi, meet rina," haemin introduced the two.

"nice to meet you! i’m going to the bathroom," hyemi excused herself, leaving them alone. 

"so," haemin began, her tone tinged with a hint of bitterness, "are you sticking around to be with him?" 

rina sensed the tension and decided not to delve into this topic. "i'm just waiting for it to get less crowded, that's all. why do you ask?" 

"nothing, i just assumed you might be staying back to be with him," haemin replied just as hyemi rejoined them. 

rina fell silent, not wanting to discuss her relationship with Haemin present.

"it's okay; she knows," haemin assured, putting her arm around hyemi.

 "she knows what?" rina knew for a fact she couldn't mean what she thought she meant.

"about you and zhang hao." haemin whispered

rina felt tears welling up in her eyes. if you had told her just a few months ago that she would be in this situation, she would have thought you were crazy. she couldn't fathom why haemin would disclose this to someone, especially someone she couldn't tell from a can of paint. the secrecy of dating an idol was challenging on its own, but having people she couldn't trust aware of it made the situation a thousand times more difficult to conceal. haemin's actions now confirmed her initial hesitation to reveal her friendship with hao.

"i don't understand," her voice just barely above a whisper.

"your secret is safe with me." hyemi winked.

unable to handle the information, she simply walked away from them. who knew such a  short interaction would cause such stress.

"rina!" haemin called after her. 

she turned back, her expression still visibly annoyed. 

"goodbye!" hyemi chimed in this time.

later that night, rina craved solitude as she wallowed in her own sorrows. her best friend had betrayed her trust, and it was difficult to comprehend. she couldn't believe she had ever felt guilty about not confiding in haemin about the fact that "strawberry" was, in fact, zhang hao. She had hoped for a typical relationship with him, but now she'd have to be even more discreet.

[facetime] haohao

before accepting the call, rina swiftly wiped away her tears and patted her face.

"hey, baby!" he exclaimed with a wide, beaming smile.

"so, we're using pet names now?" rina chuckled.

 her lighthearted tone couldn't conceal her true condition from hao. 

"what's wrong?" he observed her puffy eyes and hoarse voice.

"nothing's wrong, baby."

"i won't stop asking," he persisted.

"it's just haemin, it's nothing." she shrugged. "she's just been pissing me off lately. let's talk about something else."

"okay, okay. how about we talk about you jumping up and down with a zhang hao banner." hao looked up as if he was recalling something.

"um, no! you  must have me mistaken with somebody else." she shook her head. "i think i saw you making heart eyes at this one girl in the crowd, though. if i remember correctly. "

"you got me there. there was this really hot girl in the crowd and had to stop and stare." he pursed his lips.

rina laughed at his whole bit. "now i do admit i kinda liked this dude named zhang hao. he is talented, cute,  and thoughtful. i just couldn't resist."

"what are you smiling at?" someone called out from behind hao's phone. they swiped his phone and ran away while hao chased them.

"hey! give me my phone!" he shouted, trailing close behind the culprit. the person must have locked themselves in a room.

the person revealed themself to be gunwook with taerae and yujin. 

"hi rina!" yujin waved with a grin.

"so this is hao's girlfriend." taerae emphasized the word girlfriend with a playful tone.

"you are way out of his league." gunwook laughed.

"well nice to meet you too." rina gave an air handshake. rina was amused by the cries in the background from hao begging for his phone back. "i think you guys should give his phone back, he might die."

once he got his phone back he showered her with apologies. "i am so sorry you had to endure that, those little brats."

"i think they're adorable." she poked out her bottom lip.

"traitor!" he crossed his arms.

the two continued their friendly banter throughout the night, drifting off to the sound of each other's breathing. by the night's end, rina had completely pushed her encounter with haemin and hyemi out of her mind. hao had a way of reminding her that they were the only ones who truly mattered in their relationship. despite the potential risks, she had no intention of letting fear of others discovering their relationship come between them.

[aectpen]

𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 ❆ 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐍

m.list

pairing: sunghoon x ex figure skater->idol!fem oc

synopsis: 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧'𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐲 𝐤𝐩𝐨𝐩 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩, 𝐤𝐚𝐲���, 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐇𝐘𝐁𝐄.

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬.

chapter two: kayo

the girls had been called to an urgent group meeting to "discuss the group's future." the five girls; chaerin, haru, sujin, zena, and jie, painfully anticipated disbandment news. they debuted a year ago, but failed to reach any feats worth mentioning. they always did their absolute best, but in the saturated kpop market, they were just a fish in the sea.

the door swung open, immediately silencing the murmurs of the girls. three men in suits walked in alongside their CEO and manager. the atmosphere was heavy. their sadness was replaced by confusion. if they were supposed to disband, why were there new people here?

"i know you all must've been confused and shock." the girls nodded profusely. "but hopefully our news makes you excited." the once tense atmosphere became hopeful. their furrowed eyebrows relaxed to their original state. "first of all i have to introduce myself, i am a director from hybe labels."

"there's actually no way." haru whispered to jie.

"i am pleased to announce that as of today, kayo is now the newest edition to the hybe family!"

slowly, the initial shock transforms into smiles that spread across the faces of the members. the girls hold each other's hands tight in gratitude. they had a steep disadvantage coming from a new, unknown company. this is exactly what they needed to make it.

"we have taken a significant liking towards your group and believe that your talents deserve a bigger audience."

the rest of the meeting described the transition to the hybe company building and a brand new dorm. the acquisition came with many benefits. they currently had to share a small 2 bedroom apartment. the new dorm would give all of them their very own room. it was all a dream come true.

[★BREAKING: HYBE Acquires Small Agency Knock Out Entertainment Home To Girl Group KAYO]

the news spread quickly. the label held an amalgamation of different fandoms. millions of people viewed the headline and took an interest in why they would be bought in the first place.  many of them wondering if they'll be able to sit at the same table as hybe girl groups. some people checked out their music and immediately declared themselves stans.

they went out to celebrate with a meal that night. they couldn't possibly eat an ordinary meal at the cramped apartment with such joyful thoughts on their mind.

"i don't think i could act normal. imagine going to the bathroom and running into fucking le sserafim." jie is thee biggest yunjin fan.

zena elegantly lifted her pinky while taking a sip. "you're gonna need to tone down that language when we're there. we're expected to play the part of sophistication," she emphasized in a posh accent.

"you literally cuss every other word. it'll probably be the hardest for you. i for one am naturally a class act you should strive to be me." haru said.

sujin couldn't help but scoff. "i know you're not talking, haru. beomgyu will file a restraining order on you the moment you step foot in that building."

meanwhile, chaerin absentmindedly scrolled through Twitter, looking people's reactions to their group joining hybe. her attention was drawn to a trending post where her name was boldly highlighted.

[guys apparently chaerin from kayo is the girl from sunghoon's pre debut pics]

hooniesboo: so she was a figure skater?

uppersidedream1n: people r saying they were partners

starryikeu: wait that's kinda crazy that they ended up under the same company

jjongwonie: kinda hope they talk about it im nosy asl

as chaerin scrolled through the comments, a rush of old memories enveloped her, triggered by the images of her and sunghoon over the years. among them was a cherished selfie, snapped after they won gold together.

upon receiving the news initially, she couldn't help but feel elated, recognizing that this opportunity is not granted to everyone. as the leader, she wanted to keep the upbeat mood, hyping up the celebratory actions of the girls.

on the inside, her stomach was churning. when she chose to become a trainee, she hoped she would never come face-to-face with him. she was reluctant for him to see that she had opted for the same journey that had once left her heartbroken when he chose it. she didn't want the old feelings of betrayal to come back.

enhypen's presence was inescapable. their music echoed through their dorm, their faces adorned ads, social media, and tv screens. chaerin avoided going into the shared history she so desperately wanted to bury. each glimpse of his face reignited visions of a universe where their paths hadn't split into two. in this perfect world, they'd be standing together at the olympics, triumphantly biting that gold.

now, chaerin found herself yearning for him to forget about her. she had no desire to unravel the complexities of their past. awkward greetings and uncomfortable exchanges were the last things she wanted. she wished for a silent understanding. for him to ignore her, and for her to ignore him. four years had passed, and they were strangers now. yet, despite the time that has past, it felt as if his apology lingered in the air, as fresh as if it had been uttered just yesterday.

[aectpen]

cool in my book - loser sung hanbin x boxer reader

m.list

pairing: sung hanbin x fem!reader

synopsis: reader helps hanbin get revenge on his bully

words: 1.3k

you were doing your usual routine of roaming the halls during the lunch period at school. you told yourself it was calming, and you didn’t need to spend lunch with anyone. but it was because you kinda, no not kinda, you literally had no friends. 

you weren’t friendless in a “oh she’s so shy, i feel horrible for her” way. people thought you were mean and intimidating off of the first glance. sure, you did play into it with your not so nice attitude. getting yourself into plenty of fights, but hey it was always their fault.

you could hear whimpering coming from around the corner. you contemplated walking in the other direction, not wanting to go by them. but, your curiosity got the best of you. who was crying? you wanted to be nosey and guess what happened to them.

once you turned the corner and caught sight of who it was, you stopped in your tracks. the boy from your math class. why would someone have a problem with him? he only comes to school to do his work. he has a reputation of being the quiet, nice guy.

he glanced up at you, his nose and lips smeared with blood, clutching his stomach in pain. while you were known for being quite mean, you weren't immune to moments of vulnerability. seeing his quivering lips and his tear stained cheeks evoked an unavoidable sense of guilt.

after debating on walking away from him, you finally decided to help him, dragging him to the nurse’s office. you sat next to him while the nurse gave him an ice pack and returned to her desk.

 “you could come in with a gun shot wound and they’ll give you frozen vegetables.” you commented, earning a faint giggle from him. “who did that to you?”

“you can just go now.” he looked away.

“come on, i won’t judge.” you nudged him.

“yoon jihyun.”

you looked at him in disbelief. “you’re telling me you let that scrawny ass boy beat you up?” 

“hey! you said you wouldn’t judge!”

“okay, i’m sorry. but why would he do that?” you couldn't help but wonder how he managed to find himself in such a situation when he had his nose buried in a textbook 99.9% of the time.

he scratched the back of his head. “well, i said no to cheating on a test for him.”

“come on.” you pulled him up from the chair.

“where are we going?” he jerked his arm back.

raising an eyebrow, you replied. “we’re gonna jump him.”

“i don’t know who you think i am, but i don’t do that stuff.”

“okay, whatever. meet me right after school at the front gate.”

he wasted no time, practically sprinting to the school entrance the moment classes ended. he didn't have the slightest idea about your intentions, but he had no intention of either wasting your time or incurring your wrath.

"good, you're on time. i like that," you commented casually as you walked right past him.

he trailed closely behind. "where are you taking me?"

"you just love asking questions. what's your name?" you inquired.

"sung hanbin."

"my name is—" you began, but he interrupted.

"yn. everyone knows your name."

"now, can you tell me where we're going? this is the opposite direction of my house, and i have to get home to study," he said, glancing at you as you cranked up the music blaring in your headphones.

you finally disclosed the destination to him once you were down the street from it, nudging him to get his attention.

"a gym? i really don't have time for a workout," he said, considering walking away.

"next time you let him beat you like that, he'll do far worse than leave you with cat scratches and a belly ache," you reasoned. "i'm a boxer, i can teach you a thing or two about fighting back."

upon arriving at the gym, you guided him to the octagon. "take it all off," you instructed, gesturing to his school uniform.

"all of it?" he felt a slight blush tinting his cheeks.

“no, dipshit. leave some room for imagination.” you began putting on sweatpants and discarding your dress shirt and blazer.

he hesitantly took off his dress shirt, shoes, and blazer. “seriously, are you gonna beat me up next?”

he sounded extremely genuine. you couldn't help but laugh.

the rest of the afternoon was dedicated to teaching him various fighting techniques, but you noticed his gentleness. he wasn't a terrible fighter; he simply held back, unwilling to inflict harm on anyone.

“i don’t want to hurt you!” he held his bands behind his back.

“hanbin, i’m asking you to throw a punch. it doesn’t have to connect” you pulled his arms from behind him.

“but what if it does, then you start bleeding. then you’ll hate me.” he pouted.

hanbin’s mannerisms did warm your heart. at least there was still good people out in the world.

after the training session, you sprawled out on the floor, munching on a granola bar. rolling over, you glanced at hanbin, who sat there with his tank top clinging to his skin, his hair damp, and his gaze fixed on the wall. you had to admit, he looked hot. the school uniform certainly didn't do him justice.

you were oblivious to the fact that he had returned your steady gaze, your eyes moving over his biceps and tracing the veins that snaked up his hands.

"is there something on my face?" he asked in a soft tone.

you couldn't help but laugh at the striking contrast. "if our classmates saw you like this, they'd be all over you," you remarked boldly.

he scratched his head, asking, "is that a good or bad thing?"

you stared at him in disbelief. "i've never met someone simultaneously so smart and dumb, sung hanbin. i was saying that you look really attractive."

“oh! thank you,” a wide smile spreading on his face. “i mean, you’re really.. pretty.” he awkwardly looked away from you, twiddling his thumbs.

the next day, during the lunch period, you concocted a plan to get revenge on jihyun for hurting hanbin. after spending the day with him, you only felt more angry that he left hanbin crying in the hallway.

"wait right here," you instructed as you left hanbin in an empty room.

"sure thing," he replied, taking a seat at one of the desks.

you walked to the cafeteria and scanned it for jihyun, quickly hearing his loud voice. “jihyun! can i talk to you for a second?” 

surprisingly, jihyun followed you to the classroom where hanbin was waiting. he pointed at hanbin and asked, "what's this about?"

you rested your hands on your hips. "i'm giving you a chance to apologize to him."

“since when did you of all people become mother theresa.” he laughed. “and you. don’t you feel embarrassed? you can’t handle your stuff like a man? don’t make me bitch you again.”

“don’t talk to him like that,” you punched him square in the jaw.

he looked at you with pure anger before lunging straight at you. pushing you against a desk.

but before his fist could connect, hanbin held his arm back and forced him to the ground. jihyun tried getting up, but hanbin repeatedly punched him. 

you stood off to the side wanting to stop him from sending jihyun to the hospital, but you were highkey impressed. he definitely always had that in him. 

hanbin stopped once jihyun stopped fighting back.

“damn, hanbin. not bad.” you held out your fist.

“i’m telling the principal. i’m getting him expelled!” jihyun cried out.

you saw a flash of panic on hanbin’s face. the last thing he wanted was to get in trouble in school. did you corrupt him?

“you’re not gonna get in trouble,” you reassured him. “i’ll take the blame.”

“no, you can’t. it’s my fault you’re in this mess anyway.”

“my highest grade is a D+. i don't think they’ll lose sleep if i get into another scuffle."

“you people make me sick.” jihyun held his nose and ran out the room.

you two laughed at his dramatic reaction. 

“hanbin, you’re cool in my book.” 

“you were always cool in my book.” he responded.

[aectpen]

𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 ❆ 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐍

m.list

pairing: sunghoon x ex figure skater->idol!fem oc

synopsis: 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧'𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐲 𝐤𝐩𝐨𝐩 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩, 𝐤𝐚𝐲𝐨, 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐇𝐘𝐁𝐄.

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬.

chapter one: prologue

with chaerin and sunghoon finishing up their routine at practice, the only sound heard is their blades gliding across the smooth ice. the two worked together like oreos and milk. their coach always said that they were a package deal. they complemented each other so well that it was almost fate that they were partners.

"sunghoon, that was the best we've ever done." chaerin handed him his water bottle. she was always extra proud and showered sunghoon with complements.

he only nodded but something didn't feel quite right to chaerin. like he was hesitating. sunghoon was usually talkative after practice and very boastful. he always said that he would become the best male figure skater to come out of south korea.

"is there something wrong?" she could always tell when he was holding back something. it was usually when he would have fresh gossip from his school.

sunghoon takes a deep breath. "this is my last day."

"yeah sure. you play too much." she chuckled and brushed it off as a joke, continuing to take off her ice skates.

"I'm sorry, chaerin." his voice sincere.

she stopped what she was doing and turned to face him. she tried to read his expression, all she could see was genuine apologetic eyes. she could feel her chest tighten.

"i really am sorry, chaerin. i don't know what else to say." he rubbed his face.

"we had plans, sunghoon! we're supposed to make it to the olympics. i don't understand." her tone a mix of anger, sadness and confusion.

"i wanted that for us too, but i got an opportunity. i could be an idol. i want to take it now before it's too late and i regret not pursuing it." he held this from her in fear of her reaction to the news.

chaerin stayed silent for a while before asking, "how long did you want to quit?"

"for a while now. i don't find enjoyment in it anymore. it's like a chore, not a hobby or passion."

each of his words were like tiny daggers, stabbing her heart one by one. she thought they were having fun together, all of those four years. her favorite part of her days was meeting sunghoon at practice and showing him her newest trick. he would always try to replicate it, and fail miserably.

she couldn't envision working with a new partner.

"sunghoon! mom said it's time to go!" his sister shouted from the entrance.

"you're really leaving, aren't you?"

he slowly rose from next to her. "i'm really sorry, chaerin. i hope you can understand. you will do great with or without me."

sunghoon walked away and never looked back. leaving chaerin alone in the crisp ice rink. her tears slid down her face like an icy waterfall.

she caressed the blue beaded bracelet around her wrist. her and sunghoon had made good luck bracelets together with their initials.

the ice rink, once a place of shared hopes and dreams, transformed into a desolate, depressing setting.

the moment sunghoon got up and walked away, chaerin fell out of love with ice skating.

[aectpen]

zb1's reaction to you "forgetting" their birthday

(kim jiwoong, zhang hao, kim gyuvin)

김지웅

Returning home after a long morning at work, you found Jiwoong sprawled on the couch in a simple t-shirt and sweatpants, engrossed in his favorite drama.

"Hey, baby," you greeted him, taking a seat beside him. He responded by casually draping his arm around your shoulders, pulling you in closer. 

As moments passed, you couldn't help but side-eye him. It was undeniably December 14th, and you had a surprise date night all set for him. You waited, anticipating him to bring up his birthday, but he made no mention of it.

You hoped he would feel a bit miffed about not receiving a shower of birthday wishes. "Erm, aren't you forgetting something?" you inquired, turning to face him.

"Are you referring to my birthday?" he chuckled in response. You stared at him dumbfounded. “It’s okay, I don’t really care about my birthday like that.”

“Well your first mistake was dating me if you don’t care about your birthday,” you retorted. The second someone told you the day they were born, they should expect you to go all out for them on their special day.

You settled onto his lap, showering his face with kisses, punctuating each one with a "happy birthday."

"Thank you, y/n," he responded, giving your lips a gentle peck.

"Thank you? This isn't even the beginning," you teased.

章昊

You and Hao were well-known for being night owls, with 3 AM being the prime time of the day for both of you. Whether it was watching shows or playing games, you two were always up late.

On this specific night, it happened to be the eve of Hao's birthday. As the clock approached 11:59 PM, there was a noticeable shift in Hao's demeanor. He grew quiet, and as the seconds inched closer to 12:00, he became even more silent. Once the clock struck midnight, he finally decided, "You know, y/n, I think I'm going to call it a night and head to bed." His cute pout making it’s way to his mouth.

You watched as he sulked around the room, waiting for you to ask what’s wrong. What he didn’t know was that you were enjoying teasing him. A brand new violin with his name engraved on it sitting in the closet with a bow on it.

“Hao? Could you fetch my pink fluffy socks from the closet, pretty please?” You batted your eyelashes, eagerly waiting on his reaction.

“Okay…” He dragged his feet. “Do you really not have anything to say to me?”

“What’s got you in a mood? I can get my socks myself.” You pretended to get up.

He put up his hand. “Whatever.”

You positioned yourself to witness him discovering the present. However, he only picked up your pink socks and handed them to you. Raising an eyebrow, you couldn't help but find it amusing that the violin case with a big bow on it seemed so overlooked by him.

As he sat on the bed next to you, sighing audibly, you couldn't help but find his attempt to get you to acknowledge his birthday incredibly adorable. “Hao, baby, I can’t keep this up much longer,” you scooted closer to him. He only frowned at you. “You really think me of all people would forget the international holiday that is the Zhang Hao’s womb banishment?”

His frown was replaced by a wide smile. “I knew you could never forget. I don’t know how much longer I could’ve sulked around.”

You grabbed his hand and lead him back to the closet. “I can’t believe you missed this, baby.” You picked up the violin case and handed it to him.

He opened up the case and began to tear up. “I’ve wanted this for so long. You know me so well.” He engulfed you in a tight hug, nuzzling his face in your neck.

김규빈

You decided to pull a prank on Gyuvin by intentionally ignoring his birthday until he showed signs of being annoyed. However, you should have anticipated that he wouldn't let it slide for even a second.

The instant the clock struck 12, he hit you with, "You're fake, wow." He dramatically clutched his chest. "I can't believe I trusted you. So, I've been sitting at the table with the enemy all this time? My heart is cracking. Can you hear that?" He mimicked the sound of a crack for added theatrical effect.

"Gyu—" you began, but he quickly cut you off. "And to think that I was going to spend my special day with a villain like you."

"Are you done yet?" You laughed at his act. "Were you going for an Oscar?"

"You should've told me 'happy birthday' at 11:59:59 PM. This is unacceptable!"

"Baby, it's 12:01 AM. Can I live?" You sprawled out on his lap. "Happy birthday, baby. I love you. But for now, I can't tell you what's in store for the day."

He leaned down and kissed your forehead, then your nose, then your lips. "I love you, I love you, I love you," he said in between each kiss.

[aectpen]

3 of Us - poly!haobin x reader

m.list

pairing: haobin x reader

genre: angst with happy ending

synopsis: hanbin and hao have a fight that leaves you in the middle

words: .9k

You stared up at the ceiling. Sandwiched between Hanbin and Hao, unable to toss and turn, you found yourself incapable of even catching a wink of rest. Their backs were turned away, oblivious to your restless night.

Earlier that evening, Hanbin and Hao engaged in a heated argument sparked by Hao's perceived "flirting" with an old friend at the market. Hanbin's reaction stemmed from his deep affection for you; he became upset with Hao for appearing excessively friendly towards the girl in your presence. It's true that you experienced a twinge of jealousy, with a tightness in your chest as you observed the way Hao tilted his head and smiled at her—the same way he usually did with you.

Despite all of that, you hesitated to bring it up. After all, he isn’t in contact with her, so why harbor any resentment? However, even though you mentally decided to let it go, your feelings manifested in your expressions and actions. Throughout the rest of the day, a subtle pout lingered on your face, and when Hao inquired about something, your responses were brief. Hanbin took note of all of this, but didn’t want to make a scene.

The moment the three of you reached home, Hanbin immediately pounced on the opportunity to call him out.

“So you’re just gonna act oblivious?” Hanbin raised his voice. Hao only laughed, thinking Hanbin was joking. “That girl. You were so obvious!”

You stayed silent, not wanting to start a fight, nor participate in one.

“She was just a friend that I hadn’t seen in a while.” Hao explained, raising his hands.

“The way you were acting. It was just disrespectful. Do you not notice when y/n is upset about stuff like this?” Tears welled in your eyes. You dreaded sparking a conflict between them, silently praying that Hanbin wouldn't address the underlying reason for your uncharacteristic behavior, devoid of your usual affectionate demeanor.

“Why do you always have to speak for her? Do you enjoy causing problems?” That's when it escalated beyond its initial scope. When you resort to a personal jab, you lose sight of the main issue and attempt to deliver an even more hurtful blow.

The remark ignited a shouting match between the two, spiraling into a confrontation where the original cause of their disagreement became unclear. Anger clouded their judgment, rendering the argument directionless. Despite your plea for them to stop, they remained deaf to reason. Their conflicts were infrequent, only arising from trivial matters.

You just wanted it to end. Even if Hao’s actions hurt your feelings, you knew he didn’t have malicious intent. He was just a friendly person. You also know Hanbin only came at him because of his love for you.  He couldn’t stand to see you upset without an apology.

The remainder of the night unfolded in silence. Not a word was spoken. Tension hung thick in the air, palpable enough to be sliced with a knife. The anger was so intense that neither of them could bring themselves to talk to you. Each person carried out their nightly routine in solitude.

None of you were angry enough to sleep separately. You thought about it, but neither of them raised the idea. Hanbin went to sleep first, followed by you, then Hao. They slept on their sides, both facing away from you.

Sleep eluded you as you dwelled on the unfolding events. You beat yourself up for allowing them to sleep harboring anger. You played out alternate scenarios in your mind, envisioning a timeline where you intervened promptly, and everyone went to sleep in a comforting embrace. Yet, even in that hypothetical situation, you couldn't escape the possibility of making Hanbin feel guilty for defending you.

You tuned into the gentle rhythm of their breathing, observing the subtle rise and fall of their shoulders. Thoughts of the morning ahead invaded your mind, anticipating the impending silence. The last thing you wished for was them waking up with furrowed brows and lingering pouts.

The echo of their hurtful words played on a loop in your mind. You couldn't shake off the realization that your own jealousy had fueled the current situation. A quiet sniffle escaped you as tears traced a path down the side of your face, dampening your pillow. 

The supposedly hushed sniffles didn't escape Hanbin's notice. He shifted to face you. "Trouble sleeping?"

Turning toward him, he glimpsed your slightly puffy eyes and pursed lips, prompting him to tenderly touch your cheek. "Is this about us? God, I'm so sorry, y/n."

"No need to apologize. It's my fault it happened in the first place," you self-criticized.

"It's not," he insisted, shaking his head vigorously. "Things got out of hand. At this point, it's nobody's fault."

“I just want it to be over. I don’t want anyone to be mad.” You held on to his hand.

Both of you directed your attention to Hao, who was now propped up on both elbows.

“I’m sorry. I was being dismissive and mean.” He leaned towards you.

“I’m sorry for not listening to you and being mean too.” Hanbin returned the apology.

“Now kith,” you said, earning a laugh from the both of them.

Hanbin positioned himself between the two of you, encircling his arms around you both, drawing you closer. You and Hao intertwine your hands over Hao’s chest, blowing air kisses at each other. The three of you drifted off to sleep, accompanied by a harmonious chorus of soft snores, just as it was meant to be.

[aectpen]

Warmth - heeseung x reader

m.list

pairing: lee heeseung x reader

genre: angst with happy ending

synopsis: you and heeseung see each other for the first time since you moved away and he became an idol

words: .9k

you took a stroll around the neighborhood you grew up in. you haven’t seen this familiar scenery in 5 years ever since you moved across the country. you remember that day like it was yesterday. you had come home from school exhausted, only to find your parents sat at the table with distressed expressions on their faces. turns out they had been quietly struggling with making ends meet. causing you all to have to move in with your grandparents on the countryside.

you felt tears welling up in your eyes, recalling the memories you made in this place. It made you feel like a kid again. even the air felt nostalgic. You could almost see your younger self running to the playground with your friends.

“yn? is that you?” you knew that voice from anywhere. it was lee heeseung’s mother.

lee heeseung, before he became a hot shot idol, was your very best friend. you two did everything together. your parents joked about you guys growing old together, that was just how inseparable you were. when you moved, you both were devastated, but promised to keep in touch. as the years went by, the communication became rare. it went from frequent calls and texts to calling and texting when big things happen to wishing each other happy birthday to complete silence. you haven't even texted him in almost 2 years.

“yes, its me. it’s so nice to see you!” you rushed over and gave her a warm hug. this woman acted as a second mother to you. she always treated you like the daughter she never had.

"you've grown up so well. your mother told me you've become pretty, but wow you are beautiful." she pinched your cheeks. "you have to join us for dinner. i won't take no as an answer."

you were hungry, and heeseung doesn't even live with them anymore, so this couldn't hurt.

dinner was running smoothly. his parents and brother created small talk involving recent news in our lives.

"i actually am moving back in the area with a friend for work."

"so, we'll definitely be seeing more from you, right?" his mom asked. "oh of course, i missed your food."

you were interrupted by the sound of the front door opening.

"i'm home!"

shit.

"heeseung, hurry, we have a surprise!" his dad shouted.

you absentmindedly straightened your clothes and stood up. you knew that Heeseung had quite the glow up himself. you love his group and frequently check up on what he is up to. even if your friendship grew stale, you always will feel the same about him.

feeling the same about him includes your secret decade long crush on him. you were the type to never, by any means, reveal that you had a crush on someone in fear of rejection. you painfully watched as he had girlfriends over the years and openly told you about his crushes.

heeseung’s reaction to you standing at the table was questionable to say the least. he had wide eyes but an unreadable expression on the rest of his face. his lips didn’t even twitch, making the situation very awkward as you held a half smile.

he didn’t say a word and sat down at the table. the air became unbearably thick. everyone silently eating, but you. you didn’t have an appetite anymore. before mentally preparing yourself, you apologized and said you have to get home to let your roommate in as she forgot her keys. a total lie.

you headed over to your childhood comfort place, the park. you sat on the swings and slowly swung back and forth. you didn't expect heeseung to run to you and hug you, but definitely didn't anticipate him ignoring you. it made you confused and feel like shit. you didn't do anything wrong. the both of you slowly cut communication, no one was at fault here, but time.

you heard a creek next to you and looked over to see heeseung on the other swing.

"i'm sorry."

you didn't respond for a while. "i understand. i'm sorry too." you understood that he may have felt overwhelmed by the nature of you meeting with him again.

"i just didn't know what to say. i didn't expect you to be there. i missed you." he continued swinging beside you.

"i know. your mom suggested i come over and i was kind of hesitant at the idea of seeing you that. i didn't know how i'd react." you stopped swinging and turned to face him. he looked comfortable in his oversized hoodie. you wanted so badly to just hug him. "i'm happy for you Heeseung. i'm glad you're living out your dream."

"i love you." he looked over at you, a singular tear gliding down his cheek, shining in the moonlight. this caught you off guard. he opened a floodgate of tears you held back for the years you have been apart. you got up from the swing and wrapped him in a hug, snuggling your face in the crook of his neck. "i love you too, heeseung."

the both of you pulled away, staring at each other wordlessly. he reached for your cheek and caressed it with the pad of his thumb. "you're so beautiful." the butterflies in your stomach were restless. You couldn't stop the grin from reaching your face. "you know, i've had a crush on you forever."

"yn, that would've been nice to know earlier than now." he laughed. oh how much she missed his smile.

his thumb still on your cheek, he slowly pulled you in for a kiss. the warmth you felt was unrivaled. your lips moved together as if they were meant to be. harmonious, and full of love.

you were definitely coming around more now.